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Whatever it takes

MS. INFORMED ON YOU TUBE

Your favorite and mine on YOU TUBE!!!!

Neil predicts james wins juror vote.

JETS PICK - WE HAD IT HERE 1ST

THE FREAK IS IN TOWN BABY!!!!!

CLICK BELOW TO SEE YOU HEARD IT HERE WEEKS AGO

http://brooktownleague.blogspot.com/2008/02/jets-first-round-pick.html

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK (6)

Each and every useless fact it stored for 2 reasons. First, to be able to randomly whip it out (pardon) for any attempt at levity and second (psychologically) to repress any other memory that makes me the way I am (alcohol can only do so much). - JAY FERN

THE KOBE BRYANT JUMPING THE CAR VIDEO

I think the best part about the 6 months of NBA play-offs are the post and pre game chit chats. Here is a clip that shows the much viewed Kobe Bryant jumping over a car video, then Kenny Smith trying to do the same thing.

AMERICAN IDOL IS TERRIBLE

The fan voting has become a joke and the show has become nothing but a popularity contest. Jason Castro, who has not a stitch of personality and Brooke White, who forgot the words to her song and actually started over, didn’t even wind up in the bottom Two.

Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, both may have had their best performances of the season and received rave reviews from both Simon and Randy (Paula is meaningless), were in the final 2 and Carly went home!!. Two weeks ago, andother polished and decent singer Michael Johns went home.

Even the musical mentor of the show, Andrew Lloyd Webber had nothing good to say about Jason, who refused to even listen to any of his suggestions.. A man picking Memories to sing, Webber said, "was the most curious song choice I've ever known in my career." He tried to talk Jason out of it to no avail, Webber made clear he had no use for Jason.

So shockingly the final 5 is Jason, Brooke,Syesha ,David Cook and David Archuleta. In my opinion I don’t see the infatuation with Archuletta. He sounds like he needs to clear his throat, and he has the excitement and charisma of a Raggedy Ann Doll…..what the hell am I doing, why am I blogging about this? I don’t care, I really don’t care. I haven’t been on top of my game since Natalie got voted off Big Brother!!!

DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T EVER GIVE UP

Lets look at where we are with this mess of a political party:

According to CNN and the Associated Press, there are 300 Superdelegates uncommitted to either Democratic candidate. Obama leads the overall delegate count by about 140. He also has about 500,000 more popular votes. He also has a commanding lead in polling in North Carolina for the May 6 primary. He has decided not to debate Clinton there, which is probably a good move after their latest debate in Pennsylvania in which Obama (as usual) clearly did a poor job in.

Indiana looks to be a dead heat right now for the vote also on May 6. Since North Carolina is not a concern to Obama he’ll probably spend a nice amount of his extensive cash to woo voters in Indiana. If he can pull out big wins in both states, that should pretty much be it. Hillary opened up her speech last night asking for cash right out of the box, Obama doesn’t have that problem, he has plenty of money flowing in and huge support from the younger generation and has used the networking sites and online features and text messages to get his word out and fire up his fan base. Good for him, well done, he’s changed the way the word will get out and how political races are going to be run in the future and I strongly support that, however, when it comes down to who I want making decisions with my money, right there at the bottom of my list, just above the religious fanaticals, are the 21 year old liberal kids who have no idea what it is to actually work for and earn your money, but sure love to text and IM. But that’s a blog for another day. If Obama can win those two primaries, Clinton will see the money stop, and her chances of going on will, in all probability, be done.

Now being I have no desire to ever see either of these candidates ever in the white house, my take may be a bit slanted, but the bottom line is, no one likes a close game. Granted they are interesting for the “fans” but watching the Mets win a game 10-2 is always more desirable then sitting though a 16 inning nail biter. So, obviously Obama supporters want this over today. They want their man, who HAS NOT WON ENOUGH DELEGATES, so simply be handed the nomination. They want Clinton to simply say, “Ok, we have a system in place where you need 2105 delegates to win our parties nomination, you have about 1700, so rather than have the other remaining states have their say, I’ll step aside since you almost won for the good of the party.”

