It was the longest of longshots. As likely as All-Star Dan Gadzuric. But somehow, my wife signed off on the deal.
Yes… we’d do a week in Vegas.
You can’t overstate how surprising a development this was. Because Mrs. Sports Nut views Las Vegas like you view Gary Sheffield. And Vegas never booted balls on purpose to force a trade.
But Vegas is practically paying tourists to come to town these days. Combine that with swimming pools straight out of The Blue Lagoon, and it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
We head out Friday, so you’ll have to pardon my gambling mood. But here are some proposition bets I’d love to see in Sin City.
Odds that Brett Favre plays for the Minnesota Vikings: 2-to-5
It would be the safest bet in Vegas. Don’t be fooled by the latest episode of “As The Favre Churns,” with sources telling ESPN that Brett is “anguished” over what to do. Because if you’ve been paying attention, Brett’s probably anguished about which socks to wear. But that doesn’t mean he’s not coming back. Look at everything he’s done to get to this point. Suffered through a season in New York. Wrangled his way out of New York. Suffered through the debut of “Joe Buck Live.” Courted the Vikings. Let doctors cut him open with a scalpel. Spent his summer doing post-surgical rehab. Dropped $30,000 on a Minneapolis condo deposit. Ruined his legacy with two-thirds of Packers Nation. And now he’s gonna back out? Please. Does Brett strike you as a guy who’d wait two hours to ride a roller coaster, then back out at the front of the line? He’s playing. Because he needs somebody to cheer for him, and those cheers sure won’t be coming from Wisconsin. Odds that the Brewers trade for a pitcher: 2-to-1 It’s no surprise that the talks about the Brewers trading for Jarrod Washburn have reached a boiling point. The surprise is that some think Milwaukee super prospect Alcides Escobar, not J.J. Hardy, is more likely to be part of a package for Washburn. I can’t imagine that Doug Melvin, the same guy who was reluctant to trade Escobar for a stud like Roy Halladay, would suddenly be willing to trade Escobar for an average starter like Washburn. I suppose if Seattle sweetened the pot somehow, Melvin might change his mind, but do the Mariners have that much sugar? Still, even if the Washburn deal falls through, I still think the Brewers will get somebody. Perhaps Oakland’s Justin Duchscherer. Maybe Cincy’s Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang. Perhaps Cleveland’s Cliff Lee. And there’s still the possibility that Melvin shocks everyone and lands that big fish named Halladay. (Remember how out-of-the-blue Sabathia was last season.) Plus, it wouldn’t shock me if a bullpen arm comes along for the ride. Odds the Brewers will ever win another day game: 12-to-1 Yes, they’re really 1-12 in their last 13 day games. And 11-22 in such games for the season. Are we fielding a team of vampires or what? Maybe they need to call Brooke Shields. Odds the Brewers make the playoffs: 5-to-1 The rough patch has officially turned into a slump. Once 11 games over .500, the Brewers entered the week dead even at 49-49 and in fourth place in the N.L. Central. Now granted, they’re only three games off the division lead, because none of their rivals are setting the world on fire, either. But it’s beginning to look like the division title is the lone path to the playoffs. The N.L. Wild Card race is, in a word, muddled. Six teams are ahead of the Brewers. Put another way, the only teams trailing Milwaukee for the Wild Card are the injury-riddled Mets, followed by the Reds, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Padres and Nationals. So yes, a return to the postseason is far from certain. But it’s also far from impossible. The Brewers have played their worst baseball of the season for about a month, and they’re still legitimate contenders. Felipe Lopez will make this offense better, and a trade for pitching could jumpstart a team that’s due for success. Especially with the relatively soft schedule on tap. Odds the Milwaukee Wave will stay afloat: 1.5-to-1 Once two weeks away from oblivion, the Milwaukee Wave may finally have its savior. It looks like businessman Jim Lindenberg is stepping in to buy the Wave, provided certain conditions are met. The main condition, apparently, is selling 1,000 season tickets, and the team’s Save the Wave campaign has already netted 600 season-ticket commitments, ostensibly with no serious sales push. Now that outgoing owner Charles Krause has rehired previously laid-off front office employees, you have to think the Wave can come up with 400 more ticket buyers. At $200 for a full season, it’s one of the best entertainment buys in the city. Odds the Packers make the playoffs: 3-to-1 Peter King’s back from vacation, so training camp must be just around the corner. And he relayed this stat. For 13 straight seasons, at least five teams have made the NFL playoffs after not doing so the previous season. In the so-so NFC, that has to bode well for the Green Bay Packers, who may have been the best 6-10 team in history last season. Odds Brandon Jennings is a star for the Milwaukee Bucks: 6-to-1 The early returns have been great for Milwaukee’s first-round pick. Could he turn into the point guard that the Bucks missed by passing on Chris Paul? Maybe that’s a bit much to ask, but I’m guessing he’s shown enough to Bucks brass that they’ll let restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions walk to the New York Knicks. As good as Jennings looked, however, it hasn’t stopped the national media from banging on the Bucks. Charley Rosen thinks they’ll be the second-worst team in the entire league. That seems harsh. Richard Jefferson wasn’t that good. Odds Milwaukee’s PGA Tour stop stays afloat: 15-to-1 It’s been a week since the golfers left town and there are no new developments in the race to save PGA golf in Milwaukee. Yes, I’d like to share Jerry Kelly’s 90 percent certainty that a deal will be struck. I’d also like to believe there’s a 90 percent chance I’ll leave Vegas as a winner. Unfortunately… Odds I’ll make money in Vegas: 100-to-1 But the Brewers do play a day game at San Diego next weekend. Hmm… wonder who’s pitching for the Padres. Odds I’ll have a new Sports Nut column on Aug. 3: 1,000-to-1 Sorry. It’s just too dangerous to use a laptop in a swimming pool. So we’ll see you on Aug. 10. No ballgame to watch? No problem. Check out our new TV Guru column to get the lowdown on your remote control options. Feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I tweet as howiemag. And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.
