The Monday night football game is on in the background. Late in the 2nd quarter, New England has gone into an innovative defense: they have no down lineman, only a series of linebackers standing a few feet from the line of scrimmage. Some rush, others drop back into coverage. Not the 4-3 or the 3-4; call it the 0-7. So far, it's held. Of course, the offense is being played by Miami, this year it's conceivable you could play without any defensemen at all and still stop the Dolphins.

If Michael Lewis had written Moneyball about a football team, it would have to be the New England Patriots. They don't overspend on stars, and their coach Bill Belichick is known for reading work by economists.

UPDATE: Hey, the Remains of the Day front page jinx struck again. The Pats choked away a late 11 point lead and lost 29-28 to the lowly Dolphins.