-Scott Pearson Eberly
During filming of The Best of It Dink glowingly talked about his sports pager. In fact, there would be interviews when Dink routinely would be distracted having to check scores on his beloved pager every couple of minutes. “Dink and His Pager” was actually a scene that was in the film and Scott Pearson Eberly begrudgingly cut. Fortunately the scene lives as an iTunes Extras with the purchase of the film on iTunes and Vimeo.
“Dink & His Pager is one of six iTunes Extras, including commentaries with Scott Pearson Eberly, Dink and Bosto
Ironically, Dink recently went on The Wager Pager Podcast to discuss gambling, tell some stories, talk ‘The Best of It’ and yes, talk about pagers. Anyone who refers to The Best of It as a ‘Cult Classic’ has to know what they’re talking about, right?
Click here to listen | The Wager Pager Podcast (episode 17) with Chris Rodgers & Mercedes Barba
We're sorry 4 the delay @mercedesbianca is in L.A. 4 Xmas & we're producing this Ep rouge style. But stay tuned cuz this week's guest is a #SportsGambling Icon. We're super stoked to have @dinkinc Alan "Dink" Denkenson! #NHL betting legend & subject of the cult classic @BOI_Movie pic.twitter.com/IIXEFPLjLl
— The Wager 🎉 Pager Pod (@TheWagerPager) December 22, 2018
enjoyed doing this one... stories.... no picks....better listening https://t.co/ECIKqFVcHq
— alan (@dinkinc) December 27, 2018
Millennials would be amazed the great lengths a gambler would go to for a score. A sharp used a pager, a square used the Headline News crawl and their sports 20/50 minutes past the hour.
ESPN Had Its Own Pager
Touts used it as gift to entice business
I think most would feel that having a supermodel as a wife would qualify as a getting THE BEST OF IT.
A photo posted by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele) on
But what about a heated toilet with a bidet?
You get the idea Welker thinks Brady not only gets THE BEST OF IT, he also invented it! Welker would love to see who Brady throws his balls to during his suspension.
Video Courtesy: Scott Sullivan (follow on Twitter @SullyBunz)
Reading these Brady interviews about life outside of fball reminds me when Welker spoke about TBs heated toilet #WBZ pic.twitter.com/rOxxkLjaRM
— Scott Sullivan (@SullyBunz) September 15, 2016
1981 advertisement from the LA Times
I was as dominate and would run up the score like one of Switzer's Oklahoma teams.
My two handed set shot was deadly.
I could never hit a breaking ball, but when I turned on a fastball it was like Roy Hobb--a thing of beauty!
The Best of It team is so happy to have football back.
Do you think this qualifies as getting The Best of It? Oklahoma and Houston fans and it's not even 11 o'clock in the morning yet!!!!
The Best of It now playing!
We'll also be giving away t-shirts next week counting down the NFL's opening week!
Stay tuned for details.
College Football is finally back! pic.twitter.com/OihDgrTECX
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) September 3, 2016
Muhammad Ali's greatness even impacted the Las Vegas Strip when Ali fought Larry Holmes in 1980. Ali may have been near the end of his career by that point, but it was just the beginning for sports books and their marriage with big casinos. Jimmy Vaccaro (sports book manager of Barbary Coast) was the first to run a sports book that was physically located inside and owned by a casino. Back then casinos would accept chips from any casino in town; 'Exchange Day' would take place on Mondays when the casinos would exchange chips with other casinos. Barbary Coast turned in over $300,000 worth of Caesars Palace chips the Monday after the fight. Caesars realized they may have hosted the Ali/Holmes fight, yet all those in attendance and staying at Caesars had to leave their property and walk across the street in order to have action on the fight.
Rumor has it that Caesars Palace had a meeting the very next week after the Ali/Holmes fight to build a sports book and six weeks later they had the blueprints to start building their own sportsbook. Down goes Frazier! And up went big casinos building sports books.
Courtesy: University of Las Vegas Library
Fourteen Sundays from now all will be right again for those who worship the NFL.
Church will be in session! There will be those that spend their morning plotting strategies and studying the odds boards with multiple televisions tuned into the various pregame shows.
And Fantasy Players will be watching for late injury news while geeking out setting their first lineup of the season.
And Boomer will likely be doing his final year of hosting ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. Chris Berman has been at ESPN for 37 years, including 30 years of teaming up with Tom Jackson in one form or another.
