LAS VEGAS — Alan Springer and Victor Velazquez were the envy of many at Yahoo! on Friday because they drew the coveted assignment to cover the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez boxing match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
But the pair will be remembered for much more than getting to cover a championship boxing match.
Springer, a sports video producer, and Velazquez, a videographer, arrived at the MGM Grand at 10:45 a.m. on Friday — Nov. 11, 2011 — in order to be there to cover the weigh-in. Springer realized that it would soon be 11:11 a.m. on 11/11/11 and he hatched a crazy plan.
He talked Velazquez into going to the roulette table. Springer opted to put, you guessed it, $11 on 11. Velazquez followed suit, bringing along his fiancee, Katie Mohlenhoff, though he got the last laugh. More on that in a minute.
“I figured it’s 11/11/11 and I was in Vegas, so I should press my luck,” Springer said. “My wife always plays roulette, so I figured ‘What better way to continue to play the odds than to be on number 11 with $11?’
