Psychology: Trash-Talk Triumphs

Zinedine Zidane says he head-butted Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final (getting himself ejected) because the Italian defender slighted his mother and sister. The moment will go down as one of the most effective psych-outs in sports history, a triumph of smack talk. It joins these memorable mind games past:

Ruthless intimidation: Folklore has it that Babe Ruth called his own shot in the 1932 World Series, pointing at the centerfield fence just before hitting a monster home run over it. Less well known is what Ruth apparently shouted at the Chicago Cubs pitcher, Charlie Root, beforehand: "I'm going to knock the next pitch down your [gosh-darn] throat." Perhaps Root, shaking in his spikes, served up a fat pitch?

Spitting indignity: In a January 2006 NFL playoff game, Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman trash-talked Washington's Sean Taylor to the edge, then well past it. Taylor blew a fuse--and a loogie, spitting in Pittman's face. Taylor was penalized, ejected from the game and fined by the league, giving smack-talker Pittman the last laugh--after he wiped off his face.

Cerebral attack on rook five:Bobby Fischer, the famously flaky grandmaster of chess, was also renowned for his psychological gambits. He was known to make fun of his opponents, and often tried to disturb their concentration with a perplexingly erratic table manner. One of Fischer's tactics: claiming to hear odd high-pitched noises, inaudible to his opponent.

Mac smack: In a dramatic comeback, John McEnroe tantrummed his way to victory in a 1992 Davis Cup doubles match. Down two sets to none, McEnroe began taunting his Swiss opponents and shouting encouragements to his teammate, Pete Sampras. Sampras said he admired McEnroe's tenacity, though he described his teammate as "ranting and raving."

© 2006