Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Burton makes foes disappear

Sal DeFilippo

Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002 | 10:44 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football column appears on Fridays during the regular season. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or 259-4076.

Master magician Lance Burton knows what it feels like to be an NFL quarterback. Well, OK, maybe not exactly. During his twice-nightly show at the Monte Carlo, he doesn't read zone blitzes, manage a game clock or take vicious hits from 300-pound guys. That is, unless he has changed his show dramatically since the last time I've seen it.

But Burton can relate to some facets of what Kurt Warner will face Sunday when the St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots battle in Super Bowl XXXVI at the Superdome.

"I have a great supporting cast and crew, but sometimes things fall apart and it's up to me to get us out of it," Burton said. "With a quarterback, it's the same way. You depend on others to run and catch the ball and make plays, but things don't always go according to plan and sometimes you have to take over."

Burton and his crew also know quite a bit about the NFL. By compiling a 30-19-2 record against the spread, Burton outdistanced a field of Las Vegas personalities to win the Sal's Celebrity Selectors contest, which ran Fridays during the regular season in the Sun, and with it, the (cough) prestigious Golden Nerf award.

"We have a lot of football brains in our crew," Burton boasted. "Also, I used my magic powers to influence the outcomes of the games, so there was no doubt I'd come out on top."

Now he tells me. If I had known magic was involved, I could have invested in Lance's prognosticating prowess. Any legitimate handicapper will tell you that maintaining a 61 percent rate for an entire season would require, well, a magic touch.

But this contest isn't about winning money, it's about competition, and enjoying it. Burton says that's also how he views the NFL.

"I'm not as nutty as some of the guys are at work about football. It doesn't rule my life," he said.

"But I really enjoy watching the games. I always enjoy the trick plays the most. When I see a quarterback and running back make a really good fake handoff, where the whole defense goes after the guy without the ball -- that's like what I do. It's a sleight of hand. Those are the types of plays I enjoy."

Burton grew up watching Fran Tarkenton -- "I loved watching him scramble when he was in trouble. He always made the first down and avoided getting hurt" -- and says that during his magic show, audibles are a part of the game.

"I call all the plays during the show, and I call them in progress. The first and second shows have about 20 minutes of different material, because I like to keep everything in my repertoire fresh.

"But I also call plays within the show. There's one spot during the second show where I have three tricks to choose from, two of which require audience participation. We use a lot of audience participation, and what they do is an element I can't control. Within the structure of the show there is room for improvisation, and that's the fun part."

Winning the Sun contest also was fun for Burton, who says he kept track every week and relied partly on the expertise of production manager Allen Bracken.

"I teased Clint Holmes unmercifully every opportunity I had," Burton said. "Wayne Newton, too. I even mentioned it to the mayor -- but after he gave me the key to the city."

As for Sunday's game, the Super Bowl is traditionally the only game I ever pick correctly. I'm 4-0-2 against the spread in six seasons, and this year, I'm going with the celebrity champ, laying the lumber with St. Louis.

"I expect the Rams to win and win big," said Burton, unfazed by the 14-point spread. "I'll be using my magic powers to give them a little help, not because they need it, but just as insurance."

How can you argue with that?