Beating the Book: COVID-19 Edition featuring Rufus Peabody and Roxy Roxborough

including the testing itself. I think it's a story well worth hearing, might normalize it for some folks given these very strange times. And then Roxy Roxburro from Pouquette, Thailand with his perspective on everything, not just sports betting wise, what I'm talking about the virus itself as someone who has lived through different periods in this world, War times for instance, and how folks reacted then how they are reacting now. It's an interesting edition of the Beating the

Book Podcast, an odd one in odd times. I hope you enjoy it. Number less Welcome back to a Numbers game with Jill Alexander. It is Kill Alexander live from San Francisco on a Numbers game visa the sports betting network. Um, this will have very little to do with sports or sports betting. I don't know. Maybe we'll stray there somehow, But this is just about someone that I'm concerned about, though he's going to alleviate those concerns, I think momentarily.

But just a friend who announced last week on Twitter that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, and we just want to get a whole story about that update his health and just sort of walk us through the whole process there. He is looking good. It's uh, one of the two or three most successful sports bettors I know. Looking good, Rufus Peabody. How you doing, man, I'm doing well. You probably just don't know enough sports bettters. Maybe I don't,

I don't know. It's very modest of you. So look, man, um, first of all, let's start at the end. How are you feeling right now? I'm feeling great. I'm a percent I've been symptom free for almost just about two weeks at this point. I guess the only symptom that lingered was the sort of dulling of my sense of taste, which you know, it's mostly back now. I'm not I'm not sure if it's all the way back, but it's based.

I mean, you know, I can I can taste little wine taste like again, rather than the pino I had last week, which um, I thought it had turned or something. And my fiance was like, this tastes great. You know, this was a nice bottle of pino that we've gotten when we were in Sonoma, and and I was like this is it tastes like vinegar? But um, but taste is an abstract thing, isn't it like you almost will forget what it was like? You're not sure if it's

all the way back kind of thing. Can we let's start at the big inning, if we could rupus because you're like fourteen days quarantine. Now you're at the fourteen day mark. I think today I was released today. By the way, I'm allowed to be allowed to go free. So you got I got a call from fourteen days I have. So I was out of the apartment last Tuesday to get tested. And I guess before that, I had the first week before I knew I was positive,

I had taken trips to the grocery store. Um. But aside from that, um, and that was before I had any idea I had coronavirus. Obviously, if I once once I had a sense that I might have it, I obviously stayed inside and didn't go to the grocery store. But yeah, it was basically, um, I mean it was. It was a full week without leaving the apartment. And uh, I guess before that another five days before that where

I basically left only to go to the grocery store. Okay, let's let's start at the beginning, because I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. What was the what was the first moment? I mean, did you feel it? Did you have a symptom? Did you hear that someone close to you had it? Um? How did this begin for you? So I guess, and how it actually began, I think is different. Um in retrospect. So I was traveling. I was in California forum for this sort of professional betters

ski trip thing um. And then when I was in Colorado for a wedding and went skiing with some friends in Veil uh, and then came back to Boston for the Sloan Sports Salelis conference. And I didn't sleep well that Wednesday night, and so I Thursday I felt well, but I just felt tired. Um, I don't know if that in retrospect now I'm like, maybe I had it and didn't know. Um, I don't know. Um, but Saturday morning is the first I really felt like off. I mean, I had I had this headache. Um, but I had

been out late Friday night. Um. It is the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. People do go out kind of hard and so Friday night was a late night. So Saturday, I mean, I thought I was just a little hungover. I didn't think anything of it, and I felt, you know, fatigued. But I just was like, well, you know, I had a late night, I have a headache. Um that's it. That was the extent of the symptoms at that point. And just felt like kind of lethargic. But on Sunday

