Columnist Jeff Haney: ‘Beat Boston’ will continue even after the contest’s namesake was injured in an attack on the Strip

Monday, Jan. 30, 2006 | 8:53 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.

The show will go on.

Although he was the victim of a brutally violent attack on the Strip outside the Riviera on Friday night, professional gambler Alan Boston plans to continue participating in the college basketball betting contest in which he is competing against handicapper Brent Crow.

At the time of the attack, Boston was headed to the Riviera sports book for the latest installment of the contest, which takes place at 8 p.m. each Friday.

After parking his car in the valet area of the Stardust, just across Las Vegas Boulevard, Boston said he was attacked from behind by two men as he was walking toward the Riviera.

A witness told him at least one of the men was wielding a heavy object such as a tire iron or a lead pipe, Boston said.

"It's just a lead pipe to the head and a couple other places, no big deal," Boston said. "I survived the attack. It's probably a good thing I'm in good shape. I was able to absorb the blows better than most people would have. ...

"I think my left shoulder is separated. It's swelled up like a meringue pie. My head is swollen like a pumpkin. I'm not used to getting hit with a lead pipe."

Boston, who was taken to the hospital after the attack, said doctors told him there was no damage to his internal organs, "so it could have been a lot worse," he said.

A highly successful sports bettor and poker player, Boston, 47, has devoted himself to physical fitness, particularly in recent years. Doctors told him his well-developed musculature probably protected him from greater physical damage, he said.

"I was told the fact I was pretty fit made a big difference," Boston said. "It could have been a major concussion instead of a minor one."

Boston said Sunday he told Jimmy Vaccaro, the creator of the contest and a spokesman for Leroy's sports books, the contest's sponsor, that he wants the competition to continue.

"We'll just go on with it," Boston said. "We'll do the show next week, and I'll tell those (expletives) to come and get me again."

Friday night's installment was to have been the fourth in the contest, which had been scheduled for eight weeks. Boston and Crow, competing head-to-head, make six selections against the point spread from each Saturday's college basketball card. A $50,000 winner-take-all prize is at stake.

The contest is scheduled to resume this Friday. Last Friday night's show was canceled after the attack on Boston.

"It's now a seven-week contest," Vaccaro said. "I left it up to the contestants whether they wanted to continue with it. I spoke with Alan first, and he said it would be best to go on with it. Then I spoke with Brent, and he agreed."

Boston said the unknown assailants did not steal any of his money or belongings, and he is convinced he was their specific target rather than the victim of a random attack.

"The protocol of the street would dictate that they would say, 'this is from so-and-so,' or 'so and so says hello,' " Boston said. "But there was no message, nothing like that."

Boston said Sunday he had not yet been in contact with police about the incident, and that he plans to pursue the matter privately through his own legal representation.

Boston, who splits his time between his homes in Las Vegas and Maine, is known as one of the nation's leading sports bettors, with a specialty in handicapping college basketball.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadephia, Boston has been gambling for a living since he was 24. He was prominently featured in the 2001 book "The Odds," by Chad Millman, about the Las Vegas gambling scene. He has also appeared on the ESPN program "Outside the Lines."

Besides his gambling expertise, Boston is known for his outspokenness and a sometimes offbeat sense of humor.

For example, during a recent guest appearance on the Stardust Line radio show on KDWN 720-AM, Boston made an impromptu, rather obscure reference to "The Lottery," the 1948 literary short story by Shirley Jackson.

In a private conversation later, Boston seemed delighted that whereas few listeners "got" the reference, those who did appreciated it thoroughly.

As news of Friday night's attack spread, Boston said he heard from many old friends and well-wishers concerned about his condition.

"I've gotten phone calls from all over the world," Boston said. "That's pretty cool."