There is an all too clever nickname going around for the Ohio State University football squad: Luckeyes, due to the fact that they seem to always get the breaks they need to win a close ballgame. But such a nickname diminishes the talent and ability the players at the school have. It also is wrong.
When the Buckeyes made their national championship run in 2002, one of the players in an interview revealed something very telling: the Buckeyes practice "It all comes down to this" moments. They practice them. Funny thing about that; most games can be seen as strings of moments of that kind. So if you're prepared, if you're ready, and your opponent isn't, you have an advantage.
The ABC announcers for this game figured it out. Ohio State, other than their kicker, didn't do a whole lot to win this game. However, they were disciplined enough to not do almost anything to lose it, unlike North Carolina State, who played valiantly, but primarily on their own end of the field. Several times the ABC crew talked about how just about every Buckeye point had a gift from NC State attached.
If you must be a smart Aleck, call it luck. Just remember: luck is the residue of design.
No comments:
Post a Comment