Why are we Gopher fans? What a fool believes...

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Gopher Bandanna Guy

Gopher Bandanna Guy

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Nights like these, when we get a real horrorshow of a game out of our beloved Maroon and Gold, we get lots of hand-wringing and heads-a-rolling talk. It's mentally taxing to back the Gophs at times, even long stretches at times. Sitting in Ryan Arena tonight, my bud and I jokingly exchanged barbs that we must love the Gophers because we find excruciating and exotic ways to lose games. On the drive back home to Milwaukee, I then ironically heard the song 'What a fool believes' not once, not twice, but three times in a row while flipping thru stations.

Being a fan of yacht rock and the smooth dulcet tones of Michael McDonald I wasn't about to flip the station. But the chorus had me thinking about my unrequited love of the Gophs...

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There's nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees

...ugh. Those hit the nail on the head for me tonight. Were we fools to believe what we've seen prior to this skid would lead us to be a sure-fire Tourney team? Maybe. Am I a fool for consistently and constantly backing Gopher athletics. Probably. Some might ask, 'why am I a Gopher fan?'. Why will I be at the Kohl Center on Saturday, and watching every televised game I can't make from now until the season is over regardless if our season ends in the Big Ten Tourney, the NIT, or the NCAAs?

Because I'm a big dumb Gopher Bandanna-wearing rube, that's why. I bought into the crazy notion that I love my alma mater, its campus, its colors, and even its oft hapless athletic teams. And you know what? I'm fine with that. Hell, if we shut down the entire athletic program, I'd start rooting for the U's top-researchers to land big grants.

So do what you will, hand-wringers and head-rollers. Win or lose. I'll be here, there, and everywhere the Gophers are. I'll be unfairly critical at times, and unreasonably positive at others. Haters gonna hate. But I'm Maroon and Gold forever.

Just had to cathartically let that out. Tough one tonight. Thoughts?
 



Great post. It's really tough to get this perspective after such a frustrating loss. It's not always easy being a Gopher fan. But the intense frustration is also a reflection of how much I care and how badly I want my Gophers to succeed.
 

fryguy22 said:
Great post. It's really tough to get this perspective after such a frustrating loss. It's not always easy being a Gopher fan. But the intense frustration is also a reflection of how much I care and how badly I want my Gophers to succeed.
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I believe that to be true of most..........if they/we didn't care we wouldn't complain.

Being a player and being a fan are two different things.
 


For me, enough is enough. I am tired of watching Bo Ryan do more with less year after year. Coaches like Izzo and Matta consistently get their teams to improve throughout the season while we fade. If every team we play employs the 1-3-1 we wont win another game. How many times do you have to see it before you can devise a plan for attacking it? Tubby looks absolutely indifferent. Maybe we cant do any better but I think we need to try. Tubby please go to USC.
 

bmb5270 said:
For me, enough is enough. I am tired of watching Bo Ryan do more with less year after year. Coaches like Izzo and Matta consistently get their teams to improve throughout the season while we fade. If every team we play employs the 1-3-1 we wont win another game. How many times do you have to see it before you can devise a plan for attacking it? Tubby looks absolutely indifferent. Maybe we cant do any better but I think we need to try. Tubby please go to USC.
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All your posts are the same.

Welcome aboard.
 

bmb5270 said:
For me, enough is enough. I am tired of watching Bo Ryan do more with less year after year. Coaches like Izzo and Matta consistently get their teams to improve throughout the season while we fade. If every team we play employs the 1-3-1 we wont win another game. How many times do you have to see it before you can devise a plan for attacking it? Tubby looks absolutely indifferent. Maybe we cant do any better but I think we need to try. Tubby please go to USC.
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Yeah those 5 star recruits ... Damn Bo and his terrible talent!
 

scher215 said:
Yeah those 5 star recruits ... Damn Bo and his terrible talent!
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Please.

Tubby has far more talent at this disposal than Carmody. And Bo, much of the time. Admit that Bo is a darn good coach and move on.

I thought RW had developed?

Not.

Even.

Close.

At least thus far in conference.
 



fryguy22 said:
Great post. It's really tough to get this perspective after such a frustrating loss. It's not always easy being a Gopher fan. But the intense frustration is also a reflection of how much I care and how badly I want my Gophers to succeed.
Click to expand...

