Over at Athletics Nation, Tyler Blezinski lands another interview with Billy Beane and gets some very good quotes from him. If you are a baseball fan, check it out. Its in two parts, so you need to scroll down to the bottom for the first part.
To the question of the decision on signing Chavy over Tejada:
Beane: First of all, we signed Chavy during last spring training. Then he goes out and wins another gold glove, leads the league in walks, misses six weeks and hits 29 home runs. So no one writes anything then. What they do is they take, out of context, two months of struggling. We've always said Miguel is a spectacular player. It would take too long to explain, but the revisionist history of what went on is just wrong. The fact of the matter is that I'm happy that we have Chavez at third and Crosby at short. That's my choice. It will be my choice. I have absolutely no doubt that it will be the right choice. But Miguel is a marvelous player and who wouldn't say that? There was never a choice given at the time.
To the question of the Hudson Trade:
Beane: I guess I would reverse it and say, would we be better in that situation if we still had Tim right now? That's the question I would pose. Would we be better had we not done those trades? The trades weren't made to be judged every single day. Again, two marvelous players, two marvelous talents and two marvelous individuals. But those trades were made because we had to make those trades. Everyone seems to want to cover it daily, but we're still pleased. We have the benefit of having an extended amount of time to judge these deals. The fact of the matter is with younger players you aren't going to get immediate satisfaction. That being said, I'm pleased with the way Danny Haren is throwing. I couldn't be more happy with Daric Barton's progress. I'm very happy with what I see out of Kiko Calero. Charles (Thomas) is down in Sacramento and he's tearing it up in Sacramento. He didn't really get the opportunity to play here, but we knew that was a possibility that might happen initially. Dan Meyer's season has been very frustrating, but he's 23.
Blez: The thing about it is that, I think it was after 27
On the question if Zito's health was a factor of him not being traded:
Beane: It's important. As you see, with a club like ours, we just don't have that replacement. Z's performance has been very good and his durability has been something that is just so crucial to us.
Beane: Yeah, we have no intention of trading Barry. Barry is 27 years old and such an important part of this team.
On the Kotsay situation:
Beane: Exactly. I just think we need to see how it goes. That being said, we're also going to make sure we have the best baseball team and we're going to do that within the confines of what we have to operate with now. I've said this many times, economically, we're in a position that sometimes keeps us from making bad baseball decisions. If we signed everyone's favorite player here, every year they came up, we'd be in big trouble right now. As a fan, you can look back and say, wow, good thing they didn't do that. But we don't have that luxury here. We can't go "oops" and then just erase the mistake. So in many cases, we're prevented from making a bad baseball decision. You want to be in a position where you can make some really good ones. Miguel is a great example. He's a great player. Who wouldn't want him? Baltimore has a great player. We need to get ourselves in a position where we can make those good baseball decisions and have the financially ability. But there are some where we just aren't allowed to because we just don't have the ability to.
On the risk of running a team by paying for future performance:
Beane: Of course, but there's risk in running a small market. It's a must. We're one of the lowest payrolls, we're sharing a market, we've got a stadium that leaks.Well, it's a fact. We share a stadium with another team. And especially for anyone who used to watch games here before they built that monstrosity in center field, they already know it. But as for paying for what a player will do, we have to. If we're paying for past performance, we're destined to have a bloated payroll far beyond our means. Now there are risks, as you are saying, because you're trying anticipate future performance by investing in it. Other teams are also in that boat. The Cleveland Indians are also kind of there. The Kansas City Royals. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays. There are a number of teams now that aren't in the position to pay for the premium, premium players. It's a function of our situation right now. Hopefully that will change.
Jun 30, 2005
Corporate Life Part III
Never trust a guy who doesn't carry his own briefcase. It baffles my mind everytime I see a guy pulling his laptop bag behind him. I just want to go up to him and comment on how much of a pussy he is for not being strong enough to carry a 10 pound bag. This will now become part of my interview process for all new hires.
Jun 29, 2005
Any requests for Royals gear?
The family and I are heading to Kansas City this weekend for a fun-filled vacation, and we just got tickets to the Royals game. I've heard good things about Kaufmann stadium, so I'm interested to see if those things are true.
If anyone wants me to pick up any Royals gear (Chris??) , let me know!
If anyone wants me to pick up any Royals gear (Chris??) , let me know!
Hampton! Santa Clara!
More match play fun this week - the Iowa State Match play started today with a seeding round. 78 players played to fill in the 64 person field.
I tried to give it away with a 9 on the last hole, but I made it into the field with a smooth 82 (ugh) and am officially the #60 seed in the bracket. This is equivalent to a #15 seed in the NCAA torunament.
