Metro Detroit 'local' lottery numbers

Metro Detroit lottery players are free to do as they please and pick as they please. Still, there is cause to wonder when observing somebody who forks over $5 at a party store counter and buys one of those booklets that purport to offer lucky numbers. Puh-leeze, players. You could be putting those five bucks on five extra numbers.

In fact, we can choose some specific Detroit-based numbers simply by looking at our telephone pads, free of charge, and matching letters to numbers.

The simple spelling of "Detroit," for example, yields a three-digit of 338 for the first three letters, and a four-digit of 7648 for the final four letters.

Get the picture? Some of the suburban communities also yield neat and clean numbers. Consider Oak Park: 625 for Oak and 7275 for Park.

Consider the Motor City's auto industry: For car, 227. For auto, 2886. For SUV, 788. ("Bailout" produces 2245 for "bail" and 688 for "out.")

Consider politics: The mayor's name, Dave Bing, translates to a neat and tidy pair of four-digits, 3283 for Dave and 2464 for Bing.

Then, we have our sports teams. Tigers yields a pair of three-digits, 844 and 377. Pistons produces a three-digit, 747, and a four-digit, 8667.

"Lions" doesn't work, because there isn't a five-digit lottery category. But then, who would want to bet on the Lions?