Actually, love may be an understatement…we obesess.   It should come as no surprise then that we like to think of ourselves are pretty strong handicappers.  Jose Swervo proved it yesterday by going 15-1 in his NCAA March Madness Bracket.  All Smoothplayers strive for perfection, but 15-1 is pretty damn good. For the record, the three of us (Jose Swervo, Steve, and Flea) combined for a modest 38-10 record.  I am sure that if we had created a consensus pick after some discussion, the combined record would have been much better.

The Stock Market is Down So We’re Betting on Baseball!

My stock portfolio makes me sick everytime I look at it.  So this year, instead of investing the money into dishonest corporations and ponzi investment schemes, I decided to invest in something I have a little more trust and understanding in - Major League Baseball.  This year I plan to bet $10 per day on one baseball game.  Shhh, please don’t tell my accountant!  Even if I was to lose every game, the loss would total $1,620, which is less than what I suffered from my IRA last year.

If you want to track our selections and success (or failure) then you’ll want to visit our sisiter site BestBetBaseball.com or follow us on Twitter @BestBetBaseball.  The concept of BestBetBaseball.com is simple:

The Smoothplayer staff (Jose Swervo, Steve, and Flea) will determine the best bet in Major League Baseball each day.  The site will post only one “Best Bet” per day and this will be the game I put my $10 bet on.  The site will include our performance  history, our current profit (or loss) and some featured editorial content in the same style as Smoothplayer.com (so you can be sure we’ll mix in some humor).  Of course, there will also be a “Best Bet Baseball Babe of the Day” as well.  Other sections of the site will include:

• “How To Bet Baseball”
• “Best Sportsbooks for Americans Betting on Baseball”
• “Free Baseball Pick - The Best Bet in Baseball“

You will be able to use your Facebook log-in details to chime in with your opinion of our daily baseball bet. Think we are picking the wrong side?, Was there a better baseball game we should have picked?  Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, we encourage your feedback.  You’ll even be able to post your own prediction to your own Facebook page through our site.  Pretty cool.

As for Jose Swervo’s 15-1 record for day 1 of the March Madness pool, we feel obligated to keep you informed of his day to day progress.  Check back to this article to see how Day 2 treats him and how he finishes.  By the way, he has North Carolina winning it all.

UPDATE: 3/26/09

The Sweet 16 has been determined and Jose Swervo is now towards the bottom of the pool.   Swervo finds himself with only 9 of his Sweet 16 selections still alive.  Benard Madoff has a better chance of living a happy life than Swervo has of winning this year’s pool.  On the hand, both Flea and Steve have risen towards the top but still find themselves behind some stiff competition.  The leader of the pool has 15 of 16 teams.  Steve has 14 teams remaining and Flea has 13.  Overall the Smoothplayer staff Flea (35-13), Steve (34-12), Ryan (34-12).  Nothing to brag about when you’re only picking winners.

Moxie Le Femme

The age old tradition of Burlesque is back and it is hotter than ever.  Open the nightlife section of any major city newspaper and you are sure to find at least one burlesque troupe performing over the weekend.  The spike in interest can largely be attributed to blockbuster hits “Chicago” and “Moulin Rouge” as well as the personalities of Dita Von Teese,  The Pussycat Dolls (who some would argue as Burlesque), and Michelle L’Amour who’s “Knight Rider” performance on “America’s Got Talent” is worth watching again.

“This Is A Different Version of Sexy”

Although burlesque performers typically remove some clothing in their acts, the environment and performances are far from what you would find at a strip club.  Unlike stripping, burlesque is the art of the tease in which the crowd is constantly hoping to see more.  Where a stripper’s main tool of the trade is “the pole”, a burlesque performer uses clothing and other props to entice and tease the audience.  Today’s burlesque also incorporates bits of humor and creative style usually not found on the stripper stage.  It’s this softer side of sexiness and creative element that is drawing many women to the shows…and the stage.  In an interview with Katie Couric, Dita Von Teese explained “I think it’s really exciting and interesting. It seems (with) this revival, women are embracing this style and want to have fun with it and they want to embrace their inner bombshell and get really..you know  have fun with dressing up and feeling their own ..like..confidence and sexual power.  They are seeing a different version of sexy other than a blonde bikini babe, tan, and natural running down a beach in slow motion.  You know, this is a different kind of sexy and I think there is a lot of women who can relate to this style. . .”

Retro Burlesque, Punk Burlesque, Neo-Burlesque

Burlesque comes in many different styles and flavors from the traditional retro, punk, and modern/contemporary.  One local act drawing a lot of attention is Moxie Le Femme out of Lakeland, Florida.  Moxie Le Femme incorporates a variety of styles in their act and it is this eclectic element that has their crowds constantly coming back for more.  I attended their last performance at the Blue Moon Lounge in Lakeland.  I was sitting at table with 2 other couples.  Ironically, everyone at the table had a different favorite.  I personally liked the I had a chance to meet with the girls and find out more about their show as well as what draws them to do it.

The girls in the group are your every day soccer moms and full time co-workers.  Miss Kitty Katt half jokingly stated “We all are mainly doing this for fun.  I think we spend more money on costumes, rehearsal space, and props than we take in…but that’s o.k. because we have a blast doing this and you can’t put a price on friends and good times I have gained through this.”

Moxie Le Femme is having open auditions and also plans to start performing in Tampa and Orlando area.  If you are interested in releasing “your inner bombshell”, you can contact Moxie Le Femme through their website at www.moxielefemme.com.