And after six plus hours of viewing gamblers and fantasy players will wash it all down with the night game--gamblers often refer to this as the 'Get-Out' game.
The South Point Sports Book has posted the lines (see below) to the first week of the NFL schedule.
Will Hugh Jackson bring enough stability to the Browns to make Cleveland at +8 look tasty against the Eagles?
If you believe Tom Brady won't be able to overturn his 4-game suspension; don't the Cardinals present value at a picke'em?
How excited are you for college football's return?
College Football Games of the Year! They are on the board and ready to bet @southpointlv and @RampartCasino pic.twitter.com/WQoagvTi84
— Jimmy Vaccaro (@JimmyVaccaro) May 13, 2016
I find it fascinating what will become of Ohio St. after losing so many elite players thanks to arguably the most impressive class to be drafted in modern NFL history. Initially you see Oklahoma as a Top 5 team with Heisman hopeful Baker Mayfield against a fresh face Ohio State team playing their first road game under the lights. Too much? Too soon? Even for Urban Meyer?
During Meyer's five years at Ohio State he's 50-5 with only 2 losses greater than 9-points
“Ohio St. at Oklahoma (-9)
September 17th, 7:30pm ET on FOX ”
But still to get 9 points for a Urban Meyer squad? The real irony is Oklahoma looks most vulnerable week one on the road at Houston (11:00am Central) for an early kickoff. The Sooners could actually have a loss before their primetime showdown with the Buckeyes. If there's one thing Vaccaro
What do you think the closing line with be when Ohio St./Oklahoma kickoff?
Penn St. at Pittsburgh (-9) Is Franklin ever going to bring happiness to Happy Valley?
Oregon at Nebraska (-2) I find it hard to believe Nebraska will be favored at kickoff
Washington at Oregon (-4.5) Is this the season Petersen's purple make a statement?
Alabama at Tennessee (+4.5) Will all the bluechips finally make UT relevant again?
Stanford at Notre Dame (+1) Notre Dame came oh so close in Palo Alto
Clemson at Florida State (+1) Can Clemson duplicate last season's success?
Michigan at Ohio St. (-6.5) You're giving Harbaugh +6.5?
*no line on LSU/Alabama
Author Michael Konik wrote the book "The Smart Money." It's a memoir of his time when he served as a bag man for 'Big Daddy' considered the world's best sports bettor. Konik claimed he needed to protect his sources, however, it was quickly revealed that 'Big Daddy' and Rick Matthews were in fact Billy Walters and Konik's time in the inner circle would often play the role of the square making large bets for the titled, "Brain Trust."
Here's the N.Y. Times review.
Today the film's director Scott Pearson Eberly and Dink join Mark, Heather, and Josh to talk The Best of It on The Edge. The show can be heard on KFAI, iHeart app, iTunes, and Stitcher. We'll post a link to the show when available.
Mark Thompson with Marilu Henner after recording an episode of The Edge
Dink loves the ponies! First and foremost he loves to dive into the Racing Form and play the ponies!
Here's a link to the Vice Sports story on Dink.
Dink's reach with the thoroughbred extends beyond a horseplayer. Since I've known Dink he's helped a charity that helps find homes by adopting retired thoroughbreds. Just one of many sides to Dink that didn't make the film.
For the past month he's been giving his plays for free via Twitter to raise money and awarness for Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue. The foundation has also saved countless former racehorses that end up in livestock auctions which sadly means they'll more than likely end up in a slaughterhouse if not for SCTR and other rescue foundations.
UPDATE!!!! Seven months later Dink continues to handicap raising money for the Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue.
last play for @SoCalTBRescue ,really this time, is the salami over...hat tip to @walls_edward for pointing this one out. blame him if lose
— alan (@dinkinc) May 21, 2016
proud to be doing my 49th consecutive FREE with admission handicapping contest at the @SoCalTBRescue MAY 14 fundraiser at Santa Anita. $$$$
— alan (@dinkinc) April 20, 2016
Justin aka Just Fishin (2009), a solid 16h.h. in yer pocket cutie-pie #OTTB gelding in h/j training and #adoptable pic.twitter.com/tFm3DVui5c
— SoCalTBRescue (@SoCalTBRescue) May 17, 2016
Since 2008, Caroline Betts' foundation has helped to save and find homes for hundreds of retired thoroughbreds.
