Because Tom Gleason is the best written accountant I have ever met, and he puts it so well, I have to share:
From: Tom.Gleason
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 8:49 AM
To: Sean O’Connor; and others
Subject: Why I Love The Zags…
let me preface this email by saying this one hurts, this one hurts really bad. it’s going to take a long while for this one to stop hurting. definitely feel like someone tore my heart out and stomped on it. i’m going to take a two week sabbatical from march madness, espn, espn.com, cbssportsline, and zagshoops. that being said, here are my thoughts…
over the next few days, maybe for the rest of march madness, people will call gonzaga choke artists, pretenders, overrated, exposed, and a disappointment.
however, they fail to realize what cheering for gonzaga is all about…it’s more about than wins and losses.
it’s about a little school from a town nobody really cares about trading blows with some of the biggest and most storied college athletic programs in the country.
it’s about cheering for players who you know and see off the court. guys you party with, have class with, see while walking on campus, maybe even live in the same house with.
it’s about a team you can be proud of: about our point guard who fought through injuries, the death of his best friend, and losing a girlfriend of 6 years, still being able to lace them up every night and give the team everything he had in the tank. it’s about our brazilian power forward leaving home for four years to pursue his dream to pursue a better life for his family, and reaching his dreams while wearing a zags uniform. or how about erroll knight, coming out of one of the poorest parts of seattle, being a difference maker on a premier basketball program, and now about to be the first person in his family to earn a college degree. or what about david pendo, the walking floor burn, the guy who put up 30 points per game in highschool and was recruited by the likes of duke as a sophomore, being happy to take play out of position for the team and rack up more fouls per game than points, but still leaving everything on the court every night. lastly what about adam morrison, the best player in the country hands down, with the entire future at his fingertips, money, fame, the nba, collapsing on the floor crying like a little kid because the game and his team meant everything to him…because the name on the front of his jersey meant more than the name on the back. because the future looks bright in the hands of players like pargo, p-mac, larry g, heytfelt, and matt bouldin.
it’s about community, family, friends. the fact you can walk up to someone wearing gonzaga gear and instantly have a connection. the fact that you can go to a zags game and see people you haven’t seen in years and still have a common bond, stories to share, and pride in your school.
it’s about the fact that the sun still came up this morning, i’m healthy, have a good job, and a group of friends from gonzaga that i love.
it’s about the fact that the gonzaga story isn’t over and i can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds.
so the next time someone asks me what i think about gonzaga basketball, i’ll just smile and say “…to be continued”
GO ZAGS!!!