With as many teams as we've had that have flown high only to be smacked down to earth so hard that they crater over the few decades I've been a Minnesota sports fan, waiting for the other shoe to drop will never be off the menu until the clock on the championship clinching game hits zero.
Ever since the Twins won it in '91, when I was too young to give a damn, it's been one disaster after another ending our teams in stunning and gut-punching, heart-wrenching fashion.
Do I like that? Hell no. But that's the reality of the situation in Minnesota sports in general. You fly high and then you end up in a damned crater. The Vikings in '98. The Wild's run ends by being swept by Anaheim in '03, the T-Wolves best and only shot ended by the Lakers. Bountygate forcing Farve to pass instead of run. The Twins swept by the Yankees for the millionth time. The Wild beaten by the Hawks again and again and swept last year. The field goal that went amazingly wide against Seattle.
If one of our organizations finally steps up to the plate and begins a tradition of excellence and manages to avoid cratering in spectacular fashion, I'll start raising my expectations. But my heart has been ripped out and stomped on far too many times for me to NOT watch for the other shoe to drop.
You think you're telling me anything I don't know about Minnesota sports history that I've experienced MUCH longer than you have? I have suffered with Minnesota teams all of my almost 39yrs... trust me... I know. That doesn't mean I can understand and accept the thought process that gives up before it even starts.
I understand that to truly experience the highest of highs, you MUST experience the lowest of lows. If you cut yourself off from that you are doing yourself a disservice. THAT is what I understand, and no matter how much you try to reiterate the sufferage of Minnesota sports fans, will you EVER convince me that I need to do otherwise.
I was in tears when Darren Nelson had the ball go right between his hands in '87 vs the Redskins... I was in tears when the Falcons won in OT after Robert Smith led that epic drive towards what should have been a game winning field goal, I was in tears when we went down to the Saints in OT despite 7 turnovers in a game we should have won several times over... and I would not change my expectations at all in any of those instances... even though I was crushed!
I was in tears in '87 and '91 when we won the world series when baseball was a worth while sport (before the economics totally ravaged the playing field), I was in tears when the Gophers won back to back mens hockey titles in '02 and '03... tears of epic joy.
You also get tears of epic joy in the process of TRYING to win as well... when Bruno scored his goal... I just about collapsed in joy! When Park scored his goal in Game 6 to send it to game 7... I was in the building absolutely losing my mind!
Yes there have been crushing moments, and I was crushed down as hard as anyone, but I have also experienced unspeakable joy along the way as well. When you expect failure, you remove yourself from the situation partially, and it takes away from the ride... which is absolutely EPIC!