NFL Thanksgiving Pickings: dp's Poker Profit Parlay

dp killed the $1-$2 no limit hold 'em table at the Venetian Wednesday night, turning a $200 buy-in into an $851 windfall in three hours while he waited for his bro Zeke (the suited connector) to get off work. Zeke got an early out at 10 p.m., giving dp a few more hands until his big blind came up. As so often happens, dp got involved in a monster pot in his last hand, making a full house on the river to beat two flushes and more than double his stack. dp tipped the dealer ten bucks (any less and Zeke, a dealer himself, would have been embarrassed), and the p boys bounced over to the sportsbook.

To celebrate (and as added incentive to wake up before 9:30 a.m. to watch Green Bay beat Detroit, dp made two $20 bets on Turkey Day football games. First, he made a 3-leg 6-point Teaser, taking Green Bay to +3, the Jets to +21, and the Colts to - 5.5 for a potential $28 win ($48 payout). Second, he made a 4-leg parlay, taking Green Bay (-3), the Packers-Lions under (47.5), the Cowboys-Jets over (47.5), and the Colts-Falcons over (41) for a potential $200 win.

If nothing else, the added action may prevent dp from succumbing to a tryptophan coma at halftime of the Cowboys game. Check back Saturday for dp's usual Upset Specials column.

But if you're really anxious to get some action down for the weekend, here's a sneak peek at dp's early picks: Denver at Chicago (-2.5), Seattle (-3) at St. Louis, New Orleans (-1) at Carolina.

NBA 11% Quick Flick: Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks (5-4, 3-game winning streak, 2nd in the Central, 5th in the (L)East)
Milwaukee won a big road game at Cleveland tonight, 111-107. Michael Redd and Lebron James posted nearly identical stat lines, as each star scored 34 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Lebron had 7 assists to Redd's 6, but Redd also posted 3 steals and 2 blocks. The Bucks' first victory away from the Bradley Center moved them over .500 for the first time this year.

If the season ended today, Milwaukee would be in the playoffs. And Yi Jianlian could very well be the Rookie of the Year. Yi is averaging about 10 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.75 blocks. Sure, Kevin Durant is averaging 19 points (on 37% shooting), but Yi fills out a fuller stat line and plays for a "good" (allow me the early optimism) team. Both players will contend for most dunks allowed. Durant's other claim to fame? He's the only rookie besides teammate Jeff Green who has already lost 10 games.

Meanwhile, if we continue with the ramifications of extrapolation, Yi and Durant will contend for most times getting dunked on. At season's end the Bucks will finish with an NBA best ever 41-0 at home. (Until beating Cleveland tonight, the Bucks were in contention for a worst ever 0-41 away record.)

Yi won't have to beat out Greg Oden for top rookie honors. The tragic news of Oden's season-ending microfacture surgery was offset somewhat by Portland's unexpectedly strong 4-3 start, but a four-game losing streak has since dampened the Blazers' spirits.

NFL Week 11 Recap

Despite going 4-1 (13-3 overall) in Week 11, dp laments the Saints' 23-10 loss to Houston. Andre Johnson returned after 7 weeks to amass 120 yards receiving and a touchdown to lead the Texans' offensive surge, which also included 89 yards rushing from Ron Dayne.
dp wants to hear the music in N'ahleans, but it's all blues as the Saints are marching out of contention.
At least everything else in the NFL world according to dp developed predictably. David Garrard played mistake-free football and led Jacksonville to a 24-17 over Chargers. Cleveland beat Baltimore in overtime 33-30 after a wild fourth quarter in which the Ravens stormed back from a 13-point deficit to seemingly win the game 30-27 after Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson's 51-yard field goal attempt as the clock expired was initially ruled no good. Officials then conferred and determined the ball had bounced off the left upright and passed over the crossbar before bouncing back in front. The Ravens had to be summoned from the locker room to return to the field to take a bitter loss. There were no miracles in Detroit, just three Jon Kitna interceptions, and the Lions fell prey to the Giants 16-10.

If you believe Jon Kitna, he, like the mightly Aslan in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, miraculously came back from dead earlier this year. dp is sure it won't happen again.

