Playoffs? Playoffs?

Here we go people ... the 2011 Playoffs start, for the Capitals, on Wednesday.  The Caps are playing the Rangers again, in a rematch of a 7 Game thriller from a couple years ago, and I refuse to care.  Don't get me wrong, I'll watch the games, just like I would any other Caps game.  I refuse to make time for the games, employ superstitions, like I would in previous years, or live and die with how this hockey team plays in the 2nd Season.  I just don't care.

My reasoning for this ... everything that I have started to care about in 2011, has just fallen apart without even a peep as to why it happened or how I could have prevented the crash.  The nervousness stage has kicked in without a problem, but as soon as I start to feel like something good could really happen ... boom.  Like a Gregg Olson curve ball, whatever it was fell right off the table.  There's just no need for me to care.  I might start caring in a month or so, if the Capitals figure out a way to get a couple rounds into the Eastern Conference playoffs.  Maybe I'll make time for the games, but I just don't see myself pouring my heart and soul into anything right now.  Disappointment has been far too close behind caring for the first 4+ months of this year.  For me, this has been a successful season for the boys in Red, White, and Blue.  The Capitals started out on fire, went through a rough stretch with the HBO cameras in tow, they changed the way they played hockey ... no more of the "run-and-gun offense" and a bit more of the "shutdown defense", they won the Winter Classic, started winning games after the All-Star break, and ended up winning the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference, again.  Players like Marcus Johansson, Karl Alzner, and John Carlson have grown up right in front of my eyes ... and the additions of Jason Arnott, and Dennis Wideman have paid huge dividends after the trade deadline.  This has been a successful season.