Civil words of gratitude

(www.addictedtoquack.com)

 

Let’s get something straight: all groups of fans behave like unadulterated, sniveling nincompoops galloping around like a prisoner granted a one-week pardon from a life sentence, especially after a rival game with actual ramifications. So stop pretending yours is better than another.

It’s in the blood of every fan base, as a collective whole. Does this mean that every fan is like this? Of course not. Don’t worry, you can continue to claim your own level of decency over another group so you at least feel good about something. I, for one, am a great fan that promotes a level of camaraderie I’m quite proud of—and yes, reading sentence makes me want to punch me. Odds are, though, if you’re the exception, everyone else affiliated with your team is the rule. Just shut up and accept that certain people simply ooze idiocy, and they may also root for the same team you do. It’s like having a racist grandfather: there’s not really much you can do about it besides explain to him when he’s wrong and really can’t say things… however, you’re probably never going to change his views. Just like you’re never going to weed out the loud-mouthed assembly line of douche bags that leave the warehouse wearing your team’s emblem on their chest.

So Beaver fans, when you get back from your trip atop Mount Pious, (a destination everyone goes after a tough loss, mind you), we can talk about your team’s six turnovers that led to your eventual demise and not how a handful of Duck fans were quintessentially rude fratholes.

As for Duck fans—stop flapping your mouths. You’re making everyone else look bad.

And a week after actually looking bad on the field, let’s instead admire how nice it was to see some of the explosiveness back in Oregon’s offense, even if it wasn’t nearly as gangbusters as the previous weeks. (I had a bet with myself to use the word gangbusters. I won.) And while it was worrisome to watch the overall power of the offense slow down to the degree it seemed to in the first half, the peppering of points and yards in the second was reassuring to say the least. That’s enough, though. No need to augment that performance with conceited jabbering. Let the play speak for itself.

About three weeks ago, coworkers and I were talking about the differences between Stanford and Oregon State, and we came to the conclusion they are two very similar teams, but Stanford is much better at being that team. We proved to be right, as Oregon was able to get back to the outside corners this week, staying a step ahead of the Beavers; as opposed to last week where they were relegated to running into large blockades of Cardinal players.

Regardless, and while that loss still gnaws in the “What Could Have Been” column, and even though the national title game, which was obviously within our grasp, is gone, this stretch Oregon has been on, including this season we just witnessed, is something that should be celebrated. It’s what we should be talking about.

We’re a damn good football team and program that has helped, along with USC and Stanford, to bring west coast football into the national discussion; it’s no longer just a cute thing that’s on later in the day. It’s desired, it’s athletic, it’s innovative. People still want to see Alabama versus Oregon because of two strong presumptions: one, the SEC has the best football teams in the country, and two, Oregon is the team that would best counter their impressive power-game with a powerful game of their own.

I don’t mean to take anything away from Notre Dame—as I tweeted, my apostrophe was very proud on Saturday night. But it would be more fun to watch the very best of two opposing styles go head-to-head and see which would come out on top.

This season, highlighted by another Civil War victory, was also great because it feels like an unspoken swan song for coach Chip.

John Canzano wrote an article Friday night articulating my thoughts; the article also exemplifies why I want to see Oregon versus Alabama: I’m getting in line as yet another Oregon fan expecting that head coach Chip Kelly is gone after this season and onward to the NFL where he belongs. And that’s why one more chance to beat the best would be ideal… an 11-1 record, top 5 ranking, and another BCS Bowl game is a pretty good way to live, too.

As fans of Oregon football, we need to be ok and encouraging in his departure. Just like we need to be ok and encouraging of this year’s team and what they were able to accomplish so far. Winning is finally something we expect from the program, not merely hope for. We think in terms of championships, not just of wins.

So after beating the Beavers for the fifth year in a row, and doing it in typical Oregon Ducks fashion—large plays, quick runs, creating and executing off turnovers—I’m reflective and proud of a team that has shown themselves to be a proven model of class and expectations on the field.

… Even if some of their fans, like most of their opponents, remain one step behind.

Hope is more than a wing and a prayer for Oregon

Hope is a strong motivating factor. People ascribe to hope to know they are making the right decisions. No one knows what those decisions truly are, granted, but with a little bit of hope and some clear belief in yourself, you’re directly on your way to making your dreams become a reality. Hope is something driven people use to get where they’re going.

Of the two components that you rely on and (well) hope for, only one of those is within your control: you hope that you don’t screw up the opportunities that are presented to you. That one’s yours. And secondly, you hope that by not screwing up and doing your very best someone else acknowledges that and rewards you for it.

(Hope is different than faith, mind you, because faith is something that is grabbed at and clutched blindly without any basis in reality; whereas hope is something that you have control over and create along the way. To have blind faith, while it works for some, is unsubstantiated. Hope is the Über-successful cousin of faith… like Matt Damon is to Ben Affleck.)

The Oregon Ducks have done everything they need so far this season to give themselves a fighting chance at a national title game, and to this point, they’ve been rewarded by others. Which, remember, is the part out of their control.

Oregon, after a sluggish first half, beat up on a lesser California Golden Bears team this past Saturday, and the BCS computers have rewarded the Ducks with a #2 ranking. (No one’s arguing that #1 Alabama losing didn’t help.) Which, of course, means that if the game were today, Oregon would be playing for the national championship.

Now comes the hard part—they have to live up to their own expectations and don’t screw up.

Oregon has to continue to execute with precision what they’re doing well. They need to continue to play to win as opposed to playing simply not to lose. Don’t get caught up in perception. Don’t allow what’s in their grasp to get away. They need to trust that they have what it takes to follow through in the end. They need to use the hope of the season as a guiding force towards their ultimate achievement. And with two formidable opponents left, Stanford and Oregon State, both ranked teams on the road, by the way, the Ducks can’t afford to give up hope. They can’t afford to focus on what could go wrong; rather, they need to focus on what’s been successful so far so they’re ready when the time is right to capture what they’ve always hoped for all along.

Some may dispute that hope has as much to do with the effects of an outcome as it does, but it seems completely clear to me that in a world where there is no certainty, hope is the only thing you can maintain. It may waiver, yes, but as long as it’s grounded in the belief that you, yourself are doing the right thing, then you can’t go wrong.

And if the Ducks continue to forge ahead believing in themselves, then neither can they.

(Image from http://blog.stack.com)