In weeks past, dp has occasionally come under (friendly) fire for not ranking his upset specials high on the confidence index. dp responded by boldly backing Denver for 12 points this week, enabling him to catch all but cousin (and loyal Bronco fan) Adam on Monday night when Denver exploded for four touchdowns of 40+ yards to streak past the struggling Titans 34-20. This pick leapfrogged dp past many who either picked the Jaguars or backed Denver weakly with a low rank on the confidence index. dp's finishing flourish helped him secure second place for the week in the FLICK Picks League, which moved dp to third (of 22) on the season, trailing FatherFlicker by 18 points.

Week 11: 4-1 (13-3 overall)
Season: 29-18 (107-53)

Wake up, Bud! Selig "Responds" to Bonds' Indictment

Bud Selig released an initial statement saying he hadn't bothered to actually read Barry's 10-page indictment, although he does "take the indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely." The indictment isn't progressing, Bud. You don't have to chase it or catch it. It's posted all over the Internet. Selig went on to pontificate about MLB's strict policy on performance-enhancing drugs, touching on reforms like testing for amphetamines and adding HGH to the banned list while pursuing the development of an efficacious test for HGH.

Selig's response reminds dp of something. Let's see.... Baseball pretends to be ignorant of a patently obvious situation.... Hmmmm... What is this deja vu?

It sounds just like baseball's "reaction" to allegations of steroid use in the 1980's and 90's: Feigned ignorance. Drug problem? What drug problem? Oh, you mean cocaine? We cracked down on that one with a tough testing policy that required Steve Howe to actually apply for reinstatement each of the seven times he returned to the field after testing positive. It's not our fault that Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were granted multiple chances to resurrect their playing careers but never got the help they needed to kick coke addiction.

Meanwhile, Selig's ploy of pretending to be too busy to read 10-pages while supposedly monitoring Bond's legal situation "closely" reeks of two things:
1) personal contempt for Bonds, similar to Selig "acknowledgement" of Bonds' record-setting home run, when he stood up only to keep his hands in his pockets.
2) official doublespeak that seeks to distance baseball from troubled players and ultimately protect the league against any liability.

Week 11 Flick Picks

NY Giants (-2.5) at Detroit
Amazingly, Detroit opened as a 1.5-point favorite. Anyone who watched Arizona run past Detroit last week knows it will take a miracle in Motown for the Lions to devour the Giants. However Detroit has already reached its quota on divine intervention. In Week 2 against Minnesota, quarterback and Christian missionary Jon Kitna got knocked out with a concussion in the second quarter, then returned in overtime to lead the Lions to a 20-17 win. Kitna characterized his return as "a miracle." Doctor of philosphy dp says Jon's sacrifice of body (and mind?) is just medically stupid, not a true miracle like the Siamese Queens pictured here:
The miracle is simply the easy money that was out there at the beginning of the week when you could pick the Giants and still be getting points. So many gamblers did so that the line has jumped four points. New York will roar past the Lions, whose remaining schedule includes two games with Green Bay, plus Dallas and at San Diego. If 6-4 Detroit wants to make the playoffs, they better keep praying in Kitna's bible study groups.

Saints at Houston (opened even; Houston -1.5 now):
N'ahleans gets back on track in Texas.

San Diego at Jacksonville (-3)
Jacksonville will win if David Garrard plays; check the starting lineup early Sunday and pick the Chargers if he doesn't.

Cleveland (-2) at Baltimore
Cleveland is on the rise and the Ravens are spiraling down. Of their playoff hopes, quoth dp, "Nevermore."


Tennessee at Denver (-2) The line has tightened down a point or so because the Titans are a popular upset pick. Stick with Denver, still tough at home on Monday night. Titans DT Albert Haynesworth missed last week's game and Jacksonville gashed the Titans' D for 166 rushing yards. Haynesworth missed practice this week and is a game-time decision. Meanwhile, Denver looks to have improved its run defense.

Sox Fans Sing National Anthem on Disabilities Awareness Day at Fenway

How awesome are Sox fans celebrating National Disability Awareness? Check it out for yourself?



This would never happen in New York. The Yankees lack the heart.
dp deeply praises Sawx spirit for reminding us how enhancing performance can be a good thing.

Isiah the Non-Prophet: Eclipsed by Starburygate?

Isiah is a for-profit non-prophet prone to shady maneuvers and a cloudy future. If you believe Peter Vecsey ( as dp does), Thomas is now trying to get fired, and he's proving to be completely inept at that, too!