HEADING TO COLORADO

I am going to my father-in-laws for Thanksgiving in Colorado. I don't have enough time to explain all of the things wrong with that so I will give you the short version. Starnes Elbert Walker III is my wife's father. He is a nuclear AND astro physicist. He is head of research for the defense department in Washington DC. The first time I met Starnes, I asked if it would be OK for me to aask his daughter to marry me. Starnes looked at me and said " you know, you can never make her happy." This is the woman that after 15 years of marriage is the light of my life and someone that is always happy. Not a good start. Since then our relationship has been filled with him telling me how important his job is and me telling him the spread on the Knicks game. He asks how much I weigh, I ask him to kiss my a**. In recent years, I have been trying to take the high road in a lot of situations and let go of some of my grudges. This weekend will be a real test of that. BTW, my wives sister is going to also be there. This is the girl that told me that she wishes My wife and I were both dead. Yep, its going to be a great weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

I also have been irritated by some idiot that sends me emails. He is a simple minded, hateful person that decided to get my picks and only bother me on the few losing days I have. Last week I won Monday, no email, I won Thursday, no email. I lose in overtime on Friday, he emails me some hateful gibberish. I go 5-1 on Saturday, no email. On Sunday I go 0-2 and complete another winning week but he emails to talk about Sundays losers. I normally don't respond or care about these idiots but I have decided to make him my project. His name is Patton Hayes . He is a 34 year old punk that stalk's his girlfriends and has a very pathetic life. I will be having more on this guy on the Fat Jack Sports Hour so be sure and tune in. Oh, and watch out ladies, he still has 3 years to go on his felony stalking sentence.Don't say I didn't warn you.

I also had a winning week in hoops last week so get signed up if you are playing the games and most of all have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.

BACK FROM VEGAS AND THANKSGIVING WEEK!!

I am back from Vegas. As always, it was an interesting trip. I am always reminded of what a sheltered world Oklahoma is. I always seem to see things in Vegas that I never see around my house. I walked into Caesars on Wednesday and saw 2 Chinese men, both under 5' tall and they were making out next to the Wheel of Fortune slots. I could sit outside, anywhere in Oklahoma until I was 100 and never see 2 vertically challenged Chinese fellows getting it on in public. Even the State Fair crowd doesn't offer that.

 

I was in the quarter finals of the Leroys Handicapping contest where I went up against a good guy and a good handicapper named Lee Sterling. We had dinner before the radio show and had a lot of fun in Vegas. Lee also does a lot of radio each week and you really could tell when we did the hour radio show from The Riviera Casino. the quality of the show went up and it was a good time. Lee didn't have his best week and I was 6-1 with my selections. I will be moving on to the semi finals the week of 12-12.

First, we have Thanksgiving, then the Fat Jacks Best of the West Poker Classic at the Lucky Star- Clinton . I will be very busy over the next few weeks but it should be a lot of fun. Have a great weekend and I will check back in a few days.

A FUN WEEK AHEAD-VEGAS FOR ROUND 2

 We are in the middle of what has been a very busy stretch for me. After wrapping up Jackson's football team and the start of basketball, things have not let up. Last Saturday was my worst Saturday in 3 years!!!! Although we are going to have bad days each season, I hate it when it is on a Saturday. One of the down sides to winning most of the time is that when we lose, guys are not use to it. They get upset and some behave like children that have never bet before. After 7 years of offering my selections I am use to this and don't worry but I always try and remind guys that bet that the decisions you make when we are having a bad day will affect your overall profit just as much as the decisions you make when we are winning. It is hard for gamblers to stay patient. They want to try and get it all back before Sunday morning and I have to remind them that it is a long season in which we are making a lot of money and it is OK to have a losing day now and then. We did turn around on Sunday and go 4-1 and having been up before Saturday AND another winner Monday night with Cleveland, we are doing great. The only people complaining are "the idiots", and I learned a long time ago, you cant please the idiots.

