"(man) That's me." "That's my dad." "I remember that day." "And believe it or not, I remember that hit." "I remember it because of the smile that spread over my dad's face." "Yeah, I'd have stood there all day just to sink one." "Just to see that smile." "You see, to Pop, sports were a religion." "To me, it was about purity." "Sports was a place where all wrongs could be made right." "I thought if I filled the whole house with trophies for him, he'd stick around." "Well, I did." "He left before my tenth birthday." "(commentator) The Championship has come down to this final play." "The Sun Devils trail by four." "The ball on the Aztec 15." "Seven seconds left on the clock." "Settle it down." "Pro-right tiger." "This is your game." "Now, let's go." "Let's go get 'em." "Now, let's go!" "Let's go!" "(referee) Sun Devils' ball." "First down and ten yards to go." "Here we go, men, last play." "It's fun time!" "Pro-right tiger." "Wide check. 532 double fly on two, Scottie." "Guaranteed TD." "We gotta worry about one thing, men." "After we win this game they'll be putting cameras in your faces." "Don't give them "Hi, Mom"s and shit." "It's overused." "You gotta thank somebody, thank me." " I'll see you in the end zone, men." "Ready?" " (all) Break!" "(man) I was a quarterback since peewee football - set high-school records, won state championships." "This was perfect." "Coming at you, 57." "(man) Bowl game, national TV, there were pro scouts in the stands, and I knew exactly what was gonna happen next." "(commentator) Lang has led the Sun Devils to four comebacks this season." "Can he do it?" "Win their first bowl game in 12 years?" "Lang barks the signals." "The Aztecs have eight in the box." "They're showing blitz." "Lang takes the snap, fades back into the pocket." "He looks for Ravis on the right." "Sherman breaks through." "Lang's in trouble." "He shakes Sherman off, nearly goes down." "He's looking to throw." "Two seconds to go." "There he goes." "He's going to run it." "He's got to get in the end zone." "And that safety is stepping up." "Can he make it?" "(crunch)" " (commentator) Touchdown!" " Argh!" "(Lang) My first thought was I could tape it and play next week." "Then I puked." "When do I play again, Doc?" "What's the rehab time?" "I'm not sure, son." "(groans)" "(Lang) Football wasn't a sport." "It was my life." "And I wasn't gonna give up now." "I would play again." "In the meantime I needed a job to hold me over between tryouts." "Then one day, and it didn't take long, six years had passed and I woke up at the bottom." ""You have reached the Jessica Simpson hotline." ""Jessica will tell you about Nick's birthday party," ""and a whole lot more about her rocking new panty line at Wal-Mart." ""But first here's a little fan trivia to win a VIP gold-package backstage pass" ""to Jessica's Omnicon Hotel summer tour."" " Lang." " "The question..." I'm taping, boss." "Look." "I got a job for you." "Bauer's sick." "I can't update his betting line." " You know anything about sports?" " Yeah, a little." "(Lang) 900 numbers, audio text." "The racket had a lot of names." "This guy's gig was sports handicapping - predicting winners for people who bet." "I was supposed to just record his picks." "Thing was, I didn't agree with them." "No, they're not." "Living in Las Vegas, it was easy to gauge the temperature of the betting public." "The problem is they're usually wrong." "What's up, Stu?" "Where's all the action this weekend?" "Tampa-Oakland." "Everyone's jumping on Oakland." " That's crazy." " You think?" "Yeah, man." "That game's gonna be won by coaching." "Gruden put that Oakland team together before he came to Tampa." "He knows every strength and weakness." "Brown catches to his left, so he'll have him double-teamed to the defender's right." "Gannon throws on a three-step drop." "He'll stack the midfield with line backers, take away the short pass." "Gannon will throw three or four NTs Sunday." "Fuck me." " You took Oaktown?" " Yeah, what do you think?" "I think I gotta save your ass one more time." "Take Tampa Bay on the money line." "They're gonna win this game outright." " Bet 'em big." " Thanks, B." "(Lang) Stu did bet 'em big, and he won ten grand." "I was quickly becoming the biggest 900 line in Vegas." ""Kansas City is seven to one against point spread v division opponents" ""coming off a Monday night game." "Take KC minus the six." ""Call tomorrow for my pro-football game of the year." "That's here at 900-656-3100." ""Until then, this is Brandon Lang saying good night and good gambling."" "Big plans this weekend?" "There you go." "Steve." "I went nine and two on pro football Sunday, and hit my third straight Monday-night parlay." " It's worth 12 bucks an hour." " Hey, I don't make 12 an hour." "You're not picking 75%." "If you're that good, why don't you bet your own games, get rich?" "Send me a postcard from the riviera." "(¶"Save Me (Wake Up Call)" By Unwritten Law)" "What's going on, Denny?" "Hey, man." "What's up?" "Big bro's making them greenbacks." "How about you, bro?" "I scrounged up some old headers, B. Check it out." "Fire it up." "(man) All right, here goes." "(howls)" "Jeez, I'm late." "Honey, dinner's in the oven." "Where the hell's my lucky crucifix?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you." "The mail came and there's a letter for you from Chicago." "You just went there for your tryout last week." "(Brandon) Another rejection letter." ""...strength of your knee in question."" "I only had two Arena teams left, and after that there was always the CFL." "¶ You can't save me" "¶ You can't change me" "¶ Well, I'm waiting for my wake-up call" "¶ And everything, everything's my fault" "Whoa!" "So what do you think?" "Should I ride shotgun or do you want to hop on the handlebars?" "Hey, the packaging's not that great, but there's a prize on the inside." "What do you say?" "No?" "Oh, that's OK." "You'll be back." "I'll have a life." "¶ Well, I'm waiting for my wake-up call" "¶ And everything's my fault" "Good morning, Mary." "(phone rings)" "This is Brandon." "Congratulations, you went nine and two last Sunday." "This is Walter Abrams." "I don't know if you know me." "I run the biggest sports service in the country, and I'm a big fan of yours, Brandon." "As a matter of fact, I've got a poster of you on my wall." " This is a joke, right?" " No, this is not a joke." "This is a job offer." "In your top drawer- go ahead, open it up - there's an envelope with your name on it." "Now, that's travel cash and an airline ticket." "It's not a magic trick, Brandon." "I paid someone to put it there, who told me that the place you're in reminded him of a Turkish prison." "Now, all I'm asking you to do is come up with a number." "You write down the number of what you make now, you cross it out, you write what you should be making, and then toss in how much it's gonna take to get you to fly to New York first-class" "and come work for me." "Now, focus, Brandon, focus." "With your bum knee, a comeback is just a dream." "My offer is real." " Run the numbers, do the math." " (phone rings)" "Hold on a second." "Yeah." "(Brandon) Mom holding two jobs, Denny going to college, this looked like a chance to make some real money." "And besides, I'd never seen New York and New York had never seen me." "Oh, goodness." "Hey." "All right." "So what's this guy Walter like?" "How long have you been working for him?" "A long time." " Two weeks. (laughs)" " Two weeks." "Every day with Walter's an adventure." "¶ Super cool, super mean" "¶ Feelin' good for the man, superfly, here I stand" "¶ Secret stash, heavy bread, baddest bitches in the bed" "¶ I'm your pusherman" "¶ I'm your pusherman" "That's OK." "All right, double it." "Triple it." "No, everything's about money." "Listen, this Sunday my little girl, an angel, turns six." "This is not likely to happen again." "She loves elephants." "Your circus has ten." "I only need one." "Now, my little girl's happiness is in your hands." "I don't need advice from a guy who doubles as a clown." "I need a fucking elephant." "Now, I'm willing to pay." "What'll it take to grease your wheels and get one here this weekend?" "Hello?" "Fuckwad!" "Find Ringling Brothers." "Get someone who understands profit." "Whoa!" "Brandon Lang." "The Marlboro man here." " Nice to meet you." " Hey, you're in great shape." " I've been in better." " You're modest too." "Oh!" "Modesty - not a virtue." "Could be a vice." "Sit down." "There are rules to success, my friend." "Rule number one is know what you know, know what you don't know, and know that I gotta know everything you know as soon as you know it." " Sooner." " Yes, sir." " You ever sell before?" " No." " Are you religious?" " I believe in God." "Hey, Liz." "This is me 30 years ago, right?" "It's remarkable the resemblance." "I mean, he's a little taller." "I'll give him that." "Oh, boy, you know, I'm not supposed to do this." "It's bad for my... condition." "Nobody knows this, Liz, OK?" "So before I die..." "Did you do anything other than sports phone in Vegas?" "Just the 900 recordings, you know, 10 bucks a call." "That's chump change." "I mean, we're going after much bigger fish here." "You know, networks don't talk about it, government can't tax it, but sports betting is a 200-billion-dollar-a-year business." " Whoa." " Yeah." "A lot of gamblers out there, man, and they have needs." "And come Monday morning after a losing weekend, they got big needs." "Gargantuan." "See that?" "That's every football game played last Sunday." "You know why Monday-night football's the most watched game of the week?" "Monday's the last chance bettors have to climb out of the hole they got in to pay their bookies on Tuesday." "Sports betting's illegal in 49 states, including this one." "But what we do is not." "We are 100% legal, like stockbrokers, only instead of counting stocks, we advise people on how to bet." "Now, if a client wins by taking our advice, we get a percentage, or we ask for one, which they will gladly give us because they want to keep getting the advice." "But if they lose, we get zip." "So the object here, my dear, tall, athletic, religious friend, is to win." "I can do that." " (TV) Hello." "This is Walter..." " Hello, Walter." "That's my cable show." "Now, after a nice five-day vacation on my yacht..." "Airs Saturday and Sunday morning nationwide." "We tape Thursday and Fri..." "What's going on with my hair?" "He did it again, Liz." "I got one part of my head in Cleveland, the other's in Chicago." "What are we gonna do with this guy?" "My barber." "Should be shot." "I want him dead." "(TV) For the first time," "I'm gonna release our three-team college and pro parlays absolutely free." "If all the picks are free, how'd you get the yacht?" "There's no yacht." "Next question." "Why give any picks for free?" "Why not charge a fee up-front initially?" "You make a good point." "Next." "What's on the second floor?" "That's where we print the money." " Anything else?" " Of course not." "No, I think I've got it." "I think everything's crystal clear, Walter." "I like you, you know that?" "You and me - this thing's gonna work." "(phone rings)" " I'm looking forward to it." " Me too." "(Liz) Ringling Brothers on one." "Tell them to hold that elephant." "You ever have a manicure?" "There's a girl you gotta meet." " Yeah?" "What's