My first round tomorrow is against a college guy from Nebraska who shot 70 today. Tee time at 8:54 CT, and in-match updates should be available at iowagolf.org.
Let's see if I can duplicate what Hampton and Santa Clara has done in the past.
I tried to give it away with a 9 on the last hole, but I made it into the field with a smooth 82 (ugh) and am officially the #60 seed in the bracket. This is equivalent to a #15 seed in the NCAA torunament.
My first round tomorrow is against a college guy from Nebraska who shot 70 today. Tee time at 8:54 CT, and in-match updates should be available at iowagolf.org.
Let's see if I can duplicate what Hampton and Santa Clara has done in the past.
Jun 28, 2005
Bogut Bogut Bogut
Is everyone ready for probably the second biggest bust in NBA draft history tonight with the biggest bust being Kwame Brown. Also, don't underestimate how big of a flop M. Williams will be in the two slot.
Over/Under on Bogut's first year numbers.
FG %: 45%
Points: 9
Rebounds: 6
Number of crotches in his face from opponent's dunk attempts: 24
Over/Under on Bogut's first year numbers.
FG %: 45%
Points: 9
Rebounds: 6
Number of crotches in his face from opponent's dunk attempts: 24
Jun 27, 2005
Vegas Hotel/Casino Review
Since I'm already tired of the Real World/Tribe blogs, I thought that I would start a thread that will probably interest everyone on this degenerate-laden site: gambling, and specifically, Vegas hotels/casinos. I'll try to post something every day or so and have everyone comment on it. I'll start with the Mirage, and since I never leave the Mirage, the meat of most of the rest of the posts will be up to you guys.
THE MIRAGE
-My Background
You have to realize that I have gone to Vegas every year for the last 6-7 years during the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tourney. The reason I go is to gamble. I'm married, so I'm not really looking to hook up with some cougar LA slut (although I'm happy to drunkenly ogle your enormous fake breasts from across the craps table while you pull 100's out of your meathead boyfriend's pocket). I'm also not really interested in the club scene that Real World Las Vegas has made so popular (see Ghost Bar, Rain, etc). Thanks, but I get my fill of douchebag meatheads with too much shit in their hair in tight Abercrombie t-shirts and $150 jeans here in DC. So for me, the Mirage is a pretty good fit.
-The Scene
Opened Nov 22, 1989, the Mirage was the first of it's kind. Financed with newly-invented junk bonds, the Mirage was one of the first (if not the first) themed hotels. However, it is showing it's age. You enter into a vanilla-scented lobby and must pass through an enoumous enclosed rain forest to enter the gaming area. The ceilings tend to be a little low, and the Polynesian theme is dated compared to today's casinos. This in turn keeps the demographics of the patrons a decidedly mixed lot. It certainly skews older and male, probably upper-middle class or so. I've seen everyone from "construction executives" pulling wads of 100's from their Sergio Tacchini track suits to Mike Fratello, the "Czar of the Telestrater" to Kevin James (one of the guys from CBS's Yes, Dear). The low end of the weekend table limits tend to be $25-$50, high enough to keep much of the trash out, but low enough to keep it an interesting mix.
-The Dealers
The dealers tend to be a little bit older, which means that you can't ask them what place is hot on a Thursday night. But it'a a small tradeoff for someone who actually can converse with you on the odds of playing a certain hand, why to do it and it what situations it is called for. They've also seen a lot and have generally been around for a while, so they "get it". The dealers generally have a pretty good rapport with the pit boss(es) and can get things for you. Whether it's vouching for you in getting comps, getting a hand fixed when you make a mistake after 14 vodka & sodas, or holding your spot while you run to put bets down on the upcoming Lady Blue Devils game, an experienced dealer has much more sway with a pit boss. Something that the 25 yr old blackjack dealer who just quit her job at Friday's will never have (although she has the perfect tits busting out of her shirt that my guy will never have) .
-The Gaming
The Mirage is moving more and more towards automated shufflers which is a sad thing for the players. Gambling always involves a great deal of superstition, karma, and misc other voodoo and players feel that the machines serve to kill any type of good run that you might have. I know that the cards are random, but any gambler will agree with me. Give him a choice between a table with an automatic shuffler and a shoe, and 99% of gamblers will take the shoe.
The Mirage also has a good range of table games, baccarat and mini-bac, enough craps tables to usually get on a table, blackjack galore (auto shuffler and shoes), pai gow (tiles for us Asians and poker for you round-eyes), roulette (for chicks, gay guys, and Derek), and all the randoms where you throw away the money you may have won from the last 17 hours of poker (Casino War, the Money Wheel, 3-Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride, etc).
The Mirage poker room is probably one of the better rooms in Vegas. It's pretty big, with a good mix of players, and a good range of games (in terms of types of poker and minimum bets), with plasmas everywhere. I'm not much of a poker player, but from what I hear, it's pretty good.
