tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964762449585360432024-02-17T03:48:30.857-05:00. : From Where I'm Standing : .Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-53009164153046923622008-11-16T18:57:00.011-05:002008-11-17T14:09:10.816-05:00A Cold Winter Looming in Syracuse<div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;">As the long-awaited college hoops season dawns in upstate New York, it's the much-maligned football program that is posting the big headlines in the local Post-Standard today.<br /><br />Athletic Director Darryl Gross has finally made the announcement that everyone was expecting, and possibly even hoping for. Head coach Greg Robinson has been relieved of his duties, effective at the conclusion of this, his fourth season at the helm. In Gross' words, he "made the decision to move our football program in a new direction." It's really irrelevant, but the announcement comes following the Saturday loss to Connecticut on Senior Day, the last home game of the season. It's irrelevant because there was nothing noteworthy about that game in particular; it was just another poor performance in a long line of poor performances for this team. That latest loss puts Robinson's record at a laughable 9-36 in his three-plus years with the Orange, which actually sounds respectable when you consider the 3-24 record he has tallied in the Big East. I shudder when I see that he was also responsible for the only two 10-loss seasons in Syracuse history. That's since 1889, boys and girls.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvtyy_5ZAHMIBzPSfaCBhd7VvvFoF8vdIXLsKMmzE1QE7MGm5dJwX8IKLSoclw8xZDEv6VSbHIVlyLXa1jnj6tM1dp5oz6FqbF23cShHjHXGw8pt0oC3x-uBpUzVR39cWjuvnQXp8xCA/s1600-h/amd_gregrobinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvtyy_5ZAHMIBzPSfaCBhd7VvvFoF8vdIXLsKMmzE1QE7MGm5dJwX8IKLSoclw8xZDEv6VSbHIVlyLXa1jnj6tM1dp5oz6FqbF23cShHjHXGw8pt0oC3x-uBpUzVR39cWjuvnQXp8xCA/s200/amd_gregrobinson.jpg" border="0" /></a>To be fair to G-Rob, the collapse of the football program over the past decade is about 10% his fault. The lion's share of the blame has to go to former coach Paul Pasqualoni, who ran the once-proud program into the ground prior to his departure. At least A.D. Gross isn't making the same mistakes as <i>his</i> predecessor. The A.D. spot was long-held by the old codger, Jake Crouthamel, and it was his decision to leave Pasqualoni in power until 2005 -- about five years too long in the minds of the Orange nation. Let's go back there for a second, because the story of Coach P. is where this whole novel begins. When Pasqualoni first took office in 1991, he initially found good success, piggybacking on the respect and recruiting expertise of the legendary Dick MacPherson, whom he replaced. But once that recruiting cow had given all her milk, Pasqualoni had nothing left to fall back on, and we all watched as he spiraled our beloved team into misery. He was in tight with Crouthamel though, and even the outcry of fury from the fans wasn't enough to get Pasqualoni a pink slip until 2005, when Gross took over.<br /><br />Enter Greg Robinson five years too late, and he inherited a coaching situation that was impossible to overcome. In the physical universe we occupy, there is no human being who could have come into the Dome and turned things around in five years post-Pasqualoni. And Robinson gave a hell of an effort. There were times -- rare times, but times -- when Syracuse has actually looked like a Division I football team this year. Try as they might though, they just have yet to escape the clutches of Pasqualoni Syndrome.<br /><br />"We've been very fair to coach Robinson," Gross said. "Everyone wanted the guy's head last year. I said I didn't want Syracuse to become one of those three-years-and-out schools. I said, 'Let's calm down and we'll get the first pick of the draft (of coaching candidates) next year.' That's where we are."<br /><br />When asked his thoughts on the comments, Robinson didn't mince words: "Quite frankly, there hasn't been the progress there needs to be."<br /><br />The recent downturn in success has had a big impact on the University and the community as a whole. In his first 21 home games at the Dome, the building averaged more than 10,000 empty seats per game. In 2006, the football team lost money for the first time since 1995. Average attendance the following year fell to a 21-year low, punctuated by a measly crowd of less than 28,000 that turned up for the September 2007 contest with Pittsburgh -- the smallest Carrier Dome crowd since I was two years old.<br /><br />Now more than ever, the Syracuse football program finds itself at a crossroads. When Robinson came in, he brought with him an offensive scheme that was unfamiliar to the players and fans. For as long as I can remember, the 'Cuse has run an option offense, anchored by mobile quarterbacks (Marvin Graves, Donovan McNabb), and strong-blocking, soft-handed fullbacks (Daryl Johnston, Rob Konrad). Robinson erased that scheme and installed a spread, west-coast style of offense. He recruited pocket passers and nifty running backs, and he looked to create a wide-open, quick striking attack. It was a noble idea that may have worked better if not for the state of the union when he took over.<br /><br />Now it's back to the drawing board though, as the search is on for a candidate whose offensive scheme will mesh with both the traditions and the present state of Syracuse football. The three names that seem to be atop the list are Connecticut's Randy Edsall, East Carolina's Skip Holtz, and former Oakland Raiders top guy Lane Kiffen. Of those, Edsall seems to make the most sense. He is a graduate of Syracuse, where he played quarterback back in the glory days of the Orangemen. After he graduated, he was a long-time assistant coach under Dick MacPherson and Frank Maloney before him. Edsall says he is "very interested" in the opportunity to coach his alma mater, and my money says that he will be the next Syracuse football head coach. We can only hope that the next guy, whoever he is, understands the proud traditions of Orange football, and will find some success in restoring greatness to our once-lofty program.<br /><br />There is a fantastic summation of Robinson's career in audio slideshow form <a href="http://www.syracuse.com/slideshows/081114_CAROUSEL.ssf">here</a>. And you can see his poorly-filmed press conference below, if you're still interested:<br /><br /><table style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; height: 93px; width: 678px;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Verdana;" >SU head football coach Greg Robinson dismissal press conference</span></td></tr><tr><td><script src="http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/trh/embedAsset.js?vtagView=on&embedded=yes&showEndCard=off&loadStream=off&autoplay=off&width=450&height=300&shareWidgets=$%7BshareWidgets%7D&vtag=yes&startVolume=50&hidecontrolbar=no&textureStrip=yes&displayTime=yes&volumeLock=off&watermark=yes&skin=v3AdvInt_syracuse.swf&link=http://videos.syracuse.com/post-standard/2008/11/su_head_football_coach_greg_ro.html&dockey=9D3AB668A1F69907D3DDADDE2D90147C" type="text/javascript"></script><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-82888882203721434192008-11-13T16:00:00.008-05:002008-11-14T01:17:25.553-05:00An Unexpected Change of Plans<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This is the most won-der-ful time of the year. Last night, I finally donned my sacred Rod Brind'Amour jersey and headed out the door for my first Hurricanes game of the season. I've been traveling a bunch lately, and last night was the first night that both the 'Canes and myself were at home in this young season, so I decided I was well overdue for a BBQ sandwich, a hockey game, and of course the <a href="http://www.yoursportshooter.com/image_dir/album14445/md_918m0083_Habs_v_Canes.jpg">Storm Squad</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I stopped at Chris' house first, since he lives comparatively close to the RBC Center. I managed to keep his maniacal dogs from ripping my jersey to shreds long enough to pound a beer and head out the door just about an hour before game time. The best thing about driving to 'Canes games is listening to the <a href="http://www.wralsportsfan.com/999thefan/">pregame show on 99.9</a> and getting pumped up. Mike Maniscalco was joined by the television voice of the Hurricanes, the esteemed John Forslund, and they were talking X's and O's, going on about how the team really needs to come out with a passionate effort tonight to get back on the winning track. The home team was playing the rival Washington Capitals, and last night figured to be payback for a tough loss they handed us up in D.C. last week.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">That damn green Camry is pulling out, isn't it? What the hell is he (</span></i><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">slam on brakes)</span><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> thinking, right in the middle of the road? I don't think I -- <span style="font-size: small;"><b>!!!WHAM!!!</b></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Just that quick, I had come to an abrubt unscheduled stop amidst a cloud of tire and engine smoke, and I was now staring out my front winshield at the remnants of what used to be my Civic's front end. Some of it was now neatly crammed into the left-front corner of the aforementioned Camry. It wasn't my fault.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I had been driving down Lynn Road in Raleigh, going about my business in the left straight lane. There was a car directly on my right side, and he or she was slowing to make a right turn at the upcoming side street. Our villain was on the side street to my right, trying to pull out and make a left on Lynn. Unfortunately, he only saw the turning car and failed to notice that I was in the next lane over, buzzing along merrily at 50 MPH. So he just pulled on out and then inexplicably came to a stop directly in front of me. I left about 75 feet of skid marks, but it was to no avail as I slammed into his front end at somewhere between 25-30 MPH. I can kind of understand the situation he was in, because it is a tricky one. But, that's the spot where I would think <a href="http://driversed.com/">a competent driver</a> would exercise even more caution and awareness. Like me... I will never cause an accident like that, because I know enough to be aware for that kind of shit. I know enough to take care on the other side too, to watch for people pulling out in that spot. I was completely alert, and as soon as he entered my field of vision, I was hard on the brakes immediately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So there I sat, waiting patiently for the police to show up. And waiting. When I hit the guy, I was immediately calm, but admittedly a little shaken up. I did a quick damage assessment to make sure all of my extremities were still attached and functional, and got out to check on the other guy calmly. As the minutes ticked by though, the shake-up wore off, and I started to steam pretty good. I just wanted the cops to get there so I could go home. The ironic thing is that we were in an area that is normally teeming with law enforcement night and day, and it's a spot where I always watch my speed. Now though, when I needed one, the cops were nowhere to be found. In the middle of Raleigh.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk39j_f4Wh-f_-5lEZ9n6IMnhA0PUXevyuZP2JwMGhxuKGILUYpd_1M8EK9ic3cH_97ujbFIWeZagrx4EXx70J-xy-CgeOhfO590pkiYbicgJeCbJMdy-7dcgPZRefhYu7X0FJPE3NCi8/s1600-h/DSC_0421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk39j_f4Wh-f_-5lEZ9n6IMnhA0PUXevyuZP2JwMGhxuKGILUYpd_1M8EK9ic3cH_97ujbFIWeZagrx4EXx70J-xy-CgeOhfO590pkiYbicgJeCbJMdy-7dcgPZRefhYu7X0FJPE3NCi8/s200/DSC_0421.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I know time always goes slower in these situations, but it was at least 35 minutes of standing precariously in the road before anyone showed up. My car would start, but the transmission fluid was all over the pavement, so I couldn't move it. From what I understand, transmission fluid works best when it's actually inside the transmission. <span style="font-style: italic;">Finally</span>, a set of blue lights came around the corner, and Officer Friendly had arrived to save the day. Or something like that. He ended up giving the other driver a ticket for "Failure to See," and sent him on his way with what will certainly be a $25 fine. And of course, his car was almost unscathed (<i>see photo</i>). I watched him drive away while a big-ass wrecker was winching my poor car up onto the flatbed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I'm not sure if my ride is going to be totaled or not. My '01 Civic was worth about $7,000, and I think the damage will come pretty close to that number. It needs more than body work; there's a good bit of damage to the engine too. Honestly, it would probably be best if it were totaled. Which means I may never see that car again.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">I loved that car.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRuDUZ9BI8g4jMaOLnqXRkKWB9zK5K63NtIFNQiFBSNIc17gvlXN6j74wrEY7mmMdgf5zMIVNU-ZnY81mW2-JAGTf41oOP41pb70ieYQcWwz0T_viQeJTxRsGAGDxZWN9fhsp6XP_uTI/s1600-h/DSC_0417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRuDUZ9BI8g4jMaOLnqXRkKWB9zK5K63NtIFNQiFBSNIc17gvlXN6j74wrEY7mmMdgf5zMIVNU-ZnY81mW2-JAGTf41oOP41pb70ieYQcWwz0T_viQeJTxRsGAGDxZWN9fhsp6XP_uTI/s400/DSC_0417.jpg" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxKePT9yhayhQ0l5X4f4Fy9Qcof2gQis8gJuokfWGwXwTWSpODEX4GY1W1xrvBgNfQ_7hsZuyXFZcedjmc4q1Mv1cONxiatFeK62uF5Tjvoq9jIqVMuVm2uzqgDDyYG0daxgti1OdvF0/s1600-h/DSC_0416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxKePT9yhayhQ0l5X4f4Fy9Qcof2gQis8gJuokfWGwXwTWSpODEX4GY1W1xrvBgNfQ_7hsZuyXFZcedjmc4q1Mv1cONxiatFeK62uF5Tjvoq9jIqVMuVm2uzqgDDyYG0daxgti1OdvF0/s400/DSC_0416.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">P.S. I made it back to Chris' at 7:08pm, right as they were dropping the puck at the RBC Center. The 'Canes got routed 5-1 by the Caps, so it was apparently set up to be a disappointing night for me, whether I made it to the game or not. I'm still steaming.<br />