the headache, uh was a little bit worse. Uh. You know, I I felt I sort of had the chills on Sunday a little bit. Um so, probably a slight fever. I didn't take my temperature or anything. But my fiancee got sick that um, I guess she she got sick on and I guess Monday afternoon and was was home from from work that entire week. And that's when I you know, I sort of realized. I guess that, um, you know, maybe I was maybe I had given it to her, and obviously that that that's what happened, that

you had given it to her. I'm sure I've been traveling. She hadn't been traveling or anything. And I from what somebody told me, veil was actually kind of the hotbed it's in terms of within Colorado. So the coronavirus and you know, I've been on I've been on planes. I had been you know, with you know, with a bunch of people. I mean, there's I'm sure I got it somewhere in my travels. Does she still want to get

married to you? Even after that? And she's still in, she's all in, you know, the quarantine has been Uh, it's it's it's tested us a little bit, but she's yeah, we're still it's still a little young about if you can get through this rufus, you can get through it all. Congratulations to you, by the way, on that I should say on your on your pending nuptials. Um, so okay, So you then I guess you're like, okay, well I gotta get tested. So this is also very vague because

we talk about this in media all the time. Oh, they're getting testos. So what do you do? Do you walk up? And I'm not trying to well, maybe I'm trying to be funny, but maybe I'm not. Where did you just walk in somewhere and you're like, Hey, I'm rufus peabody, I'm awesome at NFL props. Where's my test? Like? Weird? You like, how do you get it? Because it's not readily available to everybody. I don't believe, right, I don't think I, in retrospect, probably didn't need to be tested

because I wasn't really showing symptoms. I think, you know, I said I had a little bit of a cough because I had a mild cough. But I, um, you know, I got tested because my fiance as a doctor, and so that was the protocol at the time. They wanted me to get tested as well. Uh. And so you know, I went to mass General Hospital and they had they turned a parking lot into sort of a testing area, and you know, I gave them my information and I

was in and out pretty quickly. But but I remember when I was talking to them, they said that I was one of the last people that was gonna be tested that didn't really have sort of life threatening symptoms. They were just telling because they said, you know, this is going to go through the population. We're just you know, people need to just stay at home if unless they need medical attention. Wait, they said you were one of the last people who did who wouldn't have life threatening symptoms.

That what they said to you there was getting acid. Yeah, I mean at least there. I mean, I think a lot of because they're having to prioritize the people that that most need, you know, medical attention, most need this test because you know they don't have that many tests. Can I can I ask a very ignorant question, what is the test um? They stick this little swab up your nose like and it feels like they're trying to like poke through your brain. It's quite uncomfortable. They're do

un build nostrils. Yeah, so I can't they just can they just take blood or something like a shot would have been better. By the way, in in no form, like I've watched CNN or whatever media outlet NonStop for the last you know, two weeks, NonStop. I've not heard one person say they jam a swab up and try to like, that's the test, that's that's terrible. So and how quickly did you know your result? I didn't know

results until I think it was Saturing morning. But I was pretty pretty damn sure that I was positive, even the fact that I've been living with my fiance in an apartment, so I mean, I knew, I knew. Yeah, Ruth's doing me a favor. Can you hang out through a break because I want to talk to you about a little bit more about this. I know it's all normal for you at this point, but it's all new to us. Rufus Peabody kind enough to join us on the show to give us his experience about testing positive

for the coronavirus. Will come back right here on a numbers game at feast. Welcome back to a Numbers game with you, Alexander. Normally Rufus Peabody has to sweat Jim Furick on a championship Sunday. This was a much bigger sweat in his life. A virus. I don't know, maybe, I mean, were you nervous at any point, Rufus, I wasn't you know? My symptoms were mild. I'm very fortunate. I know a lot of other people have had had it a lot worse than I have. I know, um,

other people in the betting community as well have. I mean, Spanky has mentioned on Twitter the symptoms he's had and it sounds like he's had a real battle, but he's coming out. Oh I didn't know that. All right, Well, well I gotta get with Spanky and see if he's

