It sounded like bedlam. Shouts. Cheers. Jubilation. The yelling gave way to song. Someone started up his motorcycle and revved his engine in tandem with chants of POR-TU-GAL! POR-TU-GAL! I’ve never been so happy to lose a bet.
On Saturday, June 11th, I found myself in Northeast Los Angeles with a few hours to kill and made my way to Santa Anita to catch a simulcast of the Belmont Stakes, the Triple Crown’s third and the longest leg, and hardest to handicap. I put down a $50 exacta box on the 7-horse and the 11-horse. I’ll spare you the drama: we didn’t win.
There’s a reason I’ve waited for the third installment of “The Nervous Light” to talk about our fantasy baseball team: we aren’t very good.
The plan was to bet on the NCAA championship, watch a little baseball, eat some overpriced meals and gamble. We didn’t deviate although we got a little fixated on video roulette.
When it comes to sports, spring has it all. March Madness. Spring training. Opening Day. The NFL draft. The Kentucky Derby. But from a bettor’s point of view, all fall short of the majestic yet exasperating complexity of fantasy baseball.
