It's OK, you can take a deep breath and relax. You made it through 2017. We're assuming you made it through intact because you're reading this. In which case, congratulations! Despite the gloom and doom prophesies of those of a certain political lean things are not quite as horrific as feared. In fact, I would say things are going just about as well as you could expect given the current state of society.
Don't worry however, we're here to help you navigate 2018 successfully as well, which you can by just promising to adopt a few simple resolutions. With that said, the following are my resolutions for 2018.
1. I resolve to tune out the hysteria, pay attention only to the things that matter.
The reality is that there are some things in this world that we would like to be rid of. Racism, sexism, violence, Paul Finebaum etc. But there's a whole lot of crap that surrounds these issues as well. The problem with reacting to every moron who decides that say, farmer's markets are racist there is a real case of racism going unnoticed every day because the idiots are sucking up all of the oxygen. The same thing goes for sexism, sexual abuse etc. In every issue there are people who genuinely want to do what they can to eliminate the problem and troll who want only to gain attention by being a general sot about it. I will do my best in 2018 to ignore the latter and work with and encourage the former.
2. I resolve to rely less on the opinions of so-called "experts".
A large portion of us are falling victim to the logical fallacy of "appeals to authority" in more and more areas of our daily lives. Just because someone has been doing something for a long time doesn't mean that they are experts on the matter. This is doubly true of politicians, who my think they know everything about everything but who quite frequently are just pretty good at PR and buying votes. Most "sports experts" and "expert contributors" on the news are like this. We'll be a better informed country if we start filtering out these camera chasers and start focusing on facts. Like the fact that UCF is the only undefeated team in major college football and they got hosed out of the opportunity to try for the CFP Championship.
3. I resolve to stop letting entertainers direct my world view.
OK, this was actually something I started doing in 2017 but I think it deserves repeating. Entertainers are good actors, they are not experts in sports, geopolitics or domestic issues. They say things designed to draw attention to themselves. I will enjoy their shows and movies and songs, but could care less what their opinions are on other issues.
4. I resolve to curtail social media use this year.
I'm not saying "drop Twitter" but I am suggesting that I'm going to spend much less time on it. My plan for 2018 is to return my Twitter usage to what it was originally designed to be: a news feed. When I first started using Twitter it was really read only, with a few auto posts (for instance, blog posts) etc. Twitter is an awful communication medium and an even worse source for content. However, if you actually click on the articles behind the links it can be a resource, but that involves time and reading. Something we should all do more of anyway.
5. I resolve to blog more in 2018.
I'll admit it, I've been off and on in 2017. Part of the problem was that I was trying to run two blogs in separate worlds. There was Your Drink Order Please which was intended to be a "politics/local issues" blog and then this blog, which was (and is) focused more on sports betting/gambling/sports. I still plan to maintain that focus but will add in some reporting on social issues relative to sports etc. I'm also planning some entertainment based blogging which is something I've wanted to do for a while. Regardless, you've been warned.
6. I resolve that 2018 is the year I finally monetize my blogging/sports writing etc.
No, I'm not turning tout, I could never in good conscience do that, but their are ad solutions and other things that should provide me with some small financial opportunities. Fortunately, I have a day job, so being a free-lance writer, which is something I've done before, holds a certain amount of appeal.
7. I resolve to be happier in 2018.
Especially in my writing. For years now I've taken on the guise of old curmudgeon. While that's been fun to do it's mislead many people as to my real outlook on life. In reality I'm a much happier person than I play online. Unfortunately, sarcasm doesn't come across well in written form. I resolve to change that in 2018 and going forward.
And finally.....
8. I resolve to spend more time researching picks, and making better ones.
With the expected ruling against PASPA coming later this year sports gaming is going to explode in legalized volumes. This means that there will be more books, more variety of lines etc. for the taking. The well-researched bettor is going to have a huge advantage in this space. The fact is a vast majority of people LOSE money betting despite what the touts will tell you. Gambling is always a losing proposition over time. The only way to make consistent money in a casino is to own one (unless you are Donald Trump that is). But that doesn't mean that you can't win in the short-term.
And you all have one advantage over the house: You can choose to walk-away when you're ahead.
Let's bet smarter in 2018 y'all. Happy New Year.
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