Reggie Wayne, Walter McCarty, and tough decisions for this fan
I’ve been in this situation before. Kind of.
You see, Walter McCarty went to my high school. There’s a chance you might know who he is, but he was a big stinkin’ deal. He was a basketball superstar – a beast in the paint. Couldn’t hit an outside shot to save his life, but that was forgivable. After all, he led our high school to our first ever Sectional Championship in boys’ basketball. If you have any connection with the state of Indiana, you know how big of a deal this was – especially in the era before class basketball.
I grew up on the banks of the Ohio in the Pocket City, right at the border between Indiana and Kentucky. The rivalry between IU and KY fans is especially heated in that region. So when our beloved #40 chose to play college ball for Rick Pitino down the road in Lexington, it was a big deal. A BIG. deal. I understand that Pitino ran a clean program while leading the Wildcats. But that didn’t really matter. McCarty had chosen to leave his Hoosier homeland and play for a program that had a reputation for cheating.
I understand his reasoning. He saw it as his best opportunity. And it ultimately made him a more well-rounded player. He wanted to learn how to shoot outside. I appreciate that. I really do. But, man, an inside-outside McCarty/Cheaney combo at IU would’ve been awful lethal against any team that came their way. So at the time of his decision, it felt like he was just taking his thumb and sticking it right in the collective eye of the state of Indiana. An Indiana kid choosing to play hoops at KY over any school in the state of Indiana? That’s borderline anathema.
As a fan, I found myself in between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I desperately wanted my high school classmate* of mine do well. It’s just part of taking pride in your Alma Mater. I mean, can you say that Scott Studwell, Calbert Cheaney, and Walter McCarty went to your high school? Well, unless you went to mine, you can’t. If #40 had chosen any other school to play for, I wouldn’t have had any problem cheering for him whatsoever.
But he chose Kentucky.
I was raised right. My Daddy was, too. If I ever cheered for the Wildcats out of Lexington, KY, I know my grandpa would roll over in his grave. Shoot. He’d probably do more than that. I’m sure he’d find a way to haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.
This loyalty runs deep. It’s in my blood. Our family’s passion for the Cream and Crimson probably borders on hysteria.**
So I tried to walk this fine line of wishing Walter McCarty well and hoping that he’d be successful as an individual player. But I was also hoping against hope that his team would lose every game by 40+ points. In fact, I really wouldn’t have been disappointed at all if he was the only player on his team to score any points during his college career.
Of course, that didn’t happen.
McCarty’s Cats were good. Very good. And Walter was a pretty good player, too. So it kind of got tougher to root for him as his college career progressed. But I tried. Except that one time. He hit a game-winning shot. Against my Hoosiers.
From outside.
You might call it poetic. I call it ripping open a wound and pouring rubbing alcohol all over it and then covering it with salt.
You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I really didn’t pay much attention to Walter McCarty’s college career after that game. I guess he was dead to me until he joined the NBA.
So what does this have to do with Reggie Wayne?
Quite a bit, actually.
I mean, I didn’t go to school with Reggie. He’s not even from Indiana, originally. But this community embraced him. And he embraced our community. Both inside and outside of football, Reggie Wayne did a lot of good♠ as an Indianapolis Colt. We’re big “Weggie Wayne” fans in our household.
I get that there’s really no real loyalty in the NFL when it comes to teams and players. I get that it’s a “what have you done for me lately?” league. So I understand that the Colts made a business decision to cut #87. I don’t like it. But I understand it.
Business is business, after all.
Because of that, I understand that Reggie wants to keep playing. I understand that there are only so many teams who would be interested in a veteran player who is probably looking at the twilight of his career.
Business is business, after all.
But the Patriots? Come on, Reggie. It’s like Walter McCarty choosing the Wildcats all over again. He chose to go to a team with a reputation of cheating. And they’re the team Indy fans love to hate the most. I can’t help but think that Reggie was sticking his thumb in the collective eye of central Indiana when he signed along the dotted line.
It’s going to be hard, but I guess I’ll have to go ahead and cheer for #15. I hope he makes a bunch of catches and has a lot of touchdowns. But I also hope the Patriots lose each game by an average of 50+ points. But if he makes a game-winning catch against the Colts? His name shall be banned from our house for at least the next decade.
Wait…
What?
You mean Reggie Wayne is no longer a Patriot?
Whew.
That was close. There’s no way I could’ve cheered for him in a Patriots jersey.
I feel bad that he’s not with a team now. But I know I’ll cheer for him and be happy for him if he signs with any other team. Promise. I’ll probably even chant “Reg-gie, Reg-gie, Reg-gie!” if he returns to Indianapolis. There’s no way I could’ve done that if he was with New England.
Thank you, Reggie.
*OK, I never had any classes with him. He was a couple of years older than me. But I definitely saw him in the hallways. And watched him play ball. So that counts as a classmate. Right?
**Just so we’re clear, that’s Hoosier Hysteria.
♣ I just read that article again. And yes, it got me a little misty-eyed. Again.
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