Thursday, September 27, 2007 – 03:40PM
By Jack Bedell,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Like Nuke LaLoosh in Bull Durham, I’ve definitely studied up on my
sports clichés. The week after an Alouettes’ loss, I’ve been reciting
them like a mantra to make it until the next game.
The fact of the matter is, though, I’m miserable at living up to my own clichés.
As much as I want to take the season one game at a time, I just can’t
keep myself from peeking at the schedule and running the math to see
how many games the team needs to win out of the next six to snag a
playoff spot. (By my own unofficial calculations, by the way, it’s
three.)
In my heart, I want to give 110 per cent supporting the Als, but
cynicism, fatalism, and ignorance always seem to knock me back down to
just 100 per cent, no matter how many times I go through my mantra.
I do my best to stay within myself and not worry about what the other teams are doing.
But with the Argonauts two points back now in the standings and
Edmonton and Calgary in line for a crossover spot, it’s hard to stay
focused. As they say, “Objects in the mirror are closer than they
appear.”
And as an English professor, I definitely know there’s no “I” in
“team,” but there is one in “win,” and that’s the only thing I really
worry about heading into October.
The one cliché I can count on 150 per cent, however, is that the pain
of losing most certainly outlasts the joy of winning. Ten minutes after
an Als’ victory I’m on to the next opponent. A loss haunts me the whole
week.
To get that taste out of my mouth, I’m adding a little truism to the mantra this week:
“Nothing could be finer than a win in Regina.”
