I’m a democrat and hate the election results. I’m a lifelong
Cowboys fan and love the current state of the team.
I am dreading January and the inauguration. I am so looking forward to January and the
Playoffs!!!
In short, I’m a man who is practically ripping at the seams
with cross-purposed emotions.
Anticipating the incredible low of witnessing Donald
Trump holding a bible and being sworn in and anticipating the lofty high of
seeing Jerry Jones hold the Vince Lombardi trophy.
How did this happen? How did 2016 become both the year of Trump
and the year of Jones?
For most of my life Donald Trump has been a kind of a
punchline. All Hat and no cattle as the saying goes. Loud, brash, classless, a
fabulously wealthy man who does the one thing that all other fabulously wealthy
men don’t do –brags about his wealth. A man of ridiculous hair, a ridiculous
show, a ridiculous “university,” a ridiculous bunch of businesses that no other
self-respecting billionaire would ever put his name on….Donald Trump in the
80’s, 90’s and 2000’s was America’s rich but embarrassing uncle we endured on
holidays.
For most of my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys since 1989,
the owner, Jerry Jones, has also been a kind of punchline. Also, all hat and no
cattle when it came to actually building a great team. Yes, the early success
(almost all of it due to Jimmy Johnson) was great. But since 1995?
Embarrassment. A laughing stock. The parade of bad coaches, the expunged draft
picks searching for a wide receiver, the face lift, the incomprehensible press
conferences, Greg Hardy…all of it. Again, a kind of crazy uncle Jerry you barely
could tolerate on family gatherings.
And so, during the spring, summer and fall of 2016, I’ve
been all but sure that Trump would screw up and bow out before election. During
the spring, summer and fall, I’ve been all but sure Jerry would screw up and
have the team bow out before the playoffs.
But my god! Here we sit toward the end of December and Trump
is heading toward the White House and Jerry is heading toward that awkward
congratulatory handshake with Commissioner Roger Goodell.
For both men, the reasons for their success in 2016 come
down to three factors:
-
Blind luck; a steadying influence; historic weakness of their opponents.
First the luck. Sorry, Trump and fans, but losing the
popular vote by 2.8 million, yet winning the White House doesn’t make you good,
it makes you lucky. The Electoral College and some breaks with voting patterns
in just three states – and a totality of less than 100,000 votes put you over
the top. Add in a frisky Vladimir Putin, a meddling FBI Director and the fake
news strangeness and let’s just say, you metaphorically found the right four
leaf clover on November 8.
For Jerry, his ride toward glory is paved by the incredible
luck of having a ready-made NFL quarterback fall into his lap in the fourth
round of the draft. And don’t forget Cowboy’s fans, the man tried nearly
everything possible to select a QB NOT named Dak Prescott in last April’s
draft. And, if Tony Romo didn’t get injured, ol’ Jerry would have never even
plaid the kid to begin with. Jerry O’Jones must be 100 percent Irish to have
that kind of luck.
Moving on, both men have greatly benefited by the influence
of two key people who helped save each man from themselves. For T, it was the
move to bring Kellyanne Conway to lead his campaign. The amateurs Lewandowski and Manafort would have
almost certainly sunk the S.S. Trump long before it sailed into port. Her
guidance to let Trump be Trump 80% of the time, but reign him in enough not to
scare off skeptical supporters helped him win in key counties around the
nation.
For Jerry, it is the calming presence of his son Steven.
Let’s be totally honest fans: If Steven hadn’t literally shoved his father
against the wall on that draft night three years ago, this franchise would own
Johnny Manziel, and chances are very good that his historic implosion would have
been even more spectacular in Dallas than it was in Cleveland.
Finally, a word about the competition. Trump fan’s, if you
are being totally honest with yourselves, no one thought back in 2015 that Scott
Walker, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and the rest would be as terrible as they were. No
one. But there they were, a gaggle of stumbling, incoherent, low energy
nincompoops who made all us wonder – how did any of these guys actually win an
elected office?
And of course, his defeat of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Now
being a loyal democrat, I could point out a lot of extenuating circumstances
for her loss, but… It is inarguable that she was an historically unpopular
candidate whose wonky delivery and Clinton baggage was a huge mountain to try
and climb.
And about those Cowboys.
Well let’s see: the defending NFC Champion Panthers are out of the
playoff picture, Green Bay has dug itself a huge hole with Aaron Roger’s
surprisingly bad play for most of the year, the Seahawks have an offensive line
that is truly offensive and the Giants offense and Eli Manning are like Ambien
with cleats.
Yes, I know the Patriots are looming if the Cowboys make it
to the Super Bowl, but even Bill Belichick’s dynasty is without the most
dynamic playoff threat in the NFL – Rob Gronkowski. Indeed, this year sets up amazing well for
Dallas, given the anemic competition currently assembled.
So there you have it. In a normal year, with their normally
unchecked demeanor and with even normal competition, these two guys would
probably revert back to their normal default setting of laughing stock. But not
this year.
Indeed 2016 is their year. Our men of the hour Donald and
Jerry. I truly don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
No comments:
Post a Comment