Loves Park Bookie Spills on MLB Wildcard Debacle

Rockford, IL – He is known to us only as Dale. A resident of Loves Park, Dale has been making a living as an air conditioner repairman for over a decade now. But how does an air conditioner repairman afford a two-thousand square foot abode (complete with eight-person jacuzzi tub and three-car garage) in a predominently white suburb? Well, Dale is also one of the biggest bookmakers for sports wagering enthusiasts in the Midwest.

“Yeah, I’m a bookie,” clarified a sweaty but attentive Dale as he repaired my poorly performing GE 18,000 BTU Blastmaster, “but I’m also a whole lot more. I am a father, a boyfriend, an amateur pastry chef, and lover of Korn.” Dale tweaked my thermostat then added, “I also like chillin’ on my three quads.”

Seems Dale forgot to mention that he is also a source of hot leads for one hurting investigative sports reporter.

“Oh yeah, the fix was in Friday night for sure,” Dale added when asked about the outrageously controversial infield fly rule call by umpire Sam Holbrook in the wild card game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atalanta Braves. “All us bookies knew that something was up. People started betting heavy on the Cards to beat the spread by a mile. It was weird. I phoned my pal Lettuce Man in Sioux Falls. Same thing was happening to him. Pretty obvious that something was in the works.”

In the works indeed. Holbrook’s “botched” call essentially ended any chance Atlanta had of beating the Cards while also ensuring the spread was obliterated. But can an umpire call an infield fly when the ball is a good fifty feet out of the infield? This investigative sports reporter thinks not. Sketchy? Yes.

And what of our bookie Dale? Did he suffer big losses due to Friday night’s allegedly fixed wild card game?

“No, I made a killing. I took all the bets laid with me and put them all on St. Louis with another bookie. I made enough money to buy another quad. I’m gonna get a yellow one.”

Infield fly, or inside job? You make the call, sports fans.