Gold Sheet founder passes away

tuleythetout · 10-01-2003, 05:52 AM

I haven't seen this posted here...so I wanted to pass on the news that Mort Olshan, who started a football newsletter in 1957 that became widely known as the Gold Sheet, died Monday afternoon from lung cancer. He was 77.

I never met him and only talked to him once over the phone, but I know many other people in the business who spoke highly of Mr. Olshan. The Gold Sheet has had critics over the years, but I think most would agree it was a pioneer in the field (I, for one, got many of my earliest lessons in football handicapping from checking out the Gold Sheet).

KidVegas · 10-01-2003, 07:00 AM

Did Mort Olshan appear every Friday on Larry Grossmans radio show?

BuzzRavanaugh · 10-01-2003, 02:23 PM

Mort was a legend. I loved his columns "If Somebody Asked Me" or something like that.

Last year I sent a picture of my 1.5 year old son on the bed as I was reading the Gold Sheet to him. He wanted to get my release to use it in advertising. The picture is hilarious because my boy is pointing at the selections and looks like he is really interested in it.

I am sure the Gold Sheet will still be a quality publication.

nostaw1952 · 10-01-2003, 02:25 PM

Funny thing about the Gold Sheet was that although the people that I heard comment on it almost universally praised the detail of its stats, they were almost as unified in saying that its selections reeked,
that one could almost use it as a reverse indicator.

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 04:00 PM

A pioneer and still some valuable info in the sheet and of course the design of the thing was legendary and never duplicated.

I love the material the sheet is made of and how it folds up real nice.

count zero · 10-01-2003, 05:14 PM

As someone who had access to a large number of these sheets for about a decade and tracked their W-L, I can say that the Gold Sheet was no better or worse than the rest of them. They all hit 50-51% over the long haul.

Good luck, Mort, wherever you may be.

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 05:38 PM

All people picking games end up around 50% in the long run.

Stats don't lie

nostaw1952 · 10-01-2003, 05:42 PM

"All people picking games end up around 50% in the long run."

There's a nice, stupid, incorrect generalization.

"Stats don't lie."

Nope, but YOU do.

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 05:44 PM

You will lose in the long run sportsbetting and you cannot overcome -107

Lots of rookies here

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 05:45 PM

I love the guys that have like 20 plays a week!!

A bookmakers dream, the more games you bet the better chance you have to lose

stats 101

nostaw?? Are you a bookies dream???

nostaw1952 · 10-01-2003, 05:49 PM

Take a look at some of the results of people in the specific sport forums here in MW, you pea brained idiot, and let me know if THEY were able to "overcome -107."

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 05:52 PM

nostaw yes maybe for one year or so but what happens is you give it right back in the long run as in any form of gambling.

Look at stocks guys making incredible profits but in the long run they lost it all back and some more

All part of a belt curve that ends up around 50% long term

Now if you are a master and lets say up like to 58% of your plays you got to know when to go the other way and fade but who the fuk knows when the tide is going to turn.

If you graph your plays you will see what I am talking about

Total Square · 10-01-2003, 05:55 PM

jj,
any truth to the runor that you named yourself after the gold sheet?

jjgold · 10-01-2003, 05:56 PM

lol

My name has zero significance to anything other than my pecker which I will not go into here.

chris@thegreek · 10-01-2003, 06:27 PM

Mort RIP, I have been a reader of the Gold Sheet since the 70's

clevfan · 10-01-2003, 06:44 PM

Today: October 01, 2003 at 11:24:46 PDT

Olshan, sports betting guru, Gold Sheet publisher, dies
By Ed Koch
<koch@lasvegassun.com>
LAS VEGAS SUN

Mort Olshan, a lifelong sports fanatic who for more than a half century provided information to gamblers to encourage wise betting and who since 1957 has published "The Gold Sheet," died Thursday. He was 78.

He died in Beverly Hills, Calif., following a lengthy illness.

Olshan's tout sheet had considerable influence on Nevada's multimillion-dollar sports book and sports betting industry.

