Propper Betting

Half the fun in Super Bowl wagering these days is betting on and cheering in props.

"The propositions are huge," said the MGM-Mirage's Robert Walker, who oversees 13 Nevada bet shops.

"We've gotten to the point where the money we take in on propositions equals the game handle," said the Palms' Rich Baccellieri. "There's too many to keep track of."

Likewise, "Whatever we put up, they want more," he said.

"Right now we have a bunch out linked to Tiger Woods (the world's No. 1 golfer who was tied for the lead going into the fourth round of the Dubai Desert Classic)."

Caesars Palace's Chuck Esposito pointed out this is the 20th year of the city's first Super Bowl proposition, which was a simple "yes" or "no" on whether Chicago's William "The Refrigerator" Perry would score a touchdown againt the New England Patriots.

He recalled how crestfallen the city's bookmakers were when the Fridge lumbered across the goal line in a Bears' rout.

"We had to rethink the situation and our decision was to put up a hundred props, only in our case to link them all to the game," said MGM-Mirage's Robert Walker, who was at the Stardust then. "There were no hook-ups to other sports."

Meanwhile, within a few years, an innovative young bookmaker named Jay Kornegay, now of the Las Vegas Hilton, was beginning to establish a niche at the Imperial Palace.

One Super Bowl, Kornegay posted about 150 offerings; he immediately became known as Sin City's king of props.

This year, the Hilton hung more than 300, many linked to other sports such as college and pro basketball, pro hockey and soccer.

Word behind the scenes is that rivals at other bet shops repeatedly have tried to pilfer Kornegay's scepter, but the crown and title still stick -- even though some books claim 400, 500 or more propositions this time around.

"I don't know what the big deal is, but it seems important to have more propositions and to get them up faster than Jay Kornegay," said one Strip ticketwriter.

The Palms' Baccellieri rembered that propositions became known as "the game within a game."

"There are so many places for bettors to pick their spots," he said.

Kornegay observed that props have become such an important part of the overall Super Bowl betting picture that after accommodating bettors at the windows, bookmakers spend half of the first quarter holding their collective breath to see how between 20 and 30 props will fare.

"Then," he said, "we can take a little break before we start on the second half betting lines," Kornegay said.

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Armchair Olympian

I am not a die-hard sports enthusiast, but confess I enjoyed watching the winter Olympics held in Turino Italy. It was nice to watch something positive and motivational for a change and to delight in some truly amazing and generous acts. I find the wide variety of sports showcased fascinating, proving there is a lot one can do in cold climates of winter!

Consider the spectrum of sports. There are the many varieties of skiing. The downhill event has skiers reaching speeds of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph), you get speeding tickets for going that fast in a car! Imagine what it takes to be a ski jumper as you attempt to imitate flight and defy gravity the longest once you are airborne. Picture the freestyle skiers who twist and turn in the air so fast I don't know how the commentators can describe their incredible aerial feats. The cross-country skiers have tremendous endurance, and some stop to shoot rifles while trying to manage their beating hearts and gasping lungs.

We were witness to a newer Olympic event that debuted in Nagano in 1998, snowboarding. I think the snowboarders had the most fun creating their lexicon when they speak of a McTwist, Fakie, Duckfoot, an Ollie or a Nollie! Didn't it just used to be Narly ... or was that suffer speak and I've just dated myself?

There are those flashy speed skaters in their skin-tight outfits who fly around an oval ice surface at up to 60 km per hour (37 mph) battling G forces in the turns. The figure skaters entertained us with their dance routines and inspiring jumps. They also showed tremendous grit when Zhang Dan a Chinese pairs figure skater had a spectacular fall which made anyone watching cringe. To our disbelief, this 20 year old got up, completed the routine, and won the silver medal. Awesome.

We can't forget the curlers. A sport many find strange, but appreciate the accuracy involved in curling your rock down a 44 meter (49 yard) ice surface and trying to hit a bulls eye with two sweepers helping control speed and direction of a heavy stone, while you opponent is attempting to block you or knock you on every throw. Lots of yelling and physics accompany this sport! Imagine four Newfoundlanders winning the gold - talk about a party when they get home!

There is the luge where, depending on the event, one or two people lie on their backs on a sled going down a tight twisty run ... feet first. You might think that is scary enough until you see those in the skeleton event, maybe appropriately named. These athletes go down a steep ice track, on a sled, that has no brakes, headfirst. Hmmm ... where do they find people to do this?

Then there is ice hockey. Grown men and women strap on boots with blades on the bottom, use curved sticks to shoot a hard rubber disk in the opponents net. This happens as they skate at up to 50 km per hour (30 mph) and shoot the puck at over 150 km per hour (95 mph) while maneuvering around on ice. A shame both the NHL laden U.S.A. and Canadian teams didn't even make it to the semi-finals. Perhaps too much talent, not enough "team".