she like?" " She's beautiful." "You're gonna like her." "Is this Barnum or Bailey?" " (woman) I've got it." " He's all yours." " Brandon?" " Yeah." " Hi." "I'm Toni." " Nice to meet you." "Walter said you'd stop by." " This was his idea." " Yeah, I know." "Does he make all of his employees do this?" " Yep." "Every one." " How often?" "Once." "Before they start work." " Weird." " You think?" "I never had my nails done before." "Yeah, I can see that, but you've got strong hands." "That's nice." "Do you drink?" "Excuse me?" " Alcohol." "Are you a drinker?" " I have a beer every once in a while." " Do you smoke?" " No." " What about gambling?" " What about it?" "I'm sorry." "I'm just a bit pressed for time." " I asked, do you bet?" "Are you a bettor?" " No." "Really?" "Why not?" "Toni, huh?" " Are you here full time?" " Yeah, no, this is my shop." "I better be." "So why don't you gamble?" "Well, I did once." "I wagered everything I had and I lost." "So?" "I just swore I'd never do it again." " You're sticking to that story?" " Yeah." "I'm not gonna start this relationship off by lying." "That's good." "Walter could definitely use someone with a little resolve in his life." "Hey, Toni." "Would you have dinner with me tonight?" "What do you say?" " He didn't tell you." " Tell me what?" "Brandon, Walter and I are married." "Oh." "Oh, bogey." "Wait a minute." "Wait, wait, wait." "Listen." "He said to come to meet a nice lady..." "I'm sure he did." "That's OK." "I'll kill him when I get home." "He has a big, bright, beautiful spirit, though, and you will love working for him." "But he is held together by meetings." "If it has "anonymous" at the end, he goes." "He has to." "He also has to be careful who he lets into his life." "Most ways, Walter's brilliant, but he can be bullshitted and I can't." "He sends them to me before hiring them." " So this was my interview." " Oh, you're swift." "How'd I do?" "Except for an illegal forward pass, perfect." "Congratulations." "Thank you very much." "1-800-238-6648." "1-800, bet on it." "Absolutely free." "(Walter) This is the first floor, and it's all yours." "The TV's satellite, and it swivels." "Your bedroom." "Got a Jacuzzi in there the size of a kiddy pool." "You know what this is?" "Looks like weights to me." "Yeah, baby." "Now, I'm gonna put your copy here... on your desk." "Walter, this is sweet ass." " A man's chair." " That's what I'm talking about." "OK." "I'm gonna start you on the 900 numbers." "Same gig you had in Vegas." "Make your picks, record them each day." "Monday through Friday, once a day." " Five times a day on a weekend." " Mm-hm." "Each call's worth 25 bucks a shot." "Now, we're doing about three dozen hits a week." "That's nothing." "We should triple that." "Now, before you get into your test copy here, I got a few words for you." "Your pitch sucks." "No offence." "But you got potential, so we gotta find a way to bust you out." " Bust me out?" " Yeah." "We're gonna start by giving you a new name." "John Anthony." "Just came to me." "John Anthony, the million-dollar man." "What's wrong with Brandon Lang?" "Nothing's wrong with Brandon Lang." "It's just that he's still living with his mommy." "John Anthony's living large." "He don't hold back." "He's got a direct line to God." "And for a measly 25 bucks a call, he's gonna let the world's losers listen in." ""Hello, sports fans." ""This is John Anthony in the Big Apple with my big-money picks." ""The action starts Saturday with college ball," ""and our first match-up is Michigan against Indiana." ""The Wolverines..."" "I already hung up." "John Anthony here, ready to make all your betting dreams come true." "That's right." "Call me right now and let me win for you." "The point spread in the Indiana-Michigan game is at..." " I think it's all right." " Wrong." "Mm-hm." "OK, what's your sales pitch?" "My sales pitch is I'm picking 80% winners." "Stats is not enough." "I'm telling you, you need a voice." "These are gamblers ready to risk what they can't afford for what they can't have." "You're selling the world's rarest commodity." "You're selling certainty... in an uncertain world." "(clears throat)" "John Anthony here, the million-dollar man." "Wall Street to Tokyo to Hollywood." "All your big money stays and plays with me." "Sit back and relax." "It's a Scud attack this weekend." "I am shelling your bookmaker." "Follow his block and cut to the right." "Going in, Liz." "Going in." "That's it, isn't it?" "Huh?" " It's a start." " It's a start?" "What can I tell you?" "That's not what you want, then you need to find somebody else to sell and let me just pick." "It's not about what I want." "You understand?" "It's about what Brandon wants." "If I hear that, I'm calling this number." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Easy, easy." "Easy, easy." "What is it?" "What is it?" "What is it?" "Shh." "Should I call somebody?" "Not unless they got a spare heart." "Shh." "Oh, it's a small one." "It's a teeny one." "Breathe it out." " What do you need?" "Some water?" " I'll be all right." "Oh, I know what I want." "I know what I want." "Be a good boy and get me a light." "Right there." "What are you doing?" "Courage wants to laugh." "(commentator) He makes the snap, looks right, he throws." "Phillips in for the touchdown!" "(commentator#2)... clearly in the defense that does not give up the big plays." "(commentator#3)... 23 over West Virginia." "Pittsburgh on a 47-yard field goal leads Virginia 10-7." "North Carolina and Florida are scoreless." "25th ranked Kansas trails Mississippi 7-3." "We'll be back with more scores... (commentator#2) Back to the one-yard line and it will go against Utah again." "With time-out on the field, let's go to our studios in New York for an update on today's college football." " (Walter) Brandon!" " (commentary continues)" "(Walter) How we doing?" "Down here." "(commentator#4)... while Michigan just put the hammer to Illinois. 44-12." "Florida - no problem beating North Carolina 42 to 7, while Northern Washington upset Iowa State 28-21." "Pennsylvania manhandled Kentucky 31 to 3." "Bullshit!" "(commentator#4) ...with a 17-7 win at Idaho." "And this just in." "Arizona is hot." "All right!" "All right!" "This guy is a machine." "I mean, he..." "All he does is work out and pick winners." "Talk about fit." "You should see him with his shirt off." "Really." "I did." "A serious side of beef." "Enjoy your daughter's birthday." "Come on." "What do you mean?" "You should check him out." " I know you want to." " Walter." "Get out of your head." "It's a bad neighborhood." " (commentator) Touchdown!" " (commentaries continue)" "I'm gonna have the bruchetta here, and this right here." "Very good." "And may I say, sir, an excellent choice." "I think it's pronounced "bruschetta." "Bruschetta."" "They're little pizzas, but they don't have cheese in them." " Bruschetta?" " Perfect." "Who cares?" "Anyone who goes 20 for 24 college football, 12 for 14 professional, 175 calls on the 900 number, you can call bruschetta anything you want, son." "Ever have a thousand-dollar bottle of wine?" " No." " Steward!" " Walter, it's a waste." "He hardly drinks." " It's a celebration." "Steward." " Walter, it's..." " Toni, come on." "Just 'cause he's with reformed drunks doesn't mean he can't enjoy himself." "I was a lot of things, Walter, I was never a drunk." "Actually, truth be told," "I've never had a 12-dollar bottle of water either." " He thinks we're fighting." " Yeah." "No, I don't." "Look, hey, this is great, all of this." "Thank you, Walter, Toni." "Watch out, Walter." "He's a fixer." " I should've ordered two." " What did the doctor say?" "Come on." "Well, if you really want to know" " I've been meaning to tell you" " I went yesterday, and he seemed very concerned." "Afterwards, he sat me down and looked into my eyes, and he said:" ""Walter..." ""who do you like in the Buffalo-Oakland game?"" "(laughter)" " (Brandon) You tell him Buffalo?" " Shit, Walter." "It wasn't funny." "(Walter) You didn't know I was joking?" "It's a joke." "Jokes are funny." "Wow, what a meal." "You haven't touched your sauce." "It's chocolate." "I hear it's good for you." " I'm not raising a kid alone, Walter." " Come on, don't be dramatic, Toni." "In biblical times, you'd just move in with my brother Morty, anyway." "Oh, look at that." "Beauty and the beasts." "What do you think?" "I like her, man." "I think she's extremely cute." "Brandon, she's looking at you." "Yeah, but so are those two guys she's with." "I tell you what." "I'll bet you ten to one on a thousand you can't pick her up." "That's 10,000 cash if you leave this restaurant with that girl." "I have a better idea." "Why don't we go to Atlantic City and open a house account?" "You know you can't gamble." "Come on." "Who's gambling?" "I haven't flipped a coin since the '80s." "This is just a challenge." "A challenge?" "10,000... to one." " Cash?" " Mm-hm." "What are you gonna do?" " I'm gonna introduce myself." " Before..." "Before you make your move, sit." " Where are you going?" " No problem." "Don't worry." "You sit here and rest your little self." "Excuse me." "I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but I just gotta know this." "We're sitting over there with my friends and I'm thinking..." "You are drop-dead gorgeous, and we just want to know..." "Your dates look like they haven't missed a meal since Christ died." "Seriously, you're eating like you got a date with the electric chair." "What is going on?" "No, no, no." "It's all over." "Sit, sit, sit." "Just joking." "Sorry." " I don't want to get wounded with a fork." " Jerk." "Moron." " I'm gone." "Thank you very much." " What the hell was that?" " I went too far." " Oh, yeah." " I'll buy them a bottle of champagne." " You'll pick up their check." "The voice of reason." "Thank you." "Uh-oh." "Your date's going to the bathroom." "I don't think that helped me out too much, do you?" "Well..." "But, hey, thanks for the introduction." "Hey, I was just raising the bar a little." "John Anthony could close her." "You are beautiful." " Excuse me." " Hang on a second." "I want to get to know you." "You just want to get in my pants." "No." "No, no, no, no, no." "I want to get in your mind and your heart and your soul, and I don't see you wearing any pants in that equation." "Do you?" "Let me ask you something." "(Walter) OK, forget the 900 numbers." "Now you're ready." "We're moving up." "We're going to the second floor." "This is where we print the money." "Put your ear to the door." "Wow." "That's the sound of possibilities." "This is it." "This is where the sales people turn a ten-dollar bettor into a 1,000-dollar bettor before he knows he made the call." "I'm asking do they use Astroturf or AstroPlay?" "Tammy." "Give it up, baby." " You know what I need." " Sure do." " Tammy, this is Brandon." " How are you, Tammy?" "OK, this is our phone sheet." "The losers who need us." "The more they bet, the more we win." "We take 10% of a winning bet anywhere from 500 to 500,000." " That's Southie." " Let's make some serious money." " What's the game plan?" " (man) You know what?" "You're a private security guard." "Bang a cheerleader, extract the information." "Well, it was a substantial sum." "Walter, he's a little miffed at our picks." "Just do what you got to do." "It