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What the hell do you do this time of year, after your favorite college team--in our case, the Syracuse Orange--fall short of meeting expectations, thus, leading to a crappy mood for days, weeks, possibly, months after?
For me, I try to keep to a vow I made with myself a few years ago--do not get emotionally distraught over a loss for more than 24 hours. Much like going through a bad break-up, I give myself time to grieve and that's it. No more. It is time to feel better and move on with my life.
But, what do I do in those 24 hours before my personal deadline?
Well, on Thursday night, in the middle of Syracuse's frustrating Round of 32 loss to the awful, terrible, terrible, awful Dayton Flyers, 55-53, I decided to take it out on some sheep skin.
(Pretty sure, I threw-out my arm. It tingled a lot after that.)
Right now, I am writing about it. I might hit the gym later today and reflect about this season a tad bit more.
How do others do it?
Unconfirmed reports say this Florida man decided to, literally, burn a place down.
Police said Jason Buchanan walked into a bar on South Ridgewood Avenue and ordered $80 worth of shots of alcohol Friday.
According to investigators, Buchanan, 33, downed all the shots and then set fire to a trash can in the bar's men's room.
When Buchanan went to leave, multiple people tried to stop him. Police said he punched them all in the face, including one man over 70 years old.
(Note: there's no proof this man actually did this because of Syracuse's loss, however, I am pretty sure there's someone in the CNY area that may have done a similar thing.)
Meanwhile, a piece of Orange Nation decided to blame. Blame Tyler Ennis for his decision making (even though, SU wouldn't have been in the spot it was without the freshman). Blame Jim Boeheim's for his inability to create some roster depth during the regular season. Blame Trevor Cooney's inconsistent shooting. Blame the referees for missing a traveling call. Blame the referees for being flat out bad, overall. Blame C.J. Fair for not delivering a top-notch performance when SU needed it the most. Blame me for writing this piece back in early February.
(I stand by the article, but I'll admit when I am wrong. So, sorry for being wrong. Again.)
Placing blame is the easy thing to do, and is a pastime for many sports fans after a loss. It is basic human nature, as humans naturally need something to point the finger at, or a scapegoat, because it is impossible to believe that reality just sucks sometimes.
After a bad loss, some fans reflect and be real, like TNIAAM friend @HoyaSuxa:
I'm not an emotional person, but tonight hurt. Like, really hurt. Team was ehhhhh, but that's no way to crash out.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
I'm sitting in my apartment and staring at a blank TV as I drink water. I never, ever feel like this. Tonight hurt.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
I honest to God feel so bad for Fair and Keita. They bled for this team. It's not about us as fans. I feel terrible for them.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
20-something kids are never going to be perfect. And the hurt is the realization that they never will be. Awesome season, terrible ending.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
What I'm trying to write is this: It's okay that this sucks, but don't throw shit at the kids because it's easy.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
Syracuse hoops isn't about *you* or *us*. This is reality, and sometimes reality sucks. Syracuse gave us something beautiful for six months.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
I love Syracuse basketball as much as anyone, but the expectations are yours. There are no guarantees. Look at your life. You fail at times.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
You're hurting? These guys are hurting. pic.twitter.com/FLCnz2GjOd
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
It sucks. I was disappointed and angry. Life goes on. At the end of the day, only only one thing is important: Georgetown is warmed garbage.
— Hoya Suxa (@HoyaSuxa) March 23, 2014
(Amen, brother.)
Other TNIAAMers immediately start talking about next year (I'll get to that tomorrow), or just plain lose their minds and apologize for it later.
Getting back to yours truly, I tend to gravitate to TNIAAM more during loses than victories because I know, for the most part, the takes in the post-game comments section will be emotional but fair--which is how I like to look at things. See, the great thing about Syracuse basketball is it has helped create a great community here that we can all use as a therapy session, which features a group that cares passionately for its team but doesn't take itself too seriously because we've been through this shit too many times before.
Luckily, it looks as if the men's basketball program's future will feature more success than failures, and, let's be honest, before the first loss to Boston College, this season was filled with a lot of unexpected success.
Right now, this does suck and it should because you care. But, let me toss you some advice, try not to let it carry on for more than 24 hours. It is not worth your sanity and this season gave us a lot more than we ever expected it to.
No, there's no gravy here but the meal was pretty good without it.