Going into the game, I was just looking forward to a fun game with my class on a nice day outside. Winning or losing was not in my mind so much. While I initially thought that it would be nice to win, I was really just looking forward to having fun playing the game with friends. My mentality quickly changed shortly after the game began. As I do not play any sport similar to the wiffle ball, nor had I any prior experience playing, I was judged, and trash talked. I was told I was not wanted on the team, and put down. This ignited the mentality that I will play well, and win in order to prove them wrong. I decided to take first base because I knew that most of the plays would happen there, and they did. Ultimately, I tried to win by doing the best that I could to prove the other players wrong. I caught the balls that were thrown to me getting several outs every inning, and when I was up at bat, I did not get out once that game. They way I felt changed throughout the game. At first the opposing team was up 4-0. In the second inning we stepped things up scoring 3 runs in one hit, and with the points from the first inning, we were up 5-0. Now I wanted to hold our lead. We kept playing well, getting them out, and scoring runs to the point where we were way ahead. Now I was feeling confident, and motivated to achieve success. In the last inning, my team was in the field, and the score was 9-8 us. I dropped a pass at first base with 1 out. I was not yet deterred, and I came back by making the second out of the next batter. The last one was a high fly ball caught by second base, winning us the game. After the game I felt relief, joy, and excitement. I proved to myself that I am capable of success if I have the right mentality. The articles that I read say a lot about the psychological aspect behind winning and losing. A quote from the article "Psychology of losing" connected to me, and my experience playing the game. The article referring to high school athletes says, "these people typically view winning as the reason they are playing the game because of the meaning the game holds to their life.”(Psychology of Losing). This connected with me because I felt that winning the game would define who I am in an athletic context. The other articles that I read suggested the same, or similar ideas. Another quote suggests this from the article "The psychology of winning and losing". The article says, "Winning's probably the single most important thing in shaping people's lives."(The psychology of winning and losing). This is very similar to the other article, as it implies that winning makes us who we are. Lastly, yet another article makes a similar point by saying, "losing evokes a feeling of failure and shame."(Winning and Losing). This also connects to my experience because I would have felt as though I was not "good enough" or disappointed the team had we lost. I probably would have received comments about how we would have won the game if I hadn't dropped a pass, or something else similar to that. For these reasons, I was driven to win, and therefore felt thoroughly satisfied, and accomplished by having won.
My team lost the wiffle ball game 8-7. We scored 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth, but our comeback came up short in the last inning. Losing like that in the last inning was kind of disappointing because you wonder about what could’ve been. The kind of loss that we had was probably one of the worst kinds, losing in the last seconds of any game is rough, but being so close to completing a comeback and then losing is just heartbreaking. I did not expect the game to be as intense as it was, I expected it to be a fun game in the class, but what it ended up being was an intense 9 inning game of wiffle ball. On both sides of the diamond, great plays were made that determined the outcome of the game. One player on the other team had 2 homeruns which most definitely affected the final outcome of our game. During the game, we were hoping that we would be able to beat the other team the whole time, but as the game went on we stopped working together as much and we did not cheer for each other. I feel like a reason we lost is because we did not cheer for each other, the other team was doing poorly in the beginning of the game, but then they started cheering each other on and they became a team. A huge part of winning is rooting for your teammates and working together as a team. That is something that we did not do. After the game when we lost, I was kind of disappointed because I felt we should’ve won the game. Losing is something that is definitely detrimental to one’s psyche, you may blame yourself or feel that you were the reason for the loss. That is a big part of team sports, if you lose someone may feel like they have to take the blame. But, you win as a team and you lose as a team. But, an example from Psychology Today shows that winning is very important to children and that losing can affect them big time. “Winning, by whatever means, evokes in young children a feeling of pride; losing evokes a feeling of failure and shame. Losing is something that can hurt you, but you have to understand that it isn’t your fault. To become a winner, the best thing to do is to work as a team and cheer each other on, we were doing well early in the game when we did this. Then, we stopped doing this which immediately hurt our performance and the other team capitalized on it. So, after losing the game I felt like we should’ve won, but obviously there is always a better team, we could’ve taken more steps to succeed at the game, but we didn’t.
The wiffle ball game the our class played on Tuesday was definitely one of the most intense ones I have played in my days as a wiffle ball enthusiast. The adrenaline that rushed through my body as the innings kept passing was indescribable. According to CBS news, “Winning increases testosterone, which in turn increases the chemical messenger dopamine, and that dopamine hits the reward network in the brain, which makes us feel better.” This statistic was very accurate to my level of play because when I was winning early on in the game, my attitude was much better. However, when the other team started rallying and getting more runs on the scoreboard, my attitude changed rapidly. Apparently, “winning's probably the single most important thing in shaping people's lives,” according to Ian Robertson of Trinity College in Dublin. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with a score of 7-4 in favor of the opposition, it was our time to show the world what we had to offer. Being down to our last out with no one on base, it looked as though it was not going to be our day. However, we got our heads together and started a potential comeback. We got one run back, and with a man on second, we stood a chance. This comeback had me feeling a totally different feeling than I had throughout the game, and I knew we had a chance. We scored one more run, and being down one, we really had a chance to shock the world. However, the next batter hit a fly ball that was caught by the second baseman, and the feeling I had quickly changed. But, in the end, it was a very enjoyable experience and although we lost, I was able to feel different emotions throughout the game, which was the goal of this assignment,
When we were told we were going to play wiffle ball, I was not excited. I am terrible at baseball. I find myself constantly striking out and being useless on the field. I have not touched a bat since 4th grade, and I knew I was rusty. When I first got up to bat, I just wanted to hit the ball. We were up 3-0 and the other team looked to be falling a part. Instead, I was the first to strike out. It was not the greatest start to my wiffle ball comeback. From that moment, I thought I was going to go through the entire game without hitting a ball. I was not as bad as I thought I would be fielding. I caught almost every ball thrown to me, although I did forget to tag a few people which resulted in a couple runs. My next at bat: first pitch with swing and a miss. I really was thinking "how could I still be this bad after all of this time? Everyone else is hitting the ball". Luckily, I hit the ball which totally caught me off guard. Too bad it was grounder to first. All of my bats were grounders to first. It is the bottom of the 9th, and the other team went on an impressive run. It was 9-6 and we were down. We had a person on second and third with 2 outs. Of all of the people to be up in arguably the most important moment in sports history, it had to be me. I had yet to make it onto base, only grounding out to 1st every at bat with the exception of the 1st strikeout. As I am walking to the plate, "Just hit the ball" Will says to me. I am very nervous. Yes it is class wiffle ball and it has no significance whatsoever, I really did not want to let my team down. First pitch, strike 1. Second pitch, strike 2. I thought this was it. I was going to strikeout to end the game. Third pitch, the ball skimmed the edge of the bat to make it foul and to keep me alive. Fourth pitch, same thing. The other team thought I did not hit it, but I did. 2 misses and 2 barely foul balls, this is not looking good. Fifth pitch, the ball left Mr. G's hand and I embraced my inner Kent Murphy and hit a good dinger over everyone. My team was surprised and so was I. I never thought in a million years I would actually hit the ball well. I only got to first but scored in 2 runs. The comeback was on. Our team was pumped and ready to score. In the span of 10 seconds, that feeling went away when the next guy up hit a fly ball and then the game ended. I was not that bummed out that we lost though, because it was only a friendly class game and I actually hit the ball so I could not complain.
There was no way I was going to lose that wiffle ball game. I had a winning mentality from when it was announced that our class was going to play wiffle ball to the end of the game. Before the game began, I remember thinking to myself, "This game is a must win. If I wasn't already verbally assaulted by Ben enough, a loss here would only make matters worse. I have everything to prove, nothing to lose." I rarely lack confidence, but I will admit that after my team was down 3-0 at the end of the first, I was worried. However, those worries shortly faded as my team rallied. It wasn't our play that brought us back into the game, it was our effort. When Max made his 1st diving play, it only encouraged our team to match his effort on every single play. Another reason why I believe we rallied is because we challenged each other to do better. We didn't clap when someone made a good play because we expect that from each other. From the top of the 2nd inning onward, I felt that it would be very difficult to beat us, and I was right. I was not nervous when the opposing team made a 9th inning rally because I knew the reason was because we felt comfortable with our lead, causing us to over-relax. When the pressure started to ramp up, our effort once again prevailed giving us the win. After the win, I certainly felt psychology professor Ian Robertson's "Winner Effect." I was very pleased with my performance, knowing I would gain the respect of my piers. When I looked at the faces of the losers, I did not see many players upset. I believe the reason for this is because at the youth level, research suggests that winning isn't everything. It was clear they had a good time, and for this, the loss was not followed by heartbreak.
