Squaring Off

Someone's dog will likely win.

Despite the odds, I’m more likely to buy a Powerball lottery ticket than a square in this weekend's Superbowl office pool.  What usually happens is that I’ll receive the numbers 5 and 8—essentially assuring myself of not winning a dime.  Should my numbers actually come up, I’m led into a false sense of security that I’ll be $500 richer provided the score remains the same with 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter.  What ends up happening, of course, is that some kicker with a name such as Gramǟtica will nail a 72-yard field goal as time expires.  That $500 prize instead will go to someone named Alice from accounting who isn’t even watching the game—Alice is happily tuned into the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.