Conspiracy in delays

Statistics showed that San Francisco would win the 47th Super Bowl. I told my youngest son, as soon as the flip of the coin, you can listen to the commentators dispensing statistics. “The winner of the flip wins 45 percent of the time.” “The first to score wins 92 percent of the time.” Then, shortly into the second half of the 47th Super Bowl, the lights went out. The NFL officials gave a “humble apology” for the power surge that delayed the game.

But what if it was something more? What if it was similar to that wing and beer commercial where the patron says “I don’t want this game to end,” and the bartender puts a call in, the sprinklers go off on the field, and they have to stop the game.

What if Vegas was concerned about the money lost on all those bets if the Cinderella story underdog Ravens won?

So, lose the lights. After suspending play for 34 minutes, the 49er’s are given a second chance to do what is predicted.

A little tug on a cord here and there gives big brother Harbaugh’s team some time out from changing predictions. If it would have worked, who would have questioned it was just a power surge and not a game changer pulled off under the dim lights of a power surge.

Most events are predictable. There are statistics on most any activity. With the speed and ease of computer programs and spreadsheets, anyone can predict how things will happen. Almost.

Probably why conspiracies when they take shape, are so intriguing. Maybe we get tired of having the future fed to us in percentages. Maybe we want to not know how it’s going to go.

So, occasionally when an overwhelmingly odd characteristic appears that doesn’t fit into any column we have on our spreadsheets, we think it might be a CONSPIRACY.

Two football teams take the field, one will win and one will lose. Or at least 99 percent of the time.