Think like a winner

Friday, September 2nd
Lindale, TX to Kilgore, TX.

During breakfast at Hampton Inn:

'Ol Alabama boy bragged: "I never leave home to a game thinking we're going to lose. I don't know how we're going to win, but I always think we'll win."

I suppose competing with a mindset that you will win can be advantageous. Not knowing how, but finding a way can even be resourceful. Something can be said about that can-do, never tell me the odds mentality.

It impressed the old lady. "That's a very good attitude."

I thought they were going to a Bingo game or something. A band of senior citizens with no apparent talent or expertise.

On the other hand, it is a glorified call to ignorance and ego. It's copping out to some big hand moving things in your favor. The outcome depends on blind luck or stacked odds, unless you're intentionally psyching yourself full of confidence to perform better.

He tried it again on a dude his age, and the response was lackluster.

Turns out they weren't competing at all - they were spectators on their way to Arlington, TX to watch collegiate football. LOL. Makes Alabama boy's proud claim to admiration all the more farcical.  He has no involvement with the game to influence the outcome at all! Short of praying for a miracle. 

 

The 12th man is an idea to sell tickets more than it is a competitive edge. Sure, crowd noise can occasionally influence a player's execution to the point of screwing up a play. But referee bias (both intentional or inadvertent), turf conditions, and climate are bigger factors to home field advantage. Today's televised season opener is on neutral territory and has millions of viewers - you think a ref will lose his salary to make a questionable call so you can be happy?

Not to mention, there's a bandwagon effect of an opposing play completely silencing the crowd. Players influence the fans more than they are influenced. And outcomes decide the involvement of the crowd even more so. Even if a player makes a valiant effort, but the play is unsuccessful the crowd loses their gusto. That always disappointed me about American fans - why stop supporting your team when they need it most! This is a sad disappointment to Brazilian soccer when the fans are going nuts singing nonstop and waving the flag and cheering in the stands for no reason at all.

At the end of the day, you're just an idiot with a wallet and the people taking your money are making deciding moves. Like donating to a charity. But through the magic of Faith and Cultism, you have a mistaken belief that by being an inoperative member of a group, you have power through them and have made a difference. The sheep clasp their hands together in unity and say, 'I am a firm believer!' Then something happens and they think, 'Yeah, I don't know, how but we did it!'

Cute oil towers at rest area off I-20.

Link be proud.

Can 'O Fluff. Reminds me of the Ghostbuster's Stay Puft marshmallow.

Road kill on the highway have been mostly armadillos.

Nature loves dumping disaster on my planned route through the southern coast. They're calling it Hermine.

I hope Savannah, GA is still there so I don't have to detour north a second time. Or else I might as well keep going back to Virginia where I set out from last November.