photo courtesy of AggieAthletics.com

Ft. Worth -- Scott Migl took the hill in a match-up of former SWC foes, as the No. 5 Aggies (38-7) visited the Horned Frogs of TCU (29-16). The Aggies entered the game winning 20 of their last 21 games, including five straight 3-game sweeps against Big XII opponents.

TCU has a pretty scrappy squad, that I would not want to play in a regional <--- watch out Rice/OSU, they will probably be in on of our brackets.

Tonight's game was a pitchers duel, which is slightly unusual for a mid-week game, in which teams start their 4th starter or even a reliever (See last week's Texas State game).

However, tonight Migl had good control and mowed through the TCU line-up. The only hiccup for the Aggies happened in the 5th when TCU scored both of its runs. The first on a misplayed ball by Kyle Colligan.

The Aggies plated Dane Carter on a triple by Jose Duran, Fort Worth native and brother of German Duran (Texas Rangers), in the top of the third. A sacrifice fly in the 5th gave the Aggies their second run of the game.

The Aggie bullpen was "lights out" tonight, Kyle Thebeau and Hank Robertson completely shut down the Frogs over the final four innings.

Andrew Cashner, aka Cash, the closer for the Frogs had electric stuff. His fastball topped out at 98mph and he had a wicked slider that buckled several Aggies coming in at about 85mph. I really liked this Cash kid, lets just say he will be "money in the bank" at the next level. <---lame.

As good as Cashner was on the night, the Aggies were able to scratch one out in the top of the ninth...without getting a hit. Brodie Greene walked and moved up to second after Colligan was pegged in the helmet. The runners moved up on a passed ball, putting men on second and third. Just like the Aggies seemingly have done all year, they found a way to put one across when they neeeded it. However, this time it wasnt so much what we did, as it was the WILD PITCH by Cashner. Greene scored on the wild pitch and gave the Aggies the lead for good.

In the bottom of the ninth, TCU got a man on first with 2 outs. Matt Vern crushed a ball to left-center that brought everyone to their feet. TCU's team was already coming out of the dugout to celebrate the walk-off, but the wind just held the ball in play, preserving the Aggies non-conference victory.

The Aggies head into this weekend's series against Dallas Baptist with incredible momentum. I would love to see the Ags not have to squeeze so many out late like this, but I'll take them anyway I can get them.

gig 'em

Game Notes:

In the eighth inning, a little girl was struck behind her ear by a screaming line-drive foul ball. The girl was taken to a Ft. Worth hospital for some tests. Reports indicate that the little girl is doing well and is in good spirits. Nonetheless, anytime a child is taken from a baseball game in a stretcher, it is not a good situation. From all of us here at 12MC our prayers are with that little girl tonight.

The game was the first meeting of the two teams in Fort Worth since 1996 and the largest crowd ever (4,294) at TCU's Lupton Stadium, breaking the former record by over 1,000 fans. Maroon-clad fans littered their little sandlot field (actually a very nice stadium).

A&M has played TCU (247) more than any other school except Texas (346), Baylor (301) and Rice (266).

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Texas A&M University was well represented over the two-day amateur draft held at historic Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Texas A&M(5) -Was that cupboard so empty?

Texas(5) -Actually, kind of a down year

Oklahoma(4) -See Texas

Kansas(4) -Showing ability to find diamonds in the rough

Nebraska(3) -not surprising

Missouri(2) -Little surprised they didn't have a KU like showing

Kansas State(2) -Jordy Nelson will be productive

Colorado(2) -Lions picked up a solid LB in Dizon

Iowa State(2) -Who would have thought Blythe wasn't one of them

Baylor(0) -Did you expect anything different?

Texas Tech(0) -How do they beat us every year?

Okla State(0)    0 -"I'm a man, I'm 40..." and have no NFL level players

The Aggies also had more players selected than Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Notre Dame and UCLA.

