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"___- M. H-.- .m m... up "Look at this that I picked up It the Mfiee. They have their usual Stanley Cup playoff pool, but I didn't get there in time (if we didn't have bad luck, we wouldn’t have any in our family). Then Ronnie showed me this really great golf pool based on PGA performances that her husband Rick mm It look, like a lot of fun." Amgh. A dream pool, in my favorite wort L golf. "Of course you‘re too late this year. but I'll let Ronnie know that you want in next year." Super. Alter one month diatom withdrawal, what’l another eight? ' Theonlyaolutionaalleeit, irfortheNDonvernmontto "ttttend-ries-tua-tOtt-tkai-titil-au". Patwar.rhrrmsrruntttioiumpiniia,TiiGtTrTiii itbemy rhrht,ttuta-riiieiuarttethtirio,iGi" my duty. Well, looking at it that way, I almost had myself convinced That w, until Beth came home from work the other day. “trud- .p "i.. .L_. v_v,n I _ A- - - - on”, l held out hope that my other buddy, The Etobicoke Eel, could get me Into one of those high stakes pools with his big city buddies. "Your chances are Slim and None on that one and Slim’s at Saratoga," the Eel barked. "I got so busy concentrating on my picks for my baseball pool, I forgot all about the hockey draft. Now I gotta sit through nx more weeks of hockey with nothing on the line, and my big pick for the baseball draft is already out ul 1997 with the worst injury I've ever seen. What's worse. I thtin't pay the extra four bananas to trade players. And you tlunk you've got problems? Consider yourself lucky you're not m a pool," “Strange, I was home, and besides, we always have the answering machine on. Oh well, maybe you phoned the wrong number bt “Yeh, that's tt, that's what must have happened. Wh." "Oh well." I chirped, "like the leafs. ha, ha, maybe next year Still, I held out hope that my other buddy, The Etobicoke Eel, Piiteeuxic".tecsteearsAv.amto-e .------'LaC--7=l'eVr"', "Uh. well, ummm, n was actually last night. [tried to phone all night the night §efore, but) guess you weren't home." __ - -- 'e- _...... w.“ unrul- But everywhere I go, I hear buddies and laminae: acquain- tances alike talk about how their pool picks are doing, and I get jealous You see, being a Leaf fan idle on the sidelines come playoff time, I need pools to help maintain intent. The rationale Is that if the best team can't win the Stanley Cup, at least I've gotachaneetomakemonoyontbeonothatdou. And so, after the players strike ended in only April this year. I made it known toall my triemktltatrremafovitotreiniuir' pool, Neither one Second duinia Itegiatratim, Nunha- 5540 Published every Wednesday by The Ftsirmty Group In-ated an. f..tteer, all. s.. Inch-a. ow "Hey Slick Sal," I an... first one on the eve ofthe fimt round. "Got my picks all lady, was rather tough with that heme last week after the schedule, but I'm rarin’ to go. When’s the draft? bt 1"terfe Chronic]. Not that I'm that much of e gambling man, but I'd venture to say it's even-money morning line that some form of legalized gambling, be it casinos. teletheatree or 061m outlets, will soon be a reality in the province of Ontario. With a bullet. Big deal. Right now I've got my own problem I can't rind a sporte betting pool to get into. Every year " this time, I get withdrawal symptoms. First, my Maple Lem withdraw from the playott picture. And then, Iget withdrawal when 416 playoff draft pools are conducted and I can't get into any of them. Usually. such events take the form of fun tdfite pools, and predictably are won a majority of the time hr those who don't know the difference between a puck and a duck, but who "Just want .toreapartotthetoooriteeulture,whatGrthiiii.rr Well, there isn't enough interest in hockey around our dBee to have a threepereon pool drafting 100 players each. And the head ofrtee pool has also apparently gone by the wayside, not that I could ever gain Iowan to. it anyway Won't someone please invite me into their pool? an" BhRmttt a IIUIKOQH" a,ap,reu1 M11331] mm ,'rTi LT,'TH $10,500" "m""""--- -"""-" m