We'll start with a Happy Halloween weekend everyone.
Here's a photo of our English bulldog Bo Jackson who looks just like Uga - hey that's what happens when Auburn grads and Georgia grads get hitched - dressed as Yoda (or Boda as we called him) a few years ago. (Yes, the Mrs. 5-at-10 took that one too.)
Now for some housecleaning. Many thanks to all of you for the warm wishes and kind words this week as this little family-oriented, interweb-based sports conversation turned 10. You guys and gals are what makes this place fun, because we all enjoy conversations more than lectures or sermons.
We will have the Intimidator Pool picks later today - likely during Press Row - when we get them all in. Don't think it would be fair to post the entries of others before they are all submitted.
Our NFL picks - loved the under 52 last night because of the rain and the weather - went 3-2 last week and we are 17-14 on the season. Hey, that's slightly entertaining. Slightly.
This week, let's look to get on a roll here friends, especially as Tennessee kicks off legal sports wagering Sunday - more on that in a moment - we'll ride with
> I'll take the Pats plus-4 and I like them to win outright, and here's betting that Cam Newton rushes for more than 100 yards Sunday.
> Rams minus-3.5 over Miami. Yes, the Rams are coming East for a 1 p.m. kick. Yes, the Dolphins had a bye last week. Yes, the Rams played on Monday night. But as good as I think Tua will be eventually, the Rams are there now, and rookie QBs making their first start almost always struggle. (Buy that down for a little insurance.)
> Cincinnati-Tennessee over 52. Want a fun game as you're watching the NFL? Count the number of SEC players you recognize. There will be more than a few in this one too.
> Chargers minus-3 over Broncos and Saints minus-4 over Chicago. So there's that.
You know the rules. Here's Paschall on how UT's spending their off week.
Rushmores
Rushmore of boxing - Ali, Cosell, Joe Louis, Rocky Balboa
Personal sports Rushmore (and as Intern Scott pointed out that personal is different as a fan and as a competitor, which was motivated by the fact he wanted to reference a 12-K, one-hit pitching effort against McCallie in his playing days, so yeah we can split this): As a fan, the Kick Six, the game-winning field goal 2010 over Oregon that gave AU a natty, Gibson's homer in '88 and Laettner's shot. In attendance (as a fan or working) Tiger's chip on 16 at Augusta, Big Unit's perfect game in the ATL, the '96 gold medal basketball game, Hank's 715. Personal, well, since I never got above the high school level, this will seem rather less than spectacular: Scoring 40 at Paulding County as a sophomore, throwing a no-hitter against Paulding County as a junior, scoring 39 of our 70, including the final two free throws in a 70-68 win over Lithia Springs on a Friday night, and then scoring 29 in the first half the following Saturday at Douglas County. (That game vs. Douglas County was a blowout, and Coach David Boyd told me at halftime he would let me make a run at the school record, which at the time was 44 as long as I did not embarrass him. Well, first possession of the third quarter, a turn loose a corner 3 and know it's pure and start back pedaling down the floor and announce to the student section, "No one can stop me." Next dead ball, I hear the horn and here comes Randy Smith to check me out. Walking to the bench, Coach Boyd glares and offers, "Yeah, I can stop you. Sit down." Finished with 32, but a life lesson.)
Rushmore of negative superstitions: Breaking a mirror, black cat crossing your path, walking under a ladder, Friday the 13th
From Don Page
How does it work? Do you owe money to the house when you lose or have you just lost what you bet? How do the taxes work on any winnings? Do you get a form from them at the end of the year to file with the IRS? Will Tennessee require state taxes on any winnings?
DP -
This may have been addressed in the comments sections earlier this week, but I wanted to spend a moment here to maybe share some details about the Tennessee launch this weekend.
For some of you guys - Hi, Fat Vader; Hello Alejandro; Morning JTC - the online sports betting dealings are old hat. And while some times I would encourage you to skip to the next query, this time, read through this for a request for help and to make sure I'm not passing on bad information.
Truth be told, this weekend will be the first time I have used a sports betting app. All of my entertainment hunting in the past was through a guy, an entertainment broker if you will, who collected on Tuesdays and shared winning entertainment on Thursdays.
(Side question: For those of you who had a "guy" - an entertainment broker - before the wave of online opportunities, did he work out of a bar or a barber shop? Or a frat house, which is where I may or may not have gotten my start as small-time entertainment broker looking to make a few extra nickels at an SEC school that sounds a lot like Saw-Burn? Wait, different story for another time.)
Any well, Sunday is the kickoff of legalized sports betting in Tennessee. There are four betting operations that have been approved by the state and will be licensed to take sports bets in Tennessee.
You must be 21. You must be in the state. If you think you have a problem, the Tennessee Red Line number is 800-889-9789. OK, there, all of the caveats cleared.
The four operations are DraftKings, Fan Duel, BetMGM and Action247.
Each will be offering some amazing sign-up bonuses this weekend and likely throughout November.
For example, Fan Duel is offering 25-to-1 odds up to a $100 next Saturday on a bet for the Vols to win outright against Arkansas.
There are ways to turn $1 into a $100 just by signing up. And if you are not registered, if you do there are promo codes - WAVL for DraftKings, Fan Duel and Action247; Greeson or Greeson100 for BetMGM - that are connected to Press Row. There are a lot of great deals to be had if you sign up and use them gang.
The logic for this is simple. They are paying you to sign up, because they know that's the biggest hurdle. Once people sign-up most are inclined to play and then keep playing.
