The Voice

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: sports

It is always a hindsight observation. What we think we know, we don't know, till it happens, then we realized what we knew we didn't know when the time was right to know. If I've lost you after that sentence don't worry I've already lost my lost. I'm speaking of the prognostication factor that comes into sports. We break down, examine, define, redefine, and draw an x, highlight, circle, and emphasize the things in a contest that will be the deciding factor in the outcome. The thing is each different person analyzing or breaking down the game will have different indicators on the important factors that will lead a certain team to victory. We come up with quirky sayings to symbolize certain situations and scenarios. There is no I in team. Defense wins championships. Drive for show, put for dough. Run to set up the pass. Good defense leads to good offense. Good pitching will always beat good hitting, you get my point. The thing is any team and the outcomes of many games ring true the exact opposites of these more famous sayings. The Patriots, while having a sufficient stout defense have been putting up numbers that give a new meaning to fantasy football. Ohio State just this past weekend needing just one win to leave only their rivalry game with Michigan left ensure a spot in the national title game came up short, at home yet, against a young Illinois team. Having the number one defense in the nation, and considered to be a championship team (they were #1), still Ohio State came up shirt because of the play of Illinois offense. First the fighting Illini scored rapidly and in a big play way. Then in the second half they methodically moved the ball, shedding seconds and minutes off the clock keeping the Buckeyes offense at bay and helpless on the sidelines. These maybe just two examples but the exceptions for the "rules" in sports grow with every new scenario that is presented to us. This whole article in fact another attempt to breakdown and categorize what it takes to win in certain situations, and of course exceptions can be made. It could be said that every rules is in itself an exception to another rule and another exception. That is the beauty of sports, the continuing uncertainty of every game and every off-season decision. So in that respect next year look for Notre Dame to win the BCS title. John Daly to sweep all the majors while breaking the record for most cigarettes smoked during a weekend tournament. The Patriots to go 0-16 and having the least affective offense in the history of the NFL. The Lakers trade Kobe Bryant to Charlotte Bobcats for Adam Morrison. Oh yea and the Cubs win the World Series.

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