Calling the Long Shot



Albert Pujols's two-out, ninth-inning homer catapulted six PicksPal (www.PicksPal.com) players to the top of the rankings in the weekly online sports picks game and sent the Cardinals back to Busch Stadium for Game 6 of the NLCS.

As if it were right from out of the pages of a storybook, the seemingly insurmountable odds fit the highly unlikely scenario. With lights-out closer Brad Lidge on the mound for the Astros in the ninth inning, two outs and two strikes on the one-hole hitter David Eckstein, the Astros were only one pitch away from going to the World Series.

Fortunately for the Cardinals and the six PicksPal players who risked all their points on the prop pick that Albert Pujols would hit a homer in his first or final at bat, Eckstein singled. This brought Jim Edmonds to the plate, who drew a walk to bring Albert Pujols (who was 0-4) into the batter's box.

Lidge's second delivery to Pujols ended up somewhere over the train tracks high above the left-field wall at Minute Maid Park, leaving a crowd of more than 43,000 in agonizing silence.

But for the six "lucky" PicksPal players who had placed all of their 1000 points they get each week on the 7:1 odds that Pujols would accomplish such a feat, the silence that fell over the Houston crowd meant 8000 nail-biting, instant points for them. PicksPal uses real odds and spreads on their site, but challenges players to play for points and pride instead of money. For PicksPal players, something invaluable rests on each game and prop, especially for those who are baseball fans: bragging rights.

PicksPal player RoidLuv, a native of St. Louis and devoted Cardinal fan who was one of the six to hit the long shot, said: "They were the Cardiac-Cardinals last night because they almost gave me a heart attack. I pretty much gave up hope on my points and the Cardinals' chances, so I switched the channel in pure disgust. When I flipped it back, Pujols was rounding the bases and the scoreboard read 5-4. I couldn't believe my eyes!"

The six players who risked it all on Pujols' homer were not alone in picking that prop as many other players also put some points on the long shot. This despite many experts and analysts who predicted Pujols and the Cardinals would go down to Pettitte and the Astros. Are PicksPal players starting to become expert prognosticators themselves Or were those picks just luck

For Game 6, the Cardinals are favored to win and the odds are against Pujols to have more hits than Lance Berkman in the game. PicksPal players will have to pick again from Pujols' accomplishments and the Cardinals' fate, but as RoidLuv put it: "When you pick Pujols, you pick the Cardinals 8211; you can never count them out."

About PicksPal
Based in Mountain View, California, and created by Former CBS SportsLine.com Sports.com and Ziff-Davis senior executive, Tom Jessiman, PicksPal.com launched in September 2005. PicksPal received its initial funding from Canaan Partners and counts Canaan general partner Maha Ibrahim and online marketing expert Kenneth Dotson as Board Members. PicksPal members compete in a weekly game, playing and earning social points by picking real events based on real odds. PicksPal members have the opportunity to risk their points on any of their favorite sports, including football, basketball, baseball, golf, boxing, cycling, motor sports and soccer. At the end of the week -- the member accumulating the most points wins.

PicksPal offers its members numerous ways to compete. By making free picks on such sports as Pro Football, College Football, Baseball and more, players can challenge their own knowledge or throw down the gauntlet against friends in 1-on-1 face-offs and even in league competitions. A Pick-O-Meter keeps track of the top ten competitors.





Calling the Long Shot