Like the guy in “Casablanca,” I’m shocked to find gambling going on.  I thought the Super Bowl was about sportsmanship and fair play.

Now I find out there are betting services, which--for a price--will let you in on their Super Bowl picks.  The successful services are right about 60 percent of the time.  For that, some of their customers are willing to throw them a parade.  If they could hit 65 percent, they'd have streets named after them, maybe even an airport.

What if I told you there is a system that has been right 87 percent of the time?  That’s right – 87 percent.  And you wouldn't have to name a street after me.  Or even throw me a parade.  (I’m rather shy and prefer to keep a low profile.)

Instead of naming a street after me or listen to ramblings on who to take, I will simplify things. 

• In 33 of 38 (87%) previous Super Bowls, all you had to do to win your bet was pick the team that would win the game.  Forget the spread.  It was irrelevant.  Now there's a trend worth writing about.

I know there have been 41 Super Bowl games (not 38), but three ended up in pushes and are irrelevant to this discussion.

In 33 of the remaining Super Bowls, the favorites covered 24 times.  In nine games, the underdogs not only covered but won straight up, needing no help from the spread.  That's what you call a pattern!

So now you know you don't have to spend half a New York minute handicapping the spread.  Odds are the spread will have nothing to do with whether you win or lose your bet.

The only catch is you still have to pick the winner.  That's not my problem.  You take it from here.