Great Moments In Gambling: Cleveland Seagulls Cost Man His House

Betting on a mid-June AL Central baseball game seems like a brilliant path to financial freedom, but believe it or not, there are dangers. Like a flock of birds attacking Coco Crisp and costing you a $38,000 payday.

Aaron Smith, of (I assume) Las Vegas, put down two bets totaling $21,750 on last Thursday's matchup between the Royals and Indians, What would possess someone to do such a thing? Well, Zack Greinke was pitching and that guy like ... never loses.

Even if you hadn't read this story from last week, you could probably guess how this one ends. Greinke and his bullpen blow a 3-1 lead and the game-winning RBI in the tenth bounces off a seagull that had parked himself in the outfield. Royals lose! Now Smith—a man who willingly wagered over $20,000 on the Royals— somehow thinks he has the worst bad beat story of all-time and will give $1,000 to anyone who can top it. That shouldn't be too hard. (Especially since the Indians had two on and nobody out against Kyle Farnsworth. The bird was the least of your issues. Of course, this contest make no sense unless the guy is trying to sell something—or he's an even worse gambler than we imagine.)

But walk into any poker room in the country and say, "Boy, did I have some rotten luck today," and you'll have 50 degenerate gamblers swarming you with sob stories that would make the hardest leg-breaking mob enforcer weep.

And to think all this guy lost was money!

When birds attack: a terrible gambling story, and $1,000 offer if you can top it [Ball Star] Cleveland's Flock Of Seagulls Scores Another Hit [Deadspin]