Edelman

I know that people hate it when others apologize for the loss of a game. I hate it when other people do it. However, this is an extenuating circumstance warranting a personal apology.

Dear Rival,

Our loss to Shotgun was my fault. Obviously, I couldn't possibly take 100% credit because I wasn't on the field for 100% of the points, but I feel as though the points I was on were tainted by my presence.

There was nothing that weekend that I wanted more than to beat Shotgun. And we almost did. We imagined the sweet sweet taste of it dribbling down our chins as it hung slowly descending into our outstretched hands, but just barely out of reach. At 11-8, we had won. But that's when my stomach decided to feel otherwise. It had been feeling uneasy the whole game, but at that point it really kicked in.

I know it wasn't nerves, because I don't get nervous. I thrive on clutch situations and wish that all points could be do-or-die. I suppose I could attribute it to the Sobe Adrenaline drink that I pounded pre-game, or the four glasses of (delicious) tea I drank instead of water the night before at Olive Garden, or maybe my completely unsubstantial diet that previous week, but whatever it was, my body completely shut down. I was running on pure will. The only reason I did not come out was unchecked pride and ego. I wanted to win so badly that I was blind to the signals my body was giving me, like the retching on the line (I almost puked every time I was on the line) and the dizziness. The result was that I made really poor decisions and executed even more poorly, consequently losing the game for us in those last few points.

A lot of our plays this year on offense have been, "Edelman get open and put it to Adrienne/Lee/Amy/etc." and I just was unable to perform the way that my team counted on me to perform. I know there are more people on offense and I know everyone should be cutting, but I turned a very close game from 7 on 7 to 6 on 7 on offense.

Accept my apology or refute it, that's how I feel. You guys played really really well that game. I'm sorry I let you down.

Just like any good children's cartoon, there's a lesson to be learned from this, and that's listen to your body, and leave your F-Bomb Alert! MOTHERFUCKING EGO AT THE DOOR.

That's really the only game that mattered. We beat ReEntry easily, lost to eventual champions Hangtime in a game where we played very impressively in the second half, and easily beat Tlacuaches! in an...interesting... and spirited game. After losing to Shotgun, Axis of Evil forfeited and we took 7th in the region. Personally, my play was normal on Saturday.

Recap: Season

Despite our disappointing ending, I really enjoyed playing on Rival. All year, I had unflagging confidence in our team. I truly believe that next year this team could be great. I know we'll be losing some people, and I wish them the best of luck, but I'm sure we'll pick up some good talent as well. All I have to say is: offseason offseason offseason. My previous post says enough about that. Thanks for the great season, Rival