-Sports Book
Another aspect where the Mirage shines, in my opinion. It's a huge room that houses both the race and sports book. During the tournament, people camp out for seats in the book, literally sleeping in their chairs for the opportunity to sit and watch games in my idea of heaven. The Mirage sports book is big enough to handle the crush of people betting on every game, but not so big to where it gets impersonal and cavernous.
Possibly the best two things about the first weekend of the NCAA tourney are when the CBS music comes on at 9am Vegas time on Thursday, and at the end of any big upset. It's unlike any other place I've been and something you really have to experience to understand.
-Other (Pool, Shows, Clubs, etc)
One of the places where the Mirage really shows it's age is the lack of clubs and the lack of a pool scene. Today's hotels feature one or more clubs and actually derive a rapidly diminishing portion of their revenues from gaming (usually now under 50%, down from over 70% just a few years ago). Also, places like the Palms and the Hard Rock are known to stock their pools with strippers. Literally. They will often give the girls rooms, comps, free access to the gym, or food and beverage to use the pool. I went to the Mirage pool once (3-4 years ago) and there was no such thing. I guess that I don't really care since it keeps the meathead factor down and I'm never at the pool anyway.
I don't care about shows either, but for the sake of completeness, the Mirage features Danny Gans and hosts rotating performers (David Spade, Wayne Brady, Ray Romano, Jay Leno, etc) in the old Sigfried and Roy theater. I think that it's only a matter of time until they turn the S&R theater into a club of some kind in order to get in line with the rest of the Vegas places.
NEXT EPISODE: Hard Rock and The Palms
THE MIRAGE
-My BackgroundYou have to realize that I have gone to Vegas every year for the last 6-7 years during the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tourney. The reason I go is to gamble. I'm married, so I'm not really looking to hook up with some cougar LA slut (although I'm happy to drunkenly ogle your enormous fake breasts from across the craps table while you pull 100's out of your meathead boyfriend's pocket). I'm also not really interested in the club scene that Real World Las Vegas has made so popular (see Ghost Bar, Rain, etc). Thanks, but I get my fill of douchebag meatheads with too much shit in their hair in tight Abercrombie t-shirts and $150 jeans here in DC. So for me, the Mirage is a pretty good fit.
-The Scene
Opened Nov 22, 1989, the Mirage was the first of it's kind. Financed with newly-invented junk bonds, the Mirage was one of the first (if not the first) themed hotels. However, it is showing it's age. You enter into a vanilla-scented lobby and must pass through an enoumous enclosed rain forest to enter the gaming area. The ceilings tend to be a little low, and the Polynesian theme is dated compared to today's casinos. This in turn keeps the demographics of the patrons a decidedly mixed lot. It certainly skews older and male, probably upper-middle class or so. I've seen everyone from "construction executives" pulling wads of 100's from their Sergio Tacchini track suits to Mike Fratello, the "Czar of the Telestrater" to Kevin James (one of the guys from CBS's Yes, Dear). The low end of the weekend table limits tend to be $25-$50, high enough to keep much of the trash out, but low enough to keep it an interesting mix.
-The Dealers
The dealers tend to be a little bit older, which means that you can't ask them what place is hot on a Thursday night. But it'a a small tradeoff for someone who actually can converse with you on the odds of playing a certain hand, why to do it and it what situations it is called for. They've also seen a lot and have generally been around for a while, so they "get it". The dealers generally have a pretty good rapport with the pit boss(es) and can get things for you. Whether it's vouching for you in getting comps, getting a hand fixed when you make a mistake after 14 vodka & sodas, or holding your spot while you run to put bets down on the upcoming Lady Blue Devils game, an experienced dealer has much more sway with a pit boss. Something that the 25 yr old blackjack dealer who just quit her job at Friday's will never have (although she has the perfect tits busting out of her shirt that my guy will never have) .
-The Gaming
The Mirage is moving more and more towards automated shufflers which is a sad thing for the players. Gambling always involves a great deal of superstition, karma, and misc other voodoo and players feel that the machines serve to kill any type of good run that you might have. I know that the cards are random, but any gambler will agree with me. Give him a choice between a table with an automatic shuffler and a shoe, and 99% of gamblers will take the shoe.
The Mirage also has a good range of table games, baccarat and mini-bac, enough craps tables to usually get on a table, blackjack galore (auto shuffler and shoes), pai gow (tiles for us Asians and poker for you round-eyes), roulette (for chicks, gay guys, and Derek), and all the randoms where you throw away the money you may have won from the last 17 hours of poker (Casino War, the Money Wheel, 3-Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride, etc).