Now anyone who believes any of these people are doing anything for the good of the party, the good of the people, or the good of the country, are the ones that are the most delusional (see my previous group of 21 year olds). Read this very carefully and pay close attention to the next statement, because this is what most educated, level headed, experienced people learn at some point or another in their life. NO ONE DOES ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT HAVE THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS IN MIND. Read it again and think about it. I know, you are going to say I’m wrong, or I’m jaded, that’s fine, I accept all of that, I’m not going to argue it with you, because one day it will you that I’m right and when it happens you’ll say “Son of a…that guy was right.” One day those rose colored glasses will come off, and you’ll realize that most people, who I truely believe are inherently good, still do what is best for them, and some people (Hillary Clinton) will do what is best for them at any cost.

It’s wonderful to think and to dream that Obama will become president, and everything will be fine, all his revolutionary ideas will fall right into place, and he’ll do what he thinks is best for the country, but that is not reality. If you believe that Obama is the best man for the job because you like what his plan is, then that’s fine, I support your right to support him. If you think Ralph Nader has the best ideas (in 1992 I was a supporter and campaigner for Jerry Brown until finally voting for Ross Perot) then by all means support him. But just be realistic, and know that Hillary isn’t just going to go away because you or I want her to. There is no person more powerful, nothing more worth winning, than the Presidency of the United Stated. Hillary Clinton has dreamed about this for longer than any of us can ever know, to think she will simply quit is ludicrous.

These are the Clinton’s we are dealing with, who knows what may come out about Obama, or what rumor may be next about him. True or untrue, Hillary knows, you can’t win if you quit. May, June, July there are still a lot of banana peals out there for Obama to step on, and the wrong one could be all the Clintons are looking for.

Now for the good news, by continuing on until the convention, she is doing the Republicans' work for them, effectively running their campaign while allowing McCain to remain above the fray and avoid anytype of fight or mud slinging.

Nearly one fifth of Clinton and Obama supporters now say they would not vote for the other candidate in the general election, a statistic that is at least partially a result of Clinton's protracted negative campaigning.

Clinton's only real chance at securing the nomination is by continuing on until the convention and having the party's super delegates overturn Obama's likely lead in both pledged delegates and popular vote. If that were to happen, it would irreparably damage the Democratic Party's unity and would doubtlessly leave the party with a jaded, divided base going into the general election.

So with that I say good luck Obama, good luck Clinton, and remember, I teach my kids to never give up, don’t give up on your dreams, fight for what you want, because in this life no one is just going to hand you anything. She’s a fine, fine role model, keep up the fight, and as the great Jimmy Valvano once said so eloquently, “"Don't give up, don't ever give up."”

WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE WATCH

Willie, Willie, Willie.

Let’s look back at the week Willie had.

Last Wednesday evening Willie threw John Maine out there against the Nats and sat back and get a strong pitched game to go along with a 4 run 5th inning and this one was never in doubt. Ryan Church batted second and had 2 hits and a HR and the week was off to a good start.

On Thursday we went 14, and I give Willie credit with this one, everything he did worked out well, as the bullpen was solid, he got a few clutch hits and the Mets were 8-6 for the year and 2-0 for Willie’s week.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday we went into Philly and any manager is going to look smart when Santana and Perez were as dominating as they were and Ryan Howard is swinging and missing all weekend and Jimmy Rollins gets 2 ABs (don’t get all excited Corby, those are AT BATS, not abs). For the second time this year though, Willie pulled Ollie after 5 2/3 scoreless innings having not given up a run, but the bullpen was strong again as 6 relievers got the final 19 outs and Willie and the Mets were 4-0 for the week.

