Nugs Choke

I'm watching game 1 of Lakers-Nugs, and the Nugs are up...24-12. They look hungry, and the bad Lakers look like they've showed up tonight. I feel like I need to watch this game, like this is the hardest series to figure out how the teams measure up, including the NHL semis. (Of course, it hurts that I don't know half as much about hockey, but I'm not sure that I know much more after watching half of the Pens-Whalers game last night. So maybe this is the most educational series.



But it's really not, because the Lakers will suck one game, then win by 25 the next. I guess if they get blown out one game, then win a squeaker, that could indicate that Denver has enough to get to the finals. This series feels like it will go seven, especially as long as the Nuggets have a lead.



I guess I could see the Lakers choking and losing in seven, but I don't see them choking and losing in five. How's that for a vote of confidence?



In the end, this series will be about whether or not the Nuggets can play well enough to beat the Lakers. The Lakers will beat themselves, but they aren't going to beat themselves four times.



Burdman's in, and he just blocked a shot. I might have to stop making fun of him, and the canvas he calls his skin.



The Lakers have been creeping back into this game. Right now they trail by only three, 35-32.



There is a heavy downpour outside, and we just lost power for a split second. The power is back, but the TV signal is gone. I was about to say that I'd like to be able to check on the

Wings-Hawks game (Wings lead, 2-1), but now I can't watch either.



Ick. Make that 2-2. Chicago has tied it up. Bodog says five minutes left in regulation, which probably means they are already in OT....Apparently not. ESPN's gamecast says there are 2 1/2 minutes to go.



I know I'm living in a hut with a metal roof, but this reminds me of monsoon season in Korea....Wow. My roof just started leaking. No shit.

I Predict the Future

I lost a post a day or 2 ago, and I haven't checked to see what I've said yet....I took Houston at 12-1 to win the West, but the Lakers snuffed out their run this afternoon. I still think the bet had some value, since the Rockets managed to embarass LA in game 6, and because Battier and Artest ought to have as good a chance as anybody to shut down Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggs.

Not a very convincing lead-in for my recent Pennant bets. I'll tell you what they are now, and with any luck, I'll explain my reasoning in the near future, hopefully before they drift back into the rest of the pack.

AL Pennant:
Toronto 10-1
Texas 16-1

NL Pennant
Milwaukee 18-1

Shoulda bet the Rockets

The Lakers-Rockets game is underway, and Houston has jumped out to a 10-1 lead...make that 13-1. Phil Jackson calls timeout.

The Red Wings beat the Ducks tonight, 4-3. I missed the whole thing, because I went to see Dennis Miller.

Wow. 17-1...17-3

The Whalers were up 2-1, but the Bruins have tied the game at 2-2. Nice that when I'm on the radio with Mac this weekend I can rest assured that I have a dog in this fight. We'll see if he does. Not sure if he'll laugh at my Bruins jokes if the Whalers are out.

27-15 at the end of the first period. The Lakers finally have half the Rockets score.

I got back from Dennis Miller just in time to see the Celtics finish losing. At the end there was a lackluster 3 point attempt by the Celtics, that missed, but ultimately didn't matter...unless you had $$ on the game. The Magic won by 8. They were favored by 7, then 6.5 closer to game time. That last 3 would have swung the game for the betting public. I may sound like a broken record, but don't bet on basketball.

Speaking of which, the Lakers are favored by 9.5. Right now they are down 44-29. Finally, a game nowhere near the spread! Shoulda bet the Rockets.

Birdman no Bird

There's a guy named Chris Anderson on the Denver Nuggets who is covered in tatoos, and has more gel in his rooster-'do than a liberty-spiked '80's punk. This never happens in hockey, due to the long sleeves and helmets, thank the Nordic Ice-Gods.

Wow. They just interviewed him during the commercial break, (no shit) and he explained that he calls his look the Birdman, and wears it to get the fans fired up. Good thing I turned the sound on and soaked up his wisdom. I need to see if he wears it in LA.

He didn't have his hair up for the interview, but he was wearing a wife-beater, so as to show off his many tats. Makes you wonder what's wrong with Dirk Nowitski and his bare arms. Maybe the only untatted white NBA guys are dorks from places like Germany...and French Lick.

I think the Nugget logo with the crossed pickaxes would make a dandy tramp-stamp. I've decided tatoos look better on the black players--because I can't see them as well. Actually I decided that a long time ago.

The Penguins are kicking some Capital ass. These odds are from earlier in the day, but after the Bruins won and the Red Wings lost.

Odds to win the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup
All wagers have action. Singles Only.
Anaheim Ducks 9/1
Boston Bruins 4/1
Carolina Hurricanes 10/1
Chicago Blackhawks 7/2
Detroit Red Wings 9/5
Pittsburgh Penguins 5/1
Washington Capitals 9/2

Odds to win the 2008/2009 Eastern Conference Championship
All wagers have action. Singles Only.

Boston Bruins 6/5
Carolina Hurricanes 4/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 9/4
Washington Capitals 9/5

Odds to win the 2008/2009 Western Conference Championship
All wagers have action. Singles Only.

Anaheim Ducks 4/1
Chicago Blackhawks 5/4
Detroit Red Wings 3/4

If you'd bet the Ducks last night you could have been paid at +140. Not bad for a home team that seems capable of trading body blows with the defending champs indefinitely. I may have bet it if I wasn't a Wings fan. You can never get rational odds on the Wings.

