Power Position Betting

Rocket Yankee

2007-05-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

So. Everyone is asking, what does Roger Clemens on the Yankees mean?

It's Roger Clemens. What do you think it means? Only good things, and another reason to hate the Yankees. Oh well. So it goes.

Nash's Bloody Nose

2007-05-06T18:37:00.000-04:00

3-1 in baseball and see? It's not that difficult.

1-1 with the Nets. After I wrote that I probably should have bet with the points, I dropped 100 on that, and no worries, down 10 bucks now on the B-Ball...good times.

What I'm going to do sometime soon is explain a little about my betting strategy for baseball. Hey, 7-2 in two days that you saw, pretty decent but I definitely don't do that every day--obviously. I've been all right in baseball so far, however, so I'm looking forward to breaking down my method a bit. Well, see ya.

And did you see Nash's bloody nose? Game ball goes to Tony Parker, not only did he have an outstanding game, he delivered the knockout head butt to Nash--unintentional I know, but since I hate the Spurs...pretty damn intentional--and also drew a late hack-a-shaq foul call to make it a 4 point game. Very impressive, Mr. Parker. Very impressive.

Question: does this mean Nash is going to be playing with the plastic guard? Do it, Nash. Do it. It never fails.

Devils Done, Rd 2 NBA

2007-05-06T02:34:00.000-04:00

I was a wee bit worried about the Senators, and well, they demolished the Devils. They are my new pick to win the Stanley Cup. As for the Devils, well, better luck next year I guess. I was so excited to see a Devils Rangers series, then they both blew it. Oh well. Good thing I didn't bet on any of that.

NBA, I am making my first wager of the playoffs (am I kidding you? Nope. Seriously, I'm anti-betting in the playoffs, for the most part. Plus, I've had a lot of crap to do lately, so I put that on hold for a while) NJ over Cleveland outright. 100 bucks to win 250. Why not, I got a C-note burning a hole in my account, might as well waste it on the rather foolish idea that Cleveland is going to come out a bit flat while the Nets attack with all they have, start the series with a road win. The line is 6.5, I should have taken the points, but hey...

Gotta do these things sometimes.

Anyway, I was 4-0 in the East for round 1, 1-3 in the West (note: I picked against SA for the greatest of reasons, I hate them. Also, I wanted T-Mac to win so bad, I picked them against my better judgment, and I gave no respect to Golden State. Good job me.)

So...The Eastern Conference finals will be between Cleveland and Chicago. Why? Because I think that is more exciting.

And The Western Conference Finals? Phoenix VS Golden State, because that will be flat out awesome.

If I actually had to bet, however, it would be Detroit Cleveland, Phoenix and Utah. But they aren't my picks, I'm sticking to my entertainment gut. I want it, and I want it now.

Picks Review

2007-05-06T02:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, so in my little post yesterday, I put out my bets I did for earlier today, and I went 4-1. Not bad. Def take it. The one misfire was the Atlanta Braves, and Hudson didn't pitch all that bad, Atlanta just didn't score until it was too late. Happens. Look at Halladay, a lot of people lost on him today, but what can you do. I liked how the Yankees rebounded, I like how Santana properly scared me from taking the Sox, who had a chance to win it late on an Ortiz or Manny homer, but it didn't happen. I sort of wish I kept the 100's going with the Mets, but hey, no regrets.

So, I share one day and I go 4-1. Fortuitous or part of a larger pattern? To help you decide, I'll go again. Note: when I say 100 on Yankees (which I will, shortly), I mean I bet whatever I need to bet to win a 100. I don't know, that's just how I roll...I guess. On to the picks.

Second note: The 100 bets, in most cases, involve teams on winning streaks. For example, the Tigers bet I'm about to make, they already made me 400 bucks, since I started betting them once they hit 2. So if I lost this bet, I'd be up about 270 or so, which is not bad. Meanwhile, the Yankees bet I made yesterday, I had to put up 275 to win 100. A bit more risky there, but I was just sure they were going to win--worst thing to do, I know, but you have to sometimes.

100 on Yankees (sticking with the possibility of an upcoming streak).
100 on Tigers.
50 on Baltimore. (Sabathia loses first game this year, Baltimore hits 3)
50 on Oakland.

Easy bets, easy bets.

Stubborn

2007-05-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

Okay. Igawa was pitching for the Yankees today, so I made half my usual bet, 50 bucks. Lost it, terrible, but tomorrow it's Wang VS Weaver, so I'm upping it to 100 on the Yankees. I'm rolling with the Mets and Tigers anyway, I'm gonna drop the Mets to 50 though, just cause I'm a wee-bit superstitious (too much to explain)--plus, they're going against Webb. See no reason to stop with the Tigers, roll as long as they take me, even if they lose, their little streak got me more than covered here (began it when they hit 2, for me own reasons, sure) covered here. I was thinking of hitting the Red Sox up, but they are up against Santana, ain't touching that. But I'll hit Hudson and the Braves with 50, and I'm going to do another 50 on Tampa Bay over the Oakland A's...why not.

So, to breakdown, I'm not only sticking with the Yankees, but going for 100.
Tigers for 100.
Mets for 50.
Atlanta for 50.
Tampa Bay for 50.

And I'm done. Let's not get too crazy, and this, my friends, is a sample of some of the bets I do. Not too complicated, no high roller here, feel the pitchers, see the stats, don't go too crazy. I'm not touching the NBA playoffs, not touching the NHL playoffs, cause serious, I'm excited enough as it is just watching and who the hell knows, you know? I don't need it. It's time for baseball. And if I lose all 5 bets? Not the first time, won't be the last time, but I highly doubt it. Usually this is a bit more than I do, actually, btu screw it. It's Saturday baseball, live a little, right?

Dallas Loses, Warriors Win!

2007-05-04T01:52:00.000-04:00

The question is, can the Golden State Warriors get healthy? Baron Davis is a god, but if he can't run the court against the Jazz or Rockets...well, I think he'll be all right. Hopefully the Raptors beat the Nets, force a game seven and make everyone wait just a bit longer. If anything, Davis can take it slow for game 1 though of course he won't. Question: who is the better match up for the Warriors to beat so they can play against the Suns in the Western Finals?

Easy. The Rockets. Everyone root for the Rockets to win Game Seven. Both the Jazz and Rockets are great teams, but you know Yao is going to have 7 turnovers a game, and McGrady, I love him, but I'm worried about his not advancing a team past the first round. This way, he can get over that bump, then lose to the Warriors. Please lose to the Warriors and let Baron Davis and company heal up, because I want to see Suns Warriors now, cause I couldn't imagine more exciting basketball. Seriously. Do it.

Do it.

What a Night / Just so you Sports Investors know...

2007-05-04T00:21:00.000-04:00

I can't stay away. Part of me accepted the bet I made on the Mets today as a loss. Hey, they won 11 straight times in Arizona, you figure why not 12. It's okay though. Baseball is a long season, from a gambling standpoint, I didn't care. As a fan though, I wanted it...

So Green hits a ball to ex-Met Clark, who pulls a Buckner. Then Lo Duca walks on a couple close pitches, and Valverde loses it. Throws two balls to ex-Diamondback Easley, then a fastball which is absolutely rocked and suddenly, my bet is genius. On top of Mariano picking up his second save (fantasy team, no bet there), on top of this crazy Dallas Golden State game, can you get any better for a Thursday night of sports?

Didn't think so. And we still got the second half of the b-ball game...

PS, plus, Wright just homered to add some emphasis on this win. He's on my fantasy team too, so I'm riding wild tonight.

PPS, and here's some advice for sports investors. Yankees just hit the magic number of 3 straight, and they got Seattle, Texas, then Seattle coming up again. They are angry, and they are ready to go on a roll. Investors, ante up and ride that bull...

But yeah, back to the b-ball game.

Question:

2007-05-03T23:52:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else slightly disturbed by Dwayne Wade eating a lollipop in that commercial with Charles Barkley? I just saw it again during this Golden State Dallas game, and what are they trying to say? Weird, that's all I gotta say. Weird.

Barkley must be in NAMBLA or something.

Impressions III, Game 6

2007-05-03T23:48:00.000-04:00

Dirk...oh Dirk. MVP? Well, it's a tough series on you, but I have a feeling you're just making it exciting, right? Gonna go down 9 with 3 minutes left before you decide it's time to shoot? Sure. Well, a hobbled Baron Davis and a terrible Dirk is making for just an incredible game. Would you bet on this game? Anything can happen. I didn't, and wouldn't have touched this game with a ten foot pole. True, I am conservative, but c'mon, this is sick. Just sick.

Dallas is down by two at halftime, maybe I'll come back before it's over but I doubt it. I'm just getting back in the groove, you know? I'm hoping Rivera comes in for a second save, I hope the Mets can come back with the bottom of their order in the 9th...but most of all, I just want this Dallas game to end as sick as it began. Well, CollegeBoy out to watch the game, see you tomorrow folks, and I hope I'll be as excited tomorrow as I am right now.

Jesus this is a good game. Oakland fans are insane. I love em.

Impressions II, Game 6

2007-05-03T23:21:00.000-04:00

So 25 total points for Dallas before they hit a two, just now tying the game with Baron Davis on the sideline, walking gingerly on a slightly pulled hamstring--oh, who needs hamstrings? The crowd is crazy, I wish I could have been there (who doesn't, right...) But...yeah. This whole series is a true fan's dream. Golden State is just all heart, every play, every little move they make, Don Nelson's scheme of no scheme is genius. It's just a lot of fun, and you know how I've been begging for Mavericks VS Phoenix? Screw that. I want Suns VS Warriors, let's do it Baron. Heal up. Let's go.

Impressions, Game 6

2007-05-03T23:07:00.000-04:00

Dallas Golden State, oh my.

Baron Davis Hurt...you have got to be kidding me.

Just the worst thing that can happen right now, he is the motor, the energy, the man for them, but he'll be back. It's all a question of whether or not Golden State can hold the score relatively close. And how amazing are these threes for Dallas? This series is ridiculous.

Earlier, Houston lost in Utah. Everyone saw that happening, right? And here's what a little birdie told me, Houston is going to lose game seven. Tracy McGrady, I love you, I'm going to cheer for you, but...history is history. I hope I'm wrong. I'm not betting...but if I had to, I would go with Utah who will probably be 2, 3 point underdogs. We'll see though.

All right, back to this game.

Random Thoughts

2007-05-02T23:43:00.000-04:00

So the Devils are in danger. Do I abandon them? Of course not. They have a solid team, and they can do this. The important thing is to not give Ottawa power plays, they are just scary with a man up. Brodeur has been shaky, really shaky, but well, it's do or die and they are one step away. Tell you what though, they come back from this, I will guarantee the Stanley Cup. And if Ottawa wins, they become the favorites to win the whole thing, telling you all right now.

Too many stories to talk about in baseball, Arod cooled down and what is up with Mariano? He is on my fantasy team and dragging me down, and I keep telling myself to just take him out, maybe pickup Valverde who is for some reason, still available in my league (but he's coming up against the Mets, ain't touching him just yet) but can you sit Rivera? That's how you win champions, or so they say. Last year when I won, I just stuck with my guys through thick and thin, as they say as well, and it turned out all right, so I might as well keep him in--sports investing wise, the lines are going down on the Yankees, and I think a streak is on the way. I made a nice bet the other day, second game of the Red Sox series, I just didn't think the Yankees were gonna lose 8 in a row. I got even money. Not bad.

Golden State and Dallas. Oh my god. Golden State is totally going to do this. I admit, I was down on them, I knew they were 3-0 but 8 seed over 1? Yeah, we think about it, yeah we like it when it happens, but do you wager on that? Could you wager? I didn't touch it, a buddy of mine put money on them to win the series, not a lot, but hey...he's totally rocking it. Speaking of Rocking, this Rockets Jazz series is awesome as well--as long as its in Houston. McGrady and company simply can't play in Utah, take that into consideration for tomorrow.

Cleveland, yawn, Detroit yawn...I almost forgot they were in. Nets Raptors is something special, however, and they should have won that game so bad. Nachbar, 0-7 from 3, who could see that coming? Oh well, they'll take care of business on Saturday. Go Nets...maybe you can sell out actually now.

And the draft...wow, I picked some week to take a break, huh? Well, everyone knows what happened, who did good. Go Cleveland, I'm a fan of the Jets moves, I hate the Patriots and their Madden team will be ridiculous, not bad for the Raiders though--they'll probably get Keyshawn, seeing him at the draft and then what happened, well, that's life. Dolphins are idiots. 49ers were solid, Bills were solid, who did the Giants draft again? Eh, they're all right. I really wanted them to take Brian Leonard, but hey, him and Stephen Jackson, Jesus. I still remember playing with Rutgers in College Football before they were good, every play, Leonard. I hope he makes it in the league, he's a special player.

Well, it's gonna take me a while to get back into form. Even though it's just been a week, you know how it is, feel out the stories, feel out the words, see how they fall...well, I'm back and ready to go. Let's go.

So. What did I miss?

2007-05-01T22:32:00.001-04:00

Anything?

Second Round NHL Playoffs

2007-04-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

Hope no one is missing me. How did my bet on the Mets work this week VS Colorodo? 2 wins, 1 loss, eh. Not too bad. Money in my pocket. Anyhow, I'm taking a quick break to go over my hock stats and give my picks for round two.

Round One saw me go...4 and 4. But...you have to realize something. You didn't really expect me to gamble on Calgary over Detroit? Nor Atlanta over the Rangers (I didn't touch that one, until I realized that the Rangers were still hot hot hot...) And I was wrong about the Dallas winning in 7, but then again, I didn't bet that Game 7. Did not even think about it. As a fan I wanted Turco to win the big game, he had a great series, but...hey...that's why you don't bet on everything.

So, with all that in mind, my picks for round two are...

East

Sticking with the Devils as my Stanley Cup pick since December, they beat a very tough Ottawa team. I was a bit let down by their series VS the Penguins, but what can you do. This is going to be excellent hockey.

And sorry Rangers fans. I know I said this with you VS the Thrashers, but Buffalo is a little different. I do hope you win, seriously. Devils VS Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals? That is as insane as it gets, and I want it to happen so bad...but Buffalo wins this. Or you know what? Screw it. Rangers win, and a week or so from now, Rangers and Devils go at it.

West

Okay. Ducks, another of my early favorites, handle business VS the Canucks. All of these series are going to be good by the way, the fan boy in me is rising up...

Because I'm going with Sharks over the Red Wings. Oh yeah, it's gonna happen.

Rangers VS Devils. Sharks Vs Ducks.

East Coast. West Coast.

East Coast wins...

Oh yeah.

4 Bosox Homers in a Row

2007-04-22T22:10:00.001-04:00

The day that I say no updates for the week, Boston decides to hit 4 homers in a row to come back from a 3-0 deficit in their bid to sweep the Yankees in Dice-K's first game VS the Yanks. Just goes to show you that something is always happening, huh?

And who else is liking what they see of Golden State and Dallas so far? Some people on the tubes were talking about this being a good series and I admit I didn't give it much thought, but I am thoroughly impressed. And the Nets handle the Raptors, Heat and Bulls have a good game, Kobe can't do enough...yeah, pretty good start to the playoffs so far.

How sick would single elimination be?

And, just to mention this, keep track of the streaks in baseball: you have, Boston, Baltimore, the Angels, and the Giants currently on winning streaks. Losing streaks are: Toronto and Seattle. A bunch of teams are on the cusp, so just keep your eye out. From my own fan perspective, I'm going with the Mets here against the Rockies...for my own reasons. We'll see how I do.

Well, I know I said no updates this week, but I'll probably see y'all tomorrow.

No Updates This Week

2007-04-22T17:42:00.000-04:00

Apologies to all, but the blog won't be getting any new posts this week...

But you know the drill, if something amazing happens, I'll find a computer and I'll post something. So stay safe, stay sharp, stay smart. I'll see you all next week.

A Word for VT

2007-04-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

Terrible. The whole situation is terrible, but there is no reason to give it this much coverage. There's a real problem with the news, always has been, the sensationalism that is rampant as they flock over tragedy like a swarm of locusts over freshly planted crops. How many times can we hear conjecture after hypothesis, followed by a fact or two which only leads to more conjecture. And some people truly disgust me, these men and women who wait for these things to happen so they can trot out their, violent video games are at fault. Every time I hear that argument, I want to grab a gun and shoot them in the face. It's so silly, and to use a tragedy like this to propel them forward? Way to be a human being.

It's horrible, what else do you want to know about it? Maybe if they didn't put the shooter on every front page and on ever news site and channel and radio station, people wouldn't do this, because the next one will just be bigger and then bigger, until every week some nut with a gun is vying for the front page. But hey, these issues run deep and we're a sports blog, so how do you transition from one to the other?

We can't do it smoothly, because life isn't smooth, and on that note, this is my favorite time of year. NHL playoffs, NBA playoffs, NFL Draft, and baseball beginning. I hope I can do a draft day commentary, but I don't think I can. Oh well, listen. Enjoy it people, you never know how long you have on this earth, and it's the little things in life that make the world a good and decent place. It's a sea of shit out there, but try and find an island once in a while, you know? Well, happy sailing people.

Basketball Playoffs Set

2007-04-19T22:51:00.001-04:00

Okay, so NHL didn't go as planned, necessarily. 50/50 with a lot of explanation that went for naught...for the most part. Pens Senators fizzled, Sharks Predators didn't live up to my heightened expectations, Buffalo Islanders as expected, Atlanta fell apart, Devils Lighting def as expected, crazy series there. All in all, not a bad start, but good enough, good enough.

So short and sweet, I'm going to run through the first round of the NBA. Just the winners, ma'am.

East
Detroit, Cleveland (no way Washington is winning this...but if they do, hugest upset since, I don't even know), and two upsets: one likely, Bulls over Heat. The other, Nets over Raptors. Likely as well, I mean, do you think Vince Carter is going to lose to the Raptors? And the Bulls dominated the Heat, so I can see the Heat winning this out. Rematch of last year, so I expect it to be good.

West
Dallas (Golden State sweeping this series is worth as much as my sperm to a hole in the ground), Phoenix (Kobe though will make it interesting, to talk about at least), Denver (upset special, they are hot and the Spurs, well, I hate the Spurs)...and in the best match-up, oh man. Screw it, Houston and T-Mac. I want him to win this, but Utah may be too good.

Let's see how this plays out, but we certainly got intriguing storylines...but then again, we always do. Let's hope it translates to some kick ass games.

Is Sports Investing Real?

2007-04-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

You know, there is a real danger involved in the whole sports investing business. On one hand, there is the conception that we are putting a glossy spin on what is essentially gambling. Then, the opposite viewpoint is that our picks are meant to be surefire selections, hitting all the time. Well, I'm here to address both of these concerns, beginning with the second premise: why, if we are sports investors and do all this research, do our picks sometimes average to be 54%? (This has been our lowest winning percentage over a single month at PPB in the last year.)

The answer is simple enough. There are two forces at work. Short term VS long term, and the consequences of these two forces interacting are the crux of sports investing. We post month by month updates to give tangible evidence to our claims that we can make our members or the people who bought our product money...over the long term. Here in America, we are obsessed with making a quick buck. But that's not how life works. So we sit here, trying to put a smile on a situation, sometimes suffering through 1-6 nights...because the short term doesn't matter and you will have bad days. It is inevitable. But as long as you approach each wager and each new day with a certain mindset, you will see the fruits of your labor. Like anything in life, it really is a grind, and this is what we try to tell our members, but it's hard. It's something a person has to realize for themselves, something I myself--young as I am--am realizing right now.

Now, for the first concern. Are we putting a shiny gloss on sports gambling? Are we breaking down very complex and open phenomena into simple rudimentary facets that we can control for a profit? Well, yes and no. Obviously we are trying to get people out there who have a negative conception of sports gambling to try out what we feel is an underutilized economic opportunity. So we use the term sports investing, and elevate it above the base persona of the gambler--and in point of fact, there are differences between the investor and the gambler. Take a look at poker professionals and poker amateurs. Anyone is capable of getting lucky, of winning a big tournament or going on a hot streak, but who makes the most money? Who makes the most appearances at final tables in tournaments?

I use poker since it is still a relatively hot phenomena, and it exemplifies the very root of what I am trying to say: that sports investing is working with simple enough constructs, is building tough mental discipline, is focusing, and working off the long haul. Hey, quick bucks are out there. Other services who offer picks claim to make all their members quick and easy money, and while we claim to make our members money, we're not saying it's quick, and we're not saying it's easy. It may seem easy, but sports investing takes a lot. Read up on it. Study it. You'll see that it's very real, and very profitable. You just have to go at it the right way.

Baseball and Blacks

2007-04-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of talk recently about why blacks are abandoning baseball for basketball and football, as the numbers of whites and other minorities are increasing. One point that seems to keep being brought up is the economics of the sport--which is a silly argument. While true, basketball needs just a ball for play (and football, if you want to play without pads), but isn't it true of baseball as well? A bat and ball are relatively cheap, are perfect gifts for birthday or Christmas, and the idea that a neighborhood is devoid of a single bat is ludicrous. The fact of the matter, and it is a simple fact at that, is that baseball doesn't have any huge personable and relatable stars. Barry Bonds? Call him inflatable, an ass who gets on everybody's nerves, including the great he is currently chasing, Hank Aaron, who is planning a fishing trip when is hallowed record is surpassed by a dick injected with chemicals. What other black baseball athlete can the youth of today relate to? They exist, of course they do, but they carry half the weight that Kobe Bryant, Randy Moss, LeBron James, Wade, Tomlinson, Vick, Michael Jordan (still a huge influence), and so on and so forth.

