Celebrity Autographs And Celebrity Addresses

Hits just keep on coming
By I.M. Bettor/ By the Numbers
Tuesday, January 25, 2005

While the larger gambling world and this misguided, some would even say stubborn, handicapper gave the Steelers a nod Sunday, those locals who answer phones and push pencils took another massive hit thanks to both favorites winning and covering.

First things first: ``They bet us pretty good on the Eagles. I mean, I got a little Atlanta action,'' said one old pal, ``but still the bigger decision was on the Eagles.''

And the nightcap?

``I dealt two lines,'' he said. ``For the guys who shop, I gave them minus-3, for the guys who I know would bet the Pats, I made the number 3 1/2. The 3 1/2 didn't stop anyone. And every guy I talked to was in the same boat, meaning that trying to lay off bets was almost impossible. It's like the Red Sox all over again.''



The locals are killing the locals, if you know what I mean. Winning in a rout, the Patriots [stats, news] easily covered the field goal impost and I easily dropped $165 when I advised a play on the Steelers. However, in the day's larger play, $275 went south when the Falcons did nothing in the second half and the favored Eagles coasted to victory.

Of note, the Eagles moved to 5 1/2 by kickoff on Sunday, while the Patriots' line remained at minus-3 in most spots, with just a few outfits in the larger gambling world beyond Boston dropping it to 2 1/2. As for the totals, the Falcons-Iggles tilt settled in at 37 after opening at 41 1/2. The Patriots-Steelers moved between 35-35 1/2 all week, and right up until kickoff.

Befitting their prowess and reflecting what's now a modern dynasty, the Patriots opened as 7-point favorites over the Eagles in most gambling joints around the world for the Super Bowl. The total popped up at 47 and has slowly climbed to 48, which strikes me as fairly high for two teams that hit you hard and hate seeing their opponents get into the end zone. But in my current state, what I see and what happens are at odds more often than not.

Adding the 0-2 stinker and the loss of $440 is tossed into the stew that's been simmering since early September, the true believers aren't happy. After 21 weeks of betting by the numbers, the mark sits below .500 at 18-20-2 and the cupboard is bare as we owe the man $600. With one week left to get even, the season will no doubt come up with a negative figure.

But we'll continue to gamble and continue to hope.