I will admit I am a serial pessimist. That isn't much of a shocker to the majority of people that know me or read any of these Streaking In Publics with any regularity. That pessimism is heightened when I feel as if I have made a grave error in judgment. I was ready to shoulder the blame for my loss of a W13 yesterday but for once I wasn't letting myself be the sole at fault.
This was my tweet (since deleted) after Arsenal went down 1-0 late in their Champions League tie at RSC Anderlecht. They had squandered several opportunities in both halves and looked as if they were happy to go off into that sweet night with a loss or at best a draw. I needed a win though! I only put my faith in the Gunners because I didn't have the heart to pick overwhelming favorite Real Madrid against my beloved Liverpool at Anfield. I could have just been sitting at work, calm and relaxed as Los Blancos shredded the Reds for three first half goals before by some stroke of luck (or mercy) they were shut out in the second half. Instead, I sat as each second seemed to take an eternity. I frantically clicked the Twitter home button in the upper left corner in fleeting hope that the Streak Gods did not forget about me. Once Kieran Gibbs brought the game level in the 89th minute, I tempered my excitement knowing that a draw was still a bringer of red for my beautiful streak. I was hopeful enough to send out this tweet.
It seems the Streak Gods wanted me in a straight jacket because no less than a minute later, Lukas Podolski put Arsenal ahead. I couldn't believe it. I pumped my fist in the middle of a transaction as I hit refresh in the middle of wrapping a birthday present for a customer. After Tampa Bay gave me a heart murmur the night before, Arsenal straight up flatlined me only to give me defibrillation at the last possible moment. I don't know how much I can take. Still, I must trudge forward in hopes of a stash that I desperately want and nowadays need. All my hopes and dreams are more than double digits away and with just eight days remaining in October I have a lot of work still ahead of me. My pick tonight, for continued pride and a silver star, is the San Diego Chargers to win/lose by single digits to the Denver Broncos. The Thursday night game is the scariest bet in all of sports these days as most have been blowouts, save for Colts/Texans. I just think that the Chargers are coming off a disappointing loss to Kansas City and need to reassert themselves as a AFC power with a good showing against the defending conference champions. The last time the Chargers played Denver on Thursday night they were able to secure a 27-20 victory with ball control and smart decision making from Philip Rivers. Denver's defense is improved but I think if Ryan Mathews was able to run effectively for 127 yards last season, Branden Oliver can produce similar results. Once again, I don't need the Chargers to win. Nevertheless, it would be nice if I turned the game on during my drive home to hear that San Diego is up 14-0 and Peyton Manning has left the game with an injury. It would be nicer than even this prime of his career Rock promo.
Image Credits: Streak pick (espn.com), My tweets (twitter.com)
Video Credit: The Rock promo (WWF Attitude Era/Youtube.com)