</span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-64022063015762277492008-11-08T15:03:00.002-05:002008-11-10T15:05:04.339-05:00LAPT San Jose<div style="text-align: justify;">Today's blog comes to you from somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico, live from the sixth row of a shiny new Continental Airlines 737-800. I am on my way back home from San Jose, Costa Rica, this week's host for the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour. It was the first event of LAPT Season 2, and the second trip the series has made to San Jose.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkAmobjya4_FuEPVt7jg65S0TL_Vi_Nd6PjkY6I9Z5o9iT4lX1HBe6N2HKUMmN4ULZDTqg2KsMvF9A0kbyu4DKAZy0_DLrqL69eIx7c0lF54DDpcaVduORoE8WHMGc99Hop9pdzPEofmU/s1600-h/DSC_0989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkAmobjya4_FuEPVt7jg65S0TL_Vi_Nd6PjkY6I9Z5o9iT4lX1HBe6N2HKUMmN4ULZDTqg2KsMvF9A0kbyu4DKAZy0_DLrqL69eIx7c0lF54DDpcaVduORoE8WHMGc99Hop9pdzPEofmU/s200/DSC_0989.jpg" border="0" /></a>With a buyin of $3,500, Day 1 saw a field of 219 runners vying for the title, and play progressed at an astoundingly fast pace. The structure was nice and slow for the players, giving them 10,000 starting chips with 60-minute levels, starting at 25/50. By the end of Level 10 though, just 38 players remained to come back for Day 2. Among the notables who fell victim to Day 1 were Victor Ramdin, Alex and Humberto Brenes, Alexandre Gomes, Andre Akkari, Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck, Eddy Sabat, and Liv Boeree.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77MiULAOc1FQH6h6ep6EHVJ0vl0cviSgA-G-6hbFoBDKRyzXwfaIDvjTEqbJ33Xe_2KrlhkzMUKA9Yk4tplODukHiSf6b3VBFOPf45gyVSAFh4Xd2HWe1agaJCXSJpZp7kDt0cwlg29_J/s1600-h/DSC_1030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77MiULAOc1FQH6h6ep6EHVJ0vl0cviSgA-G-6hbFoBDKRyzXwfaIDvjTEqbJ33Xe_2KrlhkzMUKA9Yk4tplODukHiSf6b3VBFOPf45gyVSAFh4Xd2HWe1agaJCXSJpZp7kDt0cwlg29_J/s200/DSC_1030.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Rob Woodcock was the overnight chip leader, bagging up more than 181,000 at the conclusion of play. Both he and the second-place stack of Ryan Fee would make it to the final table. The story I was following most closely, though, was that of Carter Gill (<i>right</i>). Gill was struggling to start the day, down to his last 2,800 chips early on with the blinds at 150/300. There was a 10-minute break approaching, and Gill was trying to donate his chips so he didn't have to come back after break. He failed in that effort though, managing to rally back just shy of 70,000 by night's end, a slightly-above-average stack.<br /><br />Day 2 dawned with those 38 players battling it out at a good clip once again. It took just about eight hours of play to whittle the field down to the final eight, with play slowing noticeably for the last three hours or so. Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet was one of the in-the-money finishers, notching a 17th place cash. Carter Gill busted out in 14th spot, and he was pretty dejected as he walked straight through the door without bothering to stop by the payout desk on his way out of the room.<br /><br />Another great story I was keeping an eye on during Day 2 was that of the Sterns – Costa Rica's own Max and Maria. The two of them are an adorable older couple, and they are accomplished poker players as well. In 1997, they <i>both </i>managed to win WSOP bracelets, making them one of only two husband-wife duos who both have the gold hardware (the other being Harry and Jeri Thomas). The Sterns have done a great deal for poker in Latin America during the last decade, and the fruits of their efforts are evident with the recent growth of the game in their part of the world. Maria is referred to as the “Godmother of Latin American Poker,” and she is universally adored and respected in those parts. Hubby Max would finish up just short of the money, while Maria would take her chips all the way to the final table.<br /><br />After working down to our final eight, play concluded for the night. This time, it was young gun Ryan Fee who racked up the most chips, dumping 481,000 of them into the barely-big-enough thick plastic bag. Fee is a twenty-year-old high-stakes heads-up cash player, but he showed he is no slouch in tournament play either. He was second in chips to start Day 2, and he found himself on top of the heap going into the final table. Fee is consistently the most-talkative person at his table, and he was even playing to the crowd with his boisterous sense of hunor during the final two days. On his bio sheet, he lists his occupation as “Baller”, if that tells you anything. Either way, there's no denying his skill on the felt. With Fee in the lead, here's the way the final table set up:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l-uv-MTgpuj6rnRmzWmmZBkvI10Vl56Qb-B2WzFIZMKnfVD1XNmNfqcfSPxIQ9duyZyvpQZbe0XhB9AAs0XCvjbBdGImN3XuKWn3U0n6YBtClXFOJjPL-G5lwap34cNFI2rIyDUA_Sii/s1600-h/DSC_0211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l-uv-MTgpuj6rnRmzWmmZBkvI10Vl56Qb-B2WzFIZMKnfVD1XNmNfqcfSPxIQ9duyZyvpQZbe0XhB9AAs0XCvjbBdGImN3XuKWn3U0n6YBtClXFOJjPL-G5lwap34cNFI2rIyDUA_Sii/s200/DSC_0211.jpg" border="0" /></a><i>Clockwise, from top-left:</i><br />Andrew Chen – 313,000<br />Jeff Petronack – 122,500<br />Jesus Bertoli – 265,500<br />Joel Micka – 336,500<br />Maria Stern – 151,500<br />Claus Rasmussen – 254,000<br />Ryan Fee – 481,000<br />Brent Sheirbon – 186,500<br /><br />Before the final table began, there was a press conference with the remaining eight players, covering topics from the development of poker in Latin America to the election in the United States. The Q&A lasted about 45 minutes, and then it was game on. Play progressed pretty deliberately for the first hour, as the players tried to get a feel for each other and the table in general. In fact, there wasn't a flop for about the first 20 minutes of the day. "Just so you guys know," said Tournament Director Mike Ward to the table, "We still play this game with community cards..."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVyFXDVJLELMWrLQYUNtMVmiTWBytHjNhokbDxOLWT1OzfzzPkyqHeBc3a8N4y3gPT3xNdc69ZFjUTD5geo7qfGeJlFXvKKQG48Lf-2Mgzg7m1Q3W5QQpqR9FjXFl0WtHSckKbhSbqBjb/s1600-h/DSC_0258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVyFXDVJLELMWrLQYUNtMVmiTWBytHjNhokbDxOLWT1OzfzzPkyqHeBc3a8N4y3gPT3xNdc69ZFjUTD5geo7qfGeJlFXvKKQG48Lf-2Mgzg7m1Q3W5QQpqR9FjXFl0WtHSckKbhSbqBjb/s200/DSC_0258.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Moving into the second level of play, it was Maria Stern (<i>left</i>) who began to get things rolling. She was working with a short stack, and she had shipped it all in a few times without getting action, just managing to keep her head above water. Finally, with 116,000 chips, she moved in once again, this time holding {Kh} {Jh}. The two players to her left folded, but Jeff Petronack looked down at his cards, smiled, and quickly turned them face-up with a confident, “I call.” Petronack tabled {Qc} {Qh}, and Stern could not improve. The crowd favorite made her exit in 8th place, drawing a heartfelt standing ovation from the spectators and media. She is absolutely adorable.<br /><br />As if someone had flipped a switch, the pace of the tournament picked up dramatically following her elimination. The average stack was still more than 40 big blinds, but play progressed as if everyone was getting short. Chips began flying around the table, and it would be just about two hours from this point until the tournament ended. Next to exit was Claus Rasmussen, who also picked a spot to make a move with the short stack. He pushed in with {Qd} {7d}, only to run into the {Kh} {Ks} of Joel Micka. Good game, Claus.<br /><br />The most dramatic hand of the tournament came with six players left. After a preflop raising war, Jeff Petronack ended up all in for 297,000, and he was called down by Ryan Fee, who had his man well covered. The hands were turned up with Petronack showing {Ad} {Kh}, and Fee tabling {As} {Ks}. The two men shook hands and complimented each other's cards, seemingly poised for a chop.<br /><br />It was not meant to be for Petronack though, as the miracle flop rolled out {Js} {8s} {Ts}, giving Fee the ace-high flush right off the bat. It wasn't over yet, though; the money card, the {Qs} hit the turn, giving Fee the spade Royal Flush! Maybe even more incredibly, the {9s} filled out the community cards, putting a straight flush on board while giving Fee the immortal nuts with the top seven cards in the deck! Despite making that straight flush, Jeff Petronack was eliminated in 6th place.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47q7Ji1YI8P_wW4LM1Fwwi6iZHCjQQwZQsT85URpg0wgjCryIzldBkdjszoy7mJ7VuOkQuVLlrqDQsAD4hf8ebgwDyG2wvAr5fxZ5LXaKThkNyIjjxWm3V8esEAb-wWZbXZc39iUAQhYs/s1600-h/DSC_0295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47q7Ji1YI8P_wW4LM1Fwwi6iZHCjQQwZQsT85URpg0wgjCryIzldBkdjszoy7mJ7VuOkQuVLlrqDQsAD4hf8ebgwDyG2wvAr5fxZ5LXaKThkNyIjjxWm3V8esEAb-wWZbXZc39iUAQhYs/s400/DSC_0295.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br />It was at that moment that everyone knew Ryan Fee simply could not lose. Andrew Chen became his next victim when Chen moved in with {Qc} {Qh}. Fee put him to the test, making the call with {8c} {8h}. The flop was {4h} {5c} {6c}, and Chen backed away from the table, shaking his head. He and everybody in the room knew what was coming. Sure enough, the {7d} peeled off on fourth street, giving Fee his straight. The {6s} on the river was the end of Chen, and he exited in 5th place. As if he weren't running good enough, Fee next targeted Jesus Bertoli, another local crowd favorite. Bertoli made his stand with {Ad} {3s}, and Fee quickly called with {Ks} {Qs} for only a fraction of his stack. The flop was {8d} {Kd} {Qh}, and Chen could do nothing to slow down Fee, making his exit in 4th place. Down to the final three, the chip counts looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkK5eZbVb_l_n0N1qg_nj7JFZADzf88g189gpchO6RUJ1JxGSvY9VhyR_yCBB180xqZNuQZVvGc9Tk_JgHtNMhakXFkpuT2VDPECJtdtdSXi1J6qEevS4Co0oM3I8s7U9V9Ku98FkechR/s1600-h/DSC_0301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkK5eZbVb_l_n0N1qg_nj7JFZADzf88g189gpchO6RUJ1JxGSvY9VhyR_yCBB180xqZNuQZVvGc9Tk_JgHtNMhakXFkpuT2VDPECJtdtdSXi1J6qEevS4Co0oM3I8s7U9V9Ku98FkechR/s200/DSC_0301.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ryan Fee – 1,428,000<br />Joel Micka – 582,000<br />Brent Sheirbon – 122,000<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LdGfWjmm0yiYn5YIm2ZLS-k8xmqBNAqbzsMPBrprltf5H4BzOREyto9p6_Rvj8QQKKHXLDws9STRRwma4oCcSLmYNfQ3qDDuDfCVmZW-JW7fR9aRJ6mhrltn2vTaH4P1UA3PI4bHDwGc/s1600-h/DSC_0314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LdGfWjmm0yiYn5YIm2ZLS-k8xmqBNAqbzsMPBrprltf5H4BzOREyto9p6_Rvj8QQKKHXLDws9STRRwma4oCcSLmYNfQ3qDDuDfCVmZW-JW7fR9aRJ6mhrltn2vTaH4P1UA3PI4bHDwGc/s200/DSC_0314.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sheirbon was out in 3rd place when his {Qd} {Td} lost a race to Micka's {2h} {2c}, and it was quickly heads up for the title. The players talked business for a few minutes, orchestrating a near-even chop. Both Fee and Micka (<i>left</i>) consider themselves heads-up specialists, and they played quickly and decisively. There wasn't a single flop for about the first 20 hands of heads-up play, with the two men trading raises and reraises. Micka, who plays online as "JMPRODIGY", had managed to climb back nearly even before getting involved in the first (and last) big confrontation of heads-up play. He and Fee raised each other until all of the chips were in the middle preflop, Fee holding {As} {Th} and Micka racing with {4s} {4c}. The first four cards off the deck were pretty safe for the underpair, coming out {Ks} {7c} {Qc} {8h}. Once again though, nobody was shocked when the {Ah} ripped off on the river, giving the massive pot and the title to Ryan Fee. With a shiny glass trophy in his possession, Fee was handed the obligitory oversized check for more than a quarter-million dollars.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEoFb6Fuqajf43tWvDf9wuRuochEzO2eLxhN09glc4jqrXfPIjhGKKARV66Q6JF0Z6x91B31oa-LewzYN_3ruhiryWDluHhxmVU534px3Ii33KplnbRn2DWTefGAga_QYrverEAkfwYrC/s1600-h/DSC_0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEoFb6Fuqajf43tWvDf9wuRuochEzO2eLxhN09glc4jqrXfPIjhGKKARV66Q6JF0Z6x91B31oa-LewzYN_3ruhiryWDluHhxmVU534px3Ii33KplnbRn2DWTefGAga_QYrverEAkfwYrC/s400/DSC_0347.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br />At the risk of blaspheming my beloved UltimateBet, PokerStars puts on fantastic events all over the world, and this one was no exception. The LAPT staff, led by TD Mike Ward, is friendly and knowledgeable, if a little casual on the floor. There were elaborate, open-bar parties to open and close the event, and the entire hotel was decked out in PokerStars regalia. It was torture for a UB guy like myself, but I must admit, PokerStars knows how to put on a tournament. If you spend any time playing on that site, I would highly recommend that you try to satellite into some of the major tournaments that they run. Among them are the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, and this LAPT which is in its second season.<br /><br />Latin America as a whole is an area that is primed for major tournament poker. The first season of the LAPT was a great success last year, capped off by a fantastic finale in Punta del Este, Uruguay. There were three events in the first season which will double to six this time around. Unfortunately, the 219 players who played in San Jose this past week represents a sharp decline from the 397 who entered last year, but that doesn't necessarily correlate to the level of interest poker is drawing in Central and South America. Throughout the event, there was an enthusiastic and energetic contingent of railbirds, and the tournament was dominated by local and semi-local players.<br /><br />The drop-off in numbers may be due to a saturation in major tournaments at this moment. Two big series at the Bellagio and the latest installment of the Venetian DSE are joining the WSOP Main Event final table as big draws to Las Vegas. Add to that an EPT event in Budapest that just finished, and the APPT stops in Manila and Sydney that are upcoming, and there may just be too many events for any of them to draw impressive numbers right now. Not to mention the economic situation in the USA and the rising cost of travel, which create the recipe for an unimpressive turnout. That being said, poker is alive and well in Latin America, and I fully expect the LAPT to have continued success for a long time coming.<br /><br />You can check out my full live update blog from this event <a href="http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-lapt-san-jose/main-event/day3/">right here</a> on PokerNews, if you're so inclined.<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-36823671597713737282008-11-02T11:43:00.001-05:002008-11-02T11:52:20.295-05:00Do You Know the Way?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Houston, Texas is where I find myself this morning, en route once again to Latin America. This time I stop short in San Jose, Costa Rica, a comparative cakewalk of an international flight. My mission on this trip is the same as it was the last time I flew in this direction. I'm covering a PokerStars.net LAPT event, as the new season kicks off in Central America. The crowd in Uruguay was fantastic to close out last season, and all signs indicate this year will be even more successful and wider-reaching in its efforts. I expect to see a lot of Stars' own pros, and a number of other recognizable faces in the field this week.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They just announced that all passengers on this flight have to check in and show their boarding documents at the airline counter right next to the gate before boarding. Unusual. You should see the line. I think I'll keep grinding the cash tables for a few more minutes, taking full advantage of this lovely free wi-fi, courtesy of the Bush Intercontinental Airport.<br /><br />See you on the ground in San Jose.<br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-65700997626918155992008-10-31T12:11:00.001-04:002008-10-31T12:16:07.486-04:00Getting Behind<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Son of a monkey, I'm so behind on this bloggage.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Yes, that's really more than THREE weeks without a post.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Keeping a daily blog with any hint of meaningful content is more difficult than I could have imagined. Especially when I spend 90% of my time either out of the country or at the bar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I will fix this. Recaps of Auckland and Melbourne forthcoming.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The problem is I am leaving for Costa Rica in two days. And I just found out yesterday. Shit.<br /></span>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-19803836581743210352008-10-09T23:15:00.005-04:002008-10-31T12:16:33.414-04:00The Great Luggage Caper<div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;">Miss Cleo, go fuck yourself.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />As I so adeptly predicted, my airline decided that my luggage wasn't quite ready for New Zealand yet. I landed on Tuesday, cleared passport control, and waited at the big black conveyor belt for my big black luggage. And waited.<br /><br />After watching the same few bags float by about 15 times, I headed to the Qantas counter to make them aware of their incompetence. The lady was very nice, and I figured it didn't do a bit of good to get angry about the whole ordeal. It's not like I didn't know this was coming. So I laughed and joked my way through the paperwork process, though it took a ridiculously long time. They couldn't locate my bags in their "system", but they took all of my information, just in case they happened to stumble across them. Obviously, they have a great "system" of bag location. And I love how they call it "delayed luggage" when they have absolutely no idea which hemisphere my bags are in.