So I decided to dig up this ancient post (from 2002!) to possibly help calm everyone's nerves. After all, we're Hawk fans. We should be used to this.
============================
Being a Hawk Fan
(posted by HawkeyeBart on 2/7/2002)
So it happened again. Just when you though we might be back. Just when
hope was alive again. Right when the pieces could have come together, we
are disappointed again after a 30-point drubbing at the hands of Indiana.
I decided it was time to do some self reflection on my life as an Iowa fan.
Consistently above average, constant struggles with mediocrity, it's the
paradox of being an Iowa fan. Good enough to raise your expectations and
keep you enthralled but bad enough to piss you off just when expectations
get too high. It's always next year, or wait 'til he's a senior. The pieces
just never come together all at once. Just when you're gonna write them
off, they surprise you. Just when you get excited again, they crush you.
It always seems that when the hype is at its highest is when the biggest
letdown comes.
Example-- 1997 football season. Timmy D, Tavian back for
their senior seasons. The cupboards appeared to be loaded only to finish 7-5.
Case in point again this year-pre-season top ten, two preseason all
Americans only to be sitting at 4-6 and low-mid pack of the Big Ten as
usual. We always expect the best though, we refuse to admit that we are destined
to the middle class of college sports. It's every Iowa fan who can't
understand why Andre Woolridge isn't in the NBA and why Chuck Long isn't
in Canton by now. It's Iowa fans who coined a guy "Sir Jam a Lot" when his
season dunk totals were about equal to the one game totals of a lot of Top
10 programs. It's Iowa fans who can't admit that Tom Davis was a good
coach for the talent he had and that Steve Alford may not be for the talent in
his possession.
Iowa fans have seen it all before--a comeback into the final minute loses
steam, a key injury crushes a promising season, always playing against the
team who converts every third down or doesn't miss threes. The other
team's star always kills us while our stars never seem to show up. It's
reminiscent Greek parable of Sisyphus sentenced to a life of pushing a rock
up a hill and right when he gets to the top he loses it sending the rock
crashing down to the bottom. Usually for Iowa fans though, we only get
halfway up the hill.
Our main recruits are heralded, worshipped, hyped in anticipation. We
can't understand why they don't live up to that hype. The whispers of the unused
potential of Kenyon Murray, Guy Rucker, and Joey Range, Ricky Davis, and
Jeff Walker still echo in our ears like a Musberger call of a last minute
Matt Sherman pick against Michigan.
We are forgiving, just don't betray us. We can't understand why every
recruit wouldn't want to be a part of what we've seen. One big victory can
carry us for years one big loss can crush us for years. Most of the time
it's game to game. We have those players who come from the proverbial
"nowhere" to show flashes of brilliance but provide endless frustration in
the end. James Winters, Les Jepson, Russ Millard, Jake Jaaks, Matt
Bullard, Reggie Evans have all toyed with our emotions building and then destroying
the fragile confidence we have in our squad.
Disappoint us and our faith can be restored. Show us a glimmer, we'll
never give up on you. We've been silly enough to fall in love with a drunk Chris Kingsbury, a drugged up Eddie Horton, a moronic Sam Okey.
We think the world should pay attention though, loving the attention of
national rankings, high seedings, and TV games. Usually, the national
spotlight shines on us just long enough to be quickly extinguished until
everybody to forget about us again. The door is always left open a crack
to raise the bar, only to disappoint us the next time. Our dilemma is that
the bar is always set just out of reach.
Every smart Iowa fans know that you can't bet on Iowa games, every time
you're for them they lose, every time you take the other side, they win.
In the latter case it's usually all worth it. Our hopes never match our
results.
The same thoughts go through my head at the onset of every average season
though-- if we can just get in the tourney time who knows? I smell roses
at the onset of every football season. The fun is all in the struggles
getting there. It is the lot we chose when we labeled ourselves Iowa fans. So, on
a closing note I will give you my best lukewarm "Lets go Hawks"......maybe
next year. Someday we'll get there, keep the dream alive.