says right here that the minimum bet is five grand." "Reggie Hawks." "Best salesman ever." "Ever." "I don't have time for this kind of shit, Jimmy." "I know you're a loser." "If you were a big winner, you wouldn't pay to call me." "(Reggie) You got your head outta your ass yet?" "Is this my office?" " Well, do you like it?" " What's not to like, Walter?" "Thank you." "Miami New York point spread just went up to ten." " What do you think?" " Miami is a lock." "Are you kidding me?" "This is Jerry, my top handicapper." "Came to me straight out of grad school." "Whoa." "Phone boy makes good, huh?" "It's a big jump from 900 numbers." "Make sure you don't get a nosebleed up here." "I'm just kidding." " Nice meeting you." "Gotta get to work." " Nice meeting you too." "Say, by the way, tonight's game..." "New York wins that outright." "Really?" "They always play the Fish tough and tonight it's foregone." "I wish I had a pen because I would never write that down." "You know... college is right for you." "You have to work your way up to pro ball around here." "Good luck." "Rookie's got balls." "I almost like it, but I don't." "Good luck." "I get that all day." "You know, I got three guys who can pick games, I got 20 who can sell." "I never had one who could do both." " What?" "You mean me?" " No, not you." "I'm talking about John Anthony." "John Anthony doesn't exist." "Oh?" "Well, I'm shocked, because I'm standing in his office and you're sitting in his chair." "So you want me to sell." " Like those guys out there?" " Yes." "Big bettors don't want middlemen." "They want the guy giving them the picks." " You got a problem with selling?" " No." "I don't have a..." "There's a few choice phrases we use here." "You just start with those." "Now, here's an easy one." "I don't want your money." "I want your bookie's fucking money." "Give it back to me." "I don't want your money." "I want your bookie's money." "I don't want your money." "I want your bookie's money." "That's not bad." " What happened to "fuck"?" " What about it?" " I said it." "You don't use it?" " Nah." " Really?" "A religious thing?" " No, it's not a religious thing." "I just..." "It was all right for Chaucer 600 years ago." "Hey!" "I don't want to embarrass you, but I gotta do this." "I got someone here who has a problem saying "fuck."" " (Southie) Hold on." " (all) Fuck you!" "(Brandon) Look at that." "A lot of brunettes." "Where are we headed?" "We're gonna continue your education." " Hi." "Is this the meeting?" " Yes, yes." "Come on in." "Hi." "You'd think with two mortgages out, the repo guys staking out my car, my job on the line, and my wife threatening to leave, that I'd stop, instead of staying in the chase, doubling down." "It's a disease, Leon." "Yeah, man." "Look, admitting you have a problem is the first step." "(woman) Yeah." "I guess I must be doing pretty good because I've got one big problem." " (man) Don't worry about it, Leon." " It's OK, Leon." " (woman) Hang in there, Leon." " Hey." "My name is Walter and I'm new to this group... (all) Hey, Walter." "...but I am not new to these meetings." "I've been coming 18 years now." "As a matter of fact, friends, this is my 936th consecutive meeting." " (man) Hey, man, well done." " (applause)" "(Walter) Well done is right." "And in all that time I haven't once been to a track or a casino or bet on a game." "Hand to God, not a cent." "So I know where you're coming from, Leon." "Believe me, I know." "I heard your story, and it's something I relate to, but I gotta say, if I learned anything, it's that gambling is not your problem." " It's not?" " Not even close." "I don't know how to say this without sounding rude, but you're a lemon, Leon." "Like a bad car, there is something inherently defective in you." "And you." "And you." "And me." "And all of us in this room." "We're all lemons." "We look like everybody else, but what makes us different is our defect." "You see, most gamblers, when they go to gamble, they go to win." "When we go to gamble, we go to lose, subconsciously." "Me, I never feel better, or more alive, than when they're raking the chips away, not bringing them in, and everybody knows what I'm talking about." "Hell, even when we win, it's just a matter of time before we give it all back." "But when we lose, now, there's another story, when we lose." "I'm talking about the kind of loss that makes your asshole pucker up to the size of a decimal point." "You know what I mean?" "You've just recreated the worst possible nightmare this side of malignant cancer for the 20th goddamn time, and you're standing there and you suddenly realize:" ""Hey, I'm still here." ""I'm still breathing." ""I'm still alive."" "Us lemons, we fuck shit up all the time on purpose, because we constantly need to remind ourselves we're alive." "Leon, gambling's not your problem." "It's this fucked-up need to feel something, to convince yourself you exist." "That's the problem." "Hey, you're the guy I see on TV every weekend selling betting picks." " So what?" " Oh, yeah, he's right." "This guy..." "This guy peddles a tout service on TV." "You read the charter, buddy?" "We all left our jobs at the door." "Are you gonna throw an ex-alcoholic bartender out of an AA meeting?" " What?" " You're gonna do that?" "That's bogus." " Hey, didn't you come in with this jerk?" " Come on." "I don't like the feeling I'm getting." "If you rethink things, here's my card." "We're topping 80% this season." "Put it in your wallet." " You never know when you'll relapse." " (woman) Get out!" "What the fuck was that?" " What did you just say?" " That was bullshit." " You gave your business card..." " No, no." "You said fuck." " So what?" " Brandon." "So what?" "That's great, man." "It was all worth it just from that one word." "From the one word fuck, I could feel your frustration, I could feel your anger." "Man, I'm proud of you." "His name is Amir." "He's a dime bettor." "Owns a dry cleaners." " We got him for the subscription." " Amir..." "He's on line one." "Mm, ding, ding." "Mm." "Good morning." "Walter wanted your first call to be special." " OK." "Go get 'em, tiger." " You got it." "Me-me-me-me-ow-ow-ow!" "Mm-hm." " Amir, my man." "John Anthony here." " Yes." "Hello." "Yes, hello to you, sir." "How's your morning?" "Mine started off outstanding." "Not as outstanding as I plan my weekend being." "Billy, listen." "Thanks for the $15,000 FedEx." "It's called a three-team parlay." "It pays six to one." "How much can you lay?" "20 grand?" "Are you crazy?" "No way." "Listen, I was betting a thousand a game." "I've got a game that I'm calling my lock of the decade, OK?" "Texas v OU." "Now, Texas is receiving six points in this game." " They're gonna win it by two touchdowns." " Really?" " I like Oklahoma in that game." " You do?" "I shouldn't have called." "Thank you for your time." "Hold on." "I've got Vegas on the line." "When we get our 30 grand from last night, then I tell you who he likes next week." "The only thing you gotta know about any of our clients is that they're all in a hole." "The second they pick up the phone, you got 'em." "I'll tell you once." "Green Bay, Dallas, Cleveland. 100,000 across the board." "Get to the point, you're above them." "Let 'em know it." "Let 'em feel it." "More John Anthony." "Amir." " What's your favorite drink, my man?" " Favorite drink?" "I don't know." " Piña colada." " Whoa." "Tomorrow, we gotta get you a new drink, but today, here's what you're gonna do." "You're gonna go down to your bookie and lay 20 large on Texas." "Then you'll go home, put on your favorite Hawaiian shirt, and you'll sit back, twirl your little umbrella after you've made that rum concoction with the orange slice and the cherry, and you'll watch Texas rip those Okies a new asshole." "And after you win the 20 grand, you're gonna call me back and you're gonna tell me, "Thank you, sir." "May I have another?"" "McNeil lost his dog last week to a hunting accident." "You don't mess with a man who just lost his dog." "Western Union me ten thou and let's ride this wave into Sunday." "Denny, boy!" "I've got something good for this weekend." "Green Bay against Minnesota." "I want you to lay $500 on the Cheeseheads." "Let Stu in on that too, and take care of Mama." "Talk to you later." "Tammy, who's on four?" "Forget the other games you wanted to bet." "Let's throw that 4,000 on this 1,000 and make it five, take it money line and turn it into 12,000." "John Anthony here." "(commentator) Hello, everybody, and welcome to "Football Tonight."" "(commentator#2)... ten-yard line, he passes and that's a blind throw... (commentator#3) He's in the end zone!" " (commentator#1) Touchdown!" " Yes!" "(commentator#1) Good ball game." "10-7." "Oakland upsets New York." "OK." "No, that sounds good." "Actually, you know what?" "Monday..." "Go, Daddy, go!" "Can't you go any faster?" "Hey!" "Ten and two, pro football?" "85% weekend." "You're a mutant!" "I definitely want to be there with him." "Put it on a plate." "Oh, my God." "Thank you." "You saved my life." "That is beautiful." "What..." "What's going on?" "Walter's doctor - this is good news - finally put him on an exercise program." "I want to be there the first time to make sure the trainer understands his aversion to consistency." "Excuse me." " Aversion to consistency?" " Mm-hm." "That's Walter." "He's always been that way." " Well, that's consistent." " Well, that's true. (laughs)" "You are cute." "Take a bite." "Tell me what you think." "Life is fucking good." "So..." "let's talk about making it better." "Uh-oh." "Duck, Brandon." "Here it comes." "I'm thinking of putting John Anthony on TV this week." "If you do this, from here on out, you're gonna have to eat, sleep, drink, breathe, talk, walk and fart John Anthony." "That's the way it is." "There's no holding back." "You gotta be it, completely, or it doesn't work." "That's right, and just think it over." "Don't decide now." "It's the only move." "If it means I've gotta act, that's cool." "No." "No acting." "This is living." "You didn't hear me." "From here on out," "Brandon Lang and his fettuccine knee, and his self-fucking-pity, is as flat dead as Donald Trump's hair." "And John "I Can Walk On Fucking Water" Anthony has taken his place." "Now, listen to what he's asking you, Brandon." "I'm gonna build an empire around you." "It's gonna cost me." " You understand what I'm saying?" " Hell, yeah, I understand." "I'm John fucking Anthony." "I've got a crystal ball." "(¶ "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" by Bobby Darin)" "¶ I am sitting on top of the world, just rolling along" "OK, John Anthony breathes." "Now we gotta get a walk and talk." "(man) I'm just asking." "(Walter) I'm looking for a car for my friend here." " Let's see." "What's his name?" " John Anthony." " Mr. Anthony." " Yes, sir." " Do you have any credit?" " No." "Of course not." "I don't know, Wally, can you trust him?" "With my wife." " Naked." " Well, in that case, the floor is yours." "¶ Glory, hallelujah, I just phoned the parson" "¶ Hey, Pa, get ready to call" "¶ Just like Humpty Dumpty I'm about to fall" " Hey, what's "900 King"?" " That's me." "John Anthony." " I don't lose." " Thank you." "I want you to meet Mr. Miracle, John Anthony." "There he is." "It's never ever gonna go down." "Give me all you got." "¶ Singing a