<br /><br />I didn't even bother harassing them or pushing for any compensation. Part of that was because I was just too tired to argue. And the other part was they hooked me up with a flippin' sweet Qantas T-shirt and a pair of Qantas boxers. Ship it crucial! Also, with the foresight of an oracle, I bought myself an annoyingly bright green and yellow "Australia" jumper in Sydney, and it looks like I get to wear that until the rest of my gear turns up. I did, however, neglect to understand that there is some good-natured rivalry and tension between Australia and New Zealand, similar to the relationship between the USA and Canada, but maybe a tad more insulting and hostile. They like each other, they just don't ... "like" each other. So now I'm the jackass wearing the bright yellow Australia get-up in Kiwi country. Good work, Eric.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj65OQ7cl1JGa_plmiP98PIOb6-P63mIDhuWuG-WfVeg0_2k1lwD-28hsYmWox-s8bwso8CcaEdHg07b8ujRUw6yanT_nkyBG3r8tUUBm229ccR4aS8Rf2bFoPAhtJC1XvtJ8sra5RYM/s1600-h/DSC_9817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEirxQhgYX7fV1HyzvQFVF-o-DEd8xtBk7g9KP5sapEy_zY9s4bpYsccMqgP5RFOFJGL_iLAgN97sdc8heeP-Dg5aRF-MTErIcNUwTtAITgxE9MpxlbZImVcKpR_Tm0vueCh32kVu1zCA/s320-r/DSC_9817.jpg" border="0" /></a>Anyways, dodging the sideways looks from the locals, I made it to my hotel, the SkyCity Grand... and it is wonderful. SkyCity is a massive complex of hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, and casinos, and it is home to the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The SkyTower stands 1,076 feet (328 meters) above Auckland, and it is a beautiful and photogenic building. I haven't explored much yet, but the rest of SkyCity looks very nice as well. Modern, clean, and upscale. Can't wait to check it out a little more. The best part of living under the tallest building in half the Earth is that it's damn near impossible to get lost when wandering around the city.<br /><br />And the staff at the hotel is absolutely top-notch. At least I thought so until I was awakened by a loud knock on my door at 7:30am this morning, after just a few hours of sleep. I snapped awake and was immediately pissed off for just a second, until I realized that I was indeed waiting for that knock on my door. I jumped out of bed and opened the door to find a gentleman in a crisp white shirt holding my beloved luggage. I thanked him, grabbed my shit, and went straight back to bed for another few hours.<br /><br />I love you, luggage. Welcome home to daddy.</div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-20644701195652624012008-10-09T06:14:00.008-04:002008-10-09T06:48:50.812-04:00A New Place<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am indeed in Auckland, New Zealand now, and it is gorgeous. The way the harbour cuts its way in and out of the landmass is something I've never seen before in a major city. The weather is off the chain though -- alternating between brilliant sunshine, torrential rain, and driving winds here in the early part of Spring. Cold at night and in the morning, and comfortably warm during the day.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EDdJM1NwXjEYuDtnuK7NziZREDTMtgyYgar1y6Y5MCD-oyHWhb_95z3PKaYiFbGQ4I11pWkgs8BJguvWZJBWxxu9W3MNZ1xTUUkYy0ZhwFE6mQjl0xklz3GM3mbsok4smg3dde5rhDs/s1600-h/DSC_8712.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EDdJM1NwXjEYuDtnuK7NziZREDTMtgyYgar1y6Y5MCD-oyHWhb_95z3PKaYiFbGQ4I11pWkgs8BJguvWZJBWxxu9W3MNZ1xTUUkYy0ZhwFE6mQjl0xklz3GM3mbsok4smg3dde5rhDs/s400/DSC_8712.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255102049975775874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">I know I have a bit of catching up to do for you, but it's going to have to wait. Today was Day 1a of the APPT Auckland, and despite the fact that we played just seven levels, I am beat. I am still a little travel weary, and I'm can't think of anything except how sweet it's going to be to climb into the very comfortable king-size bed behind me. Perhaps the front desk won't feel the need to call my room at 7:30 tomorrow morning, as they did today. Although, it was for a good reason. More on that later though.<br /><br />Fair warning that there will be no "Musings on the NFL" this weekend. In fact, there won't even been any NFL watching for me (insert frowny face here). Rugby is king in this place. I love that game; it's like an organized version of "Kill the Carrier" that we all played on the middle school playground. We also called it "Smear the Queer", and I never found that odd until just this very minute.<br /><br />Anyways, I'll catch you up tomorrow on the rest of my travel ordeal, and I'll try to get a few words in about the APPT as well. Until then!<br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-69271386667929764952008-10-07T00:09:00.002-04:002008-10-07T23:55:06.530-04:00Cowboys, Wallabies, and Kiwis<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Finally.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">I am finally aboard the last leg of the flight to my final destination for this here little voyage: Auckland, New Zealand. This trip began for me at 2:40pm on October 5th in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it is now 4:18pm local time on October 7th... and I am still on an airplane. No, I didn't fly for two straight days, although it does feel like it a bit. Something even stranger and more frustrating happened.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">I lost October 6th completely. Just gone. *POOF* I hope I didn't have anything important going on that day.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Anyway, the first three legs of my trip were on American Airlines, who partners with Qantas to fly these routes to Australasia. Raleigh/Durham to Dallas, smooth as a baby's bottom on that MD-S80. I lounged around in the massive DFW airport for a couple of hours, waiting to catch my connection to the left coast. I was scheduled into LAX and then direct to Auckland (AKL). Window seat next to some giggly gay guy who was going to L.A. for "a conference". Fine.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">So we fly on for a while... I'm not really sure how long, or what our total time en route was supposed to be. But we were flying for a while. Long enough for me to be thinking that we must be nearly to California by now. As I was looking down reading my magazine, the shadows suddenly changed, and a line of silhouettes paraded across the pages in front of me. I glanced out the window to find us making a big, sweeping left turn towards, well, Mexico. As far as I knew, there were no big, sweeping left turns towards Mexico in the flight from Dallas to L.A. Sure enough, a minute or two later, the Captain's voice came booming over the P.A. System:</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">"Uhhhhh folks, this is your Captain once again from the flight deck. Unfortunately, our First Officer has become ill, and we're going to be diverting to El Paso. He is fine for the time being, but he just doesn't feel 'right', so we're going to get down and get him some treatment."</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Son of bitch, you have to be kidding me. This is only the second time I've been diverted in my life -- the other time was weather-related. I see the whole scene unfolding in my mind. I picture us landing on some dirt field in El Paso with a bunch of vaqueros on bareback shouting and firing guns into the air. Tumbleweeds roll down the landing strip as we touch down, running over rattlesnakes and armadillos with those giant airplane tires as a cloud of dust envelops the aircraft. It wasn't quite that bad, but it was indeed a tiny little airport in the middle of nowhere. It was the middle of the evening, yet the cafes and shops inside the so-called "terminal" were all closed. Welcome to El Paso.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">As I sat there shaking my head, I ran through the whole scenario in my brain. The FAA requires that all commercial flights be overseen by two capable pilots, so we couldn't just go on with the Captain only. If we had been able to make it to a hub city -- like Phoenix -- it's likely we would have been down and back up in the air in very short order. But when something like this happens in the boondocks, they have to find another First Officer who is available somewhere in the country and then <em>fly him in</em> before he can get to work. To complicate things further, the flight crew is only permitted by law to work a certain number of hours in a day. This being the last leg of their workday, all of them were drawing dangerously close to the cutoff for getting airborne. If we couldn't get our First Officer in time, the flight would be grounded for the night.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Finally, after almost four hours, our man arrived, and we had our full flight crew ready to go. Time to do some math. It was about 8:30pm local time when we got the wheels up from border-town, making it 7:30pm in L.A. My connection to Auckland left at 9:05pm, giving me 1:35 to make it there. Total flight time for this leg: 1:55. That's not good. So I crossed my fingers and willed the pilot to shove those throttles forward right to the stops.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">After what seemed like an eternity, we finally descended towards L.A., with me checking my watch every minute or so. It was 9:35 by the time we hit the ground. I noticed a beautiful Qantas 747 being pushed back from the gate as we approached the one adjacent, and I couldn't help but wonder if that was my New Zealand flight rolling out of reach. I bolted off the plane and grabbed the first airline rep I saw.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">"Did New Zealand leave yet?!"</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">"Yes, that flight's just gone."</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Son of bitch, again. I knew that was going to happen. In fact, I knew it was going to happen so surely that I had already been in touch with the airline while I was sitting in the El Paso International Shanty/Airport. I already had a flight lined up in case I missed the connection. It was less than ideal though. The next flight direct to Auckland was 24 hours away, the same flight I had missed today. They were able to get me to Auckland only 12 hours late, but I had to fly over New Zealand to Sydney, Australia first. Then, after a three-hour layover, I had to grab another three-hour flight to Auckland.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">In total, it's going to end up costing me and extra 12 hours of travel time, seven of which are spent on a plane. Joy.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Finally though, we are descending over the Tasman Sea and should be arriving in Auckland shortly. If the weather holds out, that is. Shit looks nasty up in front of us, and we're bouncing around like the sky is made of rubber.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">I bet you a week's paycheck that my luggage is not on this plane with me.</p>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-72010011996607516522008-10-02T15:09:00.002-04:002008-10-09T06:52:56.189-04:00Musings on the NFL: Week 4<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The aftermath of Week 4 leaves two troubled head coaches finally without a job. Oakland's Lane Kiffin and St. Louis' Scott Linehan both got the axe early this week, one of them <em>by phone</em>. More on that Oakland debacle later. For the Rams, it was another blown halftime lead and the resulting 0-4 start that sealed their coach's fate. It's going to be interesting to see where these two guys land next in the coaching world. Kiffin especially is a guy who would seem desirable to a top-notch college program. He's young and driven and he has football royalty in his blood -- with his father, defensive guru Monte still employed by the Bucs.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Another story I've been interested in is over in Baltimore, where the Ravens dropped a tough one in overtime to the always-infuriating Pittsburgh Steelers. I wouldn't normally have an interest in Baltimore football, but I am a big Joe Flacco guy. And that's where he happened to end up in the draft.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">I watched Flacco intently in college leading up to an appearance in the FCS Championship Game against my Appalachian State Mountaineers last year. The Fightin' Blue Hens of Delaware fell to the mighty Mountaineers, but Flacco was the stud of the game. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/JudgeBenWiles/SOUcTi21YuI/AAAAAAAAANs/Iauz5dsb6os/s1600-h/t1_flacco%5B9%5D.jpg"><img alt="t1_flacco" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/JudgeBenWiles/SOUcT668f1I/AAAAAAAAANw/H0JwMwpRa8M/t1_flacco_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" align="right" border="0" height="225" /></a>He impressed me as a guy who had the total package for the position. He has a cannon for an arm, but the feel to put some air under the ball when he needs to. He is tall enough to stand in the pocket and see the field, but he has delicate, quick feet when he needs to escape. In that Championship Game in Chattanooga, Flacco was 23-48 for 334 yards and one touchdown. For the season, he threw for more than 4,200 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five picks. He also ran for four more TD's.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Some Flacco highlights from 2007:</p> <div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify"> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:1b29adaf-26b8-4dae-bd59-e5aa03043e3d" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZxW_RdJjtos&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZxW_RdJjtos&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div></div> </div> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify"> </p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">In Sunday's game in the big leagues, Joe was 16-31 for 192 yards, closely paralleling Ben Roethlisberger's numbers on the other side of the ball. The rookie did have one big fumble on the first play of a drive though, and it was returned for a touchdown by LaMarr Woodley, giving the Steelers two scores in 14 seconds. With just that one gaff to his demerit, the team spoke highly of Flacco.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">"He didn't get rattled," said wide receiver Derrick Mason. "He showed poise out there and that's all you can ask your young quarterback to do. That second half, they were throwing a lot of stuff at him. Through it all, he showed the poise of a veteran."</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The QB summed things up nicely himself in his post-game interview: "I'm proud of the way we came back and tied the game up," said Flacco. "I thought we did a good job of weathering what they threw at us. But I've got to take care of the ball."</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Joe Flacco will be a top five QB within the next three years, mark it down.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Another rookie that is making the Baltimore story more intriguing is their head coach, Jim Harbaugh. The ex-QB has his team playing rock solid football -- mostly because Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are still around. Those guys have barely lost a step in the last five years, and they have to be among the hardest-playing players in the league, game-in and game-out. Despite losing the lead and the game to the Steelers, the Ravens are off to a 2-1 start on the year on the backs of their defense. With Cleveland and Cincinnati in disrepair, it looks like it's going to be a two-horse race between Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the AFC North title. The Ravens will get a chance to avenge the loss on December 14th, at home in Baltimore.