As published in The County Times (http://countytimes.somd.com) in Jan 2014
By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
A long time ago, I used to play a little softball. I have a few faded jerseys, soiled
championship t-shirts and body scars to prove it. My glove is somewhere. A
random softball still appears in my house from time to time. An abused joint occasionally creaks and
reminds me of, as fellow Marylander Jim McKay famously said, “the thrill of
victory and the agony of defeat.” Like
many rec-league athletes, my pre-game routine included a feverish exit from
work, scurrying to a nearby bathroom to imitate Superman’s phone booth wardrobe
change and a quick drive to the field.
On good days I’d preserve enough time to loosen the hammies and right
arm. On bad days (meaning time ran way
too short), I’d stretch on the field before the first pitch and limber up the
throwing arm by employing Pete Townshend’s windmill guitar move.
Despite my youthful exuberance, the long workday preceding
games contributed to different levels of motivation. Sometimes I was ready to go; other times I brought what I
had. For important games – rivalries,
playoffs and certainly championships – I would incite my competitive juices by
playing Eminem’s “Till I Collapse” at volumes my mother wouldn’t
appreciate. The song is a personal call
to arms – a raw play to basic human emotions.
More than the obvious stoke to one’s internal fire, it was (for me
anyway) a healthy shot of resolve, an audio elixir to help me cope with the ebb
and flow that inevitably occurs during athletic competition. Errors happen. Momentum shifts. Victory
can appear likely, then nearly impossible an inning later. Dealing with negativity, maintaining resolve
and ultimately overcoming adversity is nearly as fundamental to success as
physical talent – in any sport.
The chatter leading up to last Sunday’s NFL conference
championships – a heavyweight twin billing featuring New England versus Denver
and San Francisco versus Seattle - was predictably a present- and forward-look
focused on the games, the personnel and the quarterbacks. I couldn’t help but consider the past and
the road each team traveled – or survived - to reach the NFL’s final four.
While the four teams were prohibitive favorites to play deep
into January, none arrived at their presumed destination via a tranquil
script. Seattle played several games
without its starting offensive tackles, absorbed the year-long suspension of
star cornerback Brandon Browner and, due to a slow recovery from hip surgery,
got virtually nothing from wide receiver Percy Harvin, the team’s key offseason
acquisition. San Francisco played 11
games without its best wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, who sustained an
Achilles tendon injury in the spring, and five games without stud defensive end
Aldon Smith while he received treatment for alcohol abuse. Denver’s road to the AFC Championship was as
rocky as its famed nearby mountain range.
Left tackle Ryan Clady and center Dan Koppen suffered season-ending
injuries in the preseason. Von Miller,
the team’s best defensive player, was suspended the first six games and tore up
his knee in week 16. And head coach
John Fox missed several games while recovering from heart valve replacement
surgery.
And then there’s New England. The Patriots were chameleons this season, reinventing themselves
weekly based on available personnel.
One star tight end - Aaron Hernandez - is incarcerated; the other – Rob
Gronkowski – is recovering from knee surgery.
Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo, perhaps their best defensive players, were
lost for the season weeks ago. I could
go on…and on…and on. Frankly, New
England’s presence in the AFC Championship game is arguably the organization’s
greatest accomplishment.
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