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Posted on Fri, Oct. 21, 2005
It's only a game, but....
Cards' loss puts damper on day for loyal fans
News-Democrat
The Cardinals had been eliminated from the postseason -- no World Series. The weather was chilly, dark and rainy. Busch Stadium soon would be reduced to a pile of rubble.
Chuck Newgent, a self-described die-hard Cardinals fan for life, had a hard time getting out of bed Thursday morning.
Newgent, 25, had saved his last championship series ticket for Thursday night -- a game that would never be, given the Cardinals' 5-1 loss Wednesday night to the Houston Astros.
He was tired and "out of it" Thursday morning after staying up late trying to catch every local and national news report about the Cardinals' loss.
"I had a dead feeling the whole game," Newgent said. "It was like a slow killing. It sucks, but I've got a lot of thoughts about next year. And next year is a new season."
Avid sports fans, although they have nothing to gain or lose by their teams' performances, experience a sense of loss and grief when their teams lose.
"People sometimes tend to over-identify with the team so at the time of a loss, there is no real separation between the team and themselves because they have become so meshed. They are one and the same, so what happens to the team, happens to them," psychologist Richard Lustberg said.
The Long Island, N.Y. psychologist specializes in sports psychology, writing and lecturing about sports, players and fans.
"Even the most casual fan can identify with losses and disappointment, and people can relate to that in their own individual lives," Lustberg said. "We can all relate to a build-up to something that ends in a major disappointment."
Fans watched the Cardinals win 100 games during the regular season and were sorely disappointed about the loss Wednesday.
"I was torn between emotions and business," said Ron Carbello, 59, a Little Knights football coach and director of sales for Johnny Mac's Sporting Goods Co. in Fairview Heights. "I was thinking, 'My gosh, what do we do with all this Red Nation stuff tomorrow?' and at the same time, I was angry and sad. How do you win 100 games and only get two hits? To work that hard, for that long, then fall short on the completion of the goal is an utter disappointment."
Although disappointed, Carbello ended the season musing over the last game at Busch Stadium, recalling Cardinals memories, thinking about Larry Walker's retirement and looking forward to spring training.
Given devastating hurricanes, the war in Iraq, rising gas prices and the daily grind, cheering a favorite sports team is an emotional release for many.
"I think life can be overwhelming to people, and sports is a place where people can dump all that emotion," Lustberg said. "When you get into a stadium of 50,000 people, you can scream and yell and get off a heck of a lot of emotion in a harmless way. If someone comes in to work and mopes around a little bit after a loss, that's fine, and it's normal. Baseball is just a game. There is always going to be another season."
Pam Deckard, 21, said she watched the game knowing how it would end. It seemed to her the Cardinals didn't play as if they wanted to win.
"It was upsetting and frustrating to watch them lose," she said. "But you have to move on and get ready for next season."
Carbello's years as a coach have taught him that what happens on the field has a very real impact on life.
"Sports is a lot like life," Carbello said. "You have to learn about sticking with it, working hard, taking small steps that lead to bigger steps. And what you learn on the field, you take off the field and apply to life.
"I think that is why there is a lot of passion among sports fans," he added. "They know what it's like to be disappointed after working so hard. They have learned rejection and how to handle it."
Contact reporter Jennifer A. Bowen at jbowen@bnd.com or 239-2667.