Joe Pa(thetic) - Djok’s on Rafa - Peyton’s Place

The Nittany Losers

Joe Paterno was eulogized ad nauseam this past week in State College, Pennsylvania, not that I watched any of it. I changed the channel whenever ESPN would start talking about him, or showing any of the clips or airing sound bites from the proceedings.

On January 22, the day Paterno died, Washington Post reporter Sally Jenkins wrote the story of her interview with Joe Pa, which would be the final time he ever spoke with the media. Sally is the daughter of Dan Jenkins, one of the best college football writers of all time. In 1968 when Sally was 8 years old, it was her father Dan who did a story for Sports Illustrated on Paterno. I recall reading the story about a "rising star," third-year head coach leading his team to an 11-0 season. He looked like an urban hick with those rolled up pants, coke-bottle glasses and bad hair cut. He also sounded exactly like I expected a Brooklyn-born Italian guy to sound like.

As the victories began to pile up, Penn State became a major power in college football.

Sally Jenkins

There is little doubt that Paterno became more insulated and isolated in what seemed to become his little Duchy. He acquired enormous power, perhaps more than even the governor, which seems to something that happen in many states, and at some point it consumed him.

Sally Jenkins wrote: You will have to decide for yourself if Paterno could have reached the age of 85 in modern society without ever really knowing what man-boy sodomy was. "I had never heard of, of, rape and a man," he said.

This from an Italian Catholic man who lived 85 years, and apparently never read a newspaper or watched any TV, so we are left to believe that those dozens of cases of Catholic Priests raping young boys never made inroads to his consciousness?

Joe Paterno is not the biggest villain in this story, just the biggest henchman. Whatever his legacy may read like in the years and decades to come, there is no doubt that he went out as a loser, but he wasn’t the biggest loser. No, all those boys that were preyed upon by an evil monster were the biggest losers, while Joe Pathetic sat idly by, and did nothing.

Aussie! Aussie! Serb!

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in five sets in the Australian Open final, in what was the longest final set (5:53) of any major championship in tennis history, since the Open era began in 1968.

"Novak, that's not a tennis ball!"

I don’t follow the sport as closely as I once did, but I do seem to tune in for most of the final matches in the Majors, and I started watching this morning about mid-way through the set number 4.

It was obvious that Djokovic was starting to experience leg cramping or some other problem or problems with his mobility, and I really though Nadal had him when the latter was on-serve and up 4-2 and 30-15 in the final set. On that point, Nadal missed what appeared to an easy passing forehand down the right side which would have given him 3-shots at serving for a 5-2 lead, if he could’ve merely moved his shot a few inches to the left.

We can say that if Rafa had gotten that point, it would have changed the outcome of the match, but none of us can be honest with ourselves and be certain of that, can we?

"Rafa, is that a tennis ball?"

We can’t because Novak took that game, broke Nadal’s serve again and served out for a win in a brutally long championship that was won by a true champion versus his biggest rival.

It was a truly classovic match.

 Where is Peyton’s place?

Jim channels Quitarzan

Indianapolis Colt’s owner, 52-year old Jim Irsay is an odd dude, and he hasn’t been shy about exhibiting his rampant goofiness over the years. I read a profile of him in SI a few years ago in which he spoke of his love of rock & roll, and about his huge collection of guitars, some once owned by guys like Jerry Garcia, Elvis, and George Harrison.

Once upon a time he indulged in taking a lot of drugs, but cleaned up enough to assume control of the Colts after his father (Robert) suffered a stroke in 1996. Jim eventually took 100% control of the team in 1997, after a long wrangle with his stepmother. He was 37 years old at the time. The following year, the Colts took Peyton Manning with #1 pick the 1998 NFL draft. It was a no-brainer for the new Colts GM Bill Polian, though many ‘experts’ felt a young man named Ryan Leaf the more talented QB.

Blues and blow for this Jim.

Irsay has to be given a lot of credit for the Polian hiring, and not to damn him with faint praise, he has been a much better owner than 56-year old James Dolan, another guy that also inherited wealth and position from his father. Irsay let smart people run his team, unlike the drug-addled and guitar-strumming Dolan, who ruined the New York Rangers after their 1994 Stanley Cup Championship, and continues to be a plague upon the New York Knicks.

