The Habit of One Upping

For many people, a sip from the bottle makes you a little bit more courageous. Some people take it a step further and challenge others left and right.

One of my favorite examples, back in 2005, one week after the Sox won the world series I was enjoying a beer at a bar on the north side, sporting a Sox hat. A very intoxicated Cub's fan (read: jealous moron) came up to me and started arguing with me about how the Sox were just lucky and the Cub's should have won it.

Excuse me, but we (because I am a Sox player) just won the world series. Unfortunately this fellow didn't know I wasn't a bandwagon fan and that I could in fact argue him into the ground. Which I did and then I even got the drunk lad kicked out of the bar. Moral of the story: Men shouldn't start screaming at girls in a bar, it'll never work in your favor.

More recently I was in my own personal version of Cheers hanging out with friends and watching the Masters. One of my friends looked at me and said,
Friend: "You like golf?"
Me: "Yeah! Love to watch it, play quite a bit myself."
Translation, I didn't make it to a course last year, only the driving range.
F: "Really? We should play sometime."
Me: "Oh sure, I mean I'll probably school you."
F: "I bet you a fishbowl you won't."
Me: Scoffing "Yeah, OK. Be prepared my friend, I took private lessons for quite a few years."
Translation, I took 2 years of private lessons, when I was 13.
F: "OK...just so you know, I have trophies from playing in college.
Me: "mmm hmmm"
Translation, shit, gotta get to the range asap.

Will that game ever get played? Most likely not. I think I'm much more apt to try and one up someone if I know it'll never get tested. Then again, I'm sure everyone else is too.