Bigger, Faster, Stronger
I just finished watching an amazing documentary about the role of performance enhancing drugs in American culture called Bigger, Faster, Stronger*. It is certainly one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. The film examined the usage of steroids and how steroids are perceived by the American public.
Henry Waxman made himself look like an idiot. Keep in mind he was the Congressman who led the witch-hunt on interrogating MLB players about steroid use yet during his interview he seemed completely clueless regarding very basic facts about steroids including whether or not anabolic steroids are legal or illegal in the U.S. It’s terrifying how incredibly stupid most Congressmen are.
The film went into other aspects of performance-enhancers in American culture such as musicians who use beta-blockers to remain calm during performances or students who take Adderall to perform better on tests. Should they have an asterisk by their name? Or what about pilots who are mandated by the Air Force to take amphetamines during long flight missions, the same type of amphetamines that if taken by a baseball player might land them in a Congressional hearing. It was definitely thought provoking and eye-opening and gives viewers a different viewpoint to consider regarding steroids than has been hammered into our heads by after school specials.
I played some online poker tournaments today for the first time in a while. For the past several weeks I’ve either been busy traveling or waiting on a laptop arrive which prevented me from playing the regular Sunday tournaments. Up until just a few days ago, I was down to just the desktop I have in my room. I don’t have a TV in my room (I need to fix that) so watching the NFL playoffs in the living room and thereby skipping the Sunday tournaments has been my preference for the past few weeks.
Today I got to do both. The NFC Championship game was great, but I didn’t like how it ended. At the start of the playoffs, I bet that the Saints would not win the Super Bowl at odds of -515, so I’m disappointed that I’ll have to sweat that bet to the end. I really thought they would have lost by now, and they probably would have if Brett Favre had scrambled rather than thrown across his body on what might have been a horribly lackluster final play of what was otherwise a brilliant career. The Saints should feel really fortunate to be going to the Super Bowl. Minnesota should have won that game notwithstanding having turned the ball over four times before Favre’s ill-fated decision.
The Colts are 4 to 5.5 point favorites in the Super Bowl depending on where you look. The over/under is 56. I love the under. I could see it getting up to 57 and when it does, I’ll probably try to get a decent sized bet in so I’ve got more rooting interest than just the big Saints fade.
Two Super Bowls ago I enjoyed the sporting event of a lifetime not only because was it the best Super Bowl ever played, but also because I was on the Giants, unhedged, at 70:1 odds to win. Last year was another really good game but it didn’t go my way at all. I was on the Cardinals moneyline so it was pretty painful watching that freak defensive TD to end the first half by James Harrison and then the sick catch by Santonio Holmes to seal it in the end. If my money is on the right side of the Super Bowl every other year, this year should be pretty good!
What do you like?
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Give me a max bet on “Will the game go to overtime?” No for -1000 or less.