There is a well-known and widely practiced tactic in sports and in life known as "messing with your opponent's mind." They tell us that one of the most adept practitioners of this art was Dizzy Dean, the great St. Louis Cardinals pitcher of years ago. One day the New York Giants put runners on first and second with two out, and Dean intentionally walked Hughie Critz to load the bases. It seemed like a dumb move as the dreaded Bill Terry, the last National Leaguer ever to hit .400, was next up.

But Dean walked down from the mound and confronted Terry at the plate. "Bill," he said, "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I promised a girl I'd strike you out with the bases loaded." And he did ” on three pitches. (1)

Messing with your opponent's mind. So much of life depends not on what we know bu…