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Mar 20, 2005
i can show my face at church tomorrow Well, I suppose I can on any Sunday. But, had a certain event gone a different way, well . . . Before I moved to Cincinnati back in 1999, I kinda liked UC's basketball team. Back in 1992, when they were making their final four run as Huggins was bringing them back into national prominance, I remember rooting for them to make it, and even rooting for them in their game against Michagan that they ultimately lost. Throughout the rest of the decade, I remember kinda liking them. Not being a fan or anything like that, but if they were playing (especially against Louisville), I was all for them. Then I moved to Cincinnati. Here's the thing: In central and western Kentucky, the 2 areas in which I spent most of the 90's, UC isn't on the radar, at least as far as rivalries go. Sure, they are important since they are a top 25 team, but they don't register in the same way that Louisville or Indiana do. So, when I got here, I was really shocked at all of the trash talk against Kentucky from the UC fans. Apparently, they whole UK/UC "rivalry" is much bigger in this area. Which, makes sense. So, as I have to put up with and defend against all of the trash talk, I come to really dislike UC. They become one of my least favorite teams. I'm constantly badmouthing them. And the debate become constant about who is better. Unfortunatly, there is no game to settle the debate. Until March Madness 2005. Unfortunatly, prior arangements prevented me from watching the game live. So, I had to tape it. At 11:30, I was able to pop in the tape. The whole way home, I avoided listening to the radio, I get home and avoid the internet and everything. But, there is one problem . . . when I put in the tape, before it starts playing, I catch a glimpse of the 11:00 news. And, of course, this is the point of the night when the sports comes on. I only catch a brief second, but what I see is Chuck Hayes with a kind of somber look on his face. It looked like a "This is the end of my college career press conference." Then, the tape starts playing, and there I am expecting the worst. The game starts, and I'm just uneasy the whole time. I almost just fast forwarded through the entire game. With five minutes left, the game is close and I'm just sick at my stomach. Why such a reaction, you may ask. Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, the NCAA tournament is one of my favorite events. However, whenever Kentucky gets eliminated, it really loses something. If they lose in the second round, that means that I lose 4 whole rounds. It's kind of a sad thing for me. And secondly, the whole showing my face thing. Living in Kentucky, usually the worst you have to deal with is Louisville fans after a loss to UL. But typically, unless you live in Louisville, you only have to deal with a few UL fans. Losing to UC, in the tournament no less, would be even worse, considering that I a. Live just a few blocks from UC, b. Live with 3 UC students, 3. Most of my friends go to UC, 4. A bunch of people I work with go to or are UC fans. So, a lot was at stake. Finally, with about a minute left, UK up by about 8, and UC throwing up a barrage of bricks, I began to feel comfortable. So, I figured by this time, I would be ready to talk some trash. But, that's not my reaction. With this game, the whole UC/UK thing is kinda settled. That was my whole reason for not liking UC. But now, I can go on back to liking UC again. Until next time they play, anyway. posted
by Unknown @ 12:52:00 AM |