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify"><u>Tidbits:</u></p> <ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <li> <div align="justify">Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Houston are all still looking for their first win this season. Somehow, my Miami Dolphins have already won one!</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Former Broncos running back Travis Henry was arrested this week, accused of distributing cocaine. The charges stem from a bad day in Montana on September 16th, where Henry and his buddy were pulled over with six pounds of ganja and three kilos of coke in the trunk. Oops. During his career, Henry was busted for smoking trees three times by NFL drug tests.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Yesterday, Vince Young practiced for the first time since Septmber 7th, putting the Titans depth chart in question. Veteran Kerry Collins has the team off to the best start in franchise history, and Young may well be <em>third</em> right now behind Collins and Chris Simms.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Perennial underachiever Joey Harrington was signed by the Saints on September 19th. Then released last week. Then re-acquired by the Saints yesterday. I'm sure he feels like a valued member of the organization. Of course... his perceived value does closely match his perceived contribution.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin has a fractured sinus membrane as a result of the helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets' safety Eric Smith. Holy friggin' ouch. According to <a href="http://www.emedicine.com/" target="_blank">eMedicine</a>, a high-impact sports injury is the second leading cause of this fracture. The first is a <em>high-speed automobile accident</em>. No concussion for Boldin though, and he's meeting with doctors to determine how long he'll take to heal.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Brett Favre saved my life in fantasy football this week. His numbers: 24-34, 289 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT -- netting me 46.45 whopping points. Many thanks to Glenn for trading him to me midweek.</div> </li> </ul>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-51223958818345108522008-10-01T14:25:00.008-04:002008-10-09T06:51:47.696-04:00UltimateF*ck<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf68wxJaOJAKfFFxSvVmVgg8Yk2hPbwn5s8SQtlgMfySB6pBCO7SB0-B6CYOKtBfs_Di_3UG-cLLr0HX3s9SaebC7s5i9PcxX9JoInSF0HVozK0sHsCMHCRuaa4-elFyMnAXuma4tnrBE/s1600-h/ultimatebet.bmp" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252256621013181890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf68wxJaOJAKfFFxSvVmVgg8Yk2hPbwn5s8SQtlgMfySB6pBCO7SB0-B6CYOKtBfs_Di_3UG-cLLr0HX3s9SaebC7s5i9PcxX9JoInSF0HVozK0sHsCMHCRuaa4-elFyMnAXuma4tnrBE/s400/ultimatebet.bmp" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 125px; width: 125px;" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On Monday, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission released another preliminary statement regarding the UltimateBet superuser situation. In it, they mandate a number of sanctions against the online poker site, including a $1.5 million fine to be paid directly to the KGC. That amount comes in addition to the $6.1 million in reimbursements that UB has already shelled out to the players who were adversely affected.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also named specifically in the statement is UB founder and former Main Event Chapmion, Russ Hamilton. Things do not look so good for Hamilton here in the early going. The KGC cited "clear and convincing evidence" against him, adding that he was "</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents." Oops. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And said they are in contact with the "appropriate law-enforcement agencies" regarding the prosecution of several key members, the foremost of which would be Russ Hamilton.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Below is the full text of the most recent statement from the KGC. This is another preliminary report, and we expect a full assessment at a future date:</span><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">(MOHAWK TERRITORY OF KAHNAWAKE – September 29, 2008) Kahnawa:ke Gaming Commission ("KGC") Chairman Dean Montour today announced the initial findings of the audit conducted on licensee Ultimate Bet, as well as the sanctions to be imposed.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">According to KGC Chairman Montour, the Commission has reviewed the information provided to it over the past months from Frank Catania of Catania Gaming Consultants of New Jersey; Gaming Associates, an Australian game testing company; and the permit holder. Chairman Montour said, "The Commissioners have made several findings of fact with regard to the cheating that occurred on the Ultimate Bet web site that included the identification of some of the individuals responsible for these incidents as well other significant violations of the Kahnawa:ke Interactive Gaming Regulations."</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Commission found clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusion that between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet's affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents. Furthermore, the KGC is currently in contact with the appropriate law enforcement agencies and intends to fully cooperate in the prosecution of all individuals involved in the UB cheating incidents.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Mr. Catania states, "My intention is to provide further information as it is uncovered, although the information already submitted to the KGC relating to Ultimate Bet warrants the KGC taking the actions it has today. Any further evidence uncovered with regard to cheating, withholding or destroying records in our continuing investigation will be reported to the KGC and the proper agency for appropriate action."</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As a result of the KGC's findings of fact, the Commission called a special meeting, at which time it was unanimously decided to impose the following sanctions against Ultimate Bet:</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Ultimate Bet is directed that by November 3, 2008 it shall, under the close supervision of the KGC, its employees and agents, commence refunding all players accounts found to have been adversely affected by the cheating of individuals under the control and supervision of the licensee. It is estimated that Ultimate Bet has to date reimbursed $6.1 million USD to players' accounts found to have been adversely impacted by the cheating activity</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Ultimate Bet is directed that by November 3, 2008 it is to remove any and all persons deemed as "unsuitable" by the KGC from all involvement with the company, which shall include all levels of ownership, management and operation. Ultimate Bet during that time period until November 3, 2008 is required to continue to provide complete details of all day-to-day operations of the company. These shall include financial as well as daily gaming records to Frank Catania and or his assigns. It is anticipated that this action will provide full disclosure and prevent any further improprieties or wrongdoing from occurring while ensuring that the public is being offered fair and honest games and all player monies will be protected.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Ultimate Bet's control system as defined in section 9 of the Kahnawa:ke Interactive Gaming Regulations has been modified to prevent any further incidents of cheating or related improprieties.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">4. Ultimate Bet will not delete or modify any logs including but not limited to web logs and game logs as required by the Kahnawa:ke Interactive Gaming Regulations and will continue to have those logs immediately available for inspection by the KGC or its agents.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">5. Ultimate Bet shall immediately pay a fine of $1.5 Million USD to the KGC for its failure to implement and enforce measures to prohibit and detect fraudulent activities.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">6. Ultimate Bet's failure to comply fully with these measures will result in the immediate revocation of its KGC gaming permit. </i><br /><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Murray Marshall</i><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Senior Advisor</i><br /><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Kahnawa:ke Gaming Commission</i></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-74081933442068810712008-09-30T13:55:00.007-04:002008-09-30T14:11:32.965-04:00Fannie Mae Cause Problems in the Future<div face="trebuchet ms" style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQCIqGQkpcTUU9AJUSCLiXOwH40Sx1nkKKM8Cc3I2VmGJyytgCe24CLCs-oo9cqZEQoDXlEvnmPCCORrttT1zUTJp5ZtoIbpiPuqKJjGaDWfBReqCpapkMH_H2gaU1W0ddq6KF33Kx_E/s1600-h/ar120246421502483.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQCIqGQkpcTUU9AJUSCLiXOwH40Sx1nkKKM8Cc3I2VmGJyytgCe24CLCs-oo9cqZEQoDXlEvnmPCCORrttT1zUTJp5ZtoIbpiPuqKJjGaDWfBReqCpapkMH_H2gaU1W0ddq6KF33Kx_E/s400/ar120246421502483.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251877864436955266" border="0" /></a>My buddy Chris stumbled across an interesting little tidbit from the New York Times, dated nine years ago today -- September 30, 1999. It's an article that was published regarding the relaxation of credit requirements for companies like Fannie Mae to purchase loans. And it very eerily foreshadows the state of affairs today:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.'</span><br /><br /></span><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1">The full article can be found here</a>, and it's quite an interesting (and short) read.<br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-38134381517303635472008-09-30T13:13:00.001-04:002008-09-30T13:43:19.962-04:00Let's Go (Home,) Mets!<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="">You're a Mets fan. For the second straight year, your underachieving team was eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season. At home. Against the Marlins. Again. Now, for the next six months, you'll watch as the media hammers down on your players and manager, interrogating the team chemistry, the leadership in the clubhouse, the starting rotation and bullpen, and how a team of talented players can blow a division lead in two straight years.</span><br /><br /><span style="">The collapse wasn't as bad for the Metropolitans this year as last though. Last year's fall was the stuff of storybooks and eulogies. This year, they were bitten by the injury bug. And everyone knew the bullpen was going to stink. Especially when closer Billy Wagner went down with the injury. Even manager Jerry Manuel said that the bullpen was a "roll of the dice" every time he went to it.</span><span style=""> </span><br /><br /><span style="">"We knew [the bullpen] wasn't quite something that was going to hit on all cylinders," Manuel said. "When you don't have people in established roles in this time [of the year], you're gambling."</span><br /><br /><span style="">In fact, it really is the relievers who need to take the blame for this early ending in New York. They have been miserable all year, somehow managing to be only the tenth-worst pen in the NL. Even in the last game, the fate of the team was put into the hands of Scott Schoenweis and Luis Ayala with the score tied at two apiece. Just for fun, the two men gave up back-to-back solo homers in the eighth inning to seal their fate.</span> The first one was a gift to pinch hitter Wes Helms. Ouch.<br /><br /><span style="">After the game, third baseman David Wright spoke about the second straight season of disappointment. "It's always going to be grouped together. </span><span style="">Last year, for lack of a better word, we collapsed. This year, I think we hit a little rut in the wrong time to hit a rut."</span><br /><br /><span style=""> Being that it was the last game in historic Shea Stadium, the Mets had scheduled a ceremony after the game to honor 45 of their former players, some of whom had won championships for their city. The fans wanted none of it though, filing out the doors of Shea for the last time as soon as the final pitch was delivered. With the spectators bailing out so quickly, all that was left to greet those former Met greats was the booming echoes of GM Omar Minaya's voice as it reverberated through the now-vacant expanse of the stadium.</span><br /><br /><span style="">Carlos Beltran summed it up simply in the clubhouse after the game. "It is what it is, guys," he said. "I have no more words."</span><br /><br /><span style=""> So, what do you do when you're at a boring baseball game watching your team choke away another playoff berth down the stretch run of a long season? Why, you turn your attention to the drunk fans, of course. I stumbled on this video of Mets fans keeping themselves entertained during another drubbing. Enjoy.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kdnImqDmLqk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kdnImqDmLqk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-26995586738208238252008-09-29T15:49:00.007-04:002008-09-29T15:56:27.344-04:00Marketing the November Nine<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2oKKtbAdZ19a1oQQRof4Jo8nTwsfv99QulJvY7ZzsX7vDzxRvnbSvQ0kW2iJiYXq2Nhga-GIMLEyaJiSLhH1LFxT-ojtphuCwl1pYwGXdkLyqgy155guLo-dDBZFaPvo6FOMy-eNN8M/s1600-h/4653e49f0de6f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2oKKtbAdZ19a1oQQRof4Jo8nTwsfv99QulJvY7ZzsX7vDzxRvnbSvQ0kW2iJiYXq2Nhga-GIMLEyaJiSLhH1LFxT-ojtphuCwl1pYwGXdkLyqgy155guLo-dDBZFaPvo6FOMy-eNN8M/s200/4653e49f0de6f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251534055030525586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PokerNews</span></span>' own Martin Harris wrote a good piece today about the status of the November Nine. <a href="http://www.pokernews.com/news/2008/09/poker-pop-culture-marketing-november-nine.htm">The article can be found here</a>, and it's worth a read if you've wondered about the marketing aspects of delaying the final table.</span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-37390784725653494522008-09-29T11:09:00.005-04:002008-09-29T14:54:32.522-04:00Appalachian is Cold, Cold, Cold<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">I'm back in business after a damn good weekend in Boone. Chugging back up the mountain towards my old home, there are still familiar sights and sounds that jog my memory and take me back to another time. Everything is so recognizable. The hazy blue horizon out over the Blue Ridge Parkway, the sound of my 4-cylinder engine struggling up the hill, the smell of the foliage in the breeze; it was really quite pleasant to be back in such a comfortable and familiar place. As I got farther and farther up the hill, the leaves started to get darker and darker green, until they finally started to give way to a tinge of brown by the time I reach the 3,333-foot mark, where Boone resides. It is most certainly fall up there, complete with the chill in the air and the smell of autumn all around.<br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;">And autumn means one thing to me: football. And my Appalachian State Mountaineers had a home game under the lights on Saturday, facing the holy might of Presbyterian University, -- backed by God, I'm assuming. Saturday morning, I shook myself from a deep sleep somewhere around 2:00pm, in time to catch some of the afternoon action on TV before tailgate time. We headed out to our spot in Greenwood a bit later on, grilled some burgers and some dogs, and imbibed copious amounts of beer and liquor. It was raining coldly off and on, even further proof that it is indeed football season in the mountains.