This video isn't particularly sports-related, but I'm willing to make the argument that betting a bookie you can survive cancer at 50-1 odds is awesome enough to warrant mention here at the Internet's cool table.  Jon Matthews, a 58-year-old Brit diagnosed with terminal asbestos-related cancer, bet William Hill £100 he would survive longer than doctors predicted he would live.  Now he's 5000 pounds richer.

Mr Matthews said he would give half the money to cancer charity Macmillan. "The other half I’m going to spend on myself – booze and fags probably – I don’t have anything to lose."

Booze and cigarettes?  That's it?  C'mon, Jon — shell out for some hookers.  Live a littl–oh.  Maybe that's not the right phrase to use. 

[Vegas Watch] 

Wynn Las Vegas has filed a lawsuit against NBA Hall of Famer and notorious gambling addict Charles Barkley, who allegedly has not repaid four $100,000 markers the casino lent him last October.

The casino also persuaded the Clark County district attorney’s bad check unit to open a criminal investigation. The unit has authority under state law to investigate gambling debts in the same manner as bad checks.

District Attorney David Roger said Barkley will be notified of the investigation and given an opportunity to make restitution to Wynn Las Vegas to avoid being charged with a felony.

This is a problem many of us regular joes often face.  "Hmmm… I can buy a huge house in the suburbs, which is a sensible investment that most middle-class folks spend two decades trying to pay off… OR I can let it ride.  What to do, what to do?  *shakes dice*  C'mon eight!"

The immense responsibility that comes with writing a well-trafficked and largely uninformed sports blog has finally gotten the better of me, and I have decided to host an NCAA Tournament pool.  Therefore, I encourage all of you to enter With Leather's Pool of Hard Knocks.  Go HERE to sign up.

• Group ID #: 119810
• Password: scarlett

I've discussed this matter with my Fat Penguin overlords, and they confirmed that the winner of the pool will receive… uh… something.  A cool something that will almost probably be decided before the tourney begins.  Furthermore, a certain number of runners-up — possibly zero — will get something else that will also be cool but not as cool as the winner's something.

Is this the most rewarding free tournament ever?  I don't like to jump to conclusions, but yes.  Obviously.

NEW GROUP UPDATE: WL's Pool of Hard Knocks 2 — Group # 132979, password: boner

Usually I try to keep the comedic level of this site at about the middle-school level.  That's old enough to still be kinda smart, but immature enough to laugh at crotch shots and to call everything gay.  Just for one post, though, I'd like to dial it back to 2nd grade.  Witness this story from New Jersey:

Former NFL player Todd Burger was one of five men arrested over the weekend in a bust of an alleged Internet gambling operation.

Burger, who played guard for the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, allegedly collected gambling debts for suspect Anthony "Cheese" Pecoraro.

The entire McDonald's community gathered at a press conference this morning, where a vigilant Mayor McCheese confirmed that the illegal ring was run out of Burger's carhole.

Hey look! A soccer gambling scandal that doesn't involve Italy. UEFA has requested police throughout Europe investigate some suspicious games:

The games, said to include a Champions League match and a Euro 2008 qualifier, are being probed by police forces worldwide after UEFA spotted abnormal betting patterns . . .  UEFA have confirmed that 15 games this season are under suspicion and it is understood that another 11 from last season are also being probed . . . the pattern is similar to that detected in international tennis, where minor matches appear to be targeted by betting rings because they are easier to influence. The majority of the teams involved come from Bulgaria, Georgia, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Hmm, what do these countries have in common? They all end in 'A'? Undoubtedly. But they're also all former territories or allies of the Soviet Union. These countries should receive a pass on these investigations. It's been less than 2 decades since these nations could begin freely practicing capitalism, and even the smartest people have trouble grasping the subtle nuances of Adam Smith's economics. For example, it took at least 3 visits to the VIP room before I deciphered the the cryptic language exotic dancers use to transact "special services". Coincidentally, that lass was was from the the former Soviet Union as well. -KD 

fined for his lack of effort in a recent loss.

The top-seeded Davydenko won the first set in 27 minutes, but drew a rebuke from chair umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq in the third set. Davydenko double-faulted four times in the second set and six times in the third. "When I made a double-fault, he gave me a notice for a wrong behavior on the court as if I was throwing the match," Davydenko said Thursday after the match. "I was surprised. I've never heard anything like this before."

He'd never heard of someone throwing a match?  The Russian tennis player is shocked by the notion of corruption for monetary gain?

"I was simply shocked to hear him say that. This is just outrageous. How does he know what I was trying to do? I was so upset with the whole thing I started crying."

…Something I would have never expected from someone who competes in an argyle sweater vest.  The sports world is just full of surprises.