2001 Trip to Vegas from California. Lost 8.8K on Sunday night NFL football game Arizona Cardinals versus Denver Broncos. 4K on first half and 4K on second half. Image from this game is idiot Arizona coach Joe Bugle jumping up and down on the sideline waving his arms (full circle like a clock) at the end of the first half trying to get his team to rush up and spike the ball and stop the clock...lol.
Sunday, September 23, 2001
Denver Broncos (8-8-0) 0 17 14 7 38
Arizona Cardinals (7-9-0) 3 7 0 7 17
Wake up Monday, sell some stock, wire to bank, go to bank, get 10K. Play the Washington Redskins with Jeff George plus 9 points against Green Bay, on Monday Night football.
Packers shut out reeling Redskins - ESPN.com
sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=210924009
9/24/2001. 0 Shares. Email ... (AP) - ... The Packers routed the Redskins 37-0 Monday night.
That was Jeff George's final game. He never took another snap in the NFL...lol.
Washington released George on the heels of a 37-0 Monday Night loss to the Green Bay Packers. After the game, George had a 34.6 passer rating, ranking last in the NFL
Drive back to California, gather my thoughts, sell some more stock, wire to bank, go to bank, get 18K. Drive back to Vegas and play $17,600 to win $16,000 on Pitt Panthers plus 28 against powerhouse number one ranked Miami Hurricanes on Thursday night football on ESPN.
Pitt down 26 (40-14) with 1.18 left and Miami coach Coker sends in field goal unit instead of running it out (or courtesy run into the line). Kick is good, from a reasonably long at the time 38 yards (no reason to kick there). I am sitting at Caesars Palace away from everybody in the racebook. The announcer Lee Corso goes: "Oh My Goodness" or something to the effect, knowing that the kick covered the spread. A guy from over on the sportsbook side (at the time), let's out a "Haaaaaaaaaaaaa" kind of laughing that they would kick. I am stunned. Miami 43 Pitt 14. Pitt plus 28 is gonna be a loser. Wow. Pitt gets the ball back with just over a minute, down 29, and I am on the verge of losing another 17.6K, for one of the great bankroll blowouts of all-time for me.
So Pitt drives the ball a bit during that last minute and is down 43-14 with 21 seconds left (down 29, getting 28, gonna lose this), and it is 4th down, but they are at the Miami 20 or so. The other announcer Mike Tirico goes: "Perhaps the final snap", and the Pitt QB goes back to pass and throws it over the head of a Pitt receiver in the end zone to end the game. Incomplete.
But wait, Miami redshirt freshman Sean Taylor launches himself into the receiver's head after the ball had already flown over his head and landed and they throw a late flag and put the ball 1st and goal at the 3 yard line. Sean Taylor died a few years ago (Redskins player). Looked like a questionable call, but it gave me life.
First play from scrimmage Pitt QB Rutherford take the snap and makes a nifty semi bootleg and lunge to the end zone (game over if stopped on the play). Extra point is good (not that it was important), and the score is now 43-21. I am now covering, but there are still 15 seconds or so left. Miami was just the type of team that would try to run back the onside kick that I knew was coming. First of all, why even onside kick it? But they tried the onside, and I never was so nervous in my life of having something so highly improbably happen to me. I mean, the odds had to be thousands to one that Miami would run that squib kick back. Most would think it was over, but I sweated it. Pitt tries the on sides, and Miami tries to grab it and run, but Miami gets stopped.
Now I am sweating them running a play up the middle for a score with 10 seconds left. I mean, if you are going to kick a 38 yard field goal with 1.18 left while up 40-14, why not run it in on me for the worst beat of all time? Can't remember if they ran it up the middle or took a knee, but it was finally over and I got even for Sunday and Monday. 43-21 final. Winner.
Here are the highlights that I found online a few years ago. They show the late field goal that put the dagger on me, and they showed the pass interference that gave me life. They didn't show the Pitt QB running it in though, but you can see that it happened by the score changing. It was unbelievable to go through. Wow.
It is still the biggest bet I ever made, and since I won it, I figured I would not go down that road again. I can say that I won my biggest bet ever, and it was one helluva journey. Here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXf0Y2AZg4
Here's the box score from the game
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/playby...00221&period=4
38 yard field goal by Todd Sievers (MIA) is good at 1:18
4th and 10 at the Hurricanes 18
15 yard penalty on Hurricanes.
1st and Goal at the Hurricanes 3 Rod Rutherford (PITT) rushed up the middle for a 3 yard touchdown. at 0:15 Extra Point is good. 43-21.
MIA PITT
1st and 10 at the Hurricanes 45 Derrick Crudup (MIA) rushed left side for -1 yards. 43 21
End of Game
Last edited by shawston; 07-23-2015 at 12:29 AM.