Grandma Connie sat on the couch watching the game too, and she looked even more focused than George. She was so absorbed that she'd completely forgotten about the beer in her hand.
"Come on… I don't care how it happens. Dear Lord, please let the Longhorns win on the scoreboard," Grandma Connie prayed out loud.
"Mom, are you gambling again?" Mary asked in surprise, knitting a scarf beside her.
Lately, since Mike had been cooking at home from time to time, Grandma Connie had managed to save a little extra money.
And given her fun-loving nature, it was only natural that she'd use that money for a bit of "entertainment."
Unfortunately, her luck hadn't been great recently. Not only had she lost her original stake, she even owed some money outside.
Hearing Mary's question, Grandma Connie stubbornly denied it. "No, I'm not."
This time, though, her bet on the Longhorns had nothing to do with strategy. She'd picked them simply because the name "Longhorns" sounded better to her.
Pure probability-based gambling like this wasn't exactly Grandma Connie's strong suit.
On the far end of the couch, Little Sheldon sat in front of the TV as well, trying to look like part of the group. In reality, his attention was still glued to the science book in his hands.
Amid the heated discussion, he glanced up at the screen.
At that moment, the Longhorns' punter was coming onto the field, preparing to kick.
After a brief moment of thought, Little Sheldon spoke up. "Statistically speaking, choosing to punt on fourth down is extremely unwise…"
In front of the TV, both George and his son—who were rooting hard for the Longhorns—felt the punt was the right call.
Hearing Sheldon disagree, Little George snapped back, "Statistics? You're just a total idiot."
In Little George's mind, Sheldon—who'd never even played football—had no right to comment.
Sheldon, however, didn't care about the insult. He continued calmly, "According to the data, when a team allows the opponent to start an offensive drive at their own five-yard line, the opponent scores 92 percent of the time.
"If the team punts from deep in their own territory, the opponent still has a 77 percent chance of scoring.
"But if the team continues the drive, there's a 50 percent chance they'll draw a penalty and earn another set of downs.
"Therefore, statistically, the Longhorns should not punt."
His reasoning was clear and well-supported. The entire couch fell silent, even Little George, who looked like his worldview had just cracked.
Grandma Connie leaned toward Mary, smiling mischievously, and whispered, "Mary, tell me quietly—who is that boy's real father?"
From a genetics standpoint, both George and his son were pretty average intellectually. Sheldon's intelligence, on the other hand, was suspiciously off the charts.
Hearing her mother's teasing, Mary rolled her eyes and kept knitting.
After a long pause, George finally spoke. "Sheldon, I've spent my entire life in football. My experience tells me you're wrong."
"Is that so? Please wait a moment," Sheldon said, tilting his head as he recalculated. Then he stated confidently, "My math is correct. If the Longhorns give up possession, the opponent will score another six points."
As he finished speaking, the TV showed exactly that—after the punt and the change of possession, the Longhorns' opponent scored a touchdown.
Groans filled the room.
Grandma Connie immediately turned back to Mary. "Be honest with me—his biological father isn't that nerdy dentist with the tiny glasses, is it?"
"Mom…" Mary shot her mother a look that clearly said she was done with this conversation.
Coach George, having been thoroughly proven wrong, had no interest in analyzing the rest of the game for Mike.
Half an hour later, the Longhorns lost by a wide margin.
Grandma Connie cursed loudly and reached for her betting slip, ready to rip it up—until she noticed Mary looking at her. She instantly calmed down.
George, meanwhile, had mentally checked out of the game ever since that punt. Even after it ended, he couldn't help saying, "Sheldon, even though the Longhorns lost, their decision to punt in the third quarter was absolutely correct…"
Little George piled on too, blaming the entire loss on Sheldon.
Not wanting to argue with them, Sheldon turned to Mike instead. "Mike, as the second-smartest person in this house, please tell them whether my prediction was correct."
Seeing Sheldon's completely matter-of-fact expression, Mike couldn't help thinking that one day, his own intelligence would eventually surpass Sheldon's.
After considering everyone's gaze, Mike said, "Sheldon's analysis was correct. The only thing he didn't account for was the actual strength of the players on the field.
"From the first two quarters, it was clear the Longhorns were significantly weaker than their opponents.
"So in the third quarter, whether they punted or not, the outcome was already decided.
"For the entire game, the Longhorns' probability of losing was 99.9 percent."
"Thanks for the clarification," Sheldon said, closing his book. "Next time, I'll factor in the other variables."
With that, he hugged his thick textbook to his chest and headed to his room.
Grandma Connie, feeling the betting slip in her pocket, quietly followed after him.
After Sheldon had been gone for a while, George finally gathered his thoughts and said seriously to Mike, "I don't believe probability can erase the effort the players put in."
"Of course," Mike nodded in agreement. "That's exactly where the magic of sports comes from."
He'd left that 0.1 percent chance on purpose.
Seeing Mike agree with him, Coach George's expression softened.
Then he added, "Sam will be back next week."
Sam wasn't the most likable guy, but he was a veteran of the football team and had played in many games.
If Sam hadn't returned on time, Mike might have secured the starting running back position.
But with Sam choosing to come back now, Coach George couldn't just bench him outright without considering team dynamics.
"I understand," Mike said immediately, grasping the coach's dilemma. Seeing the apologetic look on George's face, he added, "I'll go along with whatever the team decides."
Seeing how "mature" Mike was being, Coach George hesitated, then promised, "Don't worry, Mike. I guarantee you'll get playing time during the game."
The Medford High football team wasn't particularly strong and often got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
That was exactly why Coach George didn't dare throw Mike—who had no game experience—straight into the starting lineup.
Everything was for the sake of better results.