Thanks Bob!  You just put it all into perspective for me.

And the theory that I came up with is this:

Many people watch sports and primarily concentrate on one team, usually
the team that they are pulling for. And this is understandable
especially for younger* people because their concentration is very
intense on their team.  And because they are concentrating on that one
team they only see them winning or loosing.  They don't see very clearly
what the other team is doing especially if the other team is winning the
game.   They see their team being dominated and it looks like their
players are not playing hard enough or well enough. They don't see how
hard the other team is working or that they are making great plays. They
see their team making poor plays because they couldn't stop the great
play. They see their team making great shots and their goalie making
great saves but if the other team makes a great shot and scores, what
they see is their goalie failing to make the save.  If the other teams'
forward makes a great move and gets by the defense they see their
defense not playing well rather than the great move by the opposing
forward.

My advice to get over this malady is to actually lace up some skates and
get a stick and a puck and get out on the pond.  Or the neighborhood
rink if you have one.  When you're on the ice and you get burned you
appreciate very quickly when the other guy makes a great play.  After
all, it isn't you that sucks so much as it's the other guy that's so
good.

The other thing to do to help is to watch a bunch of hockey just for the
appreciation of this great sport.  To do this watch games where the
outcome doesn't matter to you or doesn't matter very much.  Even youth
hockey games are fun.  Or Juniors, or AHL, or high school or college.
It's all good!


Clair '71

*Under 30.  :)

-----Original Message-----
From: The Maine Hockey Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Bob Woodbury
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 9:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Maine did not choke!

My daughters boyfriend has the same malady - no team has ever won a
game. The team that lost choked.

The Chesleys wrote:

>So if Merrimack was up 2-0 on Maine and Maine came back to win would
you
>say that Merrimack choked?  (Merrimack who was 3-22-2 this year.)  Are
>you defining "choke" as getting ahead and then loosing regardless of
the
>relative strengths of the two teams?
>
>Barry Melrose and I both saw Maine get up on Michigan State because
they
>caught them with their pants down.  Once MS picked up their game they
>dominated.  They were better.  Barry agrees.  They didn't win because
>Maine played poorly.  They won because they played great.  Barry agrees
>with that too.   I don't get why there is so much energy to blame Maine
>coaching and players when they loose and when they play a clearly
>superior team.  Michigan played their same game against BC and
>dominated.  Did anyone watch that game?  BC was a great team this year.
>They played a great game.  But they played a better team and they know
>it.  The Maine players and coaches also know that they played a better
>team.  No one on the Maine or BC teams is ashamed of their tournament.
>They are disappointed but they are not ashamed.  And I'm not ashamed
>either.  Choking IS something to be ashamed of and to feel bad about.
>Neither Maine nor BC choked.  I feel great about my team and their
>season.  I'm proud of them that they played so well.  I'm disappointed
>too but I'm a lot more proud than disappointed.
>
>This isn't the Mighty Ducks you know.  There isn't usually a way to
beat
>a superior team.  Don't take a great tournament and championship away
>from Michigan State that they clearly deserve by saying that Maine
>and/or BC choked.
>
>Clair '71
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: The Maine Hockey Discussion List
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Deron Treadwell
>Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 8:50 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Maine did not choke!
>
>If UNH had gone up 2-0 on anyone (especially if it was Maine) and UNH
>lost the game, we'd say UNH choked another one away, hahaha, how funny
>it is - look at Dick Umile scowl, look at Jacob Micflicker cry, etc.
>
>I agree it was a very successful season and I am pleased with how we
>did, certainly more than we could have expected at the end of the year.
> But, in my opinion, the goal for THE University of Maine EVERY YEAR
>should be to win the national championship.  If we fall short (as we
>will most years), then so be it - that is reality and that is how it
>is.  Not a lot of programs can set that goal, but we can and should (at
>least for now).
>
>If I want to be a fan of a team that is satisfied to make the
>tournament every year and not win it, then I'll start cheering for UNH.
>
>As I told someone privately, I am as big of a fan as anyone here even
>if I can't make it to a lot of games.  I live and die watching or
>listening to these games and it makes me physically hurt to lose these
>games, as I am sure it does many of you.  YES, I'm proud of our team
>and our Frozen Fours, but I want to win National Championships and when
>we go up 2-0 on Michigan State and then allow them to out work us (a
>trademark of UMaine success) and ultimately lose the game, after we saw
>LAST YEAR how they can come back strong when we went up big, then, YES,
>I do consider it a choke.  We all don't have to agree on this, I'm OK
>with that.
>
>Yankee fans still love their team after the biggest choke in the world
>in 2004 (Hi Nonni!)  I still love my Black Bears.  I also love my Red
>Sox and they have certainly had much bigger choke jobs than this.  It
>is OK for you to still love a team that chokes sometimes.  Find me one
>team that doesn't.
>
>I think some of my feelings about this year stem from the fact that I'm
>not as confident about the future of UMaine hockey and a third national
>title would have been sweet.  I think even the FF may be hard next year
>knowing who is leaving.
>
>-Deron
>
>
>
>