Well, there is the money. And the rings, and goody bags. Oh, and the chance to play the game they love and have shown to be pretty good at. For family and friends. And I know it may be hard to believe sometimes, but our Miners, our guys, are Miners. The guys wearing shoulder pads are fellow Miners. Just like you and I, only they played football, too. Our guys will fill the ranks of teachers and coaches, business leaders, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Many will probably stay here in El Paso, but there will be many who carry their picks to every part of the nation and the world. There is pride and honor. The pride in an institution that has done great things for so very many. There is honoring all of those who have ever had a part in it.
The bookies say we can't win. It is really kind of embarrassing that they have to give so many points to even get bets. The Fresno State Bulldogs are 9 and 3. They lost by 7 to at the time 11th ranked Oregon, and two weeks later beat the 14th ranked UCLA Bruins. We here in El Paso are lucky to get their castoffs and hand-me-downs. We, on the other hand, beat some really horrible teams, enough to qualify for a bowl game, and then lost to mediocre teams. We are slow, weak, and suffer from all kinds of debilitating ailments that make playing football itself an act of a tiny amount of courage that otherwise would not be a characteristic we possess. Oh, and we get a lot of penalties. Plus, the quarterback can't run or throw, and is subject to completing passes to the opponent.
So, we are just there for the cool gifts and patches on the jerseys and stuff. It isn't for the Mexican food! Sorry, I just couldn't help it. The Miners fans will be there with a big showing. Passion is one thing Miners fans never lack. They will bring travel bags of hope, too. We are the poorest city in the country but rich beyond belief in hope! We are Miners in the middle of a desert looking for treasures buried in the earth. Yeah... we've got that hope thing down. But we aren't stupid or fools. Mining is too hard for fools. We Miners know that we will have to be smart, do what mere men can't even dare to imagine doing, and of course there is the luck, or prayers answered, or the bounces of a football.
That brings me to a small thing. Maybe nothing. Everyone knows that the Bulldogs will be without their head coach. He has already moved on to bigger and better things. Business is business. The thing is, Fresno's hot shot quarterback, the quarterback that was a huge part of that 9 and 3 season, told everyone he was gone to go play with the departing coach. Then he said uh, never mind. I'll wait. The thing is, football is a team sport. Offensive linemen would stop a train for their quarterback. But a traitor is a traitor. Will he even play? Who knows?
That quarterback for the Miners, making a bus ride to Albuquerque, will be traveling through familiar territory. He spent his senior year of high school setting the state of New Mexico's passing record. Keep that in mind. Yep. Bounces of footballs, traitors and heroes, all kinds of things can determine the outcome of a football game. But winners and losers are determined in other ways, too. The Miners are already winners. All Miners have won something this season. Some, a little bit of respect when it comes to football. The team has won the hearts of the fans. We know how hard it was, how much they worked. The trip up the road for them is a stamp left by them, a claim made. Their monument to the team. That's a good reason, isn't it?
