Conversation with Michael T. Leheney - Part 2

1. Do you think growing up in Bourbonnais is a good thing, bad thing, or otherwise? If you had it to do over knowing what you know now, what's the one thing you would have done prior to age 18 that you didn't do?

I think growing up in Bourbonnais was fine. It had both advantages and disadvantages. Honestly, I think it's probably fairly similar to 98% of the towns in the United States. It's proximity to Chicago was a good thing once I could drive. The fact that you could play as a kid in most neighborhoods without any real fear of crime was nice. On the other hand, there was no real pressure to perform well academically. I mean, I got some pressure from my parents and had my own internal drive, but it wasn't like it was difficult to get good grades. Maybe if there would have been a little more competition, I would have been able to develop a better work ethic at an early age, and who knows where I'd be. Don't get me wrong, I was prepared for college...which is really the goal of high school...but I never really had to work at it, or college for that matter. I think if I had to, I may have ended up more driven than I currently am in the workplace. Whether or not that's a good thing, I'm not sure. Honestly, by most of society's measures of success, I'm there, so I guess I got what I needed. All in all, Bourbonnais was solid but I'm sure it was just like most towns. High school football players were put on pedestals, most people knew very little of world events, kids were clique-ish, you know, the usual. If I had to make a call, I'd say what really makes up a town is the people...and people in Bourbonnais have very few differences from people just about anywhere. It was a pretty mixed bag overall: smart/dumb, conservative/liberal, nerds/jocks, nice/jackass, etc. In the end, I have fond memories of Bourbonnais and wouldn't be afraid to raise my own children there, so I'd say it's a good thing.

2. With the current situation where it is (Sox up in the Series 2-0), have you feelings about their winning changed? Why or why not?

I hate the White Sox. I really don't care for the Astros that much either. The big thing is that I don't want to hear about how great this group of guys are that are on the White Sox. They may be playing some good baseball right now, but they're a bunch of whiners. Does everyone forget the stuff that Mark Beurhle was spewing all season (how he was being cheated, etc.)? When did AJ Pierzynski all of sudden become a good guy? They cried more often than Moises Alou peed on his hands. It's easy to be the good guy when everything's going well, but it's the tough times that reveal your character, and these guys acted like a bunch of jackasses when it wasn't going so well. I'm not categorizing all of them, but they chose to be on the White Sox, so that says something about them. Plus I'm tired of seeing all these supposed Sox fans crawling out of the woodwork. It's really sickening. I'm probably rambling now, but this whole situation is just making me a little crazy. I'm sorry, I hate the White Sox. No, I'm not sorry. I hate the White Sox.

3. My opinion on the LaRusso in the Kumite, is maybe 1 round on a good day. He couldn't pick his nose without Miyagi standing there and that's the difference between him and Dux. I love the guy, but let's be real. He never matured in any of the movies. It's almost inexplicable. You think Miyagi was a helpless loser after a few years of his training? Hell no. Miyagi at 13 pummels Daniel at 19, hands down. Here's another question for you though. Sato and Miyagi actually fight. Who wins? What happens in the aftermath?

Well, Miyagi wins the fight, no question. I'd put it at a closer match than most people would expect me to though. I mean, seeking revenge is a good motivator. So is regaining your honor. Sato had been training for 40-some odd years to try to do both. He also had Miyagi's dad as a trainer, so you know he can bring it. The aftermath? Well, Sato would be dead which could throw the whole financial structure of Okinawa into mayhem. I mean, he pretty much owned everything, but since the deed passes to the village, it's a little up in the air. Maybe Terry Silver comes in and buys the island beyond Miyagi's knowledge and uses that leverage to force a cage match. Mike Barnes, Terry Silver, and John Krese vs. Miyagi, Daniel LaRusso, and Dutch. I think I've been watching a little too much UFC lately.

4. Which do you prefer - the French, Canadians, or French-Canadians?

Is none of the above an option? If forced to pick, I'd take Canadians. Mainly I base this on my love of Molson. Plus, the Canadians are a good customer of ours...and if you're spending dough on American products, we can work the rest out. As for the French, well, let's keep this site as family-friendly as possible, and just say I'd rather see the White Sox win the World Series than ever live in France.

5. Patience at the poker table is definitely a key. I can't fault you there. In a heads up match for $10 million do you take Doyle Brunson or Phil Ivey?

Hmm...tough one. Really tough. I mean that question really escalated quickly. I take Doyle. I'm struggling to come up with a good reason why OR why not. Wait, I've got it. I've seen Phil Ivey make mistakes. Maybe it's just the editing that happens on television, but I've seen Phil be trapped. As for Doyle, I've obviously seen him lose, but it's usually on a bluff where he knows he's taking a risk. I've rarely, if ever, seen him make a bad call or get tricked into a bet. Of course, I've probably only seen a combines 100 hands of poker from each of them, which is tough to make a judgement on.

6. I knew the answer to the Cubs question before I asked it. Notice I didn't say permanent peace. Peace can be fleeting and if you look at it that way, a Cubs World Series title is forever. What's the grace period if the Cubs would win it? Personally, I think it's my whole lifetime. I'd be so happy with one, that I wouldn't need another. In a related note, do you think we win another Super Bowl or Stanley Cup in our lifetime? Which one happens first?