That's just it isn't it. We could go the way of IU football fans or PSU basketball fans, but we don't. The passion is always there, and our despire to have a great team doesn't fade, even after losses like last night. Masochism is easy, Gopher fandom is hard. But I, like many, can't quit now. We're too far gone.
 

Well, I guess we had plenty of reason to believe prior to the skid. The team played some great ball and was deservedly ranked in the top 10. It becomes the same as the Vikings example. Only a Viking fan would think that Gary Anderson would miss that field goal, which for many of us crossed our mind, and then he did.
 

Our losses so far are not horrible losses. 3 Top 5-10 teams, and NW.

NW has 2 ROAD wins over Top 50 RPI ranked teams.

NW has a 3-4 record vs Top 50 RPI teams. That's MORE Top 50 wins than IU & NCSU have and the same # of Top 50 wins as Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, Louisville, Syracuse, Wichita St and Michigan St?!

There might be 7 or 8 teams in the country with more Top 50 wins than NW has.
 

Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
Well, quiet as it's kept, so do I. I'm just not as 'into it' as I would be if we didn't have football, hoops, and hockey.
Click to expand...

as I was reading those posts I was thinking about a nice tailgate party outside of one of the research labs on a day some big grant is being announced. How much fun would that be?
 



Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
Nights like these, when we get a real horrorshow of a game out of our beloved Maroon and Gold, we get lots of hand-wringing and heads-a-rolling talk. It's mentally taxing to back the Gophs at times, even long stretches at times. Sitting in Ryan Arena tonight, my bud and I jokingly exchanged barbs that we must love the Gophers because we find excruciating and exotic ways to lose games. On the drive back home to Milwaukee, I then ironically heard the song 'What a fool believes' not once, not twice, but three times in a row while flipping thru stations.

Being a fan of yacht rock and the smooth dulcet tones of Michael McDonald I wasn't about to flip the station. But the chorus had me thinking about my unrequited love of the Gophs...

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There's nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees

...ugh. Those hit the nail on the head for me tonight. Were we fools to believe what we've seen prior to this skid would lead us to be a sure-fire Tourney team? Maybe. Am I a fool for consistently and constantly backing Gopher athletics. Probably. Some might ask, 'why am I a Gopher fan?'. Why will I be at the Kohl Center on Saturday, and watching every televised game I can't make from now until the season is over regardless if our season ends in the Big Ten Tourney, the NIT, or the NCAAs?

Because I'm a big dumb Gopher Bandanna-wearing rube, that's why. I bought into the crazy notion that I love my alma mater, its campus, its colors, and even its oft hapless athletic teams. And you know what? I'm fine with that. Hell, if we shut down the entire athletic program, I'd start rooting for the U's top-researchers to land big grants.

So do what you will, hand-wringers and head-rollers. Win or lose. I'll be here, there, and everywhere the Gophers are. I'll be unfairly critical at times, and unreasonably positive at others. Haters gonna hate. But I'm Maroon and Gold forever.

Just had to cathartically let that out. Tough one tonight. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

well done. well done. :)
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
as I was reading those posts I was thinking about a nice tailgate party outside of one of the research labs on a day some big grant is being announced. How much fun would that be?
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Hey, as an IT (now CSE) grad and a former lab assistant at Sheppard Labs right there on campus, I'd be down for anything like that. Let's get those folks some pub (and partying)!
 






one more thing on being a fan-- and it might not fit here but I didn't want to start a new thread-- but does anyone follow Texas Tech basketball? Apparently not even people from Texas, they were on TV last night playing Iowa State in a new looking fabulous basketball venue with about 1500 people in it. Mostly full barn>>>> empty new building.
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
one more thing on being a fan-- and it might not fit here but I didn't want to start a new thread-- but does anyone follow Texas Tech basketball? Apparently not even people from Texas, they were on TV last night playing Iowa State in a new looking fabulous basketball venue with about 1500 people in it. Mostly full barn>>>> empty new building.
Click to expand...

Speaking of unsightly losses, how about Iowa State losing to Tech last night? Texas Tech is positively awful. Cyclones better hope that one doesn't jump up and bite them on Selection Sunday.
 

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