Sit & Go Grind and some Cleveland talk

With the big tournaments not going quite as planned lately, I've sat back and started multi-tabling the 27-38 dollar sit & gos on Pokerstars. I actually got 5th in the high orbit leaderboard for an extra $200. YAY! In all reality though, I just wanted a new challenge and to free my mind from the pressure associated with always needing to win a tournament. So far, I've done fairly well. I almost got my second Full Tilt HORSE title as well last night coming in 3rd. It made me a $1200 winner on Sunday, which I can't complain about at all. My plan for March is to keep the tournament volume relatively low. I played a ton in January and February, and a change of scenery was definitely needed. With the SCOOP coming up on Pokerstars, I want to be ready to go every day for 2 weeks when April starts. Getting a huge cash in the SCOOP makes the WSOP and some of the April WPT events a lot easier to justify playing.


I just wanted to spit out a few sports observations.

Cleveland Cavs

I don't know how this team is going to beat Boston if Boston gets the one seed and we have to play 4 there. If we get the one seed, I still think it will be an epic series. To me, Boston is the best team in the NBA until someone else proves otherwise. We haven't done that yet. Lebron needs to stop Paul Pierce if we are going to win in June. So far, Lebron has failed to show up against Boston on the road. I still like our chances and think that we are one of the best run organizations in professional sports. Our front office actually gets it. No trades to do anything crazy at the deadline. Lebron is happy even though everyone thinks he is leaving. Let's just break the Cleveland curse and win one and he'll never leave.


Cleveland Indians

When does baseball start? It seems like forever since I rooted for a game, but it's a combination of the idiocy of that league that restrains my excitement I once had as a youth. Steroids, A Roids, no salary cap, corruption, and what else is new.... I still think the tribe has a chance every year.


Cleveland Browns

I already love our front office. I don't love the fact that we are basically in rebuild mode. We have only signed players that will give our team more depth in crucial positions. I loved Kellen Winslow as a player, but since he only played about half of the games, getting rid of him was kind of a wash for me. I don't think he really every fit into the system in Cleveland.

As far as Braylon Edwards is concerned, everyone wants to trade him, but I'm not on that bandwagon. He had an off year last year. I'm expecting him to return to his form next year with the discipline of the new staff and a new QB behind center. Trading him in a fire sale isn't going to get us anywhere. We also have some upside in keeping him because if he sucks, we will get picks for him when someone signs him based on how the NFL rules work. I'm not exactly sure of all the details, but I think the best case scenario is 1st and 3rd rounders in 2010. If he's good, our offense will be explosive again just like it was two years ago. He is that good when he plays at his best. I just hope he keeps his mouth shut and does his playing on the field.

I'm looking forward to the draft. We will take the best player available. It appears Aaron Curry will be gone by number 5. If he's gone, I like Orapko or Andre Smith. Either player builds one of the interior lines.

Shaun Rodgers, please just stay and stop complaining. Every fan in this city loves you.

I know everyone is sad that.....

The Cleveland Browns are finished this season. I am too. At least we get to watch the Buckeyes one more time. I wanted to chime in with some Browns talk. Let me first say that I think the fault of this team is in Randy Lerner. The owner has no clue how to run a football organization and is nothing like any other good organization. How many times have you seen the guy? Could you pick him out in a crowd? I could certainly pick out Jerry Jones, Dan Rooney, or Robert Kraft even though. Lerner has no rules named after him. Do you wonder if Jerry Jones connects with the guy in order to rob him of draft trades every year? That being said, it's easy to fire guys like Savage and Crennel when things go wrong.
Savage probably had too much on his plate out of his niche ability of picking talent. There are really three moves that sealed this guy's fate in my opinion.

1. The Derek Anderson saga
I think this selection ruined this team this year after it was apparent that he failed to win the big games last year. The move came too late in the season even after Anderson failed to lead the team in any matter early in the year. It also makes me wonder who made this choice. Savage's hubris led him to always place blame on others. An NFL team is exactly that, a team, not something we throw blame on a coach, or even a few players.

