I received some fan mail recently that made me do a little thinking. The writer said:
I stumbled across your site. Normally I would simply move on, but when analysis is this ridiculous it deserves a comment. I simply can’t imagine anyone visiting this site more than once. Stunningly negative and uninformed. Please– read analysis at other sites. Good luck.
First, I’ll make a comment on the analysis being ridiculous and uninformed. I’m just a fan. I have no aspirations of ever being a beat reporter or hosting my own ESPN show. I just want to talk about the Hawkeyes now and then. This is simply a collection of thoughts and opinions that enter my head when I sit at the computer. A fan site in other words. Sometimes I am surprised at how right I am about something. Sometimes I am shocked at how amazingly ignorant I am.
The part of the email that I have been thinking about is the “Stunningly negative” part. I don’t think that is always true but it has frequently been the case recently. I have trouble being an Alford fan. I really do not like Indiana. I had a teacher that I hated who was a Hoosier nut case. I’m still mad that Indiana won the national championship when Alford was playing there. I thought Iowa had a better team that year and if not for a miraculous collapse by Iowa against another team (UNLV if I remember correctly), Iowa would have had a great chance at cutting down the nets that year.
I grew up always shocked when Iowa would lose to Duke in the tournament. I couldn’t believe it when Hawkeyes were not first round draft picks. I lived in Illinois and wore Iowa shirts constantly. And I loved every second of it.
I don’t love talking about the reasons why I don’t think Iowa will win games.
So for now on, I am going to try and go back to being the Hawkeye fan I was in years past. From now on, I will try to remember that:
- Iowa will win every game when the season starts.
- If Iowa loses a game, they will win the rest of the games that year.
- If they lose a second game, they will win the rest of the games that year.
- Etc.
This is sure to make this site much more uniformed and ridiculous. I look forward to all the emails informing me of this.
Also, there are a lot of things that I like about Alford as a coach. I love watching the defense when it is clicking. I appreciate the hustle that is normally there. I’m becoming a big Tyler Smith fan. There are enough positives that I think I can be more supportive of Alford moving forward.
Thanks, David, for reminding me of the kind of Hawkeye fan I prefer to be.