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Posted by on Jan 10, 2013 in Blog, General Poker | 6 comments

The Poker Onion (Part One)

 

 

THE ONION is one of my favorite websites. 

THE ONION mocks current events by posting completely fabricated news stories which tend to be wickedly funny.  It’s essentially a news site where absolutely nothing is true.  Sort of like watching FOX NEWS — except it’s far more humorous.

The real gems are articles that appear utterly ridiculous.  But when reading a bit closer between the lines, they reveal some startling truths about an issue.  Take a look at THE ONION and I’ll bet you won’t be able to leave the site before laughing your ass off while nodding your head in agreement at the witty satire.

Ten years or so ago I wrote several “Onion-esque” poker stories.  None of these stories are/were true, of course.  I’m posting them here for the first time.  These articles originally appeared at POKERPAGES.COM between 2000-2002.

Prior to each article here, I’ve added a few notes from memory in order to place them into proper context.  Again, keep in mind these “stories” were written more than ten years ago, long before the so-called “poker boom.”  So, in some aspects, they’re dated.

This is the first of a two-part series.

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Posted by on Jan 8, 2013 in Blog, Rants and Raves | 2 comments

Who College Football Needs the Most

Marvin Miller

 

Marvin Miller.

That’s right.

Marvin Miller.

For those unfamiliar with that name, Marvin Miller was a man who changed sports forever.  He was arguably the most influential figure during the past 50 years when it comes to reshaping the four major professional sports leagues and revolutionizing where the money goes.

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Posted by on Jan 7, 2013 in Blog, Rants and Raves | 0 comments

National Champion Quitter — Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly Quits

 

Some things are worth remembering.  Some things should not be forgotten.

Things like commitment, giving your word, and loyalty.  Those are characteristics that matter.

They should especially matter in education and athletics, which serve as society’s de facto training ground for molding what we become and who we are.

Brian Kelly, the current head coach at the University of Notre Dame, has demonstrated he possesses none of these characteristics.  In fact, he’s just about the most repulsive figure in college coaching today — and that’s really saying something now that Bobby Petrino is back on the sidelines.

The facts are irrefutable.  When things mattered the most — when his team and those who trusted in him counted on him to lead, Brian Kelly did something that’s unforgivable.

He quit.

That’s right, he quit. 

He didn’t quit after the fight.  He didn’t quit during the fight.  He quit before the fight even started.  Like a gutless self-centered coward instantly forgetting all those who lifted him upon one of the vaulted pedestals of his profession, Kelly rose to the top and then hacked away the helping hands of those who had largely created and shaped the Kelly mantel.  He completely abandoned his former team, his players, his fans, and all those who once trusted in his leadership and character.

For those with short memories, before Kelly took his current position at Notre Dame three seasons ago, he was the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.  During his tenure there, Kelly recruited college football players from all over the nation.  Out of nothing, he created something.  He took a football program with no previous national stature whatsoever and made it into a powerhouse.  In 2010, he led the Bearcats to a perfect 12-0 win-loss record and a number three ranking in the polls.  Cincinnati was invited to its first Sugar Bowl ever.

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Posted by on Jan 4, 2013 in Blog, Essays, Personal, Travel | 2 comments

Still Running — One Year Later

 

Nolan Dalla Adidas Running Shoes

 

Running is pain.

Each and every step is a bone-grinding reminder that I’m not young anymore.  I can’t quite do all the things I used to be able to do — at least not as fast, nor with as much ease.

But I try.

One year ago today,  began my daily running routine.  All 262 lumbering pounds of me shook the pavement with the full force of a jackhammer.  I remember the pain as if it happened this morning.  Perhaps that’s because today I felt many of those same pains once again.  Indeed, I have come full circle to the place I was once before.

One year ago I weighed two-hundred and sixty-two pounds.  Making it a full mile without stopping left me bent over, panting, and breathless.  Running a few miles, even with deliberate stops in between, made my joints ache.  After a few runs, my legs cramped up.  At time, the pain was so severe, I felt paralyzed.

But I ran that first day.  And the next.  And the next, too.  And with every step along the way, the one thereafter became just a little bit easier.  Within a week of my daily run, I was already beginning to feel dramatic changes.  Not only did I feel better physically, but mentally, as well.  I also had lots more energy.

My lifestyle revolution — where I committed myself to running every single day with no excuses — began in the Bell Gardens section of Los Angeles on January 4, 2012.

And now today, it’s one year later.  I have returned again to this place where it all started.

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