The Mirage poker room is probably one of the better rooms in Vegas. It's pretty big, with a good mix of players, and a good range of games (in terms of types of poker and minimum bets), with plasmas everywhere. I'm not much of a poker player, but from what I hear, it's pretty good.
-Sports Book
Another aspect where the Mirage shines, in my opinion. It's a huge room that houses both the race and sports book. During the tournament, people camp out for seats in the book, literally sleeping in their chairs for the opportunity to sit and watch games in my idea of heaven. The Mirage sports book is big enough to handle the crush of people betting on every game, but not so big to where it gets impersonal and cavernous.
Possibly the best two things about the first weekend of the NCAA tourney are when the CBS music comes on at 9am Vegas time on Thursday, and at the end of any big upset. It's unlike any other place I've been and something you really have to experience to understand.
-Other (Pool, Shows, Clubs, etc)
One of the places where the Mirage really shows it's age is the lack of clubs and the lack of a pool scene. Today's hotels feature one or more clubs and actually derive a rapidly diminishing portion of their revenues from gaming (usually now under 50%, down from over 70% just a few years ago). Also, places like the Palms and the Hard Rock are known to stock their pools with strippers. Literally. They will often give the girls rooms, comps, free access to the gym, or food and beverage to use the pool. I went to the Mirage pool once (3-4 years ago) and there was no such thing. I guess that I don't really care since it keeps the meathead factor down and I'm never at the pool anyway.
I don't care about shows either, but for the sake of completeness, the Mirage features Danny Gans and hosts rotating performers (David Spade, Wayne Brady, Ray Romano, Jay Leno, etc) in the old Sigfried and Roy theater. I think that it's only a matter of time until they turn the S&R theater into a club of some kind in order to get in line with the rest of the Vegas places.
NEXT EPISODE: Hard Rock and The Palms
Jun 26, 2005
Tribe update
Real World Austin
I try to watch teh first few episodes of each Real World, to see if I should be hooked into the show. I think MTV is casting knowing that the audience will wane if there isn't some controversy, so I'm thinking that they have to choose roommates that will mesmerize the viewers immediately. They better draw viewers through their sexiness, ignorance, race/sexual orientation, etc. etc.
And it looks like MTV has hooked me in again, with the epic brawl on Episode 1.
But one side effect - does anyone actually like any of these characters? Wes and Daniel are certainly boys you would love to root against; Johanna, Rachel and Melinda have "skank" written all over them, which leaves Lacey and Nehemiah. Something about Nehemiah bugs me.
Is it enough to have people watch a show with characters no one likes, even if they do crazy things and get into dumb-ass situations?
So, for now, I'm interested in seeing the Lacey do well and become a better person. For the rest.... well, we'll see.
As "Red Green" would say, "I'm pulling for you, Lacey.. we're all in this together"
(and if anyone else knows who Red Green is, please comment. It's a midwest thing.)
And it looks like MTV has hooked me in again, with the epic brawl on Episode 1.
But one side effect - does anyone actually like any of these characters? Wes and Daniel are certainly boys you would love to root against; Johanna, Rachel and Melinda have "skank" written all over them, which leaves Lacey and Nehemiah. Something about Nehemiah bugs me.
Is it enough to have people watch a show with characters no one likes, even if they do crazy things and get into dumb-ass situations?
So, for now, I'm interested in seeing the Lacey do well and become a better person. For the rest.... well, we'll see.
As "Red Green" would say, "I'm pulling for you, Lacey.. we're all in this together"
(and if anyone else knows who Red Green is, please comment. It's a midwest thing.)
Match Play Golf
The Iowa City Match play tournament ended this weekend. 29 golfers ina bracket format with the winner determined by the end of Sunday. The highlights:
1) Shot well in the seeding round Friday morning; shou a 74, which made me the #2 seed and gave me a bye for the afternoon;
2) Came out flat on Sat morning, but pulled off an Eric special; was 3 down with 6 to play, but won 13, 14, 16 and 18 to win 1-up
3) Sat afternoon in the round of 8 - birdied the first 2 holes and never looked back - won 3 & 2
4) Sunday morning in the semis I played a good friend of mine. He got me early - he was up 3 thru 8, before I tried to come back. I hung tough, he missed a couple of short ones coming in, and I was 1 down going into 18, and had a 15' for birdie to force extra holes... but missed.
Not bad for having no clue where my driver was going. That's the worst feeling - stepping up to the tee and not being sure at all what direction the ball will go. Is it a 210-yard duck? A 240-yard push-fade? A 250 yard low draw? Who knows...
If Don or Kermit are out there, this tournament probably cemented my reputation as the slowest player in Iowa City. You know what? I don't care.
