That seems like an uncharitable interpretation of the rationale behind these laws. One could argue -- completely divorced from sports analogies -- that the thir

That seems like an uncharitable interpretation of the rationale behind these laws. One could argue -- completely divorced from sports analogies -- that the third time someone commits a serious crime they are exhibiting a pattern of lawless, antisocial behavior and not merely one-off offenses. (I still don't believe there's much evidence that this approach serves as a deterrent, and it certainly doesn't help rehabilitation to lump many different crimes together -- including non-violent ones like bicycle theft.)