1. The Mahoney must be that of horrible ways. Example: James is so totally open and he absolutely blows the catch in such a way that three people chased him with 4 toothpicks. A mahoney where a person dives and just misses, or strives and is inches from snagging the ball, is not a mahoney. The catch has to be a horrible drop.
2. The Mahoney is only one of mahoney ways when the person is totally open and not being screen-ed by other individuals. For example, James is covering Robbie and James jumps pretty high up in the air. He swats at the football but misses horribly. Robbie, thinking James will pick the ball like he picks his nose, sees the ball at the last second and bobbles the catch. That is NOT a mahoney, for the catch was near impossible to make. HOWEVER, if a player is covered minimally and has an open catch and bobbles it (let's say this person is James) the mahoney is henceforth a mahoney.
3. A Mahoney is only a mahoney when the bobbled catch is followed by the appropriate "Mahoney!!" defining yelps from opposition and friends. For example, James drops the ball horribly and shakes his shaggy doo in disbelief. However, not a one person (including Tommy) yells the necessary mahoney scream. James, grin chin and all, has no mahoney for it was not called to be so.
The above three criteria must be met for a mahoney to be so. The word of the nerd, thanks be to Goss.
