So I left Comcast Center feeling good. Not that I didn't see flaws, but I was determined to accentuate the positive. Until I had to go and ruin it by reading the newspaper (thanks Garrison Keillor, jerk). Contained therein were these post-game team reflections from a Mr. D.J. Strawberry:
"Our backs are still against the wall, and we love being in this position. When we are in this position is when we play the best, when everyone doubts us and says we're not going to do anything. We're all battlers and warriors on this team, and we all want to win bad."(Warning: If you don't like rants, don't read the rest of this.)
Pardon me for saying so, D.J., but that quote is, how do you say, fucking wrong and ridiculous. D.J., what, exactly, do you mean by this? That you need to lose a few games before you find the motivation to play well? That you can only win after people have given up on you and stopped paying attention? That when good things are actually expected of you (due to playing well), you are unwilling or unable to rise to those expectations? That you do not welcome the pressure that comes along with such expectations?
That doesn't sound like "warrior" talk to me, D.J. And come to think of it, neither does your shit-talking after you make a jump shot to go up 4-2. It just makes you look scared, or like a bully (who inside are also scared because they feel too weak to pick a fight with an equal or superior). And by the way, want to know what else makes you look scared? When you have the ball with five seconds left at the end of the half, and you start to make your move and literally fall flat on your face and lose the ball, just as you did last night against Ga. Tech. You remember that? With time running out, wasn't your back against the wall there? What happened? Where was all your warrior juice then?
Hey, I know you're a young headstrong guy, and I think you are a nice college player. You had a decent game last night with (a quiet) 13 points on 5-10 shooting. And you need to be a strong presence if this team is going to do something this year. But here's a little friendly advice from someone who just wants to see you and the team find some success: Maybe you should worry more about being a winner, instead of worrying about whether everyone else thinks you're a winner. Don't give us that no one-believes-in-us-underdogs crap anymore. The only reason you guys are underdogs and people don't believe in you is because you can't find the balls to win a big game. (Or even just a road game.) Don't you want people to believe in the team and its abilities? Let us know and get back to us. We're fucking waiting.
Hyperlink:
- Terps Get Back Into Fray in ACC [Washington Post]
Technorati tags: Maryland basketball, D.J. Strawberry, Terps
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