2. Donte Stallworth
He really helped this year. I don't want to look up his 6 year 45? million contract because it will make me puke when I see it. Here are the key stats for Stallworth. 10.0 Yards per catch!! WOW!! Except he had 17 catches for 170 yards and 1 TD. Of course, Stallworth can't be blamed for everything on offense because when Mr. "I'm from MeatChicken" Edwards drops every pass no one needs to double cover him. Ask Leroy Hoard from Michigan how much the fans truly cared about him being from Michigan when he consistently ran people over throughout his career.

3. F U Text
Just search Phil Savage and F U Text if you need more details. This is just unprofessional.

As for Crennel, he's not head coach material. I like the guy and think that he'll be another Super Bowl contender defensive coordinator if given the chance because that's what he does. Some people just don't have head coach in their genes. I wish him the best and if in some dream scenario, we could keep him as a defensive coordinator to give us some continuity, I would be happy.


As for the future, we need a game-changing defensive player at a linebacker position. You know what I'm thinking of too if you ever heard me describe any linebacker I liked in my life. A Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher vicious type that loves chewing on little babies arms. I truly think our offense can get to the right point with both better coaching and leadership from a player like Brady Quinn. I want someone to give the guy a chance to throw the ball down the field and give our playmakers a chance. I know that Derek Anderson has a cannon, but he doesn't have the leadership of an NFL QB. That's what I'm looking for in this team. Leadership on both defense and offense. I think we saw some from the defense before it's backs were broken late in the season by both injuries and the offenses inability to stay on the field for more than three plays. Rodgers was really a great trade in retrospect as he made several huge plays throughout the year.

I'm done with the Browns until the draft comes closer or until other big offseason moves come and go.


I love watching the best team in Cleveland basketball history every night they play. If this team doesn't win a championship, then I can honestly say to myself that we will never win a championship in the city of Cleveland in any sport other than at St. Ignatius.




As for poker, I'm not going to the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure. I tried to qualify, but that didn't pan out, so I'll be back in Vegas early January and ready for the UBOC. That's a big online series on the new Cereus Network of sites. Both of these sites have lots of issues in their past and also with current software updates. I just sent a nasty email because you can't play one table tournaments without having your one table pop up to the front of the entire screen every half second. You can't even type in your bet amount. It's absolutely absurd how poorly that site is run. If and probably when US sites come into the market, that site is going to get blown out of the water.

I'll do a goal update at the end of the year as I still have a couple more days left. Then it's on to new goals for the New Year. Happy New Year!

Random Blurb Blog

Disclaimer--I will be writing about as many topics as I can think of without dedicating more than 2 minutes of my thoughts towards each individual topic. You are certainly allowed to skip topics that don't interest you.


My Poker Career Lately

It's been a lot of close but no cigars lately. I wish I had more exciting things to report about, but it's been a lot of the 7th-25th place column. On another fun note, I looked up my Online Player of the Year Ranking on Cardplayer yesterday and I was at 212th. I'm at kind of a disadvantage in this area because I don't play the 100 rebuy every day, which almost always qualifies for points. Maybe I can make a run and crack the top 100. It might take a big score. I'm basically winding down for the year as all the major online events are over until the Ultimate Bet events in January. I'll be pushing for a PCA seat so I can go to the Bahamas in January.

World Series of Poker Final Table

That was fun to watch, wasn't it? I much prefer as a spectator to watch it without knowing who wins. It's almost impossible to avoid spoilers as I received only one when I clicked through to PokerXFactor and saw who got 4th. I think when you put a final table into 2 hours, it's really tough to do the game any justice, but I understand that not every poker fan wants to watch 25 hours of boring poker footage. It is tough to examine hands though without knowing many of the variables leading up to the hands. That being said, I don't take much stock in some of the plays that we were shown. There were, however, some incredibly bad mistakes made throughout the 2 hour broadcast. It's probably nerves, and I won't bash anyone too much because I can't even begin to imagine what it's like.


