another indicative

[Joe Pickett]

Just for the record, here's a variation of that "If he does this, then this
happens" construction
that has been discussed here as frequent among sports announcers describing past conditionals
using the present indicative ("But if he makes that catch, the Yankees win.")

Note here the shift from past indicative to past modal "could" to present indicative.
Although the contemplated scenario is not a past but a future one, the mood and tense shift follows a similar course
to the one discussed as a kind of mental instant replay.


<<The Bruins placed the veteran defenseman [Paul Coffey] on
                 waivers yesterday, and Coffey elected to return
                 to Boston to await his fate. Another club could
                 pick up Coffey before tomorrow's noon
                 deadline and therefore be on the hook for his
                 salary, which stands at $4.5 million over two
                 seasons; he could clear waivers and be sent to
                 the minors or loaned out; or he could clear
                 waivers and be bought out. The other possibility
                 is that he clears waivers and a team negotiates a
                 deal, with Boston paying a portion of his salary.>>


For those of you who are hockey fans, you can read the story at

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/341/sports/Coffey_is_waived%2b.shtml

Joe Pickett