song" "I'm ready." "I'm ready." "A star is born today." "How you doing?" " Scared shitless." " You're sweating." "You'll be all right." "Don't worry." "You've got the script." "Read off the TelePrompTer." "You've been here before, kid." " Remember football?" " No, this is different." " How's this different?" " No opponent." " Then you're a lock to win." " (man) Walter, we're ready." "You'll be OK." "Remember, stay with the script." "45 seconds." " That's a lifetime." " For you, boss." "This is for you." "(man) Tony, you good?" "OK, everybody, we're gonna go." " (man #2) We back?" " (man #1) Places." " John Anthony, huh?" " Yep." "All's I see is another wannabe in a thousand-dollar suit." "Word to the wise, keep the suit you came in with." "All right, Jethro?" "Good luck to you." "In five, four..." " I'll do that." "...three, two..." "Welcome to this week's Sports Advisors," "America's premier sports-information program, with myself, Walter Abrams," "Jerry Sykes, Chuck Adler and a truly gifted newcomer to the Sports Advisorpanel." "I want you to meet him, a substantial find, and his name is John Anthony." "OK, we're entering week six in professional football." "This is when the cream rises to the top." "This is when things get hot." "This is oven-mitt time." "Am I right?" "This is big-time ball season." "So let's get right into it with the wizard of odds, Jerry "The Source" Sykes." "Jerry." "Stats, records, rankings, weather, if the goalpost is tilted just a little bit..." "The SYKES system uses 42 proven indexes to eliminate the guesswork in sports wagering." "Without my patented computer-based picks, you got a better shot of having God show up at your door with nine strippers, a bag of pure Bolivian cocaine, enough Viagra to make Chuck's head blow off, than picking these things on your own." "You call me absolutely free." "I got five picks this weekend that are incredible." "1-800-238-6648." "Give me a call." "How many gamblers did I bail out last weekend with my game of the year?" "A 100-dollar bettor made $10,000." "A 500-dollar bettor made $50,000." "Well, I got six games on Sunday that I'm releasing absolutely free." "These games are a burial, a blowout, a human lock." "You can bet your children's unborn children's children on these six games absolutely free!" "Whoa, whoa, I believe, I believe!" "I believe you're trying to make me deaf." "I've never seen a color on a man like that." "Would you say that's chartreuse?" "So Saturday comes before Sunday, and looking at Saturday's college match-ups is the last, but certainly not least, member of the sports advisors." " And here he is, Mr. John Anthony." " Thank you, Walter." "This is John Anthony, the million-dollar man with the billion-dollar plan." "Wall Street to Tokyo to Hollywood, all your big money is gonna stay and play with me." "That's right." "That's why they call me the million-dollar man." "The million-dollar man, the million-dollar man, the million-dollar man." "I can't say that, man." " Uh..." " (Brandon) No, no." "Somebody wrote some very clever stuff for me here, like the million-dollar man." "So let's just call me John." "I played quarterback, division one." "Every QB knows that the secret, the key, to victory is anticipation." "The ability to see the future and react to it." "Now, that is what I do." "And that is the truth." "So I'm not gonna sell you today, all right?" "I'm just gonna tell you the facts." "For over one year," "I have been picking 80% winners." "Unbelievable?" "Used to be." "I know the leagues." "I know the teams." "I know these players." "I know this wonderful game called football." "Call the number on the bottom of your screen, and ask for John." "Let's make some money." "(coughing)" "Walter." " I'm not here." "Go back to sleep." " Walter, it's four in the morning, honey." "What a show." "Come to bed." "Man, you should have seen him." "I just sat there and watched him roll." "I swear he made me want to pick up a phone and call." "I took the sales boys down the Smith and Wo's to get them primed for the weekend, and Chuck got so drunk he took a swing at one of the deer heads on the wall." "I don't know what we're gonna do." "I'll hire more guys on Monday." "I got to." "I gotta get more phones." " Everything's amping up." " Yeah?" "This guy, I'm telling you," "I'm gonna do this whole dot-com thing around him, you know?" "I swear, if I had me when I was his age... you know, I never had a mentor." "Now I got a protégé." "You know?" "Someone you hand it all down to." "If anything happens to me, he steps in." "He steps in." "Just knowing that, with this thing, you know." " It's like having a son." " Walter, come here." "It's beautiful." "It's beautiful, beautiful." " You gotta go back to sleep." " What are you doing?" " I'm gonna go..." "I'm gonna go for a run." " No." "Walter..." " See the sunrise." " Come here." "Just for a second." "Come here." "You're exhausted." "No, I'm not." "I wanna go do the bridge thing, you know, up-up-up Fifth?" "Walter, I haven't seen you all day." "Just come to bed for one minute." "Just for a minute, 'cause, you know, I've got the trainer tomorrow." " The trainer wants me to run." " I know, baby." " He wants me to run in place, you know?" " I know, honey." "Run from one place to another place." "No time to sleep, just because you're so exhausted, I mean, that's no time to sleep." "You're right." "No time for sleep." "I'll be right here when you get back from your run." "That's nice of you." " I'll be right here right beside you, Walter." " Oh, that's nice of you." "I'm not going anywhere." "It's OK." "Just close your eyes for one second before you go, OK?" "Know about Stokey being out against New York?" " A knock would be nice, Jerry." " I'm kinda underwater here, man." " A yes or no would be great." " No, I don't." "If you know something, or if you hear anything, you gotta let me know, 'cause that's the way we work." "I'll rush right over, stat." "I've been here six years." "You've been here one." "What are you doing in here?" "Hit the phones, man." "Do some damage control." "Rewrite that friggin' computer program." " Hey, it was a fucked weekend." " For some people." "There's a 50-dime bettor who wants to talk to John Anthony." " What's his name?" " Carl." "He owns McDonald's franchises." "Wait a minute." "I landed that lead." "He's my guy." " Was." " He's raiding my list now?" "Your clients are jumping ship, you lactose-intolerant fuck." "Get out." " Come on." " Excuse me." "We're home!" "We're home!" "We're home!" "We're home!" "(laughter)" " Can we play princess?" " Oh, yes, can we play princess." "You go get in your princess outfit." "Everything, OK?" "I'll put the groceries away, then I'll come and play." " OK!" " You go ahead." "You got it made." "You gotta admit that." "(Walter) I got a little cab fare." "That... that won't hurt." "Hey, baby." "I can explain this." "It's..." " Gail, that's my wife, Toni." " Hi." " Thank you." " It's OK, really." " Walter, I'll talk to you later, OK?" "Thanks." " Bye-bye." "What the hell's going on here, Walter?" "You don't seriously think I had something to do with that girl, now?" "I just brought her up here to pay her off." "I got her for John." "Come on." " Don't bullshit me, Walter." " Oh, no." "You can't be serious." "You think I slept with this girl?" " Who the hell's John?" "Who's John?" " John." "John Anthony." "Ring a bell?" "You got Brandon a hooker?" "He's working late, he's in a new city, he has no friends." "Yes, I got him a hooker." "Are we gonna have this conversation?" "Are you completely, completely clueless, Walter?" " Why are you so angry?" " Why am I so angry?" "Look at you." "You're jealous." "Look at you." " Oh, God." "Jealous of what?" "Of what?" " I don't know." "Brandon getting laid." "You really are crazy." "'Cause that sick thought never entered my mind." "Oh, that's not where those thoughts enter." "OK, I'm done." "I'm done." "That's it." "You'll be happy to know, he didn't sleep with her." "I just paid her for coming." " Pardon the pun." " Oh, you're hysterical." " Daddy!" " Oh!" " Daddy!" " Where's my baby?" "Look at her!" "Look at her!" "Look at her!" "(man) Coming up, week-seven predictions with our new star John Anthony, who went an amazing 24 and six in last weekend's games." " Jerry." " Yeah." "John's up first tonight." " What?" " John Anthony is leading off tonight." " John Anthony's leading off?" " Is there an echo in here?" "Engineer!" "Sound!" "Help me, I'm hearing everything twice." "Two years I lead off and you bury me in the deck over a couple lousy weekends?" " This is bullshit, Walter." " (man)... three, two..." "Welcome to week seven." " (Denny) I'm in the garage." " Hook it up?" " Yeah." "You wanna hear it?" " Man, let me hear it." " OK." " (loud rock music)" " It is the bomb." " Oh, that's what I'm talking about." "That's what I'm talking about, my man." "I'm about to head out." "Everything else cool?" "Yeah, sort of." "Did Dad reach you?" " Dad?" "No." "Why?" " Must be out of money." "He keeps calling." "He saw you on TV and wants to talk." "I gave him your work number, but he says they won't put him through." "I don't know what that's about." "I'll check into it." "(Toni) Let's walk." "You could use the exercise." "Stop worrying." "We're set for life." "We got Jimmy the Greek here." "He makes Nostra-fucking-damus look like a novelty act." "Brandon, to the right." "You love that, don't you?" " Let me ask you a question, Walter." " Shoot." "Have you been blocking any of my calls?" "Of course." "You don't need distractions right now, my boy." " Lot of crazies out there." " Does that include my father?" "You're asking me, I'm gonna tell you." "Yeah." "You son of a bitch." "How long?" " About two weeks." " Walter." "Come on." "Brandon, would you have taken the call if I put it through?" "That's not the point." "That's not the point." "What is the point?" "I'd like to know." "What's the story with you and your father?" " You tell me." "You seem to know." " Well, I know pieces." "That's about all." " Hey, man, I was just trying to spare you." " Who are you gonna spare me from, huh?" "He was a drunk, left when I was nine." "I couldn't compete with the bottle." "End of fucking story." "So you won't spare me nothing." "If I want to talk to him, I will." "Spare me." "You fuck." "Is that it?" "Is that all you got?" "I will match my dysfunctional childhood and Toni's against yours any day." "My father - five foot, arms like this." "He had a cock like a Hebrew National." "If I even looked at him the wrong way he'd smack me like Jake LaMotta." "By the time I was five, he yelled at me so much I thought my name was asshole." "Broke my nose three times." "Toni, tell him about you." "Come on." " I didn't have a great childhood either." " Great?" "Tell him about the uncle." "Well, I think he gets the idea now." "Come on." "Suffice it to say, she was abused by everybody but the family pet." "OK, Walter, please." "Your father was a drunk." "He was a jerk." "So what?" "It happens." "I'm glad I blocked those calls." "You know why?" "You need a new image of a man." "How about me?" " She's laughing." " 'Cause that's a scary fucking thought." "Hey, Brandon, listen to me, man." "The shit that happened to you, to me, to Toni, you know what that is?" "It's just that, shit that happened, because after the therapy