Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Too easy

So, I've bet on nine preseason Major League Baseball games in the last weeks of the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.

Result: One lost, one stopped at a draw after the 10th inning (money back) and seven won . Suspiciously easy...

My highly scientific method: If one team gives about 1.7 times the bet or lower and is above the other with >2 times the bet in the rankings (Won - Lost), bet. Just win or lose, no tricky over/under bets ("Well, Billy Bob Pugwash is probably pitching for the San Angeles Demons and it's partially cloudy so I don't think there will be many runs.") or messy parlays.

It goes better than my poker. No long-winded bad beat stories but: Several KK vs AA. Good hits vs better hits like JK (the very first hand after my quad Kings) flop QJJ, turn blank, river K for a full house... vs QQ for a flopped boat.

Let's see - I play poker, drink bourbon, follow baseball, have a lucky dollar bill in my wallet and a lucky halfdollar in my pocket sometimes. Is my honorary US citizenship in the mail already? Of course, weigh that against the fact that I've made jokes about the governor of Alaska and that my Delta Airmiles have expired (and that I got 4 S'ed once).

Saturday, March 21, 2009

W Innings

I'm reading Baseball For Dummies. I've verified that my TV channel package will show Major League Baseball this year as well (it was last year I saw some games on one of the sports channels and got hooked). I created an additional fantasy baseball lineup.

In preseason betting, I'm two out of three. I only make "surebets", low odds on favorites. Damn KC Royals. Go Cubs and Yankees.

I haven't found any cheap bats, balls or gloves yet.

Pass the beer and pretzels.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Batter up

I wrote earlier that I was getting hooked on baseball.

Opening Day is approaching, and I've even created a fantasy baseball lineup at MLB.com, the Swedish Meatballs.

Even before I got interested in baseball, I bought an MLB baseball cap. A Yankees one. I don't have any particular team preference, I just like the design. Also, good luck finding anything other than a Yankees cap in Sweden, because it's more of a (hip hop?) fashion item/accessory. I think in stores, it's 90% NY or more, and a few of the other well-known Major League teams (Angels, both Sox). More for the look of the logo than any geographical preference. Something like Arizona Diamondbacks or Seattle Mariners would be a rare find.

I think I'll try to find a Mets cap and let it fight it out with my Yankees cap.

Also, maybe I should try to scrounge some equipment and get some people to play ball, or at least catch. That could be fun. But official baseball equipment is expensive, and there's not a lot of second hand stuff (other than bats from our local variation brennball and retired streetfighters). Also, I'm doublehanded. I would be a right-handed hitter but a left-handed pitcher. Gloves are hard to find, and then gloves for the right hand would be even harder to come by.