The Season Is A Marathon, Unless You're A Fan
by Stephen Pepper on Mar 9, 2009 11:59 AM EDT
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photo credit: capitals.nhl.com
Yeah, you've heard it before: the season is a marathon. I know, I've said it myself. And we're at about mile 18. The time when most of a long course has been bested, but the finish line is not quite in sight. And that guy in the fuschia tank top is gaining on you.
The motivation from that beginning jolt of the season, the thrill of getting back to the business of proving themselves individually and as a unit, is long over. The Capitals have been struggling to maintain that needed motivation, though may have jumpstarted the process yesterday by gutting out a 65 minute tie in an energetic, physical affair. One that had Joe B. on the Comcast SportsNet broadcast exclaim, in reference to the volume of the home crowd: "Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs!"
Of course, the playoffs are still more than a month away. And that counsels toward a methodical approach to the remainder of the season.
As Tom Boswell penned last week:
This season, with a commanding but not insurmountable 11-point Southeast Division lead, the Caps have finally had time to survey the league, imagine their playoff seeding and, oh, dream[. However, . . . t]o be distracted by images of big-picture success, rather than the tight-focus process of playing excellently, is always poison . . . They should stop thinking, pressing, squeezing the sawdust out of the handles of their sticks and muttering the phrase "Stanley Cup." Instead, play hockey. That's hard.
Indeed. And for the fan, nearly impossible. Last week, a big stir was made about whether, after such amazing success at home this season, Capitals fans should feel free to boo their claim for achieving so few positive results of late (losing now four in a row at home, if you count a SO loss as a "loss"). Many of you had strong opinions about it. And that's the very nature of fanatic. Was yesterday just another game to you? Just number 67 on the schedule?
We dream of the ultimate prize but also exhibit a short-sightedness, born from the treacherous ground of making a significant emotional investment in a relationship with the team but, at the same time, having no control over its success or failure.
We scream and howl after a win, lament and stew after a loss. It's part of our identity, and much more than the identity of many players. Players get traded. We move away (as I did) and still remain fiercely loyal. We always wear a Capitals jersey.
Fans love to imagine the big picture, the ultimate goal, every time we buy a ticket. If we stay "even-keeled" and don't go all-in for each game that we watch, as if it's the most important one on the docket, then most likely we don't bother to buy that ticket, or even watch. For the players, it should be, in conventional sports psychology, another day at the office. But for us, its a great reprieve from the office, and we demand a dramatic, inspiring performance.
As much as it might be annoying to the team, or to some in the media, or to ownership, being a knee-jerk reactor is what keeps the turnstiles turning. The sky is falling after a three game losing streak because we care so deeply.
It goes for assessments of players as well as for individual games. Jeff Schultz, a former 1st rounder just recently celebrating his 23rd birthday, was already a bust, for some the second-coming of Kevin Hatcher, until he helped shut down the league's top scorer yesterday. Recently heralded as a breakout winger, Tomas Fleischmann is back to being useless on account of having scored just one goal since February 11, here in Gotham. The Caps goaltending was teetering on the brink of disaster after a single game, the season opener in Atlanta. And so on.
But the moment we as fans treat each game, particularly against bitter rivals as showcased yesterday, as "just another day at the office" is the moment we stop supporting the team, at least to any real extent, both with our hearts and our wallets. Especially for a franchise yet to win the Cup, when the memories of greatness can be passed along to future generations of fans, the joy of reliving them impervious to the current fortunes of the club. (I'll be telling future generations for as long as I'm alive, and there's an audience, where I was, what I was wearing, and any other minute detail requested, when the Caps won their (first) Stanley Cup.)
So carry on, brothers and sisters. And cheer on each game like it's your first day of vacation.
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Actually, using the marathon metaphor, we’re are now at mile 21. And having run quite a few of them, I can tell you that the18-21 mile segment is just about the darkest part of the race. That’s where most runners will hit the “wall”. You’re mentally and physically exhausted. You know you’re close, yet you’re still too far away to see the finish line. As a fan, I’m a little burned out so I can only imagine how the players feel. Teams fighting to make the playoffs have the motivation to play hard. The Caps, with their sizeable lead in the division, really have little to keep them going and I think that’s why we’ve seen these lapses in energy. The good news is that at mile 22, your focus usually returns. The finish line that seemed so far away a short while ago is now very reachable. I think the Caps passed that mental barrier yesterday and I fully expect they’ll return to their old selves for ethe remaining 15 games.
