Columnist Jeff Haney: Wayne Root issues $50,000 challenge

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001 | 10:07 a.m.

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com

Wayne Root says he is fed up with high-profile TV football sportscasters who fancy themselves experts at picking winners against the point spread.

So Root, the veteran Las Vegas sports analyst, has proposed a mano a mano battle with the network stars -- for a $50,000 purse.

"I have always said that no network (personality), ex-coach or player-turned-broadcaster could beat a professional handicapper," Root said. "This season I proved it."

Each Saturday on his "Global SportsEdge" TV program, which airs on the PAX network, Root releases a free "best bet" of the week.

So far this season, Root pointed out, his best bet record stands at 10-4 -- a Ruthian .714 winning percentage.

This past week, he had the Lions over the Vikings.

"I have tapes of all 14 shows to prove that record," Root said. "Has any so-called expert on any pregame show ever come close to hitting 71 percent over a full season?

"Not (Terry) Bradshaw. Not Howie Long. Not (Nick) Buoniconti on HBO. Not Chris 'the Swami' Berman on ESPN. Not Coach (Jerry) Glanville. Certainly not Jimmy the Greek."

Allowing plenty of time for a response by next season, Root has a proposition for today's sports media titans -- to the tune of what's known in the gambling world as 50 dimes.

"Next year, I challenge any of the network executives who turn up their noses at Las Vegas handicappers to allow me to pick a best bet on their show," Root said. "I'll go head to head with their so-called experts, with the loser donating $50,000 to the charity of their choice."

Given the major networks' ambivalence toward sports gambling, Root admits the smart money says his challenge will fall upon deaf ears.

"My bet is they are too chicken to take me up on it," he said.

He had no opinion on Tuesday night's New Orleans Bowl, but he does like a side in each of the next three bowl games through Christmas Day.

In today's GMAC Bowl, Root likes East Carolina minus 2 points over Marshall.

"The last team with the ball wins this bowl," Root said. "And I'll bet that East Carolina is the last to score."

Root thinks ECU's seniors could make a difference, especially quarterback David Garrard, running back Leonard Henry and linebacker Pernell Griffin.

"Marshall's defensive line is young, inexperienced and small," Root said. "And the Pirates have a chip on their shoulder after losing their last two games and 'backing into' this bowl."

In Thursday's Tangerine Bowl, Root likes North Carolina State in a pick 'em over Pittsburgh.

"I put more trust in N.C. State, which earned a 7-4 record in a rugged ACC, than in Pittsburgh, which won its last five to reach 6-5 by beating patsies like Temple, Rutgers, West Virginia and UAB," Root said. "The Big East is not the ACC and the Wolfpack will prove it."

In the Dec. 25 Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium, Root likes Utah plus 3 1/2 over USC. In fact, he calls Utah his best bet among the early bowl games.

"I see the Utes in an upset here," Root said. "Score one for the underrated Mountain West over the overrated Pac-10. Score one for coach Ron McBride, perhaps the most underrated coach in the NCAA."

Next Wednesday, we will look at Root's selections for the remainder of the college bowl season, including the BCS matchups.

In early January, we will revisit Root's bowl picks for the Sun and determine how he fared against the point spread.

Root is the founder and CEO of Global Sports & Entertainment. The company's website can be accessed at esportsedge.com.

But few will have more at stake than Las Vegas resident Curtis Cribbs, who has a shot at earning an appearance on ESPN's "College GameDay" program alongside Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.

Cribbs, 35, is one of 25 finalists in a national contest sponsored by Discover in which the top prize is a five-day trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl as well as the TV spot.

One aspect of the contest involved Cribbs' submitting a videotape featuring his sportscasting skills. Another involved predicting the outcome of a series of college football games.

"I'm a big football fan who enjoys watching the games unfold all season and trying to figure out what's going to happen next," Cribbs said.

For the record, here's who Cribbs likes in the BCS games: Colorado over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl, Illinois over LSU in the Sugar Bowl, Florida over Maryland in the Orange Bowl and Nebraska over Miami in the Rose Bowl.

Orkin, creator of "The Optimizer" sofware programs, will meet the winner of this Friday's semifinal matchup between professional gambler Dave Cokin and Coast Resorts oddsmaker Bert Osborne.

The tournament finale is set for Friday, Dec. 28, with a $10,000 winner-take-all prize on the line.