Bleacher Report - Articles by Drunk Leprechaun

March Madness Without Online Gambling

Drunk Leprechaun — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:43:37 -0400

So it’s Wednesday, and like half the country I’m trying to get my NCAA brackets done for Thursday, not to mention trying to organize the rest of the brackets in the annual office pool.

Now keep in mind that these brackets are being filled out strictly for entertainment purposes only.

With that being said, it brings me to some thoughts behind gambling in the United States.

When placing bets, March Madness is right up there with Superbowl Sunday. The only difference is that we have numerous days of basketball available for action compared to the one day for the Superbowl.

It would just be so much easier to log onto an online gambling website, and not only do my brackets, but maybe place a few bets on the side.

Up until a few years ago this was a legal practice in the states. Granted, all of the online sites were being run by offshore casinos but that really didn’t make a difference. As long as they would credit the winning accounts, I’m sure everyone loved it.

Like most good things, the US government decided to step in and make this illegal to do. Was it that too many politicians were in the pockets of Las Vegas lobbyists and corporations who cried they were losing out on millions?

Let’s just imagine for a minute what the taxes from online gaming could do to help lower the national debt. Maybe this makes too much sense, or maybe there really are good reasons that I just can’t see.

Regardless of online gambling, people are still going to visit Vegas, so you can eliminate the excuse of declining tourism.

I do know that just like each and every year, the country will go into deeper financial trouble, while money is sitting right there waiting to offset the national debt.

The politicians should just make a courageous decision on online gambling instead of trying to control every aspect of the citizen. With this plan in place the Vegas casinos could even get in on the action.

I’m sure many would be elated to be able to choose online wagering through MGM or Wynn, not to mention a host of others.

I know this is all wishful thinking, but think to yourself how much easier this would make things for you, the office pool manager.

Instead, the government will watch from the sideline as all that possible tax money continues to fall by the wayside.

As this ban continues, pool managers throughout the country will continue to appreciate the process of chasing the office stiff into April to collect his entry fee.

Steeler-Patriots: Steeler Fans Come Out in Numbers

Drunk Leprechaun — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:22:55 -0500

In the last few years, winning has taken over the Boston sports scene. Whether it is basketball, football, or college hockey the last decade has been almost surreal for fans in Boston. What's even more astounding is the amount of fans that support the teams on the road.

On Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, that was put to rest as thousands of Steeler fans showed up at Gillette Stadium to cheer on the Black and Gold.

It was cold and windy, not to mention the buckets of rain and ice pellets that pelted down all day.

This didn't stop the Steeler fans from showing up in droves. Some were making the pilgrimage from Pittsburgh, as others were implants living in the Boston area. No matter where they were from though, they wore their black and gold and carried their terrible towels.

It was unique to see this because usually it is the Boston fans that are making the noise in other stadiums, like last week in Dolphinville. Miami was covered in Red, White, and Blue and you never understand why it is so frustrating to the other team. This week, the Patriot fans were able to feel that first hand.

The game was relatively back and forth in the first half, and Big Ben didn't even look that good. Then, just before the half, everything started going the Steelers' way. Actually, let's be honest, they just showed they wanted it more.

Midway through the third quarter, the Patriots looked as if they didn't even belong in a Pop Warner game. This was a delight to all of the Steeler fans. That is the time when the Steeler fans started getting more vocal and showing some courage.

By the time they had a 13-point lead, the Patriot fans slowly exited and the Steeler fans started to take over the stadium. It was awfully reminiscent of the Patriot fans running Dolphin Stadium by the fourth quarter last week.

When you looked at the Steelers on paper, they should have had no problem winning this game. The Steeler defense has been nothing short of amazing, and that is what won them the game Sunday. When you hold teams to under 300 total yards in 12 straight games, other teams have to take notice.

The Steelers finally got their payback. In the last few years, the Patriots have knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs on numerous occasions. This was finally the start of retribution.

The Steelers fans may not get credit for helping push their team through this game, but they deserve it. For that many fans to come out on the road, on such a horrible day is a testament to their fans. The Boston fans understand this concept, so it's only fitting we tip our caps to the Steeler fans.

Although it may be a longshot, many Patriot fans are hoping to repay this favor in January at Heinz Field. Only time will tell on that wish.

Brian Westbrook Highlights Fantasy Football Perils

Drunk Leprechaun — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:41:04 -0500

So it's the day after Thanksgiving, and everyone is either resting up or out shopping. As for me, I'm stuck at work contemplating how you can actually succeed on a weekly basis in fantasy football. Just when I think I have the winning plan, it all seems to come crashing down.

Playing fantasy football is like visiting Best Buy on Black Friday with the hopes of getting that hot sale item that was advertised. You have the high hopes that it will be on the shelf, but you still have some doubt. That is exactly how fantasy football works each week.

Most teams usually have a couple of guys that you can depend on each week to put up some decent numbers based on matchups or just their consistent performances. On the other hand, you have guys that should be putting up numbers, but just can't seem to get over that hump.

