I have always said in competition, there is first place and then there is everyone else.

I once played in a golf tournament against 130 other competitors. I shot a final round 67, but ended up losing by one shot.

Someone came up to me after the tournament to congratulate me on finishing in 2nd place in the tournament. I replied with, “second place is just first loser.”

I left the 2nd place trophy sitting on the table and went home. To this day, I feel like second place is nothing more than first loser. If you’re happy finishing second, then you don’t have what it takes to be first in the next event.

So, if second place is first loser, then third place must be second loser.

KIFI (Idaho Falls) Reporter Sam Gelfand posted about his third-place finish in the Idaho State Broadcasters Association awards. I’m not sure how many were entered, but come on, it’s Idaho, so maybe there were just three.

Anyway, I bring this up because this is the same Sam Gelfand that was awfully high on himself when he worked in Tulsa. The Sinclair station kicked him to the curb after barely a year, and we hoped that that might have brought his ego a bit back in check.

When you’re good, you can tell people you’re good. When you’re great, they’ll tell you.