Imagine this Massachusetts moment. Kickoff for the A.F.C. championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts is minutes away. Gillette Stadium is packed, while another 40 million fans are waiting by their televisions. The winner goes to the Super Bowl.
And just as four referees are leaving the locker room for the field, they notice that items vital to their endeavor are missing: the footballs.
The footballs!
Walt Anderson, the meticulous crew chief of this unit, is known for being calm before games, but now he is not; nothing like this has happened in his 19 years in the league.