Sunday was a game that, although we were down 4-0 and never had the lead, still feels like it got away from us. Castillo failed at getting down a bunt (I know it’s not Willie’s fault that this flawed player is our second baseman for the next four years, and Wednesdays are not the time and place to address this, but his short comings need to be looked into soon) and Chase Utely may the second best player in the NL (behind David Wright) but taking 2 out of 3 is a sussussful series in my books. Doing it against Philly on the road is even that much more of a bonus.

Now we go to Monday and Wrigley field. In a tight game Willie goes to Aaron Heilman in the 8th, and after a Reyes error and a hit batter it’s suddenly 7-1 and we now have lost 2 games in a row. I can’t have this. Maine pitched well, and so did Zambrano, and I know the Cubbies are hot, but I can’t have this. Raul Casanova can’t hit, he’s done as far as I’m concerned and I’d rather see Joey Appio manning 2B and batting second than Jose Castillo these days. I understand Willie has to get Heilman on track, but HE MUST keep him out of close games until Heilman can get 3 outs in an inning without giving up some runs.

The Mets are 8-1 this year when Church and Pagan bat 2nd and 2-8 when Castillo bats 2nd. Every time I look at the line-up I continue to Carlos Delgado in the 5th slot. Willie needs to STOP treating all the veterans like they can do no wrong; he needs to make everyone accountable regardless of how long they have been in the league. Whatever success these players had with Toronto or Minnesota or with the Middletown Elks are meaningless to me.

I’m generally very easy going with managers and coaches (the exceptions being Rich Kotite and Jeff Torborg), but Willie’s rope is getting short. I don’t see him doing anything to fire this team up, I don’t see him motivating these players, and while I know Willie can’t control someone getting a clutch hit, or making a key play, he can hold them accountable for failure, and this is something he does not do. I can't have this, I just can't have this. It's unacceptable.

The week started off 4-0, and ended 0-3.

4-3 for the week and 10-9 for the season.

4 out of every 7 gives us 93 wins for the year, which isn’t bad, and quite possibly would get them at least a wild card, but unlike last year, Willie can’t keep doing the same things over and over again, and just hope things just get better. The rope is getting short, and Willie is not getting the job done.

WILLIE’S CURRENT SCORE = 59

MUST SEE TV???

NEW YORK – April 21, 2008 - "Icons From The Archives," a one-hour NBC Sports Special, airs this Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. The show features four of America's greatest sports icons: Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell, Hank Aaron and Joe Namath through memorable and entertaining moments as captured by classic NBC Sports programs that haven't aired in decades, many of them on film, and stored in NBC's archive warehouse in New Jersey.

NBC Sports' production crew, led by veteran NBC Sports producer John Gilmartin, poured through hundreds of hours of 16mm film and one and two-inch tape to find this vintage footage used in the special. To view the film, the production team dusted off a mid-century Steenbeck Flatbed film-editing machine that is housed in a tucked away corner at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza Studios.

The show also includes an original commercial that aired during the 1977 Ali-Shavers fight in which Howard Cosell interviews a representative from General Electric's CB Radio division on why consumers should buy GE's Citizen Band radios.

NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts will host "Icons from the Archives."

Erick Lindgren thinks very little of my style of play

If you read the following article by Erick Lindgren you’ll see him disagree with me and my 34% style of seeing the flop.


In tournaments, I play lots of hands. I'll put my money in with all kinds of connected cards, especially when in position. I might limp, I might min-raise or raise a little more than the minimum, depending on the circumstances. I'm looking to keep my table off balance so they don't know where I'm coming from.


My overall goal is to pick up a lot of small pots without a lot of resistance. I might raise in position and hope for a call from one of the blinds. If I raise pre-flop with something like 6-7, I might miss the flop entirely, but the raise puts me in control of the hand. On the flop, I'll likely bet if checked to, even if I miss. That small bet on the flop will usually win me a small, but helpful pot.


Of course, sometimes it won't work out. I'll bet and get check-raised on occasions. But that's okay, because I actually don't lose much in the hands that I have to surrender. Overall, I get to gradually add to my chip stack by chopping at small pot after small pot.


