In August of 1485, at the age of 33, a British monarch fell off his horse, ending more than 100 years of conflict known as the "War of Roses." A dynasty died, so did the king, and the history of Britain was forever changed. The entire episode is a testimonial to the importance of small things.
The king was Richard III, to many the arch villain of English history for killing his two nephews so that he could assume the monarchy. Some scholars claim Richard was the victim of a bad rap and maintain the children were still alive after Richard's death. But the point here is not to debate history, but to assess how fate hinges on the scantiest of details.
At Bosworth Field, which became the final killing ground between rival factions of cousins (Yorks and Lancasters), Richard was thrown from his horse which had lost its footing. The horse was poorly shod and a nail in its shoe had fallen out. Tumbled to the ground, Richard could no longer lead his army. He stumbled across the battle field bellowing what was to become one of history's most futile cries for help: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse."
It was all for naught. Richard was killed. Henry of Richmond picked up the crown becoming Henry VII and started the Tudor dynasty. Fortune and history pivoted on a nail. Or the absence of one.
Little things can account for cataclysmic changes.
Right now, or at least as of this writing, here in Southern California another dynasty is teetering on the abyss. Will it fall in to be irretrievably consumed by disaster? Or will it right itself to march onward to further glory and into the pantheon of sports immortality?
The L.A. Lakers, winners of three consecutive world championships, are at the bottom of the barrel, last in their conference, an inconceivable situation when one considers how only four months ago in the playoffs they treated their opponents like General Sherman treated Atlanta in the Civil War.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! And why?
I'll tell you why! All because of a toe. We are waiting for a toe. Of course, it's not an everyday, ordinary, run-of-the mill toe. It's Shaquille O'Neal's big toe, and in all likelihood bigger than the average male appendage. Shaq, as he is known to all the world, is not only the ignition but the dynamo that makes the Lakers unstoppable. He is the electrical charge, the lightning bolt, the juice. Were Hollywood to film "Jack and the Beanstalk," Shaq would be the giant. Were it to make a movie of the biblical David, Shaq would be Goliath.
Shaq is bigger than the Colossus of Rhodes, the Empire State Building, King Kong. He strides like a behemoth over every player in the National Basketball Association. No team plays him one on one. Even two and three on one is often insufficient to restrain him.
He is out of commission because of a sore toe that has recently undergone surgery. In his absence the Lakers have tanked.
Everybody is waiting for the toe to pull itself together and heal. Since the surgery a couple of months ago we've had all kinds of reports as to when Shaq would be able to play and none of them have been on target. It's become like "Waiting for Lefty" or "Waiting for Godot," and neither of them ever showed.
Who could ever imagine a toe would immobilize a whole team, and especially a team where most of the starting players have three championship rings? Thus, they sit on the bench, the team, the coach, the owner, and Shaq. Each one of them is thinking, "A toe, a toe. Our kingdom for a toe!"
A missing nail in a horseshoe dethrones a king and ends a dynasty. A sore toe sidelines a titan and endangers a dynasty. A nail and a toe. Whoever said "don't sweat the small stuff" didn't know what they were talking about. We can see the big stuff coming. It's the small stuff which sneaks under the radar that is our undoing.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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