David and Goliath

Whoosh, it's good!  Book readers--I met DaleFromND at the ASU/UCLA BB game.  We rode the light rail back together.  We found out that we both played some college basketball.  We also discovered we both like to read.  I asked Dale for a couple of books that he really likes.  He gave me a couple.  I just finished the first one Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West.  Dale told me that everyone seems to like this book.  I did tooooo. I think you guys might as well.  Just a suggestion.  It's sorta kinda about underdogs (i.e. underdog folks of real life like you and I (i.e. folks who have worm holes in their own peculiar history), an underdog basketball team, and an underdog little Montana town). MaterBookReaderCouzLois read it and she says--When I first started reading "Blind your Ponies" I thought, yeah, finally a school smaller than Priam (i.e. MN), the grade school I grew up in! However, that thought quickly left my mind. The book has so much more to offer. Humor, learning to stick together in a small town of underdogs, outrunning your demons and finding love, did I mention humor.  Delightful read, pick up a copy and cheer on the 6 man  basketball team as they win their first game in 98 tries...and of course, you will love the humor...  When CouzLois speaks, everyone listens!  

Don Quixote and his faithful spavined Rozinante!   LuckieEddie says--Both were underdogs the way it looks to me.  Everyone seems to like an underdog story, maybe 'cause maybe we are all underdogs at one point or another. Some folks stay underdogs all their lives.  Others seem like they don't (i.e. gain confidence of a man who has a cocked .357 under his tailored topcoat).  Why, I have no idea.  Success seems to change the landscape some.  But we can all relate to being an underdog at one time in our life I would guess.  I sure have been an underdog and still am many times and in many parts of my life.  I think I will always be an underdog. That's just the way it is with me.  Such is life.

Kentucky is the favorite!  You are on top (i.e. top seeded), expected to win (i.e. odds are in their favor). They seem to be a cut above the rest.   Everyone is taking their best shot at you (i.e. you are targeted) when you are the top seed.  ItchieBitchie says--It's hard to stay on the top.  Many times folks don't like someone who always wins, are always the the best (i.e. it's easier though if they are humble and have class).  Many times folks like to see the top dog get knocked down to size (i.e. knocked off their perch).  Some folks, teams etc are more fun to root for than others.  Some underdogs never get to be a "favorite"!  They are always the underdog.  Such is life.

Everyone seems to cheer for the underdog.  Who are you for CharlieBrown--I'm for so and so--how come--'cause they are the underdog!  I have feelings for the underdog!  BillyBall says--NCAA basketball tournament is starting next week and it's always fun to cheer for the underdogs.  Especially for some teams and against certain teams.  It just is.  Usually the underdog doesn't win but once in a while they do (i.e. become a giant killer).  

I met PattyTheTeacherFromIN while hikin'/runnin' up 'er in 'me 'er Superstition Mts.  I had my Hawkeye tee shirt on and she said something.  She's a basketball fan and we talked about the Big 10 Tournament and the NCAA tournament.  She talked about the underdogs gettin' in like Butler Winnin' the Big East Tourney (i.e. from Indiana).  She was a very nice gal.  As we said good by, I said something I usually don't say (i.e. why I said it, I have no idea)--God bless you.  She said--He does every day!  

Big person! I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--If we are honest, we might say it is easier to “weep with those who weep” than to “rejoice with those who rejoice.” Another person’s pain or hardship evokes empathy and compassion in us. We ourselves have suffered and we know what the other person is going through. Rejoicing in another’s success is more challenging. Perhaps we have experienced no equal successes or joys and find ourselves envious, even jealous, of another’s good fortune. Paul doesn’t place one need above the other; they are equally our responsibility. My mentor use to say--erv, half the folks don't like you and the other half are glad you failed (i.e. they are envious, even jealous).  I think he was joking!  ha ha Stinkin'Rudolph says--You know, I spent a fortune on deodorant before I realized that folks didn't like me anyway.  LuckieEddie says--Just grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked, the good fortune to remember the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.  MissPerfect says--It takes a big person to really be happy for someone else's success.  Really? Really!  EvaluatorMaggie says--I know some little people and I know some big people!  Such is life.

Interesting experience I had.  I was playing pickleball in a competitive venue where I don't know these folks very well (i.e. they are just pickleball players--maybe know most by their first names only).  Many seem to have their game faces on and really aren't always very personable (i.e. maybe are nice folks but I just don't know them--maybe they are supporting an image).  ANYWAY I said to maybe 5 of them that I had to go.  A couple of them encouraged me to play some more.  I said I had to go as my wife has Alzheimer's.  They all (i.e. even the most stone face guy who never acknowledges me) all sighed or said, oh man and put their heads down.  I felt like they were all saying, I'm rooting for you "underdog"!  I think they all had feelings!  And it wasn't no longer winning a pickleball game either!  Such is life.