In fact, the same question is posited for whites and the NBA. Why are whites abandoning the NBA? And the stars are there, Dirk and Nash--as if the youth of today can only relate to someone of their own skin color, but that is a whole different article. All I know is that I wish I could be Jose Reyes, or Tomlinson, or, hell, anybody who can play. Anyway, the answer usually is the same to both questions, the hip-hop culture. Now, this in itself is another article, but there is another simple answer to both questions and all questions relating the popularity of a sport, either to a particular demographic or the entire country...

Cycles. Era. As one ends, another begins, and in some cases, a sport loses popularity and in another it gains it. There is no doubt the current national sport of choice is football, no question judging by all reliable statistics. But the other sports do all right (minus hockey, of course), and who knows, football cannot be king forever. So while people, myself included, search for answers as to why a certain sport is losing popularity, just know that sometimes--like all things in life--it is time for something to go.

And no worries, it'll be back. Sooner or later, like all fads, it will be back.

Terrible Weather

2007-04-15T17:01:00.000-04:00

Can there be worse weather for baseball? Today we have six baseball games postponed today, SIX! We had a foot of snow that destroyed a Mariners Vs Indians series, and a host of below 50 degree games. Terrible, just terrible.

And there are still people out there who think Climate Change is a liberal myth? All I know is that the weather over my relatively short time here on Earth has...well, it's been pretty crazy these last few years. Looking at the numbers, it's just not a good sign. If I was a gambling man, and I am, I'd be putting my money on these problems not only continuing, but getting worse. Can we do something to stop it? Do we want to?

I don't know, and as a continuation of my Friday the 13th post, that's pretty scary as well.

Friday the 13th

2007-04-13T22:34:00.001-04:00

I'm going to take a look at three (scary number alert) terrifying teams in all the major sports...

1. The Washington Nationals

I would hate to be a fan of this team, just horrifying baseball so far. They can't score early at all (have the record for not scoring in the first 3 innings), are playing some atrocious defense, pitching hasn't been THAT bad (don't look at stats) because what does it matter if you can't score runs? Former Mets assistant Manny Acta is in for a long season.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

They were a team that came together and forced the NFL to create new rules for the conduct of football players. Would you start with anyone on this team? It's like a squad of Michael Myers wannabes rolling around town drunk, if only Pacman could have been drafted on this team, can you imagine the back page fodder? Dear lord...

3. The Boston Celtics

The most terrifying thing about this team/situation is...it's the Boston Celtics, they suck...

And nobody cares. How scary is that?

Random Notes

2007-04-12T22:03:00.000-04:00

Good day to be a sports fan in the New York area. Devils and Rangers both came out to play, still a long series but it's always good to start off on the right foot. And how about the Mets? I saw Glavine walk three early on and I felt like punching some random person in the face, but he calmed down and is now 8 wins away from 300. Yeah, he'll get it this year.

Jimmy Rollins hit two homes today to lead the National League. He's one of my more favorite players, one of those guys I like to get for my fantasy team. The Phillies are hurting right now, but no worries. Once the weather heats up, once their boys start playing, they'll be fine. And the Nationals? Sure they beat the Braves today, but they are still hurting. And of course they beat Smoltz, another one of those guys I make a point to draft. I had a feeling too...

I hate fantasy. How about warm weather though, that's a fantasy I can live with. 50 games so far have been played in below 50 degree weather, as opposed to 12 last year. That's one of the principle reasons that scoring is down. The other main reason? Lack of steroids.

Well, great time for sports right now, a lot of convergences. Beginning of baseball, NHL and NBA playoffs, good times. A lot of betting now too, and a lot of craziness, that's for certain. One suggestion for people who want/can afford to, maybe take a little step away. Especially if you're just beginning, a lot of crap goes out the window in these situations, and you have to rely on more visceral information. But if you're comfortable with it, if you're already a professional handicapper, by all means, I have no wisdom to impart except a wish of good luck.

Good luck.

And the Winner is...

2007-04-11T23:16:00.000-04:00

Felix! Wow was he dominant. Nasty, just nasty.

And Don Imus? Yeah, you're definitely losing your job.

Ichiro VS Dice-K

2007-04-11T16:27:00.000-04:00

"I hope he arouses the fire that's dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul," Ichiro said. "I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger."

After going 0-3 with 3 k's yesterday VS Beckett, was Ichiro a little nervous about today? Two samurai go head to head--I mean, can't you see the ghost of Akira Kurosawa showing up with a camera? This is huge, Dice-K VS Ichiro, Dice-K VS Felix, awesome pitching matchup, but way too much hype. Will it be good? I hope so. Regardless, bar and friends, here I come...

"Nappy Headed Hos"

2007-04-10T13:57:00.000-04:00

I have to talk about this, it involves Don Imus and my team, Rutgers Woman's Basketball, who had a stellar campaign to finish runner up, losing to Tennessee in the finals. I won't say it's disgusting, I won't say it's retarded, and I won't say it's wrong. Everyone knows it's all three, and there's no need for me to pontificate. What I will say, however, is that Don Imus looks like he was born through a cow's asshole. Seriously. Have you seen him? He has this big old flat face, looks like someone took an ugly 2x4 and smacked him repeatedly. He has this dazed cowboy-drawl, like he's been sucking himself dry for a few years now and gets so caught up in the act, the rest of the world loses it's reality. I mean, look at him, and just imagine him coming out a cow's asshole. Imagine: you have the cow standing there, black and white, moo, moo, moo, cow bell and all, chewing on some grass, pregnant. Then, the cow screams, its in labor. The flat face gray haired idiot grin comes first, and for a while it's just his head sticking out the cow's butt, and Imus doesn't care, he doesn't even know what planet he's on. "Cow's asshole," he says in his am-I-still-alive drawl, "Look, I know I say some wrong things, and sometimes I step over the line." Now comes the rest, his tall lanky body squeezes out and he's already dressed in tight jeans and an "Kill me Now" belt buckle he bought in the I-Hate-Howard store that he's been pitching since he realized he's not half the voice that Howard is. Ba-Ba-Booie, you dumb nut. The more I see of him, the more am I afraid to go to sleep. He'll probably come after me and tell me all these stories he thinks are so great, how outrageous he is, and that's a nightmare I just can't have. Seriously. I'm not sleeping until I forget about Don Imus again. I totally forgot he was even alive still. All of a sudden he's in the news and I'm thinking Geraldo dug up his grave or something, but no, he had the audacity to call the Rutgers squad a team of nappy headed hos? Woah, good job Imus. Way to go. I hate you even more now. Can someone do me a favor and send me one funny thing he has said over the years? I assume early on he must have said some funny things, but please, really. I don't understand first how he is still alive and two, how he still has a show on the air. I mean, don't fire him over this, fire him cause he sucks.

And Rutgers Women? Sure I made fun of you a bit, sure I may have come across as a bit of a misogynist (but really, I mean, we are talking woman's basketball here...) but it was all in good fun, because I was there cursing Sportsbook.com for not allowing me to bet on you VS UConn, I was there watching your games and hexing that Duke girl and I was there when you shut down Arizona. And though I didn't watch the final, I was there in spirit. I wish you all nothing but the best of luck, and I wish all hell to break upon Mr. Born out of a Cow's Asshole Don Imus.

MLB Week 1 Review

2007-04-09T23:07:00.001-04:00

Have to start with the strong NL East. Atlanta, Florida, and the Mets got off to a hot start. I still think the Mets have this division, but fans have to be worried about the Braves. 14 in a row was 14 in a row, and this is not a team to stay down. Can Bob Wickman continue to give them the closer stability? Probably. Is Andrew Jones just a flat out ridiculous fielder who can change a game? Without doubt. Is their core group getting a little old? Not really, and they got plenty of young talent ready to play. Mets still take this division, but Atlanta--behind Smoltz and a looking a bit better so far Tim Hudson--fights it out for second and the wildcard. And don't sleep on the Phillies. Their gentle beasts in the form of Utley and Howard are awakening. They will start playing soon, though as a Mets fan, today's late-inning rally was so sweet it put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

After that, where is the crazy 9-0 team? All teams have losses already. That's no fun. And the Royals have two wins already? Two wins? Come on. I feel like the baseball foundation is shaking beneath my feet, at least every team has a win already too. What's going on? Well, here's some quick hits from around the league:

Arizona 6-2? And who can't wait to see Randy back there again? I hope he rips it...how old is he now? 40-scary? Who will win either Central division? I wish I knew how Cleveland would be playing at this point, but they had to contend with a foot of snow...yes, a foot of snow. That baseball foundation I was talking about? It's shaking, and it's frozen. I heard the East Coast might get some snow in a couple days as well...

What's going on?

Tampa Bay is at the bottom of the AL East, no surprise, but why do I always root for them? They have some really good players too. Kazmir, as a Mets fan, every time I see you on the mound I punch myself in the gut so I never forget. You are our generation's Nolan Ryan. And they have Iwamua too. I went to pick him up on my fantasy team and my buddy had him two days ago. So annoying. It's early, what are you changing your roster around for? Stay put, and let me get some of these monsters. Is Iwamura a monster? Very possibly yes.

Cubs are supposed to be beasts, right? 3-4, so what's going on? Oh yeah, perfect illustration on the role of media. Here's the thing, the mouths in the media are incapable of shutting up. They have to talk. So they talk about how the Cubs are doomed and stupid for paying all this money for top-end talent that obviously isn't working...seven games into the season. Oh, they say that disclaimer too--we know it's seven games into the season...but--and well, it's seven games into the season! What's going on?

Angels. K-Rod. Is it his fault that he got a bit too excited? Should we suspend players from their There's Something About Mary pre-game ritual? I think not. Cards got swept by the Mets, what's going on? What should have happened last year...that's what. But enough of that.

As always, another exciting beginning to the season, it needs some time to really form into something, but we certainly have interesting topics. Bonds. Aaron. Griffey JR. Arod. Randy Johnson. Clemens. Pedro. Schmidt. The Royals. On and on, we got stuff to talk about, cause here's the thing--bloggers are incapable of not typing. You can see them without their keyboards, pantomiming the movement of striking keys. And what's going on?

Baseball is going on. Let the snow come, through wind, through...well, wind, they'll play on.

NHL Playoffs Set (WEST)

2007-04-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, so you saw the East, now it's time to take a look at the craziness out West, and we might as well start off with the number one seed, Detroit Red Wings VS the Calgary Flames. Hasek VS Kiprusoff in the first round, are you kidding me? How great is that to kick things off, and if one goalie gets particularly hot, I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge upset here. In fact, let's roll with it. Calgary wins in 7. Oh man, it's gonna be nuts. Iginla is hot, is going to stay hot, Mikka will keep his pads together, yeah, Detroit in 7. I mean Calgary, oh...I have no idea.

Fine. Calgary. Let's do it.

Ducks Wild is one of the easier ones. I've been a fan of the Ducks all season, and it's one of my personal beliefs they got a bit bored halfway through. Well, bored no more once Stanley comes a knocking. Giggy has some off-ice issues, but it's not a problem. He's a professional, the team is very professional and very experienced, and I think Ducks advance in 5 or 6 over a very good Minnesota team it's own right (lowest amount of goals let up this year), just not good enough.

Vancouver Dallas is another tough one. Two teams built around quality goalies in Luongo and Turco respectively, both have solid teams and I can see this getting a bit ugly. In the end, Vancouver--led by the two Sedin's--will prevail in 6. Dallas is another of those funny teams with such good defense, however, that if things break the right way (but then again, you can say that about every team, what I love about hockey playoffs...) they can easily win this out too. You know what? Defense wins in the NHL playoffs, and I'll switch this one as well. Dallas in 7.

Now, perhaps the series I am most looking forward to, San Jose Sharks VS Nashville Predators. When this series was announced, you could hear the wind and the showdown music, you know what I'm talking about. This is a repeat from last year, which San Jose won, and I think they win again over one of the much more improved teams in the league. Nashville ran out and acquired Forsberg just for this occasion, but I still like the Sharks more. Cheechoo, Michalek, and Thorton, oh my my my. Sharks have a superior power play unit, and we will all see it in action in the upcoming weeks. I like the Sharks in 6, maybe 7.

So there you have it. One league is all favorites, the other league is pretty much all upsets. As always, the reality will be somewhere in between (always seems what happens to me, but bet your dollar I'm keeping track.) Will the Devils win? Will the Mighty Ducks, my runner up, run up? Will Sharks/Predators and Penguins/Senators prove to be the most exciting? Will Sean Avery really be the most overrated player in the league?

Well, tune in. Or at least keep track of it. These are gonna be good games. On this, I have a very good feeling.

NHL Playoffs Set (EAST)

2007-04-08T21:03:00.000-04:00

The best point in an NHL season has arrived. I admit I slogged through the regular season, what can I say? It doesn't interest me as much, but hockey playoffs, now that's something I can watch pretty regularly. Here's a quick look at what I see happening in all the first round match ups...

Beginning with the Devils (my mid-season pick to win the Stanley Cup). They have home ice advantage against Tampa Bay, the one team I did not want them to play against. These two have a history, and it's in the Lightning's favor. Still, Devils win this in 6, possibly 7. I have a feeling, from watching and reading about them, that they are going to come together as a team even more so. You got Gionta and Elias hurt all year, Gomez with who knows what went wrong, but they will come to play along with one of the better D's in the league. However, this is one of the bigger upsets I can see happening.

Buffalo wins easy. Sorry Islanders fans.

Rangers VS Atlanta. Sorry Rangers fans. Lundquist will definitely win you at least two games (rebounding nice year from last year's embarrassment)--he has just been nasty lately, one of the best in the game. Still, Atlanta is too much. They can roll out 4 decent lines and have a pretty good goalie in net themselves, young and looking to make a name for himself. This could possibly go seven, and probably will get very ugly. Definitely good tv here. So yeah, Atlanta in seven I'll say.

Then Pittsburgh VS Ottawa. Two of my more favorite teams to watch, and I'm going to go with the lone upset and pick Pittsburgh to win in 6 or 7. If Rangers and Atlanta is as good as I think it will be, Pittsburgh and Ottawa are going to be twice as good. I have a feeling this series is gonna be a lot of fun, and here's hoping Malkin can rise again.

So wait a second CollegeBoy, no upsets? Well, you know how the Western Conference is supposedly much better than the Eastern Conference in the NBA? I guess you could say the same thing for the NHL. Pure points wise, 4 teams with 100 or more points in the East, and seven in the West. In fact, the 8th seed almost could have been the #3 seed in the East, as Calgary had one less point than the aforementioned Thrashers of Atlanta.

You know what this means. Craziness out in the West...and let's dive in.

Fantasy Easter Eggs

2007-04-06T23:52:00.001-04:00

Great South Park episode the other day, got me thinking a real stupid thought. What about taking the top fantasy baseball players (so if there are 8 teams in your league, the top 24 players as agreed on before the season began)...put each one in an easter egg, and then everyone takes a turn. Someone could get, conceivably, 1 2 3 top stars, or 3 third basemen sure...

But I think it would be a lot of fun, give you plenty of complaint material, gets you crazy amped like gambling, and you get to show off your managerial skills by selecting a team based on the random top stars that you got.

Well, I actually think it could work. I thought of it too late this year, but I might do something like that for football. Who gets Tomlinson? Tell me you wouldn't go crazy. It's literally winning the lottery--and it's different than lottery type drafts, cause its in Easter Eggs, see?

Anyway. That was my idea. Great, huh?

Little Vacation Over

2007-04-05T23:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, my little vacation is over. I had a big deadline with my portfolio for college, got that taken care of and now...

Hot damn there are a lot of stories. Mets sweep, Brodeur sets a record, Dice-K explodes, Tiger on the prowl, Rutgers women runners up, Phoenix losing, Cleveland losing, Wade coming back soon, Arenas done for, K-Rod creams his hat and tons more.

Just goes to show you. The sports world never stops. Be back tomorrow with something juicy...I hope.

Florida 11 at Halftime

2007-04-02T22:14:00.000-04:00

I knew it. This was one of those tease years, also a year that just wanted to slap me. I've been anti-Florida for awhile, so when the tournament rolled around, I chose the Buckeyes as my champion. They've given me heart attacks on the way here, playing in some really really great games, only to end up facing...

The Gators. The one team I was rooting against. Why do the Sporting Gods hate me? What did I do to them? What can I do?

So I didn't post. I went into hibernate after those terrible Final 4 games. I saw how Florida dominated UCLA and the refs, and I knew. I just knew it. But I didn't say anything. Until now.

I hate you Florida. At least make this interesting, huh? Let Ohio State go on an 11-0 run to start off the game, huh? Can you do that for me? Can you do that for us? Last year you ruined the tournament with a terrible championship game, and now you're doing the same thing. Oh well, at least we can watch Oden have a pretty decent game. Love the way he dunks...so let him dunk. Let him dominate for a bit. Make it interesting, please...

We beg you...

And how did you all like the Mets opener? What the hell was up with it not being in HD? I was at my friend's house, and we're like hey, pretty cool, Rutgers Women dominating in HD, good thing it's going to switch to the Mets game, the season opener of the nation's past time...right? Right? Oh my god...

They didn't show the opener of the nation's national sport (debatable I know, but still)...on the main ESPN channel. You had to be kidding me, right? Well, it was a pretty good game and it's always good to start off a new sporting season with a win.

Unlike this NCAA championship. Sigh. I could have been 3 for 5 in the last 5 years picking champions....so close. So close...well, not really. Stupid Florida.

April Fool's Day

2007-04-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

Baseball is beginning, the NCAA Championship game is tomorrow...

Mets, all the way. Ohio State, can't change now, can I baby? Will you be the third national champion I have selected in the last five years? Do it, do it, do it....

Haven't posted in a few days, apologize, I got swamped with work. Anyway, I was going to post some sort of joke, but screw it. We got excellent sports action coming up, let's drink and be merry and cheer to our heart's content. Let the games begin!

space saver

2007-03-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

This was a space saver, but I forgot what I wanted to write here.

I blame the...

What?

Some Words on Gambling

2007-03-28T13:04:00.000-04:00

First, I am disappointed in both sportsbook.com and bodog.com My plan was to take whatever action they offered on the Mavericks as they headed for another double-digit winning streak--but both sportsbooks took away that option. Bastards. They gave me a spread of +14, but I mean this was the one game I was worried about to begin with, so no thank you. Not touching that.

Second, after writing never waver from your money management system, I placed 700 on the Mavericks to win. And this is my reward? Thanks for nothing.

Now, one game I foolishly bet on today was the Devils over Buffalo. I never am right when it comes to betting on my hockey team, but what can I say, Elias is back and I have a feeling they want to finish strong. C'mon Devils--tied with Pittsburgh, the choice is to finish strong and end up in first or second place in the conference, or lose and drop to fifth. I think they want that home-ice advantage, and that's what I'm betting.

So CollegeBoy, any other stupid bets you made? Why, yes. 30-1, I put 7 bucks on Elton Brand being the leading scorer on the night, which is impossible. It's just that last time they played the Rockets, he had a career high of 37 points, which if he duplicates...still probably won't win. But hey, they don't call me CollegeBoy for nothing. I give him 19 on the night. And if that wins, well, who's laughing now?

And I also placed another losing bet. Magic, -2.5 over the Celtics (I know its a loss because 90% of the public agrees with me). I hate my life. Why do I do these things? Ha--so, do I make you all want to be sports handicappers or what? You just have to be careful is all, and all I'm saying here, I'm just joshing around. I didn't even have time to take a good look, which ordinarily means don't take any action and wait till you have time to research, but I felt like gambling. Not handicapping, gambling.

It's my money, right? Right. Sometimes, sometimes you just have to do crazy stupid things. That's life, so live it.

Rasheed = Nasty, Dallas at 3

2007-03-27T23:51:00.000-04:00

Rasheed Wallace did something that is just awesome. I didn't see it live, in fact, I saw Denver up by 3 with a second left and didn't think much of it...and then, wow. If you did not see this, you must click on the link above. He steals the inbounds pass and launches it from 3/4ths of the court, a perfect bank shot. Then, the Pistons go on to win it. If you had money on Denver, I'm sorry man. That is just rough.

In other news, I hit up Dallas for -260 on Bodog against the NOK Hornets last night, and I was not disappointed. The streak has hit 3, 3 people, 3. Sure it's only +300 at this point, but if I was betting a 1,000 or more? Sheeit...though it's gonna take a while to work up to that. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with a post about some other things. 3 people, 3!

Oh, and Kobe's 50 is long done but still. He clearly is making a case for MVP. More on that tomorrow. Stay safe people.

And 2, and other news...

2007-03-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

Okay, well, no one said this wouldn't be scary, and although it goes against all principles of sports investing, especially for a beginner like me, I put 700 to win 100 on the Mavericks and the streak, since I began betting, has hit two. We are on two people, and rolling along. This little experiment of mine is working just fine, after all, most of gambling is finding a team that's hot and riding them, right? Let's just hope they stay hot. Two, people, two.

My fantasy hockey squad just fell apart. I was first all season long, first week of fantasy playoffs, some unlucky scheduling, and I lose. Great job guys. Now I'll probably dominate the third place game, which is just terrible.

On top of that, there is one scenario for me to win my NCAA pool. I need Ohio State, obviously, to win out, and then I need UCLA to beat Florida. I'll just assume I lost that too.

Georgetown completely shut down UNC today, that overtime? Flat out domination. Hibbert, playing with four fouls, still managed to make some stellar blocks, 6 total--now this sets up him VS Oden, Georgetown VS Ohio State and I'm expecting a slug fest, in both games. You have the same Florida squad who beat UCLA last year, meeting up again. You couldn't write this kind of drama. 1-2, 1-2. That's the recipie for a knockout punch this Saturday. My liver is begging me to stay home, but come on, it's March Madness.