Dink at the Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue fundraiser at Santa Anita Park on May 15, 2016
by Scott Pearson Eberly
THE HOUSE WHO ALSO GAMBLES
Great character. He had the vibe of a creepy gambler who might also be a stone cold killer. How smart could he be though? I mean a tell as obvious as playing with ones cookies sounds like a mistake only Cookie Monster would make. But to his credit... in the end when he got crushed he proved to be a man of integrity, "pay dat man his money." The screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien who created Teddy KGB went on to create the Showtime series Billions about the gamble of wall Street.
Studio: Miramax Director: John Dahl | Scene: "The Tell"
THE LOVABLE SQUARE WHO WINS AT THE GAME OF FUN
Monty Capuletti loves to smoke, drink, and gamble. He borders on being your typical square, but this list needs an everyman! A commoner! A guy who loves to gamble as much as he hates his mother-in-law!
Mony's best friend Nicky Cerone (Joe Pesci) has a tip, it's time to get to the racetrack. Tell me, has Aqueduct ever looked so glorious? That's because the track is actually called Hoover Downs and it was shot at Pompano Park even though they reside in Staten Island. I rather liked the track announcers updates, "Sixty seconds to post time... thirty seconds to post time... two seconds to post time... no more bets." And how about Nicky's line to that gambler that's going to co*k-block you, "What are you doing? Buying a house?"
Who hasn't been stiffed by a jockey? But whatever you do, don't stiff Nicky!
studio: Orion Pictures | Director: James Signorelli
THE DEGENERATE LOSER
Gerry loves to gamble, but unlike Monty (Easy Money) he's your degenerate sucker who has the wherewithal of talented gambler, could hit his best of bet of the night and still lose. Curtis and Gerry become friends and for once Gerry is going to have a bankroll courtesy of his new found friend while the two go road tripping down the Mississippi. I mean who hasn't been broke and on the phone while in a seedy restroom claiming to have the money to get down large on Hawaii over Gonzaga? Doesn't every gambler have a friend like this?
If you want to see just how talented of an actor Ben Mendelssohn is you should check him out in the Netflix series Bloodline.
Studio: Sycamore Pictures | Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
THE DEGENERATE JINX WHO NEVER, EVER, EVER WINS
If Eddie Mush didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. This was Eddie Montanaro's only role and he nailed it! You know the guy who is a "fu*king jinx! Montanaro probably had a little bit of an edge in playing Eddie Mush on the big screen and there's a good reason for that. Robert De Niro had trouble finding the right person to play Mush, so he asked Chazz Palminteri (the film's star also wrote the one-man play and screenplay based on his childhood) to go and find the real Mush. Palminteri based the script on his own experience and that's how the film was able to capture Eddie Mush in a funny light, not cartoonish, while he still maintaining an authenticity to him. Ironically De Niro and Palminteri worried about Montanaro bringing bad luck to the film because his aura of being a jinx was real--the first day he came to the set-- it rained. I told ya, he's a fu*king jinx!
Poor Cyrptonight! He never had a chance!!! He got Mushed!
Studio: Price Entertainment/Tribeca Productions | Director: Robert De Niro
A GAMBLER WHO BETS ON HIS OWN SKILL SET
I'll always remember the dialogue between Eddie Felson and his manager/gambler Bert Gordon played by George C. Scott.
Bert: You got talent.
Eddie: So I got talent. What beat me?
Bert: Character.
Fast Eddie Felson is one of those benchmark characters; so rich and real that he reaches out of the screen and grabs the audience. Seeing Newman and Jackie Gleason (Minnesota Fats) go toe to toe is like watching two heavyweights engage in a epic battle. In 2006, A.F.I. (American Film Institute) ranked this the #6 greatest film in the sports genre. Fast Eddie dreamt of getting a showdown with Minnesota Fats and when he does he shines with his shotmaking and like his manager says, he lacked character.
The real growth by Eddie is when he accepts his own realities while managing his dreams.
Rossen Films | Director: Robert Rossen
A VALUE GAMBLER WHO KNOWS EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK.
Paul Thomas Anderson was invited to the Sundance Institute after his movie Cigarettes & Coffee played at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Hard Eight was the movie he developed in the Sundance Institute Lab.This was also P.T.'s first and only film where he lacked control over his film, he wanted the title of the movie to be called Sydney. Sydney is played by Philip Baker Hall. He's the gambler who knows not only his advantages as a gambler, but he also knows how to get comped for free rooms, buffets, smokes, hell, he'll even get free movies up in his suite. He meets John played by John C. Reilly who needs to scrape together $6,000 to pay for his mom's funeral. Sydney teaches the kid the ropes and a friendship is born.