Peter Eastgate

I survived an all in against the champ. Peter Eastgate raised on day 3 to about 2.7 big blinds, and I gave him my 19 bb pile with A10. He called and showed the same hand, and we split the pot. I was pulling for this kid the whole time because he impressed me tremendously in the 5 hours I played with him on day 3. He is absolutely fearless. Every player at the table probably was paying extra attention to this guy. That's the kind of player I want to be.


Cleveland Cavaliers

The best team in the NBA is led by King James. 8 games in a row and a team that Lebron calls his best squad since he's been there. Might this be the year that the King finally takes his throne? I think it will be. I've never felt confident in a Cleveland team since James has been here, but this team really has championship potential. We play great defense, have a lot of depth, and good coaching. Give Mike Brown credit for what he has done with this team early on in the year.


Cleveland Browns

In light of the current week, we need less players from Michigan. We need more players from Ohio State. Phil Dawson deserves that game on Monday Night Football. That guy has sure been through a lot in Cleveland and to punch a 56 yarder in for the lead must have felt great. Brady Quinn is hands down the better option for the Cleveland Browns at QB. He came up with the plays that we needed that Anderson has failed to bring all year. He did it last week, and he did it this week. Now if we only had more Buckeyes on defense, we might be something.


OSU vs. MeatChicken

Joke provided courtesy of Mike Z.

"Hey did you hear that Michigan canceled their travel plans to Ohio State this week?"

"No. Why?"

"Because they couldn't get past Toledo"

Zinggggggggggggggggg

Go Bucks! This one won't even be close. My prediction. Ohio State 72-Michigan 3


Books

I applied for a library card a couple of days ago, but haven't gone to the library. I'm finishing up the book Freakonomics. Reading is probably a hobby that I should pick up again. I've been reading real estate books and all, but I want to read some actual good novels. It's been awhile since I've read anything fiction. Leave good suggestions in the comments section please.

Shout out to my Dad

Every time my Dad tells me he has a feel, I seem to knock down a big tournament. Last time he told me and really meant it, I got 2nd in the 50 rebuy, 2nd in the 300 and 3rd in the 163 in a week. While it may be hard to fathom what this feel entails, I have learned to respect and use the momentum of the feel to my advantage. A little superstition never hurt anyone. The over/under for the shout out to my mom is 3.5 years.


Best Movies I've Seen Lately

In no particular order...

1. Michael Clayton
2. The Dark Knight
3. Capote
4. Saving Private Ryan



THE HOUR OF BAUER

Jack "God" Bauer returns to Fox on Sunday. Look out for several airplanes blowing up, people dying, and Jack Bauer generally saving the day. That is to assume he didn't jump off the cliff like a wuss at the end of last season.

That's all I got for now.

The Cleveland Browns

Too often on the shores of Lake Erie, we end up complaining. We end up disappointed and heartbroken at another blown season, another blown playoff game, another embarrassing performance in front of a national crowd. Finally, we have a moment that makes Cleveland proud. The Browns beat the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in front of a home crowd and a national television audience as a huge underdog going into the game. Not a single sane person would have picked this team to win after the tough start to the season and anemic offense led by Derek "just playing catch with DBs" Anderson. All those sane people, however, proved to be wrong. The Browns made a statement during this Monday night game. It was a statement that should ring loudly through Cleveland and the entire NFL. The Cleveland Browns can play some football. While everyone in the league was ready to cut the cord on Anderson and Crennel after the 1-3 start, the team didn't panic or give in to outsiders and came away with one of their best performances in 5 years. It was a moment where as an avid fan, I finally started to understand the genius behind the team. The offseason moves to bring in some lineman that can actually hold their own and cause trouble for defenses finally paid off. The Browns rarely got to Eli Manning, but their defense caused trouble enough to force Manning into looking like that good old fashioned Gomer Pyle rather than the Super Bowl MVP. The highly drafted secondary made big plays to inhibit any momentum from building against the team. The lineman protected Anderson brilliantly and gave him time to throw. The offensive plays showed creativity and even a rare simplicity that allowed Anderson to succeed. It proves that you don't necessarily need an all star behind center, but just someone who can manage the game and not make any mistakes. The lines on both side of the ball played tough and made a highly touted defense look like an average NFL defense. As far as the Browns go for now though, this is the team that the fans wanted. This is the team that we love. The underdogs, the doubted, the team that no one really cares about in the NFL is a team that is dangerous. Of course, any NFL coach with the talent that Crennel has behind his roster should be able to prepare and put up a good showing against anyone with two weeks between games. What really matters though is that from the opening kickoff to the last snap, the Browns played like a team that cared about each other and a team that wanted to win. Since they have had that attitude, they are 2-0.