Crazy. This week-end was a bit weird, a bit shaky, but I came out with the knowledge that the weekend to come, this Saturday, will be another great day of NCAA bball. And all the other sports, I don't mean to just talk about the Mavericks and NCAA, but there's some craziness going on all over the place. I'll get to all that in the upcoming week, I hope. Anyway, stay safe people. You don't want to miss out on what's coming this Saturday.

Perfect Final 4 so far...

2007-03-24T22:32:00.000-04:00

Oh by the way, 2 for 2 in my Final Four predictions. Easy. Tomorrow I think I'm going to lose one if not both, as I went with the upsets with Oregon over Florida and Georgetown over UNC. I'm thinking Florida is too good, and I wish I could go back and change it, especially since the main competition in my pool has Florida as the national champ...

Well, 3 #1's can't be in the Final Four, can they? We will see. Okay, it is time for me to hit some shots and play some pong over here, the night is young, and tomorrow is looking to be just as sweet. I mean, leftovers and NCAA, awesomeness right? Night everybody.

Rutgers Women Beat Duke...

2007-03-24T22:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, with everything that happened today, you might see that title and say...what? (in Borat's voice of course...) Hear me out though.

A couple hours before the Ohio St. game and I'm at my friends, turducken waiting in all its glory, one beer down and more to go when I stumble across Rutgers VS Duke on ESPN. Duke has this one beast of a player, a Shrek amongst women, goes by the name of Bales and she is a machine. Duke women also only lost one game this year during the ACC, so Rutgers is pretty much going to lose, but still, it's our old school, we'll watch.

Than god we didn't drink every time they missed a lay-up, I wouldn't be able to write this right now.

Long story short, Rutgers battles and battles, with about ten seconds left, some freshman chick steals the ball, runs the length of the court and takes it to the hole for a one-point lead. She took it to the hole...anyway, Duke comes back, closing seconds, drive and a wild shot but foul. Just a terrible play. 75% shooter from the line, down by 1 point, 2 shots to win, one to tie, and zero to go home a complete loser. I mean, this is what we played as kids, right?

Clank...and then, wait for it...wait for it...CLANK! Rutgers wins! Rutgers wins! All of us stood and cheered and high-fived, drinking heartily for about a good minute. Then it was like, so how much longer till OSU starts? Oh, Turducken, cool...

But for a few precious seconds, we were totally into the women's game. Into the women's game...anyway, OSU played a tight game then pulled away, giving my heart a little break and how about UCLA? Damn, steal, block, steal, steal, interception, crazy. Good games, but I'm hoping for even better tomorrow.

Hey, it's March Madness. Let's keep it going.

And first one down...

2007-03-24T01:34:00.000-04:00

Oh, and the Mavericks won easily today. I was able to get it for +430, so let the streaking continue. We are on 5 people, 5. Heading for 10, now on 5...

Gambling gods, let this sports investing experiment end in my favor. Just kidding, it'll happen. Count along with me as we stack win after win...5. We are on 5 people...

More Crazy Action

2007-03-24T01:28:00.000-04:00

Georgetown, wow. Florida down at the half, raise your hand if you actually thought they were going to lose?

UNC down at the half, raise your hand if you thought they were going to lose? Not at that point, but when USC's lead went up to 16, I definitely sat on the edge of my seat and was in full rooting for the dog to win. And then watching that run happen, dear Lord. This is what March Madness is all about, right here. So many edge of the seat games, and it's liek the top seeds are toying with the audience...especially you know who. Now we got Kansas UCLA tomorrow? Hell yeah. Ohio St Memphis...eh, don't want to talk/jinx that...but UCLA and Kansas tomorrow...

Going to be great. My friends and I have turducken, beer, and beer pong tournaments with the TV right by the table, sweetness, and I can't wait. Tired though, I'm off to bed. It's a long day tomorrow. Long, and hopefully great day.

Kobe Christ

2007-03-23T22:21:00.001-04:00

He did it again, 50 points. A couple posts ago I proclaimed with supreme confidence that he was done, wouldn't hit 50 though I had an inkling he'd finish in the high 30's...

Or how about a flat 50. Seriously, incredible. That's the only word to describe it, on back to back nights, 50 or more points to lead your team to close victories--it's not like he's hitting the 50 spot in blowouts, he is singlehandedly winning these games, singlehandedly willing his team to cement the sixth playoff spot.

Also, just, hey, I'm just gonna say it. All this talk about Nash or Dirk for MVP...where would the Lakers be without Kobe? Imagine if he passes Wilt's streak of seven games? When you put together a performance like this, this late in the season, rising above everyone else...hey, anything is possible. The voters are only human, and if he continues this pace, all I'm saying is don't be surprised if he wins MVP. I mean, odds are all on Dirk no doubt, but still...

50 is 50.

And yes, I'll say it again. He won't hit 50 next game. Not against...Golden State? Hmm. Okay. I won't say anything. I'll just watch and enjoy and honestly, I'm rooting for him. Hell, 50+ is always a crazy game to watch...

OSU wants to kill me...

2007-03-23T00:32:00.000-04:00

Wow. They are killing me.

Totally rocked that halftime bet by the way, but still.

They are killing me.

Oh, and how great were the games tonight, minus UCLA but I mean seriously, who thought Pitt was gonna win that one? Just a great day of basketball, great tournament so far and damn man...if OSU does this again, I'm on the floor. I know I say I don't care about my bracket, but screw it, right? I'm in this to win.

Just please don't kill me, especially Saturday. I'm making a turducken for my girlfriend's b-day, so that, beer, and gray goose on top of a close OSU game, me sitting there clutching a dirty bracket in my greasy hands, that's a recipie for ugly.

Well... Stay safe people.

Kobe Continues...

2007-03-22T23:14:00.000-04:00

So. After I say prop bets should just be used for fun...

Kobe rattles off a historic streak. 3 games in a row of 50 or more points, putting up 60 tonight down in Memphis. He is the fourth player in NBA history to pull something like this off, joining such greats as Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Laker great, Elgin Baylor. So, everyone looking at the props and going with Kobe three games running, seems like you all just smacked me in my face. Sorry for being too conservative, and I repeat--seriously, don't go crazy here, especially since you know the odds are lowering. If anything, bet that he won't hit 50 again. I'm looking for action, anyone wanna take some before Friday's game?

Well, I know this is an online blog...but still. Try and lure someone, give good odds too, no worries. He won't go for 50 again, not on back to back nights on the road. Ain't gonna happen.

In other news, I'm watching the OSU game and hanging my head in shame. I did this, I caused this to happen. Why? Why? I saw the line, OSU favored by 5, which I thought was too much. When these two teams play against each other, they play tough. Plus, I don't care if OSU loses, right? The bracket means nothing to me, so I put in a bet for Tennessee and Jesus, sweet mother. Down by 17 at halftime? Are you kidding me? My poor bracket, I did this. I made this happen. It's all my fault.

So, what do I do? OSU -7 at halftime, but now, if they can't get this lead down some, well, they deserve to lose, especially for screwing up my bracket. Florida, why didn't I go Florida. Instead, I have UCLA in two upsets against top seeded teams only to lose to OSU. Who's an idiot again? Oh yeah, me. Anyway, to try and make things right, I put in a halftime bet for 50, half my usual wager, on Oden. I hope this evens out the universe.

Plus, if OSU can somehow win...I'll be sleeping good tonight friends. Well, see what happens...

May the Streaking Begin...

2007-03-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

Lost heating up and so are the Mavericks. Let's talk a bit about the TV show and then we'll talk about what Dallas just did to Cleveland--it wasn't right friends, it wasn't right.

So Lost. The good news that came out a couple weeks back is that the creators want to cap the show at five seasons. This is a great move, it can't go on for much longer then that, it just can't. X-Files syndrome. And seriously, they have a nice flow as it stands, a nice overarching build. First season they introduced us to everyone/everything, got us interested, got us way too interested. Maybe a bad thing, too much attention in the beginning, too much intrigue, and too many people in the media and blogosphere trying to make it into something it's not.

Second season was all about the hatch, and I remember complaining during the season. I hate complainers, usually I'm like just watch the damn thing...but watching it back-to-back on DVD, all my problems (for the most part, I won't detail any here tho) evaporated like the 'smoke-monster' on a sunny island day. So third season rolled along and well, I just sat back and watch. Honestly, I used my sports investing philosophy. Research what you need to know, then sit back, watch, and enjoy. And, this season totally rocks.

Plus, it's a TV show. You know? Relax, crack open a beer, and have a good time...and if you do that, it really is a rewarding experience. Much like watching the Mavericks play.

Wow. Just wow. I turned on the game during commercials and they just ran a clinic on the Cavaliers squad. Cavs make a little noise, Terry busts them in the mouth. LeBron does something special, Dirk drills a shot. I saw Devin Harris run the court three times in a row, just blow by the Cleveland defenders. Fourth time down, everyone gave him more room than they gave HIV-Magic, he pulls up for a ten-foot jumper, swish--and I have a feeling if he wanted to go to the hole, he wouldn't have been denied.

They play such a consummate team game. Defense, offense, they got stars and role players, a guy who can take over the game, and one who can ice it. Veteran leadership and young fire all under a passionate coach and, well, we know what Cuban is like. This team is the real deal, and I honestly feel lucky to see them play. Not many teams are like this, and I cannot wait, I just cannot wait for the playoffs and god damn the asses who mess up Suns-Mavericks best of seven, god damn them to hell. I want to see it so bad, please, please, please...

Now, let's take a look at the upcoming schedule for Dallas. Boston, Atlanta and New Orleans to finish their long road trip--followed by the deal breaker. Everyone here must know my favorite NBA trend, (and for those who don't, it's teams returning from a long road trip tend to come out sluggish at home...) and a week from now, the Mavericks are coming home to play the Bucks on one day's rest. Now, I know it's the Bucks, but trends are trends for a reason. Still, if the Mavericks can beat the Bucks, it leaves the Knicks standing in the way of another double-digit win streak. They already have three streaks of ten games or more, can they have four?

So, Collegeboy, what are you saying? I'm telling all of you to go for it. Ride the Mavericks as they try to hit ten in a row again. You have six games. Take the moneyline, even if it's +400 against Atlanta. They'll hit ten. They will, and if not...well, hopefully they win 4 games or so to make up for that +400 bet. Honestly though, they did this three times, what's to stop them from four?

Those teams? Well, you heard it here and you know what I'm doing. Good luck boys and girls, and may the streaking begin.

Nashville first to 100...

2007-03-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

Feel like it's been forever since I've talked about the NHL, but you know I still love you hockey, even though I don't say it all the time.

Anyhow, Nashville is the first team to hit 100 points this year, though Buffalo still has the inside track as they played one less game and have one less point. How important is the President's Cup? Not that important actually, and it can totally funk a team up, but hey--hardware is hardware, a team that got this far might as well finish it, right? Also, home ice (the glory of the number 1 seed in everything but the NCAA) is always key.

Hottest team right now is Colorado, giving all they got to make the final spot in the playoff picture. More importantly, I entered fantasy NHL playoffs as a number one seed, and one of my goalies is Mr. Peter Budaj, thank you, thank you...(I also have Turco and Giguere) There's only one problem. Last week, when I was on a bye, my team ripped it as usual. This week, I'm up against my good friend, and he has 7 players who have 4 games this week. I had 0 until I added one, and I'm going to be playing a game of musical chairs with two roster spots, hoping to make the right decision. Yes, I know it's fantasy hockey. Yes, I know no one cares.

But I do. And I made it this far, why not finish it? After all, pride is pride.

Yao and the Rockets...

2007-03-18T22:27:00.001-04:00

Tonight the Positioning Group sent out advice to the effect that the Rockets would beat the 76ers. Now, in my short career as a handicapper, when I look at the scores and see a win I wagered on win by 20 points or so, I feel pretty good about myself. I feel as if I have some understanding about what is going on. Well, how do you feel after winning a game by 50 points?

How do you feel if you bet on the 76ers to either win outright or even took the points in this one, only to lose by 50 points? To be on the losing end of a 124-74 score? That has got to hurt.

The Rockets are now 6-2 against the spread since the big man returned (6-2 overall as well), and things are looking pretty happy down in Houston. Like I profiled them earlier, do not sleep on the Rockets. They are a bit underrated, as it makes sense--I mean, who really compares against the Mavericks and Suns right now? But the Rockets are one of those teams I'm worried about, a team that can ruin my dream match up between the Suns and Mavs in the Western Conference Finals.

In other Sports Investing news, the Positioning Group also was on the winning end of the Miami/Orlando game tonight (3-1 in tonight's action, FYI). A couple posts ago, I wrote about the inevitable cooling of the Heat, the question now is does this cooling pattern hold, or do the Heat return to their winning ways? Their next six games are at Atlanta, Indiana, Toronto and Minnesota sprinkled with two home games VS the 76ers and Atlanta.

It is vitally important for the Heat to go at least 4-2 over this stretch. Wednesday's game in Atlanta becomes huge, and as always, we'll be watching with our Sports Investing eyes tuned closely on this latest development...

Kobe's 65...

2007-03-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

You just knew if the Lakers wanted to win a game, it would be on Kobe's shoulders. He outscored his team 65-51, and not only that, proved how clutch he was--as if we doubted--by scoring 24 in the fourth quarter and 9 more in overtime.

Kind of makes me wish I put more on the prop bet of him being the overall leading scorer on the night, as he just went off--I had a feeling, but prop bets are deadly. Seriously. If anything, I advocate putting a small wager now and then for fun, but that's all. If you're usually a hundred a game better, for example, and you have 2,834 dollars in the account, sure, go ahead and put 34 on Kobe being the top scorer, or Anthony or someone else. Long shots are always nice to hit, just don't go putting a lot of money on them to hit a home run, that is not what Sports Investors do...

I hit Kobe's prop bet last night, which just about makes up for the four previous small ones I did. Honestly, why am I even doing prop bets? What's the point?

Oh yeah, fun. Have fun with them, but do not, and I repeat, do not put serious money there. It's just not worth it. Well, time to watch some March Madness now...where the real men wager.

Quick Hits NCAA, NBA

2007-03-16T23:51:00.000-04:00

I knew it, I knew it. My gut said the big upset this year was that no 5-seed would lose, but how can I go in the face of such logic? Such overwhelming numbers? Also, why did I get carried away by so many upsets? Oh yeah, because it doesn't really matter. I got two other people in my pool who have the same champion as me, no one else has the same team finishing second (UCLA to Ohio State), so all that matters is that that match up happens. That happens, I win, end of story.

Still, it's always nice to get a lot of the first round picks right. VCU, I called it a couple posts ago, then I switched positions. I did the same thing with Holy Cross and Stanford and Arkansas for the wrong decision, and honestly, I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that I had to go on a snowboarding trip the next day--the day right before the tournament began, the day when historically I work my magic.

For all of you interested in Sports Investing, this is the number one reason why you employ a service such as the Positioning Group. Do you have the time to worry? Do you have the time to research? Isn't it much easier to let someone else do all the work for you? If the answer is yes, which it most likely is, well, you know what to do.

How boring was that first day of the tourney? Much better the next day, much more like I remembered it. There were even some early scares--well, there are always early scares for the top seed before they say to themselves, hey, how about we play now? What was up with Oregon though? I have them in the Final Four, and if they wind up winning all their games by 2, I may just well have a heart attack--not because all the games are close, but that I actually picked something right this year.

Well, we'll see how it all plays out, I guess.

How about the Heat? Geez, I didn't think they would fall apart completely, but I never imagined they would rock nine straight. I had them pegged for a low seed out in the first round type of deal, but now, they may even finish with home court advantage in the first round. Unfortunately for the Heat, the Cavs rattled off seven in a row, but still, if Cleveland stumbles down the stretch, the Heat can swoop in...assuming the inevitable cool down in Miami doesn't occur.

And the beasts of the East, the rejuvenated Detroit Pistons? They annihilated the Suns to go 5-0 on their West Coast trip, first time in fifteen years. West is so much better than the East, right? I mean, besides the last two of three champs being in the East, besides the fact the standings are grouped similar (minus a Dallas or Phoenix type team in the East), besides all the other facts that point otherwise, keep on thinking that. No seriously, as long as the public believes so much in the power of the East, we can do some maneuvering when it comes to working with the lines...

Oh, and Detroit's 5-0 swing out West? That makes them a prime candidate to lose their first game home due to one of my favorite trends, the only thing is they are playing Dallas, so who the hell knows what that line will be. Watch closely friends, but for now...it's time to hit the hay and start the train all over tomorrow.

Ohio State VS Xavier, nothing like a rivalry for breakfast.

Getting Hammered

2007-03-15T18:41:00.000-04:00

CollegeBoy here, getting hammered on Spring Break--and I'm not even drunk yet. A bunch of my early upsets fizzled. A couple last minute switches made me scream out, why? Why, oh why? Isn't that the one thing you learn in school? Stick with your first impulse?

Some of you may be saying, chill out CB, have a beer, relax, way too early to pitch a hissy fit. Grow a set and take it like a man...

But you know what? It's my blog and I cry if I want to.

In other news, the guys at Positioning Group started off March Madness 4-0. Not bad, not bad at all. So if anyone out there reading wants to get in on this action while it's still early enough, please visit www.positioninggroup.com

4-0, and just beginning.

(you know, since I work with Pete, Jimmy, and Tommy, and they keep sharing their advice with me, all the little tips and strategies...you really think I would learn something, wouldn't you? Why am I so stubborn sometimes, why?)

Anyway, it really is way too early to start crying. Expect the sequel to this post when Oregon is creamed and Florida becomes the first #1 seed to lose...

Brackets

2007-03-14T12:12:00.000-04:00

All right, CollegeBoy here with my bracket. Now, I'm technically on vacation, it's my Spring Break, so I won't be breaking anything down in detail, but I'll go with all the major picks and a couple upsets.

My elite 8 looks like this, very conservative. Ohio State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Georgetown, Florida, Oregon, UCLA, and North Carolina. Final Four is Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, and Georgetown, I get a little risky there, as only one number 1 seed advances (which means I am rooting against every #1 except Ohio State from the fist game). Then my championship game is UCLA (though I really want to do Oregon, because if they catch fire, watch out) VS Ohio State and I am picking Ohio State to be the first number one seed overall since UConn to win the tourney. Why?

Oden = Okafor, but better.

I won big with UConn as my pick that year, so why not go with Ohio State this year. Now, some upset specials I have, Holy Cross in the Sweet 16, Duke over Pittsburgh to make it there as well (very fashionable to hate on Duke, but they got a crazy Sweet 16 streak going on, and I'm not one to bet against Coach K), George Washington to win over Oral Roberts to make it to the Sweet 16 (which doesn't sound right to me, but whatever). Then, I have Stanford over Louisville, but let it be known that I bet against Louisville and consistently lose. You think I would learn my lesson, right?

Nope. That's not my style.

I got Arkansas over USC and OD over Butler (seems to be the popular upset special) as my two 12 over 5 upsets, Coach Knight upsetting Boston College (a friend once told me Coach Knight is good for one win in the tourney, well, here we go), and Gonzaga over the Hoosiers.

Now, these #1 seeds are something truly special, and it's going to take a lot to beat them--and the safe conservative plays might be the best. I'm always a bit of a mix and masher. Well, I'm off today to go snowboarding for a couple days, I'm behind on a bunch of stuff that I want to post, but when I come back I hope to cram and get it all out.

March Madness, everyone. Here we go...

300 and cramming for March Madness

2007-03-12T15:49:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I have yet to see the movie 300--I'm going to go tomorrow with the girlfriend, sounds like an awesome matinée movie--but how perfect does it seem to go with this year's March Madness? The trailers and reviews and my friends all tell me it's an insane movie, perfect for the college geek-comic'ed out mind, and at the same time, this is shaping up to be an insane couple of weeks. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. I'm filling out my bracket, I'm on my third version, and I can't wait until that first terrible decision I made, fed by stupid media and stupid gut, and I take a sword and disembowel myself for having Duke be a Cinderella team...so tough, you know? How much can you trust Coach K? It's like you can almost picture the headlines of Duke making a run--"Off year? Who cares? Duke doesn't..."

Ah, screw it. Screw Duke.

That's right. You're going down...bitches. Let's go VCU, never really heard of you, but that's what's great about March Madness. You learn a lot of pretty useless information, cramming it all for the final exam on Thursday at 12 pm sharp.

Love it, love it, love it.

Oh, there will be more posts soon with more weight to them, I'm still up to the chin in doing my research. As always make sure to check out positioninggroup.com, we'll have some stuff up for you shortly as well. See you, and good luck one and all.

Field is Set, and some PPB news

2007-03-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

This is not an "outrage" column. As readers know or don't know, all I care about on this blog is entertainment for the most part and March Madness is about as entertaining as they get. Last year's tournament, for a variety of reasons, didn't capture my attention but that is definitely not the case this year. It's time to fill out some brackets, son...

I'm one of those mad scientist bracket tinkerers, who go over and over, slash out one team then scribble that out, flip-flop until my sheet looks like it passed through a mental asylum--but I've won two of the last three years, so I guess the method works, right?

I'll post my bracket when it's done. We can all play together...yay!

In PPB news, I just want to let everyone know that the Reckoning for February is going to be posted to the site, www.positioninggroup.com, and will be available to our members and to the public as well some time Tuesday night. We're going to go over last month's picks, answer some questions, and go over some big NCAA trends so stay tuned one and all...after this month, the Reckoning will once again be members only.

