It used to drive me crazy that Dad was such a big Notre Dame fan yet he almost never watched any Notre Dame sporting events on television. Without fail, whenever an ND football or basketball game was televised the whole house would be glued to the TV except Dad, who would be in the basement watching something on PBS, napping, or have left the house altogether. Well, I am now 31 years old and it has come full circle - I love following Notre Dame sports, but I can no longer watch them live.
It started almost immediately after college when Notre Dame was playing Nebraska (back when Nebraska was good). A bunch of recent alums were watching the game at Steph's apartment in Bethesda and every time I would step out for a smoke cheering would erupt. I'd run back in and ask, "What happened?" Notre Dame interception, Notre Dame touchdown, big play, etc. I began to have a sinking suspicion that the team only performed well when I wasn't around. Further, when I was around the team performed very poorly. The suspicion grew over the years into a superstition, but one that was constantly reaffirmed. If I wasn't watching a game closely, they did well. I'd stumble across a men's basketball game, surprised to see us up by double-digits over a ranked opponent, and then watch as that lead disappeared and turned into a loss before my very eyes. Heck, it even happened for women's soccer as I tuned in for the start of their NCAA semi-final this fall only to watch Florida State score in 14 seconds.
This past season football season was absolute torture for me. Every weekend was met with a mixture of hope, anticipation, and dread and always ended with me storming out of the room midway through the first quarter cursing. Things came to a head last night when Notre Dame was playing West Virginia in basketball. I had just that day read several articles on both ESPN.com and SI.com about how good this Bob Huggins-coached WV team was and how they would be a force in the Big East. So when I tuned in at the start of the second half I was surprised to see ND up by 12 - with a 28-game home winning streak on the line. I watched for about 30 seconds, got sick to my stomach, switched channels, got yelled at by Steph, switched back, got sick again, and finally left the room to watch the Orange Bowl in the basement. I finally came back upstairs with about a minute left and Notre Dame up by 14, victory assured.
So I think that's just how it's going to be from here on out - Notre Dame will be loved from a distance. I'll always keep tabs on her. I'll always support and defend her without hesitation. I'll always want what's best for her. I'll always be happy when she does well. I just can't stand to watch her get hurt any more. Physically, emotionally, mentally - I am spent. It was a good run...
The Royal HeffernansQuite possibly the best family ever |
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4 comments:
i say the same exact thing every week, or whenever a basketball game is on. however, i don't have the self control to follow through with actually not watching, except for one instance: last year during the ucla game. liz convinced me to turn off the game and go to bed bath and beyond after a 4th quarter turnover seemingly ended all hope for the irish. naturally, i assumed that we lost. in fact, i talked to mom the next day and she told me that dad did the exact same thing, except he took it one step further. he actually talked to uncle dan later that afternoon and told him that nd lost because he couldn't take watching nd lose and turned off the game after seeing the same fumble i saw. uncle dan then assumed we lost until seeing highlights on tv which showed nd winning on a last second miracle touchdown that neither dad nor i ever saw. did we win because dad and i didn't watch? the world may never know, but i think the safe bet is for no heffernan to ever watch another game. another reason to not watch in addition to securing almost certain victory is to help prolong a marriage. in my case, if i do watch the game, it inevitably leads to a bitter fight between me and liz after nd starts to lose, which culminates in me yelling something to the effect of "i'm a real fan and i go down with the ship". however, i usually just end up sleeping on the couch and promising not to watch next week...but i always do.
colin - i think if you and i watch any games together once you move to DC the odds of a tv getting smashed are off the charts...
In honor of my old roommate Charles Shin (who is in town this week for the BCS Championship - and we're going out tonight), you should follow his old method. Tape every game and watch it on tape. When it gets bad, rip the tape out and smash it on the ground/wall. The get out your throwing stars and knives and throw them at the wall and at the broken tape. Then scream that the only reason you came to ND was for a National Championship. Then feel all better.
I was at the UCLA game. I was also at the Nebraska game. I also watched the recent Men's B-Ball game against UConn. So I think I'm only a curse abot 50% of the time. Now I have to watch to see when I'm a curse and when I'm a charm. Damn!
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