The apps offer a super wide array of prop bets, which are propositional bets like whether Derrick Henry will rush for more or less 87.5 yards or whether Alabama will score more or else than 26.5 points in the first half against Mississippi State. (Go over on both of those, friends.)
The other big time game-changer that I know a lot of people really enjoy is the changing in-game bets that the online services offer. This is exactly what it sounds like - you make bets on different things as the game is happening. You may be on Georgia minus-14 against UK and over the 48.5, and then you see that neither offense is moving the ball at all. Seeing that, you switch and go under 44 (the lines adjust with the game action too) and
As for the details Don asked, you simply download the app. The log-in process will be very familiar.
You put money into the account - again, explore all the sign-up options, and if you're so inclined use the codes I listed above - and the wins are added to that sum and the losses subtracted from that total until it gets to bagel.
I was told by the CEO of Fan Duel this week that the personal taxes are not unlike the stock market, so you will be taxed on winnings after removing it from you individual accounts. The state taxes I believe, are like the lottery, so any win over $600 is taxable.
As for the taxes on the four betting partners, well, this is one the main reason I have written multiple times about how much money Tennessee was leaving on the table.
The betting shops pay 20 percent of their tax back to Tennessee, and that money has been mandated for education, infrastructure and health care.
Yes, 20 percent, and since some experts peg this to be a $6 billion (yes, billion with the B) that's a whole lot of cheddar coming back to the state.
I think I covered the basics. Did I leave anything out or do you have any additional questions, gang?
From Matt
God, I'm tired of your bull(bleep)!!! You're already apologizing for Trump's looming defeat, aren't you?
Don't you ever shut up?
Matt -
No.
Some times.
From a slew of you
Should Justin Turner be disciplined?
Gang -
Interesting question in an interesting time, for sure. And can you imagine what would have happened and the hubbub that would have ensued if the Rays had forced a Game 7 that would have to be put on indefinite hiatus until we knew who had it and who didn't?
(And I know MLB is looking into all sides of this, but here's hoping for some transparency on this thing from MLB as well, because they messed up in this deal too.)
My gut says yes, because he violated agreed upon protocols, and while those details are important, I actually had more issue with him taking his mask off than the very human reaction of running out there to celebrate the culmination of every little boy's and every major leaguer's dream.
But I have heard some national radio gasbags throw around things like "Suspend him for half a season or more" or fines in the six, if not seven figures.
Like so many other things in sports and government too, situations like this magnify previous mistakes and missed opportunities for direction and leadership.
Because I think Turner deserves a five-game suspension or a slap-on-the-wrist fine of say, $25,000 (and yes even writing slap-on-the-wrist fine and $25,000 in the same sentence would make my father's eyes bleed, but so it goes for a big-leaguer like Turner, who has made more than $62.5 million playing baseball).
But then you have to remember that not a single Astros player was fined or missed a game for arguably the biggest cheating scandal since the Black Sox in 1919.
From Ken
My picks for should be better are Penn State and UCLA. FYI,I am a Penn State fan. Been following them since 1967(Jack Ham,Ted Kwalick, Mike Reid). They have everything necessary to be one of the big boys but can't get over the hump. They are some what limited by their rural setting and finances(they support 33 sports). UCLA, despite being in a pro town and being second fiddle to USC, should never outright suck. Too many players locally. I think geography will keep Nebraska from ever being great again. Also the BIG10 is tougher than the BIG 8. if you check history the only time Tennessee was consistently excellent was in the 1990s (I started watching them in1967). They would have periodically good teams but were really a 7-3 program. I think their fans are unrealistic. Who do you think?
Ken -
This was from my pondering of which college teams should be better.
It also made me think about the criteria for that, because Ken referenced Penn State, and in the discussion earlier this week, Nebraska's name came up. (Side note: Judging from all the angst and vitriol shared on my Twitter feed after breaking the Big Ten voted down the UTC-Nebraska game, Cornhuskers fans are big mad, like big, Big, BIG mad right now at the B1G Ten. Side question about the side note: The 1 instead of the I in B1G right there is dumb, don't you think? Maybe not 'Legends' and 'Leaders' dumb, dumb none the less.)
Should Penn State and Nebraska be better? Yes, on what they spend, but Penn State's pretty doggone good right now.
But it's also fair to ask if the Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers were elite programs or were their only relevant periods because of a legendary coach? Is that true for FSU too?
I think yes on Nebraska, and the changing landscape and times is going to make a return to the level of the mid-1990s almost impossible.
I think FSU is the right hire away from being back in 18 months. Did they make that hire with Mike Norvell? Well, the early returns do not look good. (And don't you know every Johnny Seminoles Fan everywhere is praying Deion Sanders wins big at Jackson State and brings his swagger back to Tallahassee.)
But that right hire is elusive, and while quarterback is the most important position in sports, a great college football head coach is the most valuable considering the ripples and the returns.
I personally think about half the SEC should be better than what they are considering what they spend, but in a lot of ways they beat on each other so much it makes it difficult. (And maybe that's Saban's greatest accomplishment, because he's kept Alabama elite as the arms race has moved to all-time heights in this conference.)
Which brings us to Tennessee. I think your under-selling Tennessee Ken, because before the high-water times of Fulmer, the Vols were truly elite in the 40s and 50s too.
Yes, that history can be debated in terms of modern relevance - not unlike an Army's success back in the day or a few others - but I believe the Vols are among the top 10 programs all-time and in the top 15 for sure.
Personally, I do not see how USC or Texas are ever not among the national title contenders.
Have a great weekend friends.
Jay Greeson