all right. Um So, so, look like you mentioned you were at the Sloan Sports Conference, so you know, and I'm not and I really am not trying to be funny, but the only thing I think about is, like you know, so many people's story in college, when there's a an STD, you have to contact all of your previous partners, like, hey, you know, just so you know, I tested positive for this, you may want to check too. Did you learn of anyone at Sloan who ended up positive? Did you have

to contact people that you were in close proximity to? So, actually, one of the reasons I did get tested is because I did go to the conference. I my fiancee told the you know, the people she talked to public health or you know, Um, I forget who it was, but but I told them that I had been at this this conference with a lot of people, and so I think that's one reason they wanted me to get tested. And so after you know, that's why, and that is

the reason I did end up tweeting that out. And before that, I told people that I thought I was positive people that I have been in close proximity with at Sloan And unfortunately a few of those people, UM, I think have have tested positive and you look like they have it despite not having gotten tested. So UM, I feel I feel pretty bad about that I didn't. Obviously, if I had known that I had it, I would

not have UM, I would not have gone to the conference. Yeah, I think people are aware that you wouldn't have done anything purposefully. I asked this of Roxy, your buddy Roxy

as well as my Roxy. Roxborro was on the show from Thailand just before you, and I asked him because he has obviously decades of experience that he's wise, and I just wanted to get his perspective on what he's you know, the thing that's impacted him the most from all this, what's disappointed him the most about the world's reaction to the pandemic, and he had some pretty poignant words. I'm just curious as a guy who tested positive and

is now hopefully all the way through this. What as you from your perspective, which is a very unique one, as you look out at how Americans specifically, let's say, are reacting to this, anything jumped to mind for you, like, yeah, we could you know this is good? This isn't so good kind of thing that we're doing well. I think we needed to sort of address this earlier than we did. It seemed like the warning signs were all there, and

I know, um people there were. There's people I follow on Twitter much smarter than myself, like like Ed Miller, who were tweeting out about um about uh, the seriousness of this all the way back in late January and early February. And so I think if we had sort of learned from from what South Korea did and sort of testing everybody uh and and tracking down where they've been and everything like that, I think we could have done a better job controlling this. But but it's hard.

I mean, it's tough, and I think that what we're doing now in terms of the sort of the stay at home shelter and place stuff, UM is while it's awful for the economy, I think it's it's probably necessary at this point, but it is interesting that the sort of trade off here with with public health versus versus the economy. At this point, I feel like, um, I know that I know Trump and some of the conservatives have been talking about well as this, you know, the

you know, is it worth it? And I don't have the answer that I mean, I think, but I do think we need to be prioritizing how more than the economy and hopefully at some point, um, the economy is able to bounce back. Yeah, I think I would agree with that sentiment. Um, let me just let me just sort of try to crowbar something sports betting related into this. Um, it's actually not that difficult. I had someone at Bookmaker. I think you're a guy, would love to get the opinion,

your opinion on this, someone at Bookmaker. UM relate or at least I got this from somebody at Bookmaker that on Saturday this past Saturday. So no poker and no Chris,

just Bookmaker specifically that site this past Saturday. So we're talking what e sports, random tennis that's not even like top you know level tennis, King Pong, Australian rules football, whatever, all these random sports that are going on marginally in the world, just on Saturday alone, no poker, just bookmaker one and twenty five thousand dollars in Handle And I thought about that all day Sunday, and I'm just like, if this isn't like less than number one in how

gambling or in sports betting specifically, here is a it's got to be addictive, right, people are just action junkies of a segment. We're just talking about segments now, And just like the inability of people too to just stop and be like, yeah, this is not something I would

ever bet on. Why should I do it now? And I just thought, I was like, I gotta ask rufus is reaction to something like that, because for me, that should be like the first thing that's ever said on any gamblers anonymous thing like we did a hundred twenty five thousand dollars in Handle on a day where nothing was going on. It's amazing or maybe I mean, I think it shows how big the offshore betting world is.

