Weekend! Wagering! Winning!
By: Jamie Samuelsen
A couple of weeks ago, I debuted this Friday post and basically gave you a dozen guarantees. I nailed Michigan taking out Illinois and Michigan State losing closely at Ohio State. And I pretty nearly gave you every single major award winner at the Oscars. (Still smarting about Ang Lee beating out Spielberg. I'd imagine Steve is too.)
So with the wind at my back, here are a few more gems to let you enjoy the weekend and make some cash on the side.
THE RED WINGS WILL SWEEP THE WEEKEND
Detroit has a home-and-home with the Blue Jackets starting tomorrow afternoon in Columbus. Not sure if you've noticed, but the Wings have played their way up to second in the division and a tie for third in the conference. The defense has been much, much better (crazy what healthy skaters can do for you). And Jimmy Howard has been outstanding. The Wings have shut out their opponents in the first two periods in each of their last five games. It gets dicey after this weekend as Detroit heads west – so it will be a crucial four points in these two games. They'll get all four of them.
FOUR WAY TIE FOR THE TITLE
Michigan State will beat Northwestern. That's a gimme. Ohio State will take down Illinois at home, a virtual lock. So it will all come down to Michigan and Indiana at Crisler Center. Michigan hasn't lost a home game all season even thought they give MSU every chance last Sunday. But they're not losing this one. Not on Senior Day. Not with a Big Ten title and perhaps an NCAA #1 seed on the line. The Hoosiers cut down the nets at Assembly Hall after losing to Ohio State last Tuesday. It remains one of the weakest, most inexplicable things I've ever heard in sports. They don't get renewed emotion after that and win in Ann Arbor. Michigan, MSU, Indiana and Ohio State are quad-champs of the Big Ten.
OZ HAS FLAWS
Oz : The Great and Powerful debuts at the movie theaters today. The reviews have been tepid to mediocre. I bet it's a bit of a dud. I'm sure it will be the #1 movie at the box office this weekend, but it will finish far below financial expectations. First, nobody quite gets what it's about. Second, James Franco is a terrific actor, but he's not yet a name that automatically draws movie-goers to the box office. When Entertainment Weekly does it's "Winners and Losers" at the end of the year, Oz will be viewed as a loser.
There you go. If you can get anyone to take your "Oz won't be a huge hit" bet, let me know. I'd love to meet that bookie.
