Pat’s Adventure: The Fiesta Bowl Sweat, The POWL Bounce, and the Bitcoin Bet

January 9th, 2026

I woke up this morning to the sound of my phone buzzing with score alerts and the smell of fresh desert air. I’ve made some serious tracks since leaving the Redwoods—the rig is humming, the spirits are high, and my bankroll is currently doing a very entertaining dance between “disaster” and “delirium.”

The House Always Knows

Can we talk about that Miami game last night? Miami 31, Ole Miss 27. The bookmakers set that line at -3.5, and I swear those guys have a crystal ball hidden in a desert vault somewhere. To cover by half a point in a College Football Playoff semifinal? That is pure, unadulterated stress.

Watching Carson Beck engineer that 75-yard drive to win it with 18 seconds left was the kind of Cinderella magic I live for. It was a sweat-fest, but the Hurricanes are heading to the National Championship, and my ticket is still breathing.

Tonight, the focus shifts to the Peach Bowl: Oregon vs. Indiana. The Ducks are favored, but I’m with the gut on this one—it’s going to be a dogfight. Indiana hasn’t blinked all year, and Oregon’s defense is a brick wall. I’m expecting a one-possession game that comes down to the final kicker. I’ll be quacking about this win at TheRx.

NBA Salvation and the Santa Anita Slide

Yesterday was a rollercoaster at the track. I headed to Santa Anita looking for a miracle, but the turf was unkind and my “long shot” stayed a long shot. Horse racing is a cruel mistress when the favorites are dominant.

Luckily, the NBA Playbook stepped in to play hero. I took a flyer on a few late-night games, and the Timberwolves dropping 131 on the Cavs helped bridge the gap. It’s the circle of life: money lost on four-legged athletes is recovered by ten guys on a hardwood floor.

The Portfolio: The Great POWL Recovery

Remember yesterday when I was crying about POWL dropping $4? Well, the “Pat Curse” was short-lived. It bounced back nearly $4 today, sitting pretty around $360. It turns out the market realized that the world still needs switches and transformers—even if I’m the one owning them.

I didn’t stop there. I noticed Dell took a hit yesterday—down about 4% because their AI messaging at CES 2026 didn’t “resonate.” When a blue-chip tech giant drops because of a marketing hiccup, I see a sale. I added a chunk of DELL to the portfolio today. It’s sitting comfortably in the Abacus AI Fund.

And finally, I did it. I pulled the trigger on more Bitcoin. It’s hovering around $91,000, and with energy demand for AI and the grid going through the roof, I want to be on the side of digital gold. It feels like the right move for a guy currently living in a van powered by high-octane coffee and optimism.

The Daily Vitals: January 9, 2026

I’m off to find some lunch—something that isn’t a protein bar—and maybe a spot to practice my lag putting. If the Ducks game is as close as I think it’ll be, I’m going to need a strong drink and a comfortable chair by 6:30.