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October 2023 archive

Why I Love Underdogs

“No one likes us. We don’t care. – Jason Kelce, Center for the Philadelphia Eagles

For as long as I can remember, Philadelphia sports teams have been seen as the underdog. That’s the team that everyone underestimates. The one national announcers clearly don’t favor despite their supposedly unbiased game time commentary.

Basically, any team from Philadelphia. 🙂

I love rooting for the underdog. It’s just fun. And when we win, it’s that much better! In baseball, every strike, catch, and out is meaningful. Every mistake is excruciating. Every play gets our team that much closer to or farther from our goal. And right now that goal is the WORLD SERIES!

Our fanbase is in the news just as much as our winning team. Sports reporters and commentators love to talk about and show the packed stadium, the decibel level, and the creative signage from die-hard fans. To understand the mind of a Philadelphia sports fan means sitting in the stands or wherever we watch the game, and  visualize ourselves swinging in the batter’s box, hanging out in the dugout, and playing on the field.

Yes, we have a few crazy people who run across the outfield for the thrill of it, even if they are ultimately tackled by stadium security. At least they get their viral moment and 5 minutes of fame. I’m not one of those fans. I prefer to sit on my couch, scream at my television, wake up the neighbors, and post on Facebook. I’m just as passionate as the crazy people, but I’m focused on the game and eventually the glory.

I’ve written about my Phillies fandom journey in this blog before (here). Right now, I want to talk about why I root for the underdog.

Underdogs let underestimation become their motivation.

Don’t believe me? How many times have you heard a commentator underestimate one of our players seconds before they hit a ball out of the park? Trust me it happens, ALOT! Our team loves to prove everyone wrong. Someone is in a slump? That’s okay. Their time to shine is right around the corner.

Go ahead. Keep underestimating us. We love it!

Underdogs know that heart, grit, and the will to win is just as important as talent and skill.

The Phillies have the talent and skill, but we also have a vibe. Just as fans wear our hearts on our sleeves, our players are just as emotional and committed to bring us a win no matter what it takes.

In the words of outfielder and heavy hitter, Nick Castellanos, “You’re not going to find a group of guys who care more and want to win for each other than the guys in this dugout. That matters because not every dugout is like that.”

And Bryce Harper, “I hit the ball and it’s for this whole team, this whole organization. It’s for every single fan that’s here and now…Everybody that has Phillies on their chest is family.

Check out this video showing our heart and grit.

Underdogs succeed because they say no to fear.

We steal bases like there’s no tomorrow. (Let’s go to video…)

We fall into the dugout to catch a fly ball. (See Bryce Harper…)

Phillies manager, Rob Thomson, told the team to be aggressive, but not stupid. Like the fans, he likes to see his players take chances, and understands that you win some and lose some. Whatever happens with this team, the one thing the Phillies won’t lose is the love and loyalty from their fans for years to come.

Successful underdogs respond well to adversity.

See Jason Kelce’s quote at the top. We don’t just respond well to adversity; we thrive on it. Enough said.

Go Phillies! Let’s bring home the National League pennant this weekend!

XO,
Elisa

Airplane! – A Mini Book Review

Back in 1981, Dad rented a movie and a VCR from the local video store. We didn’t own a machine yet, so Dad had to rent that too and figure out how to hook it up. Mom made popcorn in the kitchen, and we all sat down in the living room to watch Airplane!

Airplane! is one of those movies that you always quote and never forget. Like:

“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.”

“I just want to tell you both good luck. We’re all counting on you.”

“Excuse me, stewardess, I speak jive.”

If none of these classic one-liners are ringing a bell, please stop reading my blog right now and go rent this movie.

For the rest of you, this movie cemented my love of comedies. Up until that point, I may have watched an old Woody Allen film, whose humor I never understood, or TV reruns of “Your Show of Shows” with Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar. But this movie was different. It was smart, original, and hilarious. The jokes never stopped and in between them was a storyline I had to see to the end.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, but it remains one of my all-time favorites. This is why I couldn’t wait to read the book “Surely, You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane” written by the three directors who made the film.

Unfortunately, this book was not what I expected. Let me just say this is one of those times when the movie is so much better than the book. I was expecting a lot more behind the scenes stories from the movie. The authors did include tidbits about casting and production, but not enough for me. Instead, they wrote all about their journey from Midwest novices to Hollywood royalty, and how the film went from the screenplay to the silver screen. They dedicated so many pages to their first film “Kentucky Fried Movie” which I have never heard of and have no interest in seeing. When they start to talk about Airplane!, most of that story focuses on who turned them down when they tried to sell the script. The rest of the book is a trip down memory lane filled with all of the mistakes they made along the way.

In general, the book is self-serving to the authors and not the fans. It’s not that I don’t like the back story. I read “The Church of Baseball” which was about the making of Bull Durham and that author did a much better job creating that balance between film production and movie trivia.

I’m not saying don’t read the book. I’m just saying borrow it from the library. And definitely don’t listen to the audio version. It’s cringy. The writers are the narrators, and they should really stick to film making.

So there. 😉

XO,
Elisa

Nobody’s Perfect

“Perfectionism is self destructive simply because there is no such thing as being perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.”  — Brene´ Brown

I’d love to get a perfect score for this blog challenge and write a post every single day. But, let me be perfectly clear, it probably won’t happen. There is too much going on in my brain. And it isn’t just one thing. It’s everything.

This morning, I was beating myself up for not writing a post yesterday. Since I’m not working right now, I was home all day. Couldn’t I have found an hour to put something together? I’m sure I could have, but I didn’t. What was my excuse? I have none. Does that make me lazy? Not talented enough? Or worse, a failure?

No. Hell No. and No.

I’m just tired and my heart wasn’t into it and that’s perfectly okay.

Today wasn’t much better. I had an appointment early this morning, and for some reason, it threw off my routine and momentum. I blame it on the lack of coffee. It took me a while to get going afterward. Tonight, I’m writing myself a to-do list so I can start tomorrow off right. I’m not expecting a perfect day. I’m expecting a better day than today and yesterday.

It isn’t just this blog. I haven’t written a lot of my book lately. And I should be posting consistently on LinkedIn to stay front of mind to future employers and recruiters. Some weeks, I have plenty to say and others I’m stuck. I am noticing that when I put less pressure on myself, I do much better. I can get those posts close to perfect, but unless it’s a fantastic post that gets me a new job, I will likely miss the mark.

Basically, if I wait for perfect timing, or the perfect fit, or the perfect storm, I’ll never get anything accomplished. They say that practice makes perfect, but I’m not finding that to be the case. So, I’m fine to keep on practicing to be more productive instead.

I hope this is making sense. It’s been a weird week. But remember nobody’s perfect. 🙂

XO,
Elisa

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