I used to watch a lot of boxing on television, and it was always interesting to hear what a boxer’s cornermen would be telling a fighter as they tended to him between rounds. Usually the guy was leaning back on his stool in the corner, trying to catch his breath and gather his wits after he’d been pounded on for three minutes by his opponent, and his handlers would be yelling encouragement and instruction at him, all while closing his cuts and pouring water into his mouth and wiping sweat out of his eyes. It was a minute of chaos squeezed between rounds of mayhem, and you could usually get a good sense of how a fight was going from how chaotic the activity in the boxer’s corner was.
Tinker and Evers are pretty good guys to have in your corner if you’re in a boxing match. They’re calm and cool, and they give good advice. Of course, just like in a boxing match, if the fighter isn’t able to use the instructions he’s been given, then they won’t do him much good….
