Don’t Make Him Angry

Some time ago I’d read a study that said that sports fans, on average, were less happy than non-fans.

Thinking about the reasons, it’s probably because only fans of championship teams don’t look back without at least some disappointment at the end of the season. The pain of losing over the long haul will trump the joy of winning.

Husker fans remember with pain seasons like 1990 and 1998 where the team won two to three times as many games as they lost. We still considered those disappointing.

Not wanting to give up sports and not wanting to be less happy, I resolved to remind myself that sports is entertainment, so that even if my beloved Huskers lost, I needed to find joy in the game regardless (“In the Deed, the Glory”).

That is why in some ways, part of me looks forward to the Huskers first loss.

Don’t get me wrong, I NEVER want to see the Huskers lose, but seeing Bo Pelini after the team’s first loss is something I’m extremely curious to see.

Who could forget the loss to Kansas State in 2003 when he took Bill Snyder to task for running up the score. Bo wasn’t even the head man then. Now, without a head coach to defer to, just imagine what Bo might say while stinging with the pain of defeat, with a microphone shoved in his face, and someone sure to ask a stupid question.

I expect the response to fall somewhere between Bill Parcells and the Incredible Hulk. The one good moment from the cheesy 1970’s live action Hulk TV show, was when Bruce Banner (the Hulk’s alter ego) says, “Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry”.

We haven’t seen Bo good and peeved in a good long time. But we know it’s only a matter of time. When that time comes, grab the popcorn. It should be entertaining.