And I wonder what the limits were on those bets too, that dollars, like, you know, two hundred and fifty dollars at a time, probably that's right, like one one burrito at a time, as they say, Yeah, no, it's absolutely

it's it's amazing to me. Would this be a time and you were you were texting me this the other day, like, and you've gone through it, and I know you aren't worried, So I don't want to like exaggerate the fear factor here, but this would be a time where you would now start your great time, as great a time as there has ever been, where there's no sports a distractor, you would do your research and development as you call it, with your handicapping. Now. Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, I've been

quite distracted. It's kind of hard to get away from the news and everything. And also, um, my fiance and I are both in the in the apartment, so we're I mean, it's it's it's not the best work environment necessarily, although she's working from home now, so uh we we have the way too. Is she doing well too, I should ask, she's great? Yeah? Um, was she worried? I don't think she was worried about her own health? Um, I mean she she had it worse than I did.

She had but she got through it. I mean she had that symptoms for maybe three days, but we have to take our temperature. Um. We had we had somebody from public health calling us every day and we had to report our temperature in the morning and the afternoon and so UM. If she had left me, I would have totally tweeted out a picture of our white board because it's been interesting the patterns um uh, and I would have wanted to get people to set a line

on it. Instead, I tested a few buddies, um, including you, Gilu. So explain to people what you did. Yeah, So, I mean, so it was really interesting. There was a four day pattern where in the morning I would have the lower temperature and in the afternoon or at night she would have the higher temperature. UM. And it was you know,

every single day, um, for four straight days. And so I was curious whether people thought that would be uh, just how much signal was, you know, how much signal there was in there versus how much it was just sort of animous and what the family factors were, because so my temperature would increased throout the day, like it was like ninety seven points something in the morning, and then it would be like ninety eight points something at night, and hers was sort of the opposite, and so, um,

I found it fascinating. But today we actually, um, we retired last night for the first time, and I was actually higher than she was this morning. So it's it's kind of um yeah, I would have lost the money betting on it. Actually, it's it's hard to explain over

the radio, so yeah, without the white board itself. But basically, your temperature at night would be more than a degree higher than hers, like yours would Yours would be more bouncy, your temperature from morning tonight and you I think the question you asked was would you lay minus four hundred that my temperature would be higher than my fiance's based on like a five or four day sample size kind of thing. And so it's kind of a good sports

betting case study where it's like signal or noise? Is this enough to go on to lay that kind of juice? 's something like at what was your conclusion? Ultimately, my conclusion was that it was signal. I mean I know that people in general were we we tend to see patterns where none actually exist. But my temperature was her temperature was about a degree higher than mine every morning, and mine was about a degree higher than hers. Every night. So it wasn't I mean, it wasn't like just a

small amount. It was it was quite quite significant. It's awesome. It's awesome that you came up with that exercise to go through. All right, so the both of you are okay, You're both going to be okay. Um, by the way, did that temperature fluctuation? Did you ever call a doctor and say, hey, is this something that should be worried about? Or were you just don't know? I mean once, so we have the ear thermometers that um, the instant thermometer things, and so we do each ear and take the higher

of the two. And once I like I got like ninety four point one or something. I think there was an error. So because she said I would be dead if that was actually my temperature, rufus was our first it was our first true evidence that you, in fact are the robot we always thought you were like this guy you will not enter emotion into his sports betting um, and there it is. There's the happens. So okay, the

both of you are going to be okay. So glad to hear that I've never met your fiance, but tell her where We're all glad When are you getting married? When is the day you're getting married? Um, March next year. Mar next year. We're hopefully all of this will have gone by now. We just celebrated our negative one year anniversary. Is that what you're calling it? Your negative one year? Is that? That's also it's also my sister's birthday, So I'm never going to forget it. Lizzie, Please tell Liszie

she's still podcasting. She is. Lizzie is actually, um, she's running a podcasting for the Smithsonian podcast. Let me just say this. As talented as Rufus is in sports betting, and I hope you won't object to this. Rum is Lizzie from the very first moment that I ever ever heard her do a podcast. There is something about her nature that draws you in. She is spectacular at what she does, and I hope she pursues it, uh, for as long as she wants to. Maybe she has bigger aspirations.

