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Cracker Commentary
 Tuesday, January 28, 2003The Big Football Game Today, Max Boot looked at Tampa Bay's victory in over the weekend and wondered how so many pundits could have gotten it wrong. His conclusion:
He echoes this Steve Chapman article from a couple of weeks ago. They're both right, but I don't understand why it's so. Right here in Orlando, our very own Magic keep proving that even when you score lots of points, you don't win if you let the other guys score more. But whenever attendance sags, owners start fiddling with the rules to make the game more exciting (translation: to make it easier to score more points.) We have three point lines, designated hitters and tie-breakers. Someone suggested the way for soccer to succeed in this country is to award six or seven points for each goal, and maybe three for a free kick. I told him Americans are too smart to fall for such a scheme. Defense isn't boring. The Bucs played some pretty exciting defense, repeatedly sacking the quarterback, intercepting passes and returning two of them for touchdowns. The Oakland defenders even provided a bit of a thrill, scoring on a blocked punt. Other sports have defensive plays that generate adrenaline. In basketball, steals and blocks always raise the crowd's decibel level, while in baseball, the triple play ranks right up there with a grand slam. Without defense, many sports would become nothing but a race to the highest score. Just imagine NBA players simply lining up to take shots, trying to make the most baskets in so many chances. Give me two well matched opponents who actually have to struggle for success. In 1972, I was stationed in San Diego when the Mets came to town. The Padres had Dave Roberts, who, with an ERA approaching the negative, was the hottest pitcher in the league and he was facing Tom Seaver. I had to be there. Seaver was the better pitcher that night, but Roberts had some guys behind him who were determined not to let him lose. The Padres won 1-0 in the thirteenth inning when a NY fielder overthrew third base, the only error of the game. Thirty years later, I'm still waiting to see a contest with anything approaching the intensity and drama of that game.
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