The other major advantage to my style is that, occasionally, I will hit a flop hard. If I do happen to flop a straight, it's difficult for other players to put me on something like 5-7 or 6-8. If one of my opponents also gets a piece of the flop, I'll get paid off in a big way.


By adding to my stack early, I have a real advantage over players who play a cautious, tight game. The extra chips that I accumulate allow me to survive some tough spots. So, if I happen to get involved in a race with A-K or a pair of Tens, I can withstand a loss. An opponent who's playing tight will likely be on the rail after losing a single race.


New players often ask me how they can learn to play more pots. I always suggest that they drop down significantly in stakes and practice. If you're playing $2-$4 no-limit, drop down to $.50-$1 - a level where some losses won't hurt you.


Once you're at that table, try to play eight hands out of 10. Play everything but 2-8 or 3-9 - hands that are entirely unconnected. When you get yourself involved with this kind of frequency, you'll have to concentrate more on your opponents than on your own cards. You'll have to be on the lookout for opportunities to take down pots with well-timed stabs. You'll also learn how to proceed in situations where you flop a good, but dangerous hand.


By dropping down and playing a lot of hands, you're going to learn a lot about poker. You're also going to have a lot of fun. Lord knows, playing 50% of the hands is a whole lot more entertaining than sitting around waiting for Aces.


If you look at the success that Gavin Smith, Daniel Negreanu and myself have had over the last couple of years, you'll see that being active can be an excellent way to score big in tournaments. It takes practice to play this style, but it can lead to great results and be a lot of fun.

JOE KLECKO IS EVERYWHERE!!!

Saying goodbye to landmarks like Shea isn’t easy for anyone … especially the Jets. To honor the former Jets home, the representatives of the team are set to be honored at Shea on April 28th at the Mets home game.

The Mets and Jets announced yesterday jointly that that former Jets Pro Bowlers Joe Klecko, Wesley Walker, Jets Linebacker Legend Greg Buttle, and Super Bowl III Champions Randy Beverly and John Schmitt will return to Shea Stadium on Jets Night at Shea, Monday, April 28 when the Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Jets appearance at Shea, one day after the NFL Draft, commemorates the team’s 20 seasons in Queens.

I was at the last Jet game at Shea, my memory is it was against the Steelers, and I'm sure the Jets lost.

ALWAYS GREAT TO HEAR FROM HANK

Thanks to Neil for these great Hank quotes about the state of the Yankee pitching staff...

"I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now," Steinbrenner told the New York Times. "There is no question about it, you don't have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don't do that. You have to be an idiot to do that."

"The mistake was already made last year switching him to the bullpen out of panic or whatever," Steinbrenner told the newspaper. "I had no say in it last year and I wouldn't have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don't rush him."

"I think once Hughes and Kennedy get plenty of starts and get Joba back, and with [Chien-Ming] Wang and [Andy] Pettitte, we will be fine," Steinbrenner told The Times.

"[Mussina] just needs to learn how to pitch like [45-year-old Phillies pitcher] Jamie Moyer,"

In the offseason, if you remember, Hank was all for acquiring two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana, but we all know how that turned out.

"The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen at the beginning of the year, but that is not a big news flash to anyone,"

NO LIMIT HOLD 'EM POKER THOUGHTS

As we embark on an interesting night of non-league, multi tournament (hopefully) poker this week, I want to share some thoughts I have, as well as some quotes from an article I read last week from Chris Ferguson.

I don’t know if anyone has ever noticed, but I don’t play a lot of hands (in No Limit Hold ‘Em, I rarely see more than 34% of the flops), and when it’s time to play, it’s time to play. Now keep in mind, by no means am I saying what you are about to read is the CORRECT way to play no limit Texas Hold ‘Em. What I’m saying is, it’s the way I feel most comfortable playing.