Match play is great golf. It's all mental. You can really get inside someone's head by making a key putt at the right time, or taking advantage of a mistake.
1) Shot well in the seeding round Friday morning; shou a 74, which made me the #2 seed and gave me a bye for the afternoon;
2) Came out flat on Sat morning, but pulled off an Eric special; was 3 down with 6 to play, but won 13, 14, 16 and 18 to win 1-up
3) Sat afternoon in the round of 8 - birdied the first 2 holes and never looked back - won 3 & 2
4) Sunday morning in the semis I played a good friend of mine. He got me early - he was up 3 thru 8, before I tried to come back. I hung tough, he missed a couple of short ones coming in, and I was 1 down going into 18, and had a 15' for birdie to force extra holes... but missed.
Not bad for having no clue where my driver was going. That's the worst feeling - stepping up to the tee and not being sure at all what direction the ball will go. Is it a 210-yard duck? A 240-yard push-fade? A 250 yard low draw? Who knows...
If Don or Kermit are out there, this tournament probably cemented my reputation as the slowest player in Iowa City. You know what? I don't care.
Match play is great golf. It's all mental. You can really get inside someone's head by making a key putt at the right time, or taking advantage of a mistake.
Fights and Womens Golf
Flipping back and forth between the US Open and the Real World, two thoughts come to mind:
1) Why would you ever, ever, get in a bar fight with only two guys on your side? Bar fights can only be won with either having a super psycho Army Ranger on your side, or you have about 10-15 average guys with you. If you have two above average guys going into a fight, you are fucked. I would rather take 3 Jays, 3 Little Brads, and 3 Dereks against those two stupid asses on Real World. And this is especially stupid when your on the Real World, where guys are just itching to get in a fight on TV.
2) These announcers for the Women's US Open are terrible. Kim sinks a bunker shot to basically win the Open on 18, and there is no enthusiasm? Come on. And Wie looked fantastic today and I'm not talking about her golf game.
Stumbled across this quote from Paul Katcher that I had to share since it was pretty funny.
"Do you think Sam Cassell has Internet access, or did he cancel his AOL account after coming across the 500th website that cited him as the ugliest player in sports? "
Finally, Eric advanced to the Iowa Match Play Semi Finals yesterday, and I'm still awaiting to hear how he did today. No call is hopefully good news.
1) Why would you ever, ever, get in a bar fight with only two guys on your side? Bar fights can only be won with either having a super psycho Army Ranger on your side, or you have about 10-15 average guys with you. If you have two above average guys going into a fight, you are fucked. I would rather take 3 Jays, 3 Little Brads, and 3 Dereks against those two stupid asses on Real World. And this is especially stupid when your on the Real World, where guys are just itching to get in a fight on TV.
2) These announcers for the Women's US Open are terrible. Kim sinks a bunker shot to basically win the Open on 18, and there is no enthusiasm? Come on. And Wie looked fantastic today and I'm not talking about her golf game.
Stumbled across this quote from Paul Katcher that I had to share since it was pretty funny.
"Do you think Sam Cassell has Internet access, or did he cancel his AOL account after coming across the 500th website that cited him as the ugliest player in sports? "
Finally, Eric advanced to the Iowa Match Play Semi Finals yesterday, and I'm still awaiting to hear how he did today. No call is hopefully good news.
Jun 25, 2005
Was that her hammy?
Today I went to the US Track and Field Championships at the Home Depot Center, and had one of the most enjoyable sports experiences in recent years. The weather was perfect, the complex was absolutely amazing, the event was extremely organized, and the competition was beyond what I was expecting. If you weren't interested in the running, you always had the shot put, triple jump, high jump, or the discus going on inside the track, and there was a new race on the track almost every 8 minutes. I do suggest that if you do attend a Track and Field Event, that you have someone who knows Track and Field pretty well. I ended up going at the last minute with my buddy Austin, who is the first person that I've met who is an avid Track and Field fan. He seemed to know everyone in the races, which he took advantage of during several wagers. A guy from Maryland made an appearance in the 400 hurdles, and got destroyed, which cost me a couple of bucks. I won my money back when Wariner beat the field in the 400. Watching the pros run the 100, 200, 400, and 800 is simply amazing. You don't realize just how fast they are going. Wariner ended up running the 400 (once around the track) in 44 seconds. And if it wasn't for Greene pulling his hamstring in the 100, I would of nailed the Superfecta with Gatlin, Crawford, Greene, and Nix. See, everything is fun when you turn it into some sort of gambling.
I guess it was just nice to watch a sporting event that was more about the sport than anything else. I wasn’t distracted by crap music pumping, long breaks between the action for TV timeouts, constant advertising, and teenagers butt cleavage walking around not giving two cents about what is going on in the field. For $30, it was well worth it.
