Last Saturday we had the online draft for our fantasy baseball league, "The Edson Hard Balls."
There are eight teams in this year's league and I'm the defending champ. My squad - "Inside The Parker" had a strong season last year and on Saturday I ended up drafting 6 of the guys from my winning team. I'll be making changes during the year, but here's my current roster.
C - Evan Gaddis
1B - Anthony Rizzo
2B - Jose Altuve
3B - Josh Donaldson
SS - Trevor Story
OF - Mark Trumbo, Adam Jones & Andrew McCutcheon
Utility - Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales
Bench - Justin Tuner, Jose Ramirez & Marcus Semien
SP - Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Michael Wacha, Tanner Roark & Lance McCullers
RP - Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Jeuryls Familia & Alex Colome.
The five hitting categories that we win points in are HR, RBI, Runs, BA and Steals. Pitching categories are Wins, Strikeouts, Saves, WHIP and ERA. This squad is strong is sluggers and relief pitching. My starting 10 averaged 31 HRs & 93 RBI last year. That's good, but I lack speed and will struggle with batting average. I expect to do well in HR, RBI, Runs, WHIP and ERA. Should keep me competitive!
Friday, March 31, 2017
Exit Strategy
The past week has seen us preparing to leave LV and return to TC.
On Monday I visited our usual storage place to rent a 10x10-foot unit to store all of our household items for the summer. Got the sad news that no units of that size were available. Uh-oh. So I immediately began searching online for a new storage facility and found one that is only 10 minutes away and a little cheaper per month. But instead of snagging a 10x10, I was only able to rent two 5x10 units that are next to each other. No huge difference, but I did have to buy two separate locks at $15 each.
After renting the units, I called our movers and arranged for them to pick up our stuff and haul it to storage on April 12. They'll be here between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on that day. It'll take them about two hours to handle that chore, then Helen and I will hit the road for Michigan.
So Wednesday, April 12 is officially our departure date. If all goes well, we should get to TC late on Friday or on Saturday.
After handling the moving details, I got the oil changed in the car and also made an appointment to have our taxes done at an H&R Block office right near our apartment here. Always dread tax time, because we always have to send a check to the feds. But it'll be good to get that taken care of.
I have had a chance to play a little poker. At Ballys I played enough to qualify for the monthly free roll tournament and will play in that tomorrow, April 1. Hoping not to play like an April Fool and would like to cash for $500. That would cover the gas & meals on the trip home!
Also played two days at Planet Hollywood and won both days. On the second day, I felted the same guy twice. Once I got dealt pocket Aces and took his $80 stack when he had K-K. Then he rebought for $100 and a few hands later, I was dealt 6-6 and hit a 3rd 6 on the flop of A-5-6 of mixed suits. Once again the guy shoved in his stack of $90 and showed A-K. He grimaced when I flipped over my sixes and I took down the healthy pot.
Planet Hollywood is running a promo that if you play 3 hours between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. you get a free buffet - good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Last night Helen and I used the two free coupons to have dinner there. It's a $60 value, since the dinner buffet is priced at $30. Helen ate healthy, enjoying couscous salad, grilled veggies, hummus and pita bread. I started with peel & eat shrimp and a fruit salad, followed by prime rib, green beans, grilled potatoes and rice pilaf. We both enjoyed desserts - cupcakes and fruit pastries, along with coffee.
Driving back from the Strip, we encountered some amazingly high winds. Power was out in a few intersections, snarling traffic. But others had it much worse, losing power and having trees and signs toppled. Winds of 82 mph were reportedly recorded at Red Rock only 8 miles or so from us. As I write this, I'm still able to hear the winds howling a bit outside. But we're safe and warm - and with power - so we'll do fine.
And so our adventure continues...
On Monday I visited our usual storage place to rent a 10x10-foot unit to store all of our household items for the summer. Got the sad news that no units of that size were available. Uh-oh. So I immediately began searching online for a new storage facility and found one that is only 10 minutes away and a little cheaper per month. But instead of snagging a 10x10, I was only able to rent two 5x10 units that are next to each other. No huge difference, but I did have to buy two separate locks at $15 each.
