Some readers have been quoting coaches. “As my favorite basketball coach, Matt Painter of Purdue, has said on more than one occasion, ‘If you aren’t in first place, you aren’t winning.’” And here is another reader: “We University of Florida grads look to Steve Spurrier with pride. His dad, Graham, when he coached Steve’s youth teams, told the kids always to play to win because ‘they keep score for a reason.’”

Yes, winning is good — really good. Yet I acknowledge Jonah’s point, below: Scott Brown and his phenomenon have already sent a very serious message, putting the fear of God in red-state Democrats and lots of others.