How Grant Hill Changed My Life

Many of you know me as the self proclaimed expert on all things sports related and a sportsbook aficionado that can bring Vegas to its knees on any given weekend, but few of you know why I have that distinction and unparalleled powers of prognostication.  It's all because of Grant Hill.

In the spring of 94' my friends and I traveled to Vegas during March Madness.  Although my head was filled with sports knowledge (and Hennessy) I wasn't sure how to parlay that knowledge into financial success.  The big board at the MGM sportsbook looked like the NYSE.  A bunch of names, numbers, and spreads that all seemed foreign to me.  Through all the hieroglyphics the one name I could clearly make out was Duke.

I never liked Duke. They ended UNLV's undefeated season and knocked out the Fab 5 in the championship game, but business is business.  I saw the Blue Devils were underdogs by 4 points and I couldn't believe it.  I thought to myself, "Doesn't Duke still have Grant Hill?  Is that spread a misprint?"  I bucked up and put down $200 on Grant Hill and the Devils on a straight bet.  I watched my investment double in two hours and I've been hooked on the sportsbook ever since.

Grant Hill and the Blue Devils gave me the confidence to look the Vegas bookmakers in the face and say, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!  MY SPORTS KNOWLEDGE IS SUPERIOR TO YOURS!  I'LL TAKE YOUR MONEY WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT!"  The following years would prove to be extremely lucrative and my successes have earned me the nickname Young Sam Rothstein.

Oh, and as for Grant Hill?  He went on to win rookie of the year honors, lead the Detroit Pistons in 5 different categories (scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, and steals), made Allan Houston a MULTI millionaire, played a playoff game on a broken ankle, re-habbed it for 2 1/2 years, re-invented himself as the consummate role player, and carved out an 18 year career.  Grant Hill is one of the classiest players the league has ever known and the person most responsible for my gambling addiction.  Thank you Grant Hill.  Your presence and attention to detail will be sorely missed.


As a side note after Grant Hill won me all that cheese during March Madness I felt compelled to rock the Grant Hill FILA's.  Subsequently 3 months later Method Man rocked the shoe in his All I need video with Mary J. Blige.  Grant Hill influenced me, I influenced Wu-Tang, and Wu-Tang influenced the world.  Pretty cool huh?