Friday, January 05, 2007

Money Won is Sweeter than Money Earned

I took a hiatus from sports betting for a few months in order to regroup and maybe gain some perspective on the sports world without the element of gambling. And you know what I learned during that time? I learned that not betting really, really sucks. So after a visit to my bookie legal Nevada sportsbook, I've got some renewed interest in some upcoming games. Here's what I like this Saturday.

Indianapolis -7 vs Kansas City. Ok, I don't know how the Colts will stop Larry Johnson. I'll concede that point right up front. But at the same time, I think the Chiefs are just happy to have made the playoffs and have no real expectations of actually advancing any further. More importantly, any time you have the chance to bet against a team coached by Herm Edwards, you have to jump on that opportunity- even if the opposing quarterback in Peyton Manning. I think the Colts will pour on the points at home and this game will mirror the Colts/Bengals matchup from a few weeks ago.
Indianapolis 38, Kansas City 24

Dallas +3 at Seattle. I can't confirm this, but I think Kenny Easley and Carlton Gray might be in the Seahawks starting secondary. The unit is so beat up that I'm surprised that Mike Holmgren hasn't tried to talk Deion Sanders out of retirement to cover his old pal, Terrell Owens. The Seahawks so desperately need some warm bodies, that they'd even take some players off of the Notre Dame secondary. Ok, no team is that bad off, but you get the point. Owens, Glenn and Witten are going to be wide open Saturday. Short of kidnapping Carrie Underwood before the game, I just don't see anyway that the Seahawks stop the Dallas offense. Sure, Dallas has had their own problems on defense of late, but I think they'll be able to make just enough plays to give false hope to Cowboys fans...before getting eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Dallas 35, Seattle 27.

There are also three Pac-10 games on the slate that intrigue me:

UCLA -2.5 at Oregon. I know I said a few days ago that UCLA traditionally has problems on the visit to the state of Oregon, but I like this game a lot... probably too much. I like this game so much that if UCLA doesn't cover, my next post will likely be from a safehouse in an undisclosed third world country. Oregon has been a nice surprise so far this year, and their future is definitely bright, but they haven't faced a defense like UCLA yet this season. The Bruins defense is like a dominant offensive line in football. They just relentlessly pound away, and by the last quarter of the game, the opposition is so worn down that they start to lose their will. This will be close early, but UCLA will stay true to form and pull away in the 2nd half.
UCLA 85, Oregon 72.

Arizona -2.5 at Washington State. Don't tell Bruins fans I said this, but I honestly think that Arizona is the best team in the Pac 10. That isn't meant as a slight to UCLA- it's that the Wildcats are just that good. Ask anyone who saw Arizona put away Washington- this team is a scoring machine. The Cougars will try their slow down approach in an effort to stay within striking distance, but all that will do is lessen their margin of defeat.
Arizona 67, Washington State 54.

Washington -15 vs Arizona State. I hate laying this many points in any basketball game because garbage time can be a killer. But the Huskies are so pissed about their 0-3 start that they'll be unleashing hell on the Sun Devils. Remember that scene in Fight Club where Ed Norton beats the living crap out Jared Leto? ("I felt like putting a bullet between the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't screw to save its species"). It's going to be kind of like that. But with cheerleaders.
Washington 91, Arizona State 66.

Action on five games tomorrow. Ahhh...that felt good. Now I just need the new year to bring me some new results. (For the uninitiated, my 2006 picks were laughably bad.) I think the only way to finish this night is with a few hours at the Full Tilt Poker tables. The Feds aren't executing poker players for treason yet, are they?

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