Written by Love Without Nagel | 01 May 2009

The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place in Churchill Downs on Saturday.  The run for the roses will take place around 6pm.  I will be at my local gambling post around noon to play the full card.  In lieu of spending my time trying to give you bets for the whole day online, I will just give some advice for the feature.  First, if attending the race on the infield, look here for some smuggling tips. Let's bet about 100 fictional dollars on the race.

Before we get to the field for the 135th running, if you attend or host a party, make sure to get into some shenanegans like these:

Written by RJP | 09 April 2009

I can barely play the game of golf, and walking the course is not the problem. There is something mystic about the relationship of the golf ball and the face of the golf club, and I can't figure it out. That doesn't mean I don't love the game, just that I recognize my shortcomings, meaning failures, meaning abject humiliation.

A good golf course is easily the most natural balance of art and experience common to the world today. Paradoxically, the most beautiful parts of a golf course are invariably the most damaging to one's score. Be sure to appreciate the gentle cushion of the six-inch rough beneath your feet as you search for your wayward drive. Enjoy the widening ripples created by your skulled pitch into the placid pond protecting a green. Crave the solace of isolation while your sliced iron shot bounds along a cracked desert.

Written by RJ | 06 April 2009

So, here we are. If you've been reading my articles leading up to the championship game, you should be flush with cash. I was 2-0 on Saturday, and 3-1 last weekend. Now we have the two best teams in the country and yes, I do believe these are the two best teams left. UNC crushed everyone in their way. They easily dispatched the best player in the country in Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners before moving on to bury the surprising Wildcats of Villanova. Michigan State hammered the two best teams out of the Big East in Connecticut and before them, Louisville. What I try to do when sizing up teams to bet on, is figure out what I personally think the spread should be before the spreads are listed. After Saturday nights games, I figured the point spread would be 4-5 points. When it opened at 7-1/2, I was shocked. My first instinct is to scream, "Too much!", before running over to my bookie and placing my kid's college funds on the game. But first, let's take a good look at the game and the matchup.

Written by RJ | 04 April 2009

UConn -4-1/2 vs. Michigan State

The best of the Big East against the best of the Big Ten. The legendary Jim Calhoun matching wits against  battle tested Tom Izzo. A classic matchup of two experienced, deep teams. UConn has the trio of AJ Price, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jeff Adrien. Thabeet is a special defender, able to change games with his incredible shot blocking ability and redounding. Not much of a scoring threat, but a game changer nonetheless. Price may be the most impressive point guard I've seen in the tournament, running UConn's offense, playing tough D, and making clutch shots down the stretch. Adrien is averaging 14 points a game and can also apply the heat on defense. The only challenge these guys have is staying out of foul trouble. If they do that, they might roll a bit.

Written by RJ | 29 March 2009

Louisville -7-1/2 vs. Michigan State

Louisville finally came out of their shell Friday and destroyed a pretty decent Arizona team. Before that, they had been fairly average looking. I'm not sure if this last game is an anomaly or did a light turn on and suddenly they became the World beaters everyone has been saying they are. Can Tom Izzo and his steady Spartans find a way to stop these suddenly hot Cardinals? The Spartans have won 9 out of 10  and are 3-0 ATS in the tournament. 7-1/2 is a lot of points here. Louisville is 1-2 ATS in the tournament, and Friday's complete destruction of Arizona adds points to this spread which hurts their chances of covering. Can they continue that domination? Both teams can go deep on their roster, regularly using 8 and 9 players. Not many teams can do that in the tourney. So will Louisville win the game? Maybe. Will they cover the spread, no way. Take the 7-1/2 points and watch a well played, well coached, close game.