Play Meter

JHE LAST WORD It's your decision M y old man is some kind of character. Of his many quirks and idiosyncrasies that make me chuckle, none is more amusing than the ritual he goes through at the onset of football season. It gains in intensity as the preseason unfolds; by opening week, we're talking about a state of frenzy. I'm referring to the selection process he uses for deciding which teams to bet on. First of all, he never picks the teams on his own. He's been asking me which side I favor since I was a kid. The conversation usually resembles the following: "Son, who do you like, Stanford or USC? The point spread is sixand-a-half." "I don't know. I haven't followed the Pac-10 Conference too closely." "Whadda ya mean? You must have an opinion! " "No, not really." "OK, if you had to pick a team, who would it be?" "Well, if you put it that way, I'd take Stanford and the points." So he bets Stanford, and they lose by seven. "Damn it, son, how could you put me on Stanford? They stink! Looks like you're gonna have to give me a winner to get me out the hole." That's how he would suck me in: PLAY METER 184 NOVEMBER 1991 by making me feel that I was somehow responsible for his losing the game. He, an intelligent, successful businessman who watches as much football as I do, was now absolved of all responsibility for picking losers. The fate of his money rested squarely on my shoulders. CAn aside: on those days when he went five-for-five, did he throw me a bone? Fat chance! It was "nice job son; who are we betting in the late games?" We?) Anyway, in the last few years he has chosen to ignore my expertise (well-documented expertise, I might add; ask the poor souls in the weekly Play Meter football pool) and follow the advice of East Coast touts. He now pays a fee to receive the opinions of guys like "The Duke" and "Locker Room Larry." The Duke wants cash up front before releasing the winners of the "The Lock of the Year" and "The Private Club Play." What a hoax! I'll call my dad on Monday morning to find out how the weekend treated him. "Not good, son. I liked San Diego, but The Duke put me on Kansas City. I was leaning toward the Jets, but The Lock Line assured me that Miami would clean up. Another loser. Who do you like tonight? You gotta have an opinion!" That's my old man, always looking for somebody else to make his decision for him. The same can be said for some operators after a trade show. They solicit as many opinions as possible to determine the "hit" games to buy. Play Meter contributors Tom Yager, John Margold, and Frank Seninskyour versions of The Duke, except that they're respected-try to help operators with their trade show follow-up columns. I'm certainly not being critical of the process. It would be foolish not to poll other operators and industry in-the-know types when it comes to something as important as game purchases. My point is simply this: factor in all of the information, make your decisions, and then take responsibility for your choices. Don't blame others if a game turns out to be not ~o hot. Ask yourself, "Is this game suited for this location?" You're the only one qualified to answer that question. D Christopher Caire News Editor