Optimism and Expectations : A Cautionary Tale
by mgizmo2005 on May 19, 2010 9:50 PM CDT
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War Eagle everybody! We find ourselves a long way from college football and since I'm not a basketball fan, I have a long time to wait to see some exciting athletics. Many of you may not know, but I graduated in 2000 from AU and moved west. Now I live close to Seattle and have seen some horrific sports stories in these few years in this area. The end of an NBA team. I've seen the UW vs. WSU game 2008 with neither team having won a single game going into the so-called Apple Cup. There was a worm in that apple I guess. I've seen the Seahawks lose a Super Bowl and spin down the drain ever since. And the Mariners... They are awful. I really like baseball but I'm basically without a team. I don't even want to claim these guys as my home team. Here's where the title of my story comes in and eventually, I'll bring it back around to Auburn. I know you guys are pretty smart (well, some of you) so maybe you already know what my point is.
My memory being what it is, exact dates will not be used and I'm not a writer, so I'm going to be lazy and not research the details. This sort of runs in my family, sorry. Besides, my point is mostly psychological and has no basis in fact. Here goes:
The Seattle Mariners 3 seasons ago had over 100 million dollar payroll and were in "win now" mode going into the season. Team and fans had expectations that this financial investment in the team would translate into some wins, maybe make it to the playoffs. Instead, they lost over 100 games. Outrage! New Management! As the next season approached, Ken Griffey Jr was signed and many fans felt he just wanted to retire as a Mariner since that is where his best years were. The expectations of the fans were not high. They didn't make the playoffs, but they scrapped and made some noise. It was good to be a Mariner fan for awhile. Offseason moves were aggressive and money was spent. Without getting into the details, fan expectations had markedly risen. Some of the sports talking heads jumped on the bandwagon and said they would contend for the division. High expectations. See where I'm going with this? The Mariners could not hit their way out of a wet paper bag this year. What the hell? Just when the expectations got high, these guys folded like a laundry service. Disgust!
Now the Auburn part. Alright so I'll assume we were all awake and conscious at Tub's departure and the hiring of Chizik. My personal expectations were very low. Even when we were 5-0, I was tempering my optimism. Our defense was tired in every game. I knew we couldn't outscore everybody. We have had some good news in this offseason. Number one being that we kept our entire coaching staff intact. This article posted about the top OC's has Gus number one. Now I'm not drinking that particular flavor of kool aid, but he has gathered some attention.
Now, I'm barely articulate about sports, but I bleed orange and blue. I don't want to argue with anyone about whether I should keep my expectations up. I have just made a conscious decision after watching the M's flounder that expectations themselves are just bad. Life is a lot more fun when I don't know what's coming but my mind will always be looking into the future. Trying to figure it out. Hell, I'm typing away on a college football site in May! Some of this mental energy is a waste of energy. My goal is to be present in the moment. Not imagining past or future, just being where I am and paying attention to that. And this moment, I am hopeful about Auburn. I see no problem with being optimistic due to the facts that I trust the leadership of our team. But I am choosing to forego looking at the schedule ahead of time and trying to figure out what our chances are in each contest.
Thanks especially to WEA, Jay, Acid, and WarDamnZach for keeping this site up. I love being connected with my Auburn family way over here on the Left coast via the web. I hope if yall have any experiences or thoughts on this topic you'll share them. This got a bit longer than I intended so I'd not be surprised if nobody read it.
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I read it mgizmo and ...
… I’m with ya on the good this site provides. Most days (unless I am traveling) it’s the first thing I look at when I turn on my computer and the last thing I check before I shut it down in the evening.
I’ m glad your an optimist, for me that’s part of being a Tiger.
aubtigerman
"The reason you come to Auburn is because of Auburn people.This is a special place, from the coaches all the way to the fans" - Andrew McCain OT
War Eagle!
……I feel like there’s nothing wrong with having expectations. The real trick is in how you deal with disappointment. None of us saw the 2008 season coming, I’ll tell you that!
……Sometimes things don’t work out, whether it be in sports, or the real world. Sometimes you just have to keep chopping wood, even though everything is falling down around you. I do hate seeing a team that looks like it just quit.
Point well taken.....
I am really happy for you that you are not a die-hard Cubs fan. Talk about disappointment, whew!
Seriously, Coach Chizik gave the Auburn fan base what it needed, hope. Hope that springs forth optimism and hope that produces enthusiasm.
I for one will always believe “we” could win every ballgame ever entered into, and be straight disappointed when we don’t.
WAR EAGLE!
Come and join me at http://tigerbloggin.blogspot.com
From the For-What-It's-Worth Department ...
… you asked for thoughts, so here goes:
First, good job on the post. You’re no different than the rest of us … you live and die with the Auburn Tigers.
Now, for a suggestion:
If you think you’re the only one of us who feels — like ol’’ Satchel said — afraid to look back because someone might be gaining on you — go take a look at how SuicideWatch is feeling at the moment.
Suicide, a sometime contributor on this forum, always has a way — no matter how far your mood has swung in the negative direction — to make you feel like the last optimistic Auburn fan on the planet.
I have said a few times...
I really think that expectations for this Auburn team are way too high. Don’t get me wrong, I am optimistic as well. However, we’re going into a season with a brand-new quarterback, a returning defense that gave up more points than any Auburn defense before it, atrocious special teams play, and three of our best players last year won’t be contributing anymore. There’s plenty of reasons for people to say that Auburn will have a breakout year next year. Then again, there’s plenty stating the opposite. I’ve been saying for a while now, don’t put too many expectations on this year’s team. I personally think that next year Auburn will be really good-the change just hasn’t quite happened yet. My biggest hope is that AU fans can deal with disappointment well if it happens, and not start calling for a change too quickly. This staff is what we need, we just need to give them time is all. AU will be back, I’m just not sure it’s this year.
The reasons you list...
are valid and are worth remembering. Auburn is getting little love from the media because of the losing streaks against the Big Three LSU, Georgia, and that other team.
The hope and optimism is that at least two of those streaks ends this year.
Come and join me at http://tigerbloggin.blogspot.com
I totally get that...
Believe it or not, I think two of those streaks will end this year as well, though I’m not sure which ones. I realize me saying not to be so optimistic seems to totally disagree with the idea that two of the big streaks will end but I concur with that notion. I also think that this young team-yes many seniors but the core talent will mostly be new players will mess up when they should cruise through someone. In addition, after the big three, Arkansas is still really tough and Mississippi State is much better than what people are predicting. On top of that, South Carolina is going to be really tough and Clemson just got done competing for the ACC championship. True, they lose their marque back but they’ll still have a tough team next year. Not to be forgotten, Kentucky will be better this year than last year. So, it’s really easy to see how Auburn could have a rough year this year. I don’t think they will, but it’s hard to see them going undefeated amongst all that.
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