LA. sports talk host, columnist, and ex-sports gambler Doug Krikorian thinks so.
The Curse of Kramer continues
Destined to lose bet on it
By Doug Krikorian
Columnist
I'm a reformed sporting gambler, and I preach against its evils. It took a few agonizing years for me to understand the folly of engaging in a pursuit in which it is a mathematical impossibility to win on a consistent basis.
I laugh hilariously at those football touts who claim an astounding success rate because they're nothing more than slick-talking charlatans who have no more of an idea which team will cover a point spread than you or I do.
One theoretically has a 50 percent chance on any football wager, but that's a mirage because of the 11 to 10 vigorish that is built into the system.
I listen to guys and gals who try to persuade me that stellar discipline coolly picking your spots and shrewdly managing your bankroll can result in overcoming such odds, which, of course, it can.
For a while.
But not over a long period. <!-- cdaFreeFormDetailByName.strSQL = FreeForm_GetTextBySectionIDPaperID @Name = 'ArticleAd', @PaperID = '204', @SectionID = '23173', @ArticleID = '2860436', @Filter = 'Article', @LiveFilter = '1', @DateTimeContext = '5/10/2005 3:27:08 PM' --><!-- ArticleAd not found -->
Not only is the arithmetic aligned firmly against you, but you must also understand that uncertainty and fickleness are an inherent nature of the landscape, that human beings aren't programmed robots and that animals aren't, either.
If ever there were a classic example of such phenomena, it occurred over the weekend in the sport of kings, horse racing, in which a 50-1 longshot, Giacomo, emerged victorious and the sport of violence, boxing, in which a battered corpse, Diego Corrales, rose, from two 10th-round knockdowns to stop Jose Luis Castillo in that 10th round!
In both events, it seemed neither contestant would be destined for such a stirring triumph, but both dispensed remarkable performances that left observers stunned and many bettors depleted and cursing their misfortune.
Before the Kentucky Derby, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that George Steinbrenner's horse, Bellamy Road, trained by the "brilliant' Nick Zito, would win and he went off as a 5 to 2 favorite.
Zito had five entries in the Derby, and he told an NBA announcer beforehand, "I like my chances."
Everyone liked Nick Zito's chances, including a couple of NBC racing "experts," both of whom selected Bellamy Road.
My own private handicapper on such matters, the Long Beach professional horseplayer, Rene Romero, went with Bandini, who was 6 to 1.
So much for anyone knowing what will happen in a horse race, especially one as unpredictable as the Kentucky Derby.
For one sunny afternoon, at least, the "brilliant' Nick Zito didn't exactly cover himself in glory and wound up looking like a guy who trains horses at the Fresno Fair, as all of his mounts ran out of the money, with Bellamy Road's seventh-place finish being the best.
Bandini wound up 19th, which I suspect is better than winding up 20th and in last place.
And Giacomo, a horse with only one previous victory with a jockey, Mike Smith, who had failed in 11 previous Kentucky Derbys, somehow pulled a Silky Sullivan, coming back from 15 lengths to startle the racing community and pay $102.60.
I've never heard 152,435 people grow so quiet as I did when Giacomo went zooming across the finish line a half length ahead of Closing Argument, for few in the crowd or around the country had the winning ticket.
My friend Dopey Don (Mush) Kramer named after that famously ill-starred gambler in "Bronx Tale' naturally bet on Bellamy Road. This guy has a knack for picking losers perhaps unmatched in the history of wagering.
There is perhaps one ironclad way to beat gambling bet against Mush Kramer's picks.
Later Saturday, Mush bet on Jose Luis Castillo, who was considered a live 3 to 2 underdog against Corrales.
A mutual friend who also wagered on Castillo, Gilbert (Kid Viagra) Eshom, called me in a panic and said, "No way I can win the bet. I told Mush I thought Castillo was going to win and he bet on Castillo."
Well, if you hadn't heard, Corrales and Castillo apparently I didn't see it waged one of the most savage fights in the history of the sweet science Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
It seemed Castillo was on the threshold of a rousing victory when he floored Corrales twice in that 10th round, as Corrales was dazed badly and couldn't see out of his swollen left eye.
But Mush Kramer had wagered on Castillo and the Curse of Kramer suddenly struck him.
Miraculously, Corrales somehow revived himself to catch Castillo with a withering left hook and the fight soon was stopped to the amazement of those who witnessed it.
"This is one of the two best fights I've seen in 60 years of boxing," said the old promoter, Don Chargin, Monday morning from his home in Cambria Pines. "The other was Sugar Ramos and Mando Ramos. But this one had even more drama and maybe even more action."
"Never seen anything like it before in boxing," said Corrales' trainer, Joe Goossen.
"I never will tell Mush again who I'm betting on," promised a downcast Gilbert Eshom.
It makes no difference.
At the end, all gamblers are destined to lose not just Mush Kramer.
Those who partake in this insidious activity will tell you that it stirs their juices and that it is entertaining.
Maybe so, but what fun is it losing money and suffering heartache, fates all gamblers must endure? The McDonnell-Douglas Show, featuring Press-Telegram columnist Doug Krikorian and radio personality Joe McDonnell, can be heard Monday through Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on ESPN radio, KSPN 710 AM.
