Saturday was football day for the Corcoran's. First up was the Minnesota versus New Mexico State game at the beautiful University of Minnesota campus. They really have a nice set up at "the U" as it's called. It was hot (84 degrees) with the sun beating down on us, so we found the alumni center where we could sit, watch the Iowa versus Iowa State game, and get really cheap snacks! Popcorn, pop and water were just $1 each. Why were Minnesotans watching the Iowa v. Iowa State game? Well at "the U" they have a little chant and it goes like this: "Who hates Iowa?!?"
"WE HATE IOWA!"
Man do they hate Iowa. It rivals UofM and OSU in sheer anger and random chanting when there is nothing else to cheer for. And that is a problem with "the U"...cheering I mean....because they aren't doing so hot. They lost to New Mexico state, a team they were supposed to crush, and to top it all off their coach had a seizure in the fourth quarter. Or, as my dad put it, he had a seizure because he realized he was going to lose to New Mexico state. Either way you look at it, they may have spunk, but they don't have the mastery of the game to really put one in the win column. The same could be said for a lot of Minnesota teams.Vikings: losing, Twins: losing, Timberwolves.....yeah.....anyway....
Despite all this losing their attitude is the same: there's always next time. Even when Detroit got crushed by the Twins at the one baseball game Ryan and I chose to attend, the Minnesota fans were happy, but they were also realistic. On the light rail back to the Mall of America most of the conversations were this: "well, our season is done, next year though, always next year." It was the one game they had won against the Detroit, but instead of bragging or harassing Ryan and I in our Detroit gear, they simply accepted what was, and moved on. The same cannot be said for a team I used to cheer for.
Oh my UofM days. I used to always cheer for UofM, for no particular reason. I just decided they were my team and went with it. But the Minnesota spirit has been affecting me much more than I ever imagined. When we watched Notre Dame blow it against UofM....I simply thought....well....next time. Which is a very Minnesota attitude. It also made me realize that I couldn't cheer for UofM anymore. They don't have that attitude. They are cocky, arrogant and angry. And I'm not saying ND hasn't had the same issues or even accusations on their part, but when Brian Kelly, the ND coach and former GVSU coach, watched his team lose it, his expression said it all. His face was set in a thin line with a hint of a small smile that said, "well.....we'll get em' next time." And it was the right attitude to have. Their quarterback, Rees, played the game of his career, a career that only started after Kelly threw out their former quarterback Crist for basically constantly screwing up. There was nothing more Rees could have done.
So while UofM runs around like they won the super bowl, ND will go back to the field, work on their defense (hopefully....) and "get them next time." That's the core of the Notre Dame spirit, and I am now, fully converted to the cause.
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