The Chosen (in order by selection):

Martellus `Jerry Jones is on my phone' Bennett
Dallas Cowboys
Pick No. 61

America's Team filled a void left when back-up TE Anthony Fasano was traded to the Dolphins, by selecting the boisterous Bennett in the second round. The Cowboys raved about Bennett's athleticism after this year's combine. Some close to the team said the Cowboys had him tied with Purdue TE Dustin Keller as the best tight end in the draft and even considered moving up in the second round to get him.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' take on Money Bennett:
"We didn't draft Bennett to be a backup tight end...We wanted to add a dimension to the offense."

Bennett, who is never shy with the media, gave all us sports nerds some golden audio on Saturday when Jones called to tell him of his selection.

Enjoy:
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia_center.cfm?id=8DFA1F0B-0D3A-92C1-80781F87E6CE974F

Cody Wallace
San Francisco 49ers
Pick No. 107

San Francisco desperately needed help on their offensive line and they picked up an All Big XII player in Wallace. After a less than stellar combine, the Cuero, Texas native slipped farther than some had projected after the college season ended. Wallace will get time to work himself into the rotation on a playoff contender (I mean in the NFC, who isn't?).

Good story on Cody out of San Fran:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/28/SPKL10CQG0.DTL&feed=rss.49ers

Joseph `Red' Bryant
Seattle Seahawks
Pick No. 121

No one will ever be able to tell Big Red that he is underachieving in life. For Bryant, who almost did not qualify to attend Texas A&M out of high school, being selected in the NFL Draft is just icing on the cake. In high school, he had friends tell him to give up, whenever he would go in early for extra help in math. This past December, Bryant graduated with a degree in Ag Leadership. He gave a stirring speech to a group of boosters at a Kickoff Event before the 2006 season. He spoke about his struggles with dyslexia and how people used to always count him out.

That night Bryant said "You will never have any idea what the support you guys have given me is going to do in my life. Football is a great game and I love it, but after I'm done playing here in College Station [pause], I'm leaving with a degree [pause]. That doesn't happen where I come from [pause]. Where I come from you don't choose the colors of your favorite college, you choose the colors of your favorite gang."

I don't want to be come off as biased, but who cares it's a blog! Red is one of my favorite Aggies of all-time, and it has nothing to with ANYTHING he has ever done on the football field. He is one of the most respectful gentlemen you will ever meet. I strive to be half the man Red Bryant is [physically, I am half the man of Red].

Chris Harrington
Arizona Cardinals
Pick No. 185

The Arizona Cardinals chose Harrington in the 6th Round, a steal if you buy into the pre-draft rankings, which had Harrington projected as high as the late 3rd round. Harrington has a great motor coming off the end and will challenge for playing time in a year or two once he acclimates to the pro game. I really like Harrington's athleticism and think he can be a productive player at the next level.

Corey Clark
San Diego Chargers
Pick No. 234

A perfect example of what exceeding expectations at the combine can do for you. In fact, the biggest mistake Clark made at the scouting combine was not slapping the goons from the NFL Network for repeatedly saying he was from Texas Tech [the nerve!]. Clark may not make the Chargers squad this year, as the runners up in the AFC Championship are a quality team and built very soundly. However, he will get a shot somewhere and if he keeps his work ethic up, he will make a very serviceable guard for a team in the league.

This weekend was a very good one for the Aggies and for a program which could really use some positive energy.

Give `em hell in the NFL

Gig `em.

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Just as the sports world came to a lull, we have some new headlines to keep us interested. The Aggie Baseball Team is flirting with making their first trip to Omaha in years, Spring football has wrapped up, the NBA Playoffs are in full blossom, and the NFL Draft is on Saturday. To hold you over until we get to see teams poke and prod over their newest franchise player, we sat down with one of 12th MC's favorite Aggies, Joseph Liam Thomas to talk about his outlook and thoughts going into what could be the biggest day of his life:

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JT MONEY #81

1) What are your thoughts going into the NFL Draft? Do you have hopes of getting drafted? Signed as a free agent? JT:This whole experience of getting ready for the draft has been awesome. As soon as last season ended I started preparing myself for a chance to play in the NFL. Things have gotten nothing but more optimistic since. It started out as more of a dream that has now become more of a reality. I have had pro day and a few personal workouts with teams, all of which went well. This past week, I've received phone calls from 7 different teams that all nice things to say and wish me good luck this weekend. I've gotten the notion that I have a chance of being drafted in one of the late rounds and if not, I will definitely be signed as a free agent and have a much appreciated chance to make a team.

