Winning, Losing and Controversy

Growing up, one of the things I enjoyed was playing games.  I especially like games played with cards or, dominoes.  I think games are important for youngsters as part of preparation for life.  In the adult world of tactics and strategy -- especially in business -- there is a strong similarity to playing games.

One of the things necessary in a game that is not strictly one of chance, is to not reveal your cards or, dominoes to your opponent.  Simultaneously, you are attempting to discern what cards, or dominoes your opponent is holding based on the way they play.  Knowledge of the strength and weaknesses of your opponents hand is often the difference between winning and losing.

Games of strategy and tactics are often most played by those who do not excel at games of physical prowess.  Rarely do you see exceptional athletes who are great at chess and just as rarely are great chess players good athletes.  In athletics, physical talent, strength and quickness are requisite for winning although positions of leadership -- such as quarterback in American football -- often require strong intellectual faculties as well as athletic ability.

Our military is filled with individuals whose strengths were in the physical endeavors of sports as youth.  Business is filled with those who were strong at less physical games such as cards.  There are exceptions to both, of course, but it seems that our proclivity to games is a natural inclination to participate in activities that prepare us for broader pursuits in the realm of adulthood.

Winning and losing are a part of playing games.  How one responds to both occurrences is important.  Attitude is extremely important in every endeavor.  Winning with grace affects relationships and therefore the outcome of future events.  Overcoming loss with the will to "try again" is required to continue on the path of improvement.

Sometimes events conspire to rob one of a win, or at other times, to steal the joy of the win.  The controversial call in yesterday's running of the Kentucky Derby will be discussed for many years.  The question of whether the interference was deliberate or, inadvertent will be the subject of conversation for days of those who were highly interested in the race.

I have to admit that I didn't watch the race, but the interference call makes it interesting to me.  There have been a number of calls in the last year or, so that affected the outcome of sporting events.  They include a couple of football games, a tennis match and I don't recall what else, but I'm certain there were more.

Any time human judgment comes into determining the outcome, there will be controversy.  Sometimes it is honest mistake and at others there may be something less honorable involved.  Either way, each interested person will respond with approbation or, condemnation or, perhaps in rare instance, neutrality.  When the stakes are high, neutrality is unlikely.

I suspect, in the case of yesterday's race, the best athlete was disqualified.  We will never know.

Winners and Crowds

Both Baylor and Texas Tech have reason to be proud of their basketball programs this week.  Baylor women won the National Championship and the Red Raider men lost in overtime in a hard-fought battle for the National Championship.  Congratulations to both teams on their achievement.

The success of both of these programs will help the schools continue to recruit exceptional athletes.  Success tends to build upon success.  People are drawn to winners -- whether it be a sports program or, a company. 

It was disappointing that the success at Tech was marred by rioting after their win on Saturday.  There are almost always unruly elements in a crowd of people and it is well known that crowd behavior can cause even those who are normally self-controlled and law-abiding to join into the unacceptable actions instigated by a few.

Why is there such a tendency to follow a crowd?  Is it the desire to fit in?  Is it a deeper instinct wired into our genetics that causes us to lose our individual thought and be drawn along?

I suspect that deep within all of us is an unruly, violent animal that is held in check only by the control we have been taught by our parents and society.  In any instance when the barriers are broken and such behavior can be exercised in an environment where it seems acceptable, the beast within shows its true colors -- the animal nature takes control.

From that perspective, it probably is a hard-wired genetic code.  It is part of the survival instincts which drive the soldier to kill, the parent to defend and the cornered to lash out.  It is a necessary characteristic of survival.  That doesn't make it acceptable in a celebratory setting.

Throughout history there have been those who have utilized this tendency to mob violence to incite crowds into actions which the individuals involved would not normally contemplate otherwise.  Rock-throwing, window breaking, destructive crowds erupt with little instigation.  They are weaponized by a handful who incite them through words and actions that break through the thin barriers of restraint that allow us to live in close proximity.

My thoughts have drifted this morning.  What I really want to say is, congratulations to the Baylor women's and Texas Tech men's basketball programs.  You made us all proud.

Red Sox Win the Series

Dad was a huge baseball fan.  He loved the sport and knew the intricacies of it inside and out.  It probably came from growing up in a tiny southwestern Oklahoma town where he attended a school so small they only had baseball and basketball for sports.  He, along with his siblings and cousins, all played and made up the majority of the team.

At some point in his life Dad came to love the Boston Red Socks.  They were his team even though one of his brothers pitched for a farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals.  I never knew why he was such a Red Sox fan unless it was because of some of their players who were among his favorites.  The Red Sox boasted of Babe Ruth, Cy Young and Bobby Doerr.  Later there was Carlton Fisk, Roger Clemens and Carl Yastrzemski.  But, Dad's all-time favorite was Ted Williams.

Dad tried to pass on his love of baseball to his sons.  We spent many hours playing catch in the back yard and then as we grew older, participating in Pee Wee, Little League and Babe Ruth baseball programs.  Dad always coached and his teams frequently won their league.  Not long before he died he was honored by induction into the local baseball hall of fame for his years of devoted service to keeping baseball alive in our small town.

My brother was a good baseball player.  I was not.  I never developed a love for the game, but I continued to play off and on through the years.  I also kept score for the teams Dad coached, or later when in High School, I kept the official score book or, announced the games from the press box behind home plate.  I was much better at those tasks than at standing out in right field trying to pay attention.

Dad would have been pleased that his Red Sox won the World Series last night.  I suspect he was watching from on high and cheering them on.