Rolling right into and through March, leads us directly into the line of fire of the world's best sporting event, the NCAA tournament, and an appetizer of things to come with major league baseball's spring training. In the world of sport, many things go hand in hand; mustard and hotdogs, beer and peanuts, the remote control and the television are a few that come immediately to mind. One side effect of sport that straddles the line between harmless fun and games and take no prisoners, is gambling. Gambling runs with the kids from the other side of the tracks but also sings in the choir and is the star shortstop on the varsity baseball team. Gambling drives a black low cut mustang with a huge sound system, but also listens to Mozart and Chopin.
I love to gamble. Let me reiterate...I LOVE TO GAMBLE. On anything. Baseball, basketball, cricket, poker, blackjack, football or whether it's going to snow before halftime, or whether the next guy up rips a double, triple or whiffs. But I don't gamble for a living nor do I invest more than I am willing (or able) to lose. I know the risks and have assessed them like any good investor and have decided over the course of my many years of throwing money out the window, that I am not a good gambler. This, however, does not preclude me from having a good time, and consequently, losing money. Money isn't that important, but you do have to have it to be able to throw it away. I, therefore, fall into the category reserved for harmless addictions, and addicts. My friends and I are very similar, which is quite possibly why we never actually lose any money, as it just circles between our pockets, leaving only a long twisted trail of lint behind and some brief shittalking.
However, when making wagers on something that I feel somewhat knowledgeable about (NCAA tourney) against someone with little said knowledge, I tend to take the bet fairly lightly. When that said person wins that bet, which in this case is a domestic affair involving cooking vs. weeding, it becomes a serious affair. Which is why, a few days ago I found myself on my hands and knees, in the dirt, with the wrong end of a garden utensil in my hand, pulling dandelions out of our yard/garden, which, if you didnt know any better, you'd swear we were growing dandelions instead of trying to get rid of them.
This would constitute a 'friendly wager' in the term of the day, much like the wagers in a golf foursome that don't involve money (wait, is that possible?). Our bet was who would win the most games in each of the four rounds of the NCAA tourney. I lost the first round 22-21, and then we tied the next two, until I triumphed this past weekend, much to my considerable delight. My loss relegated me to the hours of weed pulling, while her loss allows her the priviledge of shopping, preparing, cooking and finally cleaning up a dinner for the two of us.
I'm not sure who is getting the better deal, but my side of the bet has been fulfilled while hers remains outstanding. While betting remains a passion and not a lucrative money making venture (much to my dismay), it does serve to heighten the importance of games and events, making the outcomes that much more exciting, thus putting a little added zest into an otherwise ordinary day in the life of a sports fan.
I am not in danger of losing my car, my house, or my girlfriend due to my habit, but it do like to indulge my weakness for the underdog by playing poker online, taking part in ESPN brackets, and calling my friends to wager bottles of scotch on whether Griffey Jr. is going to hit any homers in April!