Jeff Riger: The Fountain Of Youth!
Life is bizarre!
Maybe it's just me, but the older I get the less losses seem to affect me. There was a time in my life when a Michigan loss would ruin my day whether it was basketball or football. But now, at age 36 I noticed I have the ability to shake a loss pretty quickly and move on with my life. Of course some L's hurt more than others and sure some disappointments, no matter how old you get will always sting pretty bad. But again, for the most part I just sit and watch and sure I root but nowhere to the extent that I used to.
Of course, there are exceptions, and one of them came on Tuesday night when Michigan edged out Michigan State in hoops at Crisler Center 60-59. You see, for as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with Wolverine basketball. It started back in '89 when they won it all and it really got in my blood during "The Fab Five" years, even though most people say that era didn't exist. Even though the awful times, I watched and I so badly wanted to see things turn around. To make things worse during that time was the fact that MSU really flourished. The Spartans were going to Final Fours while the Maize and Blue were talking about spring football or maybe a rare NIT appearance.
I remember the drubbings that Michigan would take from MSU. Whether it was the likes of Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson or even Drew Neitzle, those games were never even close. Hell, if Michigan kept it within 10, I considered it a miracle. No matter how promising the Wolverines might have seemed in those rare seasons when they flirted with making the Big Dance, the Green and White always were more dominant and more successful. Of course it also didn't help that most Michigan fans didn't even care about their own basketball team, I'm not even sure that they do now?
So when Michigan swept State last season, I thought it was a fluke. No way would they be able to beat MSU a third straight time. But they did! And what a finish!
But getting back to my original thought...
I had no idea how I was going to be affected by the game on Tuesday night. I was excited to watch and I knew it would be a hard fought affair where maybe I would feel a couple of butterflies, you know the kind that you used to get as a kid for a huge game. But it was so much more than that. I'm actually almost embarrassed!
I was watching the game in the stations so called "Fun Lounge" while getting ready to do my responsibilities for the Wings network. I was calm and relaxed, and why wouldn't I be, at one point Michigan led by 11. I felt pretty good about the Wolverines chances. Of course about 6 minutes of game time later the stress snuck up and before I knew it, I was up and pacing around the joint. Michigan State had taken an 11 point deficit and turned it into a 1 point advantage with 6 minutes and 49 seconds remaining. Brandon Kearney had nailed a 3 pointer and at that point I was sure that Michigan would lose. All the lack of confidence that I used to feel for the Maize and Blue and their basketball team came back to me, and I was now anticipating another agonizing loss.
From that point the game went back and forth as eventually Stu Douglass made a layup from Trey Burke and the Wolverines led 60-59 with 31 seconds left. Michigan State then called a timeout and I was even more convinced that Michigan would lose. I was yelling at the top of my lungs calling Tom Izzo names while I was clapping my hands. A voice in the back of my head was telling me that I was way too old to be acting like that but I didn't care. What made it worse was by the end of the game a couple of promotions guys had come in and were also watching with me. So I was acting like a maniac in front of a couple of guys I barely knew. I didn't care. I wanted Izzo and company to get beat so bad!
The final 31 seconds were a tough watch. Keith Appling missed a jumper but Michigan failed to grab a rebound with 11 seconds left, instead Brandon Wood did. Then with just 2 seconds remaining Draymond Green, the Spartans all-everything guy let a floater go, I knew it was going in! It had happened so many times in the past, why would this instance be any different? I was ready for HEARTBREAK! However it didn't, he missed and Michigan won!
I was yelling "Big WIN" "BIG WIN" as loud as I could!
Of course I then decided to text a couple of buddies that root for Michigan State to rub it in, something that I had to deal with for years.
So Michigan won and improved to 15 and 4 on the season and now has an excellent chance not only to make the Tournament but to get a good seed as well. But when I think back on the game, the win will be secondary; instead I will remember how I reacted to things... very childish! And man was it great!
What games still get you to react like you used to?
