Off By One

Jesus, this can be a loud town. Every time I think that the noise level is going to die down, my stereo in the house is drowned out by the revelry without.

I can’t really fault them, though. Although many of the enthusiasts out there probably weren’t even literate the last time that the Oilers made it to the conference finals — apparently on a goal scored by their now-coach, for some perspective — that hasn’t stopped them, and shouldn’t stop them, from taking some enjoyment from the event. I’ll admit, I don’t get the whole “pride in the team” thing — we have little to do with them winning, except in the sense that we provide the pay that keeps the team here, and the live crowd is like a creature of its own, goading through sheer force of adrenaline. The average man on the street, however, contributes nothing directly. So, the pride thing… Well, whatever works.

Me, I think back to the Dynasty and note that this is the way an underdog team makes a run at the Cup.