It's Hard to Be an Optimist in the City

Tuesday night my office roommate Brian and I went to watch the Canes basketball team. They dominated Boston College, an ACC opponent, for 3/4 of the game. They led by 17, which in college ball is a huge lead, and then they collapsed, losing by 5. I have my doubts about a coach who can let his players lose focus that way --Frank Haith reminds me of Randy Shannon in that regard.

The loss was tougher to take than a close game, or a blowout by the other team, because my Canes SHOWED their ability and then squandered it.

I came home late, and learned that the Democratic party pulled a similar stunt. They somehow squandered political capital, and LOST a Massachussets senate seat! The Peoples Republic of Mass, as my GOP friends call it! They elected a Republican!

Of course, now all the Times OP ED pieces are decrying the end of health care reform, peace, etc... I guess we'll see.

And, I'm no political scientist, but it's easy, even on casual analysis, to see what happened there. The Dem candidate was a know it all scold, sort of Marcia Clark/ Moira Lasch type. Most don't remember Moira Lasch, but she's the humorless prosecutor who lost the Kennedy Smith case ("Are you some kind of sex machine, Mr. Smith?").

The Republican guy drove a pickup truck, and knew his sports. He even palled around with Doug Flutie, he of cursed name to me and other Canes fans. Anyone who grew up in the suburban Northeast in the 70s knows that Northeastern suburbanites all fantasize about being Southerners, so the GOP guy got it, while the off key Dem frosty lady was bumbling Red Sox facts.

As Dr. Barry noted, the top TV show in this country is "American Idol." What can we really expect?

So, I guess I'll keep my optimism and sunny outlook on a local level. I guess Hemingway was right: the most we can reasonably hope for is to secure our own little bits of heaven, "clean, well lighted places," in this world of idiots.

And as for my Canes? We need a new coach...