"I think that this human search for pattern is especially prevalent in baseball. What is the whole concept of "clutch hitting" but our minds searching for a pattern and a reason? This mediocre hitter comes through in the clutch a few more times than his overall numbers would suggest and our brain cannot help but insist that he has some sort of superpower and keen focus that makes him better when it counts. This great hitter fails in the clutch situation a few times more than his overall numbers would suggest and our brain cannot help but feel that he is lacking some sort of internal fortitude. Our minds simply do not deal well with what author Paul Auster called the music of chance. We need to see patterns. It’s in our DNA."

Click through for more on the "human search for pattern" he mentions; it's a good one, even by his standards.