I watch players limp into pots, and call other people’s bets all night long, hoping to get lucky, catch a card or two and take back some chips. The way I see it, these players are just dying a slow death and eventually they will run into a trap and be gone. Usually this style, unless they just catch a great run of cards, doesn’t yield enough big pots to get them into the final group.

If it’s your turn to act, and no one has raised the pot in a No Limit game, raise. If you’re not willing to raise, you probably should fold. Why give the big blind a free look? Why give other marginal hands the chance to catch cards and take chips away from you? By raising, generally the middle of the pact hands will fold and you reduce the number of players in the hand that you have to beat.

Now I know we all see on TV how sneaky and tricky the pros try to be on TV, setting their traps and looking like they are so slick and so smart, and while I acknowledge that at certain times it’s possible to set someone up, and they never see it coming and you can win a monster pot, that is the exception rather than the rule. You do need to vary your play, and sometimes you can limp in with a pair of Kings, but if that flop comes out A-9-8 suited, and two players bet, you are going to have to have enough discipline to fold and get out of the way.

The question then becomes, how much do I raise. I try to almost always raise the same amount, so as not to give any insight to my hand, but there are other factors that some into play as well. Depending on what type of player still has to act, I may want some action thinking I can out play (or out draw them), and therefore not make a huge raise, or I may simply just want the hand over right there and then and make a larger bet. You need to be aware of the stack sizes still left to act, a large stack may take a flyer on your raise regardless of what he has if there is a chance you can be bullied out of a hand, and also know where the tournament is round wise and blind wise. As we get closer and closer to the final 5 or 6, players generally get more conservative and take fewer risks hoping to just hang on and let other people knock players out and move up on the point list and the money list. Be aware of everything.

Know your opponents, be aware of position, be aware of stack size, and know your odds.

According to Chris Ferguson;


“You always want to make your opponents' decisions as difficult as possible. In choosing the size of your raise, you want to give the big blind a tough decision between calling or folding if the rest of the table folds around to him.

Raising from early position is to advertise a very strong hand - one that can beat the seven or more other players who still have to act. Since you are representing such strength, it doesn't take much of a raise to convince the big blind to fold. Also, since your hand is so strong, you actually don't mind a call from the big blind anyway. The real reason for a small raise is that you have so many players acting after you, any of whom might wake up with a monster and re-raise you.

When you raise in late position, you're representing a hand that can beat the two or three remaining hands. This gives you a lot more freedom to raise with marginal hands, but your raise must be bigger or the big blind can call too easily. Another reason to raise more from late position is that you're trying to put pressure on the big blind to fold, not call and, more importantly, you don't have as many remaining opponents who can re-raise you.

If you're representing a big hand by raising from early position, it stands to reason that you'll only get played with by huge hands. Why risk four, five or more bets to win only one and a half bets in the blinds when you're often going to be running into monsters along the way? If you're holding A-Q rather than A-A and a player comes over the top, you can lay it down without having risked much.

Some beginners raise more with their strongest hands to build a bigger pot or raise less with these monsters to get more action. Instead, I recommend that you play your starting hands the same way no matter what you have. With A-A or A-J, raise the same amount so you're not telegraphing the strength of your hand to watchful opponents. An exception would be if you know your opponents aren't paying attention and you feel sure that you can manipulate them.

Again, I’m no expert, and I know I have plenty of weaknesses, especially when it comes to playing to conservative post flop, and trying to avoid showdowns, and generally not maximizing the value of a pot when I have a winning hand. That’s probably an article better written by Rich or Jay, who have no fear and have had more success than I have. But when it comes to pre-flop play, and making strong reads and strong lay downs, and avoiding potential traps and bad beats, I think myself and Neil do a terrific job at minimizing risk, and accumulating chips.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK (5)

If this is being wrong baby, I don't ever want to be write.







The whale is the worlds largest mammal but as George likes to say, "it doesn't have to be."

WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE WATCH

I certainly understand that a baseball season is a marathon and not a race. Having been a fan of the Mets now for 35 years (and no I wasn’t a fan of some other team for the 20 years prior to rooting for them), I fully understand there will be ups and downs, and it’s silly to take the team’s pulse after every game.

So as disappointed as we were this weekend when Santana and Perez couldn’t get the job done against the Brewers, it’s equally unrealistic to fell joy and elation this morning after what was probably their best overall performance of the season last night as Big Pelf had his second solid start of the year, Reyes got 4 hits, Wright drove in 5 runs and Sanchez pitched a solid 9th.

I’ve always said as good at Wright is, and as important as the middle of the line-up is, when Reyes plays like he played in 2006 and most of 2007, this team is a totally different team, if he can finally shed whatever it has been that’s been holding him back the last 6 weeks or so, dating back to September 2007, this will all be moot and the Willie Watch will be more about us watching to see when they clinch rather than watching to see when they choke.

I still miss the fire, and this team needs a leader, and at this point I have to point to Willie to be that guy. I know we have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, and I never hear a player moan or complain about Willie publicly, but again, he is the head, he makes all the moves, he needs to get wins, and he will be held accountable.

Wednesday’s on this blog are all about Willie, so what has changed since last week…not to much, although I will say I was happy to see a little switch last night with Castillo batting 8th, and church in the 2 hole, plus coming off a strong game last night, and not having any specific blame on Willie for the last weekend, I’ll give Willie a little boost today, but the watch is still very much in effect.

WILLIE’S CURRENT SCORE = 67

WELCOME BACK HANK

The target of Hank Steinbrenner’s latest barbs is Gino Castignoli, the construction worker who, earlier this week, admitted to burying a Red Sox jersey into the concrete underneath the visitor’s dugout of the new Yankee Stadium. The part owner and future CEO of arguably the most prestigious franchise in all of sports is now embroiled in a war of words with a construction worker. After a few of Castignoli’s co-workers unearthed the David Ortiz jersey that he planted last year, Steinbrenner had this to say:

“I hope his coworkers kick the shit out of him. It’s a bunch of bullshit.”

Not to be outdone, Castignoli, who according to the article once plead guilty to being involved with a gambling operation that had ties to the Gambino crime family (this just keeps getting better), retorted with this gem:

“So, then, why is he making such a big stink about it? If it’s no big deal, why not let it lay? Apparently, it’s bothering him. Tell Hank he can come meet me if he wants to try - and tell him to bring [catcher Jorge] Posada, because he’s the one Yankee I can’t stand.”

PLEASE HANK - DON'T STAY AWAY SO LONG NEXT TIME, WE LOVE YOU.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK (4)

We no longer want to hit that. Get the hell off of MILF Island.

SEND US AN ANGEL

Angel Pagan had a 2 out single to center to drive home Jose Reyes as the Mets take the rubber game of the 3 game series with the Phillies.

John Maine gave the Mets a strong 6 innings, and Scott Schoeneweis gave them 4 huge outs against the Phillies best hitters in the 11th inning.

Reyes had the big 2 out double in the 12th and eventually scored the winning run. Jose also stole his first base of the year. There is no doubt that as Jose goes, this Met offense goes, so hopefully Reyes will start getting on base again, and get this offense clicking.

The Brewers come in this weekend and, weather permitting, will play a 3 game series.

30 ROCK "MILF ISLAND"

One of the best shows on TV returns tonight and here is the synopsis of tonight’s 30 ROCK. I have no doubt this episode, which usually hits all the right sweet spots of silliness and mocking, will be on the money.

SOMEONE CALLS JACK DONAGHY A `CLASS A MORON' AND THE NEW YORK POST'S `PAGE SIX' COLUMN PICKS IT UP, CAUSING JACK AGITA.GUEST STAR ROB HUEBEL ("HUMAN GIANT")

The TGS staff has been obsessing all season over the new reality hit MILF Island.

While watching the riveting finale, pitting Debra vs. Deborah as the final two MILFs, Jack (Baldwin) who is riding high on this programming feat is blindsided by a blind item that ran in the New York Post.

