Now, you see, this is what happens every time there's a delay: 60% freaks, and the other 40% play the "would you rather it was buggy?" card. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that argument--on the contrary, it's entirely rational--but let's look at it from what I think is the point of view of most people: You don't consciously think about the fact that the reason a game has a release date is because they're actually making it, right? To those waiting for a game--be it Brawl, or anything else--in-between when you realize the game exists and when it comes out, it's in some mystical limbo where the game is as it will be, but is sitting on a shelf in a faraway land until it ships to GameStop or Babbages or what-have-you. It's the same mindset that makes it possible for the tots to believe that Santa Claus can deliver stuff to every kid on the planet.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is, unless hundreds of swamped programmers spring to mind every time you thing about the release date of a game, you're never truly prepared to accept a delay with a clear head.