 

I am heading back to Vegas tomorrow for the second round of the Leroy's Sports book Money Talks Invitational.  You might recall, in the first round I went up against a professional gambler named Jorge Gonzales. I didn't know Jorge as he is a "Vegas regular" and although the radio show was fun, we had very little to talk about. This weekend, I am going up against Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports. Lee is a guy from Miami that is one of the few guys in the business that I am friends with. He is a good gambler and a nice guy. We have a lot in common and this weekend should be a lot of fun. Although, I feel great about my chances this weekend and am confident I will move into the semifinals, if I don't win this contest I will be pulling for Lee. If you are in Vegas this weekend, we will be at the Riviera Casino on Friday night doing an hour radio show. I would love to meet you and talk to you about this weeks games. The radio show should be very entertaining as Lee and I do a lot of radio each week around the country. This will also be a great chance to make some money while in Vegas. The fact is Lee and I win with our selections each year and will be giving our best selections for the week in hopes of winning the contest. If you play both of our selections( 14 in all) there is a VERY good chance you are going to make money. I suspect it will take at least 5-2 to advance to the next round as there is a great chance we will both go over .500 with our selections. If you cant make it to Vegas this weekend, you can listen to the show on line by going to www.leroys.com and clicking on the Leroy's Sports Hour. The show is live from the Riviera each Friday night at 10pm  Vegas time.

4TH GRADE TACKLE FOOTBALL IS O V E R

Well the season is over. The Titans lost a close one Thursday night 7-6. After scoring on the first play of the game, we couldn't put it in again.(thats what she said) lol.  The other team scored late in the first half and were able to punch in their one point conversion play to move on to the finals on Sunday. I have to tell you, this is the first I have been able to talk about the season because I have really been sad it is over. When I had children, I always said I would NEVER coach my kids teams. I mean lets get serious, it is a thankless job (most of the time) requires lots of time and unless you win EVERY game, you are setting yourself up for second guessing and angry parents.  As I have said before,most people that knew me growing up will tell you I accomplished everything possible in little league sports so the concept of "living through my children in sports" is ridiculous to those that know me. So I didn't see any reason to coach. It seemed like letting others coach and just being the parent was the smart thing to do.

BUT

Now that I have had the chance to experience a season as the coach of my boys football team, I cant imagine NOT coaching. I had a blast, the kids learned a lot about football, we won a lot of games, I got to have a positive influence on some kids that needed it and I didn't have to second guess some other guy that knows half as much as I do about football.  I had a great time and cant wait until next season. In the meantime, I will work on picking winners, being a good parent and having a lot more compassion for those fathers that take time out of THEIR busy lives to have a positive influence on my children. I was wrong about coaching little league and knowing that is going to make the rest of the journey with my kids that much better.

 

Back to Vegas this week for the second round of the Natl Handicapping contest, then to Colorado for Thanksgiving. I will be checking in and am continuing to stay hot with the picks. Have a great weekend.

LITTLE LEAGUE UPDATE AND TRUMAN PULLS OUT A CLOSE ONE

 

The game tonight between The Truman Titans against All Saints was your classic good vs evil match up. Similar to Miami, Fl vs Duke or pretty much The Miami Hurricanes against any team that isn't evil. These two teams had a battle for the ages.  All Saints drew first blood with an opening kickoff return for the touchdown that would set the mood for the first half.  The Titan coaching staff begin pointing fingers and it was decided that their obese head coach was to blame for a late kickoff team personnel change that the head coach authorized. Head coach, Fat Jack, was heard yelling " yea, I made the change and I don't give a rip who cares" as All Saints walked into the end zone and took a 6-0 lead.  The rest of the quick moving first half was a defensive struggle with # 25 and # 8 for All Saints tackling pretty much anyone that touched the ball for Truman.There were behind the scenes discussions to try and overthrow The Fat Jack as offensive coordinator, these attempts failed as Jack was heard saying" I am the only one with a kick off tee and I WILL take it with me if I'm fired!." The other coaches agreed that it would be tough to finish without a kicking tee and let Jack continue to call plays. At halftime, with Truman down 6-0 it was clear something had to be done if they were to get back in the game. Truman received the second half kickoff and momentum decided it was time to wear Titan blue for awhile. A few long runs later with Jack going  with an unorthodox 10 man offensive team, Truman tied the game 6-6. After the officials told Jack he only had 10 players on the last play he responded," Yes I did, Imagine what we would have done with 11!!" This plan DID backfire on the 2 point conversion try when the player that would have been blocked with Truman's 11th player, rushed into the backfield and dropped the Titan QB. It was 6-6 as the two teams headed into the fourth quarter and when Truman got the ball back with 5 min to play, they made one final push for the end zone. With 2:30 left and Truman on All Saints 10 yard line, it seemed that Truman would be able to break the tie but on a fourth and 5 from the 5 yard line. All Saints called in one last prayer request and held the Titan offense. After a 3 and out by All Saints, Truman got the ball back with 1:30 left in the game. Jack could be seen trying to draw up plays on his belly and begged SOMEONE on his team to step up and make a play. On third and 6 from the 40 yard line with only 30 seconds left, the Titan running back caught a pass and ran the length of the field and gave the Titans the victory. Final score 