When you told us that we were going to wiffle ball one thought came to my head, I have to beat Settos. Now, I ultimately ended up being on his team, but it’s the concept that matters. I didn’t think about having fun or being a good sport (sorry), I thought about winning. And that is what I did. However, my team's mentality did change throughout the game. After the first inning we were down 3-0. We were arguing and yelling and blaming each other (mostly just settos) for our losing. However, once we started to score runs and start to win, out entire mindset changed. We started cheering for each other and rooting each other on. When Max made a catch or Zack stopped the ball at first, we all got excited. We were confident and relaxed. However, we didn’t become complacent with our lead. We wanted more. We wanted home runs and strikeouts by the other team. We were not okay with just a slight win, we wanted to crush them. And even when the other team started to make a comeback in the bottom of the last inning, we stayed relaxed and played our game. We got the outs we needed and ultimately came out on top. After winning, I would definitely relate to the “winner effect”. I, along with the entire team, was very happy with the way I played and I was excited to brag to the other team about my victory. This being said, the overall sportsmanship in the game was excellent. There were no serious shots toward any people, and this was really because it is just a meaningless game. It isn’t our jobs to be wiffle ball players. We won’t get cut if we play bad. This allowed us to be competitive in the game, but also just relax and have fun.
Jordan, Kobe, Montana, Jeter. These names will be eternally remembered as the ones who put the team on their backs as the clock struck zero. They were all born with a a gift, something in their DNA. You can't practice what they have, you can't try and become what they are. You either have it, or you don't. However, even if you have it, it comes and goes. No one can have it day in and day out.
When it comes to basketball, in the final 10 seconds of regulation or OT in the playoffs, Michael Jordan shoots 47%, Kobe only shoots 23%. Those are considered the two most clutch players in NBA history, so it shows how even the clutchest aren't always clutch.
In football, Bleacher Report refers to Joe Montana as the greatest postseason QB of all time, as well as the most clutch quarterback as a result of his 4-0 record in the superbowl, and the statistics to go along with it. However, Montana, too, wasn't always great. In fact, he has seven losses in the post season and his TD to INT ratio is barely higher than two.
Baseball is often considered a game of failure, but Jeter is considered of the games greatest. With five rings and a career of stable success, he is seen as one of the greatest winners in the sports history. They even nicknamed him "Mr. November" because of his huge performance in the playoffs. Even "the Captain" has off days...in the 2001 ALCS and WS Jeter hit a combined 6-44, a measly ,136 avg.
This is where I'll begin my personal reflection. I would say I am a clutch player. In my career, I have two game winning touchdown receptions. As Rory McIlroy said in the come from behind article, "It’s great to have in your self‑belief and your confidence; knowing that if I can just play my game, there’s a good chance that I’ll walk away with the win.” I think this ideal is very applicable to my mindset when it comes to winning. I have complete confidence in my abilities to win my team the game. However, just like all of the aforementioned greats, I too, have off days. Sixth grade little league...White field at the Kowalski baseball fields complex...two outs...bottom of the sixth...bases loaded...full count...down one. I watched the next pitch go by me and the ump called a strike. As we played on Ginny Parker field the other day, I had flashbacks. I knew that I would have to go down swinging. Unfortunately for my team, I had another off day and popped out to shallow left. But, if you calculate my life's clutchness, I am 2/4, a better percentage than Michael Jordan on GW shots.
As mentioned in the Exact Sports article, Vince Lombardi once said, “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing." Even though I could not pull out the dub for my squad, I soon realized after the competition that I achieved quite the individual feat: I hit for the cycle. If you include the play in which Mr. G tagged me out on my heroic vert for the score, I technically hit a triple. Along with my in the park home run up the middle, my two singles, and my blast of a double, I hit the cycle. Baseball's Digest has called hitting the cycle, "one of the rarest feats in baseball" because on average there are only two performed every season. I will consider this a win in my book. Although I would have liked the crown as well, at the end of the day, you can't have ice in your veins all the time, otherwise you'd be too cold.
