The Popcorn Stand: Feeling joy in Saban’s misery

Again, if you’re not a football fan, this Popcorn Stand isn’t for you. Let me open this Popcorn Stand by just saying this to the Clemson football team:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Clemson’s 35-31 win over Nick Saban means everything is right with the world again. The good guys win. The villains like Saban and Steve Sarkisian, who’s now 0-1 as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, lose.

It’s a good thing I was working. If I had watched this game at home, Tuf-Tuf (you now Sir Tuffington or something or other the Jack Russell) would still be barking and Pete the Shih Tzu would still be in hiding reading a book somewhere.

And seeing Saban shaking his head while he was walking away after the game-winning touchdown pass with one second left. Glorious. ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS.

Sports is mainly about two things. I’ve quoted the great philosopher Joaquin Andujar when he summed up sports by saying “Ju Never Know.” The Nevada men’s basketball team demonstrated you never know what’s going to happen in sports when it came back from a 25-point deficit to beat New Mexico 105-104 in overtime.

The other thing we love about sports, quite honestly, is to root against teams, let’s just say, that rub us the wrong way. Of course the only reason why we root against those teams is because they’re so good.

But when they lose, we realize schadenfreude, which is the German phrase that basically means feeling the joy in the misery of others.

Believe me, I felt the joy in the misery of Saban.