It’s a natural instinct for sports fans to feel that we could, at times, do a far better job than the athletes, coaches, and executives that work in the games we know so well. Sometimes we can’t control it; I’ve even found myself blurting out the odd “I could’ve caught that!” , or “I would’ve run that route better!” , knowing full well that I would, in fact, not catch the pass in question or correctly run the route in question (and in the astonishingly small chance that I did those two things, I also know that to receive a tackle from any of the eleven defenders on the field would likely turn my skeleton into sawdust). I can’t apologize for such primal reactions, unfortunately. Every so often, however, there are instances when someone on a team we follow makes a very avoidable mistake of epic proportions, where many members of the fanbase could have legitimately made a much better choice. For quite a few hours, I felt that way about the Baltimore Ravens’ failure to re-sign Lamar Jackso
Valentine’s Day came and went a couple weeks ago and I, like many others, spent the day trying to think as little of it as possible. In turn, this of course kept it at the very forefront of my mind for the entire 24 hours (granted, the bombardment of emails and advertisements for couples-themed products I received for days on end leading up to the wretched holiday were partially to blame). Still, in my newfound journey towards continual self-improvement, I’ve learned that a little introspection should always be welcome in our lives, even when it’s difficult-- for instance, regarding our personal histories of decision-making and commitment. After all, being aware of our own flaws is perhaps the most powerful tool in our arsenal to aid with our own betterment. Naturally, I concluded that the problem isn’t me and instead turned my attention towards criticizing others with commitment issues, as I am, clearly, a very emotionally healthy person. And I could think of no person, or group of pe