After the teams for our class wiffle ball were announced I thought it would for sure be a tough loss. From the beginning I knew that we were going to be playing from behind. With a team of players like Settos, Susman, and Zack no one was sure if we would every score. After quickly going down 3-0, we needed a sharp turn around. I knew being the only baseball player in the class, there were lots of expectation. After a rough first few at bats and being chirped by my own team I knew I needed to turn things around. I began to make plays with ease and drive in runs left and right. As our team warmed up we were hard to stop. Besides the expected strikeouts from Max and Settos errors due to his very serious shin splints, our team seemed to always have men on base and be putting pressure on them to make plays. As we made it to the last few innings we were playing with a nice lead. With the pressure to not disappoint, adrenaline kicked in and we cruised to victory despite an attempted comeback. After the game game I certainly felt the "winner effect" but because it was only a friendly wiffle ball game it was less dramatic.
Walking to the field, I was excited to be outside and get the chance to play wiffle ball during class time. When I arrived, I quickly noticed that I would be the only girl participating. Immediately I was dreading the intensity that I knew was about to come during this game. My mentality of a nice calm game was changed into a need to prove myself to my classmates. As the only girl I felt a pressure to perform and show my abilities. I was nervous to step up to bat, having little prior experience with wiffle ball. I swung a missed a couple times, but on the third pitch I hit it. My first hit was caught in the air and I was fairly disappointed that I was not able to make it on base. I felt a small feeling of failure and tried every time after that to not allow the ball to get caught off of one of my hits. I felt more comfortable in the outfield because I knew I could catch. I was able to catch a few hits which helped me to gain my confidence. I had felt that I impressed my classmates and was helping the team. In the beginning of the game, my team was experiencing the “Winner Effect” because we were up and were having a lot of fun. It was such a great feeling to be winning even with this game being so insignificant. When the other team took the lead, that feeling went away and was replaced with a determination to get it back. This determination drove us in the innings to follow. We were able to make a close comeback however, we fell short in the end. Since this game was not for a prize or money or even a grade, we all had fun and were happy even with the end result.
Going into the game, I was just looking forward to a fun game with my class on a nice day outside. Winning or losing was not in my mind so much. While I initially thought that it would be nice to win, I was really just looking forward to having fun playing the game with friends. My mentality quickly changed shortly after the game began. As I do not play any sport similar to the wiffle ball, nor had I any prior experience playing, I was judged, and trash talked. I was told I was not wanted on the team, and put down. This ignited the mentality that I will play well, and win in order to prove them wrong. I decided to take first base because I knew that most of the plays would happen there, and they did. Ultimately, I tried to win by doing the best that I could to prove the other players wrong. I caught the balls that were thrown to me getting several outs every inning, and when I was up at bat, I did not get out once that game. They way I felt changed throughout the game. At first the opposing team was up 4-0. In the second inning we stepped things up scoring 3 runs in one hit, and with the points from the first inning, we were up 5-0. Now I wanted to hold our lead. We kept playing well, getting them out, and scoring runs to the point where we were way ahead. Now I was feeling confident, and motivated to achieve success. In the last inning, my team was in the field, and the score was 9-8 us. I dropped a pass at first base with 1 out. I was not yet deterred, and I came back by making the second out of the next batter. The last one was a high fly ball caught by second base, winning us the game. After the game I felt relief, joy, and excitement. I proved to myself that I am capable of success if I have the right mentality. The articles that I read say a lot about the psychological aspect behind winning and losing. A quote from the article "Psychology of losing" connected to me, and my experience playing the game. The article referring to high school athletes says, "these people typically view winning as the reason they are playing the game because of the meaning the game holds to their life.”(Psychology of Losing). This connected with me because I felt that winning the game would define who I am in an athletic context. The other articles that I read suggested the same, or similar ideas. Another quote suggests this from the article "The psychology of winning and losing". The article says, "Winning's probably the single most important thing in shaping people's lives."(The psychology of winning and losing). This is very similar to the other article, as it implies that winning makes us who we are. Lastly, yet another article makes a similar point by saying, "losing evokes a feeling of failure and shame."(Winning and Losing). This also connects to my experience because I would have felt as though I was not "good enough" or disappointed the team had we lost. I probably would have received comments about how we would have won the game if I hadn't dropped a pass, or something else similar to that. For these reasons, I was driven to win, and therefore felt thoroughly satisfied, and accomplished by having won.
