Live long enough as a sports fan and you'll encounter the phenomenon of it-might-have-been, whether it's a backup slider to Kirk Gibson, a ground ball through Buckner's legs, or Len Bias overdosing on cocaine. The painful memories of agonizing muffs, lost chances due to inattention or misbehavior are part of the legend and humanity of the games.
The enduring image of Kiko Alonso, other than a mug shot, will be him in this year's Spring Game, throwing down David Paulson like he was roping a steer. That kind of aggressiveness and tough intensity can't be taught. One athlete in ten thousand has it, and now it appears Alonso's might be wasted forever.
The Ducks will manage without him, probably, but the value of a stud middle linebacker to a defense is inestimable. A seek-and-destroy presence in the middle gives a defense character, identity, and the play making ability to change games. It's a quality that can't be faked, or adequately replaced by a journeyman with six career tackles. The personal issues of Alonso's life will be sorted out. But the loss of his talent in the middle might haunt the Ducks for two seasons.
This team has risen above adversity before in big ways, notably and emphatically after the losses of LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Masoli. Stars took themselves out of the lineup with bad judgment. Now Michael Clay and Anthony Wallace will have to do what LaMichael James and Darron Thomas did before them, replace a seemingly irreplaceable player. Chip Kelly's forward-looking, no-excuses demeanor will have to lead this team out of the football wilderness one more time.
This Sunday, in a vastly more significant context, the Navy Seals reminded the world what superbly trained and conditioned men can do in a crisis. For now, the ongoing saga of Kiko Alonso is a sad footnote to the success of Oregon football, a washout, a reminder that ability without discipline is a damned shame.
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