End of the Road

300 posts now. That's alot more than I thought I'd make it through.

The Hitmen season ended abruptly on Saturday night, in an eventful game against the Trojans. A low scoring affair that saw an unlikely missed XP, and a brawl with a minute to go in the game. The end of the game may have marked the end of my career, which I didn't take as well as I had thought I would. But it was tough, despite what others may think. I can still play, but to be in a situation like this is pretty ridiculous. I watched one quarterback fumble and misread his way through 4 and a half games - and watched another give it a good run, but his limitations were very evident in the opportunities that he got.

My opportunity? 2 series of meaningful play. TWO SERIES. Are you fucking kidding me? You say to my face that I'll get an equal opportunity... and then this? Kiss my pasty ass. Two seasons, 21 pass attempts. All while watching the golden child of the coach attempt 167 passes. Willy got hosed too. A position coach that couldn't even follow practice directions, and not being from the high school really axed him out of the defense.

I can't fathom that where you're from would factor in how you're viewed as a football player - but that's the only thing I can come up with. When the decision was made for who would play QB before the Bulldog game - I was told that despite outplaying the other two guys, it came down to "experience". Well, seeing as how I've played at a higher level for six years prior to this, compared to the 2 and a half years at this level for the guy they picked... what they were really saying was "you're not from around here", and that was the end.

It was such a different situation from when I joined the team two years ago. Everything was so perfect then - and now, I don't even recognize the team. And despite everything that went on this year, they still had the balls to ask if I was coming back next year. Wow. I guess ignorance is bliss.

There's been discussion of starting a new team. And I can't come up with a scenario that the brain trust wouldn't be able to do it right. But I'm still hesitant. I think the only reason I'm hesitant, is that I don't want to hang them up just yet. But thanks to some wonderful decisions by just a few people, that may not be up to me anymore.

On another ending note - Steve Irwin (crikey!) passed away this weekend. If only we could all be so lucky as to leave this earth doing what we absolutely loved. By most accounts, he was a pretty good guy - and a well respected member of the conservation community. And I'm no marine biologist, but stingrays are the least likely of creatures that he was around that should have killed him. I saw a show where he kissed the second deadliest snake in the world on the 'lips'... IN THE WILD. This wasn't a captive snake... he just wandered around the jungle in India until he found this snake... then sat there for a while till he thought it was safe to kiss it on the lips. A snake. A snake with venom that will kill you in under five minutes - EVEN IF YOU ADMINISTER ANTI-VENOM.

Now I'm not saying he should have died - although I'm sure he had one of the higher life insurance premiums on the planet - but the line I heard about him that I liked was this:

"Would you rather be 44, well respected in your field, worldly traveled, moderately famous worldwide, well off financially, and actively doing something you love when it's your time... or pass away as a relative unknown, in a nursing home as the 'Price Is Right' is on? Neither is a good time to go, and both people can say they lived full, productive lives, and be surrounded by loved ones. But here's to thinking that if Steve were given the choice - he'd pick the former."