The postseason can be a funny thing at times.
It can produce classic sports memories that are talked about for decades. For one team, it can provide the ultimate thrill of victory while for the other, the agony of defeat pounds on you like the worst headache you’ve ever experienced.
You never quite know what to expect when the playoffs arrive. Coaches hope their teams can simply continue doing the things which got them to this point. Make the necessary plays to win and move on.
The 2010 postseason began with such promise for the Winder-Barrow High School Diamond Doggs. Yet, by the time the final out was recorded Saturday afternoon at Charles W. Maddox Complex, that excitement that had surrounded the local players, coaches, students and fans, had gone away, much like the air being drained from a balloon.
For those of us who have experienced high school athletics for many years, we understand the hurt the WBHS players felt Saturday. It’s a stinging hurt, like not accomplishing something you’ve worked so long and hard for. No words of wisdom from coaches, parents or those who have been there before are going to make the hurt and disappointment magically disappear.
No, it takes time. Only time will heal the hurt the Diamond Doggs felt. In time, these players — especially the seniors who contributed and gave so much — will realize just what was accomplished on the field this spring.
In time, they will have a better appreciation for battling for a home playoff series and then earning that goal. In time, they will look back on the 90-degree afternoon of May 7, 2010 as well as the somewhat cooler afternoon of May 8 and see that they represented their school, their county and themselves well.
Still, today I know the hurt is there. The final game — unless you are the state champion — is always going to have some amount of pain associated with it. It’s the nature of the beast in competitive sports.
Yet, what this group of players will be remembered for are things such as hard word, sportsmanship, drive, determination and being focused on a goal and reaching it.
Did the season go as far as the WBHS players would have liked? Of course not. But, given time, they will see that they are winners. They are champions in their own way.
For some, thoughts have already turned toward 2011 and making another trip to the postseason. For now, let’s just reflect on 2010 and tip our hats to the players and coaches who made it all possible. They gave us plenty to cheer about and plenty to be proud of. They wore the uniform with pride and in turn, we proudly pulled for them to win each time they stepped on the field.
To me, they define what it means to be a champion, regardless of the last games.
Chris Bridges is the sports editor of the Barrow Journal. Send comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