Where did I go......??

Hey everyone....(all 8 of you),

I'm back to talk for a little bit. I wish I could say poker is going well, but I haven't really had any good results lately. I had a period in there of about 2 weeks where I think I acted unprofessionally. I let things get out of hand emotionally when I never should do that. There are times in playing as a professional when things hit real hard. It always seems to come in the midst of a losing streak when I'm making deep finishes, but they aren't deep enough. When it comes to my emotions, I feel like I need to attain the level of a player like Chip Reese, RIP. Chip was known for being one of the classiest players in the history of the game. I remember reading one of Daniel Negreanu's blogs after Chip's death that said the toughest part about Chip's game was that his A game was his D game. In effect, he never strayed from his game no matter what happened at the table. He could control his emotions and be on the top of his game at all times. It's so tough to do in this game. The game breeds a culture of negativity because there is only one winner out of the hundreds or thousands of players. If you are competitive and driven, not winning hurts. I think I'll grow professionally when I can change my state of mind in these situations. I've been taught well in life by coaches and parents to name a few. My dad always taught me to keep my cool throughout sports. Coach Mackar, Simko, Green, Jeckel all had emphasis on staying focused and patient throughout adversity. I need to remember these lessons and bring them to the forefront of my mind. That will help me progress. I know I'm extremely talented at poker, but this comment is assuming my competitive emotions and focus are in check.



I have to subtly brag about my fantasy football team. After losing my first two weeks and starting QB Tom Brady, I've put together 3 straight winning weeks. Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, and a late pickup Jason Campbell have allowed me to keep it close and win games. In my league, which is one of the best leagues in the history of fantasy sports (mostly my family and friends), I will never be the best player. My Aunt Tracey deserves all the props for being the best fantasy player I've ever seen. In fact, I would be afraid to invite her into any other leagues. I can't think of someone who consistently picks sleepers, puts together good teams, and always stays at the top year in and year out. She basically taught me all I know and I still remember getting those dollars from our first combined fantasy baseball team. That was a long while back when I knew every single player and team in and out. She also knew every single player in and out, so on draft day when we picked the best team and stayed with it, there was no doubt we were going to win it all. I hope I can stick around in this league and regain the title. I haven't had it for a while now. In fact, the year I won, my Uncle called me up at 8 in the morning on a Labor Day. On a scale of 1-10, I probably had football knowledge at a 4.




The Cleveland Browns have looked terrible this year. I don't expect anything to change on Monday night against the Giants, but I'm glad I don't have to drive to a sports bar to watch them. The funny part about Vegas is that I can never get lucky and get a Cleveland or Ohio State game on TV. I went to the casino the other day to watch the Buckeyes game in the sports book and it made me excited about the future of Buckeye's football.



I just watched the Presidential Debate. If you've read the blog, you know I like Barack Obama and why. I think it's a virtual lock that he wins the election. I'm looking forward to the next four years in office. I love this site that I follow all the time.

www.electoral-vote.com

It's time for a sports blog

It's been a while since I talked about anything but poker, so it might be healthy to get some good thoughts out there about Cleveland sports and the Olympics. I've been playing poker at a minimum lately. I've basically been following the FTOPS main events around when I have time to and playing cash games when I'm bored here in Cleveland. This has giving me some good time to watch some Olympics and enjoy the games all day, while hardly ever exercising and typically eating too much.

