new york post

When I was a boy my dad brought home the New York Post each day when he returned from work. This was when New York had the Post, News, Mirror, Herald Tribune, New York Times, and Daily American. The Post at the time was in the top tier of prestigious papers then and only below the Times and the Tribune in terms of intellectual news content.

For me, however, the Post was the sports section. It was terrific with several articles each day on the major sports teams. There was one part of the Post, however, that I did not understand. It was a regular article written by someone who was suggesting wagers on games. Each day he would report in language that was not decipherable--at least by a ten year old--the results of his last night's effort, how much he was up for the season, and how much he attempted to plunk down that night on whoever. I could not follow it even after making serious attempts.

Now, I get it. I still do not understand the allure, and wonder if betting on games can reduce the excitement of a contest as much as enhance it. But I understand it.

And I understand how following your bets can become something of a contest with or without money. Betting can be something like a daily suduku ritual, bet on the game, follow the 2009 version of the Post article to which I refer, and see how you are doing for the year.

I will try to recall the language of the Post column with what I write below about this weekend's attempt at predicting the unpredictable.

"Good weekend for Z what with Connecticut women winning on the money line as projected and Louisville not only getting within 4 1/2 but taking the game altogether, also as forecast. And, anomaly of anomalies, another two for two correctly forecast on Saturday night with Michigan State taking the men from Storrs, and North Carolina waving goodbye to Philadelphia's V-men. Someone send a tweet to Ripley's to record this atypical wisdom. Tonight Z will try to make you forget the Hurricane. Place the tokens on the under. Don't like betting the under but 153 1/2? I don't think so. Word to the wise: the last time Z picked five in a row was during the early days of the Ford administration."

Something like that.