I don't know. No, she's so it's it's I'm gonna give it a plug. It's called Side Door. It's the Smithsonian's podcast. It's really interesting and um, there was one particular episode on I think it was Apollo twelve the fifty at the anniversary of Popolotov. Was it was really interesting though, um, and it's not the stuff that I would normally be interested in, but it was. It's a great storytelling makes history, hope, Rufus, thank you for doing this.

Great to see you. I think you gave a lot of people comfort just in telling the story, just sort of normalizing it a bit. Glad you're doing well. Congratulations again. Best to you man. Good to see your face. Thanks Gil. Stay safe out there, Rufus, anybody or in there exactly. Everybody should be uh quarantining as I am here in the uh the place in San Francisco that I have here, as you should be in your spot wherever you are. Stay safe. It's a numbers game with your host, Kill Alexander.

Believe in the analytics. Our two up a numbers game right here at Visa, the Mega Stats and Information Network, the first sports betting network in all the land. It's Gill Alexander again, live from San Francisco. Serious XM Channel two O four, Visa dot Com, the Visa app, Food Boa slaying a game plus on down the line. Appreciate you taking us in today. Um, it is surreal these times and it is, Uh, like I said, it's like

living in a sci fi movie. I just got a text from Seth Walder from ESPN does great analytics stuff for ESPN dot com, and it was just mentioning, just sort of a text and random test where he said, I was on your show. He said, it was just checking I was on your show exactly two weeks ago, and it seems like it was a different year. And I think it's really how it's it's really a great reflection of how most people think about this, the speed with which events have taken place, and just the surreal

nature of it all. It's mind boggling. I had this gentleman on the show a little before I had Seth on so a few weeks back. That seems like a different era. We come to him now, or we or he comes to us. I should say from Pouquette, Thailand and shout out to the guys behind the glass from making it happen once again. It's our friend, friend of show, friend of network, the legendary Roxy Roxborough. Good evening, Roxy, or I should say, uh, it's but what is it

ten pm? There? How you doing? Hey? It is evening, Gil and I would call this the year of going nowhere fast. Yeah, I mean when, first of all, glad to hear your voice, glad to hear you're you're doing well and safe there. When did you leave Las Vegas? How much of it was precipitated by the fact that you felt um that, and let's be honest, that a gentleman of your age might want to get out of

that sort of epicenter. Well I made. I was Santa Anita, I think mark seventh and eight for the big Cap weekend, and I hadn't plans to fly back to Thailand, and I was thinking about it. I changed it, didn't go through Korea, and I didn't go through Bangkok. I changed the plane at the last minute to go to Singapore and then changed straight to Bouquette. Now, if I hadn't waited three or four days, I might not have gone back,

only because of the travel. I'm if I had to be isolated in one place, my book at home would be the one. But the information was changing so fast, so three or four days later I probably would would have stayed in Las Vegas. You you tweeted something about it where you felt, and you'll correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe I'm not quoting this. This is just paraphrasing that you felt that Vegas casinos were Is it fair to say that you felt they were a little slow

on the draw and closing things up? I did, um from mostly from monetary standpoint, though. I thought that if Las Vegas got to be known as the epicenter of COVID nineteen in America, would do the referable damage and the losses would be much larger than they would be if they closed dirtly. Um. Some people in the industry sort of agreed with it. Some nod. Uh. They got to this spot probably a little week a week later than than they should have. UM. But you know, it's

it brings to it. Brings also up the concept of h they all out for casinos or long term loans to casinos. And this is a pretty interesting question because if you picked a couple of businesses that were probably the least benefit to society, casinos in the back, but would be right up there in the top five. However, they become such an integral part of state revenues in every state where they're legal, um, that you just can't let them go down to two Their their a line

