YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there any other comment to be made?

exhale.

Glad to see a columnist that realised that Maine stretches a little further north than Kennebunkport. Dan Shaughnessy starts his victory column with:

"They did it for the old folks in Presque Isle, Maine, and White River Junction, Vt. They did it for the baby boomers in North Conway, N.H., and Groton, Mass. They did it for the kids in Central Falls, R.I., and Putnam, Conn."

For you non-mainer, first I say, "I'm sorry", but after that Presque Isle is a comfortable 320 mile drive from Kennebunkport.

As a sport addict, emotions are often wrapped up in sporting events. I don't know why but often the losses are more lingering than the wins. There seems to be more emotion tied to losing than winning.

As I reach back into my childhood, the first sporting loss with emotions tied to it was 1986. I know, everyone from my generation in Red Sox Nation points to '86. I'm not referring to the World Series.

In the spring of 1986 I was a 7th grader. Because we were a small school, the junior high band members were integrated into the high school band for home basketball games. We weren't very good, but we had fun. The boys made the playoff and romped through the Eastern Maine Tournament. It was on to Augusta for the State Championship. As a band member we were allowed to tag along, stay in the hotels be part of the motorcades that started in Smyrna. Well we lost and we lost big. Something about a 22 year old, 8 foot Jamaican ringer. Or at least that is how I remember it.

That was a painful lost. Although I wasn't vested in the Red Sox, I felt the pain continue later that fall. Redemption was planed for the next spring.

The 1986-1987 was a magical year for the Hodgdon High School Boys Basketball program. Finished the regular season 18-0 including a finial home game that included the star getting his 2000th point and two more players getting their 1000th points before the end of 3rd quarter. A complete letdown in the 2nd game of the tournament meant that there were no hotel stays, no motorcades. This completed a 8th grade sports year where we played soccer and only scored an own goal. Now that's low.

I would be in college when the Hodgdon Boys brought home a couple gold balls to put in the trophy case next to the one the girls brought home a decade earlier. I was happy but it was not redeeming.

Matt Bahr's field goal in January 1991 killed a chance to win three in a row for the Niners. Another low point.

Watching the Cowboys winning 3 out of the 5 years I lived in Texas. Another low point.

Caity Matter spraining her ankle early in the state championship game in 2000. I missed two games of that team's finial year. Watching five girls that had played together since they were in grade school and not being able to celebrate a state championship, that was low point.

In recent history, Maine's losses to Minnesota and Denver in the Frozen Four in '02 & '04.

Boy this has become a bit of a ramble.

There are a few emotional wins that I remember: The 1999 Frozen Four win over UNH, The 1995 Maine win over Michigan, Ohio State's National Championship, The 1999 comeback against the Tribe.

I think this win will ring a little longer.

How long before we get to raise the banner with that other team in the visiting dugout?

Everyone start the chant:

2000.......2000.......2000......2000......2000