ReplyDeleteMy team lost the wiffle ball game 8-7. We scored 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth, but our comeback came up short in the last inning. Losing like that in the last inning was kind of disappointing because you wonder about what could’ve been. The kind of loss that we had was probably one of the worst kinds, losing in the last seconds of any game is rough, but being so close to completing a comeback and then losing is just heartbreaking. I did not expect the game to be as intense as it was, I expected it to be a fun game in the class, but what it ended up being was an intense 9 inning game of wiffle ball. On both sides of the diamond, great plays were made that determined the outcome of the game. One player on the other team had 2 homeruns which most definitely affected the final outcome of our game. During the game, we were hoping that we would be able to beat the other team the whole time, but as the game went on we stopped working together as much and we did not cheer for each other. I feel like a reason we lost is because we did not cheer for each other, the other team was doing poorly in the beginning of the game, but then they started cheering each other on and they became a team. A huge part of winning is rooting for your teammates and working together as a team. That is something that we did not do. After the game when we lost, I was kind of disappointed because I felt we should’ve won the game. Losing is something that is definitely detrimental to one’s psyche, you may blame yourself or feel that you were the reason for the loss. That is a big part of team sports, if you lose someone may feel like they have to take the blame. But, you win as a team and you lose as a team. But, an example from Psychology Today shows that winning is very important to children and that losing can affect them big time. “Winning, by whatever means, evokes in young children a feeling of pride; losing evokes a feeling of failure and shame. Losing is something that can hurt you, but you have to understand that it isn’t your fault. To become a winner, the best thing to do is to work as a team and cheer each other on, we were doing well early in the game when we did this. Then, we stopped doing this which immediately hurt our performance and the other team capitalized on it. So, after losing the game I felt like we should’ve won, but obviously there is always a better team, we could’ve taken more steps to succeed at the game, but we didn’t.
ReplyDeleteThe wiffle ball game the our class played on Tuesday was definitely one of the most intense ones I have played in my days as a wiffle ball enthusiast. The adrenaline that rushed through my body as the innings kept passing was indescribable. According to CBS news, “Winning increases testosterone, which in turn increases the chemical messenger dopamine, and that dopamine hits the reward network in the brain, which makes us feel better.” This statistic was very accurate to my level of play because when I was winning early on in the game, my attitude was much better. However, when the other team started rallying and getting more runs on the scoreboard, my attitude changed rapidly. Apparently, “winning's probably the single most important thing in shaping people's lives,” according to Ian Robertson of Trinity College in Dublin. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with a score of 7-4 in favor of the opposition, it was our time to show the world what we had to offer. Being down to our last out with no one on base, it looked as though it was not going to be our day. However, we got our heads together and started a potential comeback. We got one run back, and with a man on second, we stood a chance. This comeback had me feeling a totally different feeling than I had throughout the game, and I knew we had a chance. We scored one more run, and being down one, we really had a chance to shock the world. However, the next batter hit a fly ball that was caught by the second baseman, and the feeling I had quickly changed. But, in the end, it was a very enjoyable experience and although we lost, I was able to feel different emotions throughout the game, which was the goal of this assignment,
ReplyDeleteWhen we were told we were going to play wiffle ball, I was not excited. I am terrible at baseball. I find myself constantly striking out and being useless on the field. I have not touched a bat since 4th grade, and I knew I was rusty. When I first got up to bat, I just wanted to hit the ball. We were up 3-0 and the other team looked to be falling a part. Instead, I was the first to strike out. It was not the greatest start to my wiffle ball comeback. From that moment, I thought I was going to go through the entire game without hitting a ball. I was not as bad as I thought I would be fielding. I caught almost every ball thrown to me, although I did forget to tag a few people which resulted in a couple runs. My next at bat: first pitch with swing and a miss. I really was thinking "how could I still be this bad after all of this time? Everyone else is hitting the ball". Luckily, I hit the ball which totally caught me off guard. Too bad it was grounder to first. All of my bats were grounders to first. It is the bottom of the 9th, and the other team went on an impressive run. It was 9-6 and we were down. We had a person on second and third with 2 outs. Of all of the people to be up in arguably the most important moment in sports history, it had to be me. I had yet to make it onto base, only grounding out to 1st every at bat with the exception of the 1st strikeout. As I am walking to the plate, "Just hit the ball" Will says to me. I am very nervous. Yes it is class wiffle ball and it has no significance whatsoever, I really did not want to let my team down. First pitch, strike 1. Second pitch, strike 2. I thought this was it. I was going to strikeout to end the game. Third pitch, the ball skimmed the edge of the bat to make it foul and to keep me alive. Fourth pitch, same thing. The other team thought I did not hit it, but I did. 2 misses and 2 barely foul balls, this is not looking good. Fifth pitch, the ball left Mr. G's hand and I embraced my inner Kent Murphy and hit a good dinger over everyone. My team was surprised and so was I. I never thought in a million years I would actually hit the ball well. I only got to first but scored in 2 runs. The comeback was on. Our team was pumped and ready to score. In the span of 10 seconds, that feeling went away when the next guy up hit a fly ball and then the game ended. I was not that bummed out that we lost though, because it was only a friendly class game and I actually hit the ball so I could not complain.