2) What did you do to get ready for the draft? Where did you work out? Who did you work out with? JT:My agent, Jordan Woy, sent me to train up in McKinney, Texas to train at the Michael Johnson Performance Center. It was an amazing experience that taught me alot. It was hard not being starstruck the first week. Not only did we have Michael Johnson working with us everyday, two of the guys I was working out with should be first round picks, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Dan Campbell, along with some other NFLers, were also there keeping his body in shape. Michael Johnson and Lance Walker, a former Cowboy's strength coach, worked out me and 7 other guys out for about a month and a half, Monday through Saturday. A typical day was 7am to 6pm of mixed workouts.

3)What teams have you met with? Talked to? JT:I've have been in contact with quite a few teams, some of which I talked to personally and some of which my agent has been talking to. The ones that I personally have been talking to the most are Cleveland, Seattle, Indianapolis, New England, and Jaxsonville. Lately, it has been Cleveland that has been giving me the most attention. The thing about them though, is they only have 4 picks in the draft starting in the 4th round. I have had personal workouts with Jaxsonville, New York Jets, and Cleveland.

4)What have they told you about your NFL chances? JT:As I mentioned earlier, I have gotten the feeling that I have a good chance at being drafted in a later round and if not, teams have confirmed that they will offer me a free agent deal. My agent seems to think I have a great chance of getting drafted but I usually take things with a grain of salt. I will be happy with any chance to make a team.

5)How are you spending Saturday? JT:Well, Saturday I will be relaxing in Austin and maybe go out on the lake for a bit. Sunday is when I will start to actually watch the draft and probably get a little more stressed.

6)Out of all of A&M's players in the draft this year, who will be the best pro? Why? JT:It's hard to say because I love all our guys coming out this year, most of whom I've been with for 5 years now. If i had to pick one though, I'd say Martellus, just because of his raw ability and athleticism. If he can get in a good system, he has the potential to really shine.

8)If you could pick the tea to play for, who would it be? JT:I would have to pick the Texans, solely because I am in love with Texas and I have never liked the Cowboys, which you and Plunk know. If I could start an NFL team in Austin I would. The hill country is my favorite place in the US.

9)Who would make a better NFL agent, JLOU or PLUNK? JT:J Lou, no offense but Plunk is in law school so I'm going to have to go with Plunk. Plus you and I would be too distracted by having fun. I would trust Plunk more because he is a bigger dork.

10)How did you workouts help/hurt your NFL stock? JT:I performed pretty well in Pro Day which I think helped me alot. I was able to show my athleticism and really drew alot of scouts and coaches attention. Things got exponentially better since my Pro Day.

11)Can I have tickets to your first NFL game? JT: If you tell me where my taser went.

For the record, JLou has no idea as to the whereabouts of Joey's taser, and if he did would still refuse to share them with JT solely out of fear that he may get shocked yet again when JT's ADD kicks in

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SPRING GAME - The Aggies hit the field Saturday night for the annual Maroon and White game. This will be a great opportunity to see the team with a couple months under the Sherminator. We will get our first look at the pro-style offense the Ag's will run in 2008. There are some position changes that I am looking forward to checking out including - (1)J-train as a fullback, (2)Billy Chavis as a LB and maybe a TE, (3)Von Miller as a LB (can't wait to see him in action), and (4)Jordan Peterson moving to safety. CLICK HERE for a speech by Coach Sherman and a list of the day's activities.