Remember when many of us thought Dallas Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban was a lunatic, and as far as anyone could tell, he never touched drugs and can’t play a lick of guitar? Cuban will be 54-years old this year, and won "his" first championship last summer, so the drug pattern is broken too, even if Cuban is another guy that can’t keep his mouth shut?

But back to Irsay, who is having what I can only call a "Brett Favre moment," though the path seems much more clear to me as to what needs to happen with the Colts picking up, or not picking up Peyton Manning’s $28-million option for 2012?

Manning, not unlike Farve has made Indianapolis his town as Farve captured Green Bay, but just like Farve was, Manning is aging, and has a seemingly ready-made replacement available. Andrew Luck is the new Aaron Rodgers, or even more to the point, the new Peyton Manning, isn’t he?

So what does Jim Irsay do now? I mean aside from Tweeting all kinds of rock & roll lyrics, being rocked in the media, and trying to find a way to let some stupid quotes roll off his back?

How critical is it in Irsay’s thinking that Manning has had three surgeries on his neck in a 19-month period of time, and what do new Colt’s GM Ryan Grigson and new coach Chuck Pagano have to say in all of this?

I can see it now, the Colts will decline the option on Manning and draft Andrew Luck.

Then, next season in the AFC Championship game, with his team down by 4-points, Peyton Manning leads the Miami Dolphin’s on a late 4^th quarter drive for the inevitable TD and trip to the Super Bowl. Inexplicably, he tosses an ugly interception to end his team’s season. The following year, he leads the New York Jets to a 5-11 season, and retires for good.

Meanwhile, Andrew Luck becomes a Ryan Leaf clone, and some wag dubs him "Bum" Luck while Robert Griffin III has a career in which he’s the National Football League’s MVP a record setting 5-times, and wins two Super Bowls for the San Diego Chargers.

Jim Irsay is so depressed about being scalded by the media and burned in effigy so many times by fans, he calls James Dolan’s dealer and start doing drugs again. In a peaking moment he declares that he’s had an epiphany, and Tweets that he’s decided to move the Colt’s franchise back to Baltimore.

"Scuse me while I kiss this guy!"

Yeah, right, I can see all of that happening right around the same time that George W. Bush changes his name to Jimmy-George, begins to ingest drugs (again?) and starts a rock & roll band named Jimmy-George and the Bush Beaters...

2012 Super Bowl – Deja vu all over again

Hangin' with the brothers

A few days before the NFL playoffs began, I picked the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to meet in this year’s Super Bowl. The biggest reason why was because it would match the Harbaugh brothers coaching against one another for a second time. I figured that if nothing else, that would be a cool story.

Now that the conference finals are actually here, I am backing away from that pick the same way I would be if I had chosen New Orleans and Houston. I’m guessing that outside of a few hundred pre-teen boys from Texas towns like Katy, Sugar Land and Humble actually believed the Texans had a shot of getting there.

I did believe the New Orleans was the best team going into the playoffs – still do, for that matter. If Alex Smith had not done a Steve Young impression followed up by a Joe Montana look-alike, the Saints would be home favorites against the Giants, and the top pick to win their second Super Bowl.

When Denver upset the Pittsburgh it made New England’s path easier, and of course Baltimore had the easiest path, barely hanging on to a win versus a very depleted Texans team.

If you have listened to the pundits discuss these games, you’ve heard all the numbers and tendencies that factor in to which team they think will win, and how they’ll go about doing it.

Some of those facts or statistics are worthless, and some are invaluable. One states something to the effect that a team that scores 38 or more points in a playoff game fails to cover the spread in their next game about 85% of the time.

What does that mean? I mean I know what it says, but is that a reason to take Baltimore and the points? I know the Patriots are that team today (that scored plus 38), but can’t they be a team that falls into the 15% side of things, thus making that percentage nudge up a bit in future years?

Eli Manning has had a great season, and has been particularly effective in the 4^th quarter of a number of games. Manning and the Giants also have a bit of a history in winning playoff games on the road. Does that really mean anything today?

I started the playoffs with a make-believe total of $5000 to bet. To date, I have won 3 of my 4 big bets (winning $2000), while treading water on all my little ones (winning $40) to give me a total of $7040 going into today.

