A Season Anew
by Jerry Murphy
Welcome everyone to the very first edition of your sports section of the Dublin Tribune. This specific section is dedicated to your Dublin Saints. I'll stick with you throughout the season, giving updates and inside information in regards to your Saints.
Where to begin? After last season, the question should be more along the lines of "why even begin again?" Those of you faithful enough to stick with the losing franchise (now in its second season under owner/coach Travis Heath) have been compared at times to someone too blind or stubborn to abandon a sinking ship on a crash course towards the bottom depths of a cold, wet grave. But can anyone truly say that the analogy held no weight? Of course not. Suffering loss after loss after loss gave the fans no hope, no glimmer to a season full of scars and bruises. Dubbed the "Aints" by fans and critics around the league, the team struggled day after day. As ticket sales dwindled, and those who were either bored (or just felt like completely throwing away their money) showed up with the commonly seen paper bags over the faces as a badge, or symbol of the shame it was just to wear the black and green of their hometown football team.
Teams looked at their match-up with the "Aints" as a bye week of sorts, a work up game in between games of actual competition. It's not that the talent wasn't there (over half of the losses were by a margin of 5 points or less), it's that something just didn't click. Perhaps it was the chemistry, perhaps it was the constant revolving door of players transitioning in and out of the locker room. Perhaps it was the fact that the Saints couldn't get a lead to save their lives, and consitantly had to play from behind, abandoning any attempt at a drawn up gameplan...whatever the case was, one thing remained clear, there was no cellar the Saints dwelled in...it was a bottomless pit into oblivion.
Jaylin Tyler, 47, owns the White Horse Tavern downtown. "Aints" fans were found there on gamedays. All three of them.
"It was sort of surreal," Jaylin told me over lunch at his pub. "Not including myself, there were only two people that repeatedly came in, game after game and watched the screen. In the beginning, the city was just excited to have a football team, but as we saw what we were dealing with, I think people were embarrassed to be seen publicly cheering for the team without a paper bag over their heads."
Once again, the dreaded two words were linked to the franchise. I wouldn't really call them "fairweather fans" by any means...but can you really blame anyone? Even the players at the end of the games seemed to want nothing to do with anyone else. Some resorted to wearing black visors, even on cloudy days just to hide their faces. There was no drive, no passion anymore. It's as if they wanted to play out their remaining days here in "Football Purgatory" before signing that big contract to play for a contender.
But in the words of the Eagles, it would be more than just "wasted time" for the Saints faithful in the mind of coach/owner Travis Heath.
Sometimes villianized in the editorials for his eccentric style of signing players, Heath went out searching for talent. Buzz began to form as players came in and no longer seemed to slip by day in and day out, just trying to play out their remaining contract.
But could they win?
No. After losing to the Eurotrash Bat Farm 13-7 in the season opener, it seemed that the paper bag begin to rear it brown, ugly head over "Aints Nation". A collective sigh was heaved out by fans, sportswriters (myself included) felt it unnecessary to even mention the "Aints" in any articles, and ESPN analysts used the perrennial losers as the butt of any jokes they made.
But something was different. This wasn't a team that cowered off the field in search of something to hide their faces, tail between their legs...
There was anger...
I saw it. It was not a faint glimmer of anger, it was a swift kick into the gut, a wakeup call if you will. The Saints had a message they were silently screaming to the world.
Not this time.
No, this time it was not typical "Aints"...this time...they looked like a real bonafide football time. This time, they were ready to contend.
The homeopener against Steel City War Machine proved to be nothing short of an easy victory however. Going off before kickoff as 18 point underdogs, the Saints had an uphill battle to fight. Steel City was coming off of a great season (after only suffering 2 losses and traveling deep into the playoffs), and looked to continue their dominance against whom everyone believed was a joke of a sports team.
Trying to establish the run, both teams fought a hard, bloddy battle in the trenches throughout the first quarter. Back and forth they pushed, titans clashing until someone finally broke, and it wasn't the will of the Saints' lines. In fact, anyone could see it, they were determined to stay off the more talented Steel City team, no matter what the cost.
Riding the backs of the deadly 1-2 punch combo of Dave Magget (22 rush/114.5 yds) and Rich Trix (8 rush/23.5 yds/2TDs), the Saints forced the War Machine further and further back into submission, while the defense and Sarge Coryat never gave the War Machine a chance to come back in the game.
It was like watching the Saints opponents last year beat Dublin into submission.
This wasn't a fluke, it wasn't luck...it was the better team winning, what they (and their fans) have long deserved.
For those of you that haven't paid attention, the victory was no longer the silent scream emitting from the eyes of determined Saints walking off the field...it was a statement earned with blood, sweat, and tears. It was the taste of victory, and the addiction caught on with the team and fans.
Ticket sales began to skyrocket, giving the Saints a true homefield advantage of 10,000+ Dubliners screaming their heads off in support of a team determined not to survive the season, but to take it by the reigns and gallop to a deep playoff run in a blaze of glory. In case you haven't heard, this team is good. I mean real good. Jaylin Thomas has something to be proud of now, all Saints fans do. A team that cares about the community is rare these days. These Saints decided to bring the honor and respect to the city they represent, and with last game's dominant victory, they have started down the path. It's time to wake up Dublin! Support the team that puts that uniform on, and you will see true athleticism...absolutely nothing to be ashamed of anymore. I hope you saved those paper bags...