item in the budget. Um, they're needed at every state for revenue now, and there probably will be as loath as loathsome as it is. And this is somebody who spent his entire life gambling. There will have to be, um, some assistance, federal assistance. You can stay should rely on the states to do it. But um, the states don't have the wherever all the federal governments. They can't start pretty money. So I will be a package to help

the casinos. I mean, and you must realize. Roxy, by the way, you can follow Roxy on Twitter at Roxy Las Vegas. Great follow always has very very philosophical things to share with us. I mean, you must realize that when people here casinos are seeking bailouts, and even this applies even to gamblers, it just pisces people off. That's

their knee jerk reaction to that. Yes, I mean they're pretty good multiplier for the economy in that the dollars that they earned hire any more employees than just the employees in the casinos. And I keep going back to that. They're a big part of state revenue. Of course in Nevada is most of the state revenue, so it's uh, it is different from most places. But I'm pretty sure that well people were loath to give the banks a

bail out in two thousand and eight. Team there are two thousand and eight, but that was a systemic issue for financial system. UM. And also we didn't know if they were when it was going to be over in two thousand and eight. And this thing looks like it will. You know, there will be a conclusion there is UH light at the end of the tunnel with the coronavirus.

Maybe it might be six months down the road, it might be a year down the road, but I think most people think that eventually, UM, the world will get a grip on it. And gilread decline where the financial crisis UH looked like a collapse of the financial system, and there wasn't any clear way that there was going

to be a timeline when the normalcy would return. Talking to Roxy Roxborro from Pouquette, Thailand, UM, we'll get to your I know we want to get to your story about the late Tony Selina's momentarily, so we'll cheer it up a little. But last thing about the pandemic that is the coronavirus UM from your standpoint and from all your observations throughout your years, what has been the thing about this roxy that has that has been the most noteworthy to you? Is it the way that people have reacted,

um in so many different ways. Some people, you know, slow to the take on this, where they're like, it's nothing. Uh, some people who were overly you know who maybe maybe the pendulum swung in the other direction, or just what is it about this just from a human observation standpoint, where you've been like, huh, didn't didn't really expect that, or that's interesting. I'm a little disappointed that everybody is

in this for themselves. Gil. You know that our parents and our grandparents lived through two devastating world wars Um and the Spanish Flew, and duty became a calling card in their life. They did things for the better of the country and society. They also lived through a depression that really where there's no light at the end of the tunnel, and the only light at the end of the tunnel was to get involved in a world war.

That was that at one time I had the men in the country unemployed and with no chance to ever get a job. And so they are parents and grandparents were learned a thrift and they learned duty. And for some reason the message didn't sink into well to my generation and then the generations after me. And I think that's a bit of a disappointment. I think that's Uh, those are words that I think, you know, if people

agree or disagree, those are words to ponder. I think that's that's about as good a perspective as as we're going to get on this. Thank you for that, Roxy, I appreciate it, Uh, cheguing, And there's no artful way to segue to this from that, Um, because we hope the best for everybody. We hope everybody stays safe. But nine days ago, a legendary Las Vegas gambler, Um, you knew him far better than I did. I will tell you that I knew Tony Selina's only from my observation

of him in the early part of last decade. I would see him on a pretty regular basis, Roxy, Uh, coming in and out of the hard rock Hotel. Tony was always accompanied um by someone, uh, a lady friend, let's call it. And Uh he seemed to be having just a wonderful time even into his later years. But you've known him for decades and he was a He was a champion of contests, just a colorful character. And you you have your favorite. Tony's the least story to share with us today. I have a few of them.

M First of all, if he only came in with one young lady, things must have been sort of slow. Back in Texas they've called those funky tonk angels are back in the old joints. You know. In Arkansas saw at ust angels in the seventies. We call them perfect angels. And they were just young ladies that were trying to find the fast at the high living. And he was a magnet for them. And he really was a colorful character.

