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View Full Version : Bill Simmons Doesn't Get It



dukerev
07-01-2008, 04:56 PM
The thread title is obvious to us Duke fans, of course. But his latest column http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3467732 shows it for sure. In it, Bill talks about living in fear of falling off the mountaintop because his favorite teams have all one improbable championships. He wonders if he will lose the thrill of being a sports fan or other more horrible fates.

Of course if Bill listened to Coach K, he would understand that sports, either as a participant or an observant/fan, is not about the destination. it is about the journey. It is wonderful to win a championship. But it is more important to enjoy the journey.

I've enjoyed the past several seasons of Duke basketball. I wish, of course, that we had gone further in the tournament. But I've loved being a Duke fan for each and every game. Losing the last game is hard for me because it means that the season is over more than because we lost.

I can't wait for this next season to begin. I'm looking forward to "meeting" all the guys and watching them grow and gel as a team. I look forward to the games - each and every one. And if we win the championship, so much the better (after all, I do want "us" to win). But if we don't I'm betting that I still will have had fun. Too bad Bill Simmons can't enjoy the Sox, Celts or Pats unless they win.

shadowfax336
07-01-2008, 05:52 PM
Hey, c'mon now thats just lazy. You should actually read the article if you're going to criticize it like that. Simmons doesn't say at all that he can only enjoy his teams if they win and in fact I think he'd agree with you that its the journey that matters not the destination. In fact thats the premise of the article, that because they've reached the destination he's worried that the journey may no longer be meaningful. He clearly isn't somebody who can only enjoy teams when they win, as Red Sox fans are a little too fond of reminding people, they've suffered plenty. His premise is that since he's gotten everything that he as a fan has been cheering for throughout the years, he wonders if he can still enjoy the ride. And if you read the end you'll see that his conclusion is that he can still enjoy it because each season is unique in different. In fact his conclusion is exactly the same as yours, minus the prejudging of the other person's article

Atlanta Duke
07-01-2008, 07:04 PM
Simmons probably is thinking why will anyone want to read a "national" sports columnist who spends most of his time writing about Boston sports teams once those teams are not competing for championships and in the national spotlight every year.

Nobody has benefited more than Simmons (fka the Boston Sports Guy) from the success of New England teams this decade. At some point this guy will need to show he is not a (very wealthy) one trick pony. He has little interest or knowledge of college sports and podcasts where "Jacko" and Simmons debate the merits of Sox-Yankees can only go on for so long.

MarkD83
07-01-2008, 08:22 PM
In the article there is a discussion about falling in love 20 times but you won't care as much as you did about your first girl or boyfriend. (I disagree with this slightly because I care more about my wife than my first girlfriend, but I digress). The article continues that if your favorite team wins in an especially memorable way you think of that team as the best ever.

So...let's remember 1991. Duke is a heavy underdog to UNLV. They pull out the improbable upset How many of us Duke fans think that is one of the best Duke teams? 1992 was fun but there were high expectations and after the team won the Nat'l championship I was excited but also relieved that they accomplished what was expected.

In 2001, the sense of excitement returned because the team again won in an unexpected way after Boozer's injury, but also because Duke had been through the 1994-95 season which put the team back in the valley that no sports fan wants to endure.

Back to the article, the Celtics have won so many championships yet this last one was satisfying because of how poorly they played in the past few years before this year.

And finally back to Duke, in the next few years if we go to another final four or actually win another Nat'l championship it will be extremely satisfying since the team has not played well in the past few NCAAs.

Billy Dat
07-01-2008, 10:05 PM
Thicken the skin up, laddies.

DukeDude
07-02-2008, 10:21 AM
Nobody has benefited more than Simmons (fka the Boston Sports Guy) from the success of New England teams this decade. At some point this guy will need to show he is not a (very wealthy) one trick pony. He has little interest or knowledge of college sports and podcasts where "Jacko" and Simmons debate the merits of Sox-Yankees can only go on for so long.

I enjoyed his columns more last year when the Celtics were awful and he was hilariously critical of Doc Rivers.

Similarly, I found Peter King unreadable all of last season while the pats were going undefeated and he felt the need to point out how even their waterboys are better than the rest of humanity.

Turk
07-02-2008, 05:35 PM
Count me as a huge Simmons fan. Don't always agree with him, but love reading him.... So what if he hates Duke and loves Boston?

And I'd hardly call him a "one-trick pony", unless you define that to mean "pro basketball, baseball, and football; fantasy sports; gambling; Boston; movies; TV; and music".... Truly he has a dizzying intellect.... (either that or maybe ADHD) :eek:

I think he's absolutely right about being on top of the mountain... The second trip up is much different than the first; it's special in a different way. Can you imagine how good it will feel when Coach Cut brings the ACC football title back to Duke?

There are times when I wouldn't mind a few sub-.500 hoops seasons to get all the fair-weather fans off the bandwagon, and enjoy another ride back up to the top....

RelativeWays
07-02-2008, 05:43 PM
I will say that the next B ball championship we win will be oh so sweet, especially after the hatred and derision we've endured the past 7 or so years. Not just from UNC or UMD fans, I expect it from them, but the media at large. They will rue the day another banner is hoisted in Cameron. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. It will be GLORIOUS !!!!:cool: