Curveball, Changeup, Screwball (Perhaps)
JustMikeF
February 22, 2002

I was a baseball pitcher throughout my childhood and into high school.  I had one hell of a fastball.  That one pitch would usually get me through a game.  Eventually, as I and the other players aged year by year, they became more attuned to my fastball, and would knock me out of the box on occasion.  I learned how to throw a curveball, a wicked curve causing the batters to duck or back out just before the break over the plate.  I also learned how to throw a changeup, which, if not thrown too often, would mess up a batter's timing after you threw him some heat.  An occasional knuckleball would really cause the opposing dugout to buzz.

I didn't get to pursue baseball after high school because of Viet Nam.  Who knows " I coulda been a contenda ".

When the stickman pushes the dice to me, it’s the same as a catcher throwing the ball to me.   With a few tokes now and then, the dealers are on my side, just as a catcher and my other teammates would be.  I cease hearing the crowd in the stands, in this case the various cacophony of sounds in the casino.   

You may call me a screwball, but this is where I go into the "zone". (I hope I'm not infringing on any patents or copyrights, but I've called this little inward game my "zone" ever since I was a kid

baseball pitcher.)   Now, I'm not saying the dice have ears, the dice have a memory or the dice can think and conspire against the shooter, BUT, when I am in the "zone", I throw the dice as if I were in a ballgame pitching.  Instead of throwing the same set over and over, I'll change the set every third toss or so because the numbers may be in some sort of rotation and it may be time for the seven’s appearance.  (The batter may have gotten my timing down and is getting ready for a big hit.)  I may change my bet, calling it to the dealer, after I have picked up the dice (a curveball or changeup, it was time to regress anyhow.)  No, Sir, those dice won't know what to think or what to expect from my next pitch!!  I know this may sound like a screwball talking, but this is my way of staying in the "zone".   I believe every shooter should have a method of ignoring the distractions of your surroundings in the casino, a “zone” of heightened concentration.

When I am paid on a wager, I toss the chips into the rack haphazardly, sorting them when I've finished shooting.  However, my delivery will be as constant and unvarying as I can make it, once I have found that sweet spot across the plate.  At the crap table, I have to be my own coach and know when to take myself out of the game usually because of fatigue or perhaps I may not have my good stuff that day. 

COLOR ME UP!!

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