At Clemson, it’s not about the journey—it’s about the destination

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, May 05, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Clemson Tigers
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There's this article on the Internet in which the columnist mused that maybe -- just maybe -- there is too much pressure to win football championships at Clemson. And that, believe it or not, may be a valid reason the Tigers can't get over the hump. It's the stress the fan base has put the team under that's killing their chances.

Riiiight.

The solution was that fans should not worry so much about the destination (to wit: ACC title) and just coast along and enjoy the journey as if everything is one big Sunday drive in the North Carolina mountains.

Perhaps he was just stirring things up a bit. And maybe fans saw it as such, regardless of its intent. Hopefully. But let's assume for a moment there are those who actually believe that.

Certainly fans are going to enjoy the season -- that's a moot point. But to ask them not to have expectations?

The piece went on to say that sports psychologists tell their patients to concentrate on the procedure and the result will take care of itself. That visual was reminiscent of the locker-room scene in the classic 1984 baseball film "The Natural," where the doctor stands before the players and managers after another loss, lecturing, "Losing ... is a disease. As contagious as polio, as contagious as bubonic plague."

You can just imagine outspoken running back James Davis, set in the backfield awaiting the snap as, say, Georgia Tech is beating Clemson by 17 late in the fourth quarter. As his eyes scan across the Yellow Jackets' swarming defense to find potential holes, Davis remembers the shrink's last words, "I want you to imagine you are on a ship at sea ... gently rocking. Gently rocking."

He would probably be into it as much as Robert Redford's Roy Hobbs, who rolled his eyes and walked out of the room as if he had better things to do; you know, like going to get shot in the gut.

Clemson's journey has lasted for over nine years, about to enter its 10th. Nine drought-filled years. More than likely, this is no longer a journey as much as it has become an aimless wandering in the desert with every season looking like a rerun of the previous. After nearly a decade, the sole focus should be the desired destination. That, of course, is an ACC crown.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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