After renting the units, I called our movers and arranged for them to pick up our stuff and haul it to storage on April 12. They'll be here between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on that day. It'll take them about two hours to handle that chore, then Helen and I will hit the road for Michigan.
So Wednesday, April 12 is officially our departure date. If all goes well, we should get to TC late on Friday or on Saturday.
After handling the moving details, I got the oil changed in the car and also made an appointment to have our taxes done at an H&R Block office right near our apartment here. Always dread tax time, because we always have to send a check to the feds. But it'll be good to get that taken care of.
I have had a chance to play a little poker. At Ballys I played enough to qualify for the monthly free roll tournament and will play in that tomorrow, April 1. Hoping not to play like an April Fool and would like to cash for $500. That would cover the gas & meals on the trip home!
Also played two days at Planet Hollywood and won both days. On the second day, I felted the same guy twice. Once I got dealt pocket Aces and took his $80 stack when he had K-K. Then he rebought for $100 and a few hands later, I was dealt 6-6 and hit a 3rd 6 on the flop of A-5-6 of mixed suits. Once again the guy shoved in his stack of $90 and showed A-K. He grimaced when I flipped over my sixes and I took down the healthy pot.
Planet Hollywood is running a promo that if you play 3 hours between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. you get a free buffet - good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Last night Helen and I used the two free coupons to have dinner there. It's a $60 value, since the dinner buffet is priced at $30. Helen ate healthy, enjoying couscous salad, grilled veggies, hummus and pita bread. I started with peel & eat shrimp and a fruit salad, followed by prime rib, green beans, grilled potatoes and rice pilaf. We both enjoyed desserts - cupcakes and fruit pastries, along with coffee.
Driving back from the Strip, we encountered some amazingly high winds. Power was out in a few intersections, snarling traffic. But others had it much worse, losing power and having trees and signs toppled. Winds of 82 mph were reportedly recorded at Red Rock only 8 miles or so from us. As I write this, I'm still able to hear the winds howling a bit outside. But we're safe and warm - and with power - so we'll do fine.
And so our adventure continues...
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Long Time, No Write...Or Win
It's been 10 days since I posted anything, so it's time to catch up a bit.
The two main reasons for not posting is the March Madness has kept me busy. I've been researching and betting games every day and I've lost more than I've won. Today I won with Michigan, but lost with Michigan State.
And my poker & blackjack luck has apparently run out. Looking over my records, I have not had a winning session since March 12 and I've played at least one session every day. That's a solid week of not winning! It wears you down mentally to lose every time you sit down at a table, but I'll be back at the poker table soon.
One highlight of the past week was on Wednesday night when we saw Rod Stewart in concert at Caesars Palace. He's 72 and still a bundle of energy for the 90-minute show. Access for Helen is the best at CP and we look forward to seeing more shows there in coming years.
We're rooting for Michigan in the NCAA tourney. My friend Terry asked me to get him a $30 ticket on the Wolverines before the tourney began and the odds were 60-1. So if they win it all, he collects $1,800. The next day I decided I should go along with him and by the time I bought my $10 ticket the odds had dropped to 40-1. Go Blue!
We're starting to prepare to head home in about 3 weeks. I need to get the oil changed in the car, rent the storage unit and line up the movers. It's a whole process shutting down our LV home and getting back to TC. We miss our friends there and it'll be good to get back into our TC routine.
But for now, our LV adventure continues...
The two main reasons for not posting is the March Madness has kept me busy. I've been researching and betting games every day and I've lost more than I've won. Today I won with Michigan, but lost with Michigan State.
And my poker & blackjack luck has apparently run out. Looking over my records, I have not had a winning session since March 12 and I've played at least one session every day. That's a solid week of not winning! It wears you down mentally to lose every time you sit down at a table, but I'll be back at the poker table soon.
One highlight of the past week was on Wednesday night when we saw Rod Stewart in concert at Caesars Palace. He's 72 and still a bundle of energy for the 90-minute show. Access for Helen is the best at CP and we look forward to seeing more shows there in coming years.
We're rooting for Michigan in the NCAA tourney. My friend Terry asked me to get him a $30 ticket on the Wolverines before the tourney began and the odds were 60-1. So if they win it all, he collects $1,800. The next day I decided I should go along with him and by the time I bought my $10 ticket the odds had dropped to 40-1. Go Blue!
We're starting to prepare to head home in about 3 weeks. I need to get the oil changed in the car, rent the storage unit and line up the movers. It's a whole process shutting down our LV home and getting back to TC. We miss our friends there and it'll be good to get back into our TC routine.
But for now, our LV adventure continues...
Thursday, March 9, 2017
2017 Baseball Props
There are some interesting prop bets being offered in LV this season.
Instead of just betting on the World Series winner, how about trying to pick the WS matchup?
Cubs vs. Red Sox is the favorite at 5-1.
Cubs vs. Indians is 6-1
Cubs vs. Astros is 8-1
Cubs vs. Tigers is 25-1
What team will have the worst record?
Twins 2-1
Athletics 3-1
Reds 4-1
Padres 6-1
Brewers 8-1
What team will have the best record?
Cubs 2-1
Indians 3-1
Dodgers 4-1
Red Sox & Nationals 6-1
Giants & Rangers 10-1
Tigers 20-1
Most strikeouts by a pitcher
Max Scherzer 3-1
Clayton Kershaw 4-1
Chris Sale 5-1
Corey Kluber & Madison Bumgarner 7-1
Justin Verlander 9-1
Most hits by a batter
Jose Altuve 7-2
Mookie Betts 4-1
Ian Kinsler & Corey Seager 6-1
Miguel Cabrera 9-1
Mike Trout 16-1
Most RBIs
Nolan Arenado 4-1
Mookie Betts & Edwin Encarnacion 5-1
Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant & Josh Donaldson 6-1
Miguel Cabrera 9-1
Mike Trout 12-1
Instead of just betting on the World Series winner, how about trying to pick the WS matchup?
Cubs vs. Red Sox is the favorite at 5-1.
Cubs vs. Indians is 6-1
Cubs vs. Astros is 8-1
Cubs vs. Tigers is 25-1
What team will have the worst record?
Twins 2-1
Athletics 3-1
Reds 4-1
Padres 6-1
Brewers 8-1
What team will have the best record?
Cubs 2-1
Indians 3-1
Dodgers 4-1
Red Sox & Nationals 6-1
Giants & Rangers 10-1
Tigers 20-1
Most strikeouts by a pitcher
Max Scherzer 3-1
Clayton Kershaw 4-1
Chris Sale 5-1
Corey Kluber & Madison Bumgarner 7-1
Justin Verlander 9-1
Most hits by a batter
Jose Altuve 7-2
Mookie Betts 4-1
Ian Kinsler & Corey Seager 6-1
Miguel Cabrera 9-1
Mike Trout 16-1
Most RBIs
Nolan Arenado 4-1
Mookie Betts & Edwin Encarnacion 5-1
Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant & Josh Donaldson 6-1
Miguel Cabrera 9-1
Mike Trout 12-1
Fogerty, Fogerty & Fogerty
Last night's John Fogerty concert was one of highlights of our winter here in The Land of Neon and Free Drinks.
Not only did the 71-year-old rocker thrill the audience for two hours straight, but he was assisted by two of his sons - Shane and Tyler. Shane played an amazing guitar, while Tyler sang lead on a couple of tunes. We saw Shane play with his Dad last year when we saw the show at The Venetian.
Those two brothers have a band of their own, Hearty Har, but did a GREAT job complementing their Dad's work on all of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classics.
From the opening of "Proud Mary" to the encore finale "Fortunate Son," it was a rollicking evening of rock and roll. All of the great CCR tunes were performed and the audience loved every one. Lots of singing along and dancing in the aisles during the show. The Wynn Las Vegas theater is intimate enough that Helen and I could see clearly from our back-row, handicapped accessible seats.
Couple of interesting asides to the show. Helen used her phone to stealthily "broadcast" a few tunes to her sister, Susan, back in TC. They used some app similar to skype to let Susan see and hear some songs, including "Suzie Q." We were seated right near an usher, so Helen was careful in her trickery!
Also, the guy sitting next to me was a chatty fellow from Los Angeles. He asked if we were staying at Wynn and I told him "No, we live here." He explained he tried to get a room at Wynn, but the cheapest room was $900! And other places were charging $300 a night for basic rooms, he said.
