Columnist Jeff Haney: Last call for popular show

Friday, Nov. 4, 2005 | 7:58 a.m.

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Monday, Friday (gaming) and Wednesday (poker). Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com.

In February there will be an empty space on the landscape of the Las Vegas gambling community.

Larry Grossman, a fixture on the radio for 16 years, plans to step down from his position as the host of "You Can Bet on It," the popular gambling program he created.

His final show is scheduled for Feb. 3, two days before the Super Bowl.

Although he is officially calling it an extended hiatus from radio rather than a retirement, Grossman said this week he has decided to put the "You Can Bet on It" format on the shelf.

"I've always been a believer that you have to listen to your heart, and my heart was telling me it was the right time," Grossman said at his Summerlin home. "I'd rather go out on top, while everybody still likes the show, than hang on too long."

Grossman's show, which airs 2-3 p.m. on KENO 1460-AM, has always been driven by its guests, including football handicappers, sports book managers and professional poker players.

Although football betting has been his primary focus, Grossman also reserved slots for wild-card guests such as authors and pop culture figures.

"We do a lot with sports handicapping, but it was never just a handicapping show," Grossman said. "If it was just football picks, that would have bored me. I'm more interested in how people analyze the games in different ways. It really becomes a cerebral exercise, and that's far more fulfilling than a pick in a particular game."

Among Grossman's many nonsports guests over the years were historian David Halberstam; Larry Kane, the author of a new book on John Lennon; and Abbie Hoffman's brother, who revealed Abbie had bookmakers and the Gold Sheet handicapping newsletter programmed into his speed dial.

"I'm interested in a lot of different people, and I thought if I found them interesting, then other people would, too," Grossman said.

Grossman does not reveal his age, but it's clear he's from the Baby Boomer generation that grew up with rock 'n' roll as its soundtrack.

In fact, asked for his date of birth, Grossman responds by quoting Bob Dylan: "Let's just say I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

A fan of radio from an early age, Grossman, a Philadelphia native, remembers listening to Phillies games under the covers as a little kid.

It wasn't until he moved to Las Vegas in the late 1980s that he began working in radio, though.

Before then, Grossman, who said Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" changed his outlook on life when he read that splendid novel as a young man, pursued various ventures while living a Bohemian lifestyle.

He owned and operated a bookstore in Key West, Fla., for a time, worked in construction in Boulder, Colo., and was an investment adviser for a financial institution.

"I was always a person who truly followed my own spirit," he said.

While Grossman has spent 16 years in radio, he devoted no more than three years to any other job he has held.

"Remember, 'You Can Bet on It' was a dream thing," he said. "If you made a list of 10 potential careers and one was a radio show in Las Vegas talking about gambling, that's the one I would pick. It's not even close."

Grossman, one of the few people in town who conducts his business affairs solely on a handshake, established a strong reputation among gamblers for insisting on honesty and accountability from his guests.

He has no hidden motive in stepping down, Grossman said.

"The most precious thing we are given is time," Grossman said. "This life truly is a gift. Far too many people take it for granted and they think it's going to go on forever. ...

"I'm young enough where I can fulfill my responsibilities, and I owe it to myself to find out what's next. I need not to know what I'm doing next. To me, that's the essence of life."

An accomplished photographer, Grossman said after the Super Bowl he plans to spend more time on his artwork, hiking at Red Rock and traveling to Big Sur, Calif.

Asked if we'll hear him on the radio again, Grossman, the inveterate rock 'n' roller, cited a line from an old Buffalo Springfield song: "I won't be back till later on if I do come back at all."