REELING IT IN WITH PRIDE
Northeast Ohio lakes are fishing better this week.
The fish are biting. The water is calmer. Fewer hooks are snagged. Hardly a line has broken. Our outboards are purring smoothly. Even the minnows are more frisky.
You may accuse me of overstating the significance of what happened the night of June 19, 2016. But I don’t care. I’m a person who is happy to bounce with joy. Give me a happy outcome in an against-all-odds situation, and I’ll tear up with the most sentimental of you.
Until Sunday night, I had no measure for the emotion I’d experience if one of my teams ever were to win a world championship. With each second that ticked off the clock as Game 7 wound down, I began to believe what I’d predicted.
When victory came, I was a wreck. Barb and I hugged and cried and fist-pumped in celebration along with millions more of our region’s neighbors. When the clock hit zeroes Sunday night, Northeast Ohio went from believing we could to knowing we can.
So can we really credit this new world championship sensation with better fishing?
We can.
The Cavs’ championship is cathartic. We’ve heard all week about all the good that suddenly became unfettered as LeBron James raised his arms to the rafters at Oracle Arena, embraced Kevin Love and crumpled to the floor overcome with emotion.
Today food tastes better. Workers are cheerier. Sales are booming. They even are adding a new ending to ESPN’s “Believeland.” As my Cleveland friend Steve Luttner says, the monkey that was on our backs is buried. It’s all good. The region’s collective psyche is amped.
Happy people do more. We smile more, think more clearly and work harder. We are more optimistic, more sociable and more productive. And I’m here to tell you this morning that I will fish better.
Wait ... fish better? Really? Yes, really.
I prefished for a bass tournament last weekend. The weight of the world – and a pretty heavy monkey – was on my shoulders. I had worries about projects, grass to mow and my golf game was stinky. I had deadlines and obligations and, that day, the fish weren’t cooperating.
Like many, I have so much to make me happy. Our daughter Betsy is getting married this summer to an awesome guy. Barb is the best wife ever and we have a wonderful family, a sweet fishing boat and cool cars. I even have a certificate that says my office team is the reigning “Musical Marble Roller Coaster Champion” (don’t ask; I will not explain).
But sometimes we need more, especially after 52 years of hoping against hope that the chips would fall our way. Sometimes we need proof that we can do it.
Thanks, LeBron. Thanks, Cavs.
Tomorrow I will fish my tournament with a jolt of confidence. I will cast better, make smart decisions and fish efficiently. I will believe I can win because I know I can win.
But make no mistake, it won’t be easy. The other folks in the tournament are riding the same Cavs’ championship wave.
So, in that sense, we all already are winners. Break out the champagne!
jack@innismaggiore.com