Over the 17-day period, 2,500 athletes from 85 nations competed for 84 medals in seven sports. We shared the pride of those on the podium as they smiled or cried as their national anthem played before the world. Two single acts at this twentieth Olympic Games stand out in my mind and will for many years.

I applaud gold medalist Joey Cheek, the USA speed skater for donating his $25,000 bonus to Right to Play, an organization of former Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes worldwide who support using sport for development, health and peace. Good for you Joey, you are an inspiration to many.

Perhaps the defining moment of the Games was when Sara Renner, a Canadian broke her ski pole in a cross-country team sprint event. A Norwegian coach gave her a pole to finish the race. She and teammate Beckie Scott went on to win the silver medal. To me this unselfish act defines sportsmanship and is hard evidence the true Olympic spirit lives on. See you in Vancouver in 2010.

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Hello from Toronto: The City Viewed Through the Eyes of First-Time Visitors

So my brother is in town, together with his wife and 2 friends from my little home town in Austria. It is everybody's first time in North America and their initiation to Toronto. Just to give you ideas of dimensions: Austria has a population of about 9 million and the country extends about 900 km from east to west while the Greater Toronto area nowadays probably has about 4 to 5 million people and Lake Ontario alone is over 300 km long. The first thing my visitors noticed was the difference in size: the size of the city, the size of the lake, the size of cars, the size of supermarkets, and even of refrigerators.

On Sunday we started off with a little driving tour of Toronto where I first took my visitors down to the lakefront by the historic Art Deco style R.C. Filtration Plant. All of them love water and to have a lake as big as an ocean so close by fascinated them. After a leisurely drive on Queen Street through the quaint Beaches neighbourhood we parked the car close to the St. Lawrence Market and started our walk around.

Since my brother is a chef and always loves to purchase market-fresh food, I initially took him to the St. Lawrence Market which always has an antique sale on Sunday. The food market is actually closed on Sunday. We checked out the wares from old furniture to cameras to various knick-knacks.

Our exploration continued westwards along Front Street past historic 19th century houses and of course past the famous triangular-shaped Flatiron Building which has a mural on its west side. Approaching Yonge Street we walked past the Hockey Hall of Fame, a historic Beaux-Arts former bank building, the magnificent Royal York Hotel, built in 1929, once the largest hotel in the British Commonwealth.

One of the things that fascinated my visitors most was how old and new can coexist right next to each other: shiny skyscrapers are located right beside historic sandstone churches. Our walking tour continued past Union Station, Toronto's impressive central railway station, built between 1914 and 1927 as a joint construction project by the Canadian Pacific Railway and Grand Trunk Railway (now the Canadian National Railway). Its monumental scale, classical detail and rational, ordered planning were hallmarks of the style. The station is massive and takes up an entire block on Front Street between York Street and Bay Street. The Great Hall of the Station is 250 ft. long and 84 ft. wide.

Our walk continued further west on Front Street past the Convention Centre to the base of the CN Tower and the entrance to the Skydome, Toronto's multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof, now called the Rogers Centre. We then snaked our way up through the Entertainment District to Queen Street where we admired Osgoode Hall, built in the 1830s, and now an oasis of green in the city. An ornate iron fence, built in 1867, renowned for its peculiar "cow gates," surrounds the property and its beautiful gardens. The cow gates in particular fascinated my visitors.

Our next stop was at New City Hall and Old City Hall, opened in 1899, which racked up construction costs of more than $2.5 million at the time which caused great controversy in those days. Continuing past the Bay Department Store on Queen we passed the Metropolitan United Church, an English style cathedral dating from 1872, whose churchyard was filled with people enjoying the warm day.

Once back in the car we drove through the U of T campus, my Alma Mater and we stopped briefly to check out Hart House and Kings College. Then we headed down to Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas and my visitors marvelled at this exotic, busy market area. Our last stop on the tour was Kensington Market, a lively little neighbourhood full of food and clothing stories and restaurants where we ended up picking up fresh vegetables, dry beans, and a variety of cheeses for some of the scrumptious meals to come. My brother, the chef, marvelled at the variety of food avialable here, combined with the inexpensive prices a food lover's dream.

We took our loot home where my husband was waiting for us with a big brunch to strengthen ourselves for attending a birthday party of one of my friends that had the motto of "let out your inner child". The party was unique in that it involved such time-honoured Toronto traditions as hitting a piada while a bunch of adults were playing with water guns, chasing one another around the house with buckets of water dropping on the combatants from the second floor.

I think our visitors had a full day, from getting a first taste of Toronto, to participating in a rather eventful birthday party, their first impressions were very positive and they were looking forward to exploring more of this exciting city.

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