My grace perioud would be 10 years. I'm treating it the same as I did the Bears Super Bowl victory. I mean, I still love the '85 Bears, but I'm due for another Super Bowl. One Superbowl a decade for a market like Chicago shouldn't be asking too much. A Cubs World Series title would keep me satisfied for 10 years, of course, the entire time I'm still caring just as much about every game. Maybe my perspective would change after we won, but I guess I can't fairly answer that. I absolutely think we win another Cup and Superbowl in my lifetime. If I didn't think that, I would have to stop being a fan. I mean, isn't that the whole goal? Winning is it for me...it's all I want.

7. Now, I love your answer on The Godfather. I really got to thinking about this myself. Vito, I think is the hands down winner if you look at it from an entire life perspective. He had a happy family life, they all loved and respected him. You sort of got the feeling that even the politicians and what not that he had on the payroll even respected him and liked him on some level. That counts for a lot. In the case of which Godfather was the better man, it's hands down Vito. Michael killed his brother and hit his wife. He wasn't exactly Mr. "In Control of My Emotions".

If you took the perspective though, of who was just the greatest Godfather in the sense of who was a better maphia commanding officer, I think Michael gets the nod and I'll tell you my reasons.

1. Michael wasn't destined for the job. He stepped into it because it was necessary with a nearly impossible situation. There was a lot of uproar in the ranks. This didn't stop him from garnering respect and taking control. I'm not saying he did it the best way, but he got it done. Sonny seemingly had many of the right attributes to be the Don, but it's not even debatable as to which one was better. I'm just saying Michael had to overcome some things Vito did not. Vito just clipped a guy and got respect. It was a little tougher for Michael.

2. Michael didn't flinch about killing his brother. Fredo screws up and despite being a pitiful charity case who couldn't possibly harm him again, Michael has him whacked. This clearly isn't the brotherly thing to do, but it sends a message. That message is don't mess with Michael Corleone or the Corleone family. You mess around, you get whacked. Even if you are in the Corleone family, you can get whacked. Carlo found this out too. Mo Green found this out. I'm not saying Vito didn't have his ways. Do you think Michael puts a horse in the guy's bed? It's a great idea, don't get me wrong. I'm just guessing the guy ends up dead instead.

3. The man had tremendous business sense. He moved the family in entirely new directions and outside of their comfort zone. We don't have to get into all that. Let's just say, he took things to another level.

I do not disagree on any of your points. From a strict business sense, Michael was the better Don. He also had a tougher gig. If I write anymore, I'll just be reiterating your statements further. Let me think about some new angles on this one and I'll get back to you.

8. I have to take Jennie Garth also, just due to this recent Tom Cruise thing. I can't get past it at all. You might as well have thrown Katie Holmes out a window with this whole thing. She's as dead to me as Noxzema girl. Whatever happened to her anyway? What about Valerie Malone or Brenda Walsh in their respective 90210 primes?

Valerie Malone/Kelly Kapowski for me in a landslide. Brenda never did it for me. Every guy has his taste and she just wasn't mine. Of course, she was always competing with Jennie Garth, so in comparison, she may as well have looked like Mrs. Warner from the Facts of Life. Anyway, Tiffani Amber Theissen is pretty hot. I'd give her maybe an 8.5, whereas Brenda was probably a 6 if I'm going to be fair.

9. Say you are/were the GM of the Bears. You could have Mike Williams and Frank Gore or Cedric Benson and Mark Bradley. What do you do prior to the draft? Is it the same as what you would do now?

Before the draft, Mike Williams and Frank Gore. Probably the same as what I'd do now. Mark Bradley looked good last week and Mike Williams hasn't been that great...but I think that's more a factor of being in Detriot. Of course, he probably wouldn't look much better here right now. On the other hand, drafting Benson has lit a fire under Thomas Jones, who's become a monster. Maybe it was the right move just from that perspective. One way or the other though, if I was the GM and it was my pick, Mike Williams would be a Chicago Bear right now.

10. Better Gangster, Cain or O-Dogg?

If I'm ever in a shootout, O-Dogg is the guy I want with me. If I'm ever at a picnic, I want Cain as my wingman. O-Dogg is not the guy I want holding a tape of me whacking a convenience store clear. Cain is not the guy I want riding shotgun. In the end though, Cain got whacked, and O-Dogg just went to jail. I'd take jail over being dead nine times out of ten. I take O-Dogg because survival has to count for something. Either way, Awax does it much better.

Conversation with Michael T. Leheney - Part 1

*Editor's Note: This was sent to me last week. Due to Vegas, the White Sox question is a little dated today, but still 100% relevant.

1. As not everybody knows you, give a little background on yourself and how you know me.

Wow, you have readership on this blog that doesn't know me? I'm impressed at how far this has come. Anyway, I'm Michael Thomas Leheney. I've known Chris since at least the second grade at Noel LeVasseur grade school in Bourbonnais, IL. We were probably more casual friends through grade school and become much closer in high school. Women, tennis, and a shared love of all things asinine can do that to guys. We were roommates for our first two years at U of I, and Chris will be the best man in my upcoming wedding, so needless to say, we've remained close. As for a little about me, I've become a suburbanite with a fluffy white dog and, as referenced before, am to be married in June. For any readers who did know me prior to the last couple years, this is probably the last thing you expected. What do you know...Leheney grew up. Of course, I still pulled out Paper Plate Face Man, my alter ego, not too long ago...so the jury is still out.

2. How important would you say it is to you that the White Sox don't win the World Series?

Before last night, I would have said that there were few things more important. The problem is, after the Cardinals comeback win, I am faced with a possible excruciating dilemma. If the Cardinals and White Sox are facing each other, I don't even know what I'll do. Let's just hope that the Astros pull out the NL series so that I can at least root for somebody. Wait, I think I just threw up in my mouth. Friggin' Bartman. And no, I don't blame him for the Cubs collapse that year. It's just the easiest way to refer to that series.

3. (a) Let's say Daniel LaRusso was dropped into the movie Bloodsport, with Mr. Miyagi laying on his death bed like Mr. Tanaka. How deep into the kumite do you think he goes? (b) How far do you think Sato's nephew (and #1 student) would advance.

a) Great question here. There's no way I have him getting past Chong Lee. Absolutely not. I mean, I love Daniel LaRusso. The Karate Kid is in my Top 10 list of favorite movies. But there's now way the Crane, the Drum Technique, or that funky little Kata dance get him past the Chong Lee face. Those moves will get him past the Under 18 All Valley tourney, but they simply don't hold water in the kumite. The question still remains though, how deep does he go? A lot of it would depend on his draw. Guys he would beat include the giant fat guy (thus proven with the dropped rag, shot to the nuts move simliar to how Frank Dux takes him out), the random Asian martial arts guys (they're just too generic), and well, that's probably about it off the top of my head. I don't think he gets past Ray and the guy who really presents problems is the monkey guy who chops coconuts with his bare hands. Here's what I'm wondering though: Is Daniel able to pull the reporter, Janice Kent, the way Frank does? I think that answer depends on which LaRusso you're getting. If you're getting KK1 or 2 LaRusso, no question...he pulls. KK3 LaRusso though, man, that guy couldn't even pull the ugly redhead. If it wasn't for Mike Barnes, I would deny the existence of KK3...but I digress. I can't believe I just wrote that much on this topic. Wait, yes, I can.
b)Sato's nephew is punk. I don't think the judges would honor his claim after he failed to perform the Dim Mak (Death Touch) and would deny him entrance to the event.

4. Amongst white rap artists, who was the biggest pioneer - Snow, Vanilla Ice, the Everlast guy from House of Pain, Eminem, or David Silver?

The biggest success was obviously Eminem, and I actually didn't mind him all too much when he first came out. Then he started writing every song about his daughter and his baby's mama...he may as well have started writing about his pickup truck. He went country, and his rap got weak. I can't believe Dre was involved with this guy. Of course, he made a boatload of cash, so I guess I understand...but Dre should have started writing his songs for him when Eminem went pansy. Jay Z's rap got weaker after he started dating Beyonce, but you can't blame Jigga for that one...you'd be hitting Beyonce too if you had the chance. The real difference though is, you never lost respect for Jay Z.

Of course, your question is who was the biggest pioneer. That's tough. Each brought something fairly unique to the table, despite all basically being versions of white rappers. I'll eliminate David Silver if only because he reminded me of NKOTB doing Hanging Tough. I'll also eliminate Snow because all he had was Informer. A great song, but it hardly led to the proliferation of a bunch of white Shaggys running around. Vanilla or Everlast? Wow. Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Vanilla Ice, but I can't say he was more pioneering that House of Pain. I'd say House of Pain is responsible for inspiring a whole slew of music during the early 90's. Remember Onyx? And that group that did Tap the Bottle? How about that Rump Shaker song? Whether those groups admit it or not, they were influenced by House of Pain. I'm saying it's a draw between Vanilla and Everlast.

5. What's the most important factor in success at the poker table?

Patience. No question. It's the ability to fold, and fold, and fold, and fold some more. It's the ability to not get bored while you're waiting for your moment. I'd say 80% of the mistakes I make at a table is because I make a move on somebody at the wrong time, simply because I'm tired of my stack being the same size for too long. You've obviously also got to learn when you can make a move without having great cards, but I think patience is ultimately far more important. They always say you have to be aggressive at the table to win, but I think that gets skewed a lot. There's a difference between agressive and loose. Dan Harrington is a friggin rock, but he's always seemingly around towards the end of tourneys. That's because he's an aggressive rock. I can tell you one thing, he'll never be working the graveyard shift driving Kaniche's truck for a living.

6. If given the choice, would you take peace in the Middle East or a Cubs World Series victory and why?

Cubs World Series victory...hands down. Peace in the Middle East doesn't do much for me. I mean, it'd be good to know less people are dying in the world, but I don't know them, and it's hard to say it sincerely matters to me. That's not me being cold, that's just honesty. When was the last time you woke up crying because a child died in a bombing between Palestinians and Israelis? Peace might even end up being a bad thing for me. Sure, it would lower gas prices temporarily, but if that region ever got their shit together, they could be another competitive market that might take my job. The less stable they are, the more job security I have. How is that a bad thing?

Now a Cubs World Series victory on the other hand, that brings me endless joy. I've been reevaluating what it means to be a fan lately...a topic for another time for sure...but let me tell you this: Ryne Sandberg is a good man. I wish we could have gotten one for him.