I guess it was just nice to watch a sporting event that was more about the sport than anything else. I wasn’t distracted by crap music pumping, long breaks between the action for TV timeouts, constant advertising, and teenagers butt cleavage walking around not giving two cents about what is going on in the field. For $30, it was well worth it.
Another one down
I know I said I wasn't going to talk about Poker, but I figured I would share some additional tips when playing with your friends.
Last night I was in a tournament over at a friend's house that had about 15 people in it. I was playing at the tougher of the two tables, since after 2 hours of play, nobody was knocked out from our table. The players were all above average, except for one guy who kicked my ass on three different hands since I just couldn't get a read on what he had. These players, especially in private tournaments tend to do well since people try to bully them at the wrong times. The second best player, James was sitting to the left of me, which just sucked since I really couldn't limp into any pot, without getting raised. James was constantly talking shit to the table and playing extremely aggressive. I didn't have a problem with this, so I sat there and tried to stay out of his way for a while until I could get a read on his betting pattern or something to see when he actually had a top hand compared to just two good cards and bulling out the other players. Well, this guy after everyhand seemed to tell me what he had, and how pissed he was that nobody stayed in. He even showed his cards about 50% of the time when every folded. So as I'm sitting there watching him bet pre-flop, flop, turn, and the river, he became very predictable. He was a good enough player that he would only enter a pot with a premium hand, and would tend to raise almost everytime. His next bet, if he hit something on the flop, would be the same amount of his raise, and then he would increase it on the turn and the river. If he didn't hit the flop, he would increase his bet, to try to scare everyone away. And finally if he had a monster hand, he would check on the flop and then bet heavy on the turn. In the end, he was very predictable, but it took a while to figure this out.
Anyway, I started to get a string of decent cards and I was in every pot for about 6 hands. I lost about 75% of the pots, and my chips were dwindling. The last hand that I lost, I only had Ace high, which got a comment from James to my left stating how loose I was playing. The very next hand, every folded except for me and James. I went in on the small blind with an 8-9 suited, and James raised me $600, which was higher than his typical pre-flop raise. I figured he was trying to bully me out of the pot, but he was a smart enough player that he probably still had something good. I tend to call more often with lower connectors against a pre flop raise, since the only chance I have to win against good-great premium cards is a straight or flush, so I will take my chances. The flop comes and it is 9-5-2. I check, and the guy bets $1,200. Now I know he doesn't have a pocket pair, but an Ace-X. I call. The turn shows an 8. I check and he bets $1,500. I only call. The river shows a Jack. I go all in, and he calls. He had Ace -Jack and then proceeded to get extremely pissed since I stayed in after his pre-flop raise and his other large bets. I was quiet for a short period of time, until he wouldn't stop bitching at me after 15 minutes. I then took the time (which is the biggest no no) to explain my play to him, since he was a big black man with what I thought was a tatoo of a bar code on his hand, and scales of justice on his bicep. After he didn't believe me, which is what I expected, I just dropped it and went on to busting him a couple more times. His play went down hill from there, and I could tell he was thinking too much about his bets from that point on, which made it even easier to tell what he had. That pot got me back in the game, and my explaination to him in front of everyone allowed me to take control of the table, and win several pots just out of respect. I ended up winning the tournament about four hours later, which ended my streak of 3 second place finishes.
Three things to take away from this tournament:
Last night I was in a tournament over at a friend's house that had about 15 people in it. I was playing at the tougher of the two tables, since after 2 hours of play, nobody was knocked out from our table. The players were all above average, except for one guy who kicked my ass on three different hands since I just couldn't get a read on what he had. These players, especially in private tournaments tend to do well since people try to bully them at the wrong times. The second best player, James was sitting to the left of me, which just sucked since I really couldn't limp into any pot, without getting raised. James was constantly talking shit to the table and playing extremely aggressive. I didn't have a problem with this, so I sat there and tried to stay out of his way for a while until I could get a read on his betting pattern or something to see when he actually had a top hand compared to just two good cards and bulling out the other players. Well, this guy after everyhand seemed to tell me what he had, and how pissed he was that nobody stayed in. He even showed his cards about 50% of the time when every folded. So as I'm sitting there watching him bet pre-flop, flop, turn, and the river, he became very predictable. He was a good enough player that he would only enter a pot with a premium hand, and would tend to raise almost everytime. His next bet, if he hit something on the flop, would be the same amount of his raise, and then he would increase it on the turn and the river. If he didn't hit the flop, he would increase his bet, to try to scare everyone away. And finally if he had a monster hand, he would check on the flop and then bet heavy on the turn. In the end, he was very predictable, but it took a while to figure this out.
