Posted by Nolan Dalla on Jan 11, 2013 in Blog, General Poker |
Continuing from yesterday’s series of articles…
READ “THE POKER ONION (PART ONE)” HERE
Note: There’s a bitter irony in this faux article, written in 2000 shortly after Chris “Jesus” Ferguson won the world championship that same year. I had some fun with the “Jesus” thing, combining that angle with the constant banter about online poker being “rigged.” Because of Ferguson’s troubles and the immeasurable damage that he and his cronies did to the poker community, this article has a much different feel now than when it was written and Ferguson was such a respected figure. But I’ll go ahead and include it today as part of the redux.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Jan 10, 2013 in Blog, General Poker |
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 Nolan Dalla on Jan 8, 2013 in Blog, Rants and Raves |
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 Nolan Dalla on Jan 7, 2013 in Blog, Rants and Raves |
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 Nolan Dalla on Jan 6, 2013 in Blog, Essays |
Everyone knows what “the other side of the tracks” means.
It’s the dividing line between “us” and “them.”
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Jan 4, 2013 in Blog, Essays, Personal, Travel |
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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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Jan 4, 2013 in Blog, Sports Betting |
NOLAN DALLA: 2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD
89 WINS – 84 LOSSES – 6 PUSHES —– (+ 19.25 units / 1 unit = $100)
STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $11,925.
BEST BETS OF THE WEEK: 12-5-0
Comments: Nice to end the regular season on a positive note, going 6-1. Let’s hope this continues on into the playoffs.
THIS WEEK’S WAGERS:
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 31, 2012 in Blog, Essays, Travel |
This is the story of an empty blue chair.
More precisely, it’s the story of a person who once occupied it — someone’s name I do not know.
It’s the story of a loyal companion who sat beside the blue chair, so faithfully — at the same time and place, each and every day.
This is the story of love and loss, of life and death, and ultimately of rebirth and renewal.
This is a personal story, a search for that special someone who once occupied the blue chair — which is now empty.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 30, 2012 in Sports Betting |
Adrian Peterson deserves to win this year’s MVP award.
Yes — Peyton Manning enjoyed an outstanding season. Robert Griffin III led his team to a remarkable turnaround and instant respectability. Andrew Luck surpassed even the highest expectations as a first-round draft choice. And, Aaron Rogers performed admirably given all the challenges to his team.
But Adrian Peterson is in a class all his own.
Consider that a year ago today, Peterson underwent major ACL surgery — which is normally a career ending injury for running backs. Recovering from a serious knee injury would be difficult for any professional athlete. But for an NFL running back with lots of mileage on the body, it’s unprecedented. Had Peterson simply completed this season healthy and contributed to his team’s success with a respectable year, that alone would have been an impressive feat.
But Peterson did far more than that.
He just posted the second-best season for a running back in NFL history. Consider all the great running backs of the past 80 years — the Jim Browns, the Gayle Sayers, the O.J. Simpsons, the Walter Paytons, the Barry Sanders, the Emmit Smiths, and so many others.
Peterson just eclipsed them all. He finished the season with 2,097 yards — including 199 yards today against division rival Green Bay. I would also argue that staying healthy in today’s NFL is tougher than ever before. Now, defenses are bigger, faster, and stronger than in years past. The human body simply isn’t built to withstand bone crushing tackles and years of abuse on these horrible artificial turf fields.
Moreover, it’s not like Peterson enjoys running behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. At best, those who lead block are average. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings have been a laughing stock for the past decade. Peterson has been the lone bright spot for a dismal franchise that seemed to be going absolutely nowhere and which was picked by most to finish dead last in the division.
Peterson has carried his team to an astounding turnaround, a 10-6 win-loss record, and a playoff birth — 365 days after he was laying on an operating table beneath a surgical scalpel wondering if his NFL career was over.
SMU and Los Angeles Rams great Eric Dickerson still holds the 16-game season record for most rushing yardage. And no running back ever had a season quite like O.J. Simpson back in 1973 (which was 14 games — so in all fairness, Simpson still stands as the gold standard). But as someone who has been watching NFL games for four decades, Adrian Peterson’s feat this season was as remarkable an accomplishment as I have ever seen in sports.
Adrian Peterson deserves the NFL Most Valuable Player honor more than any other. Period.
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Posted by Nolan Dalla on Dec 29, 2012 in Blog, Sports Betting |
NOLAN DALLA: 2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD
83 WINS – 83 LOSSES – 6 PUSHES —– (- 12.05 units / 1 unit = $100)
STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $8,795.
BEST BETS OF THE WEEK: 11-5-0
Comments: Let’s just say that I know exactly how football legend Y.A. Title feels (see photo above). My handicapping record has been reduced to the results one would expect from flipping a coin. Indeed, this has been one of the strangest seasons I’ve ever experienced as a sports bettor. The good — I’ve been in the black since Week 2, at least until last Sunday. The season’s high point was after Week 11, when I was ahead +78 units. The bad — I’m on brutal cold streak. Now, after a terrible two-month run and losing an average of 20 units a week, I need to close with a few winners to lock up a season in the black. Here it goes….
THIS WEEK’S WAGERS:
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