7. Better Don, young Vito or young Michael?

Yikes. I feel like I'm going to be killed no matter how I answer. I think I'm going to have to go with young Vito, although it's hardly fair to Michael. Vito was just so cool, calm, and collected all the time. He not only ran the family, but his home life was rockin' as well. Admittedly, Michael had a million more things to handle. The family was much more complicated to run when he had to take it over. But the fact that his home life was in complete shambles with Kaye and the kids, that's just not right. Vito had it handled on all fronts. Of course, in the end, Michael took the thing to a whole new level with Immobliare, so how can you fault him? I'm picking Vito, but I really don't want to talk about it.

8. Why do you think we haven't seen much of Luke Perry since 90210?

Dylan is doing some work for the government. That's all I can say in something that will be published. Let's just say that Noxema girl isn't really dead.

9. Jennie Garth or Katie Holmes? Explain.

I'm HATING you right now. Vito/Michael...now Jennie/Katie...that's too much for one e-mail. Okay, for now, I have to go with Jennie Garth. I mean, Kelly Taylor defined temptress for me in my teenage years. And you know what, despite being on an extremely crappy WB show, she still does it for me today. Katie Holmes was on the doorstep of the pantheon. The pantheon is rare territory. Alyssa Milano, Elisabeth Shue...you don't get put with these names easily. Katie's performance in The Gift...wow. Then came the Tom Cruise debacle. I'll tell you what, if it continues on this path, I'm going to find a doctor that can burn the memory cells in my brain related to Dawson's Creek. Thank God Sophia Bush is here to pick up the slack.

10. Next year you are getting married. Do you think this will negatively impact your RBI Baseball skills?

Absolutely not. Kimberly, my lovely fiancee, actually purchased me a Playstation 2 last Christmas. Phenomenal. Also, if you consider the fact that I haven't played RBI in years, my skills could hardly be diminished from where they are now. If anything, once we purchase a house, I plan on setting up a gaming area in the basement..so really they could only improve. Tecmo Super Bowl here we come.

Back from Vegas!

I'm back from Vegas. What a trip! It was good times all around. It was fun and relaxing. I actually feel good after this one. I'm usually going through a mixture of alcohol/sleep deprivation right around now, while simultaneously wishing I was back in Vegas or dead. Right now, I'm glad to be home and well-rested.

Anyway, the trip started out great. Our flight got us in early (on Monday) and we hit the Aladdin. We did some shopping for a while. We hit the Cheeseburger Oasis for lunch, one of my personal favorites. This place is good any time but it's tremendous if you have a hangover. It's in the shops at Aladdin. Anyway, after shopping and getting settled, we ended up at the Bellagio buffet for dinner. It was great, as usual. I love those shrimp! After dinner, we scoped out the poker room where we saw Ted Forrest, Layne Flack, and John Phan playing what I'm guessing was a no limit hold 'em game, but might have been stud. David Pham was there also. I think he might live in the Bellagio poker room though. Almost every time we went by on the trip, we saw him there.

We also took a walk down to the Wynn. Within about 15 minutes of being there, I spotted Daniel Negreanu (my favorite poker player) having some sort of meeting with two Asian women in a bar right next to the poker room. I snapped a picture that might not have come out so well. My pictures are up in a gallery here. So this was a good omen for the trip in my mind. After touring the Wynn, we ended up in the Monte Carlo poker room. This is by no means unusual.

We were there just a little while before Sandy hit quad aces. At the Monte Carlo, they have these high hand jackpots that pay you up to a few thousand bucks depending on the last time someone hit the hand. Sandy took home about $250. I won about $30 in four hours of play. We were both playing $2/$4 limit hold 'em, as we would all trip. On the way out, I began my tradition of having this conversation:

Monte Carlo Poker Room Host - "Thanks for playing with us."
Me - "No problem. See you tomorrow."

The following day, we checked out the Bellagio again. We looked around some for the WPT tournament but couldn't find it. We were on our way out, when my eagle eyes spotted something. I turned to Sandy and said "there's Ted Forrest". He was going the opposite way, and we followed him to a gift shop. It must have been a break for the tournament. We walked in after Ted and there was Phil Ivey, Mark Seif, and John Juanda. Wow. It was cool to see these guys. Ivey is taller than I thought and Juanda is shorter than I thought. We followed them back to the tournament site. I couldn't bring myself to talk to these guys, having really nothing to say. We were a little like stalkers for a bit there, it was funny. Ted Forrest was walking really fast. He was clearly very focused on getting back to his seat. Oddly, we didn't see him in the tournament room though, so he must have been focused on something else.

