Categories
NBA General

Top Ten Signs an NBA Game is Fixed

Thanks to Tim Donaghy’s latest accusations, the NBA is once again under the microscope and everyone is wondering about the legitimacy of this year’s Finals and the playoff outcomes along the way. Luckily, we have David Letterman who has a Top Ten list that can clear up all the questions about whether or not a game is crooked. Here’s the Top Ten Signs an NBA Game Is Fixed:

10.Game begins 20 minutes before visiting team arrives

9.Tip-off always goes to the player with the largest salary

8.At the end of the first quarter, the score is 179 to 2

7.Missed three-pointers count for two points if they’re “pretty close”

6.One of the Laker Girls looks suspiciously like Pete Rose

5.Whenever he’s open, referee takes a shot

4.Scoreboard has disclaimer: “All Scores Approximate”

3.The team loses even though it led in points, delegates and the popular vote

2.Jack Nicholson scores 25 points from his seat

And the No. 1 sign an NBA game is fixed

1.The Knicks win

Links:

[CBS.com]: Top Ten Signs an NBA Game Is Fixed

Categories
NBA General

Charles Barkley is burning… his savings

Before the Super Bowl, the population of New York were the only people on the planet to even give the Giants a fighting chance against the undefeated Patriots. Of course, after the shocking upset, everyone suddenly became a Monday morning quarterback, claiming they knew all along Eli would march to victory. Well, Charles Barkley is no different from the rest of us, but he chooses to blame ESPN for his horribly expensive bet gone bad.

Good thing this weekend’s All-Star game isn’t in Las Vegas this year, the Chuckster might go bankrupt at this rate.

Links:

[The700Level.com]: Charles Barkley drops “about $400,000” on the Super Bowl

Categories
NFL General

The Pats are bummed, but Nevada sports books: You are the biggest losers!


Besides Eli Manning going down in history as a Super Bowl MVP – we’re still shaking our heads in disbelief – a whole lot of other people found themselves in unexpected position following Sunday’s shocker. Mainly bookies that lost a ton o’ greenbacks when the Patriots didn’t pull through with perfection.

Nevada sports books lost a record $2.6 million on Super Bowl bets when the Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14.

Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst Frank Streshley said large amounts were bet on the money line that the Giants would win outright. Payouts on those bets were as much as 4-to-1 because the Patriots were such heavy favorites.

Sports books handled just over $92 million on the game. That was the third-highest amount ever, but down for the second straight year.

Of course, the easiest money made all weekend was our little wager that New Yorkers couldn’t celebrate without committing random acts of vandalism. Yup, somebody’s finally getting Rock Band!

Dozens of young New York Giants fans jumped on the hoods, trunks and tops of cars and buses along the parade route through lower Manhattan yesterday, partly marring an otherwise joyous event designed to celebrate the football team’s Super Bowl victory.

At least four different incidents were caught on videotape around the intersection of Reade Street and Broadway.

During one of them, youngsters ganged up on a yellow taxi and smashed its windshield with their elbows despite a woman’s efforts to pull them off the car.

Links:

[KTVU.com]: Super Bowl Upset Costs Bookies
[NewsDay.com]: Arrests for vandalism made during Giants parade

Categories
NFL General

What ever happened to just watching the Super Bowl?


Are you addicted to gambling? Does the inability to wager on Super Bowl Sunday have you down? Are you pulling your hair out as you will yourself away from calling your bookie and placing a `sure fire’ bet on New England calling tails and choosing to kick? Well, if so, then we just might have a perfectly bland alternative for you to slightly get your fix. And no, we’re not talking about that stupid squares game.

Three words: Super Bowl Bingo.

We’ve [SunTimes.com] assembled 50 words, phrases, people or terms that probably will be mentioned during the Super Bowl telecast.

We’ve tried to eliminate any term that was too obvious. For example, you won’t find ”Tom Brady” listed on any of the cards. ”High ankle sprain” will be because the controversy surrounding Brady’s injury probably will be discussed. So Eli Manning, no; Archie Manning, yes.

Go to www.suntimes.com/sports and download the PDF of our bingo cards. We’ve shown a couple of card examples, but there are 12 unique cards for your participants.

Ugh. So, please tell me somebody’s bringing the beer pong table, right?

Links:

[SunTimes.com]: Super Bowl bingo

Categories
NHL General

Closing the books on the Rick Tocchet gambling ring


A year ago, the Rick Tocchet as head of a gambling ring based in NJ story was huge news, mainly because the Olympics were coming up and hockey is one of the premiere sports in the Winter Olympics. But since then, the molasses that is our legal system (despite what you see on Law and Order) has basically swept the whole story under the carpter.

Not suprisingly, when the news came out over the long memorial day weekend that Tocchet came to a plea bargain in the case, not much was made of it. But, in the interest of wrapping up the case we’ve been following for a year, here’s the final chapter in the Rich Tocchet case.

Tocchet pleaded guilty to promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling. It’s a minor offense that may result in him not having to serve any jail time at all. However, there is no word on whether he will be reinstated into the NHL until the league completes its own investigation. Tocchet helped his cause by emphasizing in his court appearance that he had never bet on hockey.

Links:
[6abc]: Tocchet Pleads Guilty in Gambling Ring Case

Categories
Golf

Day trader wins first World Series of Golf tourney



We going Sizzler!

