My Week on WallStreet.com January 22 - 28 by Brenn Jones Last week's article. Jones' Archive. The Patriots won, hallelujah, and my total V-Chips rocketed from $15 to $15,090 from a $75 Pats AFC Champ bet at 200-1 odds. I had seriously considered hedging by betting the Steelers, but decided against when the money line bulged from (-$400) to (-$600). In stinking up the joint, the Ravens had fooled everybody into believing the Steelers were invincible. Bettors took the bait, driving up the line. Bill Belichick himself noted how the Patriots were as heavy underdogs as the Lions had been at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh just a few weeks before. HA! The decision to keep the bet pure was finalized when Joe Benigno of WFAN 660 in New York at 3am on Friday morning predicted that the Pats would win outright. Though I've been unable to get through the busy signals at that station, I offer him my thanks. I am very glad that this is over, because over the last week or two, make that month or two, I've pretty much been a nonfunctioning member of society, a vegetable in a Patriots hat. I'll tell you the logic behind the bet in case the miracle should repeat itself. When I put $75 down on the Pats I didn't think that they would win the AFC. However, I did think their odds were much better than 200-1. Say, 30-1. Make enough bets ahead of the odds and you win. The reason the Pats were such long shots? People thought they sucked, because they are the Patriots, and the Patriots are supposed to suck. In professional sports today though, particularly in the NFL, a lot can change in a short period of time. When I made the Patriots bet, they were 3-3 and showing signs of life. Brady had thrown for 364 yards in a win against the Chargers, so he didn't seem like such a slouch. There were no dominant teams in the AFC, and certainly not in the AFC East. John Hall's 53 yard field goal to lift the Jets over the Raiders gave the Patriots a bye in the first round of the playoffs. A snowstorm and an incomplete pass later, they are playing the Steelers for the title. Three Kordell Stewart picks later, they're going to Super Bowl. What an anti-climactic game that will be! It was suggested that I go double-or-nothing with the Pats in the Super Bowl, or if I can't wait that long, to put the 15 thousand V-Chips on the Over-line for the next Knicks game. Thirty grand will get me a car, or maybe out of my crusty little apartment. The Knicks are playing the '76ers at home tomorrow night. They've been hitting the over lately. Jeff Van Gundy was a defensive-minded coach, but under Don Chaney the Knicks have been playing a more free-flowing game. The line for the game is No dawg, it's time to just sit back and root for the Nets on a brand new Plasma TV! Brenn Jones is a freelance writer. His sports book reviews can be found on Barnes and Noble's website Article first appeared on 1/28/02