A lengthy bout of bronchitis has kept me out of action, but I’m finally on the mend and apologize for all the news coverage I missed, such as …
* First there was Deflategate. Now there’s Menzelgate. Could Idina Menzel have done prop bettors a favor by deliberately fixing the timing of her glorious, unaccompanied rendition of our national anthem? Her triumphant fist-pump could mean she’d nailed the time as surely as a Julian Edelman catch. Say not so, Idina!
* Speaking of the Super Bowl, when it comes to sports analysis, Donald Trump is a casino investor and a lousy one at that.
* Yet another state is considering making fantasy sports a for-money proposition. While stopping short of approving sports betting, the Iowa Senate is mulling a bill that would allow 
casinos in the Hawkeye State to offer fantasy-sports wagering events. SB1068 is similar to another bill that expired on the state senate floor last year, but this year’s iteration passed out of committee with only a single dissent. “Fantasy sports as defined by the U.S. government is a game of skill. It is not a game of chance,” says primary sponsor Sen. Jeff Danielson (D). Since the games would not be treated as gambling, they would fall outside the purview of the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission.
Representing the old-maid caucus in the state Senate, opponent Sen. David Johnson (R) wrung his hands, saying, “I understand that this has great popularity, but do we really need to legalize these activities, and what kind of a message does that send?” It says that Iowans are grownups and should be treated as such.
* It’s been three months since South Dakotans authorized the Legislature to expand gambling in Deadwood by adding roulette, craps and keno, but the enabling legislation is only just now clearing the Senate State Affairs Committee, albeit by an auspicious 7-1 margin. Naysayers are trying to kill the electorate’s message in the Lege. But, as state Sen. Dan Lederman said, “I think it would be out of line for this committee to reject that decision made by the people.”
* Internet poker died a speedy death in Mississippi. We’ve rarely seen legislation shot down so fast.
