Playing with the Big Boys

As you should be well aware by now I'm something of a sports nut (though granted not as much as I used to be). As a female sports fan I spend a lot of time talking sports with the boys at work and trying to prove that I know my stuff. I guess I did a pretty good job last year because they've invited me to join their fantasy football league this year. Either that or they just want to take my money.

Of course I've already lost $10 on football during the off season as I conceded that Brett Farve is un-retired, so I'm not really sure if it's worth it. Also I'm a little scared. I am historically very, very bad at sports pools and fantasy leagues. I spend so much time trying to perfect it and then doing absolutely horrible. It doesn't really help that guys either retire or get injured on me. Plus I'm not really into stats and all that, at least not anymore.

So here's the dilemma. If I don't play I'm never going to be invited to play again, but if I play I may undo all of the work I've done to prove myself as a sports fan in the last year. Really it's $10 and I shouldn't really care what these guys think but really I only see this ending badly for me.

What makes a bet valid?

Yesterday on my coffee break I made a bet with one of my co-workers regarding the validity of a rumor I heard about Brett Favre's retirement.

Here's how it went down:
me: I heard Brett Favre is retiring
co-worker: No way. I'll bet you.
me: how much
co-worker: ten bucks
me: done
co-worker: wait no make it 5.

So now that there have been more semi-official reports come out regarding the retirement my co-worker is trying to get out of said bet using the following loop-holes.

• We didn't shake on it. I call verbal contract. I have witnesses. So what if we didn't shake.
• It's not really a retirement, if he comes back. I'm willing to allow that unless he actually sits out the first game of the regular season it's not really a retirement. However in the world of sports when a comeback is made it's called coming out of retirement, thus one would have to have been retired to come out of retirement.

So now I pose the question do I have a valid claim on $10, assuming of course that Favre does in fact sit out of the first game of the regular season.