He and his wife opted to stay 35-minutes away in Primm, at the California border, for $34 a night.
The only reason I can think of for the high room rates is that the ConExpo, a huge construction convention is underway now and the hotels are gouging those builder boy companies for the accomodations. $900 a night is way high, even for the Wynn!
Before the concert, Helen and I had dinner at a place called Oceans One at the Miracle Mile shops. It was an amazing bargain! Helen had a buffalo chicken wrap with French fries and I chose a 1/2-pound burger with fries. EACH MEAL WAS ONLY $5! And this was no dump. It's an elegant eatery with white fabric table cloths and an attentive wait staff. Since we had just ice water to drink, the bill was only $10.80, plus tip. I don't know how they can stay in business charging fast food prices for higher quality fare. We'll certainly be back!
And so our adventure continues...
Not only did the 71-year-old rocker thrill the audience for two hours straight, but he was assisted by two of his sons - Shane and Tyler. Shane played an amazing guitar, while Tyler sang lead on a couple of tunes. We saw Shane play with his Dad last year when we saw the show at The Venetian.
Those two brothers have a band of their own, Hearty Har, but did a GREAT job complementing their Dad's work on all of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classics.
From the opening of "Proud Mary" to the encore finale "Fortunate Son," it was a rollicking evening of rock and roll. All of the great CCR tunes were performed and the audience loved every one. Lots of singing along and dancing in the aisles during the show. The Wynn Las Vegas theater is intimate enough that Helen and I could see clearly from our back-row, handicapped accessible seats.
Couple of interesting asides to the show. Helen used her phone to stealthily "broadcast" a few tunes to her sister, Susan, back in TC. They used some app similar to skype to let Susan see and hear some songs, including "Suzie Q." We were seated right near an usher, so Helen was careful in her trickery!
Also, the guy sitting next to me was a chatty fellow from Los Angeles. He asked if we were staying at Wynn and I told him "No, we live here." He explained he tried to get a room at Wynn, but the cheapest room was $900! And other places were charging $300 a night for basic rooms, he said.
He and his wife opted to stay 35-minutes away in Primm, at the California border, for $34 a night.
The only reason I can think of for the high room rates is that the ConExpo, a huge construction convention is underway now and the hotels are gouging those builder boy companies for the accomodations. $900 a night is way high, even for the Wynn!
Before the concert, Helen and I had dinner at a place called Oceans One at the Miracle Mile shops. It was an amazing bargain! Helen had a buffalo chicken wrap with French fries and I chose a 1/2-pound burger with fries. EACH MEAL WAS ONLY $5! And this was no dump. It's an elegant eatery with white fabric table cloths and an attentive wait staff. Since we had just ice water to drink, the bill was only $10.80, plus tip. I don't know how they can stay in business charging fast food prices for higher quality fare. We'll certainly be back!
And so our adventure continues...
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Concert Tonight!
Helen and I will be going to see and hear John Fogerty tonight at Wynn Las Vegas.
It's the second straight year that we've enjoyed the founder & lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Last year we saw him at The Venetian and the show was terrific. Really looking forward to this evening!
I've been playing a lot of poker lately and the poker gods have been smiling on me. On Sunday I played at Planet Hollywood and won $140.On Monday I was back at Ballys and cashed a profit of $105. Yesterday I returned to Ballys, hoping to log hours toward the April Free Roll Tourney and post another profit.
Got there about 9:30 a.m. and there were workers busy preparing the parking deck to begin charging to park there. I hate the idea of paying for parking and, according to rumors, I may avoid the fees because I am a holder of a Diamond Level players card. Playing so often at Caesar's Entertainment Properties will again pay off, I hope.
Anyway, I got into a game immediately and bought in for $100. I was down to about $60 when I was dealt Q-9 of mixed suits. This is a marginal starting hand, but I was the Big Blind and was able to see the flop for my $2. The flop came Q-5-9, giving me the top two pair. I bet $10 and a guy immediately raised it to $20, getting one caller along with me. The turn card was a 3, no apparent help to anyone. I checked, giving the raiser a chance to put some more chips into the pot and he took advantage of the opportunity, betting $50. I was his only caller, pushing in my last $40. The river card was a 9, giving me a Full House -9s over Queens.
