Every year when a season comes to a close, college sports fans like myself are reminded of the two staples of fandom: disappointment and hope.

As a loyal Syracuse alum, I was saddened to see my team exit the NCAA Tournament earlier than I expected for the second year in a row.  Last season, Syracuse’s Final Four hopes were dashed when center Arinze Onuaku was unable to return from a knee injury suffered in the Big East Tournament and this year the Orange-men were undone by Brandon Triche’s injury and a handful of boneheaded turnovers.  Just like that, Syracuse was sent packing by Marquette, and a painfully long eight month offseason has begun.

As a college sports fan, an abrupt postseason loss can be difficult to stomach.  Not only are there no more games to watch, but our favorite players — often seniors— move on, never to wear their college colors again.  For Syracuse, Sunday’s loss meant the end of a tremendous four-year career for Rick Jackson, a rare college bruiser that got better every year and carved out an NBA future for himself.  Senior players like Jackson and Onuaku and Andy Rautins last year are particularly endearing to fans, because they don’t arrive at school as ballyhooed recruits with certain professional futures, and our expectations for them are usually much lower.  But as those three proved, hard work and time can turn mediocre college players into invaluable pieces as their college careers wear on. Jackson, with whom we’ve shared blood, sweat, and tears over the last four years, embodies the college experience in a way that a five-star recruit can never do.  And at least for Rautins and likely Jackson, those years of work led them to their dream professions, and we’ll watch them with pride as they once again fight their way up from the bottom of the food chain in the NBA.

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After countless hours of deep thought and many sleepless nights I’ve finally figured out Glen Sather.  The man is an addict.  It’s the only possible explanation for Sather’s repeated extravagant spending.  He’s addicted to shopping sprees and the bottomless wallet of James Dolan is the means for Sather to get his fix.  Like parents who can’t cut their drug-addicted children off because of memories of the good times and the hope for a better future, Dolan keeps supporting Sather’s habit because of his success with the Oilers and the vision of a superstar posse of champions.

 People get addicted to things for a variety of reasons, one of which is that something in their past haunts them and they must cope with it.  With the Oilers Sather was forced to ship the greatest player in NHL history to the LA Kings because Oilers ownership refused to spend the requisite money to sign The Great One.  This has never left Sather and is the spawn of his addition.  Sather was devastated to trade Wayne Gretzky, and the elimination of financial restrictions was a huge perk to joining the Rangers. 

 What’s resulted is a laundry list of financial failures, signings that have woefully underperformed.  Sather’s mercenaries never live up to the deals they sign, but he is comforted that he’ll never again be outbid on a player he likes.  The Gretzky mistake must enter his mind every July 1 and Sather fights his ghosts by throwing money at every marquee name.

 It’s sad really.  The last 10 years of Ranger history could have been avoided if Edmonton owner Peter Pocklington had simply allowed Sather to keep Gretzky.  He is the real man to blame for Rangers fan woes. 

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