 

TRUMAN 12

ALL SAINTS 6

 

 Although Truman was a 9 point favorite and didn't cover the point spread, Jack was happy with the win.

 

This sets up a rematch between Truman and their west side rivals Roosevelt. As you may recall, the last time these two teams met, like a good romance novel, there was some laughing, some crying, emotions ran high and tempers flared. A feud between The Fat Jack and a Roosevelt mother lasted almost 8 hours before cooler heads prevailed.  Although, the teams put the feud behind them, the players would be lying if they said tomorrows game was "just another game". When asked about Thursdays contest, Jack was quoted as saying " two teams will play Thursday night, one will win and one will lose. The one that loses will be disappointed and there season will be over and the winner will be about a 14 point underdog to Cleveland. We will do our best in the game and if our best isn't good enough, Sunday we will go to Mazzios and eat pizza." " Sounds like we win either way."

 

Roosevelt has been installed as a 6 point favorite and the total is 18. Good luck to both teams. I will let you know how it goes.

LITTLE LEAGUE MAY BE TAKING ITS TOLL

We start the playoffs tonight for my sons fourth grade football team. I have had a lot of fun coaching this team and the kids have been great. I am already looking forward to next season and watching them get even better. We do have some unfinished business that starts tonight. I have said before that these teams are pretty evenly matched so there are no guarantees on how many games we will play. Hopefully Sunday nights blog entry will be the last for the Titans this season,but we will see how it goes. 

 

Frankly, I think I might need a break from little league. I am a guy that never remembers what I dream unless it is really weird. Last night I had a dream that I was late to tonight's game. I was driving a school bus that didn't have any breaks. My son was the only passenger and he was trying to get dressed as I recklessly drove the bus across town. About half way across town, and the game about to begin, I lost control of the school bus and drove it through the Homeland building. My son was OK and we exited the bus in the bread isle of the local homeland. The Pakistani manager was yelling at me as I walked through the store but I couldn't listen to him, I walked over to the 8 items or less isle, picked up the phone and called my assistant coach. As the Pakistani Homeland manager was yelling at me, I begin  calling the offensive plays over the phone from the 8 items or less isle a the Homeland. When we were on defense, I would send Jackson on small errands to pick us up some treats around the store. I woke up as the game went into halftime.

 

Yea, I think I might need a break.  But after this week.

 

The football selections are still going great and this weekends games look good. Get signed up if you are betting on the games.

A NEW COMPUTER AND LITTLE LEAGUE ODDS

The weekend is here and I for one am excited. My computer came down with a virus and we had to go get a new one.  I hate computers but like exercise, it is a necessary evil in life. I wonder how a virus made its way into my computer. I don't look at porn and actually, I don't EVER open emails that I didn't ask for. I know just enough about "hackers" to be scared of every email I get. I always thought you had to watch porn or forward emails to get bugs but I apparently got lucky enough to get a virus that didn't require me to do anything. The new computer has a touch screen feature. I don't have any idea why I would want to touch the screen! I just learned how to work the mouse effectively. The last thing I need to be doing is touching the screen.  The words ARE a lot bigger but that is the only advantage I can see I will use. $1700.00 seems like a lot to have a bigger screen and things I wont ever use.

 

Soccer is over for Caytie Ross. They got their first win of the season in their last game. The girls were very happy and looking forward to a great party and some trophies. Their coach did a great job and the girls all had a great time. It is nice each time we get through a season and it was a good experience. Coach Matt was great and we are very thankful for the time he put in.

 

Fourth grade tackle football playoffs start next week. We are going to wrap up our regular season on Sunday and then start the "second season" Tuesday. We played the team we have on Sunday in the preseason and should beat them, if we do we will end the season 5-2. the playoffs should be quick and interesting. There is 1 team that is undefeated and are better than the rest of us and then there isn't much difference between the other teams. In this league, if you score 20 points you are probably going to win.

