[EricH]

I would say, based on past experience, that the game piece will be roughly spherical for 2014. Whether or not it actually qualifies as a ball remains to be seen.


Past experience in question:
1997, non-spherical, followed by 1998, spherical.
1999, non-spherical, followed by 2000, spherical.
2003, non-spherical, followed by 2004, spherical.
2005, non-spherical, followed by 2006, spherical.
2007, non-spherical, followed by 2008, spherical.
2011, non-spherical, followed by 2012, spherical.

2013 had a non-spherical game object; therefore, if past experience is anything to go by, 2014 will have a spherical game object. (Also to be noted is that odd game pieces have tended to occur in odd years, while spheres of various types have tended to occur in even years, with 2001 and 2009 being the exceptions.)