Colts Collapse

It is too long after the fact for me to write a fresh entry about the epic failure the Indianapolis Colts subjected their fans to on Sunday. Rather than try to contain my disappointment (as a fan) in order to write something remotely neutral (as an observant blogger), I will simply point you to my favorite analysis so far. Obviously, the author is not a neutral party, but his commentary puts my thoughts on paper very nicely, and the intelligent comments his readers have left are a great supplement to the original post. Nine times out of ten, I would say that I support the Colts' management and the decisions of the organization's leadership, but this case demonstrates why I still prefer college sports to professional ones: college teams don't lose sight of opportunities to make history.

Perhaps because each unique college team has a fleeting window of opportunity (3 or 4 years with each player usually) to be successful, they are willing to take more risks. Perhaps school presidents and athletics directors give more on-field decision-making power to the coaches and players than NFL team owners and GMs do. Perhaps colleges are not in the sports business to make money (but we all know that isn't true, or else the BCS would not exist...I digress). Regardless, more often than not, when a college team is faced with an opportunity to be the absolute best it can be and better than any other team ever in history, the college team takes a leap of faith and goes for it. No guts, no glory.

I'm sad that the otherwise-impeccable Colts organization failed to maintain its own integrity by lowering its standards to those of every other team, rather than aspiring to its own goals and working to achieve more than has ever been achieved by another team. We will never know for sure if the Colts would have gone all the way and written that history, but we now know for sure that they won't.

Tuesday Tunes: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

This week's tune is simple, but it resonates with nearly all who have ever hoped to spark a love connection with the magic of the New Year's Eve holiday. New Year's Eve is all about being festive, celebrating the close of one year and the blank slate beginning of another. It is about hope, resolutions, and quality time with your closest friends and family. It is about giving thanks for being fortunate enough to have lived another day, another year. And for many, New Year's Eve is a night filled with the anticipation of connecting with an intriguing companion, perhaps someone with whom to ring in future years.

I have always enjoyed this song because until recently, I too was a hopeful romantic who always believed there was a chance that New Year's Eve might bring me the excitement of new love. Alas, I did not find my love on New Year's Eve, but now that I have found him, I delight in the idea that I can celebrate all the new years of the future with my perfect match. In fact, my fiance and I have decided to get married on New Year's Eve a year from now, so that we will forever be able to celebrate together the accomplishments of completed years and the promise of each new, challenging year as husband and wife. If this week's tune doesn't give you even a hint of that special, New Year's Eve anticipation, I don't know what will. Enjoy!