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;">The contest was hard fought for the first half, but even God himself failed to help the visiting team overcome the stifling defense of the Mountaineers. <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282712026&confId=29">We win 48-14</a>. Bad news though: QB Armanti Edwards went down with a leg injury in the 3rd Quarter, and unfortunately, it appears to be somewhat serious. Best of luck to Edwards as he tries to recover in short order.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMgF-WBdl5WcdDtxQqKZhpN4qH7aVZu8Rc9BITxCfx4YmpqCnhWvya_HLDgActY2kYAO5wGgs9iwy7J-RN7zHIrvFhnEEbqVTF5LRFBBggGXHoUoxq-ZjiptYOoEE5qVB8DvjvNbAaPg/s1600-h/QFZGKYVWYIYMTVN.20080928030112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMgF-WBdl5WcdDtxQqKZhpN4qH7aVZu8Rc9BITxCfx4YmpqCnhWvya_HLDgActY2kYAO5wGgs9iwy7J-RN7zHIrvFhnEEbqVTF5LRFBBggGXHoUoxq-ZjiptYOoEE5qVB8DvjvNbAaPg/s400/QFZGKYVWYIYMTVN.20080928030112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251518211012393394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Backup QB DeAndre Presley diving towards the endzone</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Photo: www.goasu.com)</span><br /><br /></div>I'm back home now and back to the "grind" -- even though it's really no grind whatsoever. I'm supposed to meet Mareshah in Raleigh for dinner or something tonight. I haven't seen her since before the summer started, and that is simply unacceptable. I don't have much time for her though; I have a bunch of shit to get in order this week. Dentist appointment, new contacts, vaccinations: round two at the doctor's, boat loads of laundry, a little shopping, maybe a haircut, and everwhat else I can cram into the next six days. Then it's off on a jet plane again. More on that trip to follow.<br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-13409637096596097162008-09-25T15:52:00.010-04:002008-09-29T14:55:44.683-04:00Jason Shows No Mercier<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Another story developing at the WSOPE as we speak centers around Jason Mercier. <a href="http://ferricramsium.blogspot.com/2008/08/adios-uruguay-hello-united-states.html">I met Jason for the first time in Uruguay</a> when I was covering him in the LAPT event. He only lasted a couple hours in the tournament, but he and I hung around the same places for the better part of a week. I bumped into him again in Cannes, France just a couple weeks ago where he was playing in the Partouche Poker Tour main event. Once again, he lasted only a short time before being relegated to the rail.</span><br /></div><div face="trebuchet ms" style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><br />So, Jason leaves Cannes and heads next door to Barcelona, Spain for the EPT event there a couple days later. He proceeds to cut a swath through the field, racking up a sixth place finish and pocketing a cool €227,000. I'm sure he was disappointed by the result, but making it through a field of 619 players to be among the final six is still impressive.<br /><br />Move it forward just a week or so, and Mercier is up to his old tricks again. At this moment, they are on break in Event #3 of the WSOPE, which is <span>a </span>£5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. With 23 players remaining, <a href="http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-wsope/event-3/day2/">Jason is the commanding chip leader</a>, sitting on a stack of more than 425,000 chips. The next man closest to him is Shaun Deeb with about 260,000.<br /><br />Jason was just moved to another table -- Shaun Deeb's table, in fact -- requiring him to rack up, carry, and then un-rack all 425,000 of those chips. "Now I gotta redo this whole thing," he complained with a sigh, as he started rebuilding his chip fortress.<br /><br />"What a problem to have..." muttered his new neighbor, Deeb.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBHZCsrl23kiCa8-t8Pntsf2HENtpRPIg95HWLh5-WraBMLUL_fiXUcPt64vVAgxU36_46wyTBxwiLiTSxn2agXFA5ADerBb1dffe2kJzAabY3Ni-dkZtZlXB3zpdnaCbRMuVZy1JXlw/s1600-h/48dbc795354bf-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBHZCsrl23kiCa8-t8Pntsf2HENtpRPIg95HWLh5-WraBMLUL_fiXUcPt64vVAgxU36_46wyTBxwiLiTSxn2agXFA5ADerBb1dffe2kJzAabY3Ni-dkZtZlXB3zpdnaCbRMuVZy1JXlw/s400/48dbc795354bf-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250055155095403138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Jason Mericer rebuilding</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Photo: www.pokernews.com)</span><br /></div></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-24539968141262152462008-09-25T11:57:00.025-04:002008-09-29T14:55:30.389-04:00Kongen Med Oeksen!<div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;">With the World Series of Poker Europe about halfway through it's 2008 season, a number of compelling stories have already been written in London. One of the ones that grabbed my attention was the re-introduction of Jesper Hougaard to the poker world. I'll pick up at the beginning of the story.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />My first run-in with this guy came over the summer, when I caught bits and pieces of the final table while he was winning his first bracelet, taking home the hardware in Event #36. I didn't cover the event though, and I therefore didn't get to see much of how he played. A few events later, I got the chance to meet him and nearly his entire country, I do believe. The tournament I was working was the $1,000 NLHE with rebuys, Event #44. Among those who made it to the final table were Rene Mouritsen and Albert Iversen, two Danish compatriots of Jesper Hougaard. Apparently, the Danes stick together. Beginning about midway through Day 2, a group of about 20 of their countrymen began filling up the rail, going deep into the night while the rest of the weary spectators trickled out of the Tropicana Room at their respective bed times. The Danish fans, including Jesper Hougaard, stayed till the end though, maintaining an enviable level of energy even into the wee hours of the morning. This is where I learned my first Danish phrase. Take a look at this hand I wrote up from the waning stages of that night:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Just before break, we witnessed a big pot at Table 61. We pick up the action on the flop in a heads-up battle between Rene Mouritsen and Curtis Kohlberg. The board shows </span><img alt="{K-Spades}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/ks.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><img alt="{6-Hearts}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/6h.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><img alt="{3-Clubs}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/3c.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;">. Mouritsen checks, and Kohlberg bets 40,000. Mouritsen flat calls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The turn is the </span><img alt="{9-Hearts}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/9h.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;">. Once more, Mouritsen checks. Kohlberg bets again, this time 100,000. Mouritsen again calls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The river comes the </span><img alt="{6-Diamonds}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/6d.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;">, pairing the board. Mouritsen passes, and Kohlberg fires a third bullet, 200,000. Mouritsen calls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Kohlberg: </span><img alt="{8-Clubs}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/8c.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><img alt="{9-Clubs}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/9c.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Mouritsen: </span><img alt="{K-Diamonds}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/kd.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><img alt="{7-Spades}" src="http://www.pokernews.com/i/cards_sign/7s.gif" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;" border="0" /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> As soon as he had tabled his hand, Mouritsen stood up and let out a yell. From the rail, his Danish counterparts broke out into a frenzy, screaming, "Kongen med oeksen!" or "King with the axe!" They tell us the king with the axe is their very favorite hand, and the loud Danish contingent was thrilled to see their buddy take down a big pot with it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> After dragging in that pot, Mouritsen crests the one-million milestone, sitting with 1,070,000. Kohlberg, meanwhile, is crippled down to just 80,000.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnLwQrdqIf50h96-wC7wIS6uU4_b2gL7OZ5Ua8Gw4LcSXx2n9T71rTCCHCKL9paRxZeW_P6hyvVCVW7hua9Ylob2C7ea7MutbiI0UhMnPEhRbV1WQ_jrPZtWaCvjt9rDwcb5NL1edaHU/s1600-h/DSC_3905.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250019823067214610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnLwQrdqIf50h96-wC7wIS6uU4_b2gL7OZ5Ua8Gw4LcSXx2n9T71rTCCHCKL9paRxZeW_P6hyvVCVW7hua9Ylob2C7ea7MutbiI0UhMnPEhRbV1WQ_jrPZtWaCvjt9rDwcb5NL1edaHU/s200/DSC_3905.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhTnW5lOtVp_IhiUANDkJDg9McfF7AlpQjxKd4TlnlgFjL8gJACXamBHPjY_s1KHtNrmLj_wnKfRALtTu9vnVVTibFFxmReOBTCb_WmFYR9nTB8oqak7ZcIV7Js-UgaOSEbkophLKKT8/s1600-h/DSC_3954.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250017359009712546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhTnW5lOtVp_IhiUANDkJDg9McfF7AlpQjxKd4TlnlgFjL8gJACXamBHPjY_s1KHtNrmLj_wnKfRALtTu9vnVVTibFFxmReOBTCb_WmFYR9nTB8oqak7ZcIV7Js-UgaOSEbkophLKKT8/s200/DSC_3954.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Rene Mouritsen and Albert Iversen</span><br /></div><br />I got the spelling and the translation from the Danish cheerleaders, and they continued to give me little tidbits of information throughout the evening. We shared a number of cigarette breaks outside, and I got acquainted with them as the morning hours slowly ticked by. I wasn't actively prodding them for conversation or information, but they were very outgoing and friendly, and were more than happy to talk about their friends and the state of Danish poker in general. Really just a nice group of guys. And damn good poker players.<br /><br />Play concluded a long time later, as Jamie Rosen bubbled out in 10th Place to set the final table for the following day. Much to my entertainment, the Danes were back in style on that Day 3. All of them showed up to the ESPN arena wearing king's crowns and sporting plastic battle axes in honor of their namesake poker hand. They were sitting in the bleachers just above where I was working, and they were LOUD. Spotting me at the desk, they piled into the seats nearby, close enough to converse with me as I pecked away at my keyboard. They insisted that I wear one of their crowns, and I obliged them for a little while as I tried to get some work done. They were very, very noisy, occasionally breaking into a complete frenzy of cheering and shouting. It was as loud as some sporting events I've been to, and it made for a very entertaining final table to cover.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e0y5YCya2SRzjGpK3Hg4n5Dv7mMNcTNy9u94qwmgZgia3h4Y_aQTz4STmJDs0fg17bDWve6lLXhvePXwgzVWUEEcNwbGeq4go_yiigMfy3KhO9xenWKXeLkIgslIRkhL-2EkPLZXkHY/s1600-h/48656f965a8ed.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250017346310973010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e0y5YCya2SRzjGpK3Hg4n5Dv7mMNcTNy9u94qwmgZgia3h4Y_aQTz4STmJDs0fg17bDWve6lLXhvePXwgzVWUEEcNwbGeq4go_yiigMfy3KhO9xenWKXeLkIgslIRkhL-2EkPLZXkHY/s400/48656f965a8ed.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; display: block; text-align: center;" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6vsmhN64kfPSWljPce2OodpV7Ob-etH2WPUAAmp8uB2WF7yXOZc7qw2FHCQ8Bewm1EZ-Ou9EM6bilgehMEiEOVDIJOFdC8uYglOsXeh-HnPAJquJS0l84EPotVuw7Jg3fGEuMDB_-QY/s1600-h/4865ad3093ac6-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6vsmhN64kfPSWljPce2OodpV7Ob-etH2WPUAAmp8uB2WF7yXOZc7qw2FHCQ8Bewm1EZ-Ou9EM6bilgehMEiEOVDIJOFdC8uYglOsXeh-HnPAJquJS0l84EPotVuw7Jg3fGEuMDB_-QY/s400/4865ad3093ac6-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250047573602699218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Jesper Hougaard leads the Danish cheerleading squad</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Photos: www.pokernews.com)</span><br /></div><br />Neither Iversen nor Mouritsen could take home the bracelet though, finishing back-to-back in third and second place, respectively. But they were part of a great showing by the Danes at the WSOP, and I enjoyed having the chance to interact with them for a few days.<br /><br />Fast forward to this week in London, where Jesper Hougaard was back at a final table, playing for another World Series title. He would indeed manage to win Event #1, besting 410 players to earn his second gold bracelet. PokerNews' Gloria Balding did a nice interview with a very happy Hougaard just after the tournament:<br /><br /><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1544549453" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=1811507553&linkBaseURL=http://tv.pokernews.com/featured-videos/Jesper+Hougaard+-+1%2C500+No+Limit+Hold%27em+WINNER/1811507553&playerId=1544549453&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" width="486" height="412"></embed></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-50214489309978080952008-09-24T17:03:00.005-04:002008-09-24T17:45:23.303-04:00Who's Getting Fired Today?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">With the teams making their midweek decisions in the NFL, all was mostly quiet on the firing front. Maddeningly, the Lane Kiffin situation in Oakland continues to drag on. And on. The guy has been on thin ice for such a long time now. The wait-and-see approach with him has run its course though, and he needed a strong start this year to save his head. He will almost certainly be fired. Unfortunately, when you're in Oakland, the one thing that is certain is that nothing is certain -- at least as long as Al Davis is running things. The man operates as if a random number generator is making decisions for him. He's unsolvable. So, until Kiffin's number comes up, he is still safe from the time being.<br /><br />Another man who can breathe easy for at least one more week is Rams' coach Scott Linehan. At 0-3, St. Louis is in panic mode, and they did pull the trigger on a number of roster moves, continuing to shuffle their depth chart around. Marc Bulger even got the axe; the team announced they'll put their hopes in the hands of 38-year-old QB Trent Green for their Week 4 bout with Buffalo. The decision comes after watching the offense just writhe in agonizing pain for three weeks. They scored just two touchdowns in that span and rank dead last in total productivity. This current state of affairs foreshadows a number of long-term problems for the Rams. You may remember they just put a good chunk of money into Bulger, signing him to a contract worth $65 million last year. Now that offense is in shambles, and the front office is running out of people to blame. Linehan is just 11-24 since taking the job, and he may not be around long enough to add too many more numbers to either side of that tally. He too is safe for now though.<br /><br />The week won't pass without someone losing their job though, dammit! Thank god for Matt Millen. If there were one single person in the entire league who least deserves to have his job -- to be in a decision-making role for a major NFL franchise -- it would have to be Matt Millen. His firing was way overdue four years ago. And that was when they were getting close to having a winning record. They never got there though. The best they could muster under Millen's oversight was last year's unremarkable 7-9 run. That doesn't mean they're getting better as time goes on though. They too have yet to pick up a win this year, and have looked miserable on both sides of the ball. It really is about time that Millen was called to account for his team's long-stading suckiness. His record: 31-84. Yikes. Millen can't draft, he can't run a team, and he won't ever have another job in the NFL.