Pepper McSausage Picks

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  • Pepper’s Pick 12/3/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    My mom was looking down on me last night. Despite my (over) confidence, we managed to survive overtime on our under. My mom pulling some Angels In The Outfield s*** using her big body and low center of gravity to box out Saddiq Bey and prevent him from snagging bounds. And we, folks, are back at .500! It feels good, vibes are high, and I find myself IN LOVE with a bet in particular tonight (which is sure to keep this momentum going)! Jk… we know what happens next. I don’t think we’ve been above .500 since early November and for good reason.

    Today’s Pick: JAMES HARDEN OVER 5.5 REBOUNDS

    The Hawks are a good matchup for this positionally, despite the funny feeling that the Clips are gonna get blown out again after their last game, combined with the team mood around the Chris Paul news. Specifically, I like Harden’s defensive assignment and how that will allow him to cherry pick rebounds. He’s going against Dyson Daniels (most likely) and Daniels’ penchant for driving and being able to be sagged off on from three should put Harden in the paint or lurking around it rather frequently all game. And he’s the sort of player who will take advantage of those opportunities on the boards.

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see y’all on the other side!

    Pick record: 17-17 (thank you Bey!)

  • Pepper’s Pick 12/2/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    Back when I was like 7 or 8, my mom dated this old guy. I’m not sure what the age gap was—my mom loved dating men older than her—but this one felt particularly old (though I now realize some people get grey hair much earlier in life than I could’ve ever anticipated). My mom’s father was around, technically, but he was mentally checked out and wasn’t a protector type, so I think my mom seeked that in her choice of men (which was generally shite). All of my mom’s exes live in my head like those people that can’t recognize faces. Their facial features are all a vague blur (is that redundant word choice?). As I’ve mentioned previously, my mom would always adapt her personality around whatever her men were into and this specific ex loved car shows. He had an old hot rod and we’d go to the random events where we’d park the car and hang out while other old people would come through and gawk at his beaut of a car. And we’d reciprocate to others. And back and forth we’d go! I just never understood the appeal of it all…but I recognize now, betting is my car show lol. People don’t generally care, and the ones that do, it feels like an ego driver to talk about your bets. Like best case scenario people give you a pleasant “nice” or a “you’re so cool”, but the more common scenario is just general indifference.

    I’m striving for the ever elusive “you’re so cool”, particularly from my financé, but the best I get is a “your crippling our finances” or “is everyone online this bad at gambling”. Well I’ll show her!

    Today’s Pick: SADDIQ BEY UNDER 6.5 REBOUNDS

    It’s comfortably juiced at -137, but it’s free money after yesterday’s rather easy L. He has hit his over in 5 straight games, but the plus value over is the sort of temptation that gets people killed. No thanks!

    Good luck and, as always, I’ll see you on the other side!

    Pick record: 16-17 (no thank you DeMario)

  • Pepper’s Pick 12/1/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    Today is my first day in weeks where I don’t have anything to do, no plans, nothing expected of me, no appearances to keep up or overthink, nothing. Just me, alone with myself. The peace and the silence is a bit unsettling; I don’t know what to do with it. It’s days like today where I beat myself over the head with negative self-talk. I generally feel like I’m not doing enough in life, and today’s the kind of day where I can really sit down and find all sorts of associations to tie that to, and catastrophize specific aspects of my life. And debate myself exhaustively in the thunderdome in my mind. It’s a woefully unnecessary exercise. It doesn’t advance the plot, doesn’t add any character detail, just derails hope and mental health progress. Like I love having plans and I love socializing within reason, but it drains me mentally and physically. I don’t want to fill my calendar with stuff to do, and yet when I don’t have anything to do, this is what happens. Why can’t I find comfort in nothing?? I love doing nothing and yet nothing can feel like an oven left on and unattended, could amount to nothing, could amount to catastrophe. And it’s all just in my head. So pointless.

    Today’s Pick: DEMARIO DOUGLAS UNDER 16.5 RECEIVING YARDS

    Man… what the f*** is this line? He’s gone over this in 8 straight games, averaging 50 receiving yards in his last 5. The over seems far too easy. It’s cold in Foxboro today, but there’s no wind or rain, so it’s just a brisk cold. Shouldn’t negatively impact offensive capabilities, and yet his line is JUST 16.5 YARDS. Yeah, that’s a definitive under for me my friend. Vegas is out there fishing for casuals and I’m just gonna swim right on past; there’s nothing to see here. Mind your business, enjoy the game or not, and cash after it’s all over.

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see y’all on the other side!

    Pick record: 16-16 (thank you lord for the back-to-back overtime games helping my team total overs hit lol)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/30/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    We’re getting hot again! Thanks a lot to overtime yesterday lol… today’s more about accountability than any tangible reflection or fun thoughts; I just woke up and football starts in an hour. And I gotta clean the house before guests arrive, yaaaayyy!

