J Money said "This is just ridiculous. Valpo is 90 miles away, right up I-65. How effing ridiculous. How can someone be such a mama's boy that they're "homesick" from 90 miles away. That's still near home!"
One of my favorite memories from college: Me and my now wife trekking to Columbus to watch the US Soccer MNT beat Mexico 2-0 and qualify for the World Cup. My favorite player: Clint Dempsey. My least favorite: Landon Donovan.
People who don't watch soccer ask me, "Why don't you like Landon Donovan? He's good, right?" My response is, "Yeah, but he could have been better." See, Landon used to play in Europe, where the level of competition is higher, and the ability to improve is greater. But, he came back to the States. Solely because he was not happy in Europe. I thought that was just ridiculous.
Most Americans also think its ridiculous when A) Joe Johnson takes a big contract to go play for the Atlanta Hawks, or B) Karl Malone tries to piggyback onto the Lakers to win a Championship. We are very judgmental when it comes to athletes.
But there other day I was reading a column about Landon, where the columnist pointed out that it seems like Americans don't like Landon because he didn't have an insatiable desire to be the best. Is that fair?
If your best friend told you he wasn't happy in college, and he wanted to transfer, would you call him a mama's boy?
If your brother told you he had an amazing job offer in Germany, but he turned it down because of the language barrier, and the fact that all his friends and family were here, would you call him a failure? Heck, I moved from Indiana to Utah for a good job, and I question that.
Likewise, if your dad had a chance to move from Honda to Chevy to make more money, or your coworker who worked his butt off for 15 years told you he was going to take a job on the board of directors for a direct competitor, would you tell them they were making a mistake?
When it comes to close ones, we realize that we don't know whats best for them, so why do you (and I) think we do when it comes to our heroes?
-Nick B
8 comments:
Good post. I still think Scott Martin is being a bitch though. I read that he was upset that Painter let Grant and Kramer sit out a few practices to nurse their injuries, but not Scott. My opinion on that is that Kramer and Grant have earned the right.
Scott, you aren't going to be given a starting role and the primary scorer's role, you have to earn it buddy.
i agree that fans are fickle about certain things.
If Bill Self would have left for alma mater, i would have had no problem with it. Is taking money a bad thing? Especially for the school you played for? Les Miles at Michigan too.
But i do think there should be something to be said about loyalty, and i will never think of Carlos Boozer as a good guy.
As for Martin, i gotta agree with Justin- Valpo is not that far.
soccer? that's a new one.
great post. bottom line is, we have no idea why he came to his decision. I do obviously think we should be disappointed if we want to... You do need to earn your merit though in the Big Ten and if he is soft, then so be it.
I'm guessing that I'm not the only one checking the Indiana news sites to see if Martin changes his mind. I'm not ready to start bashing the kid (even if it is about as ridiculous as 'homesickness')
It's like a girl who leaves you and you try to patch things up, but the second she hooks up with a prick (Notre Dame) or guy who is in over his head (Valpo), then the namecalling is soooo on.
I've wondered whether it's related to....
a) girlfriend issues
b) Cuonzo's departure
c) jealousy (Hummel, others getting rest or starts)
d) ego
I just don't know. I'm starting to worry about all these departures a little more seriously and looking to see if there is more to these stories.
I will say if you liked at when Bob Knight started really struggling in the mid to late 90s, it seems (without looking) that he had a bunch of transfers leave. It is an issue to be taken seriously.
And by liked, I mean looked.... Geesh
-Nick B
I don't begrudge him one bit for leaving. We should be happy for every game these kids give our bball program. The work and effort alone are probably more than I could handle, let alone the media and fan scrutiny.
Let him do what he wants, and nice post Nick B.
Post a Comment