There are cameras on "Birdman" while he's on the bench. Best gimmick since Josh Hamilton became a meth-head living under a bridge. Now that he's triumphantly returned to become one of the most feared power-hitters in the American League, he's one of two reasons I want to see the Rangers play when I get back to Texas. The other is that Arlington is only...2 hours and 37 minutes away, as opposed to Houston, which is 3 hours and 42 minutes away. I imagine YahooMaps hasn't factored in Dallas rush hour traffic...or Houston's

Here are the current NBA Futures--Denver is trouncing Dallas, but the Mav's odds were already pretty long.

Odds to win 2009 NBA Championship
All wagers have action. Singles only. Max $600. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Boston Celtics 15/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 2/3
Dallas Mavericks 200/1
Denver Nuggets 15/2
Houston Rockets 75/1
Los Angeles Lakers 6/5
Orlando Magic 35/1

Odds to win 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Championship
All wagers have action. Singles only max $600 (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Boston Celtics 5/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 1/10
Orlando Magic 10/1

Odds to win 2009 NBA Western Conference Championship
Team to win the Western Conference. All wagers have action. Singles only. Max $600. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Dallas Mavericks 75/1
Denver Nuggets 11/4
Houston Rockets 25/1
Los Angeles Lakers 1/5

Dallas is staying within the 9-11 point range. Denver is favored by 10.5. Uncanny. Don't bet on hoops, kiddies.

Pittsburgh beat Washington 6-2. Bring on the Hurricaines. Or Bruins.

Denver held on to win by 14, but until the last minute or two they were within a basket of the spread either way. If you had $$ on this game it was riveting. Otherwise, Dallas never seemed like they were going to make a run.

Odds & Anderson

After the drubbing I took in the first round of the NBA playoffs I haven't had much to say, since I lost every one of my series bets. Apparantly now I might get to talk sports on the radio this weekend, so I am doing some research....

Odds to win 2009 NBA Championship
All wagers have action. Singles only. Max $600. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Boston Celtics 20/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 2/3
Dallas Mavericks 250/1
Denver Nuggets 15/2
Houston Rockets 40/1
Los Angeles Lakers 7/5
Orlando Magic 20/1

Odds to win 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Championship
All wagers have action. Singles only max $600 (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Boston Celtics 9/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 1/11
Orlando Magic 9/1

Odds to win 2009 NBA Western Conference Championship
Team to win the Western Conference. All wagers have action. Singles only. Max $600.

Dallas Mavericks 100/1
Denver Nuggets 11/4
Houston Rockets 16/1
Los Angeles Lakers 1/4

Right now it's the 3rd quarter of game 5 of the Magic at Celtics, and the Celtics are losing. I expect that the odds will shift after the game.

Here are the Current Stanley Cup Odds:

Odds to win the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup
All wagers have action. Singles Only. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)
Anaheim Ducks 15/1
Boston Bruins 10/1
Carolina Hurricanes 7/1
Chicago Blackhawks 4/1
Detroit Red Wings 7/5
Pittsburgh Penguins 6/1
Washington Capitals 11/2

Apparently Hockey betting isn't as big. Here apparently there's no interest in who will win the East or the West Conference. On the other hand, the NHL playoffs are a game or two ahead of the NBA, so maybe they've just stopped taking bets on the Conference Championships.

Wow. The Celtics came back & won. Meanwhile, I was watching Anderson Cooper interview a former Army officer who got kicked out for asking +/or telling. I must be getting soft.

In my defense, I was looking for the Wings game, since the Bruins game was winding down, and I thought AFN might find it in their hearts to show both games. Apparently not.

The asker/teller was a fairly good looking asian guy. I wonder if Anderson Cooper thought so. Imagine if Anderson Cooper came out of the closet* on national TV. I can't think of another scenario that would upset more women....What if he came out on Oprah? He could be like Rosie O'Donnell, only hot and male.

I'm finishing the next day, and the odds have changed

*Not that he's in the closet--acoording to Wikipedia,

Cooper has never married and has actively avoided discussing his private life, citing a desire to protect his neutrality as a journalist. His public reticence contrasts deliberately with his mother's life spent in the spotlight of tabloid journalists and her publication of memoirs explicitly detailing her affairs with celebrities; Cooper vowed "not to repeat that strategy".

*I guess this is a reaction to his celebrity mother, Gloria Vanderbilt...on the other hand, check out what Dickipedia says: http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=Anderson_Cooper I guess I'm not the only one who is suspicious. On the other hand, I think it would be more scandalous if he was a closet Mormon with four wives and 15 kids in a secret compound in Kenya, which is, after all, the Utah of Africa.

At least Kenya isn't the San Angelo, Texas of Africa
Diki mentioned something about Yale, but stopped short of calling it "the gay Ivy." If you don't belive Yale is "the gay Ivy," google "the gay Ivy."

Ponies Puzzle at Derby

The Kentucky Derby is about to start. I have a bet on Friesan Fire to win at 3-1. Freisan Fire is the new favorite now that I Want Revenge isn't running. I also have a Superfecta bet with Friesan Fire, General Quarters, Hold Me Back, and Chocolate Candy. I was going to do a box superfecta, until I realized that this would cost me $24. Fuck that. I didn't bet that much at the Preakness last year, and I was at the Preakness.

I'm betting Friesan Fire and Dunkirk in an exacta...now I boxed it...not exactly sure what all this means.

They're off!

Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot, has won. I'm pretty sure that means none of my bets won. I wonder if this means the triple crown will be totally split this year. Maybe Mine That Bird will be one of thet Preakness favorites....

Speaking of not winning any of my bets, the only NBA series still in play for me is Heat over Hawks in seven, which will be decided tomorrow night. If I win that one I still make a profit, despite losing all my other bets....

I was considering betting the Pacquaio-Hatton fight tonight, but Pac-Man is too big a favorite, though the odds seem to have narrowed in the last couple of days. He's gone from about -290 to -240.