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~23173~2860436,00.html
The Curse of Kramer continues
Destined to lose bet on it
By Doug Krikorian
Columnist
I'm a reformed sporting gambler, and I preach against its evils. It took a few agonizing years for me to understand the folly of engaging in a pursuit in which it is a mathematical impossibility to win on a consistent basis.
I laugh hilariously at those football touts who claim an astounding success rate because they're nothing more than slick-talking charlatans who have no more of an idea which team will cover a point spread than you or I do.
One theoretically has a 50 percent chance on any football wager, but that's a mirage because of the 11 to 10 vigorish that is built into the system.
I listen to guys and gals who try to persuade me that stellar discipline coolly picking your spots and shrewdly managing your bankroll can result in overcoming such odds, which, of course, it can.
For a while.
But not over a long period. <!-- cdaFreeFormDetailByName.strSQL = FreeForm_GetTextBySectionIDPaperID @Name = 'ArticleAd', @PaperID = '204', @SectionID = '23173', @ArticleID = '2860436', @Filter = 'Article', @LiveFilter = '1', @DateTimeContext = '5/10/2005 3:27:08 PM' --><!-- ArticleAd not found -->
Not only is the arithmetic aligned firmly against you, but you must also understand that uncertainty and fickleness are an inherent nature of the landscape, that human beings aren't programmed robots and that animals aren't, either.
If ever there were a classic example of such phenomena, it occurred over the weekend in the sport of kings, horse racing, in which a 50-1 longshot, Giacomo, emerged victorious and the sport of violence, boxing, in which a battered corpse, Diego Corrales, rose, from two 10th-round knockdowns to stop Jose Luis Castillo in that 10th round!
In both events, it seemed neither contestant would be destined for such a stirring triumph, but both dispensed remarkable performances that left observers stunned and many bettors depleted and cursing their misfortune.
Before the Kentucky Derby, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that George Steinbrenner's horse, Bellamy Road, trained by the "brilliant' Nick Zito, would win and he went off as a 5 to 2 favorite.
Zito had five entries in the Derby, and he told an NBA announcer beforehand, "I like my chances."
Everyone liked Nick Zito's chances, including a couple of NBC racing "experts," both of whom selected Bellamy Road.
My own private handicapper on such matters, the Long Beach professional horseplayer, Rene Romero, went with Bandini, who was 6 to 1.
So much for anyone knowing what will happen in a horse race, especially one as unpredictable as the Kentucky Derby.
For one sunny afternoon, at least, the "brilliant' Nick Zito didn't exactly cover himself in glory and wound up looking like a guy who trains horses at the Fresno Fair, as all of his mounts ran out of the money, with Bellamy Road's seventh-place finish being the best.
Bandini wound up 19th, which I suspect is better than winding up 20th and in last place.
And Giacomo, a horse with only one previous victory with a jockey, Mike Smith, who had failed in 11 previous Kentucky Derbys, somehow pulled a Silky Sullivan, coming back from 15 lengths to startle the racing community and pay $102.60.
I've never heard 152,435 people grow so quiet as I did when Giacomo went zooming across the finish line a half length ahead of Closing Argument, for few in the crowd or around the country had the winning ticket.
My friend Dopey Don (Mush) Kramer named after that famously ill-starred gambler in "Bronx Tale' naturally bet on Bellamy Road. This guy has a knack for picking losers perhaps unmatched in the history of wagering.
There is perhaps one ironclad way to beat gambling bet against Mush Kramer's picks.
Later Saturday, Mush bet on Jose Luis Castillo, who was considered a live 3 to 2 underdog against Corrales.
A mutual friend who also wagered on Castillo, Gilbert (Kid Viagra) Eshom, called me in a panic and said, "No way I can win the bet. I told Mush I thought Castillo was going to win and he bet on Castillo."
Well, if you hadn't heard, Corrales and Castillo apparently I didn't see it waged one of the most savage fights in the history of the sweet science Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
It seemed Castillo was on the threshold of a rousing victory when he floored Corrales twice in that 10th round, as Corrales was dazed badly and couldn't see out of his swollen left eye.
But Mush Kramer had wagered on Castillo and the Curse of Kramer suddenly struck him.
Miraculously, Corrales somehow revived himself to catch Castillo with a withering left hook and the fight soon was stopped to the amazement of those who witnessed it.
"This is one of the two best fights I've seen in 60 years of boxing," said the old promoter, Don Chargin, Monday morning from his home in Cambria Pines. "The other was Sugar Ramos and Mando Ramos. But this one had even more drama and maybe even more action."
"Never seen anything like it before in boxing," said Corrales' trainer, Joe Goossen.
"I never will tell Mush again who I'm betting on," promised a downcast Gilbert Eshom.
It makes no difference.
At the end, all gamblers are destined to lose not just Mush Kramer.
Those who partake in this insidious activity will tell you that it stirs their juices and that it is entertaining.
Maybe so, but what fun is it losing money and suffering heartache, fates all gamblers must endure? The McDonnell-Douglas Show, featuring Press-Telegram columnist Doug Krikorian and radio personality Joe McDonnell, can be heard Monday through Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on ESPN radio, KSPN 710 AM.
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~23173~2860436,00.html