He spent money like crazy. Um. He came out here now late seventies, and I want to say, and he went on a roll. It was unbelievable. He was playing high limit poker and he started winning a sports system about everything inies. He won the he won the Castaway Football Championship, which was the only contest um at the time. And he was good at publicity. He really could roll out of pr machine. He had that soft spoken, southern

uh uh, gentlemanly way about him. Always had a hat, boots wore a jacket and uh a string tie and uh he us was a high roller and very nice guy. He did some things. Look, I never could understand if you're a gambler. But he used to play in the highest poker games in town. And then a couple of weeks later or three weeks later, you see him playing five and ten and you look at him and he'd say, Hey, it's better to be playing than not. You know, it's

it's better to be playing. I'll get it out. It's better to be broken playing and not playing at all. He could just yeah, I mean to me, I never could get my round. Uh. The mindset around that that people could be gambling really high, betting ten times on an NFL game and three weeks later betting uh two twenty. But it was just a mindset that he had. He always had confidence he was going to get back at action. And he was a pretty fancy cowd a lot of people.

He got quite a reputation in Texas, and people came out to UH want to follow Tony around and he'd give him picks, and he charged him for picks. One thing he did was pretty interesting. He started a really sophisticated newsletter, UM called the high Roller I believe it was. This was in the yearly eighties, and he had a staff that included Arnie Lange and Mike Lee. And then he had the long Horn Club, which is the one where he uh, for a lot of money you can

get his picks. And he was it was more of a smart smart man stout than as opposed to like as the professor or Horowitz. Um, I'll tell you one one story. We were drinking the bar and they started us. They had a piano bar in there. We were having a few drinks and a couple of guys were supposed to meet him there, young guys in the early twenties, and uh, what happened? They've gone and broke while I was they gets made. Their parents told him to look

up Tony. He'd give you money to come home. So, uh, Tony gave him a three roll dice for couple hund each and they lost it. Then he came down and had to drink, and he gave the waitress fifty bucks to tell the piano player to sing Whiskey River. And then he looked at those guys he said, you know, I know what's happening. You would think old tones and then to give need the money to go home. But I ain't gonna do it because you won't ever learn nothing.

That was Tony. You know, he could drop money left and right. Probably the bus take it home. Back then was twenty. But that that was Tony. You had you had another you said you had a couple of stories about him too. Was there another one you wanted to tell? Where's that? The one? Wow? That that that was? That was one of the first thing. We used to go to a disco in town called the Brewery, and it was it was the hot place to get into it at the time, and they had a rule no hats.

Tony never took his hat off. And at one time with the doorman they were going back and forth whether you know, fifty dollars to wear the hat. They said no, it's a hundred dollars where they had. It's two d where they had. They said no. So he takes the hat off. He sends one of the gals to the back and to go to the kitchen with fifty dollars in it, and Tony goes into the club and then all of a sudden, somebody comes out of the kitchen with the hat and gives the tool. So he was

just just a character. I mean, I don't think we get more of those people left. I mean he has license plates. Eddie Texan who was a gale or would have to have a Cadillac long white Cadillac. That's that's just the way it was. Now. In ninety or seventy nine, Cadillac came out with this Saville Grand Opera coup. It was a bizarre looking car. It was really uh hard to get. They didn't make many of them Selinas and

Gary Austen put in orders for them. When they got them, delivered his license plate with T SW T S A L and then he just became known as TSAL after that. He's ahead of his time with that. Yeah. Uh, you're so, what do they call that? You're a man of letters? What's that a portmanteau or actually I don't know what they call that. All I know is that in today's modern backing, whether it's like you know, see Webb Chris Webber, like, that's how that's how guys are referred to as j Low.

