Fun_TheGameWintermute

I drew a little illustration of Z at The Game on the occasion of its 135th playing this past Saturday. Oddly, it was played at the Red Sox's stadium for no reason. The Game is all about tradition, so you can keep your goofy Green Mahnstah, kid.

To be quite honest, I almost completely forgot about it, but it's always the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so it's just as easy to remember (though I also almost forgot about Thanksgiving, too).

I'm not really into sports, but I did make sure to go to each one while an undergrad, though we only won once and I was the last generation to see a victory for almost a solid decade!

I always say, leave it to Yale to mess it up, cuz pretty much without fail, Yale always simply gives up The Game to some nonsensical error or lapse in judgment that ends up giving those dirty rats the win. I mean, it could be a one-in-a-million outer, but dagnabbit, we will find the one astronomically rare route to completely blow it.

This year was similar...we were behind by one touchdown, but we were on pace to win since we were just feet from scoring to tie, but for absolutely no good reason Yale decided to play not to lose rather than to win. Instead of going for the arm's-reach touchdown for the crucial tie, they just kicked it, which scored but took us off pace to get ahead and win in the dwindling second half.

What's the point in losing tempo for a slight bump in score if you lose the whole thing? Lose tempo to maintain your lead, sure, but if you're behind and need to keep up to get in position to win, just go for the slightly less sure thing. If you blow the risky play, you don't win, if you blow the safe play you don't win. But if you succeed in the risky play you can win, and if you succeed in the safe play you still lose and have to start the rally over. The successful kick barely made a dent in the deficit, and those arrogant pieces of garbooj ultimately ran away with it.

Anyway, a bit of a bummer, but I did get to see the real Brian Dowling give a brief interview, so that was cool as a Doonesbury fan. Next year should be home game since we rotate every year, and our nightmare years seem to be behind us, so hopefully we get a nice outcome on warmer turf, goodness knows it's bitter and cold in Massachusetts this time of always.

Not normal,

Reuxben