Betting numbers for the AFC Championship game

New England is a 7-point favorite

The over/under is 50-points

$100 on Baltimore earns you $250 if they win

$300 on New England earns you $100 if they win

What I see happening is not some sort of re-run of the last time these teams met at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs, when Ray Rice took it 83-yards on the first play from scrimmage, and it was 24-0 at the end of the quarter. I think the Patriots slow Rice down and force Joe Flacco to play catch-up, as I think the New England offensive line will give Tom Brady enough time to pass and ultimately score enough points to win the game.

In this game, there are two facts that I like:

1) The Ravens are not a very good road team, either in the regular season or the playoffs.

2) Joe Flacco has played in 8 playoff games. He has had only one good game, and that was against the Kansas City Chiefs.

I don’t think New England will fall outside of that 85% threshold after scoring more than 38 points last week. Meaning I would not give the 7-points in this game, but I don’t like the bet either way. I can see a 24-20 game, but can also see a 34-20 game. That means I don’t like either side of the over/under total of 50, even though my gut immediately told me the number would go over.

I feel pretty certain that the Patriots win this game, and giving 3-1 doesn’t faze me a bit after having already given 5-1, 7-1 and 7.5-1 in previous weeks.

I’ll wager $1000 on New England to win.

I’ll take Baltimore +7 points for $50.

I’ll take over 50 points for $50.

Patriots win 28-23.

Betting numbers for the NFC Championship game

San Francisco is a 2-point favorite.

The over/under is 41.5-points

$100 on New York earns you $115 if they win

$135 on San Francisco earns you $100 if they win

Candlestick Park(ing) lot

In the Giant – 49er game, weather is going to be a biggest factor, as it’s been raining in San Francisco for a couple of days, and the rain is supposed to continue all day today, with a steady wind of 10-15 MPH, and gusts up to 35.

It’s going to be a slog, which I think has to help San Francisco a bit more than New York, but not much. I think the fact that the Giants are the healthiest they been all year is the second biggest factor in this game. Having a healthy Ahmad Bradshaw teaming with Brandon Jacobs has changed what had been one of the NFL’s worst rushing attacks to a good one, and the Giants defensive line has played very well the last 3 weeks. I don’t see San Francisco scoring many points, and the Giants won’t do much better, but I think they’ll wring a win out of it.

I’ll wager $500 on the total being under 41.5.

I’ll take the Giants +2 for $100.

I’ll wager $300 on the Giants to win.

For my Parlay I’ll bet $200 and take over 50 in the Patriot/Raven game, and under 41.5 in the Giant/49er game.

Let's do it again

Giants win 19-13.

Of course if all of these picks blow up in my face, I will very quickly remind you all that I actually picked Baltimore and San Francisco to meet in the Super Bowl back in December.

The Kid calls his last slider

Kid

If you don’t already know, Gary "Kid" Carter is going to die pretty soon. He will be 58 years old on April 8, if he lives that long.

Last spring, Carter was diagnosed with brain tumors, and after some small improvement in his condition, things have recently gotten much worse.

Many casual baseball fans of the 1980’s would immediately recognize the handsomely-smiling, pushed out of the dugout bow-taking, giver and receiver of back-slapping, Gary "Kid" Carter.

If you didn’t know him, you would, or a New York Met fan would let you know about him back then. He was kind of like Tim Tebow, but where Tebow is always giving, Gary was sometimes taking. What I am saying is, Gary Carter was a really good guy, but he had some legitimate detractors – not only for his self-promotion, but also for his lack of production after 1986, at least according to any ardent Met fan of the time.

In 1985, when the New York Mets acquired slugging, All Star catcher Gary Carter in a trade with the Montreal Expos, the future Hall of Famer became another huge piece of a Met team that remains the best they have ever had. Carter had a great season in 1985, when the Mets fell a bit short of the Cardinals, in spite of Dwight Gooden’s unbelievable year. The Kid followed 1985 up with a good season in 1986, when the Mets won the Series. Carter only hit .255 but had 24 homers and drove in 104, and he was great behind the plate. After that season, Carter spent more and more time on the DL, and was never really a productive hitter again. All those years behind the plate took a huge toll.

Another homer for the Kid

Past that, he was well worthy of being elected to the Hall of Fame, and is arguably a top 10 catcher, all time.

The best Gary Carter story I know is really a Keith Hernandez, Jesse Orosco, and Gary Carter story:

In the 6^th game of the 1986 NL Championship game versus the Houston Astros, the Mets were up 3 games to 2, trying to end a remarkable extra-inning marathon, clinch the pennant, and not have to face Mike Scott in a game seven they knew they couldn’t win.