ReplyDeleteThere was no way I was going to lose that wiffle ball game. I had a winning mentality from when it was announced that our class was going to play wiffle ball to the end of the game. Before the game began, I remember thinking to myself, "This game is a must win. If I wasn't already verbally assaulted by Ben enough, a loss here would only make matters worse. I have everything to prove, nothing to lose." I rarely lack confidence, but I will admit that after my team was down 3-0 at the end of the first, I was worried. However, those worries shortly faded as my team rallied. It wasn't our play that brought us back into the game, it was our effort. When Max made his 1st diving play, it only encouraged our team to match his effort on every single play. Another reason why I believe we rallied is because we challenged each other to do better. We didn't clap when someone made a good play because we expect that from each other. From the top of the 2nd inning onward, I felt that it would be very difficult to beat us, and I was right. I was not nervous when the opposing team made a 9th inning rally because I knew the reason was because we felt comfortable with our lead, causing us to over-relax. When the pressure started to ramp up, our effort once again prevailed giving us the win. After the win, I certainly felt psychology professor Ian Robertson's "Winner Effect." I was very pleased with my performance, knowing I would gain the respect of my piers. When I looked at the faces of the losers, I did not see many players upset. I believe the reason for this is because at the youth level, research suggests that winning isn't everything. It was clear they had a good time, and for this, the loss was not followed by heartbreak.
ReplyDeleteWhen you told us that we were going to wiffle ball one thought came to my head, I have to beat Settos. Now, I ultimately ended up being on his team, but it’s the concept that matters. I didn’t think about having fun or being a good sport (sorry), I thought about winning. And that is what I did. However, my team's mentality did change throughout the game. After the first inning we were down 3-0. We were arguing and yelling and blaming each other (mostly just settos) for our losing. However, once we started to score runs and start to win, out entire mindset changed. We started cheering for each other and rooting each other on. When Max made a catch or Zack stopped the ball at first, we all got excited. We were confident and relaxed. However, we didn’t become complacent with our lead. We wanted more. We wanted home runs and strikeouts by the other team. We were not okay with just a slight win, we wanted to crush them. And even when the other team started to make a comeback in the bottom of the last inning, we stayed relaxed and played our game. We got the outs we needed and ultimately came out on top. After winning, I would definitely relate to the “winner effect”. I, along with the entire team, was very happy with the way I played and I was excited to brag to the other team about my victory. This being said, the overall sportsmanship in the game was excellent. There were no serious shots toward any people, and this was really because it is just a meaningless game. It isn’t our jobs to be wiffle ball players. We won’t get cut if we play bad. This allowed us to be competitive in the game, but also just relax and have fun.
ReplyDeleteThe Clutch Gene
ReplyDeleteby: Ben Pearl
Jordan, Kobe, Montana, Jeter. These names will be eternally remembered as the ones who put the team on their backs as the clock struck zero. They were all born with a a gift, something in their DNA. You can't practice what they have, you can't try and become what they are. You either have it, or you don't. However, even if you have it, it comes and goes. No one can have it day in and day out.
When it comes to basketball, in the final 10 seconds of regulation or OT in the playoffs, Michael Jordan shoots 47%, Kobe only shoots 23%. Those are considered the two most clutch players in NBA history, so it shows how even the clutchest aren't always clutch.