Well, I'm gonna go back to watching Dallas go after win 17 in a row. After the NCAA Final it is serious playoff talk time, and sports man...

The drama just doesn't stop. Baseball starting, Dice-K had his first problem outing, but hey, that's life. Can't win all the time, all you sports investors should know that...

Redemption

2007-03-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

This is why I love sports so much.

Watching the Knicks game last night, totally cursing at Steve Francis, I'm booing him at the bar, every time he touches the ball I feel like punching someone in the face. He was having an all right game I guess, but down the stretch he just messed up. Bad. Technical foul in a close game, one point. 24 seconds left in the game, gets called for a lane violation. All right, good effort--but it cost us points to tie. Then, 7 seconds left, misses a free throw to tie...

But then, even as I'm yelling don't shoot don't shoot, he pulls up and swishes in the game winning three. Oh the humanity. Steve Francis? I'm you're number one fan...

And that's why I love sports.

NCAA BBall

2007-03-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

Durant and Oden leading their teams to the finals of the tourneys, as expected. This sets up a couple of great games with huge implications. Texas VS Kansas, we know all about Durant, but can the team win? Last game against Texas, Kansas was down by 12 at halftime, and they came back to win rather easily by four. If Texas can win, I'm willing, depending on the brackets of course, to have them go deeper, maybe sweet 16. Up to this point, I have them penned to be upset. We'll see, certainly, we'll see.

Then you have Ohio State VS Wisconsin. Huge game, huge. Can't wait.

In other news, Georgetown won a Big East record 7th title, but their first in 18 years. Florida is back to the SEC Title game, probably going to beat Arkansas easy enough. UNC VS North Carolina State for the ACC title, should be good...I mean, everything is shaping up for another crazy March Madness. Last year wasn't all that interesting to me, but this year...hot damn it's wide open. Gonna be fun, gonna be fun.

And lesbian coaches on the girl's side of the court? Love it. I was looking to bet on the Rutgers Women upsetting Connecticut the other day, but my stupid sportsbook doesn't have bets for Women's Sports. I mean, usually I don't care too much, but that was a lock. Now I'm not going to lead a campaign to open up the sports books for women's sports, but c'mon, what's th ebig deal? You'll get some action, especially in big games like that.

Hey, people bet on anything. There shouldn't be any restrictions.

Lewis to Browns, McGahee a Raven

2007-03-09T00:42:00.000-05:00

Here is some news that will directly impact all fantasy football participants.

Jamal Lewis is known for giving at least two great performances a year, whether they happen or don't (last year, for example, they didn't...but then again, last year he wasn't much of a factor at all). What are they? The two games he plays against the Browns. Released by the Ravens, he goes and signs with the Browns, not only losing that match up but guaranteeing himself two meetings VS. his former team and their ridiculous defense. Good job, Jamal...

Good job.

Meanwhile, the Ravens score McGahee for a third and seventh rounder this year, plus another third rounder next year. Score. This was an easy trade to make, at least for the Ravens. This is a huge upgrade over Jamal, nine touchdowns last year or not. I know he was hurt, but there is no denying that he is slower than ever. Running backs don't stay on top for long, and sure McGahee had an off year last year, but just imagine him running behind Ogden and company. He's young, got a new chip on his shoulder, a new contract, and he is ready to go. Get ready fantasy ballers, there's a back in Baltimore who requires your consideration.

And honestly, don't forget about Jamal. He will come back healthier and hopefully, hopefully help lead that Browns offense into the end zone. He's a big back who can take some pressure off Frye and the receivers. Also, I hope the Browns use him out of the flat, as that was something the Ravens, for the most part, refused to do.

Anyway, the off season continues. We definitely needed this after that terrible NBA deadline too.

The Injured Superstar Effect

2007-03-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Last night, I found out first hand a huge lesson in Sports Investing. This concerns something Pete and Jimmy have been telling me since I first joined up with the Positioning Group, but what can I say? I'm an idiot. What else is new, right?

Let me spell out the scenario for you. I'm all set to drop my usual bet of a hundred on Atlanta, getting even money at home against a Washington team I know is about to fall--they had been riding high and on a surge of momentum they could just not continue. Plus, their recent games against Atlanta had all been close, and they were in Atlanta where they historically have difficulty playing.

Sounds like a slam dunk to me, but then I get a message from one of my buddies. "Washington over Atlanta today, it's a lock." Now, I don't know about you, but when I get a message like that, just as I'm about to post a bet, well, I slow down a bit and take another look. I trust my friends, I keep an open mind, though (as Pete and Jimmy know all to well) I'm usually stubborn as a first class ass--but...I was just getting over a 0-2 night, so I admit I was a bit more open than usual.

I lost confidence in myself and in my plan, and I paid the consequences.

Turns out Joe Johnson wasn't playing that night. Woah, CollegeBoy, what kind of research are you doing here? About to post a bet and you don't even know that your team's star is hurt? Why else would you be getting even money?

I know, I know. I was looking at the numbers, and I figured I would have heard something about it the night before. But it was a recent development, and when I looked at the lines, I saw a home dog I liked who was getting great odds. Oh if it was only that, or if my buddy's message came a few seconds later so I could have complained to my friend about how huge of an idiot I was...

Joe Johnson out, Washington hot, hell yeah boy, let's not only bet on the Wizards...let's increase the wager by double. After all, it's a lock! Alarm bells were ringing in my ears like I had spent the whole day at a heavy metal show, but did I listen? Of course not. I'm CollegeBoy here, representing. First class idiot. I not only take the Wizards, I take the Bulls over the Miami Heat for double my usual wager as well--over a Heat team I had been praising. Check two of the last five posts before this one, all about how awesome the Heat are.

So what happens? What always happens to idiots making uninformed decisions. I get a big old kick in my ass, another punch to my gut, and then Shaq pisses on my body as I lay on the ground, crying for my mommy. Jesus was I pissed at myself last night after the games. How many times do I say stick to your plan? How many times do we say ignore "locks?" How many times do we say stay sharp, play smart?

What the hell was I doing? The Heat (recommended by Pete and Jimmy, both of whom laughed their asses off after I told them what I had done) won by 30 or so and the Wizards lost by 3. Oh it was a sad day friends to be sure.

You see, I fell for the old trap. These are traps I usually tend to avoid. Twice this year I bet on the Cavaliers when LeBron was out, and twice I won. Now, this isn't true of all superstars, nor is it true of all teams. At the least, however, I should have recognized that this was simply a game that should not be touched--and certainly not wagered on with double my usual bet. I took a huge hit in my account, huge. I'm not a high roller here, and there I went, acting like one.

One man does not make a team. In some situations he might (for example, with Kobe out, Pete and Jimmy recommended the under for the Bucks Lakers game, and it hit, of course, rub my face in it why don't they...), but not here. No Nash on the Suns is huge, and you def avoid the Suns in those situations, but not here. Not where I was betting.

I got sucked in by the media and everyone else predicting a huge game for the Wizards. 90% of the money was on the Wizards, so I know I wasn't alone here. And the Bulls? They had won 3 straight against Miami...but there was a slight problem there too. Before the season opener, they had lost eight straight there or something like that. Miami = trouble for the Bulls.

So I got sucked in by the missing Wade, sucked in by the missing Joe Johnson, sucked in by ESPN and my friends and my stupid gut and well...I paid the price. I hate paying the price, but hey, it's a lesson that not only I learned--again--but hopefully some of you out there can learn from my mistake. That's about all the good that came from those bets, folks...

Remember. One man does not make a team. And if a star goes down, hell, you don't have to bet on that game. It can change everything, it does change everything. Atlanta went from a -1 favorite to a +3 underdog in the span of a couple hours. Everyone and their mothers was calling each other to say bet Wizards tonight and the one thing I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt...

When someone who is not connected tells you about a lock, you either bet against that lock, or you don't bet at all. Me? I shouldn't have bet--and I certainly shouldn't have bet double. I went crazy, and when you go crazy...you lose.

Some NFL Talk (free agents)

2007-03-07T15:47:00.001-05:00

Everyone should know I'm a big Jets fan, and I am a major fan of their recent signings. First, we have Thomas Jones, an underrated back from Chicago who is going to have a major impact with us. He's no Curtis Martin, and he will be a 'young' 29, but he's a legitimate back who will compliment Leon Washington. Ladies and gentleman, we have another 1,000+ yard rusher. Behind our line, I see him approaching 14/15 hundred with a healthy dose of scores. Oh yeah. Then, second, we get Kenyon Coleman. I was unfamiliar with him, but the basic prognosis of this kid is that he's a beast--6'5, 295 pounds--who is a very versatile player, adequate on stopping the run and rushing the QB. Bit expensive for such an unproven but full of potential player, who also has a habit of mailing in downs, but I am confident that Mangenius will be able to get on his case. I know, I know, if Parcells couldn't do it on the Cowboys, who can? Mangini can, he will--I mean, I'm a Jets fan. Everything is good until the draft, right? Because last, one of the biggest moves is a simple one, announcing that Chad Pennington is the starter. It's the anchor we need moving forward.

And we will be moving forward.

Now, looking around the league, how crazy is Nate Clements? It's also sort of sad, everyone comments on how he has the largest contract for any cornerback, but the deal is heavy on the back end right when it will be prime time to cut him loose. He's basically making 8 million a year for a few years then is getting cut, still decent, still a lot of money, but nothing to make you jump and scream, 'what!' 49ers definitely were the most active though, adding Tully Banta-Cain, a decent nose tackle in Aubrayo Franklin, safety Michael Lewis and at wideout, a man I still believe capable of having a better than decent year, Ashley Lelie. Don't forget the Niners were a vastly improved team last season, and with some good draft picks to add, they are well on their way to returning to the top. And speaking of the top...

And my hated rivals... Dolphins and Patriots. Dolphins stole Porter from my dreams, and trying to run against him, Jason Taylor, and Zach Thomas? C'mon Jones, welcome to the AFC East, where the Patriots rule. They got a bunch of average-to-decent players who are all, somehow, going to become studs, plus Adalius Thomas. I hate the Patriots. Seriously.

Travis Henry and Mike Shanahan. I'm foreseeing some unknown becoming the starter. The more interesting Bronco move was acquiring disgruntled Lion corner, Dre Bly to star opposite Bailey. It's certainly going to be an interesting off season in Denver, and with the deaths of two teammates hovering, they can very well come together and mount an impressive campaign. All you investors, be aware. Still got to wonder about Cutler though...

Bengals, Cowboys, and Browns improve their O-lines. Redskins land another aging monster in Fletcher at LB. Lions and Seahawks improve their D-lines. Rams get a stud second/third option WR in Drew Bennett (watch out fantasy players...), while the Bucs get must-smell-like-a-rat Garcia. Ahman Green to the Texans--sure they didn't want Bush, though Green won't do a single thing to save that franchise--and there are a bunch of other players still available for trades and signings and drafts, oh my...

Whatever happens, things are looking good in the NFL neighborhood.

Sports Investing Mantra

2007-03-06T23:41:00.001-05:00

The following is a mantra that many sports investors may find useful. Repeat it a few times, every time you make a bet, or even every day you wake up. Not to sound New-Age retarded, but it will help or it will not. If it doesn't, oh well, big deal, but if it does...thank me later.

Now, close your eyes, and read (and yes, I am aware of what I just wrote):

I am a Sports Investor. I invest in Sports. I am Calm, I am Cool, I am Collected. The media does not sway me. My heart does not sway me. Public hysteria does not sway me. I research, I see the core of the Sports World, and what I see, is true. I trust my Sports Investing skills. I trust my Sports Investing vision. I trust my Sports Investment money-management system. I trust myself to do the right thing, and if I fail, I do not get angry. If I fail, I do not go crazy. If I fail, I do not fail, for tomorrow is a new day and tomorrow I return.

I am a Sports Investor. I invest in Sports. I am a Sports Investor.

Shaq-Fu to you...

2007-03-04T04:12:00.000-05:00

I must say I'm impressed. I told everyone to watch and wait in regards to the Heat, as one man does not make a team--though Wade, who just goes all out all the time, how do you replace that? Apparently, you have to shoot Shaq up with pure adrenaline or something because he is playing like a beast recently. Like a beast.

They beat the Wizards, which I saw happening, but I did not expect them to beat Detroit, especially this new and improved Webber-led Pistons squad. I knew with Ben on the Bulls no one could really guard Shaq, but I thought the Pistons would at least scheme their way around the big man in the middle. Nope. Shaq handled it all with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists to come out with a win. So, does this mean I'm all aboard the Heat train?

Not yet, but it's more info, more grist for the mill...though the Heat is on and something is definitely cooking down in Miami.

Oh, and how about that Celtics win earlier today? Down by ten with a couple minutes left against the injured Nets, they battle their way back, take advantage of a few terrible shots by Vinsanity and Spliff Robinson, take the game into overtime and win it outright. Shocking, right? And to think they were tanking the season on purpose.

Way to say Shaq-fu to all your fans dreaming of Durant, Celtics, way to say Shaq-fu to you.

The Perils of Fancy Pants Bets

2007-03-02T23:47:00.000-05:00

This was a bad day on my journey in all things Sports Investing, but it was a great learning experience. I play at sportsbook.com, they got me as a kid and I just continued to use it--though there are a bunch of great books out there. Sometimes I feel like those commercials for Lending Tree, when bankers fight to give you the best deal, only now it's online casino's who are fighting for the right to take my dollar--I mean, make me money.

Anyway, I decided to download the poker software and sportsbook.com is not a poker site, to put it as nicely as possible. Just terrible. I had trouble logging onto games, had trouble seeing what games were available, and when I did get on the table, I just played bad. Was I frustrated? Maybe. Was I stupid? Yeah, most likely. I took a couple bad beats, made a couple bad plays, and suffered a bit of a hit to my account. Then, I play one game, it says there is an error...but, what what what? The money is out of my account! This is a no-no concerning any gambler. At least it was a small stakes game, but still...

Somewhat angry, it was in this mindset that I looked at Thursday's NBA games and decided to get fancy schmancy. I took overs and unders for single quarters, full games, and halves; I took Cavs with points, Cavs on the moneyline, then points on quarters and halves; I took prop bets and other stupidities and when it was all over, I was minus 80 dollars in my account and...what the hell was I doing? This is the worst thing for a sports investor. Just, flat out gambling.

It was bad. Oh well, the lesson I learned was to stop betting stupid, again--a lesson that always pops up now and then to remind you of your place. For some people, breaking a game down like that is what they do best, so go wild at it if it's your thing. But if it's not, well, stick to what you do best. Simple as that. Stick to what you know best.

I realized I am terrible when it comes to over/under, so no more of that. No more prop bets, though I will keep up the occasional halftime middle/hedge wager.

Oh, and speaking of gambling, want to know how I missed the over for the game? Here is the sequence. 3 points I need in 13 seconds to win my bet, Lebron on the foul line. You figure he makes at least one, they foul, and Dallas hits both. Done. Lebron misses both, but wait, he has a chance to tie the game with a three, clank but wait, another three, wide open…clank again. Just terrible. Some sports investor, right? Nope, that night, I was a red-blooded sports gambler deluxe, yelling at the screen for Lebron to bite his fingers off next time...

So, no more pussyfooting and no more poker. At least I got my money back from the poker game. Sportsbook is good like that, but they are a sports book. And I am a sports investor. Nothing but sports over there, and that’s that.

In poker news, I opened an account with Full Tilt, where the Poker Pros play, you know? So far so good, I'm not a crazy poker player, I stick to smaller limits like 10, 20 a tourney, and I try not to play limits online...but so far, no complaints. It's not as good as playing in a casino, but hey...

I'm the online generation, and I love it all. Well, stay sharp and play smart kiddies.

Some Hockey Talk

2007-03-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

So with all this talk of the NHL following the NFL to London, like a poor down and out dog following its master home, it's time to talk some hockey.

Jokes aside, it is a good idea for the NHL to expand. There are great countries out there that love hockey: Finland, Sweden, Russia, and all the other Eastern European countries especially. A quick look at an Olympics schedule should give everyone an idea about the potential market, and with all these new young stars coming into the league (most notably Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal, and a handful of other future greats), the league is healthy. London is going to see Anaheim VS L.A., which should actually be a pretty good game. Hey, you can't do much worse, right?

Hate to pat myself on the back, but the Devils are right behind Buffalo, in perfect position to make a deep run into the playoffs. Congratulations CollegeBoy, looks like you made one good playoff pick. How are the Nets BTW? Hey, that's a different story for a different day. Right now, we're gonna take a quick look around the league.

How exciting is this Pittsburgh game? I put money on the Devils VS them, game finished 1-0 and I was on the edge of my seat until the end. They won't win the Cup, but they're a scary team nevertheless, and the trades to toughen up will only help. On the flip side, Carolina is fighting for the last spot in the playoffs in the East. That's sports though, from feast to famine. Just look at Anaheim, halfway through the season the league was already stenciling their names on the cup. Then Giggy goes down and it falls apart...but they're back now, playing their hockey again and making it very interesting out West...

Nashville and Detroit fighting it out. Nashville's got Forsberg now, making a bit of a difference, but Detroit is Detroit. In other words, don't bet against them. Jagr is down and out in New York, actually refusing to take penalty shots. That's what you want from your star. How scary is San Jose? Right now a 7th seed, if the playoffs ended today, their series against the Mighty Ducks would be a classic. Those two have already had a bunch of great games already, one point for the new schedule of the NHL.

Of course that doesn't make up for all the points against the new schedule--I mean, it's just terrible for the fans who don't get a chance to see stars on teams outside of the Conference. But, the schedule is good for all you Sports Investors out there. More games against the same team = a better chance of predicting the outcome. Still, it's supposed to be for the fans, right?

Ottawa is playing again, just lights out. Both them and Buffalo, I would hate to go up against them. 8-1-1 in their last ten, just nasty. Nasty. Keeping up with knowledge about hockey is a great way to make some cash. Here is what I do with hockey. Let's say you have some leftover money in your account. 4,756. Something like that. I'll check out the hockey lines, and if I see a nice upset in the making, 76 bucks. Nothing big, if it hits it hits. It doesn't, I'll make up for it with my NBA games where I'm stronger.

This is the most important thing to remember. Play to your strengths in all things in life, but do not forget about your weaknesses. Work on them, try and improve. There is so much out there, so much you can take advantage of, it just takes some work. A bit of research. The road may seem long and hard, but it's a trip worth taking...

Or, you can just listen to PPB. That's another option. Regardless, the NHL is a healthy league, it's not football or basketball or baseball, but it's a regular sport, with regular enough results, and some great lines. Don't ignore it because you don't know it. A little awareness can go a long way...

Bonds Threat?

2007-02-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds reportedly is receiving death threats, like many players have in our proud history, and it is my opinion that he is not only tainting baseball with his HR chase of Hank Aaron, but he is tainting the history of death threats in sports.

In baseball alone there was Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier, Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's hallowed mark, Roger Maris when he chased and broke the single season HR record and Cal Ripken Jr. when he broke Gehrig's consecutive games played streak--among hundreds of other such targets. Recently, even Ichiro Suzuki received death threats when he was attempting to break Sisler's 84-year old single season hits record.

That's a joke, but there is no joke about death threats. Bill Buckner. Steve Bartman (and how fitting was that name? Taking an out away from your favorite team, D'oh!). Various umpires. Danny Almonte. The Brewers sausage mascots. Keith Hernandez as an announcer. Pitchers and hitters and managers who either messed up or were good enough to do something great at the hands of some fan's favorite team, the sending of a death threat is a venerable tradition in the world of sports, one that goes back to when old-school settlers hit balls with sticks.

No. Death threats are an ugly but integral part of the game, the passion that whips up in the fan base logically extends to this expression of vitriol--thankfully hardly ever carried out.

I actually began to wonder if death threats were ever made up, to build to the mystique of chasing a record. Perhaps, perhaps not--but one immediately begins to wonder if Bonds made these threats up to win public sympathy. Probably not, because don't forget, Bonds is a dick. He probably has been getting death threats for years, imploring him to stop being a dick. And now? Now that he is chasing Aaron's record in a steroid-pumped haze of allegations?

He's sullying the proud history of death threats in America. Of death threats in the world. In fact, when the dust settles, I move to place an asterisk next to his name every time it's mentioned in regards to death threats, because Bonds is dirtying the waters of anything that he touches and only the hindsight of history will be able to view him with any clarity.

Until then, stop sending threats. He's not worth it. All right? All right.

Some Half Time Plays (Examples)

2007-02-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

The other night I made two successful half-time wagers, and I would like to share my rationale with all of you, to maybe help you all out with your Sports Investing. This isn't any hardcore advice, nothing that will blow your mind, just a few examples of successful half-time wagers that occurred last night.

San Antonio jumped out to a 24 point lead to close out the first half, and the line for the second half was -2.5 for Toronto, meaning Toronto just has to make that 24-point lead a 21-point lead. I’m banking on the fact that Toronto is a youthful and proud team. Now, the Spurs weren't going to exactly let them get back into the game, but so far Bosh had been completely shut down. I looked for him to get some game and maybe pull it out toward the end of the fourth when letting up is simply inevitable--sometimes. But if there is a time in a blowout, that's when.

So what happened? Bosh didn't exactly wow anybody, but the Raptors went shot for shot in the third and then closed the gap by 8 points in the fourth, win for me. Now...