and the psychiatry and the meetings, you know what it all comes down to?" "We're all fucked up." "We are all just so fucked up." "Now, you gotta just say that shit out." ""I am fucked up and I ain't gonna take it anymore."" "Come on." "You too, Toni." "Let's do it." "All of us." "Wallow with me here a minute." "We are so fucked up, we're not gonna take it anymore." "I am so fucked up with all of you that I'm not gonna take it anymore." "How's that?" "Hey!" "I'm trying to sleep here, asshole." " That you, Dad?" " OK, Walter." "I'm gonna kick your fucking head in." " Let's go." " Don't wait up." "Amir, you've got to be kidding me, huh?" "Are you gonna haggle over 50 grand after the 250,000 I just made you last weekend?" "Look, don't get me wrong, John." "50,000 seems slightly steep." "Steep." "Amir, let's rewind a second." "First time you call..." "No cuff." "...you're in a hole the size of the Grand Canyon, crying about having to hock your fiancée's ring." "Now, today, you're calling me from a red, convertible F1 Ferrari, isn't that it?" "Right?" "Candy red?" "Yeah, you doing the math?" "I am." "All right?" "I'm gonna cut you off." " Oh, come on, John." " I'm coming on." "If we keep working together, I'll charge a 10% aggravation tax." "Get your ass to Western Union tonight." "Wire me 75 grand and maybe we can kiss and make up." "OK, OK, John." "Now, let's..." "John Anthony." "Talk to me." " May I please speak to Brandon Lang?" " Mom?" " Hey, honey, is that you?" " (high-pitched voice) Yeah, it's me!" " Are you OK?" " Mom, I have never been better." "I'm kicking ass and taking names." " Did you get the money that I sent you?" " Yeah." "That's why I'm..." "I talked to Denny." "I'm flying you and him out here next month, first-class." "I'll put you up at the Plaza." "You'll meet Toni and Walter." "You are gonna love this joint, Ma." "That sounds great, honey." "About the money, all that money, it's-it's too much." "Ma, but it-it-it's not too much!" "I made that money." "I earned that money, every fucking cent of it." " Listen to you." " Ma, it's just how people talk out here." "Look, no cuff." "No cuff, Francesco." "Now, who's this John Anthony person?" "Those checks I've been sending you, those checks you've been cashing, those are from John Anthony." " And he talks like that?" " Mom, they are from me." " We gotta go to Puerto Rico." " I gotta put you on hold." " What's in Puerto Rico?" " CM Novian called." "He lives in Puerto Rico." "He's the biggest sports bettor in the world." "We've hit the jackpot." "He wants to sit and talk, in person, with John Anthony." " Got it." "How much time we got?" " 45 minutes plane leaves La Guardia." "Whoa, pronto, OK." "Mama?" "Mom?" "Ma?" "My mom just hung up on me." "Um..." " (Brandon) What do you know about him?" " Not much, but he's a world-class prick." "Wouldn't return my call." "Treated me worse than my Hong Kong tailor." "You know how long I've been trying to bag this guy?" "Have you any idea what this thing is worth?" "Nope, but I want a bonus if we pull this off." " No "if." It's only "when."" " I got you." "You understand?" "Remember, he called us." " You hooked him." " Mm-hm." " Know that." "Sweat that." " You got it." "Relax, my man." "I'll get in character in the car, huh?" "Oh, fuck!" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Hey!" "Uh-oh." "Easy, baby." "Easy, easy." "Is it your heart?" "Where's your vial?" "Easy, easy." "Somebody get a doctor!" "Get me a doctor, and get me some water now." "Here we are." "Hang on, baby." "Yeah, breathe it out." "Here's one, two." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you suck on them." "Suck on them, man." "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." "Easy, easy, easy." " Yeah, baby." " Brandon?" " Yeah?" "I'm here." " You love me?" "Shh." "Oh, I love you." "You know I love you." "Shh." "You ain't going nowhere." "Somebody get some help!" "Get me some water now!" "Shh." " Brandon?" " Yeah?" "Talk to me, my man." "Come on." "Would you love me... if this was a joke?" "I'm OK." "I was just practicing." "It's OK." "It's OK." "Look at me." "I'm all right." "Oh, I got a crowd." "Little indigestion." "Too many peanuts on the plane." "I'm OK." "Thank you for your concern." "He's had a little problem." "Whoa." "Don't-don't-don't-don't you do that to me." " Walter, that's pushing it too far." " Now, you listen to me." "Now, you pay attention to me right now." "There's no such thing as too far." "Understand?" "You push everything as far as you can." "You push and you push and you push until it starts pushing back and then you push some goddamn more." "Remember that when you're with this guy today." "OK?" "Oh, man." "If I start to die again, forget the hospital, I wanna croak here." " Walter." " Mr. Novian, it's an honor." "My associate..." " John Anthony." " How are you?" "These sports services of yours... complete fucking scam, huh?" "I hear your boy here's having quite a season." "What's your system, Walter?" " System?" " Let's start with how much you bet." "Million a game, across the board." "OK, is that the most we're working with?" "It depends." "Shit, Benny, check your wallet." "See if you have any cash." "Maybe he'll talk about the weekend." "How do you feel about it?" " Do you rent that yacht?" " No, no." "I own it." "Well, that's how I feel about this weekend." "And I'm not being cocky." "I'm talking straight commerce with you, Mr. Novian." " I didn't come down here to bullshit you." " Wow, you got steamed." "Or maybe a little inside information, maybe?" "I know these teams better than they know themselves." "I'm going 12 for 12 this weekend including the Monday-night parlay." "Wow." "Should we believe him?" " What do you think?" " I don't believe him." "You cannot afford not to." " No, I can afford." " Can you?" "Honest question, Mr. Novian." "Can you?" "Hell, can anyone, for that matter, afford to lose as much as a man like you needs to bet to actually feel a win?" "Winning's a funny thing." "It's one of those rare commodities that money cannot buy, until you called me." "I didn't call you." "I called your boss." "And he called me." "The price is $250,000 up-front, plus 10% of every game you win." "Well, that's wild." "I never paid up-front before, did I?" "We've never charged it before." "Considering whose picks you're getting, and the amount of money you're betting, 250's a bargain." "You know it and I know it." "If you want this weekend's winners, that's my offer." "You can take it or leave it." "Let's step outside." "(knock at door)" "Come in." " They need it, Mr. Anthony." " What's your mother's name, Mitchell?" "Sheila." " What street did you grow up on?" " Atlantic Avenue." " Who do you like Monday night?" " Oh, I don't know." " Pick one." " Well, that's your job." "I'll do your job tomorrow." "Today you do mine." "Who do you like?" " What are you talking about?" " Mitchie." "Seattle v New Orleans." "Stop stalling." "Who do you like?" "I don't know." "I mean, I guess I like Seattle, plus the two points." " Over or under?" " No, you can't..." "Don't..." "You can't do that." "No, I can do this." "Over or under?" "It's 44 points." "Come on." "Um..." "Over." "Seattle in the over." "Nice." "I won't hand that in." "A million dollars are riding on that game." "Oh, there's a whole lot more than that." "We all know I can pick." "Today I'm picking you." "The outcome will be the same." " OK." "And... what if I'm wrong?" " There's no "if."" "(Walter) Are we running to the field goal?" "We don't need a field goal." "We need a touchdown." "Oh, that's OK." "That's OK." "They score, we win." "Come on, come on." "They score, we win." "They score, we win." "They score, we win." "They score, we win." "They score, we win." "(commentator)... first down on the sixth." "Touchdown!" "Yes!" "We won!" "We won!" "A hundred fucking percent!" "A hundred fucking percent!" "A hundred fucking percent!" "A hundred... (¶ "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones)" "It was like he mesmerized me a little bit." "Like Spock or something, I visualized it." "Seattle and the over and he wrote it down." " He said picking me was like him doing it." " How long have you been here?" "¶ It's not unusual to go out at any time" "Congratulations, Brandon, or should I say John?" "Either way, it's amazing." "I am very impressed." "Are you kidding me?" "Letting salesmen make your picks?" "That's balls." "You better get over there and collect some of that cash right now." "The way you're picking, you'll need some for a rainy day." "(Jerry) Enjoy it while it lasts." "Gambling gods are a fickle bunch." "So easily offended." "There might be businesses you can make over two million dollars in a weekend..." " Thanks for looking after me." " All right." "...but will somebody tell me, somebody please tell me, where else are you gonna have this much fucking fun?" "You the man!" "You the man, big Papa!" "I love you forever." "Let me ask you something." "How much of that do-re-mi be for moi?" "Well, how about a one with five zeros behind it." " A hundred thousand?" " Yeah." "On two mill?" " You be working out of my shop." " Yes, sir, I am." " Look around you." " This is your place, Walter's shop." "I understand that." "I'm just saying, feed the horse, baby." " Maybe 10%." " 10%?" "That what you're thinking?" "That's a beautiful thought." "Forget it." "Walter, we were starting to roll here." "And we got Novian." "We got the 250 grand..." "I wanna tell you something now, OK?" "I'm gonna say it only once." "If you want something more from me than a gesundheit after a sneeze, you have to do more than this shit." "You understand?" "You're gonna have to earn it." "Once you earn it, you'll have to fight me for it." "You'll have to challenge me." "You'll have to rip it out of my fucking talons." "That's how you get ahead with me." "Now, John Anthony would know that, see?" "As a matter of fact, next time you come to me with this shit, you come as John Anthony." "I ain't talking money with you." "(¶ "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" by Dean Martin)" "Hey, big winner, huh?" "How you feeling?" "Winning." "Winning." "Dance with me." "Oh!" " You know, I gotta dance with you more." " You do." " Listen." "I'm thinking of buying a plane." " Oh, yeah." " Yeah." "You know..." " (Toni laughs)" "Don't laugh." "A big one." "One of them G..." "G somethings." "I saw this house in the Bahamas for sale." "I mean, talk about an investment." "In case anything should happen to me, I mean, you and Julia..." "Shh!" "I don't wanna hear that, Walter." "Stop that." "Why don't we go down and check it out?" "Just you and me, barefoot in the sand." "Just tell me you're not... gambling, Walter." "Oh." "18 years, I'm straight, OK?" "That shit's over." "It's never over." "You know that, Walter." "It's never over." "How about a truth serum... in the veins?" "Baby, we just made two million dollars." "I wanna just celebrate with my wife." "I want to enjoy a dance." "Can I do it just once?" "Walter." "Alexandria?" "Hey, it's Brandon." "Yeah." "Yeah, listen, I happen to be in the neighborhood." "You have got a Doberman for a doorman." " Hi, Alexandria." " What are you doing here?" "What do you say we go out for a late-night dinner right now?" "Have a couple killer bottles of wine, go back to that place where we first met..." "Hm?" "Are you out of your mind?" "I live in this building, asshole." "This is home." "I don't appreciate you stopping by without calling." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." " What's gotten into you?" " I'll make this shit real clear, so this doesn't happen again." "You meant 5,000 bucks." "Your friend set it up." "¶ The world still is the same" "¶ You never change it" "¶ As sure as the stars shine above" "¶ Well, you're nobody" "¶ Till somebody loves you" "¶ So find yourself" "¶ Somebody to love" " You know what time it is?" " It is 8:37 in the a.m." "Wrong." "It's time to press, my man." "We're gonna yank out all the stops." "When you're winning, you press." "You don't rest on your laurels." "What are you doing?" "I've got a 10:30 tee time at Wingfoot with a client - that Howell guy." "So don't call me unless the lines change." "The salmon are running, my man." "You gotta stay here." "Gotta field phone calls." "You can't go out playing golf, having fun." "Fun?" "Señor, you have obviously never played Wingfoot." "Come on, stop playing around here." "Let's go." "You got work to do this week." "I'm not asking you if I can leave, Walter." "I'm telling you that's how it is." "All right?" "You want my picks, I can give you those." "Washington minus eight against Miami, Washington." "Saint-Louis, KC." "Out of your mind?" "Las Vegas." "You're gonna start picking on Tuesday for the weekend, huh?" "Philadelphia." "I love it." "Look at that." "Cinci." "We'll be advising in the neighborhood of 20 million dollars this week." "That's a nice neighborhood." "We should be doing double that by week ten." "I see." "You're gonna make the picks." "No study, no analysis." "You're just gonna pick 'em." "Locked in, Walter." "I don't really need it." "Look at that." "You've got to be kidding me." "Vegas, Monday night." "There's my picks for this week." "Now, if you want next week's picks, I can give you those by Friday." " If you wanna join us, you can." " No, I'm getting the drift." "Tell you what." "We'll keep these on ice and go over 'em tomorrow." " I won't be in tomorrow." " Well, then, the next day!" "(Brandon) Uh, we'll talk about it." "(Toni) Hey, Brandon!" " Toni!" " Hey!" " Where you headed?" " Some of us have to work." " Oh, oh, oh." "There we go." " Baby." " Hey, you look great." " Nice ride." " "900 K-l-N-G." Did you see the plates?" " Yes, I did." "(horns honk)" " You feel that?" "You feel that?" " Don't." "Slow down, Brandon." " Oh, this car was made to go fast." " No." "Not with me in it." "Slow down." "Loosen up, will you?" "Hey." "Let me ask you a question." "When you're not at the salon, or running Julia to play dates, or keeping Walter in line, which I know is a full-time job, what do you do for you?" " I stay busy." "You're gonna turn here, so..." " That's not what I asked." "What do you do for you, for Toni?" "I was a junkie, Brandon." "OK?" "So every day I get up and I wonder, "Is this the day?" ""Is this the day I slip, end up back on the street?"" "Just keeping it all on track, that's what I do for me." "Well, that's not living, Toni." "That is not living." "That is maintaining." "That's cashing in." "That is not living." "What the hell does that mean?" "Are we talking perfection?" "You wanna talk perfection?" "No." "Nobody's perfect." "Oh, except for me last weekend, going 14 and 0, huh?" " This is your stop." " Well, thanks for the ride..." "John." "In other action, Washington melted down in Miami, losing 24 to 12." "Saint-Louis shocked KC 34-14, and Philadelphia smacked Pittsburgh 23-10." " I'm gonna go work out." " No, you're not." "There's half a dozen games left here." "I want you to watch every second of every minute of every one of them." "All right, so sit down." "(commentator) Oakland is having a miserable time." "Berman." "You know how you go three and 11, don't you?" "You go three and 11 when you make Sunday's picks on Tuesday." "'Cause it rained in Cincinnati on Saturday." "Two starting quarterbacks never got to play." "That's how you go three and 11." "You're a handicapper, not a psychic." " We still got Monday and the parlay." " Fuck Monday and the parlay." "This isn't about that." "This is about me." "It's about the commission thing." " Oh, no." "I don't know." " Oh, don't bullshit me." "Come on." "All right, listen." "I'm gonna bump you. 10%." "OK?" "You earned it." "This is dangerous territory we're getting into." "You understand?" "But I'll bump you." "Now, talk to me about Monday night, because everyone, I mean everyone, will double down after the hole you put 'em in." " It's fine." " You'd bet your mother's house?" " I don't bet, Walter." " If you did?" " I like the pick, Walter." " On your mother's house or not?" "With my mother in it." "(commentator) Another Monday-night thriller comes down to the final seconds." "Carolina has to get at least into field-goal range here." "High snap, pulled down nicely." "And a beautiful punt by Feuderday." "He drills it." "Thompson has to retreat." "And Thompson dropped the ball." "The ball is on the turf, and the scramble is on." "It's heading toward the Carolina goal line." "A couple of guys jump on it." "It might be changing hands right now." "Fuck!" "(commentator) The call goes to Cleveland." "Carolina won't have a shot..." " Fuck!" " (phone rings)" "(commentator) This one is over." "An unbelievable finish." "(Brandon) You don't switch to a three-four halfway through the season." "No, what defense are they running in practice?" "Jones is on the field." "Sunday." "We're still leaning heavy on the overs." "Thank you, thank you, sir." "You are the man." "I'll talk to you..." "His improvement's been great, but he got out of surgery two and half weeks ago." "I know he's had a good week of practice, but his knee's swollen." "Help me out." "Game-time decision." "That's what coach always says." "Are we talking game-time probable, huh?" "Or doubtful?" "Tell me." "You're going into..." "It's raining, it's snowing." "Can his knee hold up in that?" "Will the doc let him play?" "Yes, he is a gamer." "Thank you." "I can read between the lines." "You got it." "(commentator) Unbelievable!" "Yee-ha!" "(commentator#2) Takes the snap, drops the throw." "(Walter) Whoa!" "Hell of a swing." "Sport of kings, right?" " No, no." "That's horse racing." " What are you doing here?" " Southie told me where I could find you." " Yep." "I wanted to get out." "Clear my head." "So talk to me." "How'd we do?" " You haven't seen the scores?" " Nope." "That's how I wanted it." "Make my picks, get the results later." " Well... highest sales volume ever." " Yeah?" " Take a guess how we did." " I think we kicked ass." " It was amazing." " Yeah, last week was nothing, Walter." "You're right." "It was nothing compared to what we lost today." "What'd I go?" "I got an idea." "Why don't I give you a glimpse of what happened, and then you take a stab on how you went?" "Just give me the numbers." "You don't wanna play?" "Too bad." "Would've been fun." "Grown men crying on the phone." "Their wives screaming in the background." "Three salespeople quit - couldn't take the pressure." " Fuck." " No, no, no." "You lose ten out of 12, "fuck" doesn't quite cover it." "You know what would be more appropriate?" ""Holy Fucking Shit!"" "Or "Jesus Fucking Christ!"" " I got the picture, Walter." " You're right." "You go two for 12 on our highest volume weekend ever, and... what's left to say?" "Except maybe we keep the phone number, only we switch it over to a fucking suicide hotline." "Tomorrow morning, Brandon, bright and early, we start all over again." " Mr. Novian wants to see you." " Argh!" "Tell him... to call me." "Argh!" "You tell him." " I didn't recognize you without the suit." " This is my time off." "If you want to talk, make an appointment." "Or should I call you Brandon?" "Someone costs you 30 mill, you do research, right?" "I mean, I got more than your name now." "I know where you live, where you're from, where your family lives." "Hey, your mother, there's a sweet lady, man." "I just come from Vegas." "Dealt me three blackjacks in a row." "She's a good woman." "Where's the cocky motherfucker who come to my house?" "Where's John?" "If you don't like my picks, use somebody else." "Come here." "It's all right." "It's all right." "I just come for an apology." "That's it." "Just look me in the eye and say you're sorry." "I mean, say it so as to make me believe you mean it." "Come on." " I'm sorry." " Fuck that." "I'm not going to accept that." "Come on, one more time." "I'm sorry." "Hey?" " I'm sorry." " You motherfucker." "You're not even close." "You're not even close." "No, it's not gonna work." "It's not gonna work." "I'm gonna get my satisfaction." "I'm gonna get something I want." "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no." "No-no-no." "What do you mean, "No-no-no"?" "No, look." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry!" " Brandon?" " OK." "I'm sorry." "Come on, you're not gonna tell me you're scared of dying, are you?" "Mr. Novian, it was a bad fucking weekend." " It was a bad weekend?" " Yeah, yeah." "Yes, yes." "Well let's make it a fun day." "Come here." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." " Come here." " Argh!" "There." "(laughter)" " Walter." " I'm busy." "Listen, I think I should lead off tonight." "I got some really strong stuff, man." "Jerry, you got a good hole." "Stay in it." "I went eight for 12 last week." "I'm hot." "I'm feeling it." "You had one good weekend." "What do you mean?" "SYKES system revolutionized this industry." "Am I wood?" "Where's my fucking ad?" "I..." " Take a hike." " What?" " You're fired." " I'm not fired." " You're out of here." " You need me." "Get outta here, you cut-rate parasite." "In six years, my worst weekend was never as bad as any of this guy's last three weeks." "You're not hearing me." "You don't work for me anymore." "It's over." " What the hell are you doing, Walter?" " Oh!" "Am I doing something wrong?" "Am I not communicating?" "Is that it?" "Am I not projecting enough?" "He doesn't understand." "You all know what I just did." " I fired you!" " Come on, this is me!" "All right?" "I've been here for you." "I'm consistent and you know it." "The other guys, fuck 'em." " They come, they go." "I'm the guy." " No, they don't." "Not him." "That's true talent!" "Get it?" "You can't see it, I can't explain it to you." "That's why you're fired." "Think about what you're doing." "You couldn't pick your nose without a fucking computer." "You're small." " You belong in a can." " You've lost it!" "You don't touch him." "Now, why don't you have some self-respect and leave?" " You're out of your fucking mind." " Maybe I am." "Maybe I am." "Good luck!" "Asshole." "Doesn't realize I'm trying to build an empire around you." "I hope you do." "OK, everyone." "Let's go." "Back to work." "Big playoff weekend coming." "Chop-chop." "(phone rings)" "(knock at door)" "Hey, Toni." "This is not a good time." "I know, but, Brandon, I need to talk to you." "It's important." " Not right now." " Brandon, you have to... you have to go." "No, I gotta... get back on track." "It won't matter." "You could win 100 games in a row and it won't be enough." "It'll never be enough." "He will ride you into the ground." "I'll figure it out." "No." "Brandon, please." "(phone rings)" "John