A Profile in Madness: A Look at the 2010 Final Four and what it means to be a Mountaineer
April 2nd 2010 12:46
Any writer, journalist or observer of life’s intricacies will tell you that there is something to be said about objectivity and telling the story down the middle.
For me this is and has always been an important trait carried with me through life and my weekly conversations right here at politicsandculture.net.
For every man or woman who shoots his or her gun straight there comes a time when passions stand directly in the face of everything they have been engrained to believe or practice.
For me this passion came in the colors of Blue and Gold and brought back memories of driving up and down the Mountains of West Virginia with the smell of the Mountain Air.
In this year of 2010 it marks my eleven year anniversary as a Mountaineer.
A love affair that began in the blizzard of 2008 when I went to visit a friend and a University I had never heard of.
All it took was that first step onto campus and I was instantly in love.
A love that would carry me through a journey where I soaked in the history of tradition and began building one of my own.
Contrary to popular belief, being a Mountaineer is something more than burnt couches or all night partying. Being a Mountaineer is about being part a unique tradition understood by those who are part of the passion.
The passion of trudging down to Mountaineer field or the Coliseum in the rain, snow or cold and cheering our lungs out for the men and women who display their talents and pride to the rest of the nation.
The passion of wearing our hearts on our sleeves no matter how many times there is a last second buzzer beater, departure of a coach, an upset that thwarts the chances of seeing the Mountaineers play for a National Championship or a career ending injury to one of our own.
To be a Mountaineer fan is much like the challenges every Chicago Cub fan feels every year as they wait for the 100 year curse to finally be broken or the Red Sox Fan before finally feeling the sweet relief of old curses and hexes disappear with the sweet feeling of being the very best at the end of the season.
It is for this reason that it was so hard for me to do NCAA Tournament Picks this year.
Thoughts of tragedies from 51 years ago when one point separated Jerry West and the West Virginia Mountaineers from the glory of standing alone as National Champions.
Thoughts of having the greatest football team in Mountaineer history, being ranked number one in the nation and only having to punch our archrivals in the mouth to earn a trip to the BCS National Championship Game and having the rug pulled out from under us along with all the dreams of being right back in the thick of things the next year.
Thoughts of the last second buzzer beaters that have thwarted past tournament dreams of advancing to the Elite 8 and Final Four….
While these bad memories could rule the lives of every Mountaineer we are also brought closer together by our passions for the University and the things we share in common.
The diversity of a University that is representative of all 50 states and countless nations across the globe, our experiences as West Virginians and students of a University rich in tradition and our love of the Mountaineers.
It is for this reason that I fingers to keyboard three short weeks ago and there is still one team standing in my bracket. One team that will represent the state of West Virginia and the hearts of every Mountaineer in Indianapolis this weekend on a quest for history.
A history for every Mountaineer who had the privilege of watching Jerry West’s brilliance on the Basketball Court and for the legends of the game that followed the path blazed in the 5 decades that followed.
While my hopes have been made blatantly obvious; the time has come to pick a winner for the other game…
Some how some way Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans continue to fascinate America with their annual covert plan to sneak into the later rounds of the Tournament…
This path will continue on a run to the Finals as Butler, the 500 Pound Gorilla that everyone is looking to call Cinderella, finally loses the glass slipper.
Michigan St. vs. West Virginia University for the National Championship with the win going to the pride of West Virginia…
The West Virginia Mountaineers.
That’s my story and since it has brought me this far I think I’m gonna stick to it…
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For me this is and has always been an important trait carried with me through life and my weekly conversations right here at politicsandculture.net.
For every man or woman who shoots his or her gun straight there comes a time when passions stand directly in the face of everything they have been engrained to believe or practice.
For me this passion came in the colors of Blue and Gold and brought back memories of driving up and down the Mountains of West Virginia with the smell of the Mountain Air.
In this year of 2010 it marks my eleven year anniversary as a Mountaineer.
A love affair that began in the blizzard of 2008 when I went to visit a friend and a University I had never heard of.
All it took was that first step onto campus and I was instantly in love.
A love that would carry me through a journey where I soaked in the history of tradition and began building one of my own.
Contrary to popular belief, being a Mountaineer is something more than burnt couches or all night partying. Being a Mountaineer is about being part a unique tradition understood by those who are part of the passion.
The passion of trudging down to Mountaineer field or the Coliseum in the rain, snow or cold and cheering our lungs out for the men and women who display their talents and pride to the rest of the nation.
The passion of wearing our hearts on our sleeves no matter how many times there is a last second buzzer beater, departure of a coach, an upset that thwarts the chances of seeing the Mountaineers play for a National Championship or a career ending injury to one of our own.
To be a Mountaineer fan is much like the challenges every Chicago Cub fan feels every year as they wait for the 100 year curse to finally be broken or the Red Sox Fan before finally feeling the sweet relief of old curses and hexes disappear with the sweet feeling of being the very best at the end of the season.
It is for this reason that it was so hard for me to do NCAA Tournament Picks this year.
Thoughts of tragedies from 51 years ago when one point separated Jerry West and the West Virginia Mountaineers from the glory of standing alone as National Champions.
Thoughts of having the greatest football team in Mountaineer history, being ranked number one in the nation and only having to punch our archrivals in the mouth to earn a trip to the BCS National Championship Game and having the rug pulled out from under us along with all the dreams of being right back in the thick of things the next year.
Thoughts of the last second buzzer beaters that have thwarted past tournament dreams of advancing to the Elite 8 and Final Four….
While these bad memories could rule the lives of every Mountaineer we are also brought closer together by our passions for the University and the things we share in common.
The diversity of a University that is representative of all 50 states and countless nations across the globe, our experiences as West Virginians and students of a University rich in tradition and our love of the Mountaineers.
It is for this reason that I fingers to keyboard three short weeks ago and there is still one team standing in my bracket. One team that will represent the state of West Virginia and the hearts of every Mountaineer in Indianapolis this weekend on a quest for history.
A history for every Mountaineer who had the privilege of watching Jerry West’s brilliance on the Basketball Court and for the legends of the game that followed the path blazed in the 5 decades that followed.
While my hopes have been made blatantly obvious; the time has come to pick a winner for the other game…
Some how some way Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans continue to fascinate America with their annual covert plan to sneak into the later rounds of the Tournament…
This path will continue on a run to the Finals as Butler, the 500 Pound Gorilla that everyone is looking to call Cinderella, finally loses the glass slipper.
Michigan St. vs. West Virginia University for the National Championship with the win going to the pride of West Virginia…
The West Virginia Mountaineers.
That’s my story and since it has brought me this far I think I’m gonna stick to it…
Are you a Fan of the Conversation?
Discussions like the one you have just read can not continue without your support.
Please Vote and Leave Your Comments at the Bottom of the Page.
Please also Click the links of our Advertisers to show your support for the movement that is not about a fantasyland where everyone agrees with each other but one where we can at least come to table of understanding to find a better way
To get more of the story join me on my Social Networking Sites and Become a Fan of my Facebook Fan Page by following the links below.
Join me for a discussion of current events and background conversations on my weekly blogs.
The Side Conversation
Click Here
Facebook Fan Page
Click here
Friend me on Facebook
Click here
Friend me on Myspace
Click here
Follow Me on Twitter
Click Here
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