My Odd Little Nice Day

The freak snow "storm" that showed up today (more like rain/snow/occasional sleet with much of the snow and sleet melting upon impact and the rest disappearing tomorrow) was the setting for a weird, fluky but ultimately rather good day.

It started with my alarm going off at 9:15 this morning (well, technically yesterday morning since I'm writing this a little past midnight, but go with me here). I turned it off and went back to sleep. I dreamed that the Phillies were playing, and I was suddenly called in to play third base. I was so excited! Then the batter hit a soft line drive that clanked off my glove for an error that allowed a run to score. At this point there was a pitching change, and I decided to run into the clubhouse for some reason. I was walking around, talking to someone in there for a couple of minutes. Then I heard a noise and realize that the game resumed without me. I wasn't bothered by this. I was like "Oh, well" -- and then I went out into the seats and sat down to watch more of the game. (And then I found myself out on a street with all of my family. Not sure why.)

I woke up, looked at the clock radio...and it had no time. My power had gone out. I checked my watch -- it was 10:30. I looked out my bedroom window and saw that the rain that began while I was asleep had already mixed with snow, earlier than predicted by the forecasters. I went down into my basement to check the fuse box (although why would it be a blown fuse? Hardly any electricity was being used at that time). Then I called PECO to see if they were aware of it (their automated system said they were working on it). I checked the clock that's on my oven, and saw that it was stopped at 10:15, meaning it hadn't been out long.

A little after 11, the power returned. Just then, I looked out my window and saw a FedEx truck, and there was a knock on my door. The driver had left a package. It was maybe five feet long, but not heavy at all. It was marked "fragile." I don't know why but I thought it might be a fishing rod or two. Although it had my house address on it, it had someone else's name. Perplexed, I brought it inside, went upstairs to shower and get dressed.

Another reason Canada rules, USA drools

There's a free preview of the NHL Center Ice game package. Until October 24th I've got 14 channels showing out-of-market NHL games. When there aren't too many games, they'll carry both teams' feeds. Tonight there's only one game: Columbus at Vancouver. So I'm watching the Vancouver feed, and during a commercial break there's an ad for the local lottery. In British Columbia (and perhaps other Canadian provinces as well), local residents can play the lottery online. They can play the usual daily number games and the national Lotto (think Powerball or MegaMillions), plus Keno, "Pacific Hold-em" Poker and even sports betting. And they can do it all online.

Try playing a lottery number online in Pennsylvania. Buy a Powerball ticket online? Not here. As for sports betting, well, as David Letterman said the other night, do you feel like a little story?

This year the state of Delaware announced a plan to begin single-game wagering on sports. The Delaware Park racetrack and slots parlor spent lots of money to open up a sports book like those in Las Vegas casinos. A federal law passed in 1992 banning sports gambling exempted Delaware because, in 1976, they ran a game in which you could place parlay bets -- meaning, you had to pick winners in at least 3 games -- on NFL games. It was such a failure that they ended the game within a year.

The major pro sports leagues and the NCAA filed lawsuits to stop Delaware's sports betting, and a Federal appeals court put a halt to Delaware's plan. The court ruled that the law states that the exemption is limited to the parlay betting game previously run by the state, and no other type of sports wagering. So the state (which was depending on revenue from sports betting to help balance the budget) and the racetrack (which now has a sports book that's practically useless) are screwed. They did go ahead with a new version of the game they tried in 1976. I doubt it will be much more successful than the old one.

It's the NFL's stance that is particularly hypocritical. Football wouldn't be as popular without the betting (both legal and illegal) that revolves around the sport. The point spreads are widely available, even on shows by the TV networks carrying NFL games. The multitude of betting odds given on the Super Bowl -- even extending to things like the length of the national anthem -- give the game even more hype than it gets on its own. If the league is so concerned with gambling, why is ESPN and NBC and Fox allowed to hype the point spreads on their shows and websites? Why doesn't the NFL try and get a law passed to shut down the Vegas sports books?

Whether it's sports betting and buying lottery tickets online or including a public option in health care reform, the question is the same: if Canada can do it, why can't the United States of America do it?