Sunday, October 04, 2009
Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"

Comeback state of mind

 

By Hunt Archbold

Everyone loves a comeback—unless, ofcourse, it’s a comeback in the form of an insult. Case in point: Last week, while enjoying a lovely stroll, breathing in the first hint of autumn’s crisp air, I remarked to a friend how much natural beauty there is in the world. Whereupon she replied, “Do you love nature despite what it did to you?”

That little jest made me smile. And there were plenty smiles on the faces of Braves fans early last week, as the gritty club that wouldn’t go away kept winning and winning. In June, the idea that the Bravos would even sniff 90 wins this season would have sounded absurd. But to the team’s credit, they didn’t fold come September, and instead returned baseball excitement to a city that hasn’t experienced much in quite some time.

Everyone loves a comeback, and the sports world is full of them: The Miracle on Ice. The Drive. The Music City Miracle. From George Foreman to Lance Armstrong to Michael Vick (well, stayed tuned on that last one), the history of sports is brimming with stories of compelling comebacks. And of course, outside of sports, too—do you feel as if our nation’s economy is coming back?

Just recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was quoted as saying, “It is very likely that the recession has ended.” Really? Is that why 17 percent of the work force (that’s 26 million Americans) are either unemployed, have given up looking for work believing jobs are not possible, or are working part-time when they’re looking for full-time? Do they believe in our economic comeback?

One person who hasn’t felt the money crunch is Tiger Woods. (Well, duh.) After banking the $10 million bonus he earned for winning the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Club recently, Tiger became the first athlete to earn $1 billion, according Forbes.com. That’s billion with a “B,” and through prize money, appearance fees, endorsements, bonuses and his golf design business, he’s already working toward his next billion.

Evander Holyfield never made billions, but he did pocket millions and millions as the only man to ever win the heavyweight world championship four times. But he’s been besieged with financial problems in recent years, which may explain why these days he can be seen dressing in drag in Taco Bell commercials. Hey, nobody said comebacks were easy.

In fact, they take hard work and perseverance. The Atlanta Falcons are now in their second week of digesting their first loss of the season at New England. Beginning this week at San Francisco, the Birds face four straight talented conference opponents, three of them on the highway. And how the Falcons come back from the Patriots loss and deal with this quartet of difficult games will go a long way in determining if Atlanta gets back to the playoffs. This is one comeback to keep an eye on.

Just as the Braves’ comeback was—only not many pairs of eyes were at Turner Field to watch. After an incredible stretch that had them nipping at the heels of Colorado for the wild card spot with a week to go, the Braves were welcomed home to a vastly empty Turner Field for a key three-game series against Florida. The team was giving away free tickets, and still people stayed away.

There were a variety of the same old worn-out excuses for why people didn’t go, and I had mine for staying away from the Ted for two of the three games. But maybe team officials will take notice of the sparse attendance and move away from all the gimmicks (blaring scoreboard, kid’s playgrounds, short-shorts wearing gals toting T-shirt-blasting guns) brought in to attract the casual fan, and return their focus to making the experience better for baseball fans. That’s a comeback I’d love to see. That, and improved transportation options and a general cleanup of the neighborhood around the stadium.

The Braves’ improbable comeback more or less died in the series’ finale, when Matt Diaz, representing the tying run in the bottom of the ninth, got picked off of third base to end the game and Atlanta’s gallant late September rally. One could feel his pain watching that lonely walk back across the field to an already emptying dugout as the fans made their way to the exits. It was a difficult way for a comeback to end.

Then again, at least it didn’t end with another Greg Norton strikeout. Now, if he comes back next year—well, I can’t imagine anyone wants to see that.

Happy times … and nothing personal, Greg, but 10 or so hits for a whole season just doesn’t cut it. SP