LAS VEGAS — “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste.”
My good friend Mick Jagger allowed me to use the words from one of the Rolling Stones’ most iconic songs.
I’ll be your guy on the ground, your man on the street, for EVERYTHING Vegas. You have questions, I HAVE answers. Been in this town over 35 years, and know the delicious little secrets that no one will divulge.
The best clubs/pools to beat the 100-degree heat. There’s pools, and then there are POOLS!
You can hit the crowded day clubs at the Encore or Tao Beach, or if you prefer something less crowded and a little more secluded, you’ll try the Toptional pools. Just split that word, and you see where I’m going. If they tell you it’s a “European” pool, that’s also TOP/OPTIONAL!
We’ll talk to high-end bookies, wise-guy bettors and Vegas icons and review the best sportsbooks in town.
We’ll take you from the Strip to my “research visit” at the Chicken Ranch in Pahrump!
And if you stay close, I might just tell you about the time that my cousin came to Vegas, checked into a fancy-schmancy five-star hotel and found a FREAKIN’ DEAD BODY under his bed! TRUE story!
We have created a questionnaire that tells you who they are and what makes them tick.
Welcome to the ... YO 11 QUESTIONNAIRE!
And since this is my keyboard, who better to start the YO 11 party than ME!!!
1 - Would date ____ if I could?
Eva Green, who played Vesper Lynd in the James Bond movie “Casino Royale.”
2 - Biggest score?
Winning the Kentucky Derby in 2000 with Fusaichi Pegasus on a 75/1 futures bet!
3 - Worst loss?
Doubling up on the Orioles each game when they had that 21-game losing streak in 1988.
4 - Best gambling advice?
Don’t EVER bet on the team that you root for.
5 - Best sports movie?
Paul Newman and the PHENOMENAL Hanson Brothers in “Slap Shot.”
6 - Sports idol?
Mickey Mantle.
7 - Favorite hat?
Tombow Unions Pencil Company hat from the talented folks at Ebbets Field.
8 - What sporting event in the world would you like to attend?
Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
9 - What job other than your present job would you like to try?
Architect.
10 - Your most treasured possession?
Mickey Mantle glove SIGNED by Mickey Mantle in the radio booth at Yankee Stadium!
YO 11 - Never told anyone ______?
Friends took me on a tour of the houses of Parliament in London and I stole some stationery off the desk of Sir Edward Richard George Heath, who was the prime minister. OOPS!
Check back next week for more Ecks-Rated Tales From Vegas!
Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America’s Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him online at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. If you wanna piece of Eck, hit his email...ben@americasline.com.
