Bob Ford: Heads or tails and other bets

February 07, 2010|By Bob Ford, Inquirer Columnist

By now, we are all familiar with the various proposition bets that always accompany the Super Bowl and serve as proof that when it comes to excess, the Super Bowl is the only place to be.

You can bet on the outcome of the game, of course - ho-hum - and also bet on which team will score first, whether the team that scores first will win the game, how many interceptions will be thrown by Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, who will be named the MVP, how many field goals will be attempted, how many made, and on and on. If you choose to bet on the coin flip, heads will get a slight advantage, although no one has ever properly explained why.

It is a little known fact, but when the Eagles played the Patriots in the Super Bowl five years ago (yes, time does fly when you're winning nothing), you could make the following proposition bet:

Donovan McNabb will throw up:

In the first half, 12 to 1.

In the second half, 6 to 1.

Quite frequently, 3 to 1.

The casinos took a bath that day and, of course, after the game the grounds crew needed one as well.

Along with the standard football bets today, if you find the right off-shore betting parlor, you can make a wager on everything from the length of the national anthem that will be sung by Carrie Underwood (the over/under is somewhere around 1 minute, 42 seconds, which will leave her 13 minutes, 18 seconds on her personal Andy Warhol Fame Clock), the number of times Archie Manning will be shown during the broadcast (now, there's a drinking game), the exact hour and minute when the game will end, and the number of times Jim Nantz says, "Who Dat?"

The pros in Las Vegas stay away from offering bets of that sort, because, quite simply, they would like to keep Ms. Underwood honest. They will stick to the football stuff, content that time is always on their side and, usually, so are the odds.

Here at Inquirer Command Central, in keeping with the spirit of the day, we have some sports proposition bets to offer for the coming year. They are, naturally, for amusement purposes only, but might make for a nice diversion at the SugarHouse Casino, if it ever opens. If you see something you like, send your checks to Keep It Local. We'll need it eventually.