Boston was in Houston, and Tracy McGrady was out of the game with the flu. No McGrady, no Yao, this means trouble trouble—one of the lowest scoring first halves I can remember, Houston was up 35-29 at halftime. Part of me wanted to take the under, which was at 92, but it reeked of a trap bet, as I thought the teams would discover how to play against one another in the second half. What did like, however, was the fact that Boston had Pierce and a bunch of young guys who were all thinking, hey, this is our chance, let’s do this. It’s +1 Boston, so as long as the game ended with Houston up by 6, I would be all right. I banked on Pierce leading his team and the Rockets falling apart at the end without their big star...

And what happened? Houston goes up by three more points at the end of the third, but then it all goes down the crapper as the Celtics battle back in the fourth for a 5-point win. Oh, and the under would have paid as well...but I figured that first half was so low, who knew what would happen in the second.

The Lesson is easy to see. Analyzing team character, as well as what is happening, can lead you to making a relatively easy decision. Halftime plays are huge, you can either hedge a losing bet or even, like last night, make a couple smart independent wagers. The only problem is that you have to make a quick decision. Usually I don't make a full bet at halftime, and wager about half of my usual wager, but that's just me. Even though I look at it as a bonus, halftime wagers are really great plays for all sports investors to really make your investment grow.

Research of team play is huge, but a lot of it is just knowing your basketball, trusting your gut, being aware of the numbers, and using common sense. All right everyone, CollegeBoy telling all of you to Stay Sharp and Play Smart...

McGrady down, Rockets grounded?

2007-02-26T23:57:00.000-05:00

Now, similar to the situation with the Heat and Dwayne Wade, everyone got a first hand look at how devastating a missing superstar can be.

Yao down, all right. Recently I did a blog post detailing the Rockets emergence without their big man, and most of it is due to Coach Van Gundy and Tracy McGrady. While the team has historically struggled when one of them was down (which changed this season), the team is terrible without both--and tonight, the Rockets were terrible. Question: were they as terrible as the Boston Celtics?

Gamblers across the nation were kicking themselves in the face for not putting their houses and kid's college funds on the Celtics early--even if they just had a feeling. The odds on the money line were hovering around +400, but then that all changed drastically. McGrady was sick with the flu and the rationale was, why exert yourself when you can take a day off? Rest up against the lowly Celtics, your team should be able to handle them, then come back strong against the Toronto Raptors. Those same gamblers then collectively released a huge sigh of relief as the Rocket did just that, playing a ridiculous first half--and by ridiculous, I mean laughably terrible. The score was 35-29, but at least Houston was up by 6. The Rockets shot 1 of 22 from downtown. I mean, this was an ugly, ugly game, a game where Houston found themselves up by double digits--until the fourth quarter, that was.

Then things got really ugly, but now just for the Rockets. Those same gamblers who were cursing themselves off, then praising hallelujahs, were back to cursing themselves again as the Celtics first tied the game then took over on a three from Pierce with scant time remaining. Right before our eyes we saw a team self-destruct, just look completely lost without their general. You have the Suns without Nash, the Heat without Wade, and now the Rockets without McGrady. Not right. Losing to the Celtics, that's just not right.

Too bad the NBA can't turn off injuries like in a video game.

But you have to hand it to the Celtics. Just like the teams in the Eastern Conference who are smelling blood, they smelled blood on the Rockets and they attacked. Good for them and I'm sure they made a few people some decent money. In regards to myself, I made myself a halftime wager which I will go in detail tomorrow, give a little gambling advice on this blog. All right though, CollegeBoy is tired and needing some sleep. Until tomorrow...

Let's put all our injuries on hold, huh? It's much more exciting that way.

Wade down, Heat out?

2007-02-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

So turns out the injury to Wade is serious and well, the Heat aren't going anywhere up in the standings soon. Shaq, who has played much better recently, simply cannot put a team on his back and Wade is one of those special players its hard to pickup the slack for--now, there are options besides surgery, but at most he will return with about ten games left in the season. While the Eastern Conference may be weak, and I use the term cautiously as I explained in a previous blog post, it doesn't mean that teams like the Knicks, Nets, Atlanta and especially Charlotte aren't smelling blood. Any of those teams--and especially the Knicks and Charlotte--will do everything they can to make it into the post season.

All you sports investors, just be careful. This doesn't mean that the Heat are pushovers. They lost to Dallas, understandably, but then came back to beat Cleveland and had the lead against the Knicks before losing it in the fourth quarter tonight. I advise a wait-and-see attitude, see how they do in the next few games before you start laying heavy action on or against them. The next two games (at Washington, home VS Detroit) will do a lot to show what this team is made of, because like the Cavaliers have shown with Lebron, one man does not make a team.

But in the Heat's case, one man is the engine that drives the rest forward and now that engine is down; sad to say, the backup Diesel may just be too old...

Sports Investing 102

2007-02-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I posted basic Sports Investing principles and I'm sure some of you out there were like, all right, I follow all of that already: I stay sharp, I play smart, I keep my head, I don't get angry or bet foolishly. I research my picks, listen to all the advice, follow all the trends--but I still don't win! Or...I don't win enough.

Some of you may even be saying that everything in that blog sounded like a load of bullshit. You want guarantees, you want formulas to follow, cold hard numbers that you can swallow to maximize profit.

In other words, you want an easy button.

And the honest to God answer is no, there is no easy button. You can get incredibly lucky, take advantage of certain situations, but for the Average Joe...it's a grind. Simple as that. Day in, day out, hot streaks and cold, up and down, you're goal is to win out in the long term. Unless you already have a lot of money in an account, you won't become rich off this, but it's a great tool to afford a vacation, to buy a Christmas present, or even finance a trip to brick and mortar casinos--or whatever you want to use the extra money for. The only thing is sticking to it, I mean, if you have a stock portfolio, do you watch all the stocks regularly?

No. Of course not.

Which is why handicapping services like Power Position Betting exist. Let's be serious here. Let's be plain and upfront. There are no guarantees, there just aren't. But if you see months of success from a handicapping service, well, what more do you need to know? If your handicapping service answers your questions, attempts to teach you, to not just tell you what to do but guide you in the direction of successfully investing in sports; if your handicapping service explains their picks, reminds you about the basics of sports investing, speaks plainly and simply to you...then, what more do you want?

This is the type of service the Positioning Group provides, and if not us, then someone else. Hey, it's a free market--our goal is to show that is a viable market. Sports Investing is a very real deal, and a lot of people do make a great deal of money on it--a lot of people also lose a great deal of money on it. We're not concerned about them though, we're concerned with making you enough money to allow you to live a bit more comfortably. Please, try our service. Visit our web site, talk to us, email us at info@positioninggroup.com

We're here. We're ready. There aren't guarantees on wagers, but we guarantee to provide you with proper sports investing tips, materials, and strategies...and for our members, we'll certainly send out our picks. We may not always be hot, we may not always be right, but we damn well know what we're doing, and we want you to be confident in us.

And always, remember to play smart and stay sharp.

So...where the trades at?

2007-02-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

Boring...

I can't even comment. Oh well, let's get a move on people, twenty something games left, let's finish the season on a high note and roll into the playoffs.

At least they will be exciting I'm sure.

Sky Rockets in Flight...

2007-02-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

So far we have gone over the Utah Jazz, the Cavaliers, Suns, Mavericks and Pistons. Today we're going to take a quick look at the Houston Rockets and breakdown why they have a very legitimate shot at winning this year's championship.

The huge question for this squad so far was, what happens once Yao went down? How does the team respond? Historically they have faltered, though the numbers show McGrady was more of a linchpin of the team's success. Take Yao out, the Rockets go 7-11 for a .389 win %. Take McGrady out and the Rockets go 10-27, .270 win %. Take both out, and then it just gets ugly. So how did the Rockets do this year with Yao out?

Fantastic. As of today, Houston is fifth in the Western conference, only two games back from San Antonio for third place. They can't catch the Mavericks or Suns, but they can definitely make it to a third seed, especially with Yao coming back in a week or two. For all you Sports Investors out there, I would be careful once the duo is reunited, as always everything depends on the lines, but it could very well take the big man a couple games to come back to his former self. And maybe he's can't return to being the force that he was becoming this year--all you fantasy owners out there who groaned when Yao went down, I was with you guys. It hurt. (especially if you have Boozer go down too, grumble grumble)

So what we have to do first is examine why the Rockets are playing so well with their big man on the sideline. The answer, of course, is McGrady. He runs the show down in Houston, the offense runs through him, and when he is hot, Lord have mercy. But all of you out there knew this, no big news there, but what is big is the play of their role players, staring with Shane Battier. This man is everywhere, an engine going full throttle from beginning to end, he steals, he blocks, he can light up the scoreboard, drowns threes, and is just an overall pest to the opposing star player. Even inadvertently he's an animal, just because he plays so hard. In last night's game VS the Heat, Wade went to get the ball and Battier didn't care, did a spin move elbows flailing, Wade knocked into him, they tangled a bit and Battier tossed the ball to an open guy. Wade? He had to leave the game with an injury to his shoulder. You just don't mess with Battier, man.

Speaking of that Heat game, how hilarious was it that Shaq got a technical for waving his index finger? Which brings us to the next X factor, the reemergence of Dikembe Mutombo. Of course he's not as young as he once was, of course he could never reproduce Yao's offensive production, but the man is pulling down every board that comes his way and being a presence in the paint. A lot of people could drive on Yao, that's still a big part of his game that he has to improve on, but not so with Dikembe. That man plays like he owns a monopoly on D.

Then you have the other bit players, Rafer Alston who can knock down big shots, a consistent downtown threat, able to move the ball and yeah--he can play some D too. Juwan Howard is a man who posts solid number rather quietly, he isn't that much of a force, but he can explode at times, rattle the rim, and is a good body to have on your team. Then you have Bonzi Wells and Luther Head, quiet guys both involved in trade rumors, so if no moves are made (as is what's expected of the Rockets), I expect their numbers to increase...

And by then, of course, the big man is back.

Now, it's also very important to note who the coach is, Jeff Van Gundy. There is reason why the Rockets are one of the few teams who play solid fundamental basketball, who clamp down on defense (they lead the league in fewest points allowed), and seem to be in the right place at the right time. This guy can coach, and with a healthy Yao, there aren't very many weaknesses in this team. If the team plays this well without Yao, they can only improve once he gets back--which, admittedly, is cause for some concern. Once the star is back, other players feel they can coast a bit, feed the rock to the big man and then sit back. I don't think that will happen, Van Gundy won't allow it to happen, and they will get home court advantage, even if it's only for one round. Watch.

This is a playoff caliber team, defense wins championships and this team has it. It's tough, it can without its big star, it can knock down 3's, play D, get down and dirty, have McGrady-Magic happen, etc. Anything is possible, even...dare I say it...

Beating the Mavericks. They had a great series in 2005, going seven games, and if they meet up this year I'm confident the same will happen. Hey, when I make playoff predictions I go off entertainment and those would be pretty sweet games, so let's go Mavericks, let's go Rockets...

Two teams enter, one team leaves.

Trade Deadline Approaching

2007-02-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

Detroit is looking for another bit player, maybe someone like Brevin Knight who would be a great fit and could be acquired on the cheap since the Bobcats are now Felton's team. Knight is capable of running the Detroit offense, he can D up with his ability to steal the ball, and he is an unselfish player--exactly the type of guard the Pistons like, and would be a great sub for Billups. Other players mentioned are Chucky Atkins, Morris Peterson, and Mike James...but I would bet on Brevin Knight, though that could be because I like him as a player and he would make the Pistons so much nastier.

All it takes to get Kidd to the Lakers is moving Bynum. And no matter how much I want to see a comic book about Kidd and Bryant tag teaming the L.A. scene...it doesn't make a lot of sense. This kid Bynum, they got a baller here. He's young and still growing, he's got game, he's already tossing up double-doubles and is only going to improve. He's only 19 years old, and under Phil Jackson's tutelage, he's going to blossom to, if not a star, a very worthwhile presence. You bring Kidd out there, yeah, Kidd is a great team player, him and Kobe will be nasty, but how is the rest of the team going to react? Who is Kidd going to pass the ball to? Jordan Farmar, Aaron McKie, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm and draft picks are not enough to sway the Nets, as well as they shouldn't, Kidd is worth a lot more then that. Kidd is worth Bynum and draft picks...but do the Lakers want to pull that trigger? It could backfire terribly.

We'll see what happens by 3 tomorrow.

How about if Scottie Pippen comes back, laces up his shoes...and starts playing for the L.A. Lakers. But that's not the right place for him I think. He'd fit in more with the Miami Heat, where a lot of players are the same age as him...

Or how about the Pistons? He'd fit in beautifully there, coming off the bench, though I guess the commissioner wouldn't allow something like that to happen. Whatever happens happens, part of me is sad to see him come back, but part of me hopes he can actually contribute. We wish him the best. Jimmy and Pete came into their own when he and the Bulls were running things, they have fond memories of him...I grew up a Knicks fan so I always hated him, but now, well, that's all water under the bridge.

What if he plays for the Knicks?

Ha.

Yeah, not going to happen. Doesn't look like the Knicks are making a deal either. What's up with that? If there was something I could consistently count on happening, it was some sort of dumb ass trade by Isiah. I guess he likes his team, or his hands are tied by the salary cap, or maybe he's living by the best trade to make is no trade mentality. All I know is the Knicks passed their win total from last season and are a couple games back from a playoff spot, but--and this is the big thing--they are also exciting to watch again. I make it a point to watch my team now.

And that's always a good thing.

Other players to watch for movement: Pau Gasol, Garnett, Corey Maggette, Luke Ridnour, and any of the players on the Kings or Clippers, who could be looking to break up and start building again. A good trade obviously pushes a team over the contender hump and makes them a favorite to win the championship, and come this time tomorrow, we'll know who made that jump and who stayed on the sidelines, content to circle the wagons and push into summer...

Sports Investing 101

2007-02-19T15:28:00.000-05:00

Stay Sharp, Play Smart.

We always write this, everywhere, over and over.

Stay Sharp, Play Smart.

This is our mantra. If we were Buddhist monks, this is what we here at the Positioning Group would be singing.

Stay Sharp, Play Smart.

But what does that exactly mean? The answer is so simple it becomes difficult; the answer saturates each of these posts, is between every line, a shadow behind every word, staying sharp and playing smart of even staying smart and playing sharp...

1. Keep your head about you, even when all those about you are losing theirs. This paraphrases a famous line from the poem 'If,' but there is no if about this tenet of the Sports Investors philosophy. It is so easy to lose faith, to have a bad streak and pack it up--or even worse, have a bad streak and dig yourself even deeper into despair. No matter how many times we say this, it must be said again and again and again.

Stay the course. Stick to your plan. Listen to the PPB picks. Utilize everything you have learned, everything that you will learn. Keep an open mind, and keep a relaxed mind--once you get too emotionally involved, ruin is close behind. Don't ride a bucking bronco, take things steady, and in other words, keep your head!

2. Don't be an idiot. As CollegeBoy, I inhabit the role of the idiot on the team, and I'm not too happy about it but I keep messing up. Don't do what I do. Listen to Pete and Jim, listen to what they say, listen to their wisdom. There is a reason why they have been in this business for as long as they have, why they are successful at it. I always think I can do it by myself, and I quickly double up and think I have it all figured out, then pop! Down the tubes.

They may not be right 100% of the time, no one is, but they are right a majority of the time, and that is all that matters. Don't be an idiot and listen to them.

3. Listen to your better half. Every person has two selves; one that knows what to do, the other who wants to do certain things. Your super-ego and id, if you will, and you are ego in the middle, always in battle with the other two.

Your angel on one side, your devil on the other. Listen to the angel in you. The devil may be right, putting a thousand dollars on the Celtics to beat the Timberwolves may pay off huge, but your angel says take the points, you take the points.

After all, Sports Investing is not a race. There's no rush. If you feel a rush, then leave. This is not for you, and you will only succeed in crashing and burning. This is a lifelong commitment, riding several ups and downs, but trying your hardest to maintain an even keel.

4. You have a money management system for a reason, so that all of the afore-mentioned cannot conspire to ruin you. Sports Investing is about taking hits and being able to hit back. Sports Gambling attempts to throw an uppercut that will knock your opponent to the moon, while Sports Investing concentrates on wearing the opponent down over time with body shots and smart jabs.

Who do you think has the better chance of winning in the end?

5. Know when to stop. A large part about staying sharp is simply being aware enough to realize that things are spinning out of control. This is when you have to say to yourself, "hey, hold on buddy. I'm losing my head, I'm being an idiot, I'm listening to the devil and saying screw you to my money management system. I need a break..."

So go on a break. This is like tilt in poker, being aware that your style of play with no doubt be compromised by the previous play, a poker player stands up and takes a little break to sort him or herself out. The same holds true for Sports Investors.

6. See the forest through the trees and vice versa. See all the angles, including yourself in relation to the action, which requires a certain philosophic mindset employing everything written in this blog. Increased awareness can only help you discover yourself and perhaps gain insight into Sports Investing as well. Meditate, relax, crack open a beer, do something to get away where you will able to think clearly. This is very important.

You need you time. Otherwise, you get too caught up in what is going around you and "Stay Sharp, Play Smart" becomes another empty phrase without any meaning.

Ultimately, "Stay Sharp, Play Smart" is a way to remind all of you about our philosophy, about the proper way to lead a sports investing lifestyle. Slow and steady, building bankroll over time, not only does it remind you that success doesn't happen overnight, but it reminds you that it all rests on your shoulders. There is only so much we can do.

If you choose to not stay sharp, to not play smart, well, whose fault is that? We can say it, you can say it, but it takes a lot to live it.

So start living it. Everyday is a learning experience, everyday holds the possibility of unlocking a treasure chest or getting stabbed in the heart. The Sports Investor rides these waves, learns to stab open the chests. Don't gamble. Invest. And as always,

Stay Sharp, Play Smart.

Slighted Dwight...

2007-02-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

Some All-Star Week-end observations...

Dwight Howard got the shaft for what I thought was a pretty ridiculous dunk, slapping a sticker on top of the backboard. He had originally wanted to dunk on a 12 foot hoop, but the league said no, so he did the next best thing he could think of--a dunk that confused me at first (and probably why the judges did what they did), but one which I came to marvel at for it's creativity and sheer physical presence. 12 feet, 4 inches high, with a sticker of himself (and a message preaching the power of Christ, but it was small enough to not be a bother) smuggled into the competition in his hand. Someone on espn.com said that it would be the sticker dunk that would be the most memorable from the competition, and I have to agree. So Howard may have gotten nothing for now, but he dunked for posterity--and realizing what his faith is, that's pretty fitting to me.

So Kapono practically begs to be allowed into the three point competition, which considering that he is the current 3-pt % leader in the NBA, is more than understandable. I admit, when he came out, I was like...Kapo-who? He's a solid player, obviously shoots 3's, and well, he went on to win the competition easily, two baskets from setting a new record. Great job kid.

Goes well with Wade repeating as the skills champion winner. I'm slightly bothered by the whole skills challenge, it's All-Star Weekend, can't we ratchet it up a bit? I want the hoops, for the passing bit, to be on fire. I want sword-wielding midgets trying to knock the ball out for the slalom-inspired segment. I want a movable backboard, just because it would be ridiculous. Hey, I know it's a skill competition, but it is pretty boring. They need to do something...

Like maybe give the Eastern Conference a 20-point handicap. Cause, um, well I didn't really watch the game. I did catch Gilbert Arenas launching himself off the trampoline to do a sweet dunk, that was pretty cool. Kobe was MVP, from what I saw, he had a good game but...well, I mean, we all knew the West would win, after two straight losses to the East, but wow.

Oh well. As long as they give me flaming hoops and armed midgets next year, I could care less. Well, I don't really care too much to begin with, it is just an All-Star game, a good time to go and watch the stars mess around, do some cool plays, play sloppy, have fun...but still...

I would watch that skills competition. I would DVR it. And watch it again.

Forsberg Nashville Bound

2007-02-16T21:54:00.000-05:00

Big news in the NHL world. Peter Forsberg has been traded to the Predators, giving him and Paul Kariya another chance to work off one another--the last time both were injured. This time, who knows. Nashville has the slimmest of slim leads in the Western Conference, has been struggling of late, but if there has ever been a time for them to win, it is now. This trade automatically pushes them toward the top of the West in terms of contenders, which may sound like an odd-thing to say for the team that is in first, but Nashville, for all of their recent success, is still an unproven team yet to play further than the conference quarter-finals.

Until they can make at least to the conference finals, they are not the number one or two teams in the conference, which pre-Forsberg would have been the Red Wings and the Mighty Ducks. After that, the case would have been made for the Sharks, Stars, and the Flames, who because of their goaltending and experience, could have conceivably rated higher than Nashville. But not anymore. Nashville is the clear-cut number 3 team, and in the playoffs, anything can happen.

By adding the stellar, though oft under-rated and misrepresented by stats, playmaking abilities of Forsberg, the Predators have added a whole new spin to their game, as well as adding one more person who has won a Stanley Cup (they only had one--Jason Arnott--so this deal is huge for experience alone.) Hopefully his leadership, in conjunction with Kariya, will give some form and shape to the hunger that these young guys are feeling, and focus their energies come playoffs. After all, this may be the last go around for a player who I felt never has truly lived up to his potential, although he has had a great career, winning two Stanley Cups and well as an MVP award. All players in all sports want to end on top, and this is why Nashville traded away so much youth, for this one shot (to win and to sell tickets), and he will play his heart out so that if he does retire because of his hurt foot, he can do it as a champion.

He is only 32 years old as well, so there is plenty of hockey life in him. He had off-season surgery and while seeming a couple steps slower, he has begun to heat up in the last eleven games for the Flyers. If he can continue his starting-to-wake-up play, then watch out.

