Oh, how I feel the agony of defeat.

Last weekend was a terrible display of bad beats and wagering miscues.

The weekend all started in an innocent and winning way. I have a friend who went to Penn State and I know that secretly he has a cardboard cutout of JoePa in his house. I called him about 1 hour before the Penn State/Temple game and said, “This year the Owls look pretty good. I think they have a chance.” He laughed. I told him that I had $20 if he would like to wager on his beloved Nittany Lions. He asked the spread. I told him 14 and then added, “I know you hate pointspreads, so I’ll take 10.” Of course, Temple ends up covering the 10 and he complains. I gave him 4 points and he still says “Penn State won.” However, I insist that it’s not how many you win or lose, it’s how many you cover! I counted the first victory of the weekend and stopped by his house that night to a) rub it in and b) collect. It wasn’t that I need the 20 bucks or that I thought he wasn’t going to pay, it’s just that money won is much sweeter than money earned.

But, that was it. My NFL wagering was a losing proposition due to a series of bad beats.

For starters, I loved the Saints. The Falcons come to town and at this point the Saints are flying high. I look at the game and see the Saints as a 5-6 point favorite. I liked them so much I bet them at the dreaded price of (-3) -120. First mistake of the weekend, paying -120. I bet 36 to win 30 and, needless to say, can’t believe when the now unemployed Saints kicker, now known at wagerkiller, misses from only 29 yards in OT. I was sooooo close to a cover. As if this wasn’t bad enough, it set the stage for an even more amazing loss.

Yes, I had the Lions. What was I thinking, betting on a team this bad? Mistake #2, betting on bad teams. Still, I looked like a genius in the fourth quarter. With nearly 8 minutes left the Lions drive down to the 4 yard line. YES, victory is mine. No, Dude throws an interception. I reach for another beer. But wait, there’s hope. The Vikings go four-and-out and my now beloved Lions get the ball back with 2:12 left on the clock. Again, they drive down the field. I learn that  the dude at quarterback is Shaun Hill. I love Shaun who. The drive continues all the way to the 10. 2nd and 4 at the 10 yard line less than a minute to go. Can you say Backdoor Cover (a play in which your team scores to cover, they still lose, but you  still cash) with less than a minute left? Again I am crushed. Within a few seconds the backdoor is slammed shut and another interception in the endzone sends me to the fridge, again. Shaun Hill’s name will never be forgotten. OUCH, another $33 lost in the final minutes.

My weekly two-teamer also lost, as I had the Titans (+3) and the under in the Niners/KC game, a game in which a garbage touchdown with less than 2 minutes by the Niners cost me a $52 winner.

For the late games, my brother-in-law stopped by. We tend to watch a lot of games over the course of 17 weeks and he always roots for my plays to cash, and quite often, he brings more cold refreshments.

I have the Skins. I watched McNabb look like a Pro-Bowler for the first two weeks and saw a weak pass defense in the Rams secondary. But, it was evident early on, that I was also on the wrong side of this one. About halfway through the 2nd quarter, my bro turns to me and says, “ You bet on McNabb?” That about sums up my whole weekend. The guy I see as killing it, gets dissed; like I am an idiot for placing my faith in the aged superstar. Another $33 goes poof.

The only bright spot (and winner) was the Eagles. Playing on Vick with both fists, I was able to recoup some of the earlier losses. A $44 bet to win $40 was an easy winner by the third quarter. Now this week, there is the whole Vick/McNabb matchup. Who do you think I’ll bet betting on?

I was so disgusted at having three of my plays lose in the last minutes, that I did not play either the Sunday night or Monday night games. And it’s a good thing, I liked the Pack on MNF.

After a dismal weekend, losing 82 bucks, I am now down $86 for the year. Week 4 of the NFL is right around the corner. Hopefully, those last minute plays go my way this week.

Check back with next week’s Confessions mid-week. Good Luck to all of us this weekend!