Late Thursday Bloggy Thing

Vid O' The Day



It's s beauty day here in So Cal, clad in shorts and japflaps, and working from home. Just doesn't get better, unless you take out the whole working thing.

Pic O' The Day


Brad Van Pelt passed away yesterday, he was 57 years old. I remember this guy playing at State when I was a kid, makes me quite sad.

Pick O' The Day

Well, NC State covered last night, unfortunately Tech did not. Gat Damn Georgians, anyway. We'll just trudge onward, and head out west to Pauley Pavilion, where Pac 10 leading Washington faces off with UCLA. I love UCLA, my son graduated from there, and I hate going against them, as I always want them to win. The odds and the line on this one just seem way too lopsided in their favor, though, and I'm taking the Huskies to win for $100 at +325 odds, and am backing that up with the classic cover bet of $100 at +8.5 points at -110 odds. Washington is getting no respect, I guess we'll find out tonight if they deserve any. Both teams have a 19-6 record, the Bruins trail the Huskies by 1.5 games in the conference, and Washington owns an eleven point home victory against UCLA already. I don't get it, but I'm gonna bet it. The win bet will return $425 and the spread bet will return $191.

Streak: Lost 1
Overall: 2-7
Cash Balance: +$129

Back in (the) Black

Vid O' The Day



Pic O' The Day


Dwight Howard may have been upstaged by a midget in the Slam Dunk Contest, but there was no stopping him last night - 45 points, 19 boards, and 8 blocks as Orlando whacked Charlotte 107-102. Emeka Okafor reports that Howard's ass does not, in fact, taste good.

Pick O' The Day

Thank You Bruins and Hawks, you guys manned up and got us out of the hole. Let's see if we can keep the MoMentum going!

Nothing is really grabbing me today, so let's just head to the wacky ACC and parlay a couple underdogs...
Take Georgia Tech +14 points at Wake Forest, -110, and hit that with N.C. State at U.N.C. +19.5, also at -110. Our $200 bet will return $729. These are two huge spreads, a couple pretty elite teams against a couple weaker, yes, but these lines seem pretty exaggerated to me. Tech beat Wake by 2 on Jan 31, and the Heels did beat State pretty badly, by 17, on the same date. But the Pack's last two games were a 6 point victory over the Deacons, and a 21 point blowout of the Jackets, and they seem to be on the upswing as March approaches. You just never know in today's ACC, remember, this is the league where Boston College owns wins against both NC and the Dookies.

Streak: Won 2
Overall: 2-6
Cash Balance: +$329

O E O E O!!!

Vid O' The Day

Well, we finally won one - let's party!



Pic O' The Day


Happy 46th Birthday to Michael Jordan, shown here putting up his last shot as a Chicago Bull in the 1998 NBA Finals. He got nothing but net and sent the Jazz home, securing his sixth ring and legacy as one of the best players of all time. Probably THE best, IMO.

Pick O The Day

Sometimes the best bet is the one not made... Luckily for me, I couldn't hit U Conn to win as that bet was closed when I posted, and Pitt came through by not only covering, but by beating the not-for-long-#1 Huskies 76-68. So we played it a little safe and finally won, probably going to follow that strategy again today, right?

Screw that, we're going right back to parlaying 2 goal winners in hockey.

Boston is struggling right now, but owns a 3-0 series lead over Carolina this year, by a combined 13-5 score, and Timmy Thomas is 13-4 on the road this season. Take the Bruins -1.5 goals at +175, and parlay it with Chicago -1.5 goals over Tampa Bay at +145. The Hawks are 4-2 this month, and all four wins have been by at least two goals. Baby Huet is 8-3 lifetime against the Lightning, who have lost 6 of their last 8 games. This $200 combo bet will pay $1347.

Streak: Won 1 (!)
Overall: 1-6
Cash Balance: - $818

Happy Dead Prez Day

Vid O' The Day

Let's have one BIG Holiday!



Pic O' The Day


Little Big Man.

Pick O' The Day

I'm about ready to suspend the gambling portion of this section - not the Pick itself, just the gambling part - as it's tough to do these early in the morning when all betting options aren't offered. Unfortunately, early morning is when I can fit writing into my schedule, and it's the right time to put this out anyway. Today's marquee matchup is a very good example of being handcuffed by lack of choices, as #4 Pitt rolls into Storrs to face #1 U Conn, in what should be a very close game. There is no money line established yet for this game, I like the Huskies to win a squeaker, but like the Panthers to cover the 3 1/2 spread. It's a decent cover bet, one side should happen and both easily could, but since that wager isn't available we'll go with Pitt +3.5 points at -110, with a payout of $382. Time to make some "safer" bets and recoup a bit of moolah anyway...