Make no mistake! There is a massive huge difference between the underdog and feeling inferior as a person.  You might not be able to play the guitar as well as someone else, or run as fast, or read as well or cook as well, or speak, or write, or drive or clean the house, or sleep, or organize, or teach or etc but that doesn't make you inferior (i.e. those are just minor parts of the big picture). I bet you can do things better than they can in a different arena. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."  And sometimes we over react like Chicken Little did (i.e. the sky is falling).  Ya, there are times that I play with better pickleball players.  They usually beat me.  They are better than me, no question.  But I don't feel inferior to them (i.e. my game is inferior to theirs but I'm not).  SmoothSam says--erv, maybe you should feel inferior!  SmoothSam--Just wait tell next year and I will kick their butts (i.e. if my knees feel better and I get a whole lot better--my odds of those 2 things happening are less than hell freezing over).  That's the snapshot folks!  The Cubbies are saying--Next year has come!  We will see! We will see! MissPerfect says--And remember, those big dogs a.k.a. overdogs  have their problems tooooo!  What ever our ability is and in what ever arena we are in, we gotta dance before the orchestra goes home (i.e. use our individual, unique ability).  Such is life.

Ralphy says--"An individual has a healthy personality to the exact degree to which they have the propensity to look for the good in every situation." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~ Do you believe that?  Saturday question--Soooo how healthy is your personality today?  

Against all odds!  We have all heard the statement, "they won against all odds".  It might be in an

accident, a illness, a tragedy, a disaster etc.  It always amazes me that one person wins and another one loses (e.g. one person has a heart attach and lives and another dies).  Why that is I have no idea.  Just horse shit luck do you think?  Is that just a random event?  Why are some folks part of a family that is nasty and another is part of a really nice?  Again, I have no idea.  Folks walk by our house here in AZ all the time.  Some seem healthy and walk fast, some use canes, some walkers, some limp, some use wheel chairs and there are probably many that can't even walk.  Soooo why the difference?  I don't know but I don't know how a pulse oximeter doohickey works either.  Is it the luck of the draw? Is it that some get better breaks?  And some play pickleball better than others!!!  And a lot can't even play pickleball! 

Developing more underdogs!  The Arizona Interscholastic Association legislative council voted down a tougher transfer policy.  Any athlete can transfer any time to any school.  Wow!  The main reason given is--Didn't want to deal with avalanche of appeals which will result in legal cost which undoubtedly would happen?  It's all about the money folks.  Coach Boeheim of Syracuse had his own method of developing more underdogs--He cheated on the drug testing, financial help to players, and academically eligibility so his team would be better.  Again, it's all about winning which is all about the money folks.  Such is life.

Oh La La!  TopDogBetsy says--Every Tom, Dick and Harry can go from a top dog to a underdog real fast.  Just look around.  Many folks, companies, churches, folks have.  And many underdogs have gone to be top dogs.  Just look around.  I know many top dogs who are great folks and I know many underdogs who are great folks.  And I know many top dogs and underdogs who are not nice folks (i.e. overXposed and underXposed).  Why, you ask.  I have not idea.  Maybe their heart has something to do with it but I don't know.  What do you think?  Very few folks can handle success (i.e. particularly financial success).  Just look around.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.  Give Tiger Woods a call and he will walk you through it!  Money many time causes a vicissitude in a person's life.  But it's the American dream to be a Tiger Woods.  We work hard to get to that situation.  Some folks will give up their families, even their health, to get in that situation.  Our lives may become de facto divided as to what is important to us. Huh, interesting.

Underdogs????  I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--The proud scribes and Pharisees, with calloused hearts, turned their backs and walked away. The common people with hungry hearts (i.e. maybe underdogs) moved in closer. They heard Jesus’ stories gladly. They alone found “rest for their souls.” Such divisive judgments of God are what Luther called “the strange work of the gospel. Huh, interesting.

Greek or Hebraic?  ItchieBitichie says--In the third and fourth centuries followers of Socratic teaching and other Greek scholars began to influence the Church in ways that were different from the Hebraic roots of the early Church. The Greek influence appeals more to the intellect, whereas the early-Church Hebraic model appealed to the heart. The Greek influence resulted in more emphasis on oratory skills and cognitive knowledge of God. Over the many centuries, this influence has shown itself in a more programmatic approach to the gospel rather than a process of living out our faith. ItchieBitichie--So why is it important for us to understand this?  Is one group more an underdog than the other?  I don't know but it is thought provoking (i.e. stimulates a person's mind).  Which group of followers do the underdogs fall into do you think?  

What are the odds?  I read this in the paper sooooo it must be right--She becoming a Supreme Cowgirl! The Arizona cowgirl grew up on the Lazy B, a cattle ranch near Duncan.  Her father Harry Day, expected her to pull her own weight and earn the skills necessary to keep the ranch profitable, and that she did.  She attended Stanford Law School, became a judge and, in 1981, became the first female justice in the history of the U.S. Supreme court, where she served with distinction for 24 years.  Sandra Day O'Connor can be branded anything but a Lazy B.

