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Picker Stock Soars
Published: 6/24/2009 2:15 PM
Last Modified: 6/24/2009 2:15 PM

If you thought the Picks and the Picker blog was a must-read, must-believe experience before, just look at what's forming on the horizon: legal wagering on football with various states serving as bookies!

Hopefully, the states will be better bookies than legislators.

The governor of New Jersey is suing the appropriate parties concerning the legality of state-run football parlay cards!

Already, Delaware and a couple of other states run wagering cards.

A national football lottery to kick the recession in the backside, now we're talking.

True, parlay cards are pretty much sucker bets. The odds aren't equal with the 50-50 proposition that each game essentially is. So the trick is to find that can't miss game every so often.

In related past pick news: A couple of years ago, we posted here the sensational and daring prediction that tennis genius Maria Sharapova was pretty much done for two reasons.

1. She had grown tall (limiting mobility against much quicker foes).

2. She had grown too attractive (too much endorsement time).

The responses took exception.

Well, today at Wimbledon, Sharapova lost to somebody who just got off the bus.

Concerning Stoops earning $5 million per year: It is, obviously, nuts.

Here's why: You give him a raise for losing to Texas and for losing another BCS bowl?

AGAIN?

What happens if he wins another big game this decade, Moneybags Boren throws down $10 million more?




Reader Comments 18 Total
SUEA (4 years ago)
$15 million if he beats Texas....
hadenuf (4 years ago)
Wait a minute.........we must be talking about a different Bob Stoops. I'm talking about the one who took OU to the national championship game. Who are you talking about??? By the way, how many other teams went to that game??? Seems like out of all the teams in Division 1 in America only OU and Florida went. Don't you think that's an accompolishment worthy of a raise??? What if you wrote a column every other columnist only dreamed of doing, would that be worthy of notice? Sorry, forgot who I was talking to for a minute.
The Picker (4 years ago)
Had: You reward people for losing their two biggest games?

Stoops is 1-8 in his last nine biggest games: 5 straight BCS losses, 3 of last 4 losses to Texas.

Nobody else could lose 3 of 4 to Texas?

Nobody else could lose 5 straight BCS games?

You may be right.

Was getting there enough versus USC?

Listen, Stoops is a fine coach. Except he needs some new ideas on the coordinating staff. There is no denying that there is something of a downward arc taking place with Texas and the BCS bowls.

This year, would losing to Texas again and losing a 6th straight BCS bowl be worth another raise?
Art Vandelay (4 years ago)
Stop with the "he got them to the championship game". As long as the BCS is around, no coach gets them to the championship game. The BCS chooses them for the Championship game.

Stoops is a very good coach. You don't need to fire him, but you don't give him a raise for losing 8 of his last 9 "big" games.
The Picker (4 years ago)
Art, well and accurately put.

PS: Has anybody noticed that the one poll used by the BCS comes from an operator based in this state?
Arbythree (4 years ago)
Picker, that is old news, very old news about the BCS Operator.
MexiMike (4 years ago)
Whether it is old news or not, it is still very relevant to this topic.

When you have an admitted OU fan running a poll that is used to determine the BCS standings, it does bring up questions of validity. How much was OU ahead of Texas in the BCS poll before the Big 12 championship game?

.012 points.

How much complaining would come from the Sooner fans had that poll been run by some geek in Austin and the point swing went the other way?

In a case where a $5 million salary is given based partly on the quality of bowl games Stoops has taken his team to, having a BCS pollster in your backyard certainly can't hurt your odds.
hadenuf (4 years ago)
Pick. I don't know if you convinced anyone else, but you sure didn't convince me. My point is that OU made it to the big dance. Sure they lost to highly ranked Texas, but who did Florida lose to? Ole Miss....... enough said. Did they deserve to be there? The BCS thought so. If the BCS was giving out trips to the championship just because they liked you, then Notre Dame would be there every year. By the way MexiMike, the rules were decided and voted upon by the coaches. Sure OU would have been upset if the tables had been turned, but those were the rules decided upon. There was nothing underhanded or sinister about the way the rule worked for OU, unless you are an OU hater, then anything goes. Why is it when we are dealt a bad blow and complain we are a bunch of whining babies, but if Texas complains it's completely understandable.
tulsandn (4 years ago)
The Big 12 didn't change the tie breaker rules that were so awful last year....

Stoopsie is a good coach but almost Steve Austin good, I don't think so....
MexiMike (4 years ago)
Hadenuf, you missed my point entirely. I agree that every coach agreed upon the rules and that nobody should complain about them (coaches, fans, or otherwise).

My point was about the dangers of having a person who is an avid fan of any team deciding the ranking of one of the polls that directly determines the BCS rankings. In this case, the pollster is an OU fan and with as slim of a margin as OU had over UT in being the team that represented the South in the Big 12 Championship, it's hard to believe that his voting was completely unbiased.
Lance-a-lot (4 years ago)
hadenuf is wound a little tight.
The Picker (4 years ago)
Former OU quarterback Watts lobbies for BCS.

A BCS poll originates in Oklahoma.

OU doesn't defeat a single high-quality team and gets in the national title game.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
ken7 (4 years ago)
Now picker u know the whole world is against the gooners. Just ask their sniveling little fans!!
hadenuf (4 years ago)
"OU doesn't defeat a single high-quality team and gets in the national title game."

That may come as a shock to many fans. You didn't really write that did you Pick? Surely someone hijacked your identity.
MexiMike (4 years ago)
"OU doesn't defeat a single high-quality team and gets in the national title game."

T-Tech was ranked #1 when OU beat them, correct? OSU was in the top #15.

Maybe those opponents don't look as "high quality" now, but they did at the time they played them...at least through the eyes of not only the BCS but also the coaches, AP voters, Las Vegas, etc.
MexiMike (4 years ago)
By the way, I love how nobody even cares about any other part of this blog. Pretty hilarious.
The Picker (4 years ago)
Tattoo, I think Stoops should be paid $1 million per win. The man is underpaid, no doubt about it.

But you have to admit it's almost a little funny, him getting raises after losing to Texas and losing another bowl!
Arbythree (4 years ago)
It is not only whether or not Stoops gets a win, some of the decision to increase his salary comes from the fact that the stadium is getting larger and there is not an empty seat in the house. AND getting to a title game, win or lose, is something to be rewarded in an of itself.

Stoops and company generate a lot of revenue for the Department.
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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