The Boys of Summer

This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday. It will be celebrated at most gambling casinos around the country in various ways.

At Talking Stick and Wild Horse Pass casinos in Arizona, the management will add splash pots of $100 each time a touchdown is scored. Some casinos may pay off customers according to the scores at the end of each quarter.

I was a sports bettor for some time but no longer follow the National Football League. Therefore I have no advice on which time you should back with your money in the Super Bowl. My first inclination would be Carolina -- but that is simply a hunch with little to back it.

No, I am looking forward to the major league baseball season. That is where the real action lies for me and many of my friends in the greater Phoenix area.

Many casinos include sports betting as part of their offering to the public. Here in Arizona we have several ball parks where teams do their spring training. There is a large training facility near Talking Stick, for example, and another one within a few miles of Phoenix.

I grew up as a Pirate fan. I covered the Pirates when they won the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees, thanks to a bases loaded homerun by Bill Mazeroski. I later covered Mazeroski's wedding reception in Irwin, PA. where I worked for a weekly newspaper. There I met the members of the Pirate ball club and shook hands with Danny Murtaugh, Frank Thomas, Dale Long, Bob Skinner, Vernon Law and the legendary Roberto Clemente.

Since I moved to Phoenix, I have changed my allegiance from the Pirates to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D-backs as we call them have an exciting ball club that should enjoy a good season. Last year, they played a good brand of baseball and lost a lot of games that they could have won. They finished with less than a .500 winning season. I think that is going to change in 2016. In fact, I am willing to bet my money on that notion.

Arizona added a new starting pitcher to its lineup and in the major leagues, good pitching is absolutely necessary for a winning season. I am going to predict that the Diamondbacks will win a lot more of the close ones this season than they did last year.

The Diamondbacks already have the hitting power. They seem to relish playing come-from-behind baseball and have won many of their games in late innings. Even more important in my book, the boys of summer seem to enjoy playing baseball. They share their excitement with the fans and that makes their games much more fun to watch.

Pick out your favorite teams and go with the good pitching. In every three or four-game series, remember that the first game is important if the team is going to dominate the series.

It's a long season when you're playing 160 games. Find a good wagering outlet, map out the statistics and make your choices. You'll find that watching a baseball game on television becomes much more interesting when you have money riding on the outcome.

Finally, I think the D'backs will get off to a good start. Why shouldn't they? They know their recorder should have been better last year. They have the hitting, their fielding is outstanding, and they have the pitching and management to make them a contender. Let the games begin.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).