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Commodore Notebook 10/3 10/3/2005 Notes and Commentary Things are never as good as them seem nor as bad as they appear. We have to remind ourselves about that truism often, especially in sports. The last shot swishes the net, we get a few long putts to drop, a .182 hitter belts a winning homer and it is very easy for us to believe in ourselves. We are winners! Then that last shot clunks off the iron, we start to three-putt and that .182 hitter fans on three pitches and how quickly we can do a 180 in thinking. Woe is us. How can things seem so possible one day and so remote the next? In the world of sports, those of us who think like that are called fans. We can be excused for getting too optimistic because optimism hasn’t hurt anyone. But we need to be careful of those pesky knee-jerk pessimism jolts. There’s little good in going there. Those same gallant guys who came back in the waning minutes of the Wake Forest game, the same clever coaches who called that brilliant fourth quarter in Fayetteville, the gutsy gang that held off a rallying Ole Miss team?that same cast of characters came within a whisker of doing it again Saturday night. They marched 81 yards in 12 plays to set up the chance to win. Darn right the result smarted, at least if you care about our football program. I have a front-row seat for some of the human drama. I watched our 18-year old field goal kicker clearly and patiently explain his mindset going into those frantic final seconds. From what I heard, I would bet my house he makes the vast majority of game-winning attempts during his career. I listened as Earl Bennett, a talented freshman receiver and a young man of few words, explained to a reporter what the team was thinking about with the clock ticking down as it drove 81 yards from its six-inch line to set up that field goal attempt: “We were trying to win the game, ma’am” Earl said matter of factly. He was serious. That might seem like not much of a reply but let’s take a look at his eight brief words. We (not I) were trying (what more can anyone do?) to win (fighting the good fight) the game (it’s not life and death), ma’am (showing his manners). This is a football team to appreciate and there is a lot more football to be played. Special Guests Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian was in the pressbox for Saturday’s game. His team was in town to play the Titans. Polian was an executive with the Buffalo Bills for many years and remains a big fan of former Commodore Will Wolford, who starred for the Bills on his watch. We were also hosts for a reporter from the Christian Science Monitor, one of many national news organizations to notice the football team’s excellent September. Fashionably Late It was about 10 minutes before last week’s kickoff and there was still a lengthy line of fans waiting to get in the stadium. Showing up at the gate minutes before kickoff might work if our crowd is 18,000 but when we are attracting twice that number, unless you enjoy standing in line – show up sooner! There will be more fans here this week for LSU — fair warning! Getting a Kick out of Soccer We have two of the most improved soccer teams in the country. The women are rolling at 11-1 (4-0 in SEC) and were ranked 19th in the last poll and probably due to move up this week. Goal keeper Tyler Griffin and the defense have been instrumental — recording nine shutouts. Dizzy Dean once said they can’t beat you if they can’t score and ole Diz was right. Three Commodore women have already been honored as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. They are junior defenders Kim Perkins and Monica Buff and junior forward Lea Lafield. The men’s team doesn’t have the ranking nor the glossy record but they are every bit as improved. The guys are 5-4 and both John Krause and Joe Germanese have been named Missouri Valley Players of the Week. The SEC does not sponsor men’s soccer so the MVC is regarded as one of the nation’s finest soccer leagues. Clyde Lee Still Contributing Many Commodore fans regard Clyde Lee as our school’s finest basketball player. The upper decks of Memorial Gymnasium are informally known as “the balconies that Clyde built” during his All-American days in the mid-1960’s. Few realize that Clyde has long been a yoga disciple and instructor; he began yoga in an attempt to cure his ailing back and found it worked wonders. Clyde has taught yoga to several Commodore teams in recent years, usually gathering the team at 7:00 a.m. for an hour twice a week. This fall he is working with the bowling team and some members of the women’s golf squad. Yoga teaches concentration and relaxation at the same time it helps flexibility and strength. Does Winning Make a Difference? In mid-August, prior to the first football game, we did our best to get area sports media to mention our new pre-game tailgate area — Vandyville. This was met with modest results until last Friday when the Tennessean ran a detailed Vandyville story on the front page of the front section! |