The "Page Six" column reveals a staffer referring to Jack as a "Class A Moron" and saying, "That guy can eat my poo."

This isn't the best timing since Jack is in the running for Chairman and had high hopes that the success of MILF Island would help him seal the deal.

In an effort to identify the disloyal employee he forces Jonathan (Maulik Pancholy) to turn up the heat in the writers' room until one of them breaks.

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to mimic and mock reality TV, I can see alliances, and immunity, and people all over the 30 Rock set lying and keeping secrets etc. I’m looking forward to this episode tonight. Oh yea, and the title has MILF in it, how can that possible be bad?

TIGER WOODS SHOOTS FOR GRAND SLAM AS MASTERS BEGINS TODAY

Today starts the Masters. Certainly the best golf tournament of the year, and as it always coincides closely with the first or second week of baseball, yet another reminder that winter is over, and the nice weather is on the way.

As usual Brooktown will have a pool associated with it, and we will update the standing here and on our website www.BrooktownLeague.com if you are interested.

The Masters also is the first major event of the year, and due to how well Tiger has played the last 2 years, add to that the courses set up for the other major events this year are ones that Tiger has a ton of success on, have garnered much chatter in the media that this will be the year someone (Tiger) wins the Grand Slam.

I’d love to see Tiger make a run at it, it would be a very exciting final major if Tiger can take the Masters this weekend (he has won it 4 times), the US Open is at Doral (where he has won 4 times) then the British Open is at Royal Birkdale (where I have no idea what he has won there but the Links courses always play well for Tiger), then just as the Olympics are starting the 4th major would be at Oakland Hills.

There are 94 players teeing off at the Masters today, yet the odds of Tiger winning are even money. That is stunning considering the closest, according to the odd makers, to Tiger is Phil Mickelson at 8-1 and there are 93 other players in the field.

The weather should be nice in Georgia today, tomorrow and Saturday, so we should see some decent scoring.

According to my man Jim Lamply there will be plenty of coverage, and over the weekend we will see the leaders from hole 1 right up until the end. So get comfy this weekend, settle in and get ready to hopefully watch Tiger green jacket number 5.

Here is the Masters TV schedule.

TV Wed., April 9.....ESPN - 3 PM - 5 PM ET

Thur., April 10.. .ESPN - 4 PM - 7 PM ET ........................ESPN - 8 PM - 11 PM

Fri., April 11......ESPN - 4 PM - 7 PM ET ........................ESPN - 8 PM - 11 PM

Sat., April 12.....CBS Sports - 3:30 PM - 7 PM ET

Sun., April 13.. CBS Sports - 2:30 PM - 7 PM ET

BIG PELF GETS IT DONE

Atta boy BIG PELF. He threw strikes (66 out of 100 pitches). He didn’t give up the big hit after Reyes’ misplay on a perfect double play ball in the 2nd. And he had excellent stuff.

Last night the Phillies played like the Mets had been playing making 4 errors, and although the Mets only had 5 hits, for one day, finally the Mets got a couple of good bounces and took advantage of them.

Willie summed it up real well with Big Pelf saying “The name of the game in this league is to be consistent. We know what he’s capable of doing and the thing is for him to believe he can do it consistently…This is just one start, but for him it’s nice to get off on the right foot”

I agree 100% and I’m looing forward to the big fella’s second start next week. I like what I saw between Pelfrey and Schneider, with Schneider taking charge, visiting the mound to keep Pelfrey focused and make sure he didn’t nibble. It’s very exciting to watch, and hopefully going forward he will only get better.

NEED BG PELF TO COME UP BIG

There are no must wins in April, but Mike Pelfrey needs to step up, throw strikes and not pitch in fear.

Hopefully Brian Schnieder will be the difference maker that Paul LoDuca couldn't be with respect to handling this 6'7" young stud.

Throw strikes...challenge the hitