Luck of the Irish Wilts

It was getting kind of boring to hear the sports announcers and analysts keep talking about how Notre Dame had the "luck of the Irish" this past college football season.

They (especially former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz) kept talking about how third-year Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had a chance to win the BCS championship because, after all, didn't four Irish coaches accomplish that feat during their third season? Isn't that what the luck of the Irish is all about?

Let's look at a couple of numbers:

First, the number 3. A clover has three leaves. Ara Parsegian, Frank Leahy, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz won their national championships in their third season. Brian Kelly was playing for the BCS championship at the end of his third year. Three. Right?

Okay, now the number 4. A good luck clover has four leaves. There were four Notre Dame coaches who won championships just before they entered their fourth year. Four, right?

The pundits forgot something. If four coaches accomplished that feat, each used up one leaf of the lucky four-leaf clover. Four coaches, four lucky leaves. Right?

That left Brian Kelly standing out there at the 50-yard line all alone, a championship game loser holding a regular three-leaf clover. Four minus three is one. One coach, one championship loss at the end of his third season. And in this case, one coach plus three leaves does not equal the other four coaches.

Too bad, Manti Te'o. No maraschino cherry to top off your sundae.