Agreed...
Look, the Caps are in uncharted territory here. They’ve got the target on their backs instead of the other way around. Last season, they made a late push to climb to the top. This season is completely different. The expectations have been there all year. The challenge is going to be timing—will they be on the upswing when the first round of the playoffs and Montreal, Florida, New York, or Pittsburgh comes calling?
To further the “marathon” point, think of the Marine Corps Marathon. Mile 20-21, you’re going over that bridge where other people are starting to whither and drop off to the sides, and you’re thinking of doing the same. That’s pretty much where the Caps are right now. But if you can make it into Crystal City (think: playoff run) in good shape, you know you’re going to finish strong. That last mile & 2-tenths to Iwo Jima is a real b*tch, but it’s what separates the strong from the weak.
Ha-ha. The 14th St. bridge is the worst. It’s uphill, no fans and it seem to go on forever. Aside from the fans, that probably descibes this recent home stand. The Caps will be just fine. The good news is that the teams below them are beating each other’s brains in just to qualify. The Caps (hopefully) will have had their bad stretch behind them and should go into the playoffs relatively fresh.
On a related note, a team like the Pens and/or whomever else gets into the playoffs may very well find themselves burnt out just by having to fight for two months to get there (see last year’s Caps, for example).
Btw, I like you more in threads where you actually have something to add to the discussion, Doc.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Duly noted. And I like comments that deal less with talking trash about Pens fans and further jobbing Crosby.
I agree with the analogy about the Pens—they may not have anything in the tank to take on New Jersey or the Bruins (I don’t think Pittsburgh makes the 6-seed, so I’ll leave it at those two). I was in a similar discussion about this about three weeks ago on pensblog where I’m occasionally equally disliked by cbloggers for making uncomfortable statements that don’t rhyme with what they want to hear. My point was that it might not be worth it for the Pens to sell the farm for a high-profile rent-a-player just for an outside shot to make it to the playoffs as a 7- or 8-seed, given the track record those seeds have. I was happy to see that they didn’t do so.
On a related note, McPhee did a good job staying put. I don’t think Guerin would’ve added much to the Caps top 2 lines, and there really wasn’t much else out there that would’ve been a worthwhile upgrade at the prices asked besides J-Bo, who wasn’t available (unless you’re a Dominic Moore fan).
I like comments that deal less with talking trash about Pens fans and further jobbing Crosby.
Then you should probably restrict your use of the intertubes to PensBlog. :)
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Truth be told, I expected the Caps to get up for yesterday’s game. It was so important because they have played so poorly lately, but the fact is that they get up for “big” games, and anytime Crosby is on the other team its a big game. What set it apart from recent efforst was that they got punched in the mouth in the second period and rather than folding, they responded in the 3rd.
We’ll see how they respond tomorrow night against Nashville, a team that they should beat and that they have every reason to lapse against (see Columbus/LA/Edmonton/Florida/etc).
Yesterday was a statement game for sure, but I would argue that tomorrow evening is more of one for the Caps and us fans. To continue the analogy, tomorrow’s game is more the 14th st. bridge than yesterday’s was.
As an aside: you folks that run marathon’s are insane.
Word. However, I haven’t run more than two or three miles (at a time) since I did Marine Corps ’06.
by Scott in Shaw on Mar 9, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Additional thoughts on the game
I can’t comment on the marathon thing. But I am a very seasoned ice hockey fan and coach and I have another angle on the Caps predicament.
First, I beg to differ on Jeff Schultz. All you can say about this fellow is that he is competent at sometimes getting in the way of offensive players. His large ice time numbers yesterday had more to do with his pairing with Mike Green than anything else.
He is not particularly good with the hockey puck, looses more than his fair share of the 50/50 pucks, and is flat out cleanly beaten by mediocre forwards several times a game. He doesn’t play a physical game (he compares poorly with David Steckel who is the same size in this category). He is not nearly as good as Karl Alzner, and is not a top 6 NHL defenseman. He is consistently the worst defenseman on the ice for either team. End of story.
