Keep the Car Running

by Ryan

This has been one of the worst sports weeks in recent history. I grabbed lunch with a friend today and we were both still crushed by the Monday Night Game. Seriously. It wasn't a teary-eyed meeting as much as a depressing one. The more we talked it over it seemed to become okay, but there was a serious amount of tension involved in tonight's game for us both.

Are you getting that feeling, too? That nervous worry about losing, yet at the same time that hopeful bit of optimism a new game can bring. You don't want to see another loss, but you just know how badly this city needs a win. A Friday night game against Philly should be cause for celebration, but I just don't know what to say about Sabres hockey anymore.

Sports fans are supposed to be dim-witted and unintelligent by stereotype, but anyone reading this clearly knows otherwise. Sports can be taken as intellectually as anything in the world with the right amount of effort, and I take pride in just how involved I've become in the sports world. However, tonight is going to be about pure emotion.

I look outside to see a pitch black street. It's getting dark earlier and earlier, and it seems as the weeks have passed our collective mood has followed. People just don't smile when our teams lose, and the colder it gets the most people stop smiling altogether. In an environment like this, in a city like this; we need a distraction to keep us going.

Kevin's right in a way, we need a spark. I need something to cheer me up after all the terrible news I've heard this week, and maybe Mark Mancari can give the boost we need. This whole sports thing is supposed to help us forget the bad times, not add to them. Even after all I've seen this week, I'll be in the crowd once again. I'm still waiting for the spark we've needed all month.

Let's go.