I am an old man. As an old man, I have the right, nay the responsibility, to take losses hard. After all, there are fewer victories in my future than in the future of, for example, my editor.
This is not a picture of my editor. This is a picture of how old my editor looks to me now that I have a “good ear” and a “bad ear.”
This discussion of my age explains, in part, my reaction to our loss against Ohio State the other night. I can only imagine how Charles Fischer took the loss, as he is older than me.
Charles Fischer
How hard did I take the trip to the woodshed administered by the only Oregon State University that counts?
Not well.
So I went to an expert on loss and the aftermath thereof. Famed author Elizabeth Kubler-Ross from Friends helped me work through it with “The 5 Stages of Grief.”
1. Denial: Good teams who win the turnover battle by four T.O.s don’t lose games.
That statistic matters not so much if the other team’s quarterback comes from the city eating lizard family.
2. Anger: “Since we seem to be unable to hit anyone in uniform, I hope someone lays Urban Meyer out!”
I can’t say I’m proud of this one, but we’re being honest here.
3. Bargaining: “Dear Lord, if you could help us get a third down stop I will declare my FishDuck.com swag on my income taxes.”
Line 77: Subsection 44b. Did you receive either aircraft or ocean-going vessels as part of wages for work performed during the 2014 tax year?” Yes.
4. Depression: “Balls.”
We lost. Good did not triumph o’er evil. My gray head will be bent forever as my neck rebels against the weight of untold grief. I will never leave my house again.
5. Acceptance: Though we may never sip from the cup of the national championship trophy, we are nevertheless the Ducks of the University of Oregon. As such we are blessed to share our allegiance with the finest and most knowledgeable fan base in the land, and probably the most exciting team to appear on the gridirons of American football. Each fall our hope will renew and our fervor will re-ignite. Why? Because we’re the Ducks!
Da-da-da-da-DA! Go Ducks go!
Da-da-da-da-DA! Fight Ducks fight!
Da-da-dada GO!
Da-da-dada FIGHT!
Da-da-da-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA WIN DUCKS WIN!
I’ve been to Columbus. They’ve got bupkus to match this place. Oops, sorry. Acceptance.
Top photo by en.wikipedia.org
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Kim Hastings is a 1984 graduate of Northwest Christian College. He cut his journalistic teeth as sports editor of a paper in his home town of Fortuna, CA, and, later as a columnist for the Longview Daily News in Longview, WA.
He saw his first Oregon game in 1977 and never missed a home game from 1981 until a bout with pneumonia cut his streak short in 1997. He was one of the proud 3200 on a bitterly cold night in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1989 for the Independence Bowl, and continues to be big supporter of Oregon sports. He is an active participant on the various Oregon Ducks messageboards as “TacomaDuck.”