What Happens in Vegas…

The phrase has become as ubiquitous as Master Card’s “Priceless” although not as flexible. That is unless you have a somewhat warped brain. Therefore let me give you my take.
For the third time in twelve years (I have been going to Las Vegas on business for fifteen years straight) I have broken a tooth. And since I chose not to keep the shard as a souvenir, what breaks in Vegas…
Luckily I no longer feel the need to gamble, or as I call it handing hard earned money over to a bunch of greedy corporations who make the rules and stack them in their favor. Wait a second, I already do hand over hard earned money to a greedy corporation that makes the rules and stacks them in their favor, and it’s called the IRS!
As for the hard core gambler you can see them every second of every day as they sit at the tables or the slot machines puffing on their cancer delivery sticks and sucking down all kinds of liquids to ensure cirrhosis of the liver. Their money is most definitely staying along with a few years of their lives.
The gamblers who sit at the tables are at least interacting with a dealer or croupier as they blow their life savings but the ones that I find to be totally pathetic are the ‘Morlock feeding’ Eloi who sit at the slot machines all day and night. Casino owners long ago figured out that it takes time to pull the arm in order to start the wheels of the slot machine turning and replaced them with a simpler, faster button. That means no exertion on the part of the loser and a much more efficient way of losing.
Watch the faces of the slots players and note that they do not smile unless they win a jackpot, and we all know how often that happens. In all fairness they do not frown when they lose either lest they reveal their true feelings. They are cool and confident and they are losers. They are losing time as well as money. Both stay…
But do not get the impression that all is terrible in Vegas. If you go their with intelligence and an open mind to all that the town has to offer you may actually enjoy yourself and still have some retirement money left over on your return home. There are plenty of shows and events to take you breath away and many of the top performers and Broadway shows now have a home in Vegas.
One main thing I noticed was the tremendous number of young people in town. They must have a lot more money than I did when I was their age and they certainly have more tolerance for liquor. When I was leaving for the airport AT FOUR AM THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. ENGEL (my travel agent) I could not believe the noise level in the casino. Naturally there were the usual posse of pathetic players but the bars were full and overflowing with “Gen Y” drinkers still up from the previous night, or perhaps the night before. Young women, not working girls, walking around in clothing that almost cover their interesting parts and guys publically pawing them while still managing to hold their drinks.
Unfortunately three of these young studs decided to have an old-fashioned knock down drag out fight right in front of the taxi line. Before the security guards arrived the loser of the fight was incredibly bloodied and suffered broken ribs thanks to some strong kicks to his midsection. A great deal of his body fluids are staying as will the guy who did the damage.
One thing that did not stay in Vegas is something that seems to have left a long time ago, common sense, courtesy and decency. I miss Sammy, Joey, Dino, Frankie and the good old days. Surprisingly the town was a lot nicer and safer when it was run by “the Boys.”

Sports and the Gambling Refs!!!

I know it will seem like a biased piece but so what, it's my blog and I'll rant if I want to, rant if I want to, rant if I want to. You would rant too if it happened to you! (Sorry Leslie.)

I watched two games this weekend, the Mets against Atlanta in baseball and the Rangers against the Devils in hockey. Both games featured calls that should, if it really mattered cause the ref or umpire who made the call to be barred for life from their respective game and even investigated for gambling and other crimes.

In the Mets game with bases loaded and nobody out the Mets were losing to the hated Atlanta Braves and thier cadre of "in the pocket" umpires by 3 runs. A short fly ball to center dropped in and two runs would score and a rally would be under way. But wait, this is Atlanta and everyone knows they are good so the umpire called the fly ball single an out and even a double play when one of the runners who saw the ball drop in was caught off base. A long argument ensued and when the corrupt umpire realized that the replay would show his ridiculously bought and paid for call as a clear as day bull shit call he reversed his decision. BUT he only allowed the Mets one run instead of the two that surely would have scored had he been a legitimate employee and not a gambling umpire and the rally was effectively over. The Mets lost the game failing to go ahead in the inning and the umpire collected his pay, secure in the knowledge that noone would ever find out he was in the pocket of the Braves.

In the hockey game that appeared to be important between the New York Rangers and the home New Jersey Devils the game was tied late in the third period. The Rangers needed a win in regulation time to go ahead of the Devils and get home ice advantage over, you guessed it, the Devils in the playoffs. A devil skater shot the puck from his ice out of the rink to avoid Rangers pressure with around 4 minutes left in the game. This is by rule a penalty and the Rangers would have a golden chance to win the game. However the 3 referees and umpires officiating the game chose not to call the obvious penalty against the home team and let the game continue. Seconds later a Ranger player was called for a penalty against the skater who got the puck that had left the ice area. In effect the Rangers were penalized for the infraction by the Devils.Will either of these obviously corrupt or in the very least inept refs be punished?

Do pigs fly?

There will be no action against these men and their bookies count on it.

Several years ago the New York Giants in football failed to get into the playoffs because a corrupt gambling ref mad a ridiculously obvious bad call. The Giant fans were audibly upset but to no avail as the hated "Americas Team" (Crock of shit) Dallas Cowboys enjoyed another playoff run and the New York Team went home to lick their wounds. It made the back page headlines but so what? It wasn't until several months after the season ended that a tiny article way back in the double digit pages of the paper announed that a football ref was indited for gambling that Giant fans realized they were scammed and the Dallas Cowboys had used their money wisely. Did anything change? Of course not.

When will professional sports realize their problem and get rid of these piece of shit phoneys?

Obviously never. The fans are the only ones who can make them change. Demand that refs and umps be vetted out and any obvious bullshit calls be investigated. If criminal charges should be brought do so and make the games that reap so much money as to be obscene at least be played on a level and fair playing field!

For anyone who likes their sports
Their friends and all their cohorts
We must all try to dump
A corrupt evil ump
They’re like pimples and real ugly warts.