Anyway, so we get to the tournament and we just walk in. I'm snapping pictures all over, then some guy tells us that we can't use a flash. Still, they just let us in amongst the tables, which I really couldn't get over. We're just walking amongst a who's who of the poker elite. We saw Dan Harrington, Evelyn Ng, Gus, Arieh, Fischman, Jesus Ferguson, etc. It was cool to see. Still, it's not like we could hang out there all day, it's not too much fun watching poker without hole card cams. A couple of things we saw though and a few observations:

Chau Giang - Dude is really, really small.
Jesus Ferguson - He's down right scary looking in person.
Dan Harrington - He was wearing that green hat. It's hideous but not quite as blinding as I imagined it might be.
Humberto Brenes - No one else was eating, but Humberto was wolfing down a monster steak sandwich.
X22 - Dude is pretty scary looking in person, just like tv.
Arieh - He looks much better. I think he's losing weight.
Jennifer Harman - You could just see her focusing really hard. While some people are looking around, and even looking at us, she was all business.
Farha - They had these plasma screens showing the WSOP on them (sort of ironic) and a lot of people were making jokes about Farha while he was on the screen. I can't really remember them except for Layne Flack telling someone to watch and learn. Ot was funny to watch Sammy himself react to this. He just took it all in stride, but he seemed a touch embarrassed. I caught a little of this in my pictures.
Gus - Gus was in a white t-shirt and track pants. He kept standing up to talk into a tape recorder about hands as he was playing. This was pretty cool to see. Also at one point when he was standing 10 feet from us. He plunged his hand into his crotch to scratch himself. Sandy, who loves Gus, couldn't get over this. She still hasn't, I don't think.
Barry Greenstein - He has this awful beard now. The dude needs to shave.
Fischman - The guy looks even more like he rolled out of bed in person. It looked to me like he stayed up all night 8-tabling online, took a two hour nap, woke up, and came straight to the tourney.
Hellmuth - He's really tall. He dwarfs everyone else. There were no cameras rolling, so he was quiet as a mouse when I was there.
Ivey - The guy is pretty tall and carries himself like an NBA player. It's really cool to see.

All of these guys look exactly like they do on tv. You can tell that they don't do make-up or anything. They just look exactly the same.

After checking out the WPT, it was off to dinner at Aladdin and then back to the Monte Carlo.

The next day we went to Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's place) for lunch. I thought it was pretty good, but Sandy thought it was "just aight". Her sweet potato hash really impressed me. The service though, did not.

After some afternoon poker, we went to Bouchon in the Venetian. This is a Napa Valley restaurant, and it was really solid. I had some sauteed gnocchi and Sandy had the trout. Both of them were excellent. I highly recommend Bouchon.

Thursday we just bummed around for the most part. We didn't gamble really at all. We had some breakfast at Paris. It was solid.

Overall for the trip, I think we were both up about $150 on gambling. I started out in a $40 hole by betting on the Rams on Monday night. With the 13.5 points I was getting, the Rams took a 19.5 or 20.5 point lead (I can't remember which) into half-time. I went to dinner and came out to realize that they had been smoked. I made up for this though, by betting $40 on the Astros at +140 with Oswalt on the mound in Game 6. So for sports betting I ended up winning $12. I won about $140 playing poker overall. I lost maybe $5 from screwing around with slots and video poker, just for kicks. Sandy gave back some of her high hand jackpot at the poker table.

All in all, it was a great trip.

Notre Dame/USC

I almost forgot to talk about this game as I'm blocking it from my memory. Here's a couple of thoughts.

1. Pete Carroll is like a legitimate college coach. I thought that Charlie Weis would expose him, but it just didn't happen.

2. Reggie Bush is the best player in college football. If there was a debate before this game, there should be none after it.

3. USC is really that good. I'll be shocked if they don't win the title. Notre Dame came out and handed them their best effort. The brought out Montana, Tim Brown, Rudy, Chris Zorich, and they probably considered digging up Knute Rockne for this game. They had these guys at the pep rally, on the sideline, everywhere. It was either a show of desperation or a sign of "hey Charlie's here and we're back now". Despite the outcome of the game, I say it's the latter.

4. Notre Dame is really back as an upper echelon team. All of that "Return to Glory" crap under Willingham felt nothing like this. This is the real deal. The Irish are back. It won't be long before there's a national championship in South Bend again, and I don't mean women's hoops.

Conversation with Mark Swartz - Part 1

***Quick note: You might want to scroll down a few posts. I just posted several things and so they are naturally in reverse chronological order.***


Well, I'm starting a new concept for my blog. From time to time, I'm going to carry on an email conversation here with a friend/associate/other random person and post our discussion here. This is similar to something Bill Simmons did recently with author, Chuck Klosterman. Of course, both of those guys are writers, at least semi-famous, and have many more readers. Still, who cares? This should be fun.

First up for us here is Mark Swartz. He's a great guy that I keep in touch with mostly via Instant Messenger. He's a poker fanatic like me. Despite living 3000 miles apart, there's rarely a day that we don't chat at least for a minute. So anyway, here's our initial conversation, with Mark responding to a list of my questions:

1. Who are you and how do you know Chris Milone?

Mark Swartz. In a previous life, I worked as a consultant for Accenture. Chris worked with me on a project at Nicor, in Naperville, IL theoretically building some sort of credit processing application. In reality, we spent our days writing drafts of the perfect 'I quit the firm' email, and our evenings playing Euchre and watching Elimidate. (along with Kim Segasser and Kelly Kristch, a little shout out to our partners in crime)

2. If you could get poker lessons from one man or woman, who would it be? Why?

At this point probably Phil Gordon. The fact that he hosts the second most unwatchable poker show ever made aside, (The first being those stupid ones on Fox with Chris Rose) I've never read an article by him that isn't just packed with great information. He writes clearly and explains things at a level that is perfect for someone with a solid knowledge of the game. While I think there are much better players out there, he isn't too shabby, has progressed in skill quickly, and would be a great mentor considering the level that I am at.

