Even if you aren't into football, just as a human being, you have to be interested in the tragedy and triumph of a young man named Tyler Loop, whose job it is to kick footballs for the Baltimore Ravens football team.
How fast things can turn! This past January, Loop missed what would have been a game-winning field goal against the dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers. The 26-24 loss gave the American Football Conference title to the Steelers, denying same to the Ravens.
It must have been an awful off-season for Loop. How many times do you think he played out that final kick in his mind? And lots of people were screaming for the Ravens to find another kicker.
But they didn't. And yesterday, in the third game of the new season, Loop came through against the Dallas Cowboys in a game played a Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Once again, it came down to the final play, and this time, Loop made the points, hitting a field goal from 56 yards out for a 34-31 Ravens win.
They're calling it the Redemption in Rio, and I'll be there is not a happier young man in the air as I write this and the Ravens fly home on happy wings.
The whole thing reminds me of the faces of comedy and tragedy that dramatists employ to show the range of how things can go on this mortal coil. You're not meant to lose every time, and it stings when you do.
You're not going to win every time either, but it sure takes away some of that sting when you do!
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