World Cup Recap: A Poem to Numb the Pain

"A pitch in South America, the Germans came to play.
But no one told the home team they should show up on that day.
A goal! A second! Once again! And then again two more!
Before the half it was a laugh. The second was a snore.They had excuses. "This guy's hurt. And that one has the flu.

"The Germans are all robots! There was nothing we could do!"
The home crowd wept, they gnashed their teeth, and then did fall a hush.
For Germany had made, mit schnell, the Brazilian nation blush.

America looked on, bemused, the total deconstruction,
Of Germany's immense assault, and Brazil's spare production.

It was surreal....completely not possible....and yet it happened right before my unprepared eyes.  

The unraveling of Brazil vs. Germany was something that I will never forget.  It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion

I have watched hundreds of soccer games in my life, but I have never seen a game like that.  I hope I never see one like like for any team or any country ever again.  I wouldn't have even wanted Brazil to win like that.  Yet, it happened.  It really did.  The loss of hope was staggering.... This is the kind of impact that will actually probably change the way elections go in the country.

The consolation game vs Netherlands did nothing to boost confidence, in reality it confirmed what was now suspect.  Brazil really sucked!   It will take some serious rebuilding for many years to overcome the psychological damage that was done to this people and nation.  I am an ex-pat and am still struggling and have pushed the "bad ju ju" into the furthest recesses of my mind's memory.  When someone brings it up I actually run and jump with both feet into the pool of Denial and swim as fast as I can.

Overall, it was an excellent World Cup, but it will be forever marred for me.  I had so much hope for Brazil.  Some say, "Dude, get over it.....it is just a game!"  Normally, ok.....I get it.  Not in this case....this is Soccer, this is Brazil and this is The World Cup.

So, here we are, no more tears, no more gnashing, no more energy to wonder why....what do we do when we face failure of absolutely epic proportions?  

It reminds me of a few lines from the famous "Casey at the Bat" from Ernest Thayer:

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clinched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out

 I believe God loves sports.  I think he loves athletes.  It seems as if He uses sports as a means to teach many life lessons.   In many ways I believe sports is a metaphor for life in general.  There are rules, practice, coaches, a team to support, motivation, skill, desire, heart mind and soul.  The will to win, there is loss and much adversity, even injury.  Sports builds character...especially to those who face loss head on and then pick themselves up and try again.  Really no difference for you and me is there?  Sometimes we think we do things (sin) to such a degree that there is no hope.  We can fall into victim stance, in essence we surrender our agency temporarily.  We think we are at an "end".  But we aren't.  We never are.  There is always another chance, even for us.

This isn't the end of Casey's story either....the rest of the story happens 20 years later when a guy named Grantland Rice returned with "Casey's Revenge":

In his darkest hour, Casey has a chance to redeem himself--another at bat--last inning--against the same pitcher that struck him out.  He has two strikes and everyone thinks he is going to choke again...then:

A whack, a crack, and out through the space the leather pellet flew,A blot against the distant sky, a speck against the blue.

 He hits a home run and Mudville goes crazy!  My experience says that sports fans are forgiving, even in places where sports mean everything to people.  And as Brazil's players try to find themselves again over the next 4 years, they could make this line from Rice's poem their mantra:

The lane is long, some one has said, that never turns again, and Fate, though fickle, often gives another chance to men

I love Brazil with all my heart.... I know this people, they will rebound and they will do the necessary work to overcome.  I am grateful that Heaven is willing to take a chance on me and continues to give me opportunities time after time to get it right..... for the perfect brightness of hope.   

Forca la meu querido Brasil!  Vou ser paciente contigo e sempre sera torcendo ao teu lado.