Championships, wins and great plays produce lots of euphoria and happy chemistry. A world title for your longtime beloved team is right up there with first kisses and new children. If you've waited long enough for a title, it's even better than those! On the other hand, losses, deep deficits and ends of seasons bring darkness and desolation, especially if you had false hopes. The grief can be unbearable; sometimes, the only frames of reference for team elimination are ends of relationships and deaths in the family.

Winning is preferable, sure. That's why people buy North Carolina hats and Duke t-shirts at their local Sports Authority stores... even in Oregon. But what about losing?

Sports suffering can be a powerful motivator. Losses offer sharp focus that the endless .500 of 9-to-5 can never provide. A deficit measured in scores and statistics carves out a void that can be quantified and mapped; in the vague and indistinct deficiencies of daily existence, you never know how many points you're down by.

The Cub fan and the Clevelander and the Buffalo Bill know this. If you have a true understanding of loss, you're better equipped to recognize victory -- whether it comes or not.