This was a trade I liked a lot. The Flyers aren't going to be doing anything, so they might as well sell off one of their top assets, in the last year of his contract, for draft picks and young players who have some potential in them. Sure the Flyers lose their captain, but it'll be all right. The organization will rise again, eventually (the Flyers always do), and so why not give one of the NHL's more exciting players a chance to win another one? A good deal for both, and I wish all the best to Nashville, who are now set to lose to the Devils in an exciting seven-game showdown.

Joe Rogan Attacks like Wade

2007-02-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

A lot of fans of Carlos Mencia out there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsq1uTLBHBc

Check that link out or type Mencia Rogan into youtube, and see Joe Rogan attack Mencia like D. Wade attacking the hoop. Seriously, Rogan doesn't give up, and he goes after anyone who he perceives to be doing harm to the world. There was a funny set of links I stumbled upon last year when Rogan was attacking a talkbacker in his forum, sparring back and forth with some college kid who never thought he would get in a sparring match with Joe Rogan. The kid wrote something like "Joe Rogan sucks at life" or something, and Rogan went after him, over and over and over.

Funny stuff. The blogosphere went wild with this, thought I might as well share.

And speaking of D. Wade, I'm sure you all know about his little spat with Marc Cuban, but if you aren't, here is a link to read up on it.

http://slamonline.com/online/2007/02/beef-wade-vs-cuban/

Basically, Dirk started the whole thing by relaying the oft-repeated fact of the Mavericks giving the Heat the championship last season. Wade called him out on it, saying his leadership skills were lacking and that history would be on the side of the Heat, and then Cuban ran to get the back of his boy, pretty much nailing Wade. Hey, I've always been a fan of Cuban, as I have stated several times...

Hey, did you see his blog where he said he would invest in sports instead of stocks, I mean, how can you argue against that logic, even if said in jest. That's what we do...

And yeah. What would happen if Joe Rogan and Marc Cuban got into a sparring match?

Both wouldn't quit. Both would take it over the top. Both would be doing everything they could to sink the other person, but I have to give the edge to Cuban. The X factor, however, is knowing the Mavericks history: would Cuban give the win to Rogan?

I guess we'll never know for sure, until it happens. Come on boys, someone start a controversy. I'm getting a wee-bit bored...

Congratulations Celtics

2007-02-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

We'd like to congratulate the Celtics for giving their fans a sweet Valentine. Unfortunately, it's going to take more than one victory--in fact, most fans are resigned to the having the Celtics lose, just to make sure they get the number 1 pick. Still, it is a nice gesture, and I'm sure they appreciate it.

So congratulations. Enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

May all your action--any kind--be hot and steamy.

Injured Suns, Rumored Guns

2007-02-13T23:12:00.000-05:00

So how do you beat one of the best teams in the league? Easy, play them when they're injured. The Suns are 4-10 without Nash since he joined the team, 2-3 without him this season. The last two games they lost, Boris Diaw's absence worsened the situation. At best, the Suns have six solid starters, all flourishing under the careful guidance of their 2-time MVP general, Mr. Nash. Without two of their big boys, all hell breaks loose. Banks is all right to come in as a fifth man, a sub, a guy to give Barbosa or Nash a breather, but he cannot be expected to run the Suns. Nor can Barbosa for that matter, he just doesn't exert the same command--and hey, compared to the reigning MVP, that's not meant to be a criticism. The whole team knows it, and this is what feeds the Suns. Without Nash, they don't believe in themselves. It's not so much of Nash being the little engine that could, Nash is THE engine. Take it away, and the Suns fall apart.

Good news for Phoenix fans is that this shoulder injury is really not that serious. Trust me. On top of everything, he gets a couple weeks rest halfway through, he's going to come back energized and lead his team to their rightful number two spot and hopefully a match-up in the conference finals VS the Mavericks.

Now, far more interesting, to me at least, are the various rumors swirling around the leagues. Carlos Zambrano--ah, baseball is in the air again, can't wait cannot wait--says he will bolt if he doesn't get a long-term deal before Opening Day. Can you see him pitching for the Mets? Because I can. Sure the Yankees always come up, but I know Minaya, and as a Mets fan, I am salivating at the chance of landing this arm for the Mets. We need it--our young guns are still too young, and Glavine, well, he's not get any younger that's for sure. If there was some way to get Carlos this year...but there's not. Ten to one he sticks with the Cubs anyway. They cannot afford to let him go, as he is the one anchor they have.

Papelbon adds a curve as he tries to make it as a starter again. Will he succeed? Ridiculous as he was, I just don't see it. But hey, I'm not saying he's going to be terrible, but he will not have the same impact as he had last year. For a solid two months, he was a baseball immortal coming out of the pen, a special time for all baseball fans. It was a time we won't see again from him, though he'll certainly have his share of dominating performances. Remember how Beckett pitched for the Sox last year? I see about the same happening, but who knows...

That's what's great about baseball, you just never know with these guns they have.

How sweet would Jason Kidd be on the Lakers? But just like Nash and the Suns, trade away Kidd and there go the Nets. Microfracture surgery or not, Kidd is an animal, a triple-double threat who gives maximum effort and is a model teammate. What's sweetening the possibility is the fact that this year's draft class is incredibly deep and the Lakers have picks--but do you really want to create the Toronto Raptors in New Jersey? Surrounding Vince Carter with a bunch of no names? Sure the Nets would still have Richard Jefferson, K-dog, and Marcus Williams...you know what, go for it. Nets build for the future, Lakers go out right now. Plus, I want to see what Kidd and Kobe can do together, and not just on the court. Can you imagine what would happen if these guys double-teamed some girl? That has to be the plot of one of the scariest movies ever, and then Chris Kaman shows up...oh God, I have to stop before I get nightmares. But seriously, I would pay to watch that reality show.

Or how about Kidd on the Cavaliers? Someone needs to not only take some of the load off Lebron, but light a fire under his ass--though I still think he's just waiting for the playoffs. Hey, he's young, he knows he's an animal, lull teams into a false sense of security, then pop them one in the mouth. It's what the Colts did, remember the rush defense that couldn't stop Peyton's grandma? Looked pretty good once it really mattered...

Now, Pau Gasol I think is a bigger catch for some teams, because let's face it, the Grizzlies are done. How about the Nets? Can you imagine Gasol, Kidd, and Carter? Automatic contender. Gasol on the Bulls as well, that was the particularly hot rumor though it seems to have cooled off due to the injury to Nocioni. All I know is that Gasol wants out, and he is the final piece to a lot of teams for a late playoffs run...and Garnett? He's not going anywhere.

Gasol is a potential wildcard, a force that must be reckoned with, and honestly, would you rather have Ben Wallace or Pau Gasol if you're the Bulls? Send over Ben, a couple picks, and maybe some young talent and see what happens. Memphis wants to ship him out as well, supposedly West wants to cut payroll, and this is a must-have player. If the Knicks could somehow get him...I'm sure we'd get the eighth playoff spot then. Ha.

We'd be a force. See us take out the Lakers? Eddy Curry, what what. Always helps when Kobe doesn't have the last shot, I'd give it to Odom as many times as he wanted it. Odom got skills, but he ain't no Kobe. Still, I suppose the Lakers got to keep other teams honest.

Well, enough for today. I'm going to do a random rundown on various NBA/NHL/NCAA action soon, including an unranked Duke hoops team for the first time since 1996. And of course I'll be keeping my eyes open on any trade rumors...

Mighty interesting times right about now, folks. Mighty interesting.

Random Bridges

2007-02-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Here is a bridge to a previous post. Do you remember the terrorist scare in Boston from not too long ago? Turned out to be a hoax involving the cartoon network and Aqua Teen Hunger Force? I did a short post about it, laughed with my friends about it, and then found this hilarious video based on the incident: funny stuff.

Here is another link, hope for us all in the sports investing world. It shows a sky diver surviving a fall from 12,000 feet. I hope you all never have to go through a freefall like that with your account, but even if you do for some weird reason, maybe not listening to Pete and Jimmy and Power Position Betting--or maybe getting way too drunk one night--but whatever the cause, remember, you're still alive. There's always tomorrow. And there is plenty of time to rise again.

Humans can be so amazing...

Like the Flyers. Thank you. Destroyed the Red Wings 6-1 today, playing much better hockey. Did I say it? I said it multiple times, in both newsletters. Thank you, thank you. I may not get all my predictions correct, but I do get some--evidence that CollegeBoy here is growing up.

Might as well link my my fiction book, The Grass is Green here again. It's certainly a flawed novel, a lot of the ideas are still raw, but I like it and would like people to read it, see what they think. Though I'm sure the Sports Investing (from a beginner's viewpoint) book will prove to be much more interesting to all of you out there, a project of mine that is continuing nicely.

As for Power Position Betting, I hope you all enjoyed last month's The Reckoning, and we're off to another good start for this month. We're making money for our members, and that is all that matters. No fancy tricks, no fancy illusions, no fancy scam--look at our results, look at our testimonials, look at our services. We're dedicated professionals interested in two things: 1. sports and 2. money.

Baseball season, which happens to be our bread and butter, is coming up soon. Can you smell it? Can you feel it? I can. Two months away or so, but until then, we're going to play smart and stay sharp in all things NHL, NBA, and NCAA...

And so should you.

Celtics...oh Celtics...

2007-02-11T23:27:00.000-05:00

Losers of 18 straight, done in by a former teammate, Ricky Davis, with .2 seconds left...

Heart-breaking.

And...to build a bridge to the last post, I decided to take the gambling route and placed a wager on the money line to win big. Well, I lost. And the bet I made, the net for the Celtics wager, was a push because Lebron decided to hit both of his free throws and Odom chucked up an air ball in garbage time. Great job guys. As for me? The difference is an account with 700 bucks in it VS 900. In the end, that's the difference between sports gamblers and sports investors. Could I have had 1100 in there? Sure, very possible--I can blame the Celtics and their three turnovers in the last ninety seconds all I want, but fault rests on my shoulders alone. What would I do to take that 900 right about now, right?

Which would you prefer?

Well, it's back to the drawing board. My experience on the gambling side failed miserably, just a tough day for 'moi'...I didn't learn my lesson, yet, but it does sting. You see, there would be nothing wrong with that wager for someone with more money in their account, but I am in the "building bank roll" stage, and well...

I'm an idiot. And the Celtics? Terrible...

Just terrible.

Sports Investing VS Sports Gambling II

2007-02-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

It is time for another go on the Sports Investing VS. Sports Gambling debate. This time, we'll deal with the segment in the structure of a FAQ guide.

1. So what exactly is the difference between Sports Gambling and Sports Investing?

Excellent question. It is easy to distinguish the two by using the archetypal examples: the sports gambler as a wild and crazy loon; the sports investor as the calm, cool, and collected individual, not showing much emotion. We write this because it is easier to tell the difference between these two types of people, but the truth falls somewhere in the various shades of gray that surround us...as most truths do.

Sports Investing relies more on historical trends and streaks, utilizing systems developed on cold analysis of numbers. In a way, you can say Sports Investing comes from the head, which means that Sports Gambling comes from the heart. Sports Gambling relies on the gut, on making moves that the head doesn't really believe in (going against the numbers), or maybe placing faith in a rather silly source.

Both, however, dip into the other's realm. Sports Investing routinely calls for gut plays, especially when bank roll is established and riskier plays can be taken--that is when Sports Investing becomes a lot like gambling. For example, on a good night, a handicapper can place 3 or 4 relatively safe wagers and then throw a haymaker to push the account skyward. The safer plays balance out the home run ball, which if it hits, excellent. If not, then whatever.

Sports Gambling, however, generally tries to hit a lot more balls out of the park, which leads to a lot of frustrated swing and misses. Meanwhile, the Sports Investor is spraying singles all over the field, building a lead and maintaining it for the long haul. In the end, this metaphor does the best service between Sports Gambling and Sports Investing.

2. Just tell me the difference in plain English!

All right, all right. Sports Investing places great focus on money management and research. They believe in the long haul. Sports Gambling likes to let it ride, to win big as quick as possible. This generally ends in ruin.

3. What's an example of what you mean?

Well, all right. Tomorrow night the Boston Celtics are playing against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Boston has lost 17 in a row. Pierce is back. Minnesota has been struggling as of late. Boston plays better on the road than at home. Boston will probably have a spread of around 10 points, as well as being a huge money favorite, +350 or +400 maybe. Maybe not, because a team can't lose forever, can they? So, here is what someone in sports investing would say.

"Well, Pierce coming back will be a huge lift for the Celtics. They are going to play as hard as they can to win this one. They just were embarrassed by the Nets. They play one game on the road and then come back home. They want to enter on some kind of positive note. Recent history suggests a close game. Minnesota's recent play has been less than stellar, having lost to the second worst team, that being Memphis. Interesting."

Then, depending on other factors, other research, the Sports Investor will, according to his money management system, either take the points or go for the home run, but with support from other researched picks, i.e. Cavaliers at home, Dallas over the 76ers, whatever--you never want to jump for the moon without a net. Now, here is what the Sports Gambler thinks.

"Well, Pierce coming back will be a huge lift for the Celtics. They are going to play as hard as they can to win this one. They just were embarrassed by the Nets. They play one game on the road and then come back home. They want to enter on some kind of positive note. Recent history suggests a close game. Minnesota's recent play has been less than stellar, having lost to the second worst team, that being Memphis. Let's go Boston!"

They can use the same reasoning, the same research, but they drop as much as they can on the money line and hope to win big--could they? Very certainly. They also may drop a huge sum on the points as well, but the idea here is that Sports Investing is a system. A net of support designed to steadily increase money, while Sports Gambling makes a run, guns blazing...

3. So Sports Investing is 100% guaranteed to make money?

The sad truth is that the answer is no. I mean, you never know what can happen, it's like any preposition that involves varying degrees of risk. Are there systems guaranteed to make you money 100% of the time? Certainly, but not everyone has the necessary means to utilize the particular systems I am talking about. We here at the Power Position Betting guarantee to make you double your membership fee or you get that month's money back--and that's about the only guarantee you can get. Can we guarantee that the sun will rise tomorrow? No, but we wouldn't advise wagering against it.

Our record speaks for itself. We may not shine as bright as the sun necessarily, but we do shine, and we definitely rise.

4. How much money have you made CollegeBoy?

Now, now, didn't your mother tell you that it's impolite to ask about other people's monetary affairs? Well, if you insist. You must remember that I am a bit thick-headed and do not go along with Power Position Betting's picks all the time. For example, recently they were 4-1 on the night. Me? I was 1-1. Way to pick the winners, right?

What I'm trying to do is, well, to do things my way. I take the lessons I'm learning--slowly I'm learning Pete and Jim, you gotta give me that, slow and steady in all things--and I apply it to my own style of wagering. Is it working? As of last count, of an account beginning with 500 dollars a week and a half ago, I am +300. Should I be higher? Yes. But I'm trying to do things my way, again, like I said. It's all for a book I'm writing that will hopefully help all of you on your way to becoming smarter handicappers.

5. Book? What's it about?

How quick we get off track here. The book will be about dealing with certain frustrations that are due to appear in all beginners. Veterans of sports betting will laugh at me, but since I'm a beginner, I think this book will become an important tool. I go over wagering on favorite teams, systems, how to deal with "failing to pull a trigger," issues of tilt, regret, places to research, methods of research--basically, I'm filling it all up with as much value as possible, and then giving a running diary of six weeks of my wagering/reactions/methods.

As long as I don't bust out, that is, everything should be good value. Although busting out will certainly be a lesson in and of itself. Always look on the bright side, right?

6. Any last words CollegeBoy about sports investing VS sports gambling?

As usual...stay sharp, and play smart.

Advertisement and Thanks

2007-02-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

I would like to take this opportunity to advertise for the people who are making this blog possible, the Positioning Group LLC. Thanks to Pete and Jim once again for giving me this arena for me to spout my garbage, my witty little banter, the stories I take to heart. You guys are also teaching me a great deal about sports wagering, and I hope it's coming across to all the members. It's a rough process, we still have some kinks I know, but once the machine starts rolling, look out world. Baseball season is coming and we're all excited, I can't wait to put some of the systems into play. It's gonna be a good year, I know it.

So that's the Positioning Group LLC, power position betting, run by two veteran handicappers who know what they are doing, who want nothing else but to make money for everybody they know.

Also, I might as well use this forum to push my novel. It's hard for a beginning writer to find a place, and if it wasn't my love of sports, I'd probably be wasting away somewhere, some homeless guy in rags, whispering, "hey, hey you. Buy my book."

Instead, I'm a graduate student whispering on his sports blog for you all to buy my semi-serious book. I self-published it, so there may be a few errors (it's a huge book, and I'm only one man), but it's good times, guaranteed.

Here is the link, http://www.lulu.com/content/255706

It's a great book, I highly recommend it, but fair warning, it does have it's pretensions. It's not a sports book, however. It's more than that, a book about the world and life as I see it now, and I try to be funny and serious and everything I possibly can be. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew, but hey, I tried my best. With shipping, it'll run you about 15-16 dollars, and it would mean a lot to me--and, might I add, 15-16 dollars for over 400 pages of CollegeBoy quality. I'm making .58 cents off each book I sell, so trust me, this isn't some sort of con, I just want people to become aware of a possible literary talent.

Hey, it's worth a shot, right? Thanks to everyone at the Positioning Group, and thanks to all of our members. I hope my writing is semi-interesting enough, I hope you keep on returning, and as long as you play smart and stay sharp...

I'll keep writing. Thanks everyone.

Pumping Pistons...

2007-02-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

All right, so who is emerging as the beast of the East? Several familiar faces, one aged all-star who still has game, and a coach who wants to win it all...

The Detroit Pistons.

Winners of 5 straight now, they dismantled Cleveland before the Super Bowl and the nation got to see that this squad is still a beast. Ball movement, fundamentals, shot selection, rebounding, effort, hunger level, chip on the shoulder, team work for great defense and more than passable offense, on and on, the Pistons have it all.

They are capable of the same play at home and away from home--in fact, they are the only team in the East that has a winning road record. That would be borderline incredible except for the fact that it seems like 90% of the East is at or below .500 (in actuality, flip the nine, and that's the percent of losing teams in the East. On the other hand, it's the same percentage of winning teams in the West--surprised? We always hear about how terrible the East is, it's just that the top 6 teams out West are better than the top 6 in the East...that's all)

Now they've added Chris Webber and assimilated him into the Pistons way of doing things, to great effect. Consider the double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) he dropped against the Lakers, the ease he created for the rest of the team. Rasheed had similar stats, Hamilton scored 16, Prince 20, and Billups led with nine assists and four steals--barely any points, but only because he didn't have to score, it was an easy victory. And if Webber doesn't step up? Any of their other starters can. Then, McDyess can come off the bench, add presence and D, and right there you have a quality 6-man squad. Of all Eastern Conference teams, there is no doubt they have the most experience, no doubt they have heart, and no doubt that they are going to make a long run in the playoffs...

But that is where the major concern comes in. Can this team, essentially a six man roster, make it to the end? Do they have the legs? They are not as old as the Heat last year, which should be a good sign, but they do not have a Wade on their squad. And what about injuries? For now, they are all right, but what happens if someone goes down? When Nazr Mohammed gets healthy, he'll provide another big body for Detroit, but Lindsay Hunter is not capable of carrying this team. Still, losing a key player is a huge deal for any team and the Pistons are capable of overcoming any hole, maybe more so than any other team. They've done it in the past, no reason they should not start doing it now. Who knows, maybe Carlos Delfino could suddenly start playing and lead for an injured Hamilton, or what have you.

The fact of the matter is that the Pistons are a team everyone is afraid of, and rightly so. Losing Ben Wallace was not the end of them, they've moved on, and are leading the conference, first to hit thirty and looking like first overall. They started slow, raised the haters, and on the ever popular wings of the old battle cry, 'no one believed in us!' they are flying high again.

As a machine, these pistons are oiled and ready to go the distance. The next team I profile will be the team I believe comes out of the East, beating the Pistons in a classic seven game series... a team that will provide plenty of fodder for the newspapers...the Chicago Bulls...

Super Bowl Blues...

2007-02-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

Did anyone see the NFL, Goodbye commercial toward the end of the Super Bowl? Fantastic shot of Brett Favre to close it out, fit perfectly with the mood of the segment, the music, great stuff--and truth be told, I do feel a little like those fans right about now. Football is done, it's over, it was a great season and at some point soon I hope to do a recap with some video clips... But it's over, another great season down for the books. What do we do? Shift focus to a different sport? Or...how about we start gearing up for next season, sure. Is there any potential controversy to tide us over until the draft?

Peyton Manning's press conference is currently being deconstructed, concerning when he asked reporters not to give him a free pass for winning the Super Bowl, meaning to remain as critical as ever. So obviously this shows just how much of a perfectionist Manning is, how much he needs to prove people wrong, to have that desire push him along--or, wait, is that a backhanded slight against Brett Favre? Apparently this is what a lot of people are saying, come on, be serious. Like Peyton Manning has nothing better to do with his post-Super Bowl conference except launch a verbal spear at Favre. Right. Listen, Manning doesn't study game film and criticisms of his performances to show up Brett Favre, he wants to be the best he can be, and if sports writers begin to gloss over his mistakes, well, Manning doesn't want that. He wants people to slam him, to slap him in the face, just so he can go out on the field and prove all his critics wrong. It helps him keep a chip on his shoulder. This is so far removed from Brett Favre it's not even funny--this is all about Peyton Manning, and no one else. This is Peyton saying, hey, I'm not through just yet. I'll be back. And if you guys say otherwise, well then, I'll just have to prove you wrong again.

