Celebrity Picks
- Final 2008 Standings
- Wayne Newton, "Mr. Las Vegas": 31-19-1
- Anthony Crivello, star of "Phantom - Las Vegas Spectacular": 30-21
- Oscar Goodman, mayor of Las Vegas: 26-24-1
- Danny Gans, Encore headliner: 26-25
- Lance Burton, Monte Carlo master magician: 25-26
- Kevin Janison, KVBC meteorologist: 23-26-2
- Carrot Top, Luxor headliner: 17-33-1
- Past Winners
- 2001 – Lance Burton
- 2002 – Clint Holmes
- 2003 – Rita Rudner
- 2004 – Oscar Goodman
- 2005 – Wayne Newton
- 2006 – Anthony Crivello
- 2007 – Rita Rudner
- 2008 – Wayne Newton
Two hundred and ninety-three.
It’s an unofficial count, folks, and I’m too lazy to go through all of that again without an abacus handy, so that’s the number I’m going with. 2-9-3.
That’s how many different wagers are available for Sunday’s Super Bowl at the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook. Some are as simple as whether the opening coin toss will land on heads or tails. Some are as complex as whether Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller will have 14 more receiving yards that the total number of shots on goal the Boston Bruins take Sunday morning against the Montreal Canadiens. Some involve two choices, and some involve 50 or so, like guessing exactly how many points either team will score.
But there are, if I counted correctly, 293 different options to look at. A few of my favorites:
The number of touchdowns scored by the Steelers (minus a half) against the number of goals scored in the AC Milan-Lazio match in the Italian Serie A league match. Why it’s cool: Because it actually takes effort, even with the advent of the Internet, to find the result of that match before kickoff.
Willie Parker’s total rushing yards (minus 5 ½) against the number of points Portland State scores against Montana State on Sunday. Why it’s cool: I can’t name one player on Portland State or Montana State, nor tell you either team’s nickname or mascot. Or league. I think anyone who makes this bet and can provide this information to the ticketwriter should get some kinda odds on his payoff.
Ben Roethlisberger’s gross passing yards (minus 35 ½) against the total number of points scored by the three Pennsylvania-based colleges on Sunday – Penn State, Villanova and St. Joseph’s. Why it’s cool: Three bets in one, plus many people who do this will need a calculator to see if they win.
The total number of points scored by the Cardinals (plus a half) against the largest lead, by either team, in the Celtics-Timberwolves NBA game. Why it’s cool: You might switch back and forth between which team you are rooting for in the hoops game, depending on whether you want the game to stay close, or be a blowout.
Those are just a few, but man, this list is impressive, even if this kind of thing has become old hat for the sports books to produce these days.
Oh yeah, what about that, um, dull straight-bet thing? You know, the top bet among the 293 options?
I’ll take the Steelers -6 ½. I love what Arizona has done this season and they have earned their way here. They’ve played solid defense in the postseason, and run the ball effectively to set up their dangerous passing game. If they can run the ball against the Steelers, they can pull off the upset. But if Pittsburgh’s shuts down the run, as I think they will, James Harrison and Lamar Woodley will have a few backfield meetings with Kurt Warner, and the Steelers will win their record sixth Super Bowl, 30-13.
WAYNE’S WORLD: Cardinals 31, Steelers 24. The Wayner spent much of his youth in the Phoenix area (from ages 9 to 15) and was discovered there. It’s a super, Vegas kinda story.
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