"Mort represented everything that was good about the sports betting industry," said Las Vegas gaming analyst Larry Grossman, a longtime friend.

"His integrity was beyond reproach. He was providing valuable information to sports bettors long before there were computers and national newspapers."

Margie Meadow is the current co-owner of The Gold Sheet, which an ailing Olshan sold to five of his longtime employees three years ago. She said Olshan dedicated his life to helping people gamble wisely.

"He was one of the first proponents of money management and he spent much of his later life battling against those in the industry who made outrageous and false claims about 90-percent-plus winning percentages," she said.

The Gold Sheet issued a challenge that any touts who provided the publication with their sports picks in advance and did better than 60 percent over the course of an entire season would receive $100,000. Many tried. No one ever collected, Meadow said.

Olshan was a strong proponent of intelligent and responsible gambling.

"Rather than criticizing young people for gambling, why not introduce educational courses that would teach them about risk-taking, encourage participation and make it a requirement in the college curriculum?" Olsham wrote in one of his "If Somebody Asked Me I'd Say ..." columns.

Among Olshan's advice were his seven things sports betters should avoid: not knowing what it takes to be a winner; being undisciplined in managing money; lacking patience; failing to set priorities; blindly following some groundless technical trend; betting with the heart instead of the head, and falling for tips and other nonsense.

Born April 6, 1925, in Buffalo, N.Y., Olshan, was a sports fan as long as he could remember. As a boy, he would go to the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, where he would book nickel and dime action on Niagara -- his favorite team -- in basketball games against arch rivals Canisius and St. Bonaventure.

A Marine veteran of World War II, Olshan saw action in Okinawa.

After the war, Olshan moved to Minnesota and in 1947 went to work as a statistician for tout Leo Hirschfield, "The Wizard of Odds" and publisher of The Green Sheet.

In the 1950s, Olshan moved to Southern California and in 1957 founded The Gold Sheet, which became known as "the American sportsman's bible."

Olshan also wrote three books: "The Winning Theories of Sports Handicapping," "The Competitors Creed" and "The Best of The Gold Sheet."

Olshan is survived by his wife, Sylvia Olshan of Beverly Hills; a son, Gary Olshan, current president of The Gold Sheet and also a resident of Beverly Hills; a daughter, Debra Cooper of New York City; and three grandchildren.

Services will be Thursday in Los Angeles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Green Mile · 10-01-2003, 10:15 PM

Mort had a real influence on sports betting with his publication, which I am thankful for. He also had a negative
influence on gamblers by costing the public billions of dollars with their picks. If the Gold Sheet hit 50% on their picks I'm the president of the United States. He thought they were the almighty. They were the pioneers but they also were about the worst at taking all that great information and turning it into winners.

Q.A.W. · 10-02-2003, 12:27 AM

Having known Mort for over two decades, the industry lost one of the few giants that is has ever produced, especially in terms of class and sophistication. Also a shame that at a time like this there have to be ridiculous complaints about The Gold Sheet W/L record.

To this very day, a copy costs $7. That will get you a fair coffee shop breakfast, a Quizno's sub with a soft drink, or a small plain cheese pizza. The information that was made available at the price was a bargain, and one of the true credits we offer to Mort was the quality control that he put into the product - amazingly few editing mistakes given the time crunch that was faced each week. Those that expected to be able to win at a rate of about $1 per Key Release ultimately got what they deserved.

Mort knew exactly what he was doing when he set the price, because he understood the difficulties of winning under their printing deadlines. While modern technology allowed for a little more breathing room, for most of its publishing history, Key Releases were determined late each Sunday afternoon for the following week. For the critics, we suggest a simple exercise - write down your five best selections for the following week every Sunday at around 7 PM Eastern time, and track your record for a couple of seasons.

Mort will genuinely be missed because he brought a true dignity to an industry in dire need of it.

longtimer · 10-02-2003, 02:49 AM

Very well said, Dave. Damn, I miss hearing you, RC, and AL on the Sunday night Stardust show.