The Mets had come off the mat in the top of the 9^th inning for 3 runs to tie the game, after having been shut out through 8 innings.

In the 14^th, the Mets pushed a run across, and asked Orosco to shut ‘em down.

Jesse threw a fastball to Mickey Hatcher who jacked it down the left field line to tie the game.

In the top of the 16^th, the Mets piled up 3 runs, and asked Orosco to shut ‘em down.

After striking out the first batter on a slider, Jesse ended up walking a guy, and then Houston got three singles off fastballs sandwiched around a groundball force. Houston scored two runs, and had the tying run on second base with two out.

At that crucial moment in New York Mets history, Gary Carter walked out to the mound to talk to Orosco about how to pitch to the next batter. Hernandez wandered over from first base.

Orosco’s fastball was getting creamed every time he threw it, and he was a very tired pitcher at that moment. Carter is out there trying to pump Jesse up, and find out what he wants to throw?

Keith says, "Kid, if you call anything other than the slider I will kill you."

Kevin Bass struck out on a slider, and the Mets had won their first pennant since 1973.

Carter had two huge home runs in game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox in Fenway that led the Mets to a win that tied the series up.

In Game 6 of that series, one of the greatest games in baseball history, Kid Carter had the first two-out hit in the bottom of the tenth inning of that game. That hit started arguably the greatest last-ditch comeback in World Series history, when the Mets rallied for 3-runs to win, and force a game 7?

Champs!

Hey Kid, thanks for all the hits, and the pennant, and the Championship.

And thanks for callin’ for the slider from Orosco.

NFL Playoffs, and the only “Sure Thing”

So, my big "bet" yesterday was $2000 on the Baltimore Ravens, which would have been a $3600 beat had they lost. I also sprayed the board with all kinds of minor bets, hitting most.

To date, I am up $2060, which is about how much Susan is down.

Of course you should remember this isn’t real money we are betting, it’s just for fun, and a way for me to somewhat prove that anyone can be right or wrong on these games, and often it’s a fluke that will beat you, or gain you a win.

One of the truths in betting football is that often there are no good bets – meaning there really isn’t an obvious win on the board – but so far in these playoffs I saw 4 sure things. All of them were bets on which team would win the game, against the Moneyline, meaning that I had to risk a lot of money to win.

My 4 sure things were:

Won $1000 when New Orleans beat Detroit – risking $7000.

Lost $2000 when Pittsburgh lost to Denver – trying to win $500.

Won $2000 when Baltimore beat Houston – risking $3600.

Won $1000 when New England beat Denver – risking $7500.

Hitting 75% is extremely difficult to do, just picking winners for a buck a piece, let alone risking a total loss of $20,100 to win a bit more than 2-grand. If I had lost one of those other bets I would have gotten creamed

The early lines on next weekend’s games have the Patriots at home and a 7.5 favorite against the Ravens, and the Giants a 2.5 underdog at San Francisco.

To win $1000 on New England, one would have to wager $3200.

To win $1000 on San Francisco, one would need to risk $1400.

I have no idea which teams win next weekend, though I am leaning towards taking both underdogs and the favorable side of the Moneyline for small dollars.

So what is the Sure Thing?

In Las Vegas, there are all kinds of bets one can make on any game. From how many passes Tim Tebow would complete versus the Patriots (the over/under was 11.5), to how many rushing yards Ray Rice would gain against Houston. These are called Prop (proposition) bets, and there are 20, 30, or more for each game.

Best bet?

If San Francisco wins the opening coin flip versus the Giants, they will defer.

Bet the house. It’s not sexy or very exciting, but it’s the only sure thing.

a small series of random events

In October of 2010, during our annual Cape Cod vacation in Wellfleet, Susan and I took a drive south one day to do some sightseeing and paid another visit to the Yellow Umbrella Bookstore in Chatham.

I didn’t find any used books I wanted, but did pick up a copy of David McCullough’s "The Great Bridge," which is his wonderfully told history of the epic building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The following day, we decided to drive around a little before dusk, so I could take some photographs. We wandered down Lieutenant Island Road, and out to the island itself where I got some very nice shots of the sunset.