3. What's it like having the NFL team in your city be the Cardinals?

Well, that's the thing. Not a lot of people here consider Phoenix to have a football team. Any long time resident grew up on Suns basketball. We didn't have anything else. So our football allegiances lie elsewhere. I was born in Seattle, so I figured I should like the Seahawks. And the 90% of the population that just moved here still cheers for their old teams. I mean, going to a Bears/Cards game is kind of a strange experience. 10% of the fans are cheering for the Cardinals, 10% of the fans couldn't really care either way, and 80% of the fans are trying to figure out how to wear their Bears jackets yet stay comfortable in the 85 degree sun.

Also, nobody here really understands why their nickame stayed the Cardinals. I mean, I haven't exactly ever seen a Cardinal flying around in my backyard here. Our basketball, hockey, and baseball teams all have adopted a nickname relevant to the great state we live in. They all incorporate purple into their color scheme. The Cardinals did neither and just don't fit in. I love football, but nobody here considers it a big deal to go to a game. I've been to two in the 10 years they've been around, both to see Seattle play. As a matter of fact, I've been to more NFL games in other states than I have here. And I've lived in Phoenix my whole life.

4. Name the top 5 Phoenix Suns of all time. By the way, Paul Shirley is eligible, just thought I'd throw that out there.

Sheez. This will be by far the hardest question I have to answer. I grew up on the run and gun Suns of the early and mid 90s. Chambers 60 point game, KJ dunking on Olajuwon, Majerle dunking on Manute Bol, Rex Chapman's insane 3pt shot against Seattle, the Round Mound of Rebound, the Gorilla, and of course the funniest man of all time, Paul Shirley. My top 5 if forced to pick:

Jeff Hornacek (86-92) - Nicest guy ever to play hoops. Mostly unknown outside the valley, but is one of the all time fan favorites in Phoenix. Deadly 3 point shooter. He used to shop in the grocery store I worked at in high school. In 92 when he was traded for Barkley, it was the worst for me. My absolute favorite player being traded away for the one I hated the most.

Dan Majerle (88-95) - Fans booed when Colangelo drafted him. On the podium when introducing him to us, Cotton Fitzsimmons says to the fans: "You will regret the day you booed him." And we did. Majerle launched 3s with wild abandon, from anywhere on the court. (and this was back when the 3 line wasn't a foot or two past the top of the key) He played defense on a team that didn't care about defense. He dunked on 7'7" Manute Bol in a playoff game that I was at. He was our 6th man, and whenever he was coming into the game, ACDC's Thunderstruck rolled through the arena. (Majerle's nickame was Thunder Dan). Nothing gets a crowd more fired up than ACDC, and Majerle coming in to knock down some 3s. Most fun I've ever had at Suns games. And to top it off, when they finally retired his number, his banner was on the section where I had my season tickets. SWEET!

Connie Hawkins (69-74) The Hawk was DrJ, before DrJ. Badass dunking machine. I wish I could have seen more of him than the highlight reels.

Kevin Johnson (87-98) KJ was the engine that made the Suns run. Ultra quick, ultra emotional, ultra good guy. Easily the most underrated player in the history of the NBA. 3 straight 20 point, 10 assist seasons. (I believe only Magic and Isiah Thomas have pulled this off) Next to the definition of how to run the pick and roll, there should be a picture of KJ and Chambers. They were unstoppable. Plus, he got into a fist fight with Doc Rivers and Greg Anthony back when the Knicks mattered. And I hate the Knicks so that was wonderful.

Gar Heard (75-80) - not someone who I ever was able to see play, but is responsible for the most memorable finals moment in history other than the Jordan no call push off/foul/shot on Eisley to win that Utah series. Double overtime against the Celtics, Gar launches the 'Shot Heard Round the World' as time expired to send the game into triple OT. Just about as good as it gets. That shot put the Suns on everyone's TV, and we've been exciting ever since. It defined what Suns basketball is. Score in any way possible.

I have to mention:
Paul Westphal (75-80) - Great leader, scorer, and coach. I'm sort of biased here because I knew his daughter growing up, and she was hot. So he makes my list just for that, and taking us to the finals in 93 as a coach.
Walter Davis (77-88) - Sweet D could flat light it up. Never saw a shot he didn't like.
Tom Chambers - Along with KJ, sparked the resurgence of Suns basketball in the late 80s. His 60 point game was unbelievable.

BTW - I just spent 3 hours answering this question. And I still might change it up as not having Barkley, the Gorilla, Alvin Adams, or the original Suns Dick Van Arsdale, Kurt Rambis, and Shawn Marion on my list is killing me.