Or we have Tony Dungy demystifying the historical importance of two black coaches squaring off in America's Sport Spectacle Championship, by saying the true import rests on the fact that there are two Christians squaring off against one another. Look, I know Tony Dungy stands by his faith, everyone who knows anything about football knows that, but there is a time and a place to say these types of things. What happened to simply saying, "This feels incredible," or even "Thank God for this..." How can the race issue be trumped with Christianity? As if there are nothing but heathens in America...

Or wait, are there?

Well, in the end, I have no problem with what Tony Dungy said. True I would prefer all the politics of the scene laid out once the dust settles and sobriety returns, but hey--he just became Super Bowl champ, let him say what he wants, its not as if anyone is listening at that point anyway, which to me cheapens it a bit. But hey, that's just my opinion. There is no doubting the historical significance of the fact, and the NFL has made tremendous gains in aspects of equality on the management level. Though it has to be cause of concern when the amount of black coaches in the NFL (7) matches the number in college...

I'm reminded of what James Baldwin said, after the granting of civil rights in the 1960's. He said, to paraphrase, that blacks and other minorities should wait 100 years before there was true cause to celebrate equality...and well, we are halfway there.

Watch that commercial again, now. Isn't it perfect?

And we never do say good-bye, do we? Post-Super Bowl, the machine gears up for the draft, then training camps, then pre-season, and away we go...

Revel in the afterglow, though, get back on those exercise bikes, read online blogs, watch replay and NFL live, realize the positive impact of sports in bring various backgrounds and people together, head off to work and to sleep knowing that there's no real good-bye, not in the sporting world...

Just see you later.

Super Bowl

2007-02-04T04:24:00.000-05:00

Let the game...

Begin. Everyone, remember to drive safe. Seriously. Drinking and driving is not right on so many levels, it's just not worth the risk. Have fun, but make sure to be responsible--this is advice for life, and especially for sports wagering.

Slow and steady may be boring, but it's the best way to roll.

Football Colonization has begun...

2007-02-02T17:33:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl week-end has easily become one of the great holidays of our era--all the hoopla, all the food, all the drinking, all the laughs, all the people calling out sick tomorrow...

I'm visiting friends this year, and on top of beer and other drinks, we have a veritable feast of deep fried selections: jalapeño poppers, fries (normal and seasoned curly fries), mozzarella sticks, snickers bars, ice cream, chicken wings (have oven baked as well), onion rings, chicken tenders, and I'm sure a couple surprises. Deep fried flam? Deep fried oysters? Frog legs? Who knows, Super Bowl weekend brings out the spontaneity in everyone's palette. All this in addition to cheese steaks, hamburgers, chips and salsa, chili, pigs in a blanket, and a tray of veggies for good measure. And even worse, I'm sure I'm forgetting something big, and it's not a three or six foot hoagie, which is not happening this year. What is happening, however, is another go around at a quite interesting social, and decidedly American, phenomenon.

You have commercials, and parties, and events at the local bar. It's one of those days most Americans do not want to be alone for, including people who have no idea what a forward lateral is or who any of the players are, gathering as the rest of the world watches us--much like we watch them during the World Cup. And, ultimately, it's this, the rest of the world watching, this is going to be the major development for all of pro sports, with the NFL and NBA in the vanguard of imperial sports colonization.

You already see the effects, the global search to find NBA superstars. The NBA is easily the most wide-spread American sport--hell, we can't even get gold in the Olympics anymore. NBA scouts are traveling to the most backwater places, not to find diamonds, oil, or other precious resources for big business, but to find athletes of unnatural ability, or size, or anything. Having a superstar like Yao Ming sure does a lot to sell the NBA, and all its products, to all the billion+ people living in China...quite the market indeed.

And now the NFL wants in. NFL Europe is a joke, more or less, unsupported by the NFL. The talent and the games are not only lackluster, but lacklusterly attended. Meanwhile, soccer (futbol) is marching along in its rightful place as the top sport of the world--a sport largely sneered at in America. Even here at the Positioning Group, we never wager on soccer matches outside of the World Cup (though we are beginning to look that way, huge source of earning potential, facts are facts). We just don't know it well enough. It's strange . It's not our sport, so screw the rest of the world, who needs it--except we need it, or, not need, but want it.

So returning to the NFL Europe, put on any of the newer versions of Madden NFL and look at the ratings for these teams: terrible, terrible, terrible. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, players who can make the switch to the American stage, but they are far from the norm. This will be changing soon, however. More and more players who are "just not good enough" for the NFL, will find their way easily to Europe, and as more and more "just not good enough" players begin to play in earnest, the sport will gain popularity--especially since the NFL is making a conscientious effort to expand. Already pre-season games have been played in Japan, regular season games in Mexico, and now next year brings the first regular season game to be played in Europe--in London. How fitting that the NFL is reaching to the city most famous for it's colonial empire and expansion...

Now, it is not to say that the NFL Europe is ignored, that is not true, and there are die-hard fans of these teams--especially in Germany. Germany will be a huge market for the NFL. However, die-hard fans are not a viable option, the NFL requires mainstream attention, and by bringing the natural focus extended to the league by the media to Europe, they are planting seeds that will sprout--one day resulting in an international league. Any doubt in this developing should quickly be abolished. Look at owners, at any owner, and what drives them? Money. The American market is saturated, new ground must be explored.

This is what drove the great powers to seek resources in Asia, Africa, and the Americas back when England, France, Portugal, Spain and Russia were the super powers of the globe. Enormous amounts of capital were exported to non-European territories, all to bring even more money to the hands of the few owners. These same principles are relevant in the NFL's quest to take over the world. Expect to see European football player salaries to rise, expect the stadiums to become more modern, expect to see increasing coverage of European football--not just on ESPN--but especially on the NFL network. The owners control the media, control the league, the players, and now they want to control the world.

Roger Goodell, this will be your legacy: success, or failure.

Is this a bad thing? I don't know. I love football, and I can't think of a better Super Bowl than having the New York Jets play against the Parisian Puff-Puffs, or the Cleveland Browns VS the Bangkok Bangers. In 20 years, when all the world joins America to see who the World Champion of the International Football League will be, just know that the NFL has successfully colonized the world, and made it its oyster.

And that Power Position Betting will be giving you all the rundown on the games.

Aqua Teen Terror Force

2007-01-31T23:12:00.000-05:00

Two men were arrested today in connection for their part in a "hoax terror campaign" that left millions fearing for their lives in Boston...except this "hoax terror campaign" was a promotion for the upcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. And the hoax was a magnetic sign of everyone's favorite (well, everyone not in government) Mooninites, placed in a position to give the maximum number of people passing by the finger. Oh, what's more, the signs had been up for three weeks previous to this, but only caused this level of fury now--which signifies two things: 1. the publicity campaign did not work too well and 2. people are pretty retarded when it comes to things like this.

C'mon Boston. I didn't see three-week old warnings posted onto the World Trade Center of a boxy looking thing giving America the finger. Then I could understand the reaction this garnered. But this? This is ridiculous. Honestly, I'm ashamed to be an American right now. Out of all the things that have happened to possibly shame me the most, this takes the cake, and if people know me, they should know I never use a phrase like "this takes the cake." But I did, because I am outraged.

Even my mother turned to me, earlier in the day, laughing and saying "doesn't this show how paranoid we are?" My mother laughing, my mother who when there is an electrical storm and the power is knocked out, wonders if its terrorists in the neighborhood. Even she thought this was ridiculous. Boston mobilized bomb squads, shut down subways, damn. What's the point of actually setting bombs, if you could put up a Mooninite and cause the same level of damage. A perfectly non-violent way of destroying America.

Now, the promotional company is at some fault. They probably should have informed the city of their intentions, just to make sure it was kosher--and the hanging wires out of the device probably didn't help their cause too much, but still. Aqua Teen Terror Force? Nah, I don't think so. Where was the stoner kid who could have saved the day by informing them of who these signs were supposed to represent? Probably at home watching re-runs of AQHF.

So. How does this relate to Sports Investing? Well, since you ask, there is a tendency to get freaked out at certain news, and to change the status quo. For example. Golden State was on the road against Cleveland, the other day, and Lebron was injured. A lot of people placed big money on Golden State, even though Golden State was a terrible road team and the Cavaliers were one of the league's better home teams. I stuck to my guns, placed a normal wager on Cleveland, and the Lebron-less Cavaliers won by 20, easy and done--money in my pocket. You see, Cleveland is 8-2 without Lebron. One man does not make a team, and the trend, no matter what was being said on the news, was too great to ignore.

Other examples are good news coming out, and the individual raising the amount of money they place bets with, ultimately to ruin--or maybe not, but most likely yes. No. Listen to the news, it's just more information to use, but stick to your money management system, stick to your plan, stick to your status quo. When you see news like this, well, my guess your only action would be to cancel a road trip to Boston because of all the people freaking out...and that's about it. You're better than that. That's what Sports Gamblers do. You're a Sports Investor. Chill out. Relax. Watch all the people go crazy...and laugh. And remember, stay sharp, play smart.

Maverick Showdown

2007-01-30T23:43:00.000-05:00

The NBA is all abuzz about the Phoenix Suns, winners of 18 straight before losing to Minnesota a couple days ago. Nash for a third MVP, Amare healthy, six great players on one team all working together under their on/off the court general, this is their time, this is their year...

Except for one Lone Star team standing in their way, before they can even dream of making it to the final round of the NBA playoffs. The fourth team covered in our ongoing profiles of possible championship teams is the Dallas Mavericks, the only team to beat the Phoenix Suns twice this year (2 out of 2, on November 9th and December 28th...but what if this is Phoenix laying a trap? Doubt it...highly doubt it...).

Similar to the Suns, or at least constructed to take on any team at any time, they are undoubtedly my favorite to win the whole thing this year, due to the fact that they essentially have the same team who won the championship last year--oh, sorry, lost to Dwayne Wade and the refs last year, just kidding. Until there is a new champion, though, people will be saying that until they are blue in the face, but for a good reason--so it doesn't happen again.

Anyway, the Mavericks are able to dictate every game they play. They have a deep bench. Sure they lost some locker room presence in the off-season, but they were able to replace this with several key reserve players, like young Croshere or the old D. George. Plus, winning produces all the locker room cohesion a team can ever need, and this team is winning. They have defenders to guard their hoop (Dampier and Diop), speed players to run the court (Harris), two experienced warriors in Stackhouse and Terry, and then to top it all off, Dirk--one of the top 5 players in the league, easy.

It's like the last scene in Maverick, the movie. Everyone shows a hand one better than the previous guy, culminating in Mel Gibson's famous scene--no, not his drunken rant, but in the movie, which I won't spoil...entirely. Listen, the hero wins, you don't need a movie critic to tell you that, it's pretty obvious. Anyway, that's Dirk, the guy who completes your hand and makes it, potentially, unbeatable.

Then there is Coach Avery Johnson, who is young still, so he still has all the fire of a coach with a great squad, hungry to win--the whole organization is hungry, from owner Marc Cuban all the way down to the people who run the snack stand (sorry, bad joke). But the fact remains, there is no letdown in this team. Able to rattle off huge win streaks, win at home (17-3) or away (16-6), they bring it every night.

They have lost only one game to a sub-.500 team (true, Phoenix has lost none...but they are equal to the Mavs in preparation and heart). There is no relaxation here. Tops in most of the categories, the one area of concern is assists (26th in the league.) That stat is a little misleading, as they are capable of great ball movement, but play a certain style of game that isn't conducive to the Steve Nash type of assist machine--and hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and this machine can run. They average more points in every quarter VS their opponents this year, and you don't need a statistician to tell you that when that happens, wins happen.

It's easy to see the Mavericks are going to go far this year, the only question is how far, and a Suns-Mavericks best of seven will be one for the ages--but hey, you don't need me to tell you that. You know this team is quality.

The next team I plan on covering is the Pistons, as they are quite the interesting team. Look for that in a week or so. Stay sharp, play smart.

Flyers, possibly flying?

2007-01-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are, post-All Star break, and this is exactly the time I said the Flyers had to show up. Their season is over, but are they gonna try and win a few games? Or put away the skates, and I thought these guys would have some pride.

They beat the Atlanta Thrashers, one of the better teams, 2-1. Their ten game losing streak snapped. I had sent a pick out to the guys at Power Position Betting, showing some good research in Philly's favor, but they all said it was too risky. I had to agree, I mean, the Flyers are terrible. I didn't bet on them, but I should have--oh man, I should have. Oh well. How many stories do you hear like that? Not interesting...NEXT!

All I have to say though, is that I said this in our newsletter from January, I repeated it on this blog, and hopefully it happens. And not just for me, because of course I'm money, but for the Philly fans. Seriously. They deserve a winning streak right about now. C'mon Flyers, don't play like a bunch of asses. Sports Investors, I repeat, keep your eyes open. Still a very risky play, here, but let's stay aware...

Sports Investing VS. Sports Gambling

2007-01-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

I hate to pull a Jeff Foxworthy--or, truth be told, steal his act--but it's time to once again go over differences between Sports Investing and Sports Gambling. This may end up becoming a semi-regular blog entry, maybe even a newsletter article, so we might as well have some fun with it. Here we go. Let's do... Seven this week. Lucky number seven...

1. If you are frothing at the mouth, cursing at the heavens, beating holes in the walls of your apartment, just because it's halftime and the Cleveland Cavaliers are down to the 76ers by 16 points at halftime, and that dime you dropped is gone, gone, gone...

Well, you might be a Sports Gambler then. But if you casually turn on the television as you slip into bed, watch the highlights, relax, see that the Cavaliers won by 8 points--as if there was any doubt--well, that's what we call Sports Investing.

2. If you lose a game, see a crazy line and double your usual wager on the off hand chance that if this hits, you'll be up higher than what you would have been if you never lost in the first place, well my friends, that's Sports Gambling. If you're into Sports Investing, you swallow any bitterness and stick to your money management system, no matter what.

3. If you can't sleep at night because the Charlotte Bobcats were on the road in Denver earlier, +500 on the money line and you had a strong feeling they would win--but, it's Iverson and Anthony, so it was just too risky, even to take the points. Then, the Bobcats win by 4 and now all you can think of is your failure to win all that money...well, that's Sports Gambling. Sports Investing, on the other hand, turns that game into more grist for the mill. The game becomes more information to take into consideration. You'll get it in the long run.

4. Sports Gambling is represented by a person who bets on six, seven game parlays, with prop bets thrown in and some other crazy jive, betting 100 dollars to win 14 gazillion. Right, good wager there. If you keep a slow and steady approach, however, and research each game, stay away from any sucker bets, and keep things as simple as possible--well then, friends, you are a part of Sports Investing.

5. If you bet 10,000 dollars on one of the few mortal locks in the sports wagering universe, Roger Federer against a tough kid named Gonzalez, all to win a hundred dollars...that is Sports Gambling. A wager like that goes against all the principles of Sports Investing. A wager like that is the exact opposite of steady growth, an extraordinary risk to gain a small monetary sum--even if the game was a lock, it's never worth taking part in that kind of action.

6. Sticking with tennis, if you bet a boat load just because you think Maria Sharapova is hot, once again, this is Sports Gambling. If you did your research, saw Serena Williams' play the last couple of weeks, recognized the passion, the desire to win again, and then you bet accordingly on what turned out to be a dominant performance dedicated to a sister no longer on this earth-- always a strong push for athletes--then that is Sports Investing. And of course, you downloaded pictures of Sharapova afterward...because she is hot.

And finally...

7. If you are willing to bet another boat load on the Super Bowl according to a simulation done by the Madden video game, you are Sports Gambling through and through, my friend. But if you, once again, do your research, keep your mindset slow and steady--and, if nothing really sticks out at you, avoid wagering in the first place, then you are the epitome of Sports Investing.

Remember, just because it's the Super Bowl doesn't mean you have to put money on it. One game doesn't make or break a person--or, it shouldn't. If it does, then you're Sports Gambling ass better get Power Position Betting's product that's all about Sports Investing, because gambling like that is no way to go through life, my friends.

And as always, stay sharp, play smart.

Roddick, Cuban, and Randomness

2007-01-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Andy Roddick claimed that he really felt he had bridged the gap between him and Federer. Maybe that's true. Who knows. I just know Evil Knievel wouldn't try to jump that gap, no matter if you gave him all the money that Marc Cuban has...

Speaking of Cuban, I was watching ESPN with the Positioning Group crew, doing the monthly audio CD our members should be receiving shortly, when up flashed an interview between Cuban and...someone not important, evidently. Doesn't matter, the appearance of Cuban must have put everything else out of mind. He has aged four hundred years in the span of a month or two, drugs, alcohol, late night partying with the Donald? Who knows. Maybe he should take a break from basketball, get some shut eye. Something. Dude, you're a billionaire. Relax.

Seriously. It reminded me of the Picture of Dorian Gray. Not a pretty picture.

Marty Brodeur keeps on chugging along, nine shutouts now. You know what's great? In my fantasy hockey draft--yes, I have a fantasy hockey team. I know, no, really, I know. Trust me, I have a girlfriend. I have a life. Sort of. Anyway, my friend was doing his first ever fantasy draft for hockey, I knew he was a Devils fan, and since he was drafting behind me, I let him take Marty. Why not, give the kid a break. I end up with Jonathan Cheechoo, not bad, not bad--I knew he was overrated, but I love the name. Cheechoo.

9 shutouts. 30 wins. See what happens when I'm nice? And I don't care that I'm in first place. I should be in, uber first place.

I like how I spend hundreds of dollars in football fantasy, the sport I'm best in, but consistently finish last, meanwhile I'm raking up baseball, hockey, and basketball leagues for paltry sums of money. It's what you call...intelligence.

Like what Chris Harris, Bears safety has--sure, just goofing around, but words spoken in jest, well, are still words. When you say, "hey, it's on tape, if we go to the super bowl, he's coming." Harris, man, you're on public access television, why, why would you ever promise that? To make good television? Nobody watches that crap, man. Well, at least the guy, Bryan Lange, got a pity ticket from some brokerage firm, so it all works out.

Of course, one must realize I would say, and then do the same exact thing in that situation. Me and you Harris, WE BELIEVE!

Are Bears fans holding those signs up, those signs that saturated every baseball stadium come playoff time? Because, well, that's about the only thing Bears fans can do. You know you can't trust in Grossman, you can't love Rex--until after the fact--and you can't expect him to do anything but lose the game from a statistical point of view, so what's left but belief. Well, Rex, I believe, I really do. This was the National League's year to win the World Series, and this is the NFC's year to win the Super Bowl. I don't care about numbers, all I care about is my belief.

Of course, I won't take action on those beliefs. Hey, I'm a modern man over here.

Maybe I will. How do you like them apples.

It is ridiculous how much information is available in this day and age. Incredible. And most people don't look for it, just like in the old days. See, the problem in the old days was that there wasn't enough information, it was a lot of work to find it. Now there is too much, and there is even more work to wade through all the bullshit. It's best to let someone do it for you, I guess, and so in that regard, I advise everyone to go to www.powerpositionbetting.com, it's just a sales letter, for now, but it's people who look for trends and info for you, and recommend wagers. If you like it, rock it. If not, hey, I gotta show love to the hand that feeds me, right?

Let me relay a story. I was so confident that Serena Williams was going to win, I told my friend I was betting on her. "Dude," he says, "If you bet on woman's tennis, you officially lose your testicles. Gone. Done. Over." And I actually thought about that, and was like...hmm...maybe he has a point. After all, what do I know of woman's tennis? Or tennis in general...

Fast-forward to 6-1, 6-2 domination, and all I said to my friend, "Hey, who needs 155 bucks? I still have my balls." He just nodded, said, "yeah. Balls are nice."

These are my friends.

I would like to take this time, tucked away way at the bottom of this post, to announce a new venture. In addition to chronicling various possible NBA champions this year (so far I've gone over, briefly, the Jazz, Cavaliers, and Suns), in addition to a new column I will be doing comparing Sports Investing to Sports Gambling, I will be working on a book detailing my rise--or fall--in the Sports Investing world. Beginning with 500, I am going to go over, in some detail, my various wagers and chronicle what happens. The goal is to start from this small sum, and to build, well, as much as possible, obviously. Along the way I hope to show various money-management strategies, the various research that goes into making a solid pick, the trials and tribulations, the times I fail to pull the trigger (working with a small bank roll is tough, in this way)...

Hopefully it works out nice. Well, until I yargle again, good luck and good night.

A-Rod, the Cursed Nickname

2007-01-25T00:48:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll, so, Nadal is out down under, not only out but hurt, so...Federer, easy cruise to victory? Not so fast, you have to get past the surging American, under the inspiring tutelage ofhall of famer Jimmy Connors, a former up-and-coming star who is back, bigger, stronger than ever, the one, the only...America's tennis pride...A-Rod! AROD! A...

Um, isn't he that baseball player who chokes in big games? Isn't he that tennis player who chokes in big games? Though to be fair, Roddick has at least won a grand slam title. Not to worry, I'm sure the Yankees will get one sooner or later with Arod at third, will that be enough to change the perception of him? Depends. A lot also depends on this tennis match coming up. Can Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer, when it counts? When the stakes are huge? After learning from one of the legends of tennis, can he do it?

Or will he choke?

This begs the question, what is with the nickname Arod? Here are two modern athletes of considerable skill in their respective sport, admired--sort of, by ladies and men and fans--and respected, sort of. But both have a habit of not winning the big one, like a curse that attaches to one's self, a shadow of suckitude. Is this a coincidence? There has to be some story, right? Some Greek fable, some god influencing human events to bring about two great athletes, cursed with his name and his luck. Is there?

You betcha. And the story goes a little something like this.

