The call was by radio broadcasting legend Vin Scully, who has made a living for more than 60 years as the Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play announcer. Former A&M commit and current Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was authoring what would eventually become a no-hitter.
“Since we don’t believe in superstition, our job is to give you information,” Scully said. “And now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit back and watch it with you.”
No-hitters in baseball, if you aren’t familiar, are similar to the rules of Fight Club. Even if you see it happening with your own eyes, you don’t dare talk about it. Yet Scully continuously boasted about the talented pitcher and his run at history throughout the entire evening in which Kershaw completed the feat.
Through the years, thanks to Internet message boards and conversations between Ags both young and old, the phrase “Battered Aggie Syndrome” was coined. The origin of the phrase differs depending on who you ask, but the message is clear — if it can go wrong, it will go wrong, and it will go wrong with/to the Maroon and White.
Admittedly, I was worried about the Thursday night matchup against the (former) No. 9 team in the nation, the South Carolina Gamecocks, despite A&M’s top-notch recruiting, one of the best coaching staffs in the country and a newly renovated — well, a newly renovated everything. My mind wandered all day long to the current Cleveland Browns quarterback and my curiosity of just how much talent he took with him. I couldn’t stop wondering how long a young defense could hold its own against an SEC opponent. Heck, this whole run started with a loss two years ago. Were we really supposed to win this game?
Battered Aggie Syndrome kicks in. “I’ve seen this before … Why do I feel like I know how this ends?”
I had never seen this before. No one had. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 511 yards, something no one — not Johnny Manziel, Ryan Tannehill or any other Aggie QB — had ever accomplished in the history of the program. 12 receivers ranging from true freshmen to seniors caught a total of 44 passes on the night while Hill and the Aggie backfield found 169 more yards on the ground.
I found the cure.
Thursday night, the post-game celebration wasn’t, “Look what we did,” it was, “Look what we’ve started.” Only second-place teams worry about what the former has done before them, and this team was ready to pave its own road. It was symbolic of the current state of the program.
This program has stopped settling and has begun to set expectations. A&M stopped chasing the recruits who required an introduction and began to exclaim “YESSIR” to the question, ”Did they really land him, too?”
They stopped spinning tires, got off the treadmill and started running the state.
Sharing that confidence is not boastful. It’s not a jinx. It has nothing to do with any type of superstition. This A&M team believes it is the best team in the nation and it is going out and proving it. Like Vin Scully, all I have to do is watch.
Success could span decades or it could end tomorrow. If the team playing in front of you can say without a doubt going into a game that they believe they can win, why should we not feel the same? A&M has begun a climb in program success and this team has allowed us a glimpse of just how high it can go.
A glass of water can be half empty or half full depending on perspective, yet it provides the opportunity to thrive in both situations. We won’t win every game, but the program has reached a point both physically and mentally where it’s now a possibility. What we’ve started is something special and 52 points on a Thursday night shows that it can continue.
I don’t believe in superstition. Like Vin Scully, I see talent on the field and I see the possibility for something never seen before.
There’s the information. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit back and watch it with you.