And just for kicks, the 5 Suns players I hated the most:

1) Stephon Marbury - Starbury. I even hate his nickname. Could score 40 points anytime we played the Clippers. But if we needed his points in a tight game, they were non existent. I'd rather have Kidd back. And thats shocking because:
2) Jason Kidd - over hyped bad attitude punk that couldn't hit a clutch shot if he was alone in the gym and nobody was looking. Yes Jason, you're a great passer. But score me some freaking points! (plus he badmouthed the Suns when we traded him, which isn't too classy in my opinion)
3) Tom Gugliotta - I believe we got him right after he signed a 30 year, 10 billion dollar contract. I'm generally not a fan of giant contracts for big slow white basketball players. He promptly blew out his knee, and never scored more than 4 points in a game again.
4) Penny Hardaway - Never has signing someone who was so good been such a disaster. Never had even a mediocre season away from Shaq. And also came with a huge contract.
5) Antonio McDyess - After building our entire team around him, giving him everything he could possibly want, and having him promise to love and cherish the Suns forever, he left in the middle of the night for where? Denver? Give me a break. The fact that he went from superstar to bench scrub is no coincidence. (Joe Johnson clearly didn't learn from the mistakes of others. Even Denver is better than Atlanta)


5. You've got a pair of 6's in late position in no-limit hold 'em. An early position player raises to 4x the big blind. A middle player calls and another middle player raises 3x the early players raise. What do you do?


Fold.

6. No limit hold 'em or limit hold 'em? Omaha or Stud?

I don't like limit. I like to know that at any time I can win a pot regardless of my two cards. Nothing is more fun for me than the big stack, putting the fear of God into opponents style of poker. I don't play Omaha or Stud. My goal is to be the first player to capture a WSOP bracelet that can't do tricks with his chips and doesn't know how to play anything other than Texas Hold'em.

7. WSOP or WPT?

WPT. I like the commentary better, and I feel like you see more hands. On the WSOP, practically every hand has someone all in. That being said, unlike most people that like the WPT, I don't hate the WSOP. I find the WSOP more entertaining. But from a purely poker standpoint, I like the WPT better.

8. Shana Hiatt or Jessica Simpson?

Ugh! Another tough one. I'm going to pick Shana because I've heard in person she is even more breathtaking than on TV. And I associate her with poker. Jessica, I associate with Chicken of the Sea.

9. What's your favorite book of all time? Favorite movie?

This might be a little too geeky here. Fav book is the Lord of the Rings trilogy hands down. I've read it at least 8 times, usually straight through in 3 day binges.

Favorite movie is the Empire Strikes Back. I could list a dozen other much cooler options that I enjoy very much like The Princess Bride, Hoop Dreams, and Starship Troopers (because its just insanely bad. I mean, whenever I see it on cable I'm just mesmerized for half an hour trying to figure out how this movie must be some kind of joke made on purpose). But I'm a Star Wars geek at heart, and Empire is clearly the best as any Star Wars geek will tell you.

10. If you were on Elimidate, would you want to be the man with 5 women or one of the 5 men going for one woman? After choosing your scenario, please break down how the episode unfolds.

Well, I barely see Elimidate anymore (need to add that to the Tivo list) but I think there were 4 suitors not 5? Anyway, definitely the guy with the 4 women competing for me. I'm way too uncool to compete against other guys. And the fact that I wouldn't care would probably be obvious too, so I'd stand no chance.

The episode would go down like this:
Round 1: We'd all meet outside America West Arena. I'd immediately cut the ugliest girl, because as any guy knows that watches Elimidate that is the first rule. No matter how good a personality or how good a match the girl might be, the ugliest always gets cut first. Its just a rule so I'd have to abide by it, no questions asked.
Round 2: We enjoy a Suns/Lakers game. Chick that doesn't scream obscenities at the Lakers fans during the game gets cut.
Final Round: Even though its the middle of winter, its still warm out. We hit the pool and hot tub. (also a required part of any Elimidate) Drink way to many margaritas. The girls get into a fight after one of them takes off her top. I pick whoever wins the fight. The loser tells me I should have picked her because the other girl is a stupid slutty tramp. The winner tells me I need to work out more and leaves. I not too concerned, and go home and play some online poker.

Death Cab on Wednesday

On Wednesday night, Sandy and I went to see Death Cab for Cutie at the Riv. We got there early and got great balcony seats. This was important as it was sold out, and standing was going to be quite crowded and probably a difficult thing for my 5'2" companion, as far as seeing anything goes. Some Aussies named Youth Group opened the show. Their lead singer has an amazing voice, but they are one of those bands where pretty much all of their songs sound the same. They are good musicians, but I doubt that I'll be picking up an album.Anyway, I would give the Death Cab portion of the show a 9 out of 10, which was a little unexpected. I really dig Death Cab, but they are one of those bands where you think they might sound better on your album then live by a sizeable margin. In fact, I think they do sound a little better on the album, but it's a much thinner margin than I would expect. Their live show is actually freakin' great.

All of the stuff from Plans turned out to be fantastic live. My favorite part of the show involved Ben Gibbard during the first song of the encore. He played I Will Follow You Into the Dark by himself. I didn't realize how much I liked the song until he started. The entire crowd (me included) sang along quietly with him. It was quite touching. He thanked everyone for their appreciation of the song in one of the most sincere thank you's I've seen at a concert. It was one of those rare moments where you see people who appreciate a song in such an amazing way, and they are able to communicate that appreciation to the artist, and he/she is visibly moved by it.

Anyway, go see Death Cab for Cutie if you can. That's my advice.

Marathon News

Last Sunday, October 9th was the Chicago Marathon. As many of you know, I was training for this up until about 2 months ago when I fractured my pelvis somehow. Sandy continued to train. She ended up setting a goal of herself before the marathon of 4 hours, 30 minutes. She kept an amazingly consistent pace throughout and came in at exactly 4:30! That's a fantastic time for a first marathon. Many congratulations went to Sandy already for this and they were all deserved. She worked very hard to get there and I'm very proud of her. Way to go Sandy!

