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We ran the table at Woodbine on Friday, a day of sheer perfection with all four of our picks winning with resounding ease. Loaded with cash I spent Saturday, uh, at an all day seminar on the current economy? Yeah, what a lousy comedown. I was dying to sneak out the back door and head to the local teletheatre but this global economic stuff was a tad interesting so I stayed put. People are going to lose their shirts following the advice of the media hacks and TV shills. The investment game can be solved the same way the gambling game should be approached. Tons of research, patience, and execution of an intelligent, CONTRARIAN game plan. As a lone wolf, albeit fiercely determined and resourceful, one can navigate the toughest storms…Dave Tuley of the Daily Racing Form is red hot at the moment. He offers three plays on this afternoons NFL action; Denver plus the six and a half, the Lions plus 14 and the Chargers plus five. I concur mightily with the Broncos over the Falcons and will also add the Giants minus the touchdown at home…The Scouts, on Sporting News, have an interesting take on the Pat’s Matt Cassells. While the novice QB had developed quickly and exceeded expectations they feel he is still a poor long ball thrower. The Pats will find more teams shutting down the “underneath” zones if Cassells doesn’t find a way to successfully air it out…hmmm, very interesting. Loudmouth Alex Semin, NHL scoring leader, pulled himself out of Saturday’s game with a mysterious ailment. Now, I passed on the prick in my pools because of his inability to play through pain and have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune as he has sliced up the League thus far. But, it sound like my wee little whiny Alex may be returning. It’s only November and the erstwhile leader of the Washington Capitals is already starting to hit the wall…can you believe the NHL allowing Rick Tocchet to assume head coaching responsibilities in Tampa? The man was running a gambling ring and was saved only because one of the major players was Wayne Gretzky. The illegal activities were swept under the carpet as expeditiously as possible with the ludicrous assertion in the mainstream media that it was Janet Gretzky who was making enormous wagers. The Great One would throw any one under the bus to preserve that halo…ah, hello Mr. Melrose. Yes, Mr. Savard is already seated and we expect Mr. Laviolette to be joining your table any moment now…the Pittsburgh Penguins have now won six in a row. The quackers have been buoyed by huge contributions from young centre Jordan Staal who, you may remember, spent the 2007-08 season living in the doghouse…Dan Reeves notes Peyton Manning has played behind two rookie offensive linemen this year. The veteran QB, coming off at least two knee surgeries, has not been as comfortable as in years past due to the instability and inexperience of the players in front of him…Arizona’s Kurt Warner has played the 2008 season with gloves on both hands. Whatever…faced with plummeting ratings HBO is doing itself no favours putting on fights like last nights Jermaine Taylor - Jeff Lacy tussle. It was not a crossroads fight; the two simply are not as good as advertised. There is no secret wealth of talent to be mined, they’re just not good fighters and that’s why they’ve suffered recent setbacks. Fans have moved on, HBO should too…Friday’s Steve Molitor - Celestino Caballero scrap is the real thing, a must see, highly anticipated chance for two brilliant but underappreciated fighters to strut their wares. I think the series of dreadful mismatches Molitor has engaged in may have fattened his bank account but dangerously dulled his abilities. He’ll need to ramp up while facing the awkward and determined Caballero…