    Today’s Pick: SAINTS/DOLPHINS 6-POINT TEASE — DOLPHINS +0.5 & SAINTS/DOLPHINS O36

    I’ll admit my stomach immediately sank and I had to shit as soon as I placed this bet. Probably not a good sign… but by all accounts, the Dolphins should win this game (wildly they’re still in the playoff hunt), doesn’t matter by how much. And two offensive-minded head coaches in a sneaky fun game hidden on an otherwise terrible looking Sunday slate SHOULD be able to do enough scoring to get over the 36 point hump. Dolphins should dominate this one, but after my fun times in Vegas, I’m betting scared rn.

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see y’all on the other side!

    Pick record: 15-16 (thank you Charlotte!)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/29/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    Yesterday’s parlay was a good win. The kind of win that should make a dent in getting my mom back to life. It still feels surreal that she’s gone and I’ll just never get to talk to her again (if I quit making picks). The paramedics tried resuscitating her when she died. I got two calls that day. One telling us she was unconscious and that they were trying to resuscitate her. Then the longest 15 minutes of my life. Followed up by the inevitable phone call. In that 15 minutes, I was sure they were gonna bring her back despite the fact that logic would’ve suggested there was no way. God knows how long she was unresponsive before she was even found. Could’ve been 5 minutes, could’ve been an hour, who knows! I don’t think your heart is supposed to stop for any number of minutes so I’d imagine the longer the case may be, the less likely it is the bring someone back. Despite all that, I was so angry with her. I couldn’t wait for her to wake back up (give her a day to catch herself) and then give her the hard truth. Sadly, even if she made it through, I don’t think she would’ve ever gotten better. It’s one thing to be wildly undisciplined (which she was), that’s hard enough to overcome addiction with, but I don’t think she had a strong enough will to live to begin with. I think a lot about how frightening her final moments must’ve been for her, the anxiety that she was probably suffering through. I will forever hope that my fears are wrong, and that she peacefully slipped into unconsciousness without any forethought.

    Today’s Pick: CHARLOTTE HORNETS TEAM TOTAL OVER 110 POINTS

    They’re on the second leg of a back to back, so all of their stars might sit. But we’ll still have Kon and a fast pace! The books are probably setting this line anticipating that it feels to high for a star-less Hornets off a back-to-back, but yesterday’s win was the sort of momentum shifter that should benefit (at the very least) the offense today!

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see you on the other side!

    Pick record: 14-16 (thank you Jaelan and Montez!)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/28/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    The Vegas hits just keep on coming! Zay Flowers caught a TD only for it to get called back on an egregious (unless you were rooting for the Bengals) offensive pass interference call. So he did NOT actually catch one, and I eat an L for dessert.

    Today is our travel day home, and as the logistical coordinator in my life, I gotta get my pick out here quick so that I can start facilitating our drive home.

    Today’s Pick: 🚨 PARLAY 🚨 MONTEZ SWEAT UNDER 0.5 SACKS & JAELAN PHILLIPS UNDER 0.5 SACKS (+175)

    Montez has been on fire with 6.5 sacks in his last 6 games. And Jaelan Phillips just had a nice write-up in the New York Times about his excitement and motivation for playing on Black Friday (as well as a sack in his last game). With all the momentum on these two to keep it going today (especially since Philly gets sacked more at home and Chicago gets sacked more on the road), I’m going to combo swerve. The wind could be bad enough to take the air out of the ball on both sides and even if it’s not, these two teams aren’t particularly strong at getting to the quarterback anyway. And after all, anybody else can get to the QB, we don’t care, we just can’t allow these two to do it lol. Fingers crossed 🤞🤞 betting against the best pass rushers on each team is gonna make the game feel like an eternity with a potential jump scare around every corner.

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see you on the other side!

    Pick record: 13-16 (no thank you referees)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/27/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    Yesterday was heartbreaking. The Pels led comfortably all game, just to blow the lead late and play out the string in overtime. A perhaps perfect fate for watching live in Vegas and part of why I love this place; everyday has the chance to be a beautiful Greek tragedy and YOU get to be apart of any grand metaphor! The trip has been catastrophic from a money management perspective thus far (and I’m not sure today’s gonna change any of that), but at least we have awkward family dynamics with my finance’s family to comb through. That’s sure to tie the trip together. I’m very thankful for my finance; she has handled my Ls this week with grace and a genuine lack of judgement. I do not deserve her.

    My confidence is in a Vegas gutter with silly straws and the weird small porn pamphlets people hand out on the street, but thankfully, what I lack on confidence I make up for in confusion!

    Today’s Pick: ZAY FLOWERS 1+ TOUCHDOWNS (+125)

    What the f*** is this line? He hasn’t scored a TD since week 1, and has never scored a touchdown against the Bengals, and yet his line is a little short of a coin flip? His line should be like +300. Vegas loves playing games with touchdown lines, but they’re essentially hiding this one in plain sight! They’re telling you he’s due against a bad Bengals defense and hoping people just gloss over it, and we don’t do that here!

    Good luck everyone and I’ll see y’all on the other side!