Now, coming to me. I hadn't run in 2 months outside of 1 mile when I was trying to run 3 miles about 4 days before the marathon. My hip started hurting and I had to shut it down. The logical thing to do would have probably been to just not run at all. My doctor certainly felt that I should go this route and my mother was in agreement. Naturally then, I went out and tried to run anyway. I mean, I paid for it and everything, why not give it a whirl? So I ran with Sandy for the first 9 miles before I told her that she needed to leave me in the dust, as I would need to slow down. I then went on and ran another five miles before jumping ahead to two miles before the finish. I needed to cross the finish line to collect my gear and turn in my chip. I ended up getting through all but 10 miles of the marathon. I can't say I was happy with this, but under the circumstances, I couldn't be too bummed either. It was a great experience though. I'll be back out there next year and finishing, or at least I'm telling myself that now.

Again, great job Sandy and everyone that finished. It takes a lot of dedication to complete this goal. Sandy saw someone that had actually dropped a deuce in their pants during the race (nice brown stain in the sweet spot). I saw a lot of people out there really pushing themselves to the limit. One guy was almost being carried by another guy. He was in his 60's I'm guessing and looked like he had just come from his own funeral. The biggest thing I learned is that there are all kinds of reasons to run a marathon. For some, it's just about setting a goal and taking it down. For others, they do it for the thrill of running. There are many who devote their run to fallen loved ones or even to Christ. Whatever the reason, it's hard to do. For me, I think I need to run it next year just to finish the job. I hate leaving something unfinished.

Flurry of Posts

It's been about 11 days since my last post. I've been working hard on the job to make sure that I got everything squared away prior to taking a week off. I'll be in Vegas with Sandy from Monday until Thursday. Taking a week off can sometimes leave you two weeks behind, in my experience. I did the best I could to prepare, and now it's time to enjoy some quality vacation time in one of the world's greatest cities.

Before I go away though, instead of whiling away my time with internet poker and tracking my fantasy team, I've decided to pound out a bunch of posts that I've been meaning to get finished. The last week or so was a good one. Hopefully, the upcoming week will be even better. If I can post from Vegas, I will. I'm not going to go crazy to do it but if we have free internet, you can expect some updates.

Book Recommendation

Did you like Bringing Down the House? That's a book by Ben Mezrich, about card counting M.I.T. students, if you haven't read it. You should, if you haven't. Anyway, Ben is back to cash in on that success with another book about M.I.T. blackjack players, only this time they use a different system that has little to do with counting. It's called Busting Vegas. If you liked the first book about blackjack players, you'll like this second one too. I got it yesterday and within 24 hours I was finished. It's not quite as good as the first, and it rehashes the same back and forth style between the present and the past. It also goes back to the well for more of the same ol' themes - European travel, being a high-roller, casino heat, backrooms, smuggling cash through airports, etc. Still, there's enough originality that it is definitely worth the read. It gets 2 thumbs up from me. Also, if you want a more original Mezrich work, definitely check out Ugly Americans. That book was tremendous.

Thoughts on Eddy and Bill

John Paxson decided to move Eddy Curry to the Knicks this evening. We don't even know yet what we got in return. Personally, I'd take a vintage Ewing jersey signed with something like, "I almost won a championship once." I'm left wondering if it isn't too late to open a couple of more Burger King's around Madison Square Garden. Here's the thing about this deal. It's a no-win for Pax. If we keep him, with our luck he never plays again after suffering a heart attack on the court. If we deal him, he turns into the most dominant center in the league, short of Shaq. The only thing saving us from this potential double-edged sword is that Isaiah Thomas made the deal. Eddy Curry having a massive coronary on the Knicks home floor about 1 week into the season is just about all that's left to cap off Zeke's career as the worst General Manager in the history of sport. This man tanked an entire league (the CBA) and still managed to somehow land the job as GM of one of the most storied franchises in all of basketball. This was a bigger upset than the first time Joey chose Pacey over Dawson. By the way, how would you feel if you were the guy who got turned down in favor of Isaiah? Ouch.

In other news, I just finished Bill Simmons' book, Now I Can Die in Peace. This chronicles his ride through the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumph being a Red Sox fan. You can read more of his work here, if you are so inclined. I enjoy the man's work so much that I frequently laugh out loud. This hardly happens when I'm reading anything else. I've been laughing so much lately that I think Sandy is starting to become jealous of Bill and his impact on me. I'm not sure that even makes sense. It's just the vibe I'm getting. Anyway, get the book. You don't need to be a Red Sox fan at all. If you are Cubs fan, you really should get this book. Trust me.

Do you have some little things in your life that you really appreciate, and maybe a little more than you should? I've got a couple. One is a cup of coffee from Caribou called the Lite White Berry. Yes, it's pretty girly. Rolling into the 'Bou on a Saturday morning and having that sweet taste of my day's first caffeine. That's tough to top. The second is coming across an airing of any World Series of Poker event on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic,etc. This only happens about every 0.92 seconds. The third, is any time Bill Simmons posts a new column on ESPN Page 2. It's one of the few things in life that never lets me down. I'm happy to live during this man's prime. If you aren't reading his work, shame on you.

Good night!