Excellent Post

good_ken · June 19, 2006

Here is a post I found on the Aggie message board. I found it, especially the end of it, a very good read; reminded me that all perspectives are relative:

Taking a look at our schedule does make one tend to think that there is a possibility of a run similar to 2004. 4 games to start off the season against teams not known for being historically dominant. In fact, a couple of these teams are just bad enough that most people on this board don't even care to learn about them. Those people are the ones most upset by a "shocking" loss or an "unforgiveable" upset to these unknowns. When you don't know who you are playing, then there stands a good chance you'll never understand why you lost.
Those of you so sure of 9-10 wins, Holiday Bowl or better, and especially those of you that "know" A&M will beat KU and BU without question....
The Citadel has no recent upsets on their notched belt that would warrant any real concern. The concern should lay on the fact that a Div-1AA team has come into Kyle in the past 12 months and hung around long enough to make a possible upset a stunning reality. Those of you unaware of Texas State's strengths versus our weaknesses were the ones most visibly upset by the game.
Sure last year the Citidel were beaten by Florida State 62-10, but the half time score was only 13-10. For 30 minutes they gave the Seminoles a game, but talent and depth has a funny way of showing up late in football games.
Much like us, the Citadel suffered through a poor season last year. They also ended the season as we did playing their two best games, but they came away with 2 victories to end the season.
I expect us to win, but prepare yourself for 30 minutes of closer than you'd like football. Please don't come on this board late into Sept. 2nd or start Sept 3rd, with cries of firing "Coach Fran" or "oh my God, we are horrible and might not beat anyone!" Learn a little about the opponent, and it will allow you to understand better how they might match up against our weaknesses, and us to theirs.
Those of you that do not heed this warning will go into the game not with optimism, but with blatant expectation for dominance from the moment the corps march into Kyle. You will be the ones who suffer most from what I like to call, the pains of ignorance. Yes, I have been a victim of the pains for nearly all my life, but I am learning to get better. Learning to curb my enthuasism, while still being able to enjoy the good in each play rather than focusing on the bad.
These kids we cheer for, the ones we invest our free time and our money into. They play for A&M, they play for themselves, and then they play for us. Most will never go on and do "great things", as playing for A&M will be their peak. A lofty accolade that 99% of us could never reach. But when they fail, we forget these facts and focus on their misfortunes.
Our hope and hype turns to mope and gripe. You think that you have it bad when you take insults for A&M at work or school? You think that your donations are wasted, your leisure time was all for not?
Imagine for a minute what an athlete thinks of every night before they close their eyes and try to sleep. It is not the free tuition, nor the free food at Cain, its not the "hotties" that would do anything for some "me time, and its definitely not about the school work they have stacking up. Its that fear of failure. That fear of making a mistake in front of 80,000 people who they are playing for. 80,000 cheers at kickoff, that turn to 80,000 boos by the final gun.
For you or I we can turn off the TV, not read the sports page, or vent our anger on TexAgs.
For the players. For the ones actually playing for real and not only investing their time, but their lives for what boils down to a sport created for the entertainment of a country bored with just being alive. For those guys I now hesitate in booing.
I hestitate in hating on the coaches as well, as they have given their lives for the sport. The coaches have succeeded enough elsewhere, that A&M felt obligated to pay them the necessary money to keep them here. The same time I take away from my family to vent, piss and moan about "shoulda, coulda, woulda" they are spending actually doing something about what went wrong.
So before you raise up enough "courage" to anonymously start a thread or a post negatively bashing these Aggies, I would remind you to do your homework. Study the same way the coaches do with what limited access you really have, and then make a sound judgement on the "State of the Union" of Aggie Football.
Don't make the same mistakes that I, others, and yourself have made many times in the past. You never know who are reading these posts. Whose family members are trying to see if their "baby" made the right choice by leaving home and going to a school that promised all of them it was the best decision.

FirefightnRick · June 19, 2006

Maybe the part about "knowing your opponent" and "not booing the team" may apply to NT, but not much else. These people have zero clue what's it's like to have to do without, much less demoralizing non conference embarrassments to infant programs.

For me, a loss to The Citadel at home for A&M doesn't measure up one bit to a loss at home to two teams with a combine 10 seasons between them.....EVER.

NT lost to South Florida in Denton in '02 in only USF's 7th season (which was a loss to them for a second season in a row), and then lost to FAU in Denton in '04 in only the Owls 3rd season ever.

Apples vs Oranges.

Rick

Edited June 19, 2006 by FirefightnRick

LoveMG · June 19, 2006

Maybe the part about "knowing your opponent" and "not booing the team" may apply to NT, but not much else. These people have zero clue what's it's like to have to do without, much less demoralizing non conference embarrassments to infant programs.
For me, a loss to The Citadel at home for A&M doesn't measure up one bit to a loss at home to two teams with a combine 10 seasons between them.....EVER.
NT lost to South Florida in Denton in '02 in only USF's 7th season (which was a loss to them for a second season in a row), and then lost to FAU in Denton in '04 in only the Owls 3rd season ever.
Apples vs Oranges.
Rick
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dickey ball at it's finest