A long time ago, after the Olympians, led by Zeus, overthrew the Titans, a young man of twenty years or so dreamed of one day becoming as strong as Cronus, or Oceanus, Hyperion, Themis, Eros, before the Romans turned him into an insipid Cupid, or perhaps even Atlas, who led the Titans in the great battle for rule of the earth, punished specially in defeat, forced to hold the entire world on his back. This young man, nameless, watched the Titans fall, banished from the world to Tartarus, a deep-dark void, beneath even the Underworld.

This young man watched the Titans fall, from a safe distance of course, and one day, against the urgings of his fellow men, ventured forth to find Atlas. Small, inconsequential, drunk on their victory, the Olympians did not spy this mortal man approaching their defeated foe. The young man called out to Atlas, and perhaps dreaming of a revenge plot, Atlas granted the young man as much strength as his mortal body could hold. The young man, the strongest man in the world now, thanked Atlas and returned home, where he showed off his muscles with feats of great daring. The gods on top of Olympias, still drunk, finally took notice of him, but only as a frog takes notice of a gnat.

Wherever he went, people marveled in wonder, and he told them all his name--Arod, a short name, of strength, of power, of glory. All the mortal world began to talk of this Arod, swelling his head, calling him the strongest man by far, stronger than any cyclops, stronger than, perhaps, the gods themselves. This is when the gods took notice, but first a game of patience. Sure that this mortal had gained his strength from Atlas during their drunken celebration, they waited to see what this Arod would do with it...and what he wanted to do was to get even stronger.

Everyone exhorted him not to go, to be happy with his strength, to do great deeds for the peoples of the world and to work as one, as a team--but Arod, thirsting for even more strength--for he was just a mortal before, what power could this body hold? So he went down into the void, trying to break his way into Tartarus, where the other Titans were imprisoned, to gain their power when the gods struck with great vengeance, and cursed him, saying that he could retain the strength granted to him by Atlas, but when the situation arose when he most needed it, his strength would do him no good as he failed miserably at his task.

Following this pronouncement, Arod found himself in a far-green country, rolling fields and great trees rising from the earth. Traveling near a village, he heard cries of panic, pleas for help, when the villagers spied him, Arod, a man who they had seen previously uprooting those great trees and throwing them for miles. Word got out that Arod was here, and there was great cheer. A young girl, one of the prettiest in all the land, had been involved in a terrible accident, and if Arod did not help, she would die. Trapped by a fallen tree, one not even as big as Arod had been tossing around, all he had to do was lift it.

But when he grabbed it, his muscles bulged, veins popped out, but the tree did not move. The cries of the distressed maiden grew fainter, and the puzzled looks of the villagers angrier. For here was Arod, strongest in the land, and now he couldn't lift a tree half the size of what earlier in the day he was throwing for miles? What insanity was this? Who was he kidding? And as the maiden died, pleading for rescue no more, the villagers threw sticks and stones at Arod, breaking his spirit as he retreated into a dark hole in the earth, alone. The strongest man in the world at his time, but when it came time to save an innocent, he couldn't lift a little log.

Is this to be Andy Roddick's fate? Now, obviously Federer is well, Federer, and Andy Roddick no where near the greatest or strongest player in the world--but regardless, he could go down in history as just another Arod, and tonight, in just a couple hours, he can change all that. It'll be almost 4 o'clock here on the east coast when the match begins, but you better believe I'll be watching, because I want Andy to save that girl.

I want him to be a hero again.

Super Bowl Time

2007-01-23T12:34:00.000-05:00

All right, after going 4-0 basing my picks on entertainment value, I went 1-1 last weekend, choosing to buck an 0-9 trend (when dome teams play outdoors in the championship game), all because of the entertainment quality that would have been a Saints-Colts showdown. But Bears and Colts is a good match up, right?

Well...it certainly is interesting. The Colts are an exciting team, and watching Manning either fail or succeed (right now, seems to be a coin flip situation to me) will be equally rewarding. Hester? Here's hoping you do something special, kid. Bears special teams have been ridiculous all season long, now is the time to step up. And Grossman? You can always pencil him in for a play that makes you go ooh, and a play that makes you go WTF!?

So it should be fun. The country will be watching, let's hope for a good show, let's hope for some hot wings, chips and dip, beer, pigs in blankets, fries, burgers, steaks, onion rings, loads of gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli--smothered in grease and suffocated in cheese--let's hope for good times for all, a good game to watch, good commercials, and good laughs.

Oh, and all those ridiculous bets too. We'll be going into more detail, obviously, but for now, let's just hope it's fun.

Positioning Group Salutes the Bears and Colts

2007-01-21T11:44:00.000-05:00

Well, everything went according to plan this weekend, and it sets up a great Super Bowl. Congratulations are due for both the Bears and the Colts, and for any of our members looking over this blog, our audio cd will be sent out soon, breaking down the big game and going over several other important topics. So stay tuned for that, and for all of us here, we can't wait till Feb. 4th.

Weed Water Bottles and NFL Head Coaches

2007-01-21T02:44:00.000-05:00

Did anyone see SNL tonight? The Weekend Update segment about Mike Vick was hilarious, and I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to go on youtube and find it...because it is so true. Also, isn't it strange that as soon as the Falcons are without a head coach, here comes marijuana and their star QB combining to make a story. It's like a kid going off to college, without the direct influence of his father at home, pulling some ridiculous stunt like trying to smuggle a tiny bit of marijuana onto a plane (to borrow SNL's joke, smuggling an illegal substance by hiding it within another illegal substance). Where was the thought? Where was the logic?

Anyway, I want to make quick mention of two head coach signings, one good, one bad.

The Cardinals got the perfect coach, and this time next year, everyone is going to be calling Ken Whizenhunt the new Eric Mangini. All the offensive pieces are in place in Arizona except for the one key component--offensive line. This is what Whizenhunt will look to fix immediately, by any means necessary, he will improve the O-Line. You improve the O-Line, and just watch the fireworks explode. Then, in the great tradition of the Steel Curtain (though I am not suggesting any sort of replica in the desert), the Cardinals D is going to start showing up as well and the whole team will improve.

The converse of this logic is that, sort of like the Madden Curse where the athlete will follow his appearance on the cover with a terrible injury-plagued year, the Arizona Cardinals are a cursed franchise and the team that experts across the country, including yours truly, tab to be the new Cinderellas (again), will implode worse than that Bears game I was able to watch in person, thanks to the Positioning Group.

It's a great stadium out there, the fans are thirsty, and Ken Whizenhunt is a great choice to raise a good team out of the desert sand. Finally, right?

Then, on the other hand, you have the Dolphins. I know I started off this coaches talk by saying one signing was good and the other bad, but let me retract that statement a bit. I was just a little surprised. Nothing about Cam Cameron screams, NFL coach. Sure, he was the offensive coordinator for the Chargers. Um, hand the ball off to Tomlinson, win the game. I think I could handle those duties. He had a pretty bad collegiate career, and I mean, being with Marty these last few years, do you think Marty's luck has rubbed off? We speak of the Cardinals being cursed, but what about Marty?

Still, he seems like the kind of coach that is able to weasel his way into the organization, to work with everybody, to be relatively popular with the players, to make his team show up on Sundays...I just don;t see big things for him as a coach or for the team. Maybe they'll go 8-8, maybe they'll make playoffs, but they aren't going far.

That's just the truth.

Now, in about 12 hours or so, we have the Saints VS the Bears, and then, Colts Patriots Round Whatever. I love Colts/Patriots games, and is this the year that Manning pulls out a victory? Is it? I can't stand the wait...

Oh yeah, sleep. Easy way to knock off 8 hours. Will do, this is CollegeBoy saying goodnight and hopes for a great bunch of games tomorrow--though, historically speaking, these championship games usually fizzle more than do any sort of bang, but let's hope for some good, close games. C'mon NFL, you have been great all year long. This is not the time to stop.

Night folks.

Scorching Suns

2007-01-18T22:39:00.000-05:00

So far I have done two quick profiles on the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers, on possible NBA championship teams...and now it's time to hit one of the big boys, if not the biggest bully on the block: the Phoenix Suns.

First and most important, there is a stat I need to throw out that I saw on ESPN the other day. The Suns are the only team in the league to have no double-digit losses this year. This is a streak of 39 games, of which only a few teams have had better, the overall streak being in the 40's by one of the Michael Jordan led Bulls teams. ESPN showed 5 or 6 teams with that sort of streak up there, and half of them went on to win championships. That's pretty good odds.

Second, what do you call a two-time MVP winner who comes back with a chip on his shoulder, is having a career, year, who cuts off his hair to look more hardcore (I guess, the Canadian is tired of being the nice guy, because nice guys finish last and he does not want to finish anywhere but on top), and leads his team in some truly inspiring and astounding basketball...

Three-peat, and very possibly, NBA Finals MVP.

This team shows up every night. They are in every game. If you go up 15 on them in the middle of the third quarter, the game is far from over. Amare is back, maybe not 100%, but playing near the level of where he left off, providing a spark for his team as soon as he became the regular starter. Sulking on the bench, Mike Antoni saw that wouldn't work and threw him in and the Suns haven't looked back...who, with Amare patrolling the paint, have a true shot blocker to compliment the pretty good defense of Marion and Bell--and Barbosa ain't too shabby either, and Nash, yeah...he's meaner and is actually playing some all right D too.

Not the greatest D, but better. And their offense is just as good, if not better. They are an absolute joy to watch, unless they happen to be dismantling your favorite team before your bittersweet eyes.

Are the Suns the best team in the league? Maybe, maybe not. That distinction may belong to the Mark Cuban team (who have beaten the Suns twice), who came back this year with a collective chip on their shoulder the size of Dwayne Wade's "fouled" body...but that's in a blog post yet to come.

Can the Suns win this year? Of course. 18-3 at home = huge advantage in a best of seven series. The worry is that they will fade in the latter part of the season and in the playoffs, and while that is cause for concern, conventional wisdom states this is foolish and not enough to doubt the power of this team.

Phoenix has a fitting name for its franchise, for this team is hot, is bright, and is capable of lighting up every team in the league.

Power Position Betting: Hockey News

2007-01-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

Hey, been some time since we hit the ice, so let's go for a quick skate around the league. As you may or may not remember, a little while back I, CollegeBoy, stated in this blog that the Devils were looking to be my favorite to win it all--and how did they respond? By going on a 10-1-2 streak, playing some overall great hockey. Marty Brodeur looks like he wants to become the overall shutout leader this season, and while I do not believe that they will maintain this level of play for the rest of the season, honestly, I really like what I see from this group. As long as everyone stays healthy, that is...

One just has to look at Anaheim to see what a big injury can do to a team. Giggy with it pulls a muscle, can't play, and the Ducks go 2-6-2 over the next 10 games. That in itself was a bit of a shock to me, as I thought with the overall skill this team has that if any team could pull out victories without their number one in net, it would be them...but apparently, Giguere is without doubt their MVP--I mean, just look at his numbers. 23-4, with a .217 GAA and a save % of .924, just nasty. 4 shutouts = verrah nice...and when he returns, watch out and bet accordingly.

In a follow-up to my article in the Positioning Group's monthly newsletter, the time for the Flyers to show up this season is now. So far, no good, but after a tough game coming up against Jersey, which they will probably lose, is their chance. It all depends how they play against the Devils. If they can play well, keep it close, that should be enough of a boost to get them going. Or not. Regardless, I will be watching with great interest...

Poor Philly fans, huh? The Flyers are by far, no doubt, the worst team in the league. Can't the sport gods give Philly a break? C'mon, give em a nice winning streak. Do it.

San Jose is playing some great hockey (two goalies capable of winning a big game, always key for a team to make a long run), as are the Canucks (I still have doubts about Luongo carrying them all the way though). These are both two teams that can make it to the finals, though they will not be the favorites by any means. A surprising favorite emerging in the Western Conference is the Nashville Predators who have become the overall number 1 seed and the team with the most points. Great move getting Kariya, huh? And, like the Sharks, the team has two goalies capable of winning the big game. The 4th seed last year, they were pretty much dismantled in the first round by the Sharks, but look for them to get much, much farther this year. Being the number 1 seed and having the best home record in the league = huge advantage. Also, a year of experience will only benefit a team like this, and with only 2 Americans on their roster, hey, can't get any better than that, eh?

Not that there are any overwhelmingly American-led teams in the league...

Some tough luck down in Florida. Sure they win at the collegiate level, but the Dolphins were terrible, the Marlins were eh (but young and growing again, those bas----s), and their hockey team is the only team with double-digit overtime losses, as they languish in last place of the Southeast Division.

Anybody else think Pittsburgh should be higher in the standings? Just wait though, this is a really good situation brewing here, which makes talk of a move all the more disconcerting. Here is an exciting, energetic franchise capable of some electric performances...and yeah, let's move this team out. The excitement is too much for Pittsburgh fans...right...

Lightning, playing much better lately. This is always a scary team to face, if only they had a real solid goalie in net, how scary would they become then... I kind of want them to put in Karri Ramo and see if any of the Romo power from Dallas could transfer...

That's one of the more sillier ideas I've had lately, just to let you know.

All right though. All you hockey fans, keep on watching. There are some great games going on, it's just that sometimes it's so hard to catch a game. So everybody, watch sportscenter's top plays, and the fact that you always see a hockey play on there lately goes to show you something... I'm not saying hockey is back, because it was never really here...but hockey is certainly doing something good, so here's hoping to some more great puck action.

Power Position Betting: Fantasy Football Review/Preview (Podcast)

2007-01-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

Join the Positioning Group in a quick review of this year's football fantasy season, as well as taking a look to next year's top draft picks!

Listen to this week's podcast as Pete Masters, James Sharpe, and CollegeBoy argue over next year's top position players. How high should you draft Philip Rivers? How about Reggie Bush? Mike Furrey? T.O.? Stephen Jackson? Vernon Davis? And more...

To submit any questions for our fantasy experts, either send an email to pete@positioninggroup.com or leave a comment to this post.

The key behind a Sports Investors' success is information, and with the PPB Podcast, we are giving you information that will not only help you in your Fantasy leagues, but in your Sports Gambling as well.

CollegeBoy 4-0 and going strong...

2007-01-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

It's always nice when the week-end goes along just how you said it would, especially when some of the picks were based on entertainment value, as in who I would prefer to see the following week. It almost feels as if I've stumbled onto a conspiracy over the course of this year, perpetrated by the government and the owners to make the games as exciting as possible to...

Oops. Wrong blog. I thought I was writing in my "CollegeBoy's School of Conspiracy" blog.

So who goes to the Super Bowl, CollegeBoy? Well, my original super bowl pick is still alive, so why change it--the Colts VS Saints. Let's take a quick look though at what happened this weekend, beginning with the NFC.

The Saints were a black wall against the green Eagles, Deuce was Loose and could not be brought to the ground, Bush was amazing, and Brees did just enough. Garcia put up a valiant fight, but that false start penalty just destroyed them and you knew, watching, that Philly was just punched in the gut after that, no hope. The Bears-Seahawks was a great game as well...

Actually, all four games this weekend were well worth the price of admission. Any team could have won their game, all the games decided by less than a touchdown. This was one of the more exciting playoff weekends in recent years, and next weekend is shaping up to be just as good, if not better.

Returning back to the games, Alexander had a few fantastic runs that gashed the vaunted Bears D, but ultimately this game was won by Rex Grossman and a kicker who wasn't even in the league last year. A pair of unlikely heroes for good old Chicago. The Seahawks were unable to finish the game, both at the end of the fourth quarter and in overtime, where they received the ball first. A shanked punt and a 30-yard third-down conversion, and the game was over.

So, why do the Saints win next weekend, on the road, in the cold and wind of Chicago? Because the Saints have a great offense and a defense capable of handling the Bears O. I also just do not trust Grossman to lead the Bears to victory, I just can't. He had a good enough game against Seattle, but I just don't trust him. I know defense wins championships, and while the Bears certainly have the better D, I think it's time for the Saints D to step up and lead the Saints to Miami. With Grossman helping them out, it shouldn't be too hard.

Plus, it also would be much more entertaining to watch the Saints. Now, for the AFC.

The Colts, as the blog has already stated after the game on Saturday, are playing great D and doing just enough on offense to win the game. Manning is clearly having his January issues, but the team is winning and that is the most important thing. Their win over Baltimore was a step in the right direction as they bring home-field back into the equation, and you know how big home-field is for a team like the Colts.

Then there are the Patriots, or, as I should say, the mighty Patriots, the Rocky Balboa of the NFL who take a pounding and just keep on bringing it. Bounces and momentum go their way, it's the way of the world, and we need to get used to that fact. Brady was 27-51, for 280 yards, two touchdowns, but THREE INTERCEPTIONS! Who is he trying to be, Peyton Manning? But still, the Patriots won because they forced four turnovers from a team that gave the ball up fifteen times during the regular season, and they forced them at just the right time. That fourth down interception/fumble that gave the Patriots life? Straight kick to the throat of all San Diego fans. The Patriots weathered the Tomlinson storm as best as they could, then relied on Brady who did what he has always done...win the game.

Now it's Patriots Colts for the super bowl, and knowing New England's track record, knowing the history between these teams, knowing all the trends and streaks that are in play for this game, how can I possibly pick the Colts? Because this is the perfect anti-trend play, as all the factors are in place for a New England collapse at the hands of their arch-enemies, Peyton Manning and his Colts.

New England has always been the somewhat lovable underdog, the team that made all the right moves and played their hearts out. Now there is a ridiculous feud between Belichick and Jets coach Mangini, and word of Patriots players imitating Merriman's dance on the Chargers logo after the game, enough to get Tomlinson--near Buddha like Tomlinson--riled up and ready to fight. Hmm...who does that? Oh yeah, T.O. Not the comparison I think Patriots fans want to see. Throw in Bob Kraft giving one of his super bowl rings to Vladimir Putin, not signing the greatest clutch kicker because of pride (who is now lining up against them, oh please oh please kick the game winner against the Patriots with no time left, oh please...), leaving Brady high and dry, and well, you have an organization just asking to be served a slice of humble pie...

And with Peyton Manning, of all people, serving the pie? That is going to hurt. Like hell.

Of course, the Patriots could win after Vinatieri misses the potential game-winner, and I could then continue to hate them passionately for doing everything right. But I don't think that will happen. According to entertainment value, a Saints-Colts game would be pretty f'in ridiculous by my standards, and I would love to see the show those two would put on.

Oh, and just so everyone knows, I have the Saints winning the whole thing. Been saying that for a month or two now, been saying Saints VS Colts, and here we are, so close to having it happen...

Adam, whoop whoop!

2007-01-14T00:42:00.000-05:00

7 field goals between the Colts and Ravens. Five by Adam Vinatieri, the most ridiculous kicker alive. Defense VS defense, and the Colts won out due in large part to the Ravens offense...I wonder...what is Jim Fassel thinking? Told you so, maybe?

That's all right though, it was a well played, tough-nosed game, leaving all the fireworks for prime time in an exciting NFC matchup. 4th and 10...Garcia blitzed, throws it up, to who, where, what, oh damn it's a catch! It's a catch! It's a...a...the first false start penalty of the game against the Eagles? The first false start...you have to be kidding me. I live in Jersey, and I could hear the collective sigh and following curse loud and clear from Philly's direction. If I was a Philly's fan...oh screw it, I have enough misery in my life. I would never be a Philly's fan. Words cannot describe their torment...at least you guys can always watch A.I. fizzle out a great...oh...oops. Sorry, Philly. That's all I can say. Sorry.

In more positive news, CollegeBoy is 2-0...and do I want to change any of my picks for tomorrow? Hell's no. Everybody wants Pats VS Colts, and we're halfway there. C'mon Marty, do what you do best. As for the Bears, I want Rex Grossman to get the Saints into the Super Bowl, so let's go. Do it.

Quick note to Real Madrid: Look, grudges never did anything for the world except prove to America how ugly Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell both are...imagine their child? Damn, that would be one ugly baby, inside and outside. Anyway, put Beckham in the lineup and let him bear the full force of the fans displeasure, all the snide remarks from other players, force him into every uncomfortable interview about his leaving for the inferior soccer of the States. What are you thinking of benching him? C'mon Real Madrid, pull your heads out of your ass.

Beckham = 250 million?

2007-01-11T19:26:00.000-05:00

I don't usually talk about soccer on this blog, except when it's related to the World Cup (easily the greatest tournament in the world), so maybe the 250 million dollars that the LA Galaxy are paying Beckham is working...except I know better. Or actually, I think this may work. We still have hockey, right?

So 1,000 new season tickets were sold, the club averages 22-23k in a 27k stadium, so expect full sell outs and sell outs on the road for games where Beckham plays, expect to see Beckham in commercials, on TV shows, talk shows, even movies and whatever else LA is willing to do for him...and what I was originally going to say was, just like the grand time of US soccer, when the Cosmo's ruled the streets in the late 70's but then folded when all the big stars brought over from Europe retired, the same is going to happen here--you know, history repeats itself and what not. Except I think things are changing here in America.

Soccer is becoming more acceptable, noticeable, more relevant...and as the US team improves--both men and women--then the mainstream audience will tune in. Soccer is a popular youth sport, the problem being once those youths grow up. Having a star like Beckham around can retain a fan from when he or she was playing soccer as a ten year old...for life. Beckham is one of those stars who can become a true spokesperson for their sport, and with the combined good looks of him and his wife giving everyone in America something to look at, well...who knows. You know what I always say, what the lotto says...anything is possible.

Can America learn to love soccer? Most of me says probably not, but a part of me, the tiny part that still remembers playing soccer on Sunday afternoons...that part of me says hell yeah, bring it on.