Vanceman201
03-06-2016, 12:45 PM
Greetings all...
An important note/observation to begin.
There are many reasons folks choose to pull for one team or the other....or to be totally sold out for a team.
Last evening I invited over my lady friend for dinner and the game. She is an absolutely rabid, totally dedicated Duke fan. She wore her Duke shirt...I wore my Tarheel shirt...and we had a splendid time. But, what I wanted to note is something about this scenario that is much bigger than basketball, bigger than sport....it's just big.
My friend, Amy (not her real name) is the way she is in her zeal because of nothing related to any Duke sports program. It's due to the Duke University Medical Center. Both Duke and UNC are blessed with world-class medical centers/programs and Amy's story involves that. About 8 years ago Amy moved to my town with her partner, Ben (not his real name), to help him with his struggle in dealing with Stage 4 brain cancer. Ben had just been diagnosed and was given only a few short weeks to live. Amy, being a very diligent, capable, and devoted person -- she proceeded to seek out the best treatment available....and that was found at Duke University Medical Center. Last night Amy recounted how Duke's work with Ben gifted him two additional good years of life...something she will always be indebted to Duke University for. Ben passed after struggling through his third year...but, the two extra good ones he was granted will never be forgotten.
That's the story of why Amy is such a Duke fan. She screamed and yelled and scolded and fussed and jumped all thru last night's game in an effort to will her precious Blue Devils to victory.
And, though I'm happy that "my team" won last night.....nonetheless, it breaks my heart that hers didn't. I choke up to think about it.
---------
Like I said, I am happy that my team won this game (especially after the loss in CH)....but, I'm still left with that nasty "vampiric" taste in my mouth....and the question: Where does Duke get the drive, the guts, the determination to do what it does? How does this team always seem to come back, re-animate...when many/most teams would be dead? Last night Amy was complaining that Duke was down 8 points. I responded with, "Dang, woman...relax...this is Duke...don't worry...it's gonna change". And it did. Still undermanned....with nobody to battle our bigs sufficiently under the basket...Duke somehow keeps it close. Mind-boggling !
My comment over and over was, "Surely one of our Managers can sneak down to the Duke bench during a time out....and take some rope and tie Allen (or is it "Alien") and Kennard to the bench. But, noooo...not only did they stay in -- they hustled and fought and found ways to score and pester us in every way possible.
Man, it's so frustrating to have guys like that running around when you're trying to get the heck out of town with a win.
So, how does one survive a vampire attack? I'm not minimizing my team's effort, strategy, and guts this time around. Duke hung incredibly tough against a team where they were out-manned underneath....where balls were bouncing our way, and where...low and behold...we made many sensible plays, some hustle plays, and made crucial free throws down the stretch. And kudos to Roy for the presence of mind to use his timeouts -- to rest, advise, settle down, to coach his team to victory.
And, against all that....the fear of the vampire sneaks upon me once again. I couldn't rest until the bitter end when there was no more time...and we had at least one more point than the Blue Devils. Look how close it was. When Amy was feeling it was lost....I was scolding back...."Not so...this is Duke...the un-dead...it isn't finished!"
What a beautiful game...with so much desire to prevail against your "enemy"... but, with so much respect for the winner when all is said and done.
Congratulations to Duke for a fine season and for the class they showed in last night's hard-fought and narrow defeat.
I'll be pulling hard for the Blue Devils, and the Heels, in the ACC Championship...and the NCAA journey.
Blessings to both teams...for good health and safety as we move forward.
Steve -- in Hendersonville.
An important note/observation to begin.
There are many reasons folks choose to pull for one team or the other....or to be totally sold out for a team.
Last evening I invited over my lady friend for dinner and the game. She is an absolutely rabid, totally dedicated Duke fan. She wore her Duke shirt...I wore my Tarheel shirt...and we had a splendid time. But, what I wanted to note is something about this scenario that is much bigger than basketball, bigger than sport....it's just big.
My friend, Amy (not her real name) is the way she is in her zeal because of nothing related to any Duke sports program. It's due to the Duke University Medical Center. Both Duke and UNC are blessed with world-class medical centers/programs and Amy's story involves that. About 8 years ago Amy moved to my town with her partner, Ben (not his real name), to help him with his struggle in dealing with Stage 4 brain cancer. Ben had just been diagnosed and was given only a few short weeks to live. Amy, being a very diligent, capable, and devoted person -- she proceeded to seek out the best treatment available....and that was found at Duke University Medical Center. Last night Amy recounted how Duke's work with Ben gifted him two additional good years of life...something she will always be indebted to Duke University for. Ben passed after struggling through his third year...but, the two extra good ones he was granted will never be forgotten.
That's the story of why Amy is such a Duke fan. She screamed and yelled and scolded and fussed and jumped all thru last night's game in an effort to will her precious Blue Devils to victory.
And, though I'm happy that "my team" won last night.....nonetheless, it breaks my heart that hers didn't. I choke up to think about it.
---------
Like I said, I am happy that my team won this game (especially after the loss in CH)....but, I'm still left with that nasty "vampiric" taste in my mouth....and the question: Where does Duke get the drive, the guts, the determination to do what it does? How does this team always seem to come back, re-animate...when many/most teams would be dead? Last night Amy was complaining that Duke was down 8 points. I responded with, "Dang, woman...relax...this is Duke...don't worry...it's gonna change". And it did. Still undermanned....with nobody to battle our bigs sufficiently under the basket...Duke somehow keeps it close. Mind-boggling !
My comment over and over was, "Surely one of our Managers can sneak down to the Duke bench during a time out....and take some rope and tie Allen (or is it "Alien") and Kennard to the bench. But, noooo...not only did they stay in -- they hustled and fought and found ways to score and pester us in every way possible.
Man, it's so frustrating to have guys like that running around when you're trying to get the heck out of town with a win.
So, how does one survive a vampire attack? I'm not minimizing my team's effort, strategy, and guts this time around. Duke hung incredibly tough against a team where they were out-manned underneath....where balls were bouncing our way, and where...low and behold...we made many sensible plays, some hustle plays, and made crucial free throws down the stretch. And kudos to Roy for the presence of mind to use his timeouts -- to rest, advise, settle down, to coach his team to victory.
And, against all that....the fear of the vampire sneaks upon me once again. I couldn't rest until the bitter end when there was no more time...and we had at least one more point than the Blue Devils. Look how close it was. When Amy was feeling it was lost....I was scolding back...."Not so...this is Duke...the un-dead...it isn't finished!"
What a beautiful game...with so much desire to prevail against your "enemy"... but, with so much respect for the winner when all is said and done.
Congratulations to Duke for a fine season and for the class they showed in last night's hard-fought and narrow defeat.
I'll be pulling hard for the Blue Devils, and the Heels, in the ACC Championship...and the NCAA journey.
Blessings to both teams...for good health and safety as we move forward.
Steve -- in Hendersonville.