Column: Something to love, something to celebrate

The downside of experiencing that kind of excitement, however, is that a bit of a letdown is inevitable. The music stops, players move on and the thrill of the next victory will never be as good as that of the first. As I reflect on Princeton’s recent run in the NCAA Tournament and the departure of head coach Sydney Johnson ’97, I cannot help but think of the parallels between Princeton’s past season and one of the greatest sports victories: the Red Sox’s championship run in 2004.

The Red Sox’s 2004 playoff run stands out as one of the best moments of my childhood. After an 86-year drought, Boston kids watched with grandparents who had not seen their team win a title. History, family and place became entangled with the fortunes of the team. As our patron saint, David Ortiz, kept snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, we felt that destiny was on our side. We could lose no game; the curse was on the verge of being broken.

True, when the Yankees maintained a 3-0 lead in the ALCS, many lost faith. But after the Dave Roberts steal and our comeback in the fourth game, there was a sense that this team was destined to win in the end. We would become the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the World Series. The curse could be broken no other way. The title of Bill Simmons’ book after that World Series, “Now I Can Die in Peace,” was exaggerated, but not as much as you might think. That moment of multigenerational celebration among residents of an entire city was a uniquely happy, shared experience.

For me, Princeton’s run into the NCAA Tournament was less meaningful than was the Red Sox playoff run. Still, there are some parallels that stick out in my mind. The team had gone from abysmal to damned good during Johnson’s tenure. Princeton looked as if it might lose out to our archrival (though not generally in basketball), Harvard, the evil empire of the Ivy League. The game-winning shot from junior guard Doug Davis was a genuinely great sports ending, the type of shot that stands out in your memory like a David Ortiz home run or a Dave Roberts steal.

More importantly, though, seniors who had never witnessed a Princeton NCAA Tournament appearance were now satisfied — now they could graduate in peace. Freshmen were introduced to a culture of winning as the young Sox fans of Boston were. The very close loss to Kentucky in the first round was disappointing, but the moment of victory was still great.

Defeat has a way of creating dissension, but victory has a way of uniting. After the Red Sox’s World Series victory, the team lost its ace Pedro Martinez to the NY Mets through free agency. For some fans, tired of Pedro’s antics, it was not that painful. For others, like myself, Pedro’s departure was worrying. Pedro, according to Baseball Prospectus, had pitched some of the best seasons of all time during his time in Boston. He, like coach Johnson, was a bridge between bad and good times. Losing Pedro made some Sox fans wary of the future, but his departure was also a reminder that the World Series victory was over. Nomar Garciaparra was gone, and now Pedro too would exit. As personnel changed, the thrill of the World Series victory receded further into memory.

The future of Princeton basketball, too, is now uncertain. It’s hard to know if the team will enjoy Ivy League dominance in years to come. But the future of the team is not the only reason Sydney Johnson’s move stings. Our coach’s departure is also symbolic of how the initial thrill of victory lasts only so long.

In the age of YouTube, though, it’s a nice consolation to always have that inbound play of Davis dribbling to the elbow, shot-faking, and then leaning in to make a rather unlikely shot for the win. For me, at least, the end of that game will always be a pleasant and memorable part of my Princeton experience.