i'm not gonna lie, i'm disappointed right now. i could say "it's just a game" or i could abandon the vikings altogether and be a fairweather fan (Like i'm sure most of minnesota will do tomorrow). but i truly am disappointed. i'm not mad at the vikings - what gives me a right to criticize their playing anyway? all i've done this season is sit on the couch and watch sportscenter and sunday games.
but i had to know this was coming. i'm from minnesota. when is the last time a minnesota team topped off a fantastic season with a championship? by my records it's been nearly 20 years - the 1991 world series win was a long time ago. in my lifetime i can name 7 great minnesota sports seasons that didn't end in a championship:
january 17th, 1999: minnesota vikings lose to the atlanta falcons in the NFC championship because of a missed extra point. they had been 15-1 in the regular season.
2001 nfc championship: underdogs who fought their way to the NFC championship, the vikings lose the game to the NY giants, shutout 41-0.
2004 nba western finals: after a top-seeded record-setting season, the timberwolves were eliminated in the 3rd round of the playoffs by the lakers. they were the underdog team that beat the denver nuggets and sacramento kings in two incredible playoff series. only to be eliminated the round before the NBA finals.
2006: after the most incredible end-of-season comeback by the minnesota twins to get the playoff spot against the detroit tigers. the twins had the CY young winner, the MVP, and the batting champ (3 separate players!) on their roster that season. the oakland athletics swept them in the first round of the playoffs.
2008: the twins again stage an insane comeback that led to a tie-breaking game 163 against the white sox. the winner would go to the playoffs. the coin toss sent the game to chicago. the twins lost 1-0.
2009: mid-june the twins had no chance at the playoffs. in august they were 9 games behind the detroit tigers. they finished the season strong, sweeping the royals all while watching the white sox sweep the tigers. again they forced a game 163 - which was played at the metrodome. the twins won this one. only to be swept by the yankees in the first round of the playoffs.
2010: minnesota vikings begin their season 7-0, and end it 12-4, earning the 2nd seed in the NFC. they demolish the cowboys in the 2nd round of the playoffs. they advance to the NFC championship yet again. with 19 seconds left and in field goal range, brett favre (the oldest QB ever in a playoff game) throws an interception, sending the game into overtime. the saints win the coin toss and proceed to get a game-winning 40-yard field goal.
---------------------------
i could call minnesota the state of choke-artists or failures, but they're not. the point is i love watching them. they are good guys (minus the love boat scandal..) who love what they do. and while it'd be fun to win a world series or a super bowl, i still love watching teams fight to get that top seed. if i knew that the twins would never again win a world series, i'd still cheer for them. i'd still go to as many games as i could. same with the vikings. both the twins and the vikings have some of the lowest payrolls in professional sports and that's what i love about them. our rosters aren't made up of a bunch of hot shots, but a bunch of guys who love sports.
i'm disappointed tonight. not because the vikings "let me down" but because i wanted them to get to the super bowl. for them. for their great season. for their hard work throughout the season. i could complain about the "questionable calls" or the unsportsmanlike defense or the mass amount of turnovers. but none of that matters. the vikings had a great season and i loved every second of it. even tonight as i paced back and forth in front of the tv screaming in fear and joy, i loved watching that game.
thanks vikes for a great season. we'll see you next year at your letdown game and we'll be behind you in it. and same with you twins, you'll drive me crazy during september and let me down during october. but i still love ya.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2009
i suppose i am just about 18 days late on a recap post of 2009. but cliches have never stopped me before, so i suppose i could write a brief summary of my life in the past year.
it's funny to me to read the posts that i was posting around this time last year, most arguably so my 2008 recap. month by month i recalled the mishaps, emotions, and stories of each month. all chronicling a selfish life that..to be honest..had little to do with God. it's funny to have these posts to remind me of someone who i used to be...someone God is making new. i guess you could say 2009 is the year that God won me back.
the opening hours of 2009 were pitiful...perhaps some of the worst hours of my life. ya know that phrase "how you start your year is how you will end it"? i'm glad to say (this is a foreshadow) that how 2009 started and how it ended were polar opposites...not only in my activities, but in my soul.
i have come a long way. Christ called me back in April...called me out of my life of sin...out of a life of lies and shame...and into a relationship with Him, free of the burdens of sin. i'm sure you've heard (or even said) a sentence like the previous many times. so had i. but i never understood it until He called my number. ya see, i had been living a life in secret, a life behind lies, and God had a different plan for me. not just because He hated sin, but more so because He loved me. He knew that these lies would always get between us because i let them. and i finally let them go.
i always thought there was freedom in lying. i could be anyone i wanted. my family could be this ironic ideal. my dating history could be an overflowing black book. my life was a compilation of shenanigans. but on the other side of truth, i've found a new freedom. to be who i was created to be.
in the past year i've been in 21 states, including a 9-week stint in alaska. God is showing me a world that needs some restoration and asking me if i want to be a part of his mission. for a girl that's always said no, i'm finally saying yes.
God has blessed me with some amazing roommates and a house that i don't deserve. on top of that i'm a part of a group of freshman girls who are changing me every day, and i bet they don't even know it.
rachel woltjer is yesterday's news. i'm ready to be a part of something bigger.
2010 started right where it should...in the fellowship of 22,000 missional college students singing praises unto God. it's a bit daunting to launch my first year of full submission to my purpose - the one set out for me long ago.
God is good. and i am not. I can't wait to tell of the amazing things that He has done...one year from now.
it's funny to me to read the posts that i was posting around this time last year, most arguably so my 2008 recap. month by month i recalled the mishaps, emotions, and stories of each month. all chronicling a selfish life that..to be honest..had little to do with God. it's funny to have these posts to remind me of someone who i used to be...someone God is making new. i guess you could say 2009 is the year that God won me back.
the opening hours of 2009 were pitiful...perhaps some of the worst hours of my life. ya know that phrase "how you start your year is how you will end it"? i'm glad to say (this is a foreshadow) that how 2009 started and how it ended were polar opposites...not only in my activities, but in my soul.
i have come a long way. Christ called me back in April...called me out of my life of sin...out of a life of lies and shame...and into a relationship with Him, free of the burdens of sin. i'm sure you've heard (or even said) a sentence like the previous many times. so had i. but i never understood it until He called my number. ya see, i had been living a life in secret, a life behind lies, and God had a different plan for me. not just because He hated sin, but more so because He loved me. He knew that these lies would always get between us because i let them. and i finally let them go.
i always thought there was freedom in lying. i could be anyone i wanted. my family could be this ironic ideal. my dating history could be an overflowing black book. my life was a compilation of shenanigans. but on the other side of truth, i've found a new freedom. to be who i was created to be.
in the past year i've been in 21 states, including a 9-week stint in alaska. God is showing me a world that needs some restoration and asking me if i want to be a part of his mission. for a girl that's always said no, i'm finally saying yes.
God has blessed me with some amazing roommates and a house that i don't deserve. on top of that i'm a part of a group of freshman girls who are changing me every day, and i bet they don't even know it.
rachel woltjer is yesterday's news. i'm ready to be a part of something bigger.
2010 started right where it should...in the fellowship of 22,000 missional college students singing praises unto God. it's a bit daunting to launch my first year of full submission to my purpose - the one set out for me long ago.
God is good. and i am not. I can't wait to tell of the amazing things that He has done...one year from now.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