BASEBALL TAKES ON BAYLOR - The Aggie baseball team looks to continue its Big 12 dominance against the Bears this weekend. The series opens Friday night at Olsen, then moves to thriving dumphole of Waco for a game on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The Aggies have swept their past THREE Big 12 opponents and currently sit alone in first place atop the conference.

SOFTBALL TAKES ON KANSAS - The Lady Ag's are currently ranked 4th in the nation and sit in 1st place in the Big 12. The host KU for two games at the Aggie Softball Complex. Sidenote - it is really amazing how good our Women's sports program has become.....if only the Men could follow suit.

NBA PLAYOFFS BEGIN - I don't know who you root for, but you should be excited for this year's NBA Playoffs. The Western Conference matchups are all a toss up (well maybe not LA vs. Denver), and every series should be entertaining. Games begin on Saturday with my beloved Mavs playing New Orleans. My own prediction....Mavs take the series in 7. To make this Aggie related - both Acie Law IV (Atlanta Hawks) and Antoine Wright (THE Dallas Mavericks) will be in the playoffs...here's to hoping Acie can get it going in his rookie year.

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Rice 11 A&M 2

Rice 11 A&M 2

WHAT'S UP NEXT? This weekend the Ag's host Baylor on Friday, then head over to Waco for 2 games (more on this later in the week).

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13 IN A ROW

Ag's Sweep OU

Saturday - The Ag's took Saturday's game 10-3 behind an incredible pitching performance by freshan Barrett Loux. The Ag's fed off Olsen's largest crowd of the season (7,092). Jose Duran led the Ag's with 3 RBIs, while Darby Brown had 2.

Sunday Afternoon - A&M completed the sweep Sunday with a dominating 12-2 victory on national television. Tempers started to flare Sunday when Luke Anders was beaned twice and eventually 3 Aggie coaches and an OU player were tossed. Clayton Ehlert tossed a complete game and Jose Duran continued his strong play with 3 more RBIs.

Big 12 Standings:

WHAT'S UP NEXT? The # 8 ranked Ag's host a huge game tonight against # 7 Rice. In order to extend the streak to 14, the Ag's will have to continue to get strong mid-week pitching. This weekend the Ag's host Baylor on Friday, then head over to Waco for 2 games (more on this later in the week).

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I spent this past weekend in New York City and was lucky enough to take in a Knicks game. Now, I would never have agreed to watch the Knicks play horrible basketball, but:

1. It was my first time to NYC and was very interested in taking in Madison Square Garden

2. They were playing the Hawks, and I was hoping Acie would get some minutes

3. The tickets were free

Well, early on the game was a complete blow out, so I was very hopeful that Acie may see the court at halftime (20 point Atlanta lead). But, true to the NBA, no lead is ever safe, and the Knicks came back firing come the fourth quarter, and Acie never saw the court.

But, that doesn't mean that I didn't find some comfort in just being able to see Acie "That's What I Do" Law. At halftime, my buddy and myself moved from our average seats to some prime real estate on the end of the court where the Hawks would be warming up after appearing from the locker room.

What transpired in the next ten minutes, made my night. Acie was taking some "no jumpers", and draining everyone. As a loose ball came his way, he scooped it up. A teammate motioned for him to pass him the ball, but Acie refused to. The teammate approached him to steal the ball, but Acie just walked to the far corner and refused further. At this point, Acie took the extra ball and flicked it one handed from behind the arc...splash.

The teammate decided to D Acie up, and Acie began to put on a clinic. Every shot...splash. Running sky hooks...money.

The people in our new section probably thought we were crazy, as we were going nuts. It was the only time we stood and clapped, or yelled the entire game. Acie fed off of our love and continued even more. This time hitting jumpers off the glass, three's from well behind the line.... Every single one strongly contested by his teammate everything time.

Acie Law. The man, the myth, the legend.

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I thought that you guys would find this interesting. A fellow SB Nation blog, Niners Nation, is doing some NFL Draft work. Today's piece focuses on Red Bryant.

Here is a sample of what it says:

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As the week tails to an end, and you struggle to stay motivated at work/school, I thought that some random ramblings may be just the thing to hold everyone over.