Second, the Caps’ failure to win the game yesterday occured in the first period. 0 for 3 on the power play. There is a shortcoming in the parimeter passing system which is the basic starting point for the talented Cap’s’ power play. The defensive box expands to come out to cover the shooters/passers. While the passing lanes are sometimes opened, the opposition goalies have virtually no screens from Caps players to work through and tend to block shots. Screening the oppostion goalies is not in the Caps playbook for some reason. If a Caps player appears just outside the crease, he will invariably be covered by an oppostion D. The defensive box will collapse on that side and the goalie has a two player screen to work through. The perimater passing improves because box has contracted, and shots get past the goalie because he is screened. I am not sure why the Caps don’t periodically screen the oppostion goalies during the PP, as it is a mainstay for every other playoff bound team in league.
M3 – I’d rather this post not devolve into the typical mindless Jeff Schultz bash-a-thon, so take your comments on the game over to the recap thread if you would. Thx.
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Not just yesterday, either.
But I repeat – this thread is going to stay on topic with the post to which it’s attached.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
And that’s the last word on Schultz in this post. Next comment to reference him gets deleted.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I’d rather this post not devolve into the typicalmindlessWaPo Jeff Schultz bash-a-thon
/fixed
"Good crowd out there tonight, boys, let's really try to win this one."
Jasper, Thanks for the courtesy of the fix, Jasper, as your comment was offensive. Before you call it mindless, perhaps you would please let the bloggers know how many games you have played in (please include those at the collegiate or higher level), or coached at any level?
I simply wasn’t aware that rational but opposing view points were specifically not welcome here. I will post elsewhere. M3
Yeah. Pwnd.
Anyway, I didn’t mean mindless in the “stupid” sense of the word, I meant mindless in the “Pavlovian” sense.
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My point was that Pepper busted his ass writing a great post and yet it got threadjacked into “Schultz sucks/Schultz is great,” and I don’t dig that.
Everyone’s free to express his opinion, I’d just like it if they related to the topic at hand. Dig?
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Jasper, feel free to not post this one. I understand your point, and am guided accordingly.
However, my posting history on your site started this am. So far I have been called mindless by you (a comment that other posters observed to be unkind) and stupid by by b.orr4, a comment which you did not object to.
Perhaps you should take more responsiblity for the direction of the posts yourself.
I never said you were stupid just your post and perhaps that was a bit harsh. I should have said misinformed. I apologize. Since you are new, I should not have assumed that you would know that the Schultz is good/horrible angle has been discussed ad nauseum and most of us are kind of tired of it. JP allows us to regularly put our foot in out mouth. If he aplogized every time one of did that, he’d have to quit his paying job.
It’s Japers, not Jasper, and my name is J.P., not Japers or Jasper.
And you’ve essentially derailed this thread by showing up on your first day of posting and writing about something completely unrelated to the topic of the post (almost by definition "trolling"), when another perfectly good forum for it existed directly below this post. C’mon, man. Work with me, here.
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I had no idea to whom he was referring, either. But now that I know, sorry, that Jasper thing is a little funny.
Wish I could come up with a single famous Jasper.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 9, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
No, you’re think of Casper Wienberger.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 9, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
AWESOME!
I knew there was a Jasper that I was missing. He would be the one.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 9, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I like to think of this part of the season as like that time after the 2nd intermission, early in the third. Where you need another beer, but the fridge is empty and you’d have to go to the store, but the Caps are losing by two goals so maybe not watching for a few minutes could be lucky for the team, and so it’s your Duty to go get beer. But you have to put on some pants and wash the Cheetos off your hands, wait, wash hands first or d’oh, now you have to change pants again, and it’s all quite a hassle, but you know if you just do it, and find some clean socks and maybe a cap for your greasy hair, and the whole process of going up from the basement and fighting with mom for beer money when the garbage is still sitting by the door and the grass needs cutting. But you know lesser guys would just stay on the sleeper sofa watching commercials, and it will all be worth it when you hopefully get back in time to watch the end of the game.
“Mindless Jeff Schultz” ? Well that’s not very nice.
