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http://www.omniture.com --> Mail Tribune Blogs --> --> « Happy Valentine’s Day Technology tantrum » Is losing ever a good thing? Posted by Kris Henry Right about now, it’s very possible South Medford boys basketball coach Dennis Murphy must be getting his fill of well-meaning sports fans telling him how the Panthers’ 65-61 loss to Sheldon on Tuesday may, in fact, be a good thing. It’s only natural for such a response. Heck, those of us in the office were even debating that very possibility as the Panthers were having their comeback attempt fall short in Eugene. When you have a top-tier team — such as at South Medford — can a loss ever be considered a good thing? Here’s my take: If a loss doesn’t end your season, it can’t be all that bad — especially if you learn from it. Then again, I’m one of those guys who loves to see his March Madness picks come up short in respective conference championships, if only to motivate them more for the NCAA Tournament. Sometimes it takes that bitter taste of losing to make a team that’s possibly feeling too big for its britches finally gain a little perspective. The problem with that stance is it really doesn’t translate well to the high school or lower divisions. If there is one area lacking at those levels, it’s most likely going to be perspective. Teenagers are invicible, we can all remember that feeling. At that age, nobody knows better than you, and the notion of listening and hearing are two totally unrelated senses. Losses at the high school level tend to sting players much more than at higher levels. Can high school players tighten their sneakers, vow to never lose again and follow through with that ideal, absolutely. But, again, we’re talking about kids age 16, 17 and 18 who are also positive they’ll marry their high school sweetheart and end up working for big money with all of their best buddies. In South Medford’s case, however, Tuesday’s loss could be beneficial since the main Panther players are pretty seasoned and won’t let themselves go belly up over one bad game. Secondly, Tuesday’s loss gets the monkey off the Panthers’ back. Playing with large winning streaks, or losing streaks for that matter, can become a burden and occupy more of your time than simply having fun and playing basketball. Lastly, Lake Oswego should now move up to the No. 1 spot and favorite’s role (barring a massive swing toward the one pollster who keeps voting Jesuit as No. 1). Heading into the state tournament as the No. 1 team really hasn’t played out very well for any Oregon team the past few years, and it certainly hasn’t ever helped South Medford’s cause. Let Kevin Love get all the media love. Let the Lakers be the ones whose tournament it is to lose. They used their underdog status last year to edge the Panthers in the state final, maybe South Medford can flip the script this year. Of course, that assumes both teams will make it that far, but this whole thing involves projections anyway, right? This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 at 9:12 pm and is filed under Sports Insiders . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. 2 Responses to “Is losing ever a good thing?” Steve Moore Says: February 14th, 2007 at 9:15 pm I like Kris Henry’s red hair. jack sigler Says: February 14th, 2007 at 9:24 pm I do agree with your premise, but I’m not sure a loss is ever a good thing. Maybe the loss will plant that seed of doubt in the heads of those South Medford players. If that happens, look out. Could be an early exit. Side note: I really like the idea of you guys doing a blog. About time. Leave a Reply Mail Tribune Blogs is proudly powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) .