Notes on a Zig Zag Paper: At a huge family Thanksgiving dinner one of the guys made the following statements:

One of my clients used to be a starting lineman at (Major Division I football power). He told me within a converstation that, "I always, on every play in every game, executed my blocks exactly the way the coaches drew things up. I can't say that for the guy who played next to me."

"I asked the guy what he meant by that but it took a couple of months of knowing the guy and him trusting me before we returned to the conversation. I once again asked what he meant when he referred to the guy next to him."

"There were many times that he didn't execute. He just missed his block on a third and short near the goal line so a quarterback would get buried for a big loss or he'd miss a block on a crucial third or fourth down. He didn't do it on every play, maybe one or two a game. But it was enough to stop us from winning or fail to cover the point spread."

I asked him how many guys on his team were on the take from gamblers. He told me he didn't know. One or two linemen on the take is all that is necessary. Missing a block can't be spotted as deliberate on film; missing an assignment once out of every 70 plays isn't that abnormal. The fact was that on this powerhouse Division I team, at least one guy, the guy who played next to him, was on the take.

Q: How widespread are gambling interests in college sports? I don't know, but I have a hunch that it could be serious.