RIP, Streak (For The Cash)

Oh yeah, I forgot this: With the end of last month, ESPN.com ended their Streak For The Cash (since re-named ESPN Streak) quasi-gambling game after 14 years.  I never won -- never came close -- but ever since I started playing (and I don't remember when) it became an occasional obsession (if there is such a thing).  It cost nothing to go to the webpage (or, later, pull it up on the ESPN Games app) and choose which team will win, or pick over or under on the number of Points scored in the First Quarter, etc.  It was fun and, whenever I wasn't losing, it was a solid diversion in my life.  (I had three pat patterns: I always bet the tennis player more people thought would win [there were percentages for each side of the this-or-that choice]; I always bet the golfer more people thought would lose, and I always bet on the UFC underdog if he or she garnered more than 20% of the vote.  Those three edicts served me well.)

Occasionally it felt like a chore, if not a pain in the ass, to remember that it hadn't been a while since I picked something, so in that sense, I was relieved to see this fantasy game taken from me.  But by the same token, I'll miss it.  Whenever I won, it made me feel good.  Sure, I felt bad whenever I chose wrong.  But I took a screenshot of my overall record, and I won (made more right choices) much more than I lost, so I got a little pep in my step way more than I felt stupid.  And for that, I will miss you, ESPN Streak (For The Cash).