Back in the day I used to place a dollar or two wagers on sporting events. In 1985 Dwight Gooden was having one of the greatest pitching seasons in the history of baseball going 24-4 for the new day is dawning NY Mets. Not only was I caught up in the jubilation of Doc as a Mets fan, I was cashing in as an investor in Gooden’s pitching performances as well. Gooden’s season that year helped me take some chances with investments on underdogs since if I lost some money on a longshot I always had Doc as my U.S. Steel.
On August 25 of 1985, Dwight Gooden was going for his 20th win of the season and I was down a couple a three hundred bucks. The Mets were playing the Padres at Shea and I was not missing this game for anything, but before going to the game, I called my “investment banker” to make a substantial investment in this game as it had break even or better written all over it. The call went something like this:
Me: “Yo what’s up? it’s me, Irish” (We were the only Irish family in the heavily Italian /Jewish area of Boro Park)
Investment Banker (IB) “Hey how’s it hangin’
Me: “A little to the left HA! HA! (Brooklyn humor) wadda ya got on Mets-Padres
IB: 4
Me: 4? 4 what?
IB: 4 runs
Me: what da fuck is 4 runs?
IB: da line on da game. Mets is favored by 4 runs
Me: since when do you make a line with runs?
IB: Since Gooden started winning every fuckin’ start and costin’ me money
Me: but the Daily News has a line of 11-12 (the line there would be if you bet the Mets you would have to bet 11 bucks to win 5, if you bet the Pads you would bet 5 to win 12 really $5.50 the $.50 the vigorish)
IB: Then call da fuckin’ Daily News and bet wit dem. Ya lucky I’m takin’ any bets on dis game, only my regulars are getting a line everybody else its off da board so you should feel special you fuckin’ ingrate.
Me: OHHHH Whad da fuck ? Fine gimee da Mets 100 times
So what I did was bet $550 that the Mets behind Doc Gooden would not only beat the Padres but they would beat them by more the 4 runs. The Mets won 9-3 but it took 4 runs in the 7th and 1 in the 8th to seal my winning bet WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
I thought about this game and some other games I’d bet on while watching R.A. Dickey pitch last night for the Mets. When was the last time the Mets had such a dominant pitcher in the rotation? Pedro Martinez in 2005 was great but not dominant as Dickey. You have to go back to Dwight Gooden to find a Mets pitcher who was as good as R.A. Dickey has been this year for the Mets. Could you find two pitchers who are more opposite? I’ve haven’t looked a pitching betting line in a while, next time The Dickster starts I may have to peak. I wonder where that investment bankers number is and if he’ still in business?
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