What's at stake vs Maryland

[huskyd]

Poor old Don Quixote and his "Impossible Dream." He has, unwittingly, contributed a modifier to the English language that symbolizes hopelessness. Thus, a lowly ranked team plays UConn with only a quixotic hope of achieving a victory.

There is a different way to read the "Impossible Dream," as NOT hopeless but hopeful. Quixote's "dream" has 2 parts: the ideal and the striving to realize the ideal. One could easily argue that possessing the hope (the ideal that motivates) is ultimately MORE important than the outcome (failure OR success). "And I know if I'll only be true/To this glorious quest/That my heart will be peaceful and calm/When I'm laid to my rest." In this reading, the end is successful if one only aspires w/out hesitation or pause.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I believe it was MilfordHusky who coined a nifty new word (a neologism -- source: nonfiction for sure!) when he described a player's quality as "badassery." (Boneyarders unanimously grasped the meaning instantaneously.)

I'm not sure I was the one, but until someone else takes credit, I'll be happy to.

 

[Kibitzer]

There is a different way to read the "Impossible Dream," as NOT hopeless but hopeful. Quixote's "dream" has 2 parts: the ideal and the striving to realize the ideal. One could easily argue that possessing the hope (the ideal that motivates) is ultimately MORE important than the outcome (failure OR success). "And I know if I'll only be true/To this glorious quest/That my heart will be peaceful and calm/When I'm laid to my rest." In this reading, the end is successful if one only aspires w/out hesitation or pause.

Excellent analysis of Quixote's "Impossible Dream" (sung stirringly by Brian Stokes Mitchell). But the modifier "quixotic" is decidedly pessimistic in tone, evoking thoughts of the subject vainly tilting at windmills.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The streaks are great and bring a lot of attention, but they are for the fans, not the players.

For me, the biggest thing at stake is whether or not we can beat a tough team in a hostile environment. We have already proven that we can do THAT, but we need to prove that we can do it against THIS team, which shoots the ball well and has 2 likely All-American players. A loss would shake our confidence and show our vulnerability.

 

[Kibitzer]

That's a possible offseason topic: Neologisms that have come from fiction ("Pecksniffian") and real people.("Bowdlerized") This would no doubt help all of us amateur writers cut down on our Dogberryisms, our Malapropisms, and our Spoonerisms, hopefully leaving only our Nixonisms to be moderated by our moderators and our facts and opinions to be fair game for everyone.

Great post! Perhaps you forgot "Gerrymander," surely the most (in)famous neologism derived from politics.

 

[huskyd]

The streaks are great and bring a lot of attention, but they are for the fans, not the players.

For me, the biggest thing at stake is whether or not we can beat a tough team in a hostile environment. We have already proven that we can do THAT, but we need to prove that we can do it against THIS team, which shoots the ball well and has 2 likely All-American players. A loss would shake our confidence and show our vulnerability.

Well, MH, if we lose we'll find out right away the effect(s) the loss will have on fans, players, coaches. I've wondered mucho times exactly how I'll react to the (inevitable?) first defeat. It's been so dang long since we came up short that I'm guessing "stunned" will be one emotion. Then there are the 5 classic stages of mourning to follow: 1. Denial and isolation; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining;
4. Depression; 5. Acceptance. We do have the BY to help with the "isolation," so hopefully UConn fans will reach out to remind each other that the world has not ended although the world has clearly ended. Oh, and the meds . . .

 

[Kibitzer]

Well, MH, if we lose we'll find out right away the effect(s) the loss will have on fans, players, coaches. I've wondered mucho times exactly how I'll react to the (inevitable?) first defeat. It's been so dang long since we came up short that I'm guessing "stunned" will be one emotion. Then there are the 5 classic stages of mourning to follow: 1. Denial and isolation; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining;
4. Depression; 5. Acceptance. We do have the BY to help with the "isolation," so hopefully UConn fans will reach out to remind each other that the world has not ended although the world has clearly ended. Oh, and the meds . . .

I am reminded once again of a statement made on a Pittsburgh Steelers fans site. Let me paraphrase it (once again) for Boneyard consumption:

"There are places where women's basketball is treated like a matter of life or death. Here on the Boneyard we consider it much more important."
​

 

[arty155]

... tilting... windmills.

 

[CL82]

One of the shockers for me is that I saw most of the movies in these clips when they were first run.

Perhaps you should take a nap before the game...

 

[CL82]

What's at stake here is UConn's figurative 6th man, the aura of invulnerability. This year the buzz was that UConn was beatable. Game by game that hope dwindled. If MD can beat us, other teams will feel like they can as well. It won't make or break our season but don't undervalue that.

Likewise, if MD can beat us, they become "the big dog." That has value.

It's a big game.

 

[Oldbones]

Great post! Perhaps you forgot "Gerrymander," surely the most (in)famous neologism derived from politics.

Interesting also that Elbridge himself (the second VP to die in office, both under Madison) used a hard G like Gardler for his name but time and usage have turned it into the "J" like Jamelle.

 

[Oldbones]

UConn's consecutive win streak is already out of reach to anyone else.

The 2021-2024 Huskies might disagree.

 

[Oldbones]

The streaks are great and bring a lot of attention, but they are for the fans, not the players.

For me, the biggest thing at stake is whether or not we can beat a tough team in a hostile environment. We have already proven that we can do THAT, but we need to prove that we can do it against THIS team, which shoots the ball well and has 2 likely All-American players. A loss would shake our confidence and show our vulnerability.

I guess we now have to say that MD has three likely albeit eventual all-Americans. Slocum was aces..................

 

[UcMiami]

There was one more streak at stake - Uconn came into this game with a 15-0 streak against top 5 teams which is pretty amazing - it now stands at 16 wins and counting.
And I agree that the aura of Uconn is an important aspect of the team - at this moment in time there are only five players in all of WCBB who have every been involved in a win against a Uconn team - three seniors and two juniors on the Stanford Cardinal. It doesn't mean that players are necessarily intimidated, just that they have never experienced it. Like new teams reaching the FF for the first time or for the first time in a long time it is uncharted territory. And meeting Stanford in the NCAAs isn't that likely nor that daunting a prospect.

So yeah, beating MD had some more meaning than just a win in December, and beating SC in Feb will as well. It is why if Uconn is not going to be undefeated this season, I would prefer they play a poor game against an AAC opponent towards the end of the season than get beaten by a contending team. A Villanova shocker from 2003 or a St. John's shocker from 2012 kind of game has less consequence.