November 24, 2001

· · ·  Loyalty Is Bittersweet

Growing up a sports fan in Houston is somewhat bittersweet. Whenever it looked like one of our teams had a chance of going all the way, such a vision would be cracked as an upset or some other catastrophic event would occur. We could never savor the sweetness of a championship, yet we were always teased until the ninth inning.

I'm sure some of you will argue, "What about the Houston Rockets? They won two championships in the 90s!" Sure. Those were great, including an absolutely amazing run in the 94-95 playoffs. But those get degraded everytime someone mentions to me, "Oh, those were also the two years Jordan wasn't with the Bulls. Point taken. Bittersweet level increased.

In addition, let me tell you about the saddest moment in my Houston sports history: It came at Buffalo's Rich Stadium in 1992. My Houston Oilers built up a 35-3 lead into the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills. Having beaten them the week before and now playing them with their backup quarterback at the helm, we thought all was well and good. Until, of course, we lost that game. The greatest comeback in NFL history. I didn't enjoy being a part of that. Of course, redemption came in 1999 when Frank Wycheck lateralled the ball to Kevin Dyson for a 75 yard miracle run as time winded down. Were we to finally taste the goodness? In fact, no. We were a yard short against the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. An inch short, even.

Yesterday, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were surprised by the Colorado Buffaloes with a major upset that turned the college football championship scene upside down. Today, the Oklahoma Sooners were up-ended in the last two minutes as their inter-state rivals, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, shook up some more ground. Now, the #1 and #3 teams in the Bowl Championship Series have suffered devastating losses near the end of the season. What happens now?

Lamenting of past sports events: Brought on by this, the chance that the Texas Longhorns may now get a chance to participate in the Rose Bown in Pasadena and possibly bring home the national championship. Next week, we will face Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game. If we win, we should hopefully leap over the Oregon Ducks and, if we're lucky, Florida Gators, thus placing us in the magical #2 spot to contend the Miami Hurricanes. That's the more practical scenario. But as a fan, we must hope and have faith in others' downfall. For that, we pray that the Washington Huskies dismantle the Miami Hurricanes in the game that is due to start in a few minutes. For that, we hope that we'll be given a chance to taste victory in earnest. For that, we hope our boys will come home happy for once.

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November 23, 2001

· · ·  Chances Are We'll Never Meet Again

"So, you ever feel like talking to the person sitting next to you when you're on the subway?"

She looked a bit surprised. "You mean like how you're talking to me now?"

A witty response. "Fair enough."

I must have caught her offguard. She seemed interested in what I was to say next, but at the same time, she was cautious, methodically calculating in her mind if it was proper to continue speaking to a stranger. But wait, why was I talking to her?

Clearing the gates of the 4 train headed towards Union Square, I rushed toward a seat, bag in hand. I looked up and saw an ad on the wall, something similar to: "Chances are your match is in another train." Something hit me, challenged me, made me wonder if I could defy such a theory. Then I noticed her, Banana Republic bags in hand, taking the seat next to me. She was out of breath. And she looked like she needed someone to talk to.

"Alright. No, I don't think I ever have wanted to talk like that. Probably never have the time."

"No? Don't you think that you may meet the most amazing person, someone who you may have been looking for all your life by simply taking that leap of faith? It's not too much of a risk. A bit of small talk that may or may not lead to something. I mean, don't get me wrong. This isn't something I do routinely. I suppose it just may have been something in you that led me to opening my mouth. It could have been that simple. It could have been that easy."

She glared at me for a second as the train halted at Union Square. "You're cute. Too bad I have to get off now. Take care!" She gave me a smile. A big one. And then she got up and left. Gathering my thoughts, I jumped up, as it was my stop as well. But by the time I climbed up the stairs, she was out of sight.

It was cold today in Union Square, but suddenly it was a bit warmer than it was five minutes ago.

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