DeAndre declares for the NBA Draft

What I don't get is when people get all red in the face about how DeAndre isn't ready. Who cares. If a team wants to give him millions of dollars right now so that they can beef him up and get him ready, then I see no problem why he shouldn't go. Trust me, I want DeAndre back just as much as the next guy, but that is just smart business. The NBA is just like any other company. You make investments on employees that show lots of potential, and then you slowly mold them into exactly what you want.

However, if DeAndre wants to be a big time player and be drafted 1-5 in the draft, the obvious decision is to stay one more year. With the wealth of big men in this year's draft, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see him change his mind as the projections solidify and he ends up as a late lottery pick.

NBADraft.net has DJ as #10 to the Nets

CollegeHoops.net has DJ as #9 to the Bulls

DraftExpress.com has DJ as #10 to the Bulls

P.S. In my opinion, Derrick Rose is the best Freshman in the country. He would have put up Beasley/Mayo/Durant like numbers if he had played on any of those teams. I fully expect him to be the best pro out of this year's freshman crop. It isn't a stretch to imagine him playing at the Chris Paul, Deron Williams level in just a few years. He is smooth, has a stroke, is quick enough to defend, and is big and long enough to handle the pro sized guards.

The new Dollar Bill?

This bidding war doesn't bother me anymore. Maybe it should, but it doesn't. And out of all the coaches getting courted by big time programs, when someone has a chance to go home to their Alma Mater, where they met their wife, where their family still resides, it just makes sense, especially when Boone Pickens is willing to pay upwards of $3.5 million/year.

By the way, what do you do with that kind of money in Stillwater, OK? Everywhere he goes people will pick up the tab. Car allowance. House allowance. Where do you spend that money? You work too dang much to vacation. It just piles up. How awesome is that?

This ESPN.com article by Gene Wojciechowski doesn't do it for me. And it bothers me on so many different levels:

1. I don't see OSU as a graveyard. Is it just me, or is that arena not one of the more intimidating venues in all of college ball? In '03/'04 they beat St. Joe's in one of the better NCAA Tournament games to move onto the FINAL FOUR. The next year? They are ranked in the top ten from start to finish, win the Big 12 tourney, and lose in the Sweet 16 by 1 point. Graveyard? Not quite. Any program that can boast 2 national titles, 17 conference championships, and 6 final fours can't be referred to as a graveyard. Is OSU basketball on par with Kansas basketball? Of course not, but it isn't unthinkable that OSU could improve into a feared program again in a few years. In fact, they have much more of a claim to that happening than we do at this point, and we've come quite a long way in 3 short years.

2. Gene Wojmynameistoohardtospell says that "alma maters are overrated. So is money." Oh is that right? Easy for you to say from your free hotel room in San Antonio that ESPN picked up the tab on. And I'm sure everyone over in Knoxville, Tennessee is glad to hear you bash the importance of where you came from. One man should never be able to say what another man should or shouldn't do. Go try on Self's shoes, walk around in them and then get back to me on whether taking money and COMING HOME is a bad idea.

3. The last thing that gets me about this, is the fact that I have a feeling that Gene Wojtoomanyletters has a little bit of conflict of interests in this piece. Why? He is born and raised in Kansas.

Fantasy Baseball is Addicting

I never have played before. I normally stick to Fantasy Football, but this year, under the pressure from my newest brother-in-law (the check is in the mail by the way), I decided to join a league. At first it was a little overwhelming, too many stats. Too many pitchers. Too long of a draft. Too many guys with the last name Rodriguez. But then the season started, and now, I can't stop checking the live scoring. I need to contain myself though, this season is too long, and I am in a dead sprint right now. Let's see if I can keep it up. But it looks good so far, especially when my team is belting out 9 home runs against Plunk's over hyped and poorly managed squad.

That's all for today. Enjoy the Masters.

