Chess anyone? This is, all too often, a phrase heard fairly regularly in my house. I moved to Salt Lake City 4 months ago to live with 4 roommates in a 5 bedroom house. Rickie, the law student/house genius, has managed to somehow get the rest of us hooked on the game of chess. One reason chess is so fun is because in order to be competitive you need to be able to anticipate the tendencies of your opponent. Rickie is the man to beat in our house. Watching him play is a lot like watching the Colts play the Broncos in the post season. But the other night something interesting happened. Rickie was set to play my other roommate Matt and before they began, he offered to play the match without his lady, the Queen. Rickie has a hubris about him so of course it made me laugh. But then it got me thinking. This is exactly what every competitor seeks after... some sort of competitive advantage. Then I asked myself, "What if Matt could somehow get that same advantage without anybody knowing?" "Would he take it?"

This week Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, was fined $500,000 for video-taping the New York Jets defensive signs in last Sundays win at the Meadowlands. This method of advanced-scouting also cost the Patriots organization an additional $250,000 and will likely cost them a first round draft pick in the upcoming draft. This judgment in error has stunned the sports world and the fines imposed will hopefully send a wake-up call to all coaches everywhere that might be flirting with crossing the line.

So how exactly does one of the classiest organizations in all of sports arrive at the point of video-taping one of the NFL's most mediocre defenses? Did somebody say competitive advantage? I thought so. The operating conditions in today's NFL are so rigorous and tight that it is no wonder teams have found themselves resorting to such childish antics. When I was in elementary school, we used to play football at recess. Who among us doesn't remember the kid who would sneak up behind the opposing teams huddle and listen to the plays being drawn up? It was the second funniest thing to do right after sitting on the ball and flapping your arms like a chicken. Unfortunately, in big-boy football, sneaking up and stealing the opponents plays is not only non-amusing, it's just plain chicken.

The idea of gaining competitive advantage isn't breaking news, however. If we switch gears over to baseball we are able to cite instance

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