The difficult part is trying to blend all the players together to give you that much-needed push into the playoffs.

The perfect example of this problem was demonstrated for me yesterday when Brian Westbrook took the field. True, coming into the game all reports showed that Westbrook would be playing against the Cardinals, but who would have imagined that performance from Westbrook?

When you have three running backs that include Westbrook, Larry Johnson, and Matt Forte, why would you start an ailing Westbrook? LJ has a great matchup against Oakland, regardless of what happened earlier in the season, and Forte should still have a decent day against a strong Minnesota defense.

With that thought process, I decided to make a cautious decision and leave Westbrook on the bench.

I was shocked when I opened up the stats this morning and saw what Westbrook did. I guess it was a good thing I don't get the NFL Network. I'm sure there are many people out there that feel the same way.

The thing is, this happens every week with numerous players. You just have to hope you have some luck when you put those players in the starting spots.

Another example is Matt Cassel. Anyone who was carrying Cassel most likely had another QB that was starting in front of him. For the one person that may have had him starting since week two, all I can say is you must be a die-hard Patriots fan. If so, it finally paid dividends, as he has put up huge numbers in the last two weeks.

There are times where we luck out and throw somebody in a spot because the starters were on a bye and you can't afford to drop anyone. I'm sure Dustin Keller was just a plug for many teams, and now he is considered a must-start TE. I think it is fair to make that same case for QB Tyler Thigpen. That's luck when those things happen for you.

Congratulations if you are still making weekly changes to your team, because you have probably made it to the playoffs. At this point, not only do you have to start worrying about injuries more, you have to start worrying about if any of your players are going to sit if the game is meaningless.

If your season is over, try not to be too frustrated that you drafted Tom Brady or Laurence Maroney or Carson Palmer in an early round. This is the time you look forward to next year and realize that another team will get your unfortunate luck. Then again, you could always start thinking about when the fantasy baseball draft is going to be held.

The most important thing to remember is fantasy football is just as much luck as it is skill, although your league champion won't tell you that. That may in fact be the most frustrating part of it all.

Only The True Patriot Fans Will Come Out For Jets Game!

Drunk Leprechaun — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:52:14 -0500

Okay so more and more over the last decade Boston fans have been spoiled with not only teams succeeding, but winning championships. Granted, winning is what the fans long for, but little did they know the price that would come with it.

Back in the losing days of the old Patriots home Foxboro Stadium, tickets were easy to come by. The process consisted of buying the cheap tickets and working your way down to to the expensive seats. I'm sure most of you have all tried this at one point or another at some stadium.

There were days you'd have a whole section to yourself. Nobody needs to be reminded of how Robert Kraft turned this franchise around. He made it the model NFL franchise, if not the blueprint for every professional sports franchise. The only downfall with that success is the fact that the common fan got pushed to the back for Corporate America.

With winning came the greater need for tickets, which proved the old supply and demand scenario is in full effect. The worst part of all this is how a good portion of the attendance is only at the game because it is the place to be in Boston. The people that are known want to be seen and the other clingers have access to the tickets so they go just to say they went. I bet you half of these people could not name three players on the team, not to mention they don't even watch the game when there.

This is a disturbing trend in sports and unfortunately it happens in every sports town during winning times. It's like it not enough that the common fan is already getting priced out on all professional sports.

It's just too bad that it penalizes the real fans in the end. It used to be getting tickets to a game in Foxboro was next to impossible. All of that changed on a sunny day in early September of this year. That of course was the day the franchise player went down in Tom Brady. It's amazing the amount of people that have lost interest since that unfortunate day .

Don't get me wrong the Patriots have a great fan friendly system in place where season ticket wait list members have access to unused season tickets for purchase. One can buy the tickets for face value and the season ticket holder has his account credited. Usually, in years past you'd see a few listings in the days leading up to the game.

After Tom terrific went down there were thousands of tickets listed for each home game, and that didn't even include all the aftermarket tickets that became available. By that point people were having a hard time even giving away Patriot tickets, and this was only weeks ago. Talk about spoiled fans, New England was flooded with them. Now, as the season continues and the Pats climbed to a 6-3 record, the clingers slowly started coming back.

With that, the real test for the clingers will be this Thursday night in the prime time showdown with the division foe NY Jets. The weather calls for rain with temperatures in the low 40's at game time. How many people that aren't true fans are actually going to show up if they aren't in the posh club seats or luxury suites?

In a way the rain is a good thing because now the stadium will be filled with true Patriot fans. I'm sure the hated Jets will have a showing of their true fans also. That's the way it should be though, true fans only, none of these clingers. They should all stay home and fire up the NFL Network and enjoy the game there, as I'm sure that wouldn't happen.

Just remember if you're in a losing city (Detroit) hold onto those tickets because some day those will be impossible to get. For the dedicated fans that just enjoy going to the stadiums and making the game an experience, keep up the good work and don't get discouraged, you're time will come too, just like it has for the Patriot fans.