One of the most challenging aspects of working as a real estate agent is managing expectations, particularly in a challenging environment. Once success is achieved everyone is happy, right? And if things don’t go quite as planned the client is better prepared to deal with it. In the course of a transaction it is fairly common for emotions to blur the reality of empirical data and the interpretation of trends. That is why we find it a helpful and necessary tool to occasionally reinforce market realities. This is commonly done in the simple form of a follow-up memo to the client, usually by e-mail.
So why is it that just about every time I check out ESPN or read an article on MSNBC Sports some Charger player is trash talking their weekend foe, the New England Patriots? All this does is raise (false) expectations. Don’t they know they are huge underdogs? This may be the most lopsided AFC Championship match-up in history. Everyone (outside of San Diego, at least) already knows the outcome of the game. The only remaining mystery is whether it will be by four or five touchdowns.
Even Mahmood Ahmadinejahd, Iran’s irascible President, admittedly the biggest underdog in the world, is picking the Pat’s to win this one. It may be the only thing he and “W” ever agree on. Who knows, maybe this will become the cornerstone for future diplomatic relations.
So I repeat the question. Why are the Chargers trash talking so much? In Indy, Philip Rivers, the Chargers young quarterback, was trash talking the fans! I can’t remember ever seeing any quarterback do this, much less a guy who has only started for two years This morning I watched a report on ESPN featuring Igor Olshansky, the Chargers huge defensive lineman trash talking the Patriots. Geez! That’s all we need to do is irritate these guys further. One would think in their position, the Chargers might want to be a bit more subtle and play the old ,”Woe is me” card. Maybe try to lull the powerhouse Pat’s into feeling a little overconfident or something. Nah!
Or maybe the Chargers just never got the memo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Berg is Broker/Owner of San Diego Castles Realty. He is an awesome agent and an all-around great guy. When he is not dazzling clients, he contributes the occasional article here. 
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
>One would think in their position, the Chargers might want to be a bit more subtle and play the old ,”Woe is me” card. Maybe try to lull the powerhouse Pat’s into feeling a little overconfident or something. Nah!
As you are Steve, I’m of the old school, preferring athletes allowing performance to do their talking.
However, I bring up two historically analogous examples of huge underdogs barking before the fight began.
The first was Ali, who at the time was such a monster underdog to Sonny Liston, boxing experts were literally afraid for him. Ali said, “Sonny Liston you are great, but you must fall in eight.”
Liston couldn’t (wouldn’t?) come out for the eighth round.
Fast forward to Super Bowl III. The line was 17½ points — favoring the Colts to humiliate the lowly AFL Jets. Joe Willie finally got tired of hearing it and came forth with his, “We’ll win, I guarantee it.” If you remember, that irritated the Colts beyond description.
Joe’s side won 16-7, which wasn’t a true indication of how easily the Jets won the game.
Joe was heard to say long after the game was over, that the Colt defense was so laughingly easy to read, he was literally telling his team in the huddle, to ‘meet me at the line, on 2′ whereupon he called the play at the line of scrimmage.
If I’m the Pats watching the film of our defense making Peyton look mortal, I might begin to be just a tad concerned — as Igor Olshansky pointed out.
He was just saying what many, including you I suspect, were already thinking. Again, like you, I wish he hadn’t.
Pats 38 Chargers 24 — We’d have had 30, but Kaeding missed two field goals under 35 yards.
Jeff – What a great take on probably the two greatest sports upsets of all time. I can only add the Miracle on Ice in 1980, when the US Olympic Hockey Team beat the (then) Soviet Union. Even if the Chargers pull it off (doubtful), I don’t know if the game this Sunday will rival these examples. But it wouldn’t be far off.
Note: Kris just chastised me for using the San Diego Home Blog as my personal sports voice outlet, so I need to get back to the business of real estate or risk a (another) night on the couch. Let me know when we can get together with Brian Brady and have one of those “World Greatest Burgers” he has been bragging about in Solana Beach.
Steve, good luck to your Bolts in this one. I think there are 2 types of fans rooting for the Bolts. True Charger fans and Patriot haters. The 75% of the rest of the NFL fandom (myself included), are probably rooting for the Patriots to at least get to the Super Bowl to attempt history.
What the Chargers did last week was amazing. Maybe they can do it again this week. If only you could find a way to get Rivers to shut his pie hole.
Steve – I couldn’t agree more. thanks.