Perspective lost

I was there at GSP in '78, when Charley Pell's men flew home from Maryland after clinching the program's first ACC title in 11 years. Former Voice of the Tigers Jim Phillips called those 11 years a “drought”. Imagine his thoughts on this being year-20. I was a kid, but I was there.

It was night as we headed up I-85 North from Greenville to welcome them home. Cars lined the interstate and people, families with children, walked in all orange in the cold dark air long distances up said interstate and into the airport. Moms holding their kids hands, dads carrying small paw flags and other celebratory gear. Being long before 9/11 and a much simpler time, people could go to the gate to welcome loved ones home, and that's exactly what everyone did. And the team of Dwight Clark, Steve Fuller and the Bostic Brothers were indeed our loved ones.

Must've been thousands there at the gate, in the lobbies above and below the escalators. Chanting, yelling.

“C-L-E-M-S-O-N.....T-I-G-E-rrR---S!”

Airport security didn't give a shit. It was like Occupy Greenville-Spartanburg Airport but it was like security was in on it too. Much happiness abounded.

I remember vaguely standing near the gate, my dad somehow managed that, and reaching out and touching Jim Stuckey's thigh-sized upper arm. Clemson's Marlboro Man was one of my heroes and it was unbelievable that I got to connect with a guy who went on to win Super Bowls with the Niners.

It was indeed a magical time. But what made it magical was that Clemson empirically achieved something – an ACC championship. The throng was justified.

With the 2:00 am mass held at the West End Zone after Clemson beat good but very beatable teams and no hardware was brought home, it felt empty. Three big wins, no doubt. And I get the excitement. But fans were chanting “DABO DABO DABO!”, and the last time they did that they hired him. Very much in contrast to '78, there was no ACC title to hold in the air this past early Sunday morning. I watched the video on YouTube of the gathering, and it was like watching a Roman mass with Pope Swinney presiding. I rather didn't get the outrageous exuberance.

Are fans so desperate for something good that they'll celebrate...nothing? Or rather, celebrate anything at all that vaguely resembles respectable accomplishment?

Maybe it's because many of today's fans are mid-20 somethings who've only been a fan since the early 90s and are thus incapable of comprehending championship teams. Maybe these fans can't possibly act like they've “been there” before, because they haven't. You were never there during the title run days, so really you don't know what you're talking about. Not really.

To put this into perspective, let me post this:

Let's sober up now, people.

Don't get me wrong; Clemson has had a hell of a season so far. I was figuring 0-3 from Auburn through Virginia Tech. But the exact inverse?

Against an SEC team other than South Carolina? Looking at Clemson's history, that's a loss.

Against a Seminole team led by Jimbo Fisher and not Bobby Bowden? Possible loss.

Against the class of the ACC who's owned Clemson's ass for years? At at their own hostile backyard no less? Definite loss.

Didn't see that coming, and now the Tigers are perched at No. 8 in the AP poll and are coming home to face a horrid Boston College team. Undefeated at the halfway point is some serious momentum.

But we're not even at the halfway point yet. Yet to hear the multitudes of fans desperate for championships, you'd think ACC commissioner John Swofford flew up to Blacksburg and went ahead and handed the conference title trophy to Dabo Swinney after the game. I get the excitement and that you're desperate for it, but let's not lose our goddamn minds here.

Have you forgotten Clemson's penchant for letdowns throughout the season? Remember 2000? 2006? The one play each of the past few seasons that has been all too costly?

I know you aren't going to sober up anytime soon. You've already got Clemson pegged for Charlotte, NC, and then again in New Orleans just like that dipshit ClemsonTom out there in YouTubeLand. I hope you're not out there driving around or otherwise operating heavy machinery with the bender you're on.

It's absolutely crucial for the team to sober up TODAY to prepare for the Eagles. I think it's a win, but until Clemson actually goes through a schedule WITHOUT losing to a team it should stomp, it will always remain a distinct probability that they have the capacity to blow it.

Look at it this way, Clemson hasn't “dominated” these games. They've been wins, sure, but they've been ugly ones. Very fugly. How many three-and-outs did Clemson have this past game? How many dropped passes? Or have you conveniently overlooked these warts? Do you think if this shit doesn't get corrected soon that it won't catch up with them? Chad Morris is all too aware of this swelled-head syndrome, yet you're not and you are more aware of Clemson's past than Morris is.

And all those turdbrains chanting “Dabo Dabo!” after the team arrived back in Clemson? Have you forgotten that it's Morris that turned around this offense and, quite possibly, the entire team?

I'm pulling for them as much as you are, but let's not chalk this up as an ACC title season until they actually win it. Can you actually grow a brain and remember the past before you start banking on the present? “Cart before the horse” ring a bell? Okay?