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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > September > 01 > Entry
Labor Day lasts 17 weeks
LUDWIG AT LARGE
PAUSES, GIVES THANKS
TO LOYAL READERS
BENGALS HAVE TALENT,
BUT LACK ESSENTIALS
(BRAINS & HEART) TO
REACH THE PLAYOFFS
===Paul Daugherty of The Enquirer and 700 WLW’s Sports Talk is right. Bad football is better than no football.===
On this Labor Day Weekend, LUDWIG AT LARGE would like to pause and say thank you to all my loyal disciples for your intensely loyal readership.
You’ve thrown me under the bus and you’ve helped me to my feet.
And you — YES, EVEN YOU, “PSYCHOSTATS” — have encouraged me to keep plugging away.
The late Dick Schaap once said that you can write about the beauty of boxing or the brutality of chess — just don’t be boring.
My goal, here at LUDWIG AT LARGE, is to NOT BE BORING.
My goal is to comfort the afflicted. And to afflict the comfortable.
My goal is to supplement what I write for the Dayton Daily News newspaper with fact, opinion, analysis and insight into the most confounding (and arguably the most irrelevant) franchise is all of sports — the Cincinnati Bengals.
The NFL preaches parity. The worst teams get the highest draft picks and two games worth of easier schedules. Yet the Bengals continue to flounder, flap and grope like live fish that somehow wash up on sandy beaches.
One measly playoff berth in 17 seasons.
Amazing, eh?
Well, not really.
Not when you’re a franchise that continually makes mistakes and refuses to learn from them.
The Bengals remind me of the dog chasing its tail around the tree.
They have an idea of what they want, but can never reach it.
Folks, the Bengals have the athletic talent to reach the postseason.
Now … point to your head, and then point to your heart.
That’s what’s been missing.
The beauty of the NFL is there are only 32 teams. Fortunes can get turned around quickly. That’s what keeps fans coming back for more.
Year after year.
The Bengals are aiming for the AFC North title.
Is it dangling like a carrot on a string with the Steelers, Browns and Ravens pulling the stick away?
The Bengals can see the playoffs.
Is it all a mirage?
That’s what the next 17 weeks are all about.
We can’t wait to find out.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Brian
September 1, 2008 11:55 AM | Link to this
Ugh. Thanks Chick, now you have me depressed going into the regular season ;-).By Troy
September 1, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
I think they can win the AFC North but will they have the guts to be tough?By psychostats
September 1, 2008 5:58 PM | Link to this
This blog helps me maintain my sanity regarding the Bengals (such as it is). Sports is supposed to be fun entertainment. If our heroes in black and orange can do little but dash our hopes, we might as well make good sport of them. Keep up the great work, Chick, especially the gallows humor. We’ll definitely need it this season.