A day later, I was finishing up reading another excellent book, this one titled "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition," by Daniel Okrent. (Not a bad title for a book to read while imbibing in adult beverages and lazing away days by the ocean, I might add?)

So I am reading the acknowledgements, and in the 3^rd paragraph Okrent describes meeting Ken Burns while strolling across the Brooklyn Bridge one day. It was a "Hmm" moment, but nothing exceptionally odd.

I finished the acknowledgements and remarked to Susan regarding the Brooklyn Bridge thing, and the fact that at the end of his acknowledgements Okrent wrote:

                                      

D.O.

Wellfleet, Massachusetts

August 2009

Susan says, "You should look up his address in the phone book?"

I said, "I would have to think he’s unlisted," but indeed he was listed in the local phone book.

Lt. Island Road, October 2010

Daniel Okrent lives on Lieutenant Island.

David McCullough lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where Susan and I both grew up.

One of my oldest and closest friends (Carl Goldman) went to college with Ken Burns at Hampshire College.

Just a small series of random events.

NFL PLayoffs -- The "Smart" Money

If you care to scroll down to last week's Blog titled "$5000.00 to Bet on the NFL" and did some math, you could see that I am down $1140 from last week, and it was the Broncos upsetting the Steelers that did most of the damage.

I took the Steelers straight in that game, meaning I wasn't giving points, just betting the Money Line,  or odds.  I gave 4:1 on $500, which meant I lost $2000.  It was good that I hit all bets on the New Orleans game, and won $1560, including a parlay, to help offset the beat down I took when the Pittsburgh secondary bit on the run-fake in OT.

Isn't it funny how one can be so certain of a game on Saturday (Saints over Lions) and win, and almost as sure about a game on the following Sunday, and lose?

Yeah, it's hilarious.  But you know, I had plenty of company on the Pittsburgh bet.  Word is the handle (total money bet on the game) world-wide was over a billion dollars!  A ton of it was on Pittsburgh straight, or giving anywhere from 8 to 10 points, but word out of Las Vegas was that the smart money was taking Denver and the points, and the wise guys cleaned up.  We dumb-asses got clobbered.

This week, I am putting almost all my dollars into one bet, which $1000 on New England to win, and I am laying 7.5:1, which means I win a thousand if New England wins, but I lose $7500 if they don't.  That would also mean I am done betting for the season.

Smart money is also taking San Francisco +3.5-points, while the general public can't bet enough on the Saints, who are now the flavor of the week to win the Super Bowl.  I hear that this game marks only the second time a home team has been an underdog in a Divisional Playoff game.  The weather is supposed to be sunny with temps in the 60's for the game.

Smart money is also taking Denver +13.5-points.  Forecast is 20 degrees, breezy, and wind chill in single-digits.

For the record, my bets are:

$50 on San Francisco +3.5 over New Orleans
$50 on the Under (47) in that game
$50 on San Francisco to win, which pays $85

$50 on Denver +13.5 over New England
$50 on the Over (50) in that game
$1000 on New England to win, where I could lose $7500

I am also betting $100 on a parlay with New Orleans -3.5 and Over 47 points in the same game.  That pays $260 if I win both bets.

I was positive New Orleans was going to win last week.  Almost as positive about Pittsburgh to win.  There were no points to give, I just had to have teams win their damn games.

This week, I am almost as positive about New England winning as I was New Orleans.

Susan (who lost $1810 last week) was a bit more democratic in betting her money.  Susan's big picks are the Saints ($300) and Patriots ($400) to both win.  The rest are $50 bets, including a parlay of both Overs.

Tomorrow, we will hopefully have enough smart money left to make those two Sunday games a bit more interesting?

Tebowie

I promise that if you have not seen it yet, it’s more than worth it.

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/tebowie-11212/1378838

Cotton Futures are Up!

This is a great story my son Matt told me last night.  Matt grew up in, and is attending law school in Tucson Arizona.  He also attended Palo Verde High School in Tucson back when he thought he'd become a teacher, and well...here's the story in Matt's words...

#11, Bryce Cotton

So when I was doing my student teaching at Palo Verde High School, there was a sophomore in my World History class named Austin, this big country boy from Louisville. Austin was a writer for the student paper, and a manager for the basketball team. He was friends with a senior on the team named Bryce Cotton, who was a lower-level Division I prospect. Austin was basically Bryce’s hype man.

