There is a disconnect, and I think its mostly due to interpretation.
Being optimistic, does not mean one is oblivious to reality. For instance, you love you mother. Its obvious she's not a good driver. So why in heaven's name would you bother to constantly bring that up, in the name of "objectivity"? Objectivity to what? Reality? She doesn't need to keep hearing how much she sucks at driving, and more importantly...you don't need to keep pointing it out to her! That's the difference.
And yes...the Red Sox do suck.
But they conquered that whole "objectivity" conundrum once they won the whole enchilada. The Eagles are going through that right now. I can no longer rant on a fan of the Sox or Eagles, in the name of "objectivity" or not, and maintain any credibility. Why? Because its OBVIOUS they don't suck, so, IMO, my rants would be nothing more than an effort to be negative...for the sake of being negative. Another example would be if I said; "Nick Foles is a career back-up who just got lucky". Objective? Maybe. But exactly what purpose does that statement serve? It might even be true...but its unnecessary.
So, let's extrapolate that to this year's team and the program as a whole. Is anyone really in the dark at this point as to why we're facing adversity at SU? Do we really need to keep pointing out how depleted we are...and why, after every loss?
At the beginning of the season, expectations were rock bottom. The difference between the so-called "Negatoid" and the optimist, is that the Negatoid conveniently forgets that fact, and then tries to move the goal-posts.
Suddenly a bad loss is a reflection of JB's coaching prowess, or Hop's departure, or the 2-3 zone, or some other "objective" measure. When realistically, its just that we are, and always were, a flawed team that's fighting tooth and nail to get in the Dance. Nothing more, nothing less.
Granted, being surprised that we beat L'Ville might be seen as an example of my being objective. But again, I came into the season not expecting much. And beating them, Pitino or no Pitino, is a big deal. The fact that it keeps our ultimate hopes alive, something we'd all have gladly signed up for when the season started, only makes things better. That's something to acknowledge & celebrate, not dismiss w/ a "Ho-hum, L'Ville sucks this year so our win doesn't mean much" reaction.
Also, keeping "perspective" by focusing on the losses, has never made much sense to me. I NEVER watch losses on my DVR, especially this late into the season. In my mind its- "So we lost...AND???
Sure, you review the game, wail about FH's turnovers, TB's ball-hogging, and JB's substitution patterns. But...I stop at calling for JB's job, or saying repeatedly that FH is entirely to blame for our defeat, or that Matty Moyer is a scrub...which of course all gets turned around once they rebound and play well the next game. That posture, IMO, speaks of nothing more than being a Negatoid, taking criticism to the highest degree. Looking for the worst, emphasizing the bad, and minimizing the positives is simply not the way I approach being a fan.
Now, I'm not suggesting by any means that my way, or anyone's way is better than another. But, I do reserve the right to call out the excessive, hysterically negative tone that some choose to adopt, because in my mind, it serves little to no purpose. To me, its like a toddler having a temper tantrum...uncomfortable, and unnecessary. JMHO (End Rant)