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BRING OUT THE BROOMS BABY

Ag's Sweep K-State

Saturday - The Ag's fell behind 7-1 early but came back behind a great offensive performance to win 13-8. Dane Carter lead the way once again offensively with 3 hits and 4 timely RBIs. True-freshman Brian Ruggiano also added 3 hits and an RBI.

Sunday Afternoon - A&M completed the sweep Sunday with a dominating 14-4 victory. The Ag's Sunday pitching finally came through yesterday with a great performance by Clayton Ehlert. Ehlert pitched great and only gave up three runs. Luke Anders was once again amazing, hitting two, two-run homers in the win.

WHERE WE STAND - The Aggie baseball team has put together a nice 9 game winning streak, and they play 4 winnable games this week. Point blank, the Ag's can hit the freaking ball. Our offensive numbers are sick and if we keep this up and shore up some pitching, the Ag's could make a nice run. Good luck to the Ag's this week against the Cougars (shock em), and also against OU this weekend in College Station.

Big 12 Standings:

WHAT'S UP NEXT? The Ag's head down to Houston to play U of H Tuesday night and then follow it up w/ a 3 game homestand this weekend against OU. The Ag's have another chance to put some distance b/w themselves and others in the Big 12 standings. OU has not played great in conference play so far so I feel it would be a dissapointment if we don't go 2-1 this weekend.

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AGGIE BASEBALL ON FIRE

Ag's Sweep KU

Saturday Afternoon - Trailing 6-3 in the 8th inning, the Ag's rallied to beat KU 9-6 in 10 innings. Luke Anders continued to be clutch hitting a game-tying 3 run homerun in the top of the 8th, and Brooks Raley singled in the game winner in the 10th to seal the win for the Ag's.

Sunday Afternoon - Sunday pitching for the Ag's has been problematic all year, and nothing was different here. After falling behind, the Ag's came back to score a 10-8 win, completing the sweep against the Jayhawks. Darby Brown was incredible again, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 6! I think the Sunday pitching has to improve but I love seeing the Ag's come from behind to steal an important victory.

Ag's Take Two Mid-Week Games from SFA

Tuesday Night - The Ag's relied on their bats and an explosive 5 run first inning to beat SFA 8-1 on April Fool's Day. Kyle Colligan had 3 hits and 1 RBI, while Dane Carter had 2 hits and 4 RBIs. On the mound, Clayton Ehlert pitched awesome, going 6 innings and only allowing 1 earned run.

Wednesday Night - Once again....whwen the Ag's needed a clutch hit, Luke Anders delivered. Anders had a two out, walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Ag's a 5-4 win. The Ag's didn't play pretty but they gutted it out for a win.

WHERE WE STAND - The Aggie baseball team has put together a nice 6 game winning streak going into this weekend's series versus K-State. They are playing great and we really have some great and clutch hitters, which is what we have lacked the past couple seasons. However, I would like to see our Sunday and Mid-Week pitching improve before the tournament starts. Overall, I couldn't ask for more with the Aggies sitting at 23-6 and 2nd place in the Big 12.

Big 12 Standings:

WHAT'S UP NEXT? The Ag's have a 3 game home series this weekend against K-State, playing Friday night, Saturday night, and at noon on Sunday. The Ag's need to distance themselves in the Big 12 standings this weekend facing a below average K-State squad. The Wildcats have been looking better as of late, taking their series against OSU last weekend. It would be a dissapointment if we don't go at least 2-1 this weekend.

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All of these things ran through my head as my red-eye flight landed at the Dulles Airport at 7am on Saturday morning. I just spent the college tuition of my first born son on a 32 hour balls-to-the-wall trip to Las Vegas. I am sure most of you have experienced the madness before, but for me, it was my first go with Sin City. 32 hours, and every minute was a "carpe diem" moment. I had to get my money's worth. Sweet Sixteen basketball. Sportsbook. Craps. Blackjack. Slots. All of it, so much to take in.

So I sat there, in seat 11D, waiting to stumble off the plane, thumbing through the remains of my wallet, trying to figure out where it all went. I hit rewind and found myself just a day and half earlier in a line for a taxi cab on my cell phone with Plunk, just minutes from the first tip of Thursday games:

"Give me Xavier plus 1 vs. West Virginia for $50."

