Gambling Dawgs steamroll Tigers

September 6, 2008 at 1:07 pm · Filed under Online Gambling

With just less than two minutes left in Friday’s game, the Berwick Bulldogs snapped the ball on fourth down and kicked away their final possession.

It was conclusive proof that the Bulldogs really can punt.

“We do have a punter,” Berwick coach Gary Campbell said.

That would have been hard to tell otherwise, as the dice kept coming up lucky sevens for Berwick during a 42-20 thumping of Tunkhannock.

Call it luck if you will, but Berwick’s ability to convert key fourth downs from anywhere on the field may have been as much of a result of hard work as the 146 yards and three touchdowns Bulldogs junior quarterback A.J. Mihaly put up.

“I’m very aggressive with that,” Campbell said. “I just think, sometimes, teams let down on special teams and we want to be the aggressor. It’s a dumb play (punting), when you think about it. You’ve got to give up the ball, give the ball to the other team, and give them a chance to score.

“Why?”

Good question, if you happen to be a member of the Bulldogs.

Berwick reached into its bag of tricks early, found some success, and kept going for more.

On the game’s first possession of the game, the Bulldogs (2-0) faked a punt as Brandon Welch took a direct snap 7 yards for a first down. Later in the drive, Alec Ladonis bashed his way for 8 yards on another fourth-down play and, eventually, John Jola knifed for a 3-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 Berwick lead.

“Coach is aggressive in his play-calling,” Mihaly said. “We know even if it’s fourth-and-3, fourth-and-4, we have a good chance of keeping it going.”

Hey, if it’s working, why stop?

Early in the fourth quarter, Berwick again rolled the dice on a fourth-and-4 play from its own 35-yard line. Louis Hampton cashed it in with a 10-yard run as the riverboat gambler Campbell hit the jackpot again.

Of course, by that time, the Bulldogs had already built a commanding 42-20 lead.

Mihaly, making only his second varsity start, lobbed a pretty 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Powell and found Ryan Sitler with a sweet 33-yard strike to the end zone as Berwick took a 21-0 lead late in the opening quarter.

Mihaly also found Cory Davenport streaking down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown bomb with seven seconds left in the first half.

And when Davenport scooped up a fumble and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, the game changed for good, as Berwick took a 42-12 lead as time expired on the second quarter.

“They made those plays,” Tunkhannock coach Frank Berardelli said. “Hats off to them – first of all to call them, second of all to make them.”

Then again, that’s Berwick’s style.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Campbell said. “From day one, that’s what we want to do. It’ll happen on the 20, it’ll happen on the 50. Sometimes, I’m going to get burned. I’ve got to live with that. But we have to be aggressive.”

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Patrick rejects casino proposal

September 6, 2008 at 1:03 pm · Filed under Online Gambling

The Patrick administration yesterday rejected a request by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to negotiate an agreement for a $1 billion resort casino in Middleborough, saying talks would be premature until the federal government places the tribe's land in trust.

"Until we know the extent to which the Bureau of Indian Affairs approves the Tribe's land-in-trust application, and the Tribe's jurisdiction over the land located in Middleborough is established, any agreements we might reach would be purely hypothetical," wrote Governor Deval Patrick's chief legal counsel, Ben Clements, to tribal chairman Shawn W. Hendricks Sr.

Clements urged Hendricks to continue ongoing "informal conversations and meetings" with administration officials.

Earlier this week, the tribe delivered a letter to the governor requesting that negotiations begin "at the earliest mutually convenient date."

The tribe won federal recognition last year, the first step toward building a resort casino with 4,000 slot machines, a 1,500-room hotel, and a golf course in the Southeastern Massachusetts town.

But before it can build a casino, it must win federal approval to declare land it owns to be sovereign and place it in trust.

Tribal leaders believe they will receive approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs next year, but the process can take much longer.

In its letter to Patrick, the tribe said that having a compact with the state could help the Wampanoag win federal approval of their land-in-trust application.

Patrick, whose proposal to license three casinos in Massachusetts died in the House of Representatives last March, repeatedly argued the state should license casinos because - with or without state approval - the tribe is likely to build one.

Without a state compact with the tribe, the state would lose any control over the casino and the share of revenues it would receive in a partnership.

In its letter to Patrick, the Wampanoag tribe said that if the state doesn't approve a compact, it will pursue its federal rights under the Indian Gaming Act to develop a Class 2 casino, which is limited to less-lucrative slot machines and limited forms of other gambling. Upgrading to Class 3, which allows slots with bigger jackpots and table games like Black Jack, would require state approval.

"No matter what ultimately happens with the negotiations, please know that it is the tribe's intent to operate America's most successful casino resort in Middleborough," wrote Hendricks on Sept. 3. "We hope that we do so in a manner which benefits all of us to the fullest extent possible."

Scott Ferson, a spokesman for the tribe, said the governor's response was not a surprise since he had indicated previously that he wanted to delay discussions until the tribe's application had made its way through the federal bureaucracy.

He said the tribe "looks forward" to ongoing discussions with Daniel O'Connell, secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development who has been the administration's point man on gaming.

"The tribal chairman had a very good conversation with Secretary O'Connell yesterday," Ferson said. "The tribe has been in discussions with the state over infrastructure issues and looks forward to having further discussions in the near term on police and fire, and social service issues."

He said the tribe would rather team up with the state to build a Class 3 facility than build a Class 2 casino on its own.

But hammering out an agreement "takes time," said Ferson, "usually six months or longer. The Bureau of Indian Affairs encourages tribes to work these out in anticipation of the land being taken into trust. That's the way it was done in Connecticut."

Any deal between the tribe and the governor would probably also need the approval of the Legislature.

Patrick, in legislation he filed last year for three casinos, argued they would create tens of thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars in state revenue.

He is expected to file a new casino bill when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Golden Gate Hotel & Casino Selects POS, PMS from Agilysys

September 6, 2008 at 12:59 pm · Filed under Online Gambling

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas selects the Visual One property management solution and InfoGenesis POS solution from Agilysys to streamline operations at the 106-room property.

"The Visual One property management solution and InfoGenesis POS solution will play an important role in the transformation of Golden Gate into a premier boutique property in downtown Las Vegas," says Lon Jerome, director of information technology at Golden Gate Hotel & Casino. "These systems give our smaller hotel the same types of technical abilities and reporting that the larger mega-resorts enjoy, but in a way that works for our scale. What's more, Agilysys provided expert onsite assistance during the installation process, and their employee training enabled us to provide a consistently high level of guest service during what would otherwise have been a disruptive process."

The Visual One property management system, which operates under Microsoft Windows NT with a Microsoft SQL server database, offers a variety a features and functionality including front office operations, guest history, housekeeping, night audit, reservations management, room maintenance and travel agent management. The hotel also is implementing the accounts receivable module, which automatically imports direct bill check-outs from the property management system to the appropriate account receivable; and the web booking module, which enables guests to view room rates and availability, make a reservation and obtain a real-time confirmation number.

InfoGenesis POS is an enterprise-ready point-of-sale solution that combines powerful reporting and configuration capabilities with an easy-to-use touch-screen terminal application. The system's centralized database pulls together food and beverage functions, enabling total management of dining, bar and room service operations. Real-time access to information enables food and beverage managers to provide more efficient service and reduce potential losses.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts