duncan228
11-10-2009, 11:09 PM
You Got Schooled: Lessons aren't just kids stuff (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/You_Got_Schooled_Lessons_arent_just_kids_stuff.htm l)
By Chris Ferrell - Express-News commentary
“Sesame Street” celebrated its 40th anniversary Tuesday, marking four decades of teaching children about letters, shapes, numbers and values that can help them throughout their lives.
As the kids who grew up watching Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch got older and became sports fans, many of those same lessons they learned from the show have come in handy — whether they realized it or not.
If Grover were here, he'd probably try to explain it like this:
TEXAS A&M FANS
Lesson: Be persistent, keep looking for answers.
Learned from: Things rarely go as Big Bird plans, but he's always eager to find a solution — even if it takes a while.
Helps today: R.C. Slocum couldn't get A&M over the hump, and Dennis Franchione was supposed to be the answer. That didn't work, and Mike Sherman got the job.
Sherman has increased the talent level in College Station significantly over the past two years and shown flashes — a big victory in Lubbock — that he has the Aggies pointing in the right direction. But then, like those quandaries that often face Big Bird, questions such as “What happened at Kansas State and Colorado?” arise and are really hard to answer.
SPURS FANS
Lesson: You can count anything.
Learned from: Count Von Count (who also wears a black uniform) never stops showing his love for numbers.
Helps today: For most of the Tim Duncan era, counting championships has been one of the city's favorite activities. But as the All-Star forward and his team began to age, increasing numbers suddenly weren't so great.
If the new Spurs players can pick up Gregg Popovich's system and a few things break the Spurs' way, fans could again go back to their favorite pastime. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five NBA championships. Ah-ah-ah!
If not, they'll have to spend the summer counting all those luxury tax dollars the team is paying this year.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FANS
Lessons: Find your passion; ask questions.
Learned from: Cookie Monster loves his cookies. When he has them, he's happy. When he doesn't, he's inconsolable. He'll also ask philosophical questions like “what if there were no more cookies?”
Helps today: Longhorns everywhere are rejoicing as their team devours opponent after opponent. And the rest of the schedule looks pretty appetizing.
Like Cookie Monster, UT fans have every reason to be excited.
(Caution: Step away from them immediately in the event of an upset.)
But with a stout Florida or Alabama defense likely waiting for the Horns, it's probably time to seek answers for questions such as: With all the talented recruits that come to Austin, why can't Texas run the ball?
DALLAS COWBOYS FANS
Lesson: It's OK to forgive.
Learned from: No matter how many times Bert and his unibrow fall victim to Ernie's pranks, he always manages to forgive his roommate.
Helps today: Cowboys fans have been burned by their team before. But after Sunday night's victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, many have been pulled back in — like Michael Corleone in “The Godfather: Part III.”
This team is different, they say. The old Cowboys would have gone to Philadelphia and laid an egg. This team made big plays with the game on the line.
It's almost enough to make them shout, “How 'bout them Cowboys!”
Of course, if this December ends up like the previous ones, they can try to remember another lesson from the show: Sometimes, it's OK to cry.
By Chris Ferrell - Express-News commentary
“Sesame Street” celebrated its 40th anniversary Tuesday, marking four decades of teaching children about letters, shapes, numbers and values that can help them throughout their lives.
As the kids who grew up watching Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch got older and became sports fans, many of those same lessons they learned from the show have come in handy — whether they realized it or not.
If Grover were here, he'd probably try to explain it like this:
TEXAS A&M FANS
Lesson: Be persistent, keep looking for answers.
Learned from: Things rarely go as Big Bird plans, but he's always eager to find a solution — even if it takes a while.
Helps today: R.C. Slocum couldn't get A&M over the hump, and Dennis Franchione was supposed to be the answer. That didn't work, and Mike Sherman got the job.
Sherman has increased the talent level in College Station significantly over the past two years and shown flashes — a big victory in Lubbock — that he has the Aggies pointing in the right direction. But then, like those quandaries that often face Big Bird, questions such as “What happened at Kansas State and Colorado?” arise and are really hard to answer.
SPURS FANS
Lesson: You can count anything.
Learned from: Count Von Count (who also wears a black uniform) never stops showing his love for numbers.
Helps today: For most of the Tim Duncan era, counting championships has been one of the city's favorite activities. But as the All-Star forward and his team began to age, increasing numbers suddenly weren't so great.
If the new Spurs players can pick up Gregg Popovich's system and a few things break the Spurs' way, fans could again go back to their favorite pastime. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five NBA championships. Ah-ah-ah!
If not, they'll have to spend the summer counting all those luxury tax dollars the team is paying this year.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FANS
Lessons: Find your passion; ask questions.
Learned from: Cookie Monster loves his cookies. When he has them, he's happy. When he doesn't, he's inconsolable. He'll also ask philosophical questions like “what if there were no more cookies?”
Helps today: Longhorns everywhere are rejoicing as their team devours opponent after opponent. And the rest of the schedule looks pretty appetizing.
Like Cookie Monster, UT fans have every reason to be excited.
(Caution: Step away from them immediately in the event of an upset.)
But with a stout Florida or Alabama defense likely waiting for the Horns, it's probably time to seek answers for questions such as: With all the talented recruits that come to Austin, why can't Texas run the ball?
DALLAS COWBOYS FANS
Lesson: It's OK to forgive.
Learned from: No matter how many times Bert and his unibrow fall victim to Ernie's pranks, he always manages to forgive his roommate.
Helps today: Cowboys fans have been burned by their team before. But after Sunday night's victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, many have been pulled back in — like Michael Corleone in “The Godfather: Part III.”
This team is different, they say. The old Cowboys would have gone to Philadelphia and laid an egg. This team made big plays with the game on the line.
It's almost enough to make them shout, “How 'bout them Cowboys!”
Of course, if this December ends up like the previous ones, they can try to remember another lesson from the show: Sometimes, it's OK to cry.