Publisher column: Sometimes a tie is fine

The first date I ever had in 1992 featured a trip to the movies to watch “White Men Can’t Jump.” It’s a good film, and one of my favorite quotes comes from Rosie Perez’s character.

“Sometimes when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose.”

It’s a little wordy, but I like the premise. Being the hyper competitive sort that I am, remembering that there’s some nuance can be helpful.

This came in handy on the tennis court the other day, when arriving at 8-8 in the pro set we were playing, our editor offered three options: play to 10, play a tiebreaker or call it a tie.

Ten years ago, I would have chosen door No. 1. More recently, as I creep past 45, I might have gone with the breaker.

On this particular Sunday, after a little more than two hours on an 80-plus degree day, I opted for the tie.

The context is important here. After trailing 3-1, I reeled off five straight games to take a 6-3 lead. Right about the time I figured this out, the tide turned. So much so, that I had to break serve to get to that 8-8 scoreline.

Now, winning that match would have been nice. Losing it may have resulted in a racket being broken — though I’m pleased to say that in 30 years of playing the game, I’ve never done that in anger.

So, faced with those options, I opted for a tie and a handshake.

I think Gloria, the source of the movie quote, would have seen the wisdom in that choice.