Studio: Green Parrot/MGM | Director: P.T. Anderson
It's good film. It was shot in Reno and allows you to see the film before P.T. made Boogie Nights. Samuel L. Jackson actually shot this before Tarantino's classic Pulp Fiction was released.
Remember, don't order the free cocktails--it'll end up being a $150 cocktail!
JUST YOUR TYPICAL CASH COW SPORTS BETTOR FOR THE MOB WHO ENDS UP RUNNING A CASINO
I loved this movie even though I left the theater saying it was Goodfellas gone west. A film has never done a better job of showing the relationship between Las Vegas and the mob before corporate America took over the script. Personally I loved 'Ace' the handicapper, but the scene demonstrating how a casino is run is very good too.
tudio: Universal Pictures | Director Martin Scorsese
I also like that the scene because it introduces us to Don Rickles! It was actually Illena Douglas (actress) who was Scorsese's girlfriend at the time who first started pushing for Rickles to be cast in the movie after seeing him on Later with Bob Costas. Rickles reportedly heckled De Niro after every take, "are you sure you want to do it like that Bobby?" He left Pesci alone after giving him some guff, Pesci put Rickles in a headlock.
THE GAMBLER WHO STEPS TO THE WINDOW THINKING, "NO GUTS, NO GLORY."
What can you say about Jay Trotter; he's the gambler everyone admires, but no one wants to be. He's the guy who the teller says, "You are the champ! You got more guts than sense. I love it!" I thought the film critic Scott Weinberg said it best, "Only in movies can you come across selfish bastards and actually like." Jennifer Tilly was in her prime too!
Studio: Paramount Pictures | Director: Joe Pytka
Let It Ride was pretty much panned by critics, yet universally adored by gamblers. Let's head to the track.
THE PAINFUL, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE GAMBLER WHO ONLY KNOW ONE KIND OF ENDING
I've had friends tell me during dinners, strangers at cocktail parties, blah blah blah, one of the most cringeworthy scenes that they have to look away from and is when John Favreau's character Mike in Swingers. I felt the same way before finally seeing The Gambler. The film's realism is thanks to screenwriter James Toback who based the script on his many epic gambling runs and run-ins with bookies owing very large sums of money. James Caan nailed his role as Axel Freed, especially the scene in the bathtub.
Studio: Paramount Pictures | Director: Karel Reisz
The best part about this film is that Caan and Toback didn't rely on the cliches of other gambling movies that make the gambling elements problematic.
A PROFESSIONAL GAMBLER WITH A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR
What are the odds? Two of the best gambling movies with two of the greatest characters in the history of cinema are from the same year. 1974 gave us California Split and The Gambler. How do you separate Axel Freed from Charlie Walters? For me, it came down to humor and the fact that this was a gambler who was funny and knew how to have fun while still living on the edge.
Funny and cynical Robert Altman gave us a buddy film that paired us with chemistry that oozed on the screen between Elliott Gould and George Segal (Bill Denny) who played Walters' amigo and partner in crime. No real crimes, but they definitely went to the edge. Altman used real betting halls and casinos with real dealers, gamblers, and bartenders too.
Elliott Gould as Charlie Waters will have you eating out of his hands by the time the credits roll.
Studio: Columbia Pictures Cororation | Director: Robert Altman
60 Minutes profiled Billy Walters which remains his only appearance on television. The interview aired January 16, 2011.
When making a documentary there are things that you have to fight for, things you have to concede, and things that are out of your control. Early in the process pursuing Billy Walters was a high priority, but as the storylines started to develop it became clear that it was more about Boston, The Shrink, Dink, and Banker. It also became apparent hearing from those sharing their stories of Walters in the gambling community felt a lot like I did by the time filming commenced; were we talking about Billy or were we merely chasing Billy Walter's ghost.
There is a deleted Billy Walter's scene that's part of the iTunes Extras package with purchase. It's a scene that paints the picture as to just how dominant and influential Billy's been as a professional gambler. In the end I had to cut the scene. I felt I needed to license expensive footage for a scene that in the end stopped the flow of the essential characters in the film.
In light of this week's charges brought against Billy Walters I thought I'd share a story Dink told that ended up on the cutting room floor. I think it reveals just how plugged-in the legendary sports gambler is to not only what he bets, but what others are bet too.
Dinks_BillyWalters_Story from The Best of It on Vimeo.
Here are a couple of other interesting stories that have appeared on Billy Walters the past several years.
