Generally we consider it unseemly to boast. You may know the terrible story of the large chess tournament that was being held in a big hotel. The players were gathering in the lobby to brag about how smart they were, who they had defeated, and the strategies they had devised. At that point, the manager came on the publicaddress system and said, "Will the hotel guests please go to their rooms now?"

As the area quickly emptied, the assistant said, "You were right to send them away."

The manager replied, "Yes, who wants chess nuts boasting in an open foyer?" I told you it was terrible.

Fishermen have been known to boast. In fact, fishermen have honed their boasting to an art form. Sometimes their boasts border on the incredible. Exaggerating the size of the fish they "almost caught," the o…