Anyway, I started to get a string of decent cards and I was in every pot for about 6 hands. I lost about 75% of the pots, and my chips were dwindling. The last hand that I lost, I only had Ace high, which got a comment from James to my left stating how loose I was playing. The very next hand, every folded except for me and James. I went in on the small blind with an 8-9 suited, and James raised me $600, which was higher than his typical pre-flop raise. I figured he was trying to bully me out of the pot, but he was a smart enough player that he probably still had something good. I tend to call more often with lower connectors against a pre flop raise, since the only chance I have to win against good-great premium cards is a straight or flush, so I will take my chances. The flop comes and it is 9-5-2. I check, and the guy bets $1,200. Now I know he doesn't have a pocket pair, but an Ace-X. I call. The turn shows an 8. I check and he bets $1,500. I only call. The river shows a Jack. I go all in, and he calls. He had Ace -Jack and then proceeded to get extremely pissed since I stayed in after his pre-flop raise and his other large bets. I was quiet for a short period of time, until he wouldn't stop bitching at me after 15 minutes. I then took the time (which is the biggest no no) to explain my play to him, since he was a big black man with what I thought was a tatoo of a bar code on his hand, and scales of justice on his bicep. After he didn't believe me, which is what I expected, I just dropped it and went on to busting him a couple more times. His play went down hill from there, and I could tell he was thinking too much about his bets from that point on, which made it even easier to tell what he had. That pot got me back in the game, and my explaination to him in front of everyone allowed me to take control of the table, and win several pots just out of respect. I ended up winning the tournament about four hours later, which ended my streak of 3 second place finishes.
Three things to take away from this tournament:
- Against average to slightly above average players, taking the time to study betting patterns is a must, since this is the best tell.
- Ego will always be the downfall for these types of players. The appearance of not being a good poker player can be your biggest advantage.
- A bad poker player might be the toughtest person to read. I can't seem to figure out what that person has, and I tend to be very timid against these players.
Jun 23, 2005
Midnight visit from the neighbors
My neighbors are a bunch of snobs. They moved in about 4 months ago and I have made some minor attempts to introduce myself to the 20 something couple from Boston, but they want nothing to do with me. Not a big deal to me, I was just trying to be friendly. Well last night while watching the A's blow a late inning lead, then having Crosby botch a double play that would of ended the game, a very loud "FUCK" came from my apartment which apparently woke up the young couple. Then I proceeded to yell a couple of additional F bombs as Glynn let up two more singles to end the game. Right after the game, the guy from upstairs paid me a visit. I apologized and tried to explain why I was yelling, but he was half way back to his place when I finished. Whatever. I thought I was being quiet and the noise didn't compare to the time in 2003 when Zito let up the homer to Ramirez in the playoffs, which prompted me to chuck my cell phone which shattered against my wall, overturning my chair, and scream at the TV for a solid minute. That time I actually received an official noise complaint from the apartment complex. And that doesn't compare to when my Dad threw me out of the house when Jax beat the Broncos in playoffs back in 1996.
What is the worst reaction that you had on a team loss?
What is the worst reaction that you had on a team loss?
Jun 22, 2005
What the Hell is that?
In the morning when I'm getting ready for work, I'll either watch the local news, MSNBC, FoxNews, or the weather channel to see everyone else's weather for the day since I know mine will be 80 and sunny. But the other morning I was watching MTV, which is sort of strange since they only play rap videos which really doesn't go well with ironing and getting dressed. Well, while I was putting on my shoes and about to head out, they showed the new Shakira video, which caught my attention. As I sat there and watched her shake every part of her body while being covered in motor oil, she just started to thrust her chest back and forth for about 6 seconds. It wasn't to any specific beat or anything like that, so I don't think it was a dance move. It was just her violently move her chest in and out. Very, very disturbing. While I have become accustom to the stripper dance in recent years (women just randomly shaking their ass like they are grinding on your package), I don't think that I will be able to handle this new chest move. Anyway, check it out if you can.
And while we are on MTV, I almost put this station in with ESPN as second level stations, since their programming has gone to shit with shows like Date My Mom, Next, Pimp My Ride, Room Raiders, and Made. But then on Monday night the season finale of Real World vs. Road Rules was outstanding, and now the new Real World in Austin looks pretty good. Also, they are bringing back Laguna Beach for a second season, which now gives me a reason to call my mom and bond with her. My mom, for some reason, loves this show and then loves calling me to discuss what happened afterwards. Lots of comments like "that Lauren is so loose" and "if these girls are attracted to those dorks, why are you still single". Good times.