In football, Bleacher Report refers to Joe Montana as the greatest postseason QB of all time, as well as the most clutch quarterback as a result of his 4-0 record in the superbowl, and the statistics to go along with it. However, Montana, too, wasn't always great. In fact, he has seven losses in the post season and his TD to INT ratio is barely higher than two.
Baseball is often considered a game of failure, but Jeter is considered of the games greatest. With five rings and a career of stable success, he is seen as one of the greatest winners in the sports history. They even nicknamed him "Mr. November" because of his huge performance in the playoffs. Even "the Captain" has off days...in the 2001 ALCS and WS Jeter hit a combined 6-44, a measly ,136 avg.
This is where I'll begin my personal reflection. I would say I am a clutch player. In my career, I have two game winning touchdown receptions. As Rory McIlroy said in the come from behind article, "It’s great to have in your self‑belief and your confidence; knowing that if I can just play my game, there’s a good chance that I’ll walk away with the win.” I think this ideal is very applicable to my mindset when it comes to winning. I have complete confidence in my abilities to win my team the game. However, just like all of the aforementioned greats, I too, have off days. Sixth grade little league...White field at the Kowalski baseball fields complex...two outs...bottom of the sixth...bases loaded...full count...down one. I watched the next pitch go by me and the ump called a strike. As we played on Ginny Parker field the other day, I had flashbacks. I knew that I would have to go down swinging. Unfortunately for my team, I had another off day and popped out to shallow left. But, if you calculate my life's clutchness, I am 2/4, a better percentage than Michael Jordan on GW shots.
As mentioned in the Exact Sports article, Vince Lombardi once said, “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing." Even though I could not pull out the dub for my squad, I soon realized after the competition that I achieved quite the individual feat: I hit for the cycle. If you include the play in which Mr. G tagged me out on my heroic vert for the score, I technically hit a triple. Along with my in the park home run up the middle, my two singles, and my blast of a double, I hit the cycle. Baseball's Digest has called hitting the cycle, "one of the rarest feats in baseball" because on average there are only two performed every season. I will consider this a win in my book. Although I would have liked the crown as well, at the end of the day, you can't have ice in your veins all the time, otherwise you'd be too cold.
After the teams for our class wiffle ball were announced I thought it would for sure be a tough loss. From the beginning I knew that we were going to be playing from behind. With a team of players like Settos, Susman, and Zack no one was sure if we would every score. After quickly going down 3-0, we needed a sharp turn around. I knew being the only baseball player in the class, there were lots of expectation. After a rough first few at bats and being chirped by my own team I knew I needed to turn things around. I began to make plays with ease and drive in runs left and right. As our team warmed up we were hard to stop. Besides the expected strikeouts from Max and Settos errors due to his very serious shin splints, our team seemed to always have men on base and be putting pressure on them to make plays. As we made it to the last few innings we were playing with a nice lead. With the pressure to not disappoint, adrenaline kicked in and we cruised to victory despite an attempted comeback. After the game game I certainly felt the "winner effect" but because it was only a friendly wiffle ball game it was less dramatic.
ReplyDeleteWalking to the field, I was excited to be outside and get the chance to play wiffle ball during class time. When I arrived, I quickly noticed that I would be the only girl participating. Immediately I was dreading the intensity that I knew was about to come during this game. My mentality of a nice calm game was changed into a need to prove myself to my classmates. As the only girl I felt a pressure to perform and show my abilities. I was nervous to step up to bat, having little prior experience with wiffle ball. I swung a missed a couple times, but on the third pitch I hit it. My first hit was caught in the air and I was fairly disappointed that I was not able to make it on base. I felt a small feeling of failure and tried every time after that to not allow the ball to get caught off of one of my hits. I felt more comfortable in the outfield because I knew I could catch. I was able to catch a few hits which helped me to gain my confidence. I had felt that I impressed my classmates and was helping the team. In the beginning of the game, my team was experiencing the “Winner Effect” because we were up and were having a lot of fun. It was such a great feeling to be winning even with this game being so insignificant. When the other team took the lead, that feeling went away and was replaced with a determination to get it back. This determination drove us in the innings to follow. We were able to make a close comeback however, we fell short in the end. Since this game was not for a prize or money or even a grade, we all had fun and were happy even with the end result.
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