That Was One Hell Of A Horse Race !

I went on a Saturday night AREA 51 road trip with my pal Emilio who I had not seen in about three weeks. We went to several places, but our main intent was to go to the Cigar Club and see the super lightweight boxing championship match between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. Of course, like some boxing matches, occasionally a poker game breaks out and that works too.

The Pacquiao-Hatton fight was an interesting match-up, but the very talented Pacquiao was pinpoint accurate with his powerful punches and knocked Hatton down twice in the first round. In the closing minute of the second round, Pacquiao caught Hatton with a thunderous left hook and Hatton was out before he hit the canvas. Hatton was counted out at 2:59 of the second round and Pacquiao won by knockout.

I enjoyed the brief but impressive fight and afterwards the group returned to the poker table. I really wasn't in the mood to play poker although I sat down briefly and made my donation. It was great to see my pal Jerry again and I'm relatively sure he did fairly well for the evening. We left the Cigar Club around 2:30 am and I was home by around 3:30.

The 135th Kentucky Derby lived up to to everything I expected it to be and more. Although the expected spring sunshine gave way to an overcast day, it didn't stop the many fans and spectators from seeing one of the most exciting, come from behind, finishes in history.

Calvin Borel, the 2007 Kentucky winner aboard the fabulous colt, Street Sense, once again came from the rear of the field aboard 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird and won the race going away by 6 and 3/4 lengths. Pioneer of the Nile was second followed by Musket Man another nose back in third. Mine That Bird ran the one mile race on a sloppy track and paid $103.20, $54.00 and $25.80.

A Lottery Alert: NBC, an organization for whom I normally have disdain for due to their slanted and biased pro-left position, did a great job Sunday evening in its Dateline news magazine expose of the California lottery system.

It seems that lottery operators and their families were personally cashing in an excessively high amount of lottery tickets and scratch-offs. In a sting-like operation involving random retail operators, undercover investigators went into retail establishments with a number of scratch off tickets, one of which was a winner of $1,000.

The investigators gave the tickets to the clerk to be checked and asked the clerk to check the tickets while they completed their shopping. When they returned, they then asked the clerk if they had any winners. Most of the retailers told the truth and explained how to redeem the winnings. Quite a few, however, said that none of the tickets were winners. The customer (investigator) then thanked the clerk and left the store.

Speaking of thieves, this looks like a good place for a stick-up (mask).

After waiting a period of weeks, the investigators then made an organized sweep and went to each of the stores that the lotto fraud occurred and confronted the operators in person and on camera. Needless to say, each and every operator feigned innocence or ignorance until shown the video of the customer actually giving the tickets to the retailer.

Every retailer involved was arrested on the spot. All plead guilty and received a sentence of four months in jail, a three year probation, a fine, and had their lottery retail operation removed. Curiously, the amount of cashed scratch off tickets by lottery retailers and their families have been significantly reduced.

This type of lottery fraud by retailers goes on all across the nation. The New York Lottery, when contacted by Dateline to perform the same undercover operation, declined the offer and asked NBC to cease and desist any undercover operations. Additionally, the New York lottery sent out warnings to all retail operators to beware of NBC and any types of unusual operations. Duh!? Do you thing there's any fraud happening in New York City?

I have personally seen this happen in the Florida lottery and I highly recommend that you check all of your lottery tickets and scratch-offs online. Judging from the characters I've seen operating convenience stores in Florida, it's a much better and safer way to see if you've won.

Clarice, does your silence (of the lambs) mean you're guilty of lottery fraud?

This Date In History: 1932; Notorious gangster Al Capone enters a federal penitentiary in Georgia to begin serving a sentence for tax evasion. 1970; Four students are killed at Kent State University in Ohio when the National Guard opens fire during protests against America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

1979; Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher is sworn in as Britain's first female prime minister. 1989; Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North is convicted of obstruction of justice and destruction of documents in investigations into the Iran-Contra affair.

Picture Of The Day: With all the ado about the Swine Flu, aka H1N1, I though I'd stick my pal Porky Pig into the pictorial bar-b-cue and let him say hello. Today's pictures of the day are some Swine Flu masks that might be appropriate for a few well known celebrities.

Birthdays: Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist 1825, Hosni Mubarak, military leader and president of Egypt 1928, Audrey Hepburn, Belgian-born actress and humanitarian, who became one of Hollywood's best-known stars with her leading roles in films such as Roman Holiday (1953), Funny Face (1957), and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) 1929, Keith Haring, painter 1958.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) If I want to hear the pitter patter of little feet, I'll put shoes on my cat, Possum. 2) My father always told me to stand up for my beliefs and convictions and not to waiver under fire or fear of losing my job. I wonder if Pennsylvania senator Arlen Spector's father ever gave him any advice other that take care of number one first and be careful of the Donkey Flu. 3) I've learned that the phrase most often used by people who majored in liberal arts is "Will that be for here or to go?" 4) My motto is hear no evil, speak no evil and date no evil (unless she wears boots and a mask). 5) I would rather be judged by twelve of my peers than carried out by six.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming:

A young banker decided to get his first tailor-made suit. So he went to the finest tailor in town and got measured for a suit. A week later he went in for his first fitting. He put on the suit and he looked fabulous, he felt that in this suit he can do business. As he was preening himself in front of the mirror he reached down to put his hands in the pockets and to his surprise he noticed that there were no pockets.

He mentioned this to the tailor who asked him, "Didn't you tell me you were a banker?" The young man answered, "Yes, I did." The tailor said, "Who ever heard of a banker with his hands in his own pockets?"

A man called his boss one morning and told him that he was staying home because he was not feeling well. His boss asked, "What's the matter?" The man replied, "I have a case of anal glaucoma." His boss said,"What the hell is anal glaucoma?" The replied,"I just can't see my ass coming into work today."

A New York attorney stops by a cafe for breakfast. After paying the tab, he checks his pockets and leaves his tip.....three pennies. As he strides toward the door, his waitress muses, only half to herself, "You know, you can tell a lot about a man by the tip he leaves." The man turns around, curiosity getting the better of him and says "Oh, really? Tell me, what does my tip say?"

The waitress says. "Well, this penny tells me you're a thrifty man." Barely able to conceal his pride, the man utters "Hmm, true enough." The waitress continued, "And this penny, it tells me you're a bachelor." Surprised at her perception, he says, "Well, that's true, too." The waitress said, "And the third penny tells me that your father was a bachelor as well."

That's it for today my little pork chops. More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !