Wagers Aplenty

Although some would argue that I believe there are important sporting events happening every day of the year, May 5, 2007 has a great trifecta of events making today a rare day in the sports calendar.

These events will not only be great to watch for its intensity, grandeur, and competition, but also because I plan to place a few small wagers on these events. Truth be told, one of the three events would not even be interesting unless I bet on it.

Just like every year, all eyes turn to Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday of May for the Kentucky Derby. Dubbed "the most exciting two minutes in sports", I have bet (very modest amounts- $20 max) on the Derby for the last few years and have to admit that the race is always fun to watch and much more exciting with a chance to win a few bucks.

When I was living in New York, a co-worker buddy of mine, got me intrigued into the hype surrounding Triple Crown horse racing and for three years we went to the Off-Track Betting places to make our wagers and watch the race at a local bar. Nothing is more interesting than observing the types of folks that spend time in Manhattan OTB's. I think every unsolved crime in New York could be easily remedied with a quick sweep of these joints.

Upon my departure back to CA, I have kept the tradition alive, and while I know nothing about the intricacies of the sport, I utilize my fool-proof method of selecting horses with the coolest or funniest name. I usually rely on Natalia and her lady luck to help with the selections as well.

This year I went with: Great Hunter to win (15/1 odds). I also selected a trifecta box (choosing top three finishers in any order) with Hard Spun, No Biz Like ShoBiz, and Scat Daddy. Wish me luck.

(Update: Street Sense wins the Kentucky Derby followed by Hard Spun, then Curlin. My picks Great Hunter finished 12th, No Biz like ShoBiz 10th, and Scat Daddy 18th. Zero winnings thus far.)

Following the pony show, Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs featuring the Utah Jazz at the Houston Rockets comes on the air. Obviously, the only REAL interesting outcome of this game is that the winner gets to play against the most exciting story in the NBA since the Kobe and Shaq days in LA (in my opinion), which is the Golden State Warriors. The story of the Warriors has been unbelievable and I, along with everyone else in the Bay Area, is absolutely swept up in excitement of Nellie Ball. I've meant to write a whole entry on my feelings towards this, but have yet to find the words to capture it. In brief: this is the first time in my life that I have genuinely rooted for the same team as my brother and all my closest friends (see my first blog entry ever) and I'm loving every minute of it!

Back to game 7...I honestly could care less about who wins this game since the Warriors are the road team either way, but I put a couple of bucks on the Utah Jazz (+5 1/2) simply because I think the game will be close and Utah is physically stronger than Houston from what I've seen. Rockets behind Yao and McGrady in a squeaker or an outright upset for Utah which means Derek Fisher will probably win it for them. At least, that's my prediction. Either way, the winner hosts the Warriors on Monday and the party can start up for another week.

(Update II: Don't call it a comeback! Terrible play by the Rockets at the end leads to victory for Utah and my measly wager. Warriors v. Jazz Monday night. Woo Hoo!)

Finally, tonight I'm going to a party surrounding the third sporting event of the day, Oscar De La Hoya v. Floyd Mayweather Jr.. This is truly the main event of the day. Some have said this is the biggest boxing match in years, with others saying that this maybe the last important boxing event ever due to the lack of boxing's popularity and the rise in the other mixed martial arts stuff. Personally, I'm not that big of a boxing fan at all (unless the Italian Stallion is in the ring). I do love huge events though and after watching the HBO documentary hyping up this event, I'll admit that I'm interested in watching this. Plus, I'll be at a party and get to pretend that I know something about boxing with a room full of strangers. Who am I picking? Based on the documentary, I think De La Hoya might be stronger, but Mayweather is the fastest boxer I have ever seen. His training footage is unbelievable.

I think I'm picking Mayweather to win in a decision. Without a knockout, this would leave the door open for a rematch and another $20 million for each side, which is what seems to always happen in this shady sport.

(Update III: As predicted, Pretty Boy Floyd emerges victorious by judges' decision...pretty successful day of prognostications overall.)

So there you have it, my Saturday in a nutshell. Gotta run, there may be a high school track meet I could bet on this morning.