Dude, that happens to me all the time. Except my sofa’s not a sleeper — it’s a futon.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 9, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
coming into the home stretch
yesterday’s game was quite encouraging. more aggressive in the offensive zone, working the corners and in front of the crease. and, according to tarik, practice today centered on these same elements. japers, your observation about getting wrapped up in each game as a microcosm of the entire season is exactly the trap that I fall into. it’s comforting to remember that this squad has played a heckuva lot more very good hockey than bad to this point, and that’s not a fluke. (no college level or higher playing or coaching experience, but i can recognize good hockey when i see it)
(I’d love to take credit for the observation, but it’s Pepper’s post!)
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oops
my bad, jp. this newbie is still getting acclimated. keep up the great work!
by mechanicsville on Mar 9, 2009 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Numbers to Relax By
If you believe that a)the Caps are going to make the playoffs and b)they’re going to win the division, which these numbers support, http://www.playoffstatus.com/nhl/easternstandings.html
then it’s easier to take a step back and see this recent mini-slump for what it is: a mild course correction. The past 60+ games haven’t been a mirage. The Caps are a very talented team that also happens to be very young. If there is one flaw to the way McPhee built this team, it’s the lack of strong veteran leadership particularly on defense. Ultimately, I think that will prevent them from making it out of the conference but they’re still good enough to get past the second round.
Great picture!
I love that picture, and I love the way Brooks celebrated his goal. I wonder if it was OK with Don Cherry, too.
If at first you don't succeed, don't try parachuting.
Brooks Laich is from Canada, ergo Cherry is cool with him doing whatever he wants to do.
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As difficult as it is to stay on an “even keel” as a fan, I think you can make a case that making an effort to do so is part of being a loyal fan. After all, we’re asking these guys to go out and win games for us; we revel when the are successful and shouldn’t they get some loyalty when they’re under performing? Guys like Flesichmann and Theodore don’t deserve to get thrown under the bus, especially in public venues, for slumps. I’m all for keeping the passion high but I’m also all for keeping negativity to a minimum and criticism constructive.
Not to mention there’s a huge payoff if you’re patient with guys as Fleischmann, Fehr, and Erskine demonstrate.
The interesting thing to me about many folks’ perspective of this slump is that it will somehow translate into playoff failure. However, I bet that everyone still considers the Wings a favorite to make it out of the West (depsite the 8-0 and 8-2 drubbings that have been handed to the Wings).
Strange double standard – I guess that is what makes us true fans.
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 9, 2009 4:05 PM EDT reply actions
I’m quite calm now, really. Until the next game.
by Stephen Pepper on Mar 9, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
I won’t lie, Nashville’s the real test in my mind. Who do we get, the @ss-kickers or the gum-chewers?
Exactly – that too.
I think it really just reinforces the point of this thread (the marathon point, not the Sarge point)
by Moonage Daydream on Mar 9, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I we just aren’t used to being in the playoffs, so we’re not used to seeing the team slump at this point when it matters. In San Jose or Detroit, where the team has been good for a number of years, I can’t imagine they’re panicking.
I don’t know about that:
http://boards.sjsharks.com/index.php?s=163e79150549401c42c75787a82c24b9&showtopic=11460
Not to mention there’s a huge payoff if you’re patient with guys as Fleischmann, Fehr, and Erskine demonstrate.
You forgot Schultz. Oh wait, he’s never going to improve.
Well, I don’t think the team needed to wait on him. He’s been pretty solid the whole time, unlike Fehr or Flash who would go very long stretches without scoring. Well, they still do, but I think they’re showing they’re legit NHLers.
Which one of these is not like the others...
But why is Erskine in that group? Not homegrown, not really developed, not realizing any untapped upside in his game. I don’t understand what patience has gotten us with him.
I have much respect for Erskine. Man has done a very good job of adapting to the talents he has. He is a very valuable 7th defenseman within a clearly defined role.
The team’s defensive depth is still poor enough that Erskine is being asked to do more than he ought to. But in a year or two, I’d be very happy to see Erskine on this team while other players are shipped out.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 9, 2009 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I like to consider myself an “even-keel” fan, keeping my eye on the big picture despite how the current stretch seems to be panning out.
Now, I can say that I’ve been through the thin times with this team as well as the thick, having been a faithful fan since ‘bout 1990. It was pretty hard during the early 2000’s with the firesale. I told myself that if they traded Bondra that I was done; well, we see how that turned out. :)
Now, on that note, I hope they get out of this current funk and start winning again!