The cab arrived, and I began my ride to the Venetian, I was already hooked. I called Plunk right back, "Give me the over in each game for $25 each, too."

As I settled into the hotel and made my way down to the sportsbook to assess the damage, I found Xavier and WVU in a close game, but WVU staying way too close for my comfort level. As the game went down to the wire, I found myself inching closer to the over/under at 136 points. Next thing I know, overtime. Overtime?! What does that do to my bets? The entire book asked the same question. Ends up, all bets stay alive until the final whistle. Great news for me. Xavier pulls out the win, and my cover gets hit. Plus $75. UNC wins big, but a slow start kills my over bet, down to plus $50.

Quick run at the craps table, big wins. Plunk rolls for 10 minutes solid and wins the table about $300/person, while somehow losing himself $50....hilarious difference in moods when we all walked away. Plus $350. Feel bad that Plunk just lost $50, and don't want to hear him complain about how he won me the money, throw him a two $25 chips. Plus $300.

Second round of games are up, I want a more action and bet smaller amounts: $20 on Louisville -1 in the first half (plus $20), $10 Tennesee +3 (lose, plus $10), $20 parlay under for Louis/Tenn and UCLA/WKU (lose, down $10), $10 WKU +8 in the first half (lose, down $20). Plus $280 to date, not a bad start.

Next craps table, a real grinder as I stand for close to an hour and find a way to win another $100. Plus $380. There is always that moment in retrospect you wished that you had just walked away. This was my moment. I never see plus numbers again.

From here on out, I am not going to disclose my losses. But lets just say the craps tables went cold, or my betting did, or both. What started as a nice hot streak, became a very painful first trip to Vegas. I knew I needed to step away when in the middle of the downfall, my phone beeped to remind me that it was payday. Too much temptation, luckily I walked away without dipping into any savings accounts, and $300 in my pocket.

Plunk and I bet enough to have fun, but not enough where we could lose anything of value to us. The rest of our crew? Not the same mindset. There were those that maxed out withdrawal limits. Those that had to visit actual Wells Fargo branches. Those that even dipped into 401K savings. When I feel bad about my losses, I just think about those guys, and I feel a little bit better.
What about Plunk? Well, his luck was a little hotter than mine, and he found some serious wealth in the Sportsbook:

took WV-1 and lost ...$30

took UNC -8.5 and won ...$25

took WKU +12.5 and covered ...$50

took Tenn +3. and lost ..$25

took Wis +4.5 and lost ...$25

took Texas -2 and covered ...$100

took Kansas -12.5 and cov......$50

took memphis -4.5 and covered ...$100

Plus $245 from Sweet Sixteen

took UNC -6.5 vs Louis and won...$100

took UNC/Louis under 154 and lost...$50

took UCLA -6 vs. Xavier and won...$100

took UCLA/X over 131 and won...$25

Plus $175 on Elite Eight

Plunk = Plus $420 total at the Sportsbook.

Plunk still hasn't disclosed his overall winnings/losses from the entire trip, but I think he did okay for himself. He almost lost everone of his Elite Eight bets though. In a Vegas stupor, he made almost $300 in bets, sat the slips down on a table, dropped a $100 bill on the ground and walked away. Luckily he had some friends with him that covered his back, or it would have been a much different weekend for ole Bobble Head.

Not a good story? Probably not, but it gives you a view into the confusion that is the Plunk. If you are still thirsty for more (I doubt that you are), this one isn't may be a little better:

Late Friday night our entire crew found itself on Freemont Street at Mermaids participating in a little slot machine tournament. Plunk didn't have a slot machine, and a drunk homeless man was passed out on a machine. What did Plunk do? He called security and had the bum dragged out of the casino....literallly. Belly up, on his arse, dragged straight out of the casino, all so he could put a $20 bill in a slot machine and get free drinks. Well done, Plunk. Well done.

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