Unerdogs do win sometimes. The Journal of Positive Psychology (i.e. soooo it must be right) released a survey last year showing that people looking for someone to date gravitated toward those displaying signs of humility. Arrogance and egos are turn-offs (i.e. a smart cousin said to me recently--ego vs Spirit)!  It’s funny how modern research keeps affirming the truths of the Bible. The Bible advocates a humble heart, saying, “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud … he humble in spirit will retain honor”...“Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble."  Resolve to treat the next person you meet with humility. Listen to their conversation, open the door for them, compliment them, avoid self-centered comments, and seek to serve them in some way. You’ll find that the best way to go up is to go down. SusieQ says--Don't be a hammerhead shark who preys on lesser fish!  Ouchy ouchy!

ItchieBitchie says--It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere. 

SusieQ says--I think my biggest foe is me!  Could be.  Ya, SusieQ, it seems like we can get in our own way sometimes (i.e. mess things up).  Sometimes we don't really mean to but we do (i.e. overkill). CrazyMarvin says--Sometimes folks are the "king of the hill" but do something stupid and lose most everything.  Back to being an underdog again.  Some never regain there grander.  I would think we are all "our own foe sometimes".  AverageJoe asks--Why do we do such stupid things sometimes?  Well AverageJoe, it's usually 'cause of money, power, fame, ego, greed etc.  Bingo!

Pat Conroy has written 11 books soooo he must know what he is talking about.  He says this in the prologue in his book My Loosing Season--The lessons I learned while playing basketball for the Citadel Bulldogs have proven priceless to me...I have a sense of fair play and sportsmanship....My work ethic is credible and you can count on me in  the clutch...I believe with all my heart that athletics is one of the finest preparations for most of the intricacies and darknesses a human life can throw at you...Basketball forced me to deal head-on with my inadequacies and terrors with no room or tolerance for evasion.  

Win some and lose some!  OneSmartGuy told me that in life we lose a lot; we have to deal with it.  I wonder if  "how we deal with defeats" impact our lives more than "how we handle 'so called' successes".  I wonder!  Most folks who can handle failures with a positive attitude (i.e. we all have them) seem to do better (i.e. my opinion).  GeorgeTheCrook says--Ya gotta know that you are going to win some and lose some sooooo don't be surprised!  Such is life.

I asked a Onesmartfriend and he says--Almost everyone will spend their entire life constantly failing at things...that's why it's so important for kids to learn at a young age how to deal with failure and to move on. One of the great things about athletics...teaching how to lose well and use that loss/failure as an advantage going forward. No need to quote me as these are not new or original ideas. But Onesmartfriend, when it comes from you it means a lot to me!  When Onesmartfriend speaks, I listen. Oh ya!

The cheerful loser is the winner. ~Elbert Hubbard~ Do you believe that.  I must be a winner as I lose a lot and am usually cheerful.  Winning is not that important to me sometimes (i.e. especially as I get older--my opinion).  This week I played my first 9 holes of golf down here in the Valley this winter (i.e. what do you think I shot, 2 over, 9 over or 15 over par?  I thought I should hit a bucket of balls before going to the course (i.e. I don't think anyone really cares how I play but...I do).  When you get to be 69 and can still play, your game usually doesn't get much better. The guy (i.e. probably about 69) next to me at the practice range was hilarious.  When he hit a bad shot he called himself--you dumb shit Jimmie-- you idiot Jimmie--what are you doing Jimmie, get your head out of your...Jimmie!  He really seemed to take his golf serious. And this was on the range!  I didn't break the bad news to him that he probably ain't going get any better.  I guess he'll figure that out!!!  He will need to accept reality or take up pickleball! Bingo!

BisonDale said after pickle ball the other day--I think pickleball is more fun that golf.  When you hit a bad shot in pb, you forget about it and play the next.  In golf it seems to hang on and ruins your day (i.e. like you're a Jimmie dumb ass pulling a plow).  Besides, there seems to be much more laughing and horsing around and it's really a good time.  It's a lot cheaper toooooo.  And takes a lot less time.  And it's good exercise.  I think that is what he said.  My opinion, most folks don't seem to take pb near as serious as golf.  Way less stressful!  And it's a lot easier to learn.  Actually anyone can play it at their level and have a good time.  Maybe that is why it's the fastest growing sport of seniors!  That all  makes sense to me folks!  Bingo!

But golf is one activity that a lot of senior folks enjoy down here in Sun Valley.  Some seniors really take their golf serious as you can tell from the above story.  SeniorHarry was single and met SingleSeniorMary at a dance.  He liked her and asked her out.  SeniorHarry was convinced that SeniorMary was indeed the woman for him.  While having a drink, he said to her--I'd like a little serious talk before our relationship rises to the next level.  It's only fair to warn you, that I'm a total golf nut.  I play golf, I read about golf, I watch golf on TV.  In short, I eat, sleep and breath golf.  If that's going to be a problem for us you better say so. Mary took a deep breath and responded, Harry, that certainly won't be a problem.  I love you as you are and I love golf too but, since we're being totally honest with each other, you need to know that for the last five years I've been a hooker. Harry said--I bet it's because you're not keeping your wrists straight when you hit the ball!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says--A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm, will go farther, than a great ides, that inspires no one!