And while we are on MTV, I almost put this station in with ESPN as second level stations, since their programming has gone to shit with shows like Date My Mom, Next, Pimp My Ride, Room Raiders, and Made. But then on Monday night the season finale of Real World vs. Road Rules was outstanding, and now the new Real World in Austin looks pretty good. Also, they are bringing back Laguna Beach for a second season, which now gives me a reason to call my mom and bond with her. My mom, for some reason, loves this show and then loves calling me to discuss what happened afterwards. Lots of comments like "that Lauren is so loose" and "if these girls are attracted to those dorks, why are you still single". Good times.
Jun 21, 2005
Tribe Update
You haven't heard me spout off about the Tribe because I was afraid to jinx them during their streak.
Great winning streak. 9 straight games of solid pitching - 9 wins. Then they face Boston, a game on National TV - and blow it, 10-9. Argh.
Still, so far, so good. 6-2 on the homestand; if Cliffy can win tomorrow, and then we win 2 of 3 vs. the Reds, that's a 9-3 homestand. Who can argue?
Great winning streak. 9 straight games of solid pitching - 9 wins. Then they face Boston, a game on National TV - and blow it, 10-9. Argh.
Still, so far, so good. 6-2 on the homestand; if Cliffy can win tomorrow, and then we win 2 of 3 vs. the Reds, that's a 9-3 homestand. Who can argue?
Lyric Game - Set #2
Answers for the first set:
1. "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley (or the Ataris - whatever)
2. "The End of the World" - REM
3. "Love Shack" - B-52s
There was another one in the comment section of that post.
Here are some more:
Easy:
1. catwalk
Medium:
2. oasis
Hard:
3. litigate
Hint: All three songs are between 1985 and 1996. Hey, it's my game, I'll pick the music I know!
1. "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley (or the Ataris - whatever)
2. "The End of the World" - REM
3. "Love Shack" - B-52s
There was another one in the comment section of that post.
Here are some more:
Easy:
1. catwalk
Medium:
2. oasis
Hard:
3. litigate
Hint: All three songs are between 1985 and 1996. Hey, it's my game, I'll pick the music I know!
Golfing with the Wiggles
This is what happens when you play tournament golf after you have kids.
So I'm on the 4th hole of the first 18 - I'm +3 thru 3 after I botched 1, 2 and 3 - and I chip to within 3'. I need this to get somewhat on track for my first par of the day. My last thought before I stood over the putt was... "you better make this kneeknocker, or else we're headed for an 87".
Kneeknocker? Cue the music! From "The Wiggles" CD, these lyrics then run through my head:
"Hands on my knees....
What have we here?
That is my kneeknocker
That much is clear....
Knee-knocker
Waist-bender
Chin-wagger
Head-scratcher
Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo
That's what they teach me in my pirate school"
And with that song in my head for 9 hours straight, I never missed a 4 footer the whole day.
Don always asked me what my secret is to my putting.... well, there you go.
(PS 75-78- 153 isn't going to get it done in a USGA qualifier.)
So I'm on the 4th hole of the first 18 - I'm +3 thru 3 after I botched 1, 2 and 3 - and I chip to within 3'. I need this to get somewhat on track for my first par of the day. My last thought before I stood over the putt was... "you better make this kneeknocker, or else we're headed for an 87".
Kneeknocker? Cue the music! From "The Wiggles" CD, these lyrics then run through my head:
"Hands on my knees....
What have we here?
That is my kneeknocker
That much is clear....
Knee-knocker
Waist-bender
Chin-wagger
Head-scratcher
Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo
That's what they teach me in my pirate school"
And with that song in my head for 9 hours straight, I never missed a 4 footer the whole day.
Don always asked me what my secret is to my putting.... well, there you go.
(PS 75-78- 153 isn't going to get it done in a USGA qualifier.)
Dilf the Dilfman Dilfer
After another frustrating discussion with my brother about the Browns and Trent Dilfer, a new poll was created. How many wins will the Browns have with Dilfer as QB?
Jun 20, 2005
Publinks Status
Eric just called in and said that he just wrapped up the first 18 holes in the Publinks Qualifier. Ended with a 75, after going +3 on the first three holes. Not too bad. I don't know if I'm happier that he shot a 75 or that he is not in jail after spending the night his 14 year old caddy.
Added a new link over on the side. It is a new blog called Hereford Nine. It will take a while to get up and going, but should be good.
Added a new link over on the side. It is a new blog called Hereford Nine. It will take a while to get up and going, but should be good.
additional advice
Since I enjoy getting advice from my friends and complete strangers that happen to stumble upon this blog, here is another question:
Am I making a big mistake by not going to Zurich and deciding on staying in the US, moving to Dana Point on the beach, going back to school to get my MBA, and moving in with Ben?
Am I making a big mistake by not going to Zurich and deciding on staying in the US, moving to Dana Point on the beach, going back to school to get my MBA, and moving in with Ben?
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