<br /><br />For now, the Lions' head coach Rod Marinelli has been allowed to keep his office though. I am glad that the owners fired the right guy in Millen, and I am anxious to see how long a leash they give Marinelli now. He might be the best coach in the NFL, and that's no exaggeration. At the least, he is unanimously reknowned for his football knowledge among coaches in the league. Even for a guy like him though, it may be a futile effort in Detroit.<br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-82287686756295972632008-09-23T15:39:00.009-04:002008-09-23T19:23:48.204-04:00You Want Mint For Pillow?<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've been doing some housekeeping lately -- both literally and figuratively -- getting things back into their proper places so that my ADD brain doesn't go on the fritz. I cleaned my bedroom, my desk, and my office/den/sports lounge thoroughly. I built a new PC and there is nothing better than a clean machine. I have been moving all the files, photos, and videos over from the old box and re-organizing them like a fiend. I just washed, waxed, and detailed my car from top to bottom. I've been going through old clothes and old CD's, and getting rid of the vast majority of both. I cleaned all my camera gear. I even washed behind my ears and scrubbed my elbows this morning.<br /><br />This cleaning and organizing bonanza is sort of a microcosm of a sort of change I am trying to perpetuate in my entire being. I have difficulty focusing on my goals fully if I am immersed in a cluttered room, or in a cluttered lifestyle. Simplicity is key for the way I work, as is organization. Part of my ADD (or maybe it's OCD) ways, like I said. But anyways, I finally have a little stretch of time at home, and I am using it to get all un-cluttered from the summer, and to get re-acquainted with what's important and meanginful to me.<br /><br />Right off the bat, I need to write more, and I have geared my organizing efforts to that end. Along with the new PC, I have simplified my desk area and tried to create an environment where ideas flow freely from my brain through my keyboard and out into the dark corners of cyberspace. I think I have succeded, as I am already seeing an increase in motivation -- and hence productivity.<br /><br />Expect content for this blog to be much more regular in the coming months. I'm going to try and keep it full of lots of miscellaneous crap, basically. So if you're interested in poker, photography, football and sports in general, travel, food, news, humor, or any of my senseless drivel about life and the pursuit of happiness, you won't want to miss one captivating word that I have to say. For I am, of course, all knowing..<br /><br />In addition, now that hockey season is nearly upon us, <a href="http://thecoldest.blogspot.com/">The Coldest Blog in Town</a> is up and running once again. On that side, I'll be keeping myself and hundreds of billions of riveted, loyal readers informed on all the Carolina Hurricanes' team news, as well as providing recaps and analysis of all the games. With any luck, it will be packed with stories well into next summer as the 'Canes hope to fight off the injury bug and rise to postseason greatness once again. We've got a long way to go before we worry about that though.<br /><br />Another of my big goals for the near future is to update my Zenfolio gallery. You can't even imagine how many photos I have to filter, process, and upload -- I would guess about 15,000 of them. There are some really meaningful ones from the summer though, and I want to have a place to display them. Zenfolio is an elegant web gallery, and I will be adding some of my shots to that space as time permits. Check back soon for a link when I open things up.<br /><br />As always, these improvements are solely for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. These blogs are a writing excercise for me, a tool that I use to both empty my brain of that maligned clutter and to learn more about my writing style and how to convey my ideas best in text form. Similarly, my Zenfolio gallery will be a place where I can publish my work, and a place where I can critique myself and be critiqued by others. It is just a learning tool as I strive to attain a higher level of photographic aptitude. Along the way though, I do hope you are entertained or offended or made to laugh by my thoughts and pictures. And please, comments and criticism are always encouraged!<br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-54801742921254465672008-09-22T18:24:00.011-04:002008-09-23T01:19:42.787-04:00Farewell, Yankee Stadium<div style="text-align: justify;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsL1HPlqBzOhrrkYp-yKDeE3boBHIyWkysQ0x6Brj9b1dWyJNICS-mrh4FHtSAH6MGKefDzMu1WtpgcQOWjWs4bfE4aNKY9HAY_p7GGSkf4JIY4Qj49Q0xAuF12s5qc4VGRsbRyCdflU/s1600-h/Yankee+Stadium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsL1HPlqBzOhrrkYp-yKDeE3boBHIyWkysQ0x6Brj9b1dWyJNICS-mrh4FHtSAH6MGKefDzMu1WtpgcQOWjWs4bfE4aNKY9HAY_p7GGSkf4JIY4Qj49Q0xAuF12s5qc4VGRsbRyCdflU/s400/Yankee+Stadium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249073919426725058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last night, the New York Yankees bid a very fond farewell to their beloved home of the last 85 years, historic Yankee Stadium. Playing in their final home game under the lights of the 'house that Ruth built', the Yankees mustered a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The occasion was marked by a whole slew of ceremonies, both before and during the game.</span><br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><br />The gates to Ruth's house were opened some seven hours before the first pitch, allowing the fans to come down for one last walk through monument park in the outfield. As game time drew nearer, the spectators found their seats and were thrilled by some of the great Yankee legends taking the field in their old positions, one-by-one. Bernie Williams jogged out to center field greeted by the familiar chorus: "Ber-nie, Ber-nie." Willie Randolph took up his spot at second base and rubbed some of the coarse infield dirt into his clean uniform with a big smile. Some of the late greats were memorialized by their children, as Randy Maris, Michael Munson, David Mantle, and others stood in for their fathers. And of course, there was Reggie Jackson. It was a moment of overwhelming emotion for players past and present.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXOeYuBYHds746cY-mgW0lm1-QbhWX02Mq0xOLj-pZ8XAf_OjhLNdsclKGyauroE6BTShPRl-16jjvKUk8jPuH69sjRjJwycggwA5MM4Z5NeakTexL9E_XKR8Tt4_ZdwfDCp5K2rWq4s/s1600-h/Yankee+Stadium+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXOeYuBYHds746cY-mgW0lm1-QbhWX02Mq0xOLj-pZ8XAf_OjhLNdsclKGyauroE6BTShPRl-16jjvKUk8jPuH69sjRjJwycggwA5MM4Z5NeakTexL9E_XKR8Tt4_ZdwfDCp5K2rWq4s/s400/Yankee+Stadium+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249074078280180578" border="0" /></a>“It’s remarkable,” said Phil Coke, a rookie pitcher with just three weeks of major-league experience. “Totally and completely blows my mind. I turn around and look over and see Goose Gossage walking around our clubhouse. Wow.”<br /><br />Wow, indeed. Prior to game time, all of the former players mingled in the clubhouse, all in full uniform -- right down to Yogi Berra's recognizable stirrups. During the game, the bench was so full that some of the players sat on the roof of the dugout. Jorge Posada was seen standing on the field, taking pictures for his own keepsake, just another mesmerized fan of Yankee Stadium.<br /><br />Even the quotable Yogi was struggling to find the right words in his pregame news conference. “It will always be in my heart, it will,” he said, fumbling. "I’m sorry to see it over, I tell you that.”<br /><br />When game time finally did roll around, Andy Pettitte got the start for the home team, working more than five innings and picking up the win. When he was relieved of the mound in the sixth inning, the crowd rose in boisterous ovation, and they didn't let up until he re-emerged from the dugout for a brief curtain call. After the game, Pettitte reflected on the moment: “The way I feel emotionally right now... and just physically so drained... it feels like a huge postseason win for us. I kind of feel embarrassed saying that because, unless a miracle happens, we’re not going to the postseason. But it was special.”<br /><br />Although this season is indeed a loss for the Pinstripes, there was still something to play for last night. They were facing the prospect of being officially eliminated from postseason contention on the same night they were retiring their house, and that could not happen in such a historic and memorable venue. The team was playing, then, for the ghosts of the Bambino and Mickey Mantle, for Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig, and all those who were responsible for creating and perpetuating the legend of Yankee Stadium.<br /><br />In fitting fashion, it was Mariano Rivera who closed out the evening, storming through a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the deal. After the last batter was put out at first base, the ball was returned to Rivera, who knows just what to do with it. “Mr. George, he gave me the opportunity, and he gave me the chance,” Rivera said, referencing long-time owner Mr. Steinbrenner. “The least I can do is give the ball to him.”<br /><br />Derek Jeter was lifted from the game with one out left by manager Joe Girardi, allowing him to take one final curtain call of his own. After the game, as the players gathered on the mound, he addressed the crowd. “We are relying on you to take the memories from this stadium. Add them to the new memories to come at the new Yankee Stadium. And continue to pass them on from generation to generation,” he said.<br /><br />The Yankees will open their new home at the beginning of next season on April 16, 2009. It remains to be seen whether the ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Murcer, Mantle, and all of the others will make the trip across the street to their new home as well.<br /><br />We can only hope so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-YMFx3wiinrXclLwi_yXf6mZE1oNDwKrTHo58wujzX26Yf1EiuMQfi1MQlu9GciAkgOtpeyI7Duxj_yeABFl0jK1qKJ4w4x-Tzhe_qYqK88ZTqsTnnad1y_yP98sKdv5UzwUt_dUlxE/s1600-h/Yankee+Stadium+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-YMFx3wiinrXclLwi_yXf6mZE1oNDwKrTHo58wujzX26Yf1EiuMQfi1MQlu9GciAkgOtpeyI7Duxj_yeABFl0jK1qKJ4w4x-Tzhe_qYqK88ZTqsTnnad1y_yP98sKdv5UzwUt_dUlxE/s400/Yankee+Stadium+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249074210484597714" border="0" /></a></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-61176401196709541532008-09-22T17:02:00.017-04:002008-09-23T00:53:39.384-04:00Kiffin Might Be Job Hunting<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWw4ovoU7_WtSaVMb-6RsMDb6rEZ6zkWSyN4XhTYueFyZLwBghas-AvaJOLOeiG36M1mQTSs4pBCyzKqXnnI-qfkwy_okEwRkI1oYTop88FnVlWk5Id8EMF3AtjG7kxua4XTBYoR8T5E/s1600-h/Lane+Kiffin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWw4ovoU7_WtSaVMb-6RsMDb6rEZ6zkWSyN4XhTYueFyZLwBghas-AvaJOLOeiG36M1mQTSs4pBCyzKqXnnI-qfkwy_okEwRkI1oYTop88FnVlWk5Id8EMF3AtjG7kxua4XTBYoR8T5E/s320/Lane+Kiffin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248966646036133874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Oakland Raiders are holding their weekly press conference this afternoon, and one issue presumably on the docket is the status of their head-coaching position. Right now, that spot is occupied by Lane Kiffin, but that may be nullified by the end of the day today. The front office wanted to fire their coach last week, but his team pulled a win out of their -- well, they managed to win somehow, granting Kiffin a stay of execution for the time being. After some weeks of speculation and rumors though, it appears that Kiffin's tenure with the Raiders will indeed end this afternoon.</span><br /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms; text-align: justify;"><br />That could be potentially good news for us Syracuse fans. Kiffin getting another gig in the NFL would be like George W. Bush getting a shot at running another country. But, move things over to the college game, and one would think the credentialed coach could pretty much name his job. At the moment, there are a shortage of big-time jobs available for someone like him, but that may not be the case for very long either. One team that may soon have a coaching vacancy is my beloved Syracuse Orange.<br /><br />Current coach Greg Robinson seems to be a great football person and a competent coach. But he just isn't finding success in Upstate New York right now. It's so hard to fault Robinson for the demise of the 'Cuse, but there's no one else to blame. You could blame Paul Pasqualoni for putting us in a hole so deep, no mortal human could dig us out. But he's the Defensive Coordinator for Bill Parcells' Miami Dolphins now, having turned Syracuse's once-potent option offense into a paper tiger on his way to the top. After four years, that offense is still in disrepair, and an offensive-minded guy like Lane Kiffin seems to fit the bill of what Syracuse would be looking for in their next head coach.<br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-79978839024258447852008-09-22T14:42:00.005-04:002008-09-23T01:06:30.058-04:00Musings on the NFL: Week 3<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">This third weekend of professional football was a dandy, providing fans with a number of nail-biting finishes and heroic performances.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">First stop: Foxboro, Massachusetts, where the Brady-less Patriots have been on a little bit of a roll with backup Matt Cassel at the helm. Having worked out wins in the first two weeks, they had a cupcake Miami team coming into town, fresh off a 21-point drubbing at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals last week. Easy "W" of course. In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The 'Phins came in ready to play -- or at least one of them did. Ronnie Brown had a career day for the visiting team, putting up gaudy numbers. He ran for four scores, three of which were direct snaps straight to him. The best way to keep Chad Pennington from messing up is to just bypass him entirely, apparently. The longest of those plays resulted in a 62-yard scamper to pay dirt. Brown also <em>threw</em> for a score, taking yet another direct snap and lobbing it left-handed to an open Anthony Fasano in the end zone. As far as I can tell, there is no need for Chad Pennington to even bother suiting up for the next game. Brown accounted for all five touchdowns then, as the Dolphins posted a stunning 38-13 upset on the road.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">In Philadelphia, the Steelers and the Eagles played a blue-collar game in the trenches. Brian Westbrook left the game with an ankle injury early, after stepping on the leg of a blocker. He would not return to play, leaving the primary work to Correll Buckhalter, who stepped into the role nicely. He only ran for 12 yards, but he caught six passes, including a Donovan McNabb touchdown pass, which was a very important touchdown pass indeed. It was the only one scored in the contest, and it was #176 for McNabb, moving him into first place all-time among Eagles' QB's. May I remind you that he is the pride of... Syracuse University.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The home team's defense was all over the field today, and all over visiting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They sacked him eight times and picked off one of his passes, shutting down the Steelers offense entirely. Eagles get the win 15-6.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The injury to Brian Westbrook seems to be minor, relatively speaking. The word is that it is a strained ankle, and he will have a precautionary MRI today.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Elsewhere, we had some real barn burners going on in the last two minutes. In a game that truly proved Oakland's suckiness, they blew a 16-point lead with eight minutes remaining to lose to the Buffalo Bills 24-23. Ryan Lindell directed a 38-yard field goal in between the posts as time ran out to put his team on top.