I think it's a yeah's a French word called portmanteau. When you take I let you um mostal is Formanteau. I think I know it right, but I think i'm I'm I think you are, but you're so right like someone like him. I mean, could you imagine if someone tried to be him today, Like let's say Roxy, Let's say I decided. Let's say I decided tomorrow. You know, I'm gonna change my brand. I'm gonna put on a massive cowboy hat or whatever it is and just be

this larger life character. Like people would just die laughing. Not not just because it's me, but I'm just saying anybody who tried to be a character today. And I was talking to Chrissy yesterday because he was kind enough to tell some of his stories. Yesterday we were talking about Crying Kenny. I told your famous Crying Kenny story by the way, about the downtown Freddie Brown under I'm gonna hit him. But I think about characters like that,

it just they couldn't exist today. They wouldn't be allowed to exist, you know, they wouldn't. I think one of the reasons to be appears existed in the late seventies and early eighties was it was a transition then in Las Vegas from going to sports books to uh sports books only into casinos with sports books, and the casinos nearly they sort of tolerated a lot of that behavior. They just figured, Okay, this is uh, this is what

you get when you get the sports book. And then eventually they decided no, it's it's not up to the standards they want their property be. And these characters started disappearing over over time. Um, the Reads book had a lot of characters like that also. But no, you you couldn't do it today. Now I don't know. I mean, how you build a brand image, Um, like Tony's probably wouldn't work today. No, No, I don't think so, you know, I think I think Vegas and Dave's chick is pretty

bad and he gets people to send him money. So boy, it's a great it's a great point. It's not like it's it's not like it's absent, is isn't it? Um? By the way, I have Tony Selia stories. I mentioned this yesterday. I have a Tony Selia story, but I absolutely can't share it on the air. Um. One day perhaps I will whenever I write my book, roxy if I ever do. UM, I leave you with this, and

I said this to Michael Lombardi last segment. There's no way I could possibly uh you know, ask you the unfair question of hey, what do you think this all ends? But for someone with your sort of instinct on things like this and your knowledge of baseball history and strikes and shortened seasons, truncated seasons, what do you think baseball? Right now, they're thinking to themselves, what do you think they they would settle for? Like, what's the worst case

scenario where we'd see a season here? Yeah, I think that there's to be a cut off, probably around the August one. I mean, I think that's pushing it. But I don't see them playing the studio game. Studio sports aren't going to work because as soon as the players who are infected, what difference does it make. That's the one thing that people don't understand. All they say they'll just play without crowds, but once the players get in

fact that they'll start spreading among themselves. So that to me, that's a nonstarter. Um, you know, baseball is Baseball is like an old friend. Uh you really happy when when you when you see him, and he's always in your life.

And this will be uh well, barrying the strike here, this will be the time, we don't have any baseball I remember this is a little philosophical, but when I used to work with the Vancouver Canucks, like in a late sixties and the announcer drove me home after like an eight to one game, Kim Robs and the legendary Vancouver announcer, and he told me that, you know, even if the game's bad, you have to put your best into it because there's always a lot of people out there.

They can't get out, they have medical problems or their lonely, and they depend on you. So you always have to give you the best. And I think there's going to be there's a lot of people that um watch their local team, um all hundred and sixty two games, uh, which you know, it's hard for us to believe that you could watch a team, even a bad team, play every game of the year. But there's a lot of people that's their life, and I think that's the disappointing

part of it. Yeah, Roxy, Uh, it's great to talk to you. I could talk to you about anything, sports or otherwise, and I think I speak on behalf of everybody. We appreciate the perspective, especially what you said earlier about the thing that sort of disappointed you the most about all this, because I think those are words that people should, uh should definitely pay he to. What are you doing the rest of the night in poquette raging? What's going on? Hey,

there's nothing to do. We're shut down like most of the world. Uh, I'm just sitting around the wasting too much time on the internet. However, I am. I Actually this is the incentive I needed to start to put together my book. So I'm actually starting outlines on it, and I'm the outline have you using is the players, the layers, and the language. So I've got a list of the people that I want to mention from the betting side and the bookmaking side, and then my language.

Thank you so much, Roxy, I appreciate it. State Safe