Originally posted on 08/13/2018:

Four months ago today, David Malinsky wrote his final Point Blank column. He cued up "the Friday Jukebox" to a cover of "Slippin' Into Darkness" led by Widespread Panic, broke down "The Game Inside The Game" for all eight opening-round NBA playoff series in a typical yet staggering display of his brilliance, and in case playoff basketball wasn't enough, gave out winning plays on a Red Sox-Astros Friday night parlay followed by his very last "In The Sights..." offering, Rays/Phillies Over 7 in a Saturday matinee. It was a winner by the fourth inning.

But Dave offered so much more than sports betting wisdom. Because of this, readers of Point Blank developed a unique bond with him. I know this because I was one of them. For more than a year before I even met Dave, I'd read (and/or listened to) his work every day - he felt like a close friend. When I did get to meet him, and ultimately experience the thrill of a lifetime in hosting a football betting and beer podcast with him, Dave felt like a best friend. As cliche as the phrase can be, he truly was one of a kind.

It wasn't just his remarkable sports betting savvy that made Dave so special - it was everything else. From food and craft beer to music and literature and more, he sought edges in all walks of life and did it with a kindness, generosity, and awe-inspiring imagination I doubt I'll ever encounter again.

So as the football season draws near and the Point Blank community faces the daunting task of pressing onward without our revered leader, I'm reminded of one of the final messages I received from him, sent during the final week of a life cut tragically short: "It takes a full spectrum to make a proper life portfolio."

Yes, betting will be a focal point for the Point Blank community during the 2018 football season. But it won't be the only one. Life beyond the betting boards was a vital part of Dave's process, and it should be one of ours too. A properly balanced lifestyle outside of sports betting can not only fuel a successful lifestyle within the arena we've chosen, but it can enrich our souls in ways far greater than a winning ticket ever would. So please, share your thoughts on how we can extract edges as sports bettors, but don't feel as if you must stop there. Food, beer and music are among many other topics welcome here.

The message from Dave that I've shared above was his response to my calling out the juxtaposition that, while he would have visitors in late July seeing "The Color Purple" at The Smith Center, I'd merely be seeing The Offspring at The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. That same weekend, Dave and I had plans to get together and hash out a 2018 game plan for House of Yards, naturally over some of the best beer I'd be able to get my hands on. While the meeting with Dave never came to fruition, I still felt a surprising connection with him that weekend when the rest of The Offspring left the stage to Dexter Holland for a poignant piano rendition of "Gone Away." I hope the "musical interlude" below can provide a proper background for the following dive into a vision for the Point Blank community for the upcoming football season.



With Week 1 of the NFL preseason in the books and college camps heating up, I can sense Dave's urging that we "roll up the sleeves" and "get out there and find some edges." To that end, this is the dedicated NFL preseason thread for the Point Blank community. Any and all are welcome to weigh in on preseason games, season win totals, and any other areas in life in which there are edges to be found. It looks as if Winner211 and golfnutt67 are ahead of the curve on that front, having shared excellent insights that combined to go 5-1 in the preseason's first week. Here's to hoping we see similar contributions here over the coming weeks. I'll also start a thread tomorrow dedicated to college football. Thanks to the generous team at SBR that shares our fondness for Dave, these threads will be given some visibility in the same vein as Point Blank in order to keep the community as connected and engaged as possible throughout the season.

Once we're in season, look for a new college football thread every Monday and a fresh NFL thread each Tuesday at sbrpicks.com. I'll do my best to have these up by mid-morning Pacific Time. Note that the kickoff message for each thread will mostly be a blank canvas - Dave's writing can't be replicated, so the goal is to open up the conversation to the wisdom of the crowd that is the Point Blank community and allow our dialogue to take us where it will.

And before we get started, let's lay out one simple ground rule to guide us along our journey: Treat each other and Dave’s legacy with respect. Disagreement is OK and at times can be embraced, but Point Blank was a rare place online to engage in civil discourse, and anything to the contrary here will not be tolerated. Trolls should expect to be ignored - "an underdog to receive a response," as Dave would put it - while more egregious acts of disrespect will be managed accordingly. The overwhelming majority of Point Blank interactions over the years have demonstrated an encouraging level of dignity that we collectively can continue.

Lastly, while the sadness of life without Dave is magnified for many of us as we prepare for the 2018 football season, I'd like to think we can take some solace in knowing that he passed away in the company of his beloved bristlecone pines, or as he always called them, his "Old Friends in High Places." So for the last word in the first step of our journey without him, I turn it over to our old friend in the highest of places:

"If there is a universal message that we can establish, let it be one of the light being eternal, always shining regardless of whether our temporary circumstances allow us to see it, and the understanding that the light isn’t a particular place or moment, but is what makes it possible to better understand the incredible mysteries and beauties of our existence across all places and all moments. Without it, sometimes we only see clouds..."

-David Malinsky
December 30, 1960 - April 14, 2018