After the Davidson loss last night, I got to thinking. And I came to the not-altogether-unexpected conclusion that a good poem can fix anything.
All right, fine. A good poem can’t send us to the Final Four. But as I was thinking, these lines from Wordsworth’s “Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” rang out in my mind:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
that in this moment there is life and food
for future years.
What a remarkable season. In those moments on Easter Sunday, or last Friday night in the Town of Davidson, or way back when the Wildcats’ 25 game winning streak began—in those moments, there is life and food for future years, because that’s what happens with legends. We remember them, always.
In the spirit of witnessing greatness, I’m passing along this image in the form of some wallpapers that I put together to commemorate the Best Season Ever. Click to bigafy.
800 x 600
1024 x 768
1280 x 800
I don’t know where this came from originally, it was forwarded to me at work, and I don’t believe it to be a real Nike endorsement. This is only in good fun; don’t sue me.
At Passover, Jews annually toast, “Next year, in Jerusalem!” While it might be a bit crass to compare this religious tradition to basketball…well, I’m kind of okay with that, actually. Because it’s a cultural proclamation of hope, and diminished though it might be when related to a March Madness run…I think it’s safe to say: “Next year, in the Final Four!”
People keep asking, “what’s it like to be in Davidson for all this Madness?”
DavidsonNews.net captured the mood in town last night. I wish every Davidson alum could’ve been around to witness the absolute joy.
Elite Eight. This is no Cinderella story, ladies and gents—this is what happens when a great team and a great coach catch fire.
Let’s go, Cats. Let’s go have ourselves a real good time on Sunday.
AP Photo/Michael Conroy.
Okay, so “quiet” doesn’t quite cut it—I’ve personally redirected about half a dozen media calls from TV and radio stations wanting to be on campus, and that’s just today. Basketball doesn’t make the world go round but it sure seems like it might, being at Davidson during these last couple weeks.
AP Photo/Mel Evans.
I’ve got this nostalgic post in the works, but really, who cares about looking back at early 90s kitsch when we’ve got some damn basketball to play?!?
This whole post in an excuse to share the following story, which you’ve probably already seen a dozen times because it’s being hailed “the best” article we’ve seen so far:
Life is Beautiful with Davidson’s Generosity
The comments are a happening place to be there, too, so join in and cheer on our Cats!
Also, I’d like to submit an alternative jam for your consideration to represent this wild ride to the Sweet Sixteen. Okay, Sweet Caroline is cute and everything, but who better than QUEEN to truly encompass the greatness of us?
So, watch the game. Go Cats and all that. But don’t forget to have a good time, mmmkay? You can bet the team will be.
EDIT: Megan just linked me to Georgetown’s newspaper, which had a great article on their loss. Read until the end–the last paragraph’s great.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images.
I’ve been mulling over how best to present the Beacon of Awesome that is the Davidson Wildcats making it to the Sweet Sixteen. I mean, I’m not a sports blog—how do I go about compiling the BILLIONS of stories being written since Sunday? Did you see us on the front page of the USA Today? Or how about Stephen Curry cracking up the hosts of Pardon the Interruption?
Anyway, what I’m saying is that it’s impossible for anyone, let alone someone who’s only half paying attention because there’s so much buzz on campus, what with the Trustees surprising students with funds to get to the game, to keep up with the tidal wave of publicity.
So I decided that the best way to share what I think about this thrilling time is to tell you what I know that you might not.
Five Things I Learned Today About What Effect Being in the Sweet Sixteen Has Had on Campus:
- Yesterday, the College bookstore sold out of t-shirts. Which, in itself, isn’t a remarkable fact, but…
- 1,200 t-shirts were sold. In about two hours. That’s 10 per minute (yeah, you’ve been mathed. At my blog. Wonders never cease…wait, that’s right, isn’t it? Now I’m paranoid it’s not…)
- the bookstore didn’t double, triple, or even quadruple their average day’s sales: they made 21 times as much money as they do on a normal day!
- Google—yes, The Google—described the traffic on our website as “volcanic” after Sunday’s game.
- “Davidson College” was the #1 search term on The Google. “Davidson Wildcats” was #10 and Stephen Curry was #11. For more information, check out DavidsonNews.net.
Tons–seriously, tons—more after the jump, including a beautiful collection of quotes, if you can’t be bothered to click all the links! Warning: it’s super, super long.