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">The Bears know a thing or two about blowing leads as well. Last week, they fell to the Carolina Panthers after having them down 17-3 in the second half. Fast forward one week, where they are on top of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-14 in the fourth quarter. All of the sudden, a 35-yard Mark Bryant field goal and an inspired 79-yard game-tying Brian Griese touchdown drive later, the Bears find themselves in overtime, trying to block a game-winning 21-yard chip shot. They couldn't, and they end up dropping their second straight game in fall-from-ahead fashion.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Another OT game, Bengals at Giants. After a back-and-forth affair, Cincinnati stormed down the field at the end of the regulation to tie things up 23-23 on the foot of Shayne Graham. He was outdone by New York's kicker though. Backup John Carney tallied four field goals, including the big one from 22 yards out to give the G-Men the win in the extra period.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">Kickers were the story of the day, and it was no different in Denver, where the Broncos held off the New Orleans Saints 34-32. The visiting kicker, Martin Gramatica, had a 43-yard try with less than two minutes remaining to put his club in the lead. He pushed it wide right though, and the Broncos held the ball as the clock expired.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify">And one more close one, a disappointment to me. In the match between Jacksonville and Indianapolis, both of the Jaguars' running backs -- Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew -- topped 100 yards on the ground. Their team possessed the ball for a whopping 41 minutes, controlling the pace of the game with a few solid drives. Despite that, they found themselves trailing as the clock worked against them in the final minutes. Having made it down to the 34-yard line, kicker Josh Scobee lined up for a field goal try with four seconds on the clock. Just as he did in 2004 -- the last time the Jags beat the Colts -- Scobee drilled the long try, giving Jacksonville a big road win and moving both teams to 1-2 on the year.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify"><u>Tidbits:</u></p> <ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <li> <div align="justify">Tenessee Titans defensive back Cortland Finnegan had a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown, eclipsing the franchise record by one yard. Houston QB Matt Schaub was the one who threw the bad ball.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">The Steelers have lost their last eight games in Philadelphia, dating back to 1965.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Baltimore defensive back Ed Reed returned a Derek Anderson interception for a touchdown in the Ravens' win. The franchise is now 29-5 when scoring a defensive TD.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Ed Hochuli was the referee in charge of that Browns/Ravens game, one week after blowing the big call for San Diego. The Hoch is the still the league's best ref, and hopefully we have moved on. The NFL has, officially asking Ed to quit talking about the botched whistle.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Gus Frerotte got the start at QB for Minnesota this week, relegating Tavaris Jackson to the bench after two miserable games. You know you're struggling when Gus Frerotte is a better option for your team.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Larry Johnson now has 4,981 career rushing yards, moving him ahead of Christian Okoye and into second place on the Chiefs' all-time list.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">The Patriots' loss ends their incredible string of 21 straight regular-season wins. The 25-point margin was the biggest defeat in seven seasons at Gillette Stadium. Ellis Hobbs set a franchise record though, with 237 yards on six kickoff returns. Setting a kick return record is a good indication you have lost the game.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Buffalo's win marks the first time a team other than New England is on top of the AFC East since Week 4 of 2005. The Bills are now solely in the lead.</div> </li> <li> <div align="justify">Including the preseason, Indianapolis is now 0-4 in their new home, Lucas Oil Stadium.</div> </li> </ul> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="justify"></p>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-4093128829222471392008-09-15T13:22:00.007-04:002008-09-22T00:39:06.909-04:00Back, But Not Back-Back<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've been back in the States for more than a week now, just laying low and taking care of a few things that I've neglected for too long. And lots of laundry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have a good bit to write about, mostly because I am behind and need to catch up on the past couple weeks. If I'm honest though, I just haven't had the energy or the motivation to sit down and write of late. It frustrates me, so I am preparing for a self-inflicted forced-writing regiment. I have decided to broaden this blog out a little bit, because there's a lot more going on than just poker, and limiting myself to only a few subjects makes me not want to write about anything at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And to that end...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I just built myself a new computer, which I should spend a fair portion of my life sitting in front of if all goes according to plan. This PC is a huge step up from my last box, which I built several years ago around a starter Pentium 4 with crappy RAM. Setting out, I intended to just build something basic and quick this time, but ended up getting a bit carried away. For you nerds out there, this is what your mom stares at when she's under my desk:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Asus P5Q Pro ATX motherboard</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Rosewill 500W power supply</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">G. Skill 4GB DDR2 1100 Dual Channel Memory</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Western Digital Caviar 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sony NEC Optiarc DVD+/-RW with LightScribe</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Creative Sound Blaster 7.1 X-Fi Titanium</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ASUS Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">... all packed inside a Cooler Master Centurion case and manipulated by a wonderful Logitech S510 Cordless Keyboard and Mouse that I found for cheap. I planned to build a $500 system but came out with a $1200 monster that I love instead. It's super fast, though I am becoming a bit frustrated by some of the software limitations of 64-bit. And I am still working some of the glitches out of my video card, it seems. I'd like to buy a nice set of speakers now to take advantage of my sound card, but it's not imperative.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I had two main intentions when I was setting up this system. Primarily, I wanted big speed for processing photos and videos and for rocking out the occasional graphically-intensive game. Mission accomplished. Secondly, I wanted to set up more of an office environment that would be conducive to daily blogging. I'm not sure if I've succeeded in that yet; only time will tell. But I am working to create a fully functional workspace where I can do some good, productive things.</span><br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-46265607015418428392008-09-09T23:33:00.002-04:002008-09-29T14:56:21.080-04:00Do You Know the Way to Barcelona?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhlmJJPHzG_XXYq4jn9-GiYW53ut22SOgEIYJySBBe74kl3pkAOSbJ-QRrVMOFXJEUd4yew5Jp1Otcs-xBb2XPK8Gefc745_XWh6b8jLbqCm2Z9SdUeNyl2fGkkqeNFf7diiG6apDbNo/s1600-h/DSC_8646.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhlmJJPHzG_XXYq4jn9-GiYW53ut22SOgEIYJySBBe74kl3pkAOSbJ-QRrVMOFXJEUd4yew5Jp1Otcs-xBb2XPK8Gefc745_XWh6b8jLbqCm2Z9SdUeNyl2fGkkqeNFf7diiG6apDbNo/s400/DSC_8646.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248927288814073138" border="0" /></a><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Dammit.</span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I am in Nice, France again, having checked out of the worst hotel on the planet earlier in the day in Cannes. My intentions were to get to Barcelona, Spain today and stay there until my scheduled return to the States on the 15th. Well, that didn't quite pan out, and it's mostly my fault... for once.</span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic50ggKexlhs2cNiekAbj6JB3d0LicKfbeHfvBIwGE8qLEBGgjWT5ez8DfBcSqkQjEwtzCBrajc8v-8VTBlHMXWVw237KZHD8d1_Coxa6bnYlesbCqb7N_RoQTqgBGKdAup-ITzKkNNl4/s1600-h/DSC_8637.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic50ggKexlhs2cNiekAbj6JB3d0LicKfbeHfvBIwGE8qLEBGgjWT5ez8DfBcSqkQjEwtzCBrajc8v-8VTBlHMXWVw237KZHD8d1_Coxa6bnYlesbCqb7N_RoQTqgBGKdAup-ITzKkNNl4/s400/DSC_8637.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248928714554727602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >If you ever get the chance to stay here... don't.</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > Four stars my ass.</span><br /><br /></div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I got up this morning and checked airfare. I know there are a few airlines that fly intracontinentally here in Europe for very cheap. Like, less than $50 cheap. But I couldn't find any flights on those airlines, and the mega airlines were charging, oh, just $1,000 or so for the 1 hour flight. Yikes.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>How about a train? Lots of people travel by train in Europe, right? Well, apparently LOTS of people travel by train, because they were completely sold out.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>I know: I'll rent a car and drive there! Through the Pyranees, no less... perfect. I shopped around for a good rate for about an hour or so. I could rent one way to Spain and only pay for one day of rental, something like €90. Oh, then there's a €250 fee for dropping the car off in a different country and I still have to find a way back to Nice a few days later. Hmmm. OK, help me out Europcar... There we go. Five days of car rental for just under €200, about $300. That's really all I was looking for, so I booked it.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>Seeing the bright prospect of leaving France just ahead of me, I hop on the bus back to the airport, where I am scheduled to pick up my supposed car. I get to the desk and they tell me that they need to authorize my credit card for €1,000 as a deposit. That's like $1,600 USD. Ouch... but whatever. They refund it if the car is returned safely. Then I realize that I only have one credit card with me, and I don't have enough head room on it to process the transaction. Call the bank, transferred to five different people, credit check, animated menus with faulty voice recognition technology, full interview, credit line increase, etc.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>Back to the Europcar desk some 45 minutes later, which is, by the way, conveniently located on the polar opposite side of the airport. I'm really regretting packing such a big suitcase. Fill out more piles of paperwork. Finally, after a year's worth of hassles, I'm finally all set to go. The bitch -- sorry, the lady -- walks me through the receipt, and it totals €582 Euros, roughly $900 USD. From $300 to $900... quite le jump, non?</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>The culprit was the myriads of fees they tack on at the end, including €40/day for insurance, €33/day for being under the age of 25, and on and on and on. Plus, I had to pay ridiculous EU gas prices back and forth on the 600km trip to Barcelona and back. It was going to end up costing me about $1,200 or so in the end, just for travel. No thanks, France. You can keep your damn Hyundai i50.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>They're still adding fees on to my bill at the desk.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>So. It appears now that I won't be going to Barcelona, thanks in part to my lack of planning, intentional though it was. Now I'm in the airport in Nice with no hotel room, no rental car, no friends, and I have to sit next to a particularly smelly vagrant while I sulk.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>At least there's French coffee.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>*****</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>Enough. I get on the phone to Delta and tell them to book me a ticket on the first thing steaming. They charge me a measley $170.02 to change my ticket, and before you know it, I'm all set up to depart at 10:50am tomorrow morning. It was not what I had planned, but I'm more than a little bit relieved to be getting out of this damn country. $170 is quite a small price to pay. See you tomorrow, America.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span><span><span><span>Wait, what the fuck am I going to do for the next 16 hours?<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg2FPI_I5pUPegvPkSUe75VBPqlXfTLdarRvw98HR8vjy4ibHuePeRVcUln_pKUU2Xvo1thQcDgRFWY9nSFQ7v-3rnbC8M5Yjgp79OkDnfEkfehJGKR4kRV6MmhbSqVxbt9PUNUtTuC0/s1600-h/DSC_8641.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg2FPI_I5pUPegvPkSUe75VBPqlXfTLdarRvw98HR8vjy4ibHuePeRVcUln_pKUU2Xvo1thQcDgRFWY9nSFQ7v-3rnbC8M5Yjgp79OkDnfEkfehJGKR4kRV6MmhbSqVxbt9PUNUtTuC0/s400/DSC_8641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248931108875901346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All's quiet inside the airport at 11:10pm</span></span><br /></div></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-3950282681577795972008-08-31T16:32:00.003-04:002008-09-22T15:47:03.056-04:00Away to Franceland<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I know, I know... I'm sorry. This poor blog never gets updated anymore. What can I say? Things aren't terribly blogworthy in central North Carolina, in my opinion. My lackluster updating motivation is going to change immediately though, at least for the next couple weeks.<br /><br />I'm in Raleigh/Durham International Airport at this particular moment, about to board a big ole jet air-li-nerrr to Nice, France. Nice. The event I'm covering is the Partouche Poker Tour main event, which features a buy-in of €8,200. I am flying to Nice via the Greater Cincinnati Internationl Airport (which is in Kentucky, of course), then Paris, and then I have to arrange some sort of transportation from Nice to my hotel in Cannes. Probably a bus. I will be with the boss-man Garry Gates for this trip, along with blogger extrordinaire Marc Convey. Also making the trip are the multimedia team of Thomas Kinsman and Gloria Balding.<br /><br />I've always had an itching desire to go to Europe, but honestly France was at the very bottom of les places I wanted to le see. Now that I am en route (the only French I speak) though, I am really terribly excited about this trip. My plan as of right now is to spend about a week in Cannes, five of which will be tournament working days. After the tournament, I still have about a week of time to kill, and I intend to plan the remainder of my trip as little as possible, damn the torpedoes. The only real plan I have so far is to check out Barcelona, Spain, where the EPT event will be going on. PokerNews-ers Marc, Logan, Aussie Thomas, and Kristin will be there, so at least I'll have a couple familiar faces across the ocean. Apart from that, Dublin, Edinborough, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague, Naples, and Venice are all possible layovers on my way back to Nice, where I catch my return flight.