Anthony." " (Amir) I'm wiped out, John." " Amir." "My business, my house, my credit... everything." "Amir?" "It's gonna be OK, all right?" "We're gonna get back on track this weekend." " You hear me?" " Still you talk like this." "Who the fuck are you?" "Like this is some kind of game." "You ruined me!" "I was betting a few thousand a Sunday when I called you, but you pushed me." "Every call, all the time, with your talk." "I lost 380,000 this weekend." "I was going to get married." "I had a life!" "(Amir sobs)" "Oh, no words now, huh?" "No more money to squeeze so you shut up." " How do you fucking live with yourself?" " (dial tone)" "Come on." "That's it!" "Coming, Walter!" "I know what the problem is." " He's OK." " I'll come back later." "No, no, stick around." "Stay, stay." "These guys are finished." "You guys want anything before you go?" "Something to eat?" "You leave the way you came in, fellas." "Thank you." "Shut the door." " Who's that?" " We need a Bat Light or something." "One of them signals you shoot up into the clouds, so that no matter where you are, you just look up, you say, "Hey, Walter needs me."" "Because I must've beeped you a hundred fucking times." " Who were they, man?" " The Salvation Army." "How does someone go one for eight?" "A fucking monkey tossing darts could do better than that." " What's with all the money, Walter?" " I got a plan." "We take your picks, we reverse everything." "Like one of them Twilight Zone episodes where everything is opposite." "You say black, we go white." " How much is that?" " Peanuts." "275,000." "That's how desperate I am." " What happened to the two mill?" " Two mill?" "Man, I was carrying twice that in red ink before you even showed up." "Look around." "Everything you see is smoke and mirrors." "I got three mortgages on this house." "What do you wanna know?" "I'm gambling again!" "To cover my losses, I just got a loan from a guy who works out of a bar on 106th and Broadway." "Trouble with me is, I start betting you heavy after you went 100%, and I rode you right into the fucking toilet." "I do know what the problem is, man." "We're gonna take care of all this shit." "Check this out, man." "I'm Brandon Lang." "I'm the kid who played sports and loved sports." "I'm the kid who can pick winners." "I'm the kid you called in Vegas." "Along the way, I lost something in here." "I don't know what, but I know I gotta go back to being me, to being Brandon." " If I get back to being Brandon..." " You can pick again." "Of course." " Forget John Anthony." "Burn the suits." " Mm-hm." "My fault." "I fucked with you." " Only two games." "Two over-unders." " That's right." "If I get you to crunch the numbers, sprinkle a little Brandon magic over it." "We get the salespeople burning up the phones..." " Come Monday we go four for four." " Four for four." " That's something." " How's that sound?" " This is important, you know?" " I know it is." "Pressure doesn't help." "Let's go eat something." "Let's go to Smith and Wo's." "Brandon's gotta stay and do some homework." "The Brandon thing." "You see, I'm forgetting." "Two games." "Two games." "Two games." "Two games." "Two games." "Two games." "Hey, what..." "Ho!" "People living in the zone." "What does that mean?" "His hair was all over." "Brandon made these picks?" "You're looking at him." "New York in the under." "Tennessee in the over." "Sell 'em hard." "(TV) Hello and welcome." "The Conference Championship game is underway." " Can I watch, Daddy?" " Come to Daddy." "My angel." "I need you to root for me." "You see that team?" "Those are the bad guys." "We don't want them." "That's Atlanta." "We want the good guys, the blue team." "That's New York." "And New York has gotta win by more than five points, only you gotta root for a low score, OK?" "Because both teams together have to make less than 42 points, total." "All right, so it's New York in under 42 points." "All right?" "(commentator) Smith is wide." "Cohn changing the play, audible lies." "At the line of scrimmage." "He doesn't like the defense." "Robinson in motion to the left." "Jones alone in the backfield." "Cohn back to passer." "He's got the rookie." " Anderson is in the middle..." " Go, go, go!" " (commentator) In the end zone." " Yeah!" "(commentator) Touchdown, New York, and they take the early lead." "Midway through the second quarter now." "Atlanta down 10-0, but they're making their first serious threat of the game." " Thomas, delay action..." " Get him!" "(commentator) Over the top." "Touchdown, Atlanta!" "10-7 and New York is on the move." "Cohn now back to throw." "He's over, he's over, he's over." "(commentator) Simpson's got it!" "He fumbles it." "He's in the end zone!" "That's a touchdown!" "It's now 17-7 New York." " And we'll be right back." " Whoo!" "(commentator) Less than a minute to go." "New York seconds away from making their third trip to the big game." "A New York score here and this game is all but over." "He's got Simpson." " Touchdown, New York!" " (cheering)" "(commentator) 24-14." "Now it is out of reach." "New York ready to take on the winner of our next game, KC against Tennessee." "The boy is back." "First of two, baby!" "(commentator) Atlanta may just take a knee here." "(man) Way to do it!" "(commentator) Why not throw it long?" "He puts it up for grabs." "It's a Hail Mary." " Knock it down!" "Knock it down!" " (man) Oh, no." "(commentator) A wall of blue shirts..." "Come on!" "No!" "(commentator) It is tipped in the air." "It's still loose." "It is bouncing all around." " Jesus!" " (commentator) Peterson comes down." " He's at the 20." " (man) Come on!" "(commentator) Across the ten." "Mackey dives to keep him out of the end zone." "(Walter) No!" " Fuck!" " Fuck!" "(commentator) New York wins it 24-21." "(TV) That wraps up our doubleheader playoff coverage, as Kansas City tops Tennessee 33 to 13 and heads for Super Forty." "I'm finished, Walter." "Oh, that's great to hear." "Yeah." " I'm done, man." " Yeah?" "I don't eat." "I'm not sleeping." "What you saying?" "You got insomnia, indigestion, you're gonna quit?" "Hail Mary pass." "These things happen." "Listen to me, man." "I'm telling you." "It's over." "What use is John Anthony gonna be to you now anyway, huh?" "With the streak he's been on?" "Come on." "I won't listen to this defeatist bullshit." "Hot streaks go cold." "Cold streaks go hot." "They know you went 80% for half a season." "They know." "They're gonna remember as soon as you win a game." "Then we go into March Madness, baseball." "Next year, this won't even be a memory." "Who said anything about next year, Walter?" "You made a career choice, buddy, and I bankrolled it." "Mm-hm." "OK?" " Let him go." " Let him go?" "Of course you stick up for him." "Of course." "Oh, Walter." " Meaning what?" " I don't know." "Meaning what?" "Meaning whose side are you on?" "I didn't realize I had to choose, Walter." "Brandon." "You're a champion." "A champion goes down 86 times, he's up on the 87th." "I'm not gonna let you stay down." "No way." "Because this is not about you." "Or you." "Or me." "It's about your gift." "Your gift transcends all this shit." "Your gift is cosmic." "It's metaphysic." "It's eternal." "It is God!" "Besides, we have a contract." " Bullshit." " Bullshit?" "Bullshit, bullshit." " Walter, you can't own someone." " Who owns him?" "I created the greatest sports tout this country's seen." "I hooked him up with every major client." "I built a fucking television show around him." "I took out full-page ads." "I introduced him to the major clients of the world." "I did that." "I hooked you up with everybody." "Think you're gonna walk out the door, take that with you, leave me here holding the fucking sack?" "Bullshit!" "I don't know why I'm talking to you." "What has this got to do with you?" "This is between me and him." "What are you doing in this office?" "What are you doing here?" "Get outta here!" "Don't talk to her like that, Walter." " It's between me and you." " It is between you and me." "Are you telling me how to talk to my wife?" "You shut your fucking toilet." "Leave." "Leave, please, Brandon." "Go." "Go." "Please." "Go." "Leave." "Listen to me, you son of a bitch." "Don't you ever talk to me like that, ever." "I'm sorry." "(knock at door)" "Hey, Brandon!" "Hoo!" "It's Walter." "Don't get excited." "All is forgiven." "Hey." " What time is it?" " It's 6am." "I gotta fly to Vegas, meet with some clients - hand-holding thing - and just keep them aboard for the last game, because you can do this thing." "End of the season's the perfect place to turn a streak around." "I'll be back tonight." "We'll go out." "We'll have a good meal." "You know, get you back in the groove again. 9:30, Nobu." "We're turning it around." "I'll see you tonight." "Hey, Brandon." "Hey, Toni." " I didn't know you were coming." " Walter was delayed." "He'll be back in the morning." "Asked if I'd fill in." "You know what's funny?" "He didn't call me." " You OK?" " Yeah." "Julia did her..." "I'm sorry." "He's gambling." " Yep." " Yeah." "I just can't believe I'm here again." "I just..." "I just can't believe it, you know." "I saw it coming." "I just couldn't stop it." "I gotta win one more game." "You can't fix this, Brandon." "You can't fix it." " Come here for a second." " What?" "I'm gonna kiss you right now, OK?" "Trust me on this." "(Julia) OK, Daddy, open the present." "Oh!" "Oh, look at this." "It's so beautiful." "Daddy, not the paper!" "In there." "Oh!" "Oh, man." "Beautiful." "Baby, this is beautiful." " Happy anniversary." " (knock at door)" " I'll get it." " OK." "Oh, thank you, honey." "What am I gonna do with this?" " It's a dangerous thing to give me." " Brandon!" " (Brandon) Hello." " Look who's here." " Oh, you're back from Vegas." " (Walter) Join the celebration." " What's going on?" " Well..." "Toni and I were married 12 years ago today." " Congratulations." " Thanks." "Angel, give Mommy her gift." "(Walter hums "Funeral March" by Chopin)" "It's OK, baby." "I saved for it." "We got enough, believe me." "We're not broke yet, honey." "Put 'em on." "Come on." "I wanna see them on you." "Let me see them." "Ooh!" "I got beautiful taste, don't I?" "Brandon, I couldn't leave you out." "It's sort of our anniversary, anyway, isn't it?" "They're made for car racing." "The guy who wore this won six straight times at Le Mans." "Put it on." "Maybe you'll start winning again." "Walter, I can't take this, man." " Why not?" " It's too much." "We all love each other here, right?" "You're family." "I'm like your father, you're like my son." "That would make you his mother, wouldn't it, Toni?" "Oh, I said something wrong, didn't I?" "What are you doing?" "Keep 'em on." " They're for evening, Walter." " So what?" "Wear 'em to bed." "Come on." "Brandon, I got you." "Who do you like in the big game?" " Turn that off, Walter." " Why?" "What, are you camera shy?" " Turn that off." " Hey, man, surprise me." "We'll break it when we do the live TV show." "(man) Coming up on "Sports Advisors," John Anthony's Super Forty selections." "It's live, and it's next." "I know he's supposed to be here." "I know where he is." "He's in the bathroom." "(breathes heavily)" "Fuck!" " (knock at door) - (man) Two minutes till we go live." "(vomits)" "What the hell is he doing?" "Heads, New York, tails, Kansas