The Number 2 Isn't A Crappy Number After All

"2 can be as bad as 1. It's the loneliest number since the number one."
-Harry Nilson

When I was a kid I wanted to do nothing but win. I played or participated in basketball, baseball, football, and swimming; and I would get upset if I didn't win or finish in first. Before every game or event my mom would put her hand on my shoulder, look me in the eye and tell me, "no matter if you win or lose, I will still be proud of you." Back then, I didn't care what they said and I still tried my best to win. Now that I look back on it, I'm glad I wasn't raised by parents who would've been disappointed in me if I didn't win. So what is this entry about? All my life the number 2 has always been associated with crap (number 2). Now that I'm all grown up, I've come to realize that some of the good if not best things feature the number 2.

First and foremost, some of the best athletes have or still wear the number 2.
Here are some examples:
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees 1995-2014: 14x All-Star, 5x World Series Champion, 5x Gold Glove award, 2000 World Series MVP, Yankees team captain

Brian Leetch, NHL 1987-2006: 2x Norris Trophy winner, Calder Trophy winner, Conn Smythe trophy winner, 1994 Stanley Cup champion, NHL Hall of Fame Inductee

Moses Malone, NBA 1974-1995 3x NBA MVP, 12x NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M 2011-2013: All SEC First Team, 2012 SEC Male Athlete of the Year, All American, 2012 Heisman Trophy winner

In the cinematic world, most sequels aren't as good or better than the first one. Most sequels are bad. In fact I can only think of 2 sequels that were as good or better than its predecessor. The Godfather part 11, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The Godfather part II met the same expectations as The Godfather. Like its predecessor, the film received many Academy Awards including best picture. Terminator 2 however was more impressive and Oscar worthy than The Terminator was. Terminator 2 is the only sequel to win an Academy Award when the previous movie wasn't nominated. It is also the only 'Terminator' film to win an Oscar. It won 4 and was nominated for 2 others.

Nowadays, I don't think winning is everything. If I competed at the Olympics, I would be very proud of myself if I won the gold medal. However, if I won the silver medal, I wouldn't think of it as "almost winning". Besides, I'm not a little kid anymore, and I don't think being second is a bad thing.