We showed our cards, he had pocket 5s, smaller full house and I took down a sweet pot!
I had played for about 3 hours when I found myself with 5-5, both red. I like playing small pairs because if you hit trips on the flops they are usually well hidden, especially when an A or K hits the board. Three of us called a $7 raise and saw the flop 2-4-5, giving me trips. A guy bet $15 and all folded except me - I was happy to call him. I figured he had a bigger pair, maybe 9s or 10s. The turn was a 2, giving me a full house and I was pretty sure the pot was mine. My only problem was how to maximize my profits. I had about $100 left in front of me and waited as my foe bet $45. I hemmed and hawed, pretending to think about my next move - going all in. Then I shoved my remaining chips into and tried to sound nervous as I said "All in."
The guy immediately called and we both awaited the river card, a king. My foe flipped over Ace-3 and announced "A straight." The guy flopped the little straight!
I just rolled my fives and let the dealer - Connie, who grew up in Taylor - announce, "He has a full house" before he shoved the pile of chips in my direction. I ended the day with a profit of $130, marking my third straight winning poker day!
On the way home, I stopped at a Mexican food eatery for takeout and we enjoyed steak tacos. And so our adventure continues...
It's the second straight year that we've enjoyed the founder & lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Last year we saw him at The Venetian and the show was terrific. Really looking forward to this evening!
I've been playing a lot of poker lately and the poker gods have been smiling on me. On Sunday I played at Planet Hollywood and won $140.On Monday I was back at Ballys and cashed a profit of $105. Yesterday I returned to Ballys, hoping to log hours toward the April Free Roll Tourney and post another profit.
Got there about 9:30 a.m. and there were workers busy preparing the parking deck to begin charging to park there. I hate the idea of paying for parking and, according to rumors, I may avoid the fees because I am a holder of a Diamond Level players card. Playing so often at Caesar's Entertainment Properties will again pay off, I hope.
Anyway, I got into a game immediately and bought in for $100. I was down to about $60 when I was dealt Q-9 of mixed suits. This is a marginal starting hand, but I was the Big Blind and was able to see the flop for my $2. The flop came Q-5-9, giving me the top two pair. I bet $10 and a guy immediately raised it to $20, getting one caller along with me. The turn card was a 3, no apparent help to anyone. I checked, giving the raiser a chance to put some more chips into the pot and he took advantage of the opportunity, betting $50. I was his only caller, pushing in my last $40. The river card was a 9, giving me a Full House -9s over Queens.
We showed our cards, he had pocket 5s, smaller full house and I took down a sweet pot!
I had played for about 3 hours when I found myself with 5-5, both red. I like playing small pairs because if you hit trips on the flops they are usually well hidden, especially when an A or K hits the board. Three of us called a $7 raise and saw the flop 2-4-5, giving me trips. A guy bet $15 and all folded except me - I was happy to call him. I figured he had a bigger pair, maybe 9s or 10s. The turn was a 2, giving me a full house and I was pretty sure the pot was mine. My only problem was how to maximize my profits. I had about $100 left in front of me and waited as my foe bet $45. I hemmed and hawed, pretending to think about my next move - going all in. Then I shoved my remaining chips into and tried to sound nervous as I said "All in."
The guy immediately called and we both awaited the river card, a king. My foe flipped over Ace-3 and announced "A straight." The guy flopped the little straight!
I just rolled my fives and let the dealer - Connie, who grew up in Taylor - announce, "He has a full house" before he shoved the pile of chips in my direction. I ended the day with a profit of $130, marking my third straight winning poker day!
On the way home, I stopped at a Mexican food eatery for takeout and we enjoyed steak tacos. And so our adventure continues...
Monday, March 6, 2017
Shopping & PH Poker
With our friends, the Molbys in town, Helen and I were invited to spend some quality vacation time with them.
We picked up David and Gail at The Venetian about 11:30 and drove to Planet Hollywood where Helen and Gail were going to spend hours shopping in the Miracle Mile Shops. David was going to hike the Strip, making his way back to the Venetian and I was heading to the PH poker room.
