You were the ones who wanted a break. After keeping me hanging on
for weeks, you were the ones who told me there that would be no hockey
this season.
"Fine," I said. Some time apart would
be healthy, especially given last year’s emotional ending. It’s funny
how the same old problems always seem to resurface, isn't it? Or maybe
not so funny.
So I let you go, looking forward to our
eventual reunion down the road, yes, but also ready to enjoy some “me”
time. Then BAM! without warning, you were back. It had all been a
terrible mistake! We do still want to have hockey this season! We can
make it work!
I wasn’t interested in half-measures or
half-seasons, and your poor performance in the early games only
confirmed my initial belief that I was, indeed, better off ignoring you
until next year.
It was cool. I chilled with the
‘Skins, I caught up with the Wizards, I would even kick it with United from time to time. Without you in my life, I went
elsewhere for my Washington sports, and I was enjoying my freedom to
roam.
But I kept hearing things about you around town.
About how you had really gotten things together, about how good you
were looking these days. Though I’ll admit that you were on my mind, I
stayed strong in my resolution to stay away.
Then, all
of sudden, there you were, again. In the NHL playoffs, putting on a
show that the whole city was watching. The whole city except me.
I couldn’t take it. I came back. I came to see what you had to offer.
You slapped me in the face and stormed out, again.
The
same old issues, the same old fight. Washington v New York, best of
7. We just can’t seem to get past that one, can we? But that’s not the
whole problem. Recurring issues are an inevitability in any serious,
long-term relationship like ours. It’s the way you handled it that
really let me know I needed out.
I can still remember
how you looked that night, the last time I saw you. You were not
yourself. You weren’t even trying. You weren’t fighting for us. You
barely even showed up. Every time I looked at the television there was a
NY guy knocking a Capital to the ice. You didn’t play like you were in
game 7. You played like bums.
I’d been saying for
years that DC needs to show the Caps more love, but if this is how we’re
going to be treated, season after season, year after year, then I just
don’t see why we should even try, why we should keep putting our hearts
on the chopping block like that.
Anyway, don’t bother
looking for me, I’ve already packed my things. I’m going to go stay
with the O’s for a while. Yes, I know we have a new Baseball Team now,
but that Baseball Team is not my Baseball Team!
So goodbye, Washington Capitals, I don’t love you anymore, and I’m never talking to you again.
Sincerely,
Kevin J. Mahoney
L. Koutras
et al
PS I love you and I’ll be back next season. Let’s go Caps.
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