--jb
Feel free to pass on to others who may be united by our collective misery
============================
Being a Hawk Fan
(posted by HawkeyeBart on 2/7/2002)
So it happened again. Just when you though we might be back. Just when
hope was alive again. Right when the pieces could have come together, we
are disappointed again after a 30-point drubbing at the hands of Indiana.
I decided it was time to do some self reflection on my life as an Iowa fan.
Consistently above average, constant struggles with mediocrity, it's the
paradox of being an Iowa fan. Good enough to raise your expectations and
keep you enthralled but bad enough to piss you off just when expectations
get too high. It's always next year, or wait 'til he's a senior. The pieces
just never come together all at once. Just when you're gonna write them
off, they surprise you. Just when you get excited again, they crush you.
It always seems that when the hype is at its highest is when the biggest
letdown comes.
Example-- 1997 football season. Timmy D, Tavian back for
their senior seasons. The cupboards appeared to be loaded only to finish 7-5.
Case in point again this year-pre-season top ten, two preseason all
Americans only to be sitting at 4-6 and low-mid pack of the Big Ten as
usual. We always expect the best though, we refuse to admit that we are destined
to the middle class of college sports. It's every Iowa fan who can't
understand why Andre Woolridge isn't in the NBA and why Chuck Long isn't
in Canton by now. It's Iowa fans who coined a guy "Sir Jam a Lot" when his
season dunk totals were about equal to the one game totals of a lot of Top
10 programs. It's Iowa fans who can't admit that Tom Davis was a good
coach for the talent he had and that Steve Alford may not be for the talent in
his possession.
Iowa fans have seen it all before--a comeback into the final minute loses
steam, a key injury crushes a promising season, always playing against the
team who converts every third down or doesn't miss threes. The other
team's star always kills us while our stars never seem to show up. It's
reminiscent Greek parable of Sisyphus sentenced to a life of pushing a rock
up a hill and right when he gets to the top he loses it sending the rock
crashing down to the bottom. Usually for Iowa fans though, we only get
halfway up the hill.
Our main recruits are heralded, worshipped, hyped in anticipation. We
can't understand why they don't live up to that hype. The whispers of the unused
potential of Kenyon Murray, Guy Rucker, and Joey Range, Ricky Davis, and
Jeff Walker still echo in our ears like a Musberger call of a last minute
Matt Sherman pick against Michigan.
We are forgiving, just don't betray us. We can't understand why every
recruit wouldn't want to be a part of what we've seen. One big victory can
carry us for years one big loss can crush us for years. Most of the time
it's game to game. We have those players who come from the proverbial
"nowhere" to show flashes of brilliance but provide endless frustration in
the end. James Winters, Les Jepson, Russ Millard, Jake Jaaks, Matt
Bullard, Reggie Evans have all toyed with our emotions building and then destroying
the fragile confidence we have in our squad.
Disappoint us and our faith can be restored. Show us a glimmer, we'll
never give up on you. We've been silly enough to fall in love with a drunk Chris Kingsbury, a drugged up Eddie Horton, a moronic Sam Okey.
We think the world should pay attention though, loving the attention of
national rankings, high seedings, and TV games. Usually, the national
spotlight shines on us just long enough to be quickly extinguished until
everybody to forget about us again. The door is always left open a crack
to raise the bar, only to disappoint us the next time. Our dilemma is that
the bar is always set just out of reach.
Every smart Iowa fans know that you can't bet on Iowa games, every time
you're for them they lose, every time you take the other side, they win.
In the latter case it's usually all worth it. Our hopes never match our
results.
The same thoughts go through my head at the onset of every average season
though-- if we can just get in the tourney time who knows? I smell roses
at the onset of every football season. The fun is all in the struggles
getting there. It is the lot we chose when we labeled ourselves Iowa fans. So, on
a closing note I will give you my best lukewarm "Lets go Hawks"......maybe
next year. Someday we'll get there, keep the dream alive.
--jb
Feel free to pass on to others who may be united by our collective misery