On a completely unrelated note, did anyone hear that hoser in the Metro waiting for the Glenmont train last night after the game?
I need 100% of you guys to give 110%.
The gomer who wouldn’t stop screaming “The Caps Suck!” So all I could think was “Since when does 40 wins suck? Because we’ve lost a few?”
I need 100% of you guys to give 110%.
I'm actually on vacation...and abit drunk
I didn’t see the game against the Pens, but was at the four previous home games.
I understand the panic and the booing, I won’t do it.
But the “whoop, whoop” chant for Schultz during the Toronto game pissed me off, this really is a Redskin town, It’s one of those occasions when I hated Caps fans.
never let the truth get in the way of a good story
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” – George Carlin
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"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." – George Carlin
One of the best lines ever. Saw his last show in Baltimore last year. It was funny as hell, as expected.
Proper criticism
I trust Coach BB and GMGM to make the best players available. If #55 is one of those players the management thinks is worthy of a sweater, then I’m guessing they are correct. Do we want the hockey club run by board posters and fans?
I fear all the negatives will literally ‘run #55 out of town’ and he will ask for a trade. At some point, fans will regret this.
Why not save the boos, jeers, etc. for the “opposing players” instead of one of our own?
My wife used to have to restrain me when Caps fans did that to Larry Murphy. I know, he wasn’t physical and sometimes looked a little goofy, but that pass to Hunter made up for it. And then he won, what 2 or 3 Cups? Bunch of doughheads.
I have to admit to wooping Larry Murphy. Guy drove me crazy at the time. I’ve learned a thing or two about hockey since, and these days I try to take the good with the bad with Mike Green and Alex Semin. Still, to this day, guys who make a lot of mental mistakes but make up for it with creative brilliance drive me nuts.
Jeff Schultz does not drive me nuts. Schultz has never been a candidate for a woop from me. Schultz is an excellent defenseman.
by Gould Old Days on Mar 9, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Better take your 55 posts to the Game Recap…. Apparently we’re a bunch of dicks and Jasper isn’t a very nice host.
Pepper, thanks for the eloquent post. My thoughts mirror yours although sometimes I’d prefer to be less emotionally invested in the team and more impervious to the vagaries of the season. It hasn’t worked out that way and since all the other teams are dead to me, the only thing I can do is try to maintain some perspective on the Caps. It’s been nerve-wracking watching them flail around the last few games and my anxiety must be evident because people stop at my office door and preface every conversation with a sympathetic statement about the team. Sometimes it’s not entirely rational but if I ever stop caring, that will be the day I give up my season tickets. Won’t happen.
The sanity that is Japers’ Rink is a blessing though. There’s so much hockey knowledge and thoughtful analysis and thankfully, very little trolling. Oy people, get a life! I don’t care about your sniveling captain, only whether our defense is good enough to get out of the second round.
by Red Tara on Mar 9, 2009 9:04 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Thanks Lisita. Mentioning your office reminds me of the 1998 Cup run. I started at a new job in April of 1998, and at the time no one in the office was a hockey fan.
Slowly but surely, I had almost the whole office (it was a small office) high-fiving me when I walked in the door the morning after a win, or stopping to have a sober, consoling chat after a loss. (And by the finals, many of them needed consoling too.)
by Stephen Pepper on Mar 10, 2009 8:11 AM EDT up reply actions
As much as I hate the bad mouthing of Caps players who are exceeding expectations (atleast mine) this year….you almost have to look at it from another perspective…all of those people wooping he who shall not be named and those calling for Flash’s or Fehr’s head, they may not be the brightest hockey minds, but they’re watching and going to games. The bad mouthing is the ultimate sign that DC is becoming a hockey town.
It frustrates the hell out of me, but some of those people that are wooping today are going to become informed fans tomorrow. I grew up a Mets fan…and trust me, no one boos home town players more than New Yorkers….that’s part of what makes NY the center of the baseball universe. Not saying that DC is on that level, or even close…but it does mean the fan base is growing, which just like the depth at Hershey says good things about the future of this franchise.
/Oh yeah great post … I know I’m late to the party, but rec’ed.
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