Austin liked to write and he was a huge Louisville Cardinal basketball fan. He was always writing stories for, and making posts to Louisville basketball forums basically saying…

"Hey, Pitino should come look at my boy Bryce Cotton," and of course all the other posters on the forums would say "Yeah, yeah, sure," thinking Austin is jerking them around. "Ok dude, any other buddies from your high school you'd like Pitino to offer a scholarship to?"

Bryce, versus #15 Louisville

So Cotton was making the rounds, doing the things that lower level prospects do to try to and get offered scholarships. Around the last day of summer, right before college started, Bryce Cotton received and accepted a scholarship offer from Providence College. That was two years ago. Bryce Cotton is a sophomore now.

On January 10th, Providence College beat Rick Pitino’s #15 Louisville Cardinals 90-59.

The leading scorer in the game with 27 points? You got it, Bryce Cotton.

Amidst all the frustrated chatter on the forums during and after the game, someone asks Austin:

No wool, I need cotton!

"Hey, do you think Bryce Cotton would still come to Louisville?"

$5,000.00 to Bet on the NFL

Every year for a number of years now, my wife Susan and I have a little contest to see which one of us can earn the most money betting on the NFL playoffs.

It’s all make-believe, we aren’t really each taking five-grand, and spraying the board, just having some fun, and giving us a rooting interest in every game.

Red, white and beautiful.

For the record, Susan (photo-right) is just as likely to beat me, as I am to beat her. That fact speaks to my main caveat regarding sports wagering, which is that 99% of the world can’t beat Vegas over a sustained period of time with enough consistency to make it pay.

We "bet" each of the 11 NFL playoff games three different ways:

Which team will win, on the Money Line?

Which team will cover the Point Spread?

Will the two teams point total be Over or Under the number?

This year, we are also betting one Parlay for each day of play, which will be 6 or 7?

We have to bet each game all three ways and the parlay with a minimum $50 bet.

In the Cincinnati at Houston game yesterday, we both took a beating when we took the Bengals to win, but at least Susan bet over 38 points on the total, so she won that bet.

So, going into last night’s game, Susan had one right and two wrong and she was down $210.

I was 0-3, and because I bet more than her I was down $630.

Well, not too awful, considering I still had $4370 left, right?

Bet now!  Damn it!  NOW!!!

"Uh oh," I thought, as in the second game I took New Orleans on the Money Line, and bet $1000. If they had lost, it would have cost $7000, and I’d have been wiped out after the first two games, and hitchhiking home from Vegas with a miserable ache in my gut and a promissory note in my pocket.

I don’t know why I felt so sure New Orleans would win, but I did. They were 8-0 at home for the season, and 8-0 at home versus the spread. Considering the Lions couldn’t stop Matt Flynn from throwing 6 TD passes, I figured it would be a breeze for Brees to be great, and for the Saints to win.

If I learned anything about sports wagering in the years when I was very actively engaged in that pursuit it was that you can’t let odds determine where you put your money. You also should only bet the games or propositions that you have the most confidence in.

I ended up sweeping the board in the late game, winning all three bets plus winning my parlay. I was plus $1560, which meant I am plus $930 overall, going into today’s games.

Susan made a comeback too, even though she lost her parlay, and Detroit +10.5 points. She won the Over/Under and her straight (Money Line) bet on the Saints. She is only down $10 going into today.

So, today I am betting the following:

I am taking Atlanta +3 points over New York for $50.00.

I am taking over 47.5 points in the Atlanta/New York game for $100.00.

I am betting $310 on the Giants to win, which would earn me $200.00.

Total, in this game, I could win as much as $350.00, and lose as much as $475.00.

I am taking Denver +8 points over Pittsburgh for $50.00.

I am taking under 33.5 points in the Pittsburgh/Denver game for $50.00.

I am betting $2000.00 on Pittsburgh to win, which would earn me $500.00.

Leaving Vegas the hard way.

Total, in this game, I could win as much as $600.00, and lose as much as $2100.00.

For my parlay (which pays 13:5), I am taking New York –3 and Pittsburgh –8 for $100.00, which would earn me $260.00.

A part of me is also betting that Susan does better than I do.

Southern Cross

Stephen Stills

A truly great song and great lyrics.


Click the link, turn up the volume, and put this on full screen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuLBhxZUkmU&feature=related