A few months ago, we told you about the World Series of Golf, which combines golf with no limit poker style gambling on each hole. Well, the inaugural WSOG took place over the weekend and it was won by Mark Ewing, a 31-year-old day trader who quit his job two months ago to “take some risks in life.”

Ewing is only a 10-handicap but he managed to come up big at the end and make timely bets. Playing like a poker pro (and beating Phil Ivey), he forced his opponents to go all-in on the final hole 16th and made putt to secure first place and $250,000 in prize money. He will split the prize with two friends who each paid 1/3 of the entry fee. They planned on putting $40,000 of their prize money on one hand of blackjack. Charles Barkley would be proud.

Considering the popularity of poker, this type of betting seems to be a lot of fun. But it’d be a little difficult to keep track of during your weekly Sunday outing. Playing a round on the weekends is slow enough as it is, can you imagine having to deal with four jackasses in front of you trying to figure out chip leads and all-ins? Let’s hope this stays a TV sports.

Links:

[MSNBC]: Day trader wins World Series of Golf in Las Vegas

Categories
NHL General

Odds and Ends: Go ahead, drink and drive (the Zamboni)

A New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled yesterday that John Peragallo was not guilty of DWI and should have his license reinstated. Peragallo lost his license last year after arena officials saw him swerving while cleaning the ice. The judge ruled that Zambonis are not, in fact, motor vehicles. No word on whether the man was fined for wearing square pants.

In other news…

[ESPN]: Oddsmaker had previously filed a report of suspicious activity on Toledo

[Indy Star]: Colts play arrested on marijuana charge — this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t lent his water bottle to Michael Vick

[Page Six]: Let’s hope Greg Norman doesn’t fold under courtroom pressure

[Sport People]: A fairly amusing collection of sports photos. (Yet somehow misses this photo.)

[basketbawful]: What nobody was asking for: the Ben Wallace throw pillow

Categories
College Football

Odds and Ends: Point shaving at Toledo

Since Friday, the arrest of Harvey “Scooter” McDougle Jr. has sent shockwaves through the sports gambling community.  Actually, no it hasn’t.  We realize that Toledo is DIV I and all but you gotta be pretty desperate to bet on Toledo vs Akron. Still, the question is always whether it could happen at a big time program that garners big time bets.  

According to the Detroit News, a man named Garry Manni gave McDougle cash, a car,  valuables and trips in exchange for affecting outcomes of games.   Although he was only a 4th string running back, McDougle was able to influence other players on both the football and basketball teams.  

Toledo officials held a press conference today to announce that they were unsure whether others would be charged.   Uh yeah… thanks for the staggering info guys.

In other news…

[Still Listen to Gangsta Music]: Another Tony Parker rap video you can’t understand

[NY Times]: Cheerleading responsible for more than half of the catastrophic injuries to female high school and college athletes

[Hockey Rants]: St. Louis blews play strip shootout

[Sydney Morning Herald]: Ian Thorpe to use the I was hammered that night defense

[Our Book of Scrap]: Something about women’s golf… we’re too distracted by Carmen Electra and Joan Jett rumors

And finally, here’s a video of a trick bowling shot.  Yep, that’s right.  Trick Bowling.

Categories
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Odds and Ends: In case you want to get Jeff Garcia something for his wedding


Some guy over at the Fanhouse did some top-notch investigative journalism and found Jeff Garcia and Carmella DeCesare’s wedding registry on Williams-Sonoma. For a guy who just signed a $7M contract, Garcia’s registry is somewhat normal. Outside of a $1,600 knife set (on sale for $1,200!), it’s like a registry you’d find for poor people. (Poor relative to NFL players poor, not we’re registered at K-Mart poor.)

Anyone want to chip in on some Blueberry Waffle & Pancake Mix? Only $9.50 plus shipping!

In other news…

[AP]: EU wants barriers to sports bets lifted. (meanwhile we can’t even legally have an office pool)

[Seal Clubbers]: Seattle closes the door on Jerramy Stevens

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Hey at least he didn’t wait till he was 24 like Shaun Alexander

[Newsday]: Bob Uecker’s stalker is back!

[Awful Announcing]: Does this mean we have to hate UNC now?

[49ers News]: Look out Niners fans, Rosenhaus is trying to ruin your team

Categories
General Sports

That’s a lot of precipitation



I’m rich bitch!

Most people fill out their brackets every year just so that they can enter their office’s pool and, hopefully, end the month with bragging rights and a pocket full of cash. Well, Archie Evans has proven that we shouldn’t simply limit ourselves to action on the hardwood, in fact he would probably suggest heading to your local horse track. And you don’t even have to be a high roller to walk out with some serious cash.

Across the pond in Wales, Evans picked six correct winners and won approximately $1.4 million and all he had to wager was a measly four bucks which is probably at least six dollars less than you spent on your bracket and there’s not even going to be half a million waiting for the winner.

It’s fantastic to have won and it’s so exciting to think I could be a millionaire by Saturday night. It’s a huge amount of money and if I’m honest it’s not sunk in yet.

Evan’s also said that everyone wants to know how he’s going to spend his new found wealth.

I’ve not decided yet but I know I’m going to take my wife on a bloody good holiday.

That’s one option; the other is that he pulses out a lot of cash and heads to the local gentlemen’s club where he could make it rain for days and days.

Links:

[BBC News]: PUNTER’S £700,000 WIN WITH £2 BET