 

Here are the odds to win the Norman 4th grade Championship.

 

CLEVELAND/ JACKSON                 EVEN

ROOSEVELT                                      3-1

TRUMAN                                             3-1

MCKINLEY/MONROE                           6-1

ALL SAINTS/ADAMS                            6-1

WASHINGTON/KENNEDY/NOBLE        8-1

EISENHOWER/JEFFERSON/WILSON     10-1

LAKEVIEW/LINCOLN/MADISON           25-1

 

If you can find a place to bet these, you have a problem and need help!!! Otherwise, have a great weekend and I will let you know how it goes. 

 

VOTING DAY AND A GREAT YEAR FOR A PLAYOFF

 Well, the election is FINALLY over. I for one am glad. Not because we will be able to get our current president out of office, where by most accounts,  has been spending the last 8 years making decisions that a person of average intelligence and poor decision making skills would make. Seriously, George Bush has reminded me of myself on more than a few occasions. A guy that even when confronted with evidence to the contrary, insists he has made the right decision. A guy that clearly didn't know enough in a lot of areas to make good decisions for our country and continued to throw good money after bad into things that never made sense to people that wanted to apply common sense to the issues.  No, I am glad because the hateful candidate commercials will stop. I am sick of

 

" Did you know that Tom Jones hates kittens? Did you also know that he hates orphans? Of course not. Tom wants you to think he loves butterflies because he needs your vote. Don't give Ole Tom the satisfaction. Vote for Lewis because Lewis loves kittens AND orphans. Not like Tom Jones, who loves the Devil."  this ad was paid for by the jfohqnw[fas asasjsaj ]asdk 

 

It will be nice to have those gone and the holiday adds to start. BC Clarks ad will be coming on and lots of other things that will remind us that no matter who wins today, Christmas is coming and we are all probably going to be OK.

 

It is the time of year when I start to get angry at the NCAA. I start thinking about how stupid it is that the greatest sport in the world, doesn't decide its champion on the field.  I am not going to go into all of the ridiculous things the NCAA and the bowls throw out as reasons why a playoff wont work because I am sure most of you are smart enough to see that they don't make sense and just make the NCAA look stupid. I would just say that in a year like this, we are really going to get cheated out of some GREAT games. Can you imagine these first round match ups..

 

1) Penn State

      vs

8) Oklahoma State

 

4) Oklahoma

       vs

5) Florida

 

 

2) Texas Tech

       vs

7) Utah/Alabama

 

3) Texas

       vs

6)  USC

 

BTW, We start my fourth grade teams playoffs on Monday with 8 teams and will be finished by the following Sunday. I am positive,we could figure out a way to get these games in between 12-15 and 1-7-09. I am also sure we could figure out a way for the NCAA and the bowls to make money off of these match ups, it also allows the Utah's of the world to look their recruits in the eye and tell them they have a chance to win the National Championship if they win all of their games. The current system doesn't allow for that.  The rest of the bowls would OBVIOUSLY  stay the same so they wouldn't affect the other teams not in the Natl Championship race.  The current BCS bowls could rotate on who gets to host which rounds.  More money, better games and a TRUE National Champion.  Someone please explain what I am missing?

ITS BEEN ONE WEEK..

Its been a week since I have checked in and my only excuse is that little league, the new month,start of basketball and Halloween were all last week. Here are a few highlights of the last week.

 

Sunday- We got dominated by Clevelands fourth grade football team. The score was only 13-0 but we weren't even close to scoring. Our running back kept fumbling and I didnt have an answer in the playbook. They were coached by a guy I went to school with and he is a good guy and a good coach. I told my team we would work on how to beat them before the playoffs.

 

Monday- Taped TV commercials at the Lucky Star Casino. It was a long day but fun and the spot should be very funny.

 

You know, this blog entry is crap so far!!  I am losing interest in it and I know if you are reading it, you are probably losing interest also so I am going to wrap it up and come back when I am in a better place. I am going to Church and then back to complete another winning week. 8-2 this week so far and 2 games going today.

 

GRAND OPENING GRAND CLOSING!!!!  I will check back later. Have a good day.