    Pick record: 13-15 (no thank you Pels)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/26/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    I feel wildly vindicated about my pick yesterday. The total was 229.5 and got better down to 227.5 by game time and then soared over. With these picks, it’s starting to feel like I can tell in the first quarter that it’s going to hit. If it’s trending towards obliterating the projection, it’s gonna hit. If it’s just simply on track to hit, it’s not hitting lol. There’s no in between. Getting to watch it hit from a sportsbook live in Vegas had me feeling very sharp 😏.

    I love Las Vegas. My wallet doesn’t love Vegas, but that’s just an accessory, it has no feel. My mind and heart and soul all love Vegas. I was predisposed to love this place. My dad brought me here a few times growing up, and him and my mom blessed me an addictive personality, so Vegas is like catnip. It’s weird though, my dad would take me here when I was like 13 years old, and as a non-gambler (and with me his only child), I don’t understand what was so appealing to him about it lol. Every once in a while he’d put me up in an arcade for an hour so he could roam alone for a bit (and I’d lose all my money on a claw machine in like 10 minutes, so I’d just sit around waiting for his return lol), and I always wondered what he’d do. My dad lived a very controlled “no vice” lifestyle as long as I could remember and Vegas is the antithesis of that way of living, so again, what was the point for him? Getting to walk miles with me on the strip. He loved the show Pawn Stars, and we never even went to visit the actual place.

    Anyways, many core memories have been created here and I feel so at home being back! Even if I lost a quick couple hundred on roulette yesterday which had me briefly fantasizing about a top down view from the hotel’s roof. Regardless, we started building momentum again last night and what better place to keep that momentum going than Sin City!

    Today’s Pick: Pelicans ML (+130)

    The Pels should be the favorite here, especially @ home. Not trying to overreact to one game, but the line suggests Vegas doesn’t think they’re real. But are we supposed to believe the Grizz are? They equally suck, and the whole aura of Grizz culture doesn’t feel prevalent anymore. Now I recognize that probably has falling into the trap play of the day, but I can see this bear trap from a mile away, I’m running up and poking it with a stick. This Grizzlies trap is like a 40 year old man going undercover in high school. You’re not fooling anyone!

    Good luck and, as always, I’ll see you on the other side!

    Pick record: 13-14 (thank you Clips/Lakers)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/25/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    A big travel day for my finance, her grandma and I, so I gotta cut to the chase today. The Pelicans dropped 143 points and Zion only got 2 assists. Bad read on my end. We are reeling right now, but I feel good about catching a fish today and getting back in the win column!

    Today’s Pick: CLIPPERS/LAKERS OVER 229.5 POINTS

    I have absolutely no idea why this point total is where it is. Sure they average 229 points together, but these are two of the slower paced teams in the league and the Clippers have struggled offensively all season. It feels like they baiting people into going under. Especially since they’ve gone under in their last three games together. Well, I’m not falling for the bait. I AM the bait!

    Good luck everyone and I will see y’all on the other side!

    Pick record: 12-14 (no thank you Zion)

  • Pepper’s Pick 11/24/25

    A pick a day until my mom comes back to life.

    Today I had to say goodbye to my brother for a few months while I return home to live my life there. The goodbyes are always hard, but this one in particular left me in rough shape emotionally. Since I could remember, my parents were separated. And while they had shared custody, when I was like 7 or 8 years old, my mom moved 3+ hours out and I only got to visit on holidays and summer break. From then til high school, like clockwork, every time I’d return home from my mom’s I’d cry myself to sleep. I always felt this emotional weight, like I was abandoning them cuz they always made me feel like they’d be just there waiting (in like purgatory) until I returned. I was also something of the peace keeper there as I got older, so even when I stopped crying hysterically at night, I always felt like I was leaving a ticking time bomb. Then came college, which presented different emotional land mines, but that’s all to say eventually I was able to unpack the emotional weight of saying goodbye. Until now. It has all come full circle since my mom died. All the fears of what would happen in my absence have come to fruition in recent years, and peaked with my mom’s grand exit. I can’t shake the guilt of having my own life. I can’t shake the feeling that she would’ve gotten better had I been there to take care of her. And even if I couldn’t have saved her, had I been there, I could’ve at least been able to say I did everything I could have. Though I’m sure I would’ve found new ways to blame myself. I love choose-your-own-adventure stories, but I can never convince myself that the path I took was the right one lol.

    Speaking of, yesterday’s Puka play was an L. Though I respect Matt Stafford for trying to get him a pity score after hooking up on another TD with his new bestie Davante.

    Today’s Pick: ZION WILLIAMSON OVER 4.5 ASSISTS

    In a similar vein as yesterday, when everyone is looking one way, we divert our attention the other way. Dairy Queen is collecting all the love in NOLA nowadays, but Zion is still a wonderful playmaker getting playmaker usage, even when sharing the court with DQ. Which Borrego hasn’t been scared to do since taking the helm.

    Good luck everyone and, as always, I’ll see you on the other side!

    Pick record: 12-13 (no thank you Puka)