Q. Hey Tony,
I don’t know that much, but I heard a good question with regard to betting on your own team. If you’re constantly betting your own team, how are the bookies responding on those days you don’t bet?
Dear Dan,
I agree with you, it is a good question. Underneath the question is a statement that goes like this, “if Lefty the Bookie sees that Pete bets on the Reds monday wednesday thursday and friday, then Lefty will bet AGAINST the reds on tuesday, and perhaps give Pete a cut of the winnings.”
Problem is, bookies dont make their money betting.
Bookies make their money off the practice of Everyone betting. They get a cut of the gamble. its called the Vig. Bookies just want people to keep gambling, they couldnt care less if Pete doesnt bet on his team on a game where he doesnt have a great pitcher on the hill.
But good question anyhow.
Q. A manager is going to manage differently if he wants to win one particular game, rather than many games over the course of the week.
If Pete Rose bets on his team Monday, then uses up his entire bullpen and bench trying to get the best possible matchups, won’t that hamstring him for Tuesday’s game? A manager normally would account for the games in the future as well as the game they are managing at the time.
If Rose has $5,000 riding on Monday’s game, that’s not as apt to happen.
See the conflict?
– Sean
A. Sean i could see the conflict if we were talking about any other mlb player other than Charlie Hustle, who, must i remind you, plowed over Ray Fosse in the all-star game, an exhibition game, and virtually ended Fosse’s career.
Pete not only wants to win Mondays game, but Tuesday and Wednesdays games.
But seperately than that, arent you supposed to do everything you can to win Today’s game?
And thirdly, is there a record of Pete blowing out pitchers’ arms the way, say, Billy Martin did with the A’s in the 80s? the answer is no.
Try again
Q. Tony,
Let’s s(ay) your best gun in the pen has pitched 3 days straight and his arm is jello. The game is on the line and you say a few thousand on your team. You are the manager with that grand on the game?
Do you go ahead and blow out his rotater cuff or do you bench him.
What do you think Charlie did?
Chris
A. I think Charlie wouldnta bet on his team on the fourth day after his closer has pitched 3 days straight.
If anyone would have known NOT to bet on the Reds that day it woulda been Pete.
And, of course, anyone else who was smart enough to read the box scores that week before putting down a grand on a team whose closer has been used three days in a row.
Q. Hey Tony –
Will you be commenting on the following?
Jerry Krause, upon resigning as the Chicago Bulls’ executive vice president for basketball operations after 18 years with the organization, the last five of which were not too stellar: “The rigors and stress of the job have caused me some minor physical problems in the past few years. Those problems can be eliminated if I lessen my load for a while and concentrate on overcoming them.”
ryan
A. Hi Ryan,
I do have a comment.
Fuck Jerry Krause.
Tony
aaron has a guest columnist on his baseball blog today