Your sports analogy is dead nuts on.
Another thing that makes Newt such an extremely powerful asset is that "he's got game." If one of the little lefty hacks tries to air some of his dirty laundry, he'll hand them their head AND their axx. He is as good a spokeperson and statesman as he is a brass knuckled street fighter. The boy's got range.
It would be very easy for him to keep the likes of a known Islamist sympathizer on the ropes virtually all the time. Hillary already looks like the whore who stole the john's wallet. Trump, who I secretly refer to as W.C. Fields, Jr., could then globe trot, schmooze, and tell jokes. We already love him, as much for his bombast, as for his political naivete, but everybody knows they'll be voting for The Donald....it's just so much fun playing his game and acting like Jersey cabbies. Newt will just make it easy for Donald to be Donald. I love the way he keeps jambing it their collective ear. I'm glad I don't have shares of CNN.
Oh well, the Fall Classic will end just as the Main Event begins. It's always fun, isn't it?