The fans of the Saints opponents are gonna need them...
by Jerry Murphy
Welcome everyone to the very first edition of your sports section of the Dublin Tribune. This specific section is dedicated to your Dublin Saints. I'll stick with you throughout the season, giving updates and inside information in regards to your Saints.
Where to begin? After last season, the question should be more along the lines of "why even begin again?" Those of you faithful enough to stick with the losing franchise (now in its second season under owner/coach Travis Heath) have been compared at times to someone too blind or stubborn to abandon a sinking ship on a crash course towards the bottom depths of a cold, wet grave. But can anyone truly say that the analogy held no weight? Of course not. Suffering loss after loss after loss gave the fans no hope, no glimmer to a season full of scars and bruises. Dubbed the "Aints" by fans and critics around the league, the team struggled day after day. As ticket sales dwindled, and those who were either bored (or just felt like completely throwing away their money) showed up with the commonly seen paper bags over the faces as a badge, or symbol of the shame it was just to wear the black and green of their hometown football team.
Teams looked at their match-up with the "Aints" as a bye week of sorts, a work up game in between games of actual competition. It's not that the talent wasn't there (over half of the losses were by a margin of 5 points or less), it's that something just didn't click. Perhaps it was the chemistry, perhaps it was the constant revolving door of players transitioning in and out of the locker room. Perhaps it was the fact that the Saints couldn't get a lead to save their lives, and consitantly had to play from behind, abandoning any attempt at a drawn up gameplan...whatever the case was, one thing remained clear, there was no cellar the Saints dwelled in...it was a bottomless pit into oblivion.
Jaylin Tyler, 47, owns the White Horse Tavern downtown. "Aints" fans were found there on gamedays. All three of them.
"It was sort of surreal," Jaylin told me over lunch at his pub. "Not including myself, there were only two people that repeatedly came in, game after game and watched the screen. In the beginning, the city was just excited to have a football team, but as we saw what we were dealing with, I think people were embarrassed to be seen publicly cheering for the team without a paper bag over their heads."
Once again, the dreaded two words were linked to the franchise. I wouldn't really call them "fairweather fans" by any means...but can you really blame anyone? Even the players at the end of the games seemed to want nothing to do with anyone else. Some resorted to wearing black visors, even on cloudy days just to hide their faces. There was no drive, no passion anymore. It's as if they wanted to play out their remaining days here in "Football Purgatory" before signing that big contract to play for a contender.
But in the words of the Eagles, it would be more than just "wasted time" for the Saints faithful in the mind of coach/owner Travis Heath.
Sometimes villianized in the editorials for his eccentric style of signing players, Heath went out searching for talent. Buzz began to form as players came in and no longer seemed to slip by day in and day out, just trying to play out their remaining contract.
But could they win?
No. After losing to the Eurotrash Bat Farm 13-7 in the season opener, it seemed that the paper bag begin to rear it brown, ugly head over "Aints Nation". A collective sigh was heaved out by fans, sportswriters (myself included) felt it unnecessary to even mention the "Aints" in any articles, and ESPN analysts used the perrennial losers as the butt of any jokes they made.
But something was different. This wasn't a team that cowered off the field in search of something to hide their faces, tail between their legs...
There was anger...
I saw it. It was not a faint glimmer of anger, it was a swift kick into the gut, a wakeup call if you will. The Saints had a message they were silently screaming to the world.
Not this time.
No, this time it was not typical "Aints"...this time...they looked like a real bonafide football time. This time, they were ready to contend.
The homeopener against Steel City War Machine proved to be nothing short of an easy victory however. Going off before kickoff as 18 point underdogs, the Saints had an uphill battle to fight. Steel City was coming off of a great season (after only suffering 2 losses and traveling deep into the playoffs), and looked to continue their dominance against whom everyone believed was a joke of a sports team.
Trying to establish the run, both teams fought a hard, bloddy battle in the trenches throughout the first quarter. Back and forth they pushed, titans clashing until someone finally broke, and it wasn't the will of the Saints' lines. In fact, anyone could see it, they were determined to stay off the more talented Steel City team, no matter what the cost.
Riding the backs of the deadly 1-2 punch combo of Dave Magget (22 rush/114.5 yds) and Rich Trix (8 rush/23.5 yds/2TDs), the Saints forced the War Machine further and further back into submission, while the defense and Sarge Coryat never gave the War Machine a chance to come back in the game.
It was like watching the Saints opponents last year beat Dublin into submission.
This wasn't a fluke, it wasn't luck...it was the better team winning, what they (and their fans) have long deserved.
For those of you that haven't paid attention, the victory was no longer the silent scream emitting from the eyes of determined Saints walking off the field...it was a statement earned with blood, sweat, and tears. It was the taste of victory, and the addiction caught on with the team and fans.
Ticket sales began to skyrocket, giving the Saints a true homefield advantage of 10,000+ Dubliners screaming their heads off in support of a team determined not to survive the season, but to take it by the reigns and gallop to a deep playoff run in a blaze of glory. In case you haven't heard, this team is good. I mean real good. Jaylin Thomas has something to be proud of now, all Saints fans do. A team that cares about the community is rare these days. These Saints decided to bring the honor and respect to the city they represent, and with last game's dominant victory, they have started down the path. It's time to wake up Dublin! Support the team that puts that uniform on, and you will see true athleticism...absolutely nothing to be ashamed of anymore. I hope you saved those paper bags...
The fans of the Saints opponents are gonna need them...
