Oh my. Yesterday was a nice sports day. I made 5 bets. I took Galarraga and the Tigers to stop the Jays, a parley with Ted Lilly and the Cubs to beat the Braves with Moehler and the 'Stros to take down the flailing Giants. For later in the day I took Daisuke and the Sox giving up 1.5 runs at -150 against the Rangers and some guy with an ERA of about 10. On the football side, I snagged an over of 33 in the Steelers/Bills contest at the Rogers Center, and I took the home team Philadelphia to cover a 3 point spread against the perennially boring Carolina Panthers. Guess how I did? Thats right; 5 for 5. The perfect gambling day. Now, I didnt make much money, but thats because I keep the stakes low. Why? Because in reality I don't know shit about betting baseball, and betting big on pre-season football is for real dyed in the wool degenerate gamblers, or the terminally ill, who may not make it into that magical period of gambling that starts in september and runs clear through to the end of March, with the NCAA basketball tournament conclusion.

This time of year is bitter-sweet as well, as it makes me think of Hunter Thompson, and his unfortunate demise. But I also think of the many excellent things he wrote about gambling on football, and sports in general. I believe it was a Hunter Thompson column that suggested that the finest thing a man could do with his life is to become a professional gambler. That notion has always stuck with me, even it was just one rambling thought among thousands. Gambling is a very pure thing. It is one's intellect pitted against chance, the infinite variables sorting themselves out with every second of every game, absolutely mercilessly. Just as a person is missing out on a truly life altering experience by not trying acid, a person missies out by never having won (or lost) a good chunk of money by sheer stroke of good (or bad) luck when all sane planning has gone out the window. So gamble, and know the feeling of winning a 5 game parley bet, and know the feeling of busting on your under by a half point on a meaningless free throw with half a second left to play. Make a bet on a sport you know nothing about. Pick a golfer on thursday, put down your money, and cheer for your bet. Win or lose, you'll be a better person.

And finally, here are a couple of fatigue induced futures bets on made on the upcoming NFL season.

Divisional champs:
New England AFC East -1000
Minnesota NFC North +140
New Orleans NFC South +120
Seattle NFC West -120

That bet I put a tenner on, and it pays 108.31

This is a bet on team win totals over under style
Arizona Cardinals under 8 -125
Denver Broncos over 7.5 -175
Green Bay Packers under 8 +120
Indianapolis Colts over 11.5 +110
Minnesota Vikings over 8.5 -139
New Orleans Saints over 8.5 -200

That bet I also put a tenner on, and it pays 336.85

Well, that's it for now. I think I may post some more bets as I make 'em today. Now go out and put down abet, and if you don't know how, give me a call. We'll fix you right up.