<br /><br />There's this feeling that I am growing accustomed to of late. It started pre-Vegas, when I arrived at the airport and realized that I was going to a new place. Somewhere that was not North Carolina. And it was great. It wasn't even excitement about Vegas so much, though I dooo love Vegas. It was more a sense of relief that I was away from the same old same old at home. And not that I don't like it here. I'll say it once so I never have to say it again in posts like this: I like it here. I just don't... love it here. I found that airport-induced feeling of freedom kicking up again when I was headed to Uruguay, and again today, as I once again leave North Carolina for places that are different. For better or for worse. Different.<br /><br />It all really comes back to my nomadic instincts and disposition. I really should have been a hunter-gatherer or like a wandering monk or something, because I would never stop moving if I had my choice. I've also become quite familiar with this set of feelings. Any time I am in a place or a stage in my life for too long, I become disenchanted with whatever it is I am doing. I get lazy and lethargic and settle into a boring old rut of predictibility. The grind. I don't like it. When that starts to happen, I require a big circle changeup to knock me back off balance and get me refocused on what it is I am really doing with myself. Something has to get shaken up in my world. It gives me something to do.<br /><br />The excursion to Vegas was just that cross-up pitch I needed. It shook me out of my rut and brought me back to a forward-thinking, goal-oriented place where I can actually be somewhat productive. Needless to say then, with my current job, I am really enjoying the travel and the transient nature of life these days. The fact that at any moment, I might be whisked away to some far off land all alone with a responsibility to someone other than myself. How's that for shaking things up a bit.<br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896476244958536043.post-30945056086038621302008-08-12T18:41:00.020-04:002008-09-29T15:16:34.494-04:00Adios Uruguay, Hello United States<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I have spent the last six days in the southern hemisphere, and now I am in Montevideo Carrasco International Airport -- ready to be home, but not at all ready to get on that plane for the 16-hour, 2-leg jaunt that is required to get there. Since I only really mentioned the tournament before, I figured I'd kill some time and reflect a little bit while running you through my trip from bow to stern.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />The story of my Uruguayan adventure actually picks up somewhere over northern Brazil, where we find Eric peacefully dozing in and out of a mild sleep. I am in the aisle seat next to a Hispanic gentleman who is sleeping soundly, and in between dreamlets I feel a tap on my shoulder. I open my eyes, and the person standing above me, I would soon learn, was a poker player named Andy Altmeyer.<br /><br />Andy was flying with <a href="http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-pokerstars-ept-san-remo/main-event/day4/">EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier</a>, and the two of them were carrying a good bit of cash between them, which was about to become a problem. International customs requires passengers to declare any amount of money over $10,000, but from what I understand, the flight attendants on the plane told Andy and Jason that it might not be a good idea to declare large amounts of money, citing a number of very logical scenarios. So Andy walked around the plane, using his people-reading skills to pluck fellow poker players out of the lineup and ask if we could each help the situation by bringing some of their cash into the country. I had a little less than $2,500 on me, so I took $7,500 for them, capping out my $10K undeclared limit. For people who make a living lying and stealing at the table, poker players are generally extremely trusting about money exchanges like this. So, a few of us on board helped the two gents out, and all the money was safely and promptly returned to them once we hit the ground in Uruguay.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKAPl5hF-AyX8VUaWxTYYQKNxHpEfhPRSJMFdNqwrZdLVLgFAniiU7Bw1vNtp6hkhrpdDUAuvVwPyjUPxYCZ2MHjJN75OrU2WYkOzZBwpFjnutIPpK2w8yp34vGIo0Q38Z9D3yfXUqFs/s1600-h/DSC_6584.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKAPl5hF-AyX8VUaWxTYYQKNxHpEfhPRSJMFdNqwrZdLVLgFAniiU7Bw1vNtp6hkhrpdDUAuvVwPyjUPxYCZ2MHjJN75OrU2WYkOzZBwpFjnutIPpK2w8yp34vGIo0Q38Z9D3yfXUqFs/s400/DSC_6584.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237929694742954754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Jason Mercier</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqPRG_GYG3PMJXvfje_L-stB6Onwl7mnfcmNz_bFd14kB6C2Ks9_AiAkUJ454is3JDelhpSA5o28S-rjN4MOj80iqGHznfaknhQS6afT-x_P9gPaPr23iRObnIlnXny-5rTJduqiZv5w/s1600-h/DSC_6637.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqPRG_GYG3PMJXvfje_L-stB6Onwl7mnfcmNz_bFd14kB6C2Ks9_AiAkUJ454is3JDelhpSA5o28S-rjN4MOj80iqGHznfaknhQS6afT-x_P9gPaPr23iRObnIlnXny-5rTJduqiZv5w/s400/DSC_6637.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237929701321003554" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Andy Altmeyer</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Since they were headed to the same place as me, I ended up sharing the 90-minute ride with Jason and Andy from the airport here in Montevideo to the beach-side resort town of Punta del Este -- or more specifically, La Barra. We were also joined by two Icelandic players who were good for a laugh. I was navigating, and we only got lost once on the way to the hotel. When we did get lost, we had our first encounter with the local folk, and I was duly impressed. We stopped in front of a house just outside of Punta del Este on some twisty neighborhood street because we saw a guy doing work in his yard. The five of us combined our broken Spanish skills to ask him for a little guidance. He spoke no English whatsoever, but he proceeded to spend the next five minutes giving us turn by turn instructions and making sure we understood what he meant. Pleasant fellow.</span><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />“Mantenga el mar a la derecha,” he said -- “Keep the ocean on the right.” We did as he instructed, and in a few minutes' time we were back on track, aiming for the skyline of our destination ahead.<br /><br />Punta del Este is surrounded on three sides by the ocean, and it is referred to as the South Beach of South America. All along the coastline, there are high-rise hotels and condos. There is also a big shopping district on the interior of the peninsula. There is one big difference though. Miami is open all year.<br /><br />Not so much with Punta. Now that it's winter in the bottom hemisphere, pretty much the only living creatures inhabiting the city are construction crews and stray dogs. Punta del Este has a population of about 10,000 residents, and that number might even be a bit generous during the winter. During the summer though, there are upwards of 1,000,000 people there at any given time. From what I read and hear, it is the premier summer vacation destination for wealthy cocaine tycoons and their mistresses from October to March. Boo for going there in August.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ZMVk3CicPURzvZA4PosVhyvQPwNxm7EBWM7M1JT1QtRToPe-P865749NHWU0l9sxOuCgtAHwxEftJXXzLQWcnmfpe69ImRYGBXp91o5iyIdbpLv5lhX_G1UodMZc4hOFaedUXa3zP8/s1600-h/DSC_7389.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ZMVk3CicPURzvZA4PosVhyvQPwNxm7EBWM7M1JT1QtRToPe-P865749NHWU0l9sxOuCgtAHwxEftJXXzLQWcnmfpe69ImRYGBXp91o5iyIdbpLv5lhX_G1UodMZc4hOFaedUXa3zP8/s400/DSC_7389.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237940201137667458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Whose idea was this?</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Once you cross the stomach-churning bridge into La Barra though, things look different. It is pretty much comprised of one long road that parallels the beach, with an alternating mix of real estate offices, small restaurants and shops, and small unkempt houses. About 4 kilometers down the road is the turn off for the <a href="http://www.mantraresort.com/_web_english/default.asp">Mantra Resort Spa Casino</a>, where I stayed for the duration of my trip. The Mantra is recognized as one of the top 80 hotels in the world -- which, I'm assuming, means it's #80-ish. But anyways, it was a damn fine place to stay, with heavenly rooms and magnificent service from the entire staff. I'm not used to that sort of pampering, but I was able to adjust to it rather quickly. The hotel includes one super fancy-schmancy restaurant, one regularly-fancy restaurant, a wine bar, and a snack lounge in the lobby area, where I spent a good bit of my down time. They also serve afternoon tea there in the lounge. How quaint. The property possesses a pool, a casino, a world-class spa, a movie theater, outdoor shops, an outdoor banquet area, tennis and volleyball courts, and apparently miles of forest trails where one can take a guided small or large game hunting trip, if they were so inclined. All of that crammed into what I would call a "small" hotel. It was only three stories tall and I would guess it has about 120 rooms. Really an incredible place. I can't say enough about the staff; they were unbelievably accommodating. So, PokerStars put me up there for five nights, and then I paid for one night of my own after the tournament was over. More on that in a bit.<br /><br />On the tournament days, I'd wake up at 9:30 or so and hop in the shower. By the time I got out and dried off all my 2,001 body parts, there'd be a knock at the door with my breakfast, which I had ordered the night before using a handy door tag menu thingy. Perfectly-scrambled eggs, amazing fresh fruit, and the best coffee and orange juice I've ever tasted. When I finished chowing down, I'd walk from the hotel area across the courtyard over to the Mantra Plaza -- where the casino and whatnot were located -- to begin setting up to cover the tournament for the day. The tournament wasn't actually held in the casino; it was downstairs in an open area that is normally used for meetings, small conventions, and the like. I set up in the media room for the first two days, grabbed another cup of coffee, and got things rolling on the blog while servers in well-pressed white shirts rotated in and out with drinks, cookies, pastries, and tea sandwiches. The days seemed to go by relatively fast, and by about midnight, I was out of there and ready for a cold beer and a warm bed. I hung out in the wine bar or the lobby lounge most nights, drinking expensive beer and passing stories back and forth with other media and players.<br /><br />So the tournament ended on Saturday, and I spent Sunday laying low and catching up on some sleep -- just lazing about in general. Watched some of the Olympics finally, played lots of online poker, had a few cocktails, ya know. Sunday night was the last night I had booked at the Mantra, and my plans after that were open-ended. I was considering taking the ferry to Buenos Aires, Argentina, or else checking out Colonia in Uruguay, which I heard was both historic and modern. Intriguing. Something changed yesterday when I woke up though. I wasn't really in the mood to do much, being all alone, and I didn't want to spend a magnificent amount of money doing whatever I decided to do. Besides, both places were kinda far away, and I didn't have a way to get there in a timely fashion. I flirted with the idea of going home last night, but I decided to make it tonight instead. I snatched a cab back to Punta and rented a car for the day so that I could at least get around and see some of the sights nearby before I bounced. I drove around the beaches and wandered around taking photos. It was great.<br /><br />I got preoccupied though, and neglected to book a hotel anywhere for that night. I could have gotten one at Mantra again, but I didn't want to drop another $160 really. My flight was scheduled for 10:05pm tonight, so I decided I'd pull a Vegas and just stay up all night. I went back to the lobby at Mantra and loitered for a while. I had about 9 of those delicious cafes con leches to keep me going, and got to work playing online poker at around 7:00pm. A few hours later, PokerStars pro Alexandre Gomes and about a half dozen of his boys came down to the lobby to eat and drink and play online poker as well. We're all the same, us poker players. They were having a good time, and every now and then got rowdy enough to draw good-natured "shush"-es from the gentleman at the front desk.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k7H_HpHsHhuFAYh2d-hIKJMqyrZEXSoCtqaeclwaL_Oh2OlxOu5YVqODVIQJ2uSsNTJppUdsp_tP9YnqHOQkVlK0OFop9ybUFI_3wZURolIOGQbXveFAQhmuvbSToEAagUTbFKIUpIM/s1600-h/DSC_7345.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k7H_HpHsHhuFAYh2d-hIKJMqyrZEXSoCtqaeclwaL_Oh2OlxOu5YVqODVIQJ2uSsNTJppUdsp_tP9YnqHOQkVlK0OFop9ybUFI_3wZURolIOGQbXveFAQhmuvbSToEAagUTbFKIUpIM/s400/DSC_7345.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237941677204927522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Alexandre Gomes (right) playing online poker in the lobby</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;">It got to be 5:30am and I was in trouble. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I debated my options. I either had to drink a few more coffees or I had to sleep somewhere. I was walking back to my car to catch a couple uncomfortable hours of half-reclined shuteye when I decided to drop by my ex-room just for laughs. I slipped my expired key card into the slot in front of room #45, and wouldn't you know the friendly green light blinked at me in cooperation. I already had my apology prepared for the people I was about to wake up inside, but I found the room devoid of life... and bed linens for that matter. Who cares? I flopped onto the naked bed and grabbed at least four good hours of solid sleep. It wasn't much, but it was all I needed to tide me over.<br /><br />So I woke up about 10:00am, figuring it was a good idea to get out of there before housekeeping found me occupying an unoccupied room. I splashed a little water at my face and bid farewell to Mantra and La Barra. I had to get the rental car to Montevideo before 4:00pm, so I headed back that way. Along the route, I stopped for a few hours in Carrasco, which is pretty a pretty run-down city of old condos and bad drivers. I was actually searching for a shot glass for my dad and a leather something-or-other for my mom. I found the area's market center, a miles-long stretch of indoor and outdoor shops on a street called La Calle Ocho de Octubre. It was populated and full of merchandise, but a lot of it was cheesy and many of the vendors had the same crap. Not a shot glass in sight either. Finally after about two hours and two miles of shopping, I managed to find what I was looking for -- a small shot glass with a Uruguayan flag, tucked between a marijuana-leaf zippo and a statue of the virgin Mary in some little tienda -- so I headed back to my car and got the hell out of there.<br /><br />That was pretty much the end of my vacation, and I am actually halfway happy that it is coming to a close. I did indeed have a great time. But there are a lot of things about being in a strange place alone that aren't really a whole lot of fun. I speak enough Spanish to get by, but not enough to really converse on a deep level with the locals. The food is mediocre once you leave the friendly confines of a five-diamond resort. The drivers are god-awful and I'm lucky to be alive. The cities are clean, yet dirty at the same time. I'm not vaccinated for hepatitis. Everything is 15 years behind the USA. They still sell Sega Genesis, for example, and their computers still have keyboards that go “ka-clink ka-clink” when you press the keys. They still make carbon copies of your credit card with that machine that rolls over your plastic and copies the numbers onto the paper. They don't sell Marlboro Blue 72's.<br /><br />I had a damn fantastic time while I was here, and I loved the country. But it's not like being home in the United States of Technology. Voy a salir!<br /></span></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00047733367208237622noreply@blogger.com0