For the first time, winter couldn't come soon enough

As I look back at autumn 2005, I have to consider it the most consistently frustrating season I've experienced for -- maybe ever. By season, I mean like spring, summer, autumn and winter. You know, the four seasons.

What I'm referring to is one particular NFL team known as the Kansas City Chiefs. For the first time in my life disappointment was replaced by the thought that I, and all Chiefs fans for that matter, were cheated. Cheated!

Look at what they did to us. Carl Peterson added Gunther Cunningham, who he needed in order to give the Chiefs a competitive defense and then went out and acquired what appeared to be considerable help. Kendrell Bell. There is a multi-million dollar joke if there ever was one.

I had few illusions as to what kind of autumn those who support the teams I root for had in store.

As far as the Missouri Tigers were concerned, they seem to have gone beyond the point where even slight expectations are often quashed. This year's disappointments began on the second week with a loss to New Mexico. The loss to Texas was expected, but that stomping at the hands of Colorado was not. In all, had Mizzou beaten New Mexico and Kansas, thus finishing 8-3 instead of 6-5, Gary Pinkel's popularity might have semi-soared. But he didn't, they didn't. And who actually cares about an invitation to the Independence Bowl and a dramatic, come from behind win? It was, after all, South Carolina (a winter win) and not KU (an autumn loss) they beat.

Even the most optimistic among us were at the least apprehensive when the Nevada Tigers opened the football season with no juniors (sans the injured Lane Baker) and fewer than 30 upper classmen. Losses in the first two weeks at the hands of Nevada's arch-rivals Lamar and El Dorado Springs brought hopes to an abrupt conclusion.

And since I'm an Arkansas Razorbacks fan, their pitiful season and that incredible loss to USC did nothing to enhance my mood.

By the time autumn actually began on Sept. 22, the Chiefs remained as the one hope. They were 2-0 and it appeared as though this might be the season we had longed for. And then came autumn and immediate losses to Denver and Philadelphia. The loss to the Eagles was the first one that really hacked me off this year because the Chiefs blew it after building a nice lead.

The Chiefs actually played well enough on occasion to keep us interested and hoping. Then came that loss at San Diego, which was acceptable and the loss at Buffalo, which was not. They bounced back from that Buffalo debacle and won three in a row, which reignited playoff hopes.

As I look back, that loss to Dallas upset me more than any loss since Christmas, 1971, which I had only recently gotten over. Immediately following the Dallas game I went into a screaming frenzy at which time I yelled every cuss word known and even invented a few while I kicked the closet door and forced me to curse the day I got interested in football.

Then came that awful thing with the Giants and the season was over. I was watching that game at Clint Kraft's home in Johnson County. Chris Coffman had even driven over all the way from Columbia to watch it with us. With a little over a minute to go, I walked upstairs and laid down on the bed where I starting reading a book in order to drop my blood pressure down to an acceptable level. The remainder of the season mattered little. With the playoffs on the line, the Chiefs folded their tent. Larry Johnson failed to block Scott Fujita. Derrick Johnson held. Eric Warfield was in a different county from the receiver.

I keep looking back and wondering if there has ever been as frustrating an autumn for me and know the answer right away. Nothing has compared.

Sure, you say, that's frustrating. But what about fans of the St. Louis Cardinals who saw their team win more than 100 games, then sail off into the sunset in the playoffs? Ah, splendid autumn. I'll grant you that point only if you love the Chiefs as well. And the Tigers (both Nevada and Missouri) to boot.

But just as May always follows December, autumn came to close.

And to further cement the foundation of what I'm attempting to say, this frustrating club from Kansas City was a mediocre 6-6 during autumn. In summer they were 2-0, just as they were in winter when they closed the season out with two impressive wins.

Know what? This must be the first time in my life I actually welcomed winter.