In his only television appearance he used a 60 Minutes package to make the point that sports gamblers in general are honest business men--the real crooks are on Wall Street.
Mike Fish wrote this story on Billy Walters in 2015 for ESPN Magazine.
I've heard Steve Czaban for years in the mornings. My longtime cameraman Erik Edison would insist that we listen to Zabe when filming on location. Although initially reluctant, I begrudgingly gave up control to the dials and eventually I wore down succumbing to the cajolery of Czaban.
Here's my interview talking The Best of It and sports betting with the very smooth Czaban.
Steve Czaban can be heard across the country on Yahoo Sports Radio. Czaban also does a afternoon drive time show on ESPN 980 in the nation's capital. LISTEN HERE
I'd also like to give a big shoutout to Zabe's producer Steve Solomon.
The Best of It held the #3 documentary position for the first ten days on the Google Play charts. This was due to the film's loyal viewers and to the many shows that found our little documentary compelling and worthy of airtime.
Larry Merchant during his infamous post-fight interview with Floyd Mayweather
Long before Larry Merchant told Floyd Mayweather that if he was 50-years younger that he'd kick his ass; Merchant was a sports write for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Post. It was during his time in Philly that he started to picks scores for the weekend slate of college football and NFL games. He got on such a good run that bookies started calling him wanting to know his picks before the newspaper would hit the newsstand.
After ending his 35-year run as a boxing analyst for HBO Merchant feels like the season he spent in Las Vegas was a couple of life times ago. In 1972, Merchant put up his $30,000 advance betting it on the NFL for an entire season. He elbowed up to various Wiseguys, including Lem Banker and pulled back the curtain to a world much more taboo and secretive 44-years ago.
I first discovered the book when I bought it for a nickel at a garage sale as a 9-year-old. I couldn't comprehend the gambling element, but I used the scores to create a football game where I was a coach. If I remember right, I coached the Vikings for 17-years and won too many divisional titles to remember and finally gave the purple their first Super Bowl title. I was drawn to the cover with teams names and what I would learn later were point spreads. I was also fascinated by next to the scores and standings were various lines; MY LINE, OPENING LINE, CLOSING LINE, and what really captured my imagination was the OUTLAW LINE. There were outlaws in football?
I love reading the blurbs on the book. The New York Times called it, "The flea-flicker of the season." Newsweek wrote, "Merchant careens around the gambling circuit like a runty halfback scrambling to daylight." But my favorite blurb on the back of the book belongs to famed author and screenwriter of The Godfather, Mario Puzo.
Here's a scene that didn't make the movie. It's Merchant reminiscing about what inspired him to write the book, "The National Football Lottery."
The Best of It is available to pre-order on iTunes. You can also pre-order on Vimeo On Demand.
The iTunes purchase includes iTunes Extras.
iTunes artwork page includes the film's theme song.
The bonus content has five deleted scenes (My First Bet, Dink & His Pager, Vegas Runner Intro Scene, Boston Epic Rants, Billy Walters: Most Feared Gambler in the World, and audio commentary).
The myth of Boston's notebooks are legendary. He remains 'Old School' still using his notebooks to this day despite being in the midst of an era where everything has done digital.
The documentary explores what makes him tick and how he became a professional gambler in this compelling feature length documentary The Best of It directed by Scott Pearson Eberly.
Boston's college basketball power rating notebooks
.@indiewire exclusively unveils The Best of It's new trailer + announces the release date. #bestofitmovie
— The Best of It (@BOI_Movie) March 25, 2016
https://t.co/msEVfQhb8n
The Best of It's page is up at Vimeo On Demand. We'll be making the big announcement later this month on the release date and all the ways you'll be able to view this unflinching look at the life of gambler.
““I’m not going to lose it. I’m going to gamble it.” ”
THE BEST OF IT is coming! After five years and shooting over 1,400 hours of footage we'll finally be making the big announcement about the film's release next month!
Please like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for news about the film and learn where and when you can see THE BEST OF IT! And subscribe to THE BEST OF IT's YouTube page to see all new videos in March, including a featurette about the making of the film.
THE BEST OF IT is a character driven feature length film that follows the arduous life of a professional gambler. The documentary focuses on Boston, Shrink, Dink, and Banker who all have strived to make a living in the dog eat dog world of a pro bettor. The lifestyle of a gambler is unforgiving and tends to chew up and spit out even the most seasoned gambler, a common story in Las Vegas.