I got to the poker room just after noon and got a seat right away. On my second hand I was dealt A-K of mixed suits and took down a $25 pot when a King hit the flop. About30 minutes later came the key hand of my PH session.
I was dealt Q-10 of diamonds and called to see the flop, J and 8 of diamonds, and 7 of hearts. I had straight draw and, if a 9 of diamonds hit, a straight flush draw. A guy at the other end of the table bet $25 and everyone folded except me. I called the $25. The turn card was a 4 of hearts, no help. The guy bet another $25 and I just called, not wanting to chase him out with a raise.
I was praying to the poker gods for the elusive 9 of diamonds for the straight flush and my prayers were answered, sort of. The river card was the 4 of diamonds, giving me a queen high flush! My opponent shoved in his last $75 and I quickly called, no need to hem and haw over that one, since there's no possible full house to beat me. The guy showed a pair of pocket 7s. He had hit trip 7s on the flop and lost to my flush. That big hand was the key to my session. I walked after about 1.5 hours with a profit of $140.
It was time to get some lunch and I went to Earl of Sandwich, ordering their tasty beef and cheddar sandwich and an ice tea and made my way to the sports book to watch basketball. I didn't make any bets, but enjoyed the Purdue-Northwestern game and part of the Minnesota-Wisconsin game before connecting with Helen and Gail at 5 p.m.
The ladies had a fun day shopping, having lunch and just talking and enjoying each other's company. We went back to the car and dropped Gail off at the Venetian. When we got home it was terribly windy with gusts up to 50mph. Heard on the news that 3 power poles were toppled just east of the Strip, knocking out power to some 20,000 residents and businesses. Today the wind has died down and we're seeing sunshine and a high of 60 or so.
Since Helen and I had eaten lunch later than usual, neither of us was too hungry for dinner. I opened up a couple of cans of potato-cheddar-broccoli soup for dinner. Then we watched some TV and another Vegas day was history.
And today our adventure continues...
We picked up David and Gail at The Venetian about 11:30 and drove to Planet Hollywood where Helen and Gail were going to spend hours shopping in the Miracle Mile Shops. David was going to hike the Strip, making his way back to the Venetian and I was heading to the PH poker room.
I got to the poker room just after noon and got a seat right away. On my second hand I was dealt A-K of mixed suits and took down a $25 pot when a King hit the flop. About30 minutes later came the key hand of my PH session.
I was dealt Q-10 of diamonds and called to see the flop, J and 8 of diamonds, and 7 of hearts. I had straight draw and, if a 9 of diamonds hit, a straight flush draw. A guy at the other end of the table bet $25 and everyone folded except me. I called the $25. The turn card was a 4 of hearts, no help. The guy bet another $25 and I just called, not wanting to chase him out with a raise.
I was praying to the poker gods for the elusive 9 of diamonds for the straight flush and my prayers were answered, sort of. The river card was the 4 of diamonds, giving me a queen high flush! My opponent shoved in his last $75 and I quickly called, no need to hem and haw over that one, since there's no possible full house to beat me. The guy showed a pair of pocket 7s. He had hit trip 7s on the flop and lost to my flush. That big hand was the key to my session. I walked after about 1.5 hours with a profit of $140.
It was time to get some lunch and I went to Earl of Sandwich, ordering their tasty beef and cheddar sandwich and an ice tea and made my way to the sports book to watch basketball. I didn't make any bets, but enjoyed the Purdue-Northwestern game and part of the Minnesota-Wisconsin game before connecting with Helen and Gail at 5 p.m.
The ladies had a fun day shopping, having lunch and just talking and enjoying each other's company. We went back to the car and dropped Gail off at the Venetian. When we got home it was terribly windy with gusts up to 50mph. Heard on the news that 3 power poles were toppled just east of the Strip, knocking out power to some 20,000 residents and businesses. Today the wind has died down and we're seeing sunshine and a high of 60 or so.
Since Helen and I had eaten lunch later than usual, neither of us was too hungry for dinner. I opened up a couple of cans of potato-cheddar-broccoli soup for dinner. Then we watched some TV and another Vegas day was history.
And today our adventure continues...
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