It's all downhill from here
This is not a picture of Wayne Gretzky going downhill. It's Canadian skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis doing a bit of training for the men's downhill in Turin's 2006 Winter Olympics.The Great One will not be far behind him, in more ways than one. Am I the only one confused about the rules of gambling? It's okay to make bets but not okay to take them? Or, it's okay to bet $20 at the office or maybe bet on a horse once in a while (did his "Bettor Half" say that?) but not okay to put down $5,000 on a coin toss? Who is making up these rules?
posted by Ken @ 12:39 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
actually, it is illegal to make a $20 bet at the office too. But the fact that it is rarely enforced helps blur the tricky distinction btwn illegal and legal betting.
If Ben Johnson provided a major hurdle for Canada to overcome, this will be our mt everest. He's our Billy Graham to sports.
You've got that right. I wonder when it will be our turn to say "I didn't do it"? I thought it would never happen to old Gretz.
Another good reason why a guy should not live too far away from his wife.
Seems like there are a lot of double standards with this game. I think it's considered okay as long as the government is involved and they get their proper cut. When it's an illegal professional ring involving huge amounts of cash, as in this case, then it spells trouble.
What people find perplexing is that he implied not knowing about his wife's invlovement when the wire taps apparently indicate that he did.
I agree that illegal professional "rings" and large amounts of cash will ellicit attention moreso than office betting on the superbowl, but that hardly justifies decrying it.
If one is cynical about govts, then how about charities which have contributed to significant expansion of gaming in canada and who share about 20% of gaming revenue?
I don't think it is the size of bet (though a $20 spot would hardly have garnered any attention). It's that Mr. Clean has been sullied. If he'd committed adultery, it would have washed off relatively quickly. But this is the cardinal sin of sports.
For hockey players, the cardinal sin is making NHL wagers, legal or otherwise. Apparently, they're free to throw their money away on other sporting event. So, the bets handled by Tocchet and Company were supposedly only placed on football games, and in Janet's case, the coin toss as well as the game winner. The Clandestine nature of the cash flow (made under the guise of "rent" payments) tells you the whole enterprize smacks of something a tad off colour.
That said, it looks like Wayne was truly in the dark, which is still a bit baffling. Although, hockey players' wives have been known to have huge unmonitored (is that a word?) allowances.
Huge unmonitored allowances indeed. As a young "pastor's wife" with 4 children ekeing out an existance in the 70's I was asked by a professional hockey player who attended our church if I thought $1000 a month spending money for his wife was enough. That was for her personally, not groceries etc. He was asking the wrong person!
Moral of the story: don't let your mate mingle with highly paid friends. If she doesn't have an allowance, she will definitely want one. If she already has one, it will make you look like a skinflint. Trust me.
wife allowance??? egads!!
do they allow them to speak in church too?
But then, since they surely aren't working (outside the home, that is) I guess some spending money is warranted, eh? Let's just hope the republicans put a stop to such allowances being unmonitored!
to shame.
Post a Comment
<< Home