Streak: Lost 6
Overall: 0-6
*Cash: -$1000

*It was pointed out to me by myself that I couldn't have bet the initial $200 if I didn't have it in the first place, therefore after the first loss my cash should have been $0 rather than minus $200. I am making that adjustment here today, not gonna go back and edit 6 entries...

Lazy Sunday

Vid O' The Day

Decent quality home video featuring my favorite guitarist. Don't give up on this one, halfway through Dave takes the song over and the rest is vintage Alvin.

Pic O' The Day


They're back! Mi Capitan Jason Varitek imparts wisdom to new/old Sox catcher Josh Bard, who will lead the league in passed balls this year if he draws the unenviable task of catching when Wakefield throws.


Pick O' The Day

We continue to plunge into gambling debt as neither of our hockey picks came through yesterday. Holy crap, when DOES baseball start? I play ESPN's Streak for the Cash, and yesterday I actually picked Tony Stewart to finish ahead of Dale Earhardt Jr. This is what it has come down to? Picking NASCAR results?? Jesus H Christ.

Today is more of the same - hockey, college hoops. As it's pretty well documented that I suck at picking both those sports this week, I'm going out of the box and picking the East over the West in the NBA All Star Game. The Right Coast is +155 and a $200 bet will bring back $510. Gotta win one sometime, and this game I could give a rat's ass about might just get us headed in the right direction. I mean, how the hell do you set odds for a friggin All Star Game, featuring two teams that have had a grand total of maybe two practices together? Please note if the West had been getting the plus odds, I would have taken them.

Streak: Lost 5
Overall: 0-5
Cash: -$1000

VD

Vid O' The Day



Pic O' The Day


Pick O' The Day

Now to the hard part... Kinda got the crap kicked out of me this week going 0-4 and down $800. We can make that up in a day, but a bit safer approach might be in order.

Well fuck that. We're diving right back into hockey, taking two favorites at -1.5 goals each. Boston is at Nashville, still stinging from a home loss to the Sharks, and have odds of +175 to win by two, while The Pens are in Toronto, at +190 to win by the same margin. Our $200 bet will return $1595, and we'll be in the pink, a nice place to be on Valentine's Day.

Streak: Lost 4
Overall: 0-4
Cash: -$800

I am a Mooreon, Fool!

Vid O' The Day

Pic O' The Day


Pick O' The Day

Fuck sports betting today, I now sit at 0-4 for the week, down 8 bills, and have to wait for a virtual payday so I have more rent money to gamble. Got Damn Tail Blazers. This is where the "And Stuff" part of the blog title comes in handy...

So I also read. Not out loud, not to crowds of people, but for enjoyment. When I read Christopher Moore books, I am not a quiet reader, as I typically snork and giggle like a schoolgirl at most every page. The man is simply my favorite writer and makes me laugh. A lot. Chris' latest book, "Fool", came out on Tuesday, and with each new release we get the pleasure of attending a book signing, which was last night at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. Zip and I got there early and had the pleasure of not only a good cup of cinnamon laced Starbuck's, but a half hour visit with The Author Guy his ownself and a couple of his close friends. It was a special treat, Thanks for tearing yourself away from the nubile minions a tad early and suffering us AG!
The event was awesome, standing room only, I'd estimate 175 people. Chris talked for 20 minutes or so and had the crowd laughing from the start. The requisite Q&A followed, and then we trudged outside to our assigned spot of number 86 in line to get the Man's signature on the new Precious. It took a good hour and a half to get through the line, but persevere we did, and after a brief visit we exited for the evening, priceless autographed first edition in hand. It was a great night, one I won't soon forget.

So anyway, read this book. Here's the intro:

"This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as nontraditional grammar, split infinitives, and the odd wank . . . If that's the sort of thing you think you might enjoy, then you have happened upon the perfect story!"

HERE is a brief synopsis from the author's website, fondly known as The Boardello. If you poke around the site a bit (like, right on the Home Page) you will also find Chapter One, should you still be teetering on the fence as to whether this truly is a "must" read. How cool is that?
So hie thee there, fair maidens and stout lads, and venture to the local bookseller posthaste. You shant have regrets, this is one pick for which I have full confidence that I am fucking spot on.