City." "Heads, over, tails, under." "John Anthony!" " Here he is." " (director) 40 seconds till we're live." "40 seconds." "Come on, come on, come on." " (director) We're at 30." " Uh, New York, minus one and a half and the over, 36." "Wanna know about those picks?" " (director) 20 seconds to air." " Hold on." "What should I know about 'em?" "I flipped a coin to decide." " (director) Ten." " Push it all the way, Southie." "And five, four, three, two... (man) Live from the WDIX studios high above Manhattan, here's your host, Walter Abrams." "Hello, everybody, and welcome to the big weekend." "Never before in the history of this industry has an offer been made like the one I'm about to present to you now." "I am so confident in John Anthony's picks for this Sunday," "I'm so sure of the skills he's brought to bear, and so anxious for you to get on the phone and dial the toll-free number on your screen that for the first time in sports-service history," "I am going to guarantee our picks this weekend." " What's that mean?" " What does that mean?" "It means this." "You tell us how much you're betting with your bookie, you lose, we cover." "You heard me right." "That's risk-free." "Now let's go to the oracle," "God's gift, John Anthony." "Wow." "That's all I can say." "The phones are gonna be flooded, Walter, and they should be." "Hey, John, why don't you run down the pitfalls facing the average bettor?" "I mean, when you think about it, a game this huge, all the added dynamics..." "I mean, uh, without your expertise," "I guess the average bettor might as well just, what, flip a coin." "Walter?" "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "Hang on." "You can't guarantee that they're gonna win." "That's insane." "Come on." "I say if you can flip a coin to make a pick, I can guarantee the game." " What if we lose?" " Ah, fuck it." "I'm ruined anyway." "Look, man." "Cover your ass, all right." "At least cap the thing out, right?" " Oh, Brandon, can't you feel it?" " What?" " Can't you just feel it?" " I have no idea what you're talking about." "Oh, I think you do." "I think you do." "You know, the best part of the best drug in the world ain't the high." "It's the moment just before you take it." "The dice are dancing on the table." "Between now and the time they stop, that's the greatest high in the world." "(Southie) Made up your mind yet?" "It's the last minute!" "I'm here to make you money!" "New York's the one-and-a-half point favorite, the over and under is 36." "I want you to bet New York in the over." " Come on, guy, it's a fucking lock." " It's New York in the over." "You can parlay it, tease it, do whatever you want, 'cause it's guaranteed." " Our reputation is the guarantee." " (man) Tammy!" "(Tammy) I'm coming." "28 years in the business, we're not going anywhere." " Can we please get some air in here?" " (man) You gotta make up your mind." "OK, that's it." "Kill the phones." "Come on." "Right now." "Let's go, let's go." "(TV) They come from New York and Kansas City in this match-up." "The opening kickoff is coming up next." "We are under way in Super Forty." "It's a high end-over-ender." "Down the middle." "Jackson gets it, a short one for the 15, tries to angle over to the right side, stripped away from..." " Kansas City comes up with it." " Ah, man." "Harris getting to the outside, turns, clear path." "Boy, does he have blocking." " Touchdown, Kansas City." " Shit." " Sets out for the pocket." "Simpson." " He's open." "Guns one over the middle, Simpson on the completion." "It's second and 15." " Setting up, he's got time again." " Go, go." "Looks down field and the slam intercepted." " What the fuck is that?" " Dawkins finds a wave of blockers." "Over to the near side, he's going to go the distance." "Touchdown, Kansas City." "14-nothing, Kansas City over New York." "New York's got it now for the third time in the game." "Back to throw once again, pocket collapses and down it goes." "Oh, man." "You better hold on to that coin you flipped, because this game keeps up like this, I'm gonna have to borrow it." "Well, it's not over yet, Walter." "I wouldn't change my bet." "Hm?" "And second and long, second and about a dozen." "Can they get something started?" "What are they counting on today?" "Do they have to get away from the balanced attack we've seen all season?" "Will they lose the ground game now?" "Will they go over to the pass?" "Well, there is no way they'll be able to run when they're 14 points down." "Handoff goes to the second man through." "It's Jones, fullback, off the right side." "He's got room, downfield he goes." "Will anybody catch him?" "Deep into the secondary now." "Touchdown, New York." "Extra point makes it 14-7, Kansas City." "(radio) Kansas scores on the eight-play drive, capped with Rogers's 32-yard run." "And that's the end of the third quarter." "It's Kansas City, 21, New York, ten." "(TV) Back to throw once again." "Post available..." " Let's go!" "...beats the safety down the right side." "He's in!" "All right!" "It's Kansas City, 21, New York, 17." "What a final four minutes we're going to have." " Where's Brandon?" " I don't know." "Where's Brandon?" "We're back in it, babe!" "New York touchdown and we win both bets!" "Hey!" " Hey, Brandon?" " I believe this'll be their final possession." "Can they do it?" "Can they get it done like they have all year long?" "They're trailing by four." "Don't forget, the new rule doesn't apply here." "They've gotta get into the end zone." " He left." " I know." "You didn't tell me?" "How about that?" "No goodbye, no... no nothing." " I'm sure it's all there in the letter." " I'm sure it is." "I wonder what's not in here." "What do you mean?" " What do you mean, what do I mean?" " He had enough." "He wanted his life back." "He said that to you?" "Well, loud and clear, by leaving." " I think it was something else." " Yeah?" "Tell me." "You know." "No." "You have no idea?" " You're missing the game, Walter." " Oh, no." "This is the game." "(TV) On first down, the handoff is to Jones." "He's on the right side." "He's got a blocker." "And a first down." " But he's dropped inbounds." " Nice." "I guess Brandon was homesick." "I don't know." "Or maybe he had such deep feelings for me that he couldn't face saying goodbye." "Wait a minute." "I just got an idea." "Just came to me." "I mean, out of the blue." "What about this?" "Brandon didn't tell me he was gonna leave because... you let him fuck you." "Back to pass, rolls under the left side." "Guns it over the middle, it's complete." "Edwards has it, all the way down to the 44, Kansas City." "Oh, God." " You deny it?" " (whispers) Oh, my God." "Do I have to, Walter?" "You know you did." "Oh, you..." "Another lock of the year?" "I saw you, Toni." "I saw you and him, that night." "I never went to Vegas." "You mean you lied to me about the trip." "Oh, don't talk to me about lying." " I guess you had the whole thing set up." " Oh, don't make this about me." " Just put me out there on a tray?" " I put a tray out there." "You didn't have to shove a fucking apple in your mouth and sit on it!" "He's looking for his hot receiver." "Edwards, again, got it!" "Kansas City, 23." "Admit it!" "You played me, Walter." "You're fucking-A I did." "It worked." "Didn't it?" "(TV) With eight seconds left, New York has to spend their final time-out." "Brandon was right." " But you don't deny it?" " It's the best pick he ever made." "I don't know what that means." "Deep drop sets up in the pocket." "Fires over the middle." "Batted down at the line!" "So after everything, it all comes down to one final play." "You were gambling with me that night, Walter." "With me!" "Brandon knew it, because he knew you." "He told me he was sure you were watching somehow." "So he asked me in to spend the night and put on a little show for you, Walter." "But I didn't believe him, Walter." "Oh, God, I didn't believe him." "I mean, after all we've been through." "So I figured, you know, "What the hell?"" "He slipped out the back, no big deal." "He never even stayed here." "And you." "You were in such a good mood the next day." "I figured, "Thank God, because he must've been wrong."" ""Otherwise, why wouldn't he confront us, confront me?"" "Oh, Walter." "So it all boils down to this." "Can New York find the end zone?" "This is what players dream of." "The chance to win it on the final snap." "You wanted to lose!" "Like I was something you could just toss on the table!" "Only we booked your bet, Walter, Brandon and me, who evidently love you more than you love yourself." "Spreads the defense." "Drops back to throw." "Here comes the pressure." "He bounces to the right side." "Your fantasy is to end up alone with nothing!" "I won't let that happen." "Understand?" "I will never let that happen to you." "This is it." "He's on the run, picks up a big block downfield." "This is real, Walter." "You and me and Julia, we're all that's real." "One man to beat." "This is it, Walter." "He goes airborne from the five." " Does he get in?" " He's in!" "He's in!" "Touchdown, New York!" "(conversation muted by music)" "(cheerleaders chant) Apaches, win this game, a-whoosh!" "Giants, with me!" "Over here with me!" "This side, this side, this side, right in front of me, right here." "Take a knee, take a knee, take a knee." "We got a tough team we're playing today, y'all know that." "Toughest on our schedule." "Now, most important thing we're gonna do today is have fun." "I mean, have some serious fun." "We're gonna play loose and enjoy ourselves." "We're gonna play this wonderful game of football." " Do we wanna win?" " Yeah!" " What are we gonna do, play?" " Play!" " Huh?" " Play!" " Ah, let's go do it!" " (cheering and whooping)" "What's going on, chief?" "Coach, do you really think we can win today?" "Ho!" "I'd bet on it." "(¶ "All In All" by Lifehouse)" "¶ Standing on the top of the edge It feels like it's going down" "¶ Everything stays in my mind Feeling in a daze on the ground" "¶ Feels like it's gonna give Life's too hard to live anymore" "¶ I think I've had enough Things too tough" "¶ I'm out the door" "¶ All in all it's just another day" "¶ Now you're falling down what you gonna do?" "¶ Standing on top of the world tonight" "¶ No one's looking back at you" "¶ Stand tall, it's going on, it's going on" "¶ It's gonna be just fine" "¶ You're holding on, holding on today" "¶ Things don't stop and the others announced they're moving on" "¶ Salt and tears in the minds and the mouths of a bad decision" "¶ Too late for another mistake It's bringing you down" "¶ With all your faults it isn't your fault what's going on" "¶ All in all it's just another day" "¶ Now you're falling down what you gonna do" "¶ Standing on top of the world tonight" "¶ No one's looking back at you" "¶ Stand tall, it's going on, it's going on" "¶ It's gonna be just fine" "¶ You're holding on, holding on today" "¶ So you lost yourself" "¶ So you lost your way" "¶ Found life through someone else" "¶ But you threw it all away" "¶ All in all it's just another day" "¶ Now you're falling down what you gonna do?" "¶ Standing on top of the world tonight" "¶ No one's looking back at you" "¶ Stand tall, it's going on, it's going on" "¶ It's gonna be just fine" "¶ You're holding on, holding on today" "¶ Time's rolling on, rolling on today" "¶ It's going on, going on today"