Summary

Chapter two is titled “The Lottery.” George talks to Rick, who works for Prestige Vista Solutions about the fitness, the hair of a woolly mammoth, and how looking at the animal would not necessarily predict its survival. He likens it to calling a football play, which is designed to give information, rather than predict an outcome. George explains that football is a scientific game in which it “is a series of discrete experiments” (58). He argues that the Throwback Special play, which ended Theismann’s career, could not be called a bad play simple because it did not work.

Years earlier, Steven made a large lottery drum of the reenactment. It has a Redskins logo and a Plexiglas drum. Some of the men refer to it as “Fancy Drum” and do not care for it (61). Trent teases Steven about the drum, asking whether it is...