Cleveland Cavaliers Trade

Cleveland hit the trade market hard again acquiring Mo Williams from the Bucks. We finally have our point guard. I can't say I know very much about Mo Williams because I really don't. If Mo Williams is even a slightly above average point guard who can play a lick of defense, it will make this team better. Damon Jones is only a loss if you enjoyed laughing at him over the past few years. I would like to thank him though for that shot in the Washington series three years ago. It was one of the most exciting moments in Cleveland and all Amon Ones ever did (NO D and No J) was want to be good. I hope that one play was enough. Joe Smith was the real loss. He provided solid depth at the big man position throughout the playoffs. He was a guy who did everything right. I think the best thing about losing him is it gives a chance for all the younger guys to develop into that role. It does leave a small hole in our front man rotation. If our old players (Z or Wallace) go down, we might be in trouble. My only other big concern about Mo Williams is that I've read a few places that he might be a selfish player. We don't need another Larry Hughes, so our coaching staff better be very direct with how they coach Mo Williams. He better be ready to work and win titles or you can kiss LBJ good bye in two years.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are going to be good this year. How good? 10-6 again good. Our record range will be 8-8 to 10-6. I don't see this team going any different than that range of records. Our offense is probably in the top 4 in the NFL. I can think of NE, Indy, and maybe Dallas as those that our ahead of us. We just have weapons in every area. We have two all-pro receivers and Braylon Edwards is still underrated. We have one of the best receiving tight ends in the league in Winslow. Lewis looks pretty solid and behind the best offensive line in the AFC North, we'll win the division. Expect to be playing at home in round one of the playoffs against a team like Jacksonville or Denver. I expect a fall out in Pittsburgh this year. I think the team will hurt bad after losing Alan Faneca at guard.


Olympics

We need to check China!!!! China is really showing the dichotomy of its messed up nation. It puts on this unreal display at the opening ceremonies following a decade of unbelievable growth, yet it's partially fake. They leave out the fact that they put up a 7 year old girl prop in place of the real singer who was deemed to ugly for TV. How many 7 year olds are really ugly? Let's be honest. It's impossible to be ugly at 7 unless you are one of those 7 year old gymnasts on China's team. I really have a growing dislike for gymnastics because I think it's rigged and finally realize it is. China is not following the rules, and they would have never lost the gold at home. The USA would have never lost the gold at home in '96 either.

One thing I love about the summer Olympics are the great sports you never watch but are absolutely awesome come Olympics time.

1. Swimming--I would never watch this sport, but it's fun come Olympics time because medals are cool and the USA is usually dominant. Watching Michael Phelps has been real fun this Olympics, and I expect him to win all 8 golds. He will for sure win the two individual races barring lots of drugs injected into some crazy Chinese athlete. Can you even trust anything China does? They just went 1-2 in the 100M Butterfly. Is there any doubt they weren't drugged up like Marion Jones and Barry Bonds son?

2. Beach Volleyball--Fun to watch, but more fun to play. I love this sport and USA is sweet at it. Not to mention that I love the name Karch.

3. Track and Field--I watch this all the time when it's on, but your average American doesn't. This is going to be exciting this Olympics. You can't miss the 100M dash with Tyson Gay from the USA. He recently sprained his hamstring in the trials, so it will be interesting to see him compete against Jamaica's top dude. The 400M is going to be my favorite race with Leshawn Merrit and Jeremy Wariner. Here is there race from last Olympics, but since then Merritt has beat Wariner. This is the best race on the track hands down.



4. Table Tennis--Watch it live for NBCOlympics.com

5. Handball--See number 4


The worst sports at the olympics include women's sabre, anything involving rowing, trampoline and rhytmic gymnastics. Can't we seriously put golf in place of one of these? I have another idea. Let's make the PGA Championship travel to the Olympic city once every 4 years and play it there. It will be both the PGA Championship and the Olympic event. It will give the world a chance to see the biggest chokes out there including but not limited to Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

That is all for now. I'll be back with more later.