Bragging Rights and Regret

What a weekend for sports fans and Americans alike. I'll start by saying congratulations to our U.S. Hockey Team for their momentous victory over the stacked Canadian Team. Special Kudos are in order for Ryan Millers who staved off a relentless Canadian Offense. His 42 clutch saves allowed our US Team to come out with the win during Sundays game. But what does this mean? By toppling the stacked Canadians the US has for the first time in 50 years beat our neighbors to the North and secured a Bye into the Semi-finals. Canada must now go head-to-head with a formidable German Team for a spot in the upcoming playoffs for the Gold. But, bye or no bye this was about pride. It was about bragging rights; and on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Miracle On Ice game, I couldn't be more proud for our guys up in Vancouver. Next, I must mention the PGA Accenture Match-Play Tournament held this weekend in Arizona. Ian Poulter played some incredible golf to secure a win over Paul Casey in the final round on Sunday afternoon. An apparent underdog for the Tournament, Poulter's odds for wining were a slim 28 to 1. My hunch, however, going into Sunday's round was that since Casey was coming off a grueling sudden-death playoff against Villegas that went late into Saturday night, necessitating a one hole Playoff early Sunday before the final round, I pegged Poulter to win. So why didn't I bet? Good question. If I had gone with my gut and had put $100 on Poulter, the payout would've been $2,800! And in the words of my friend Brett: "Think of all the Criterion Movies you could buy with that!" I have, and now I'm kickin' myself for not taking the plunge and sticking with my gut. No matter though, there are a number of NBA Games to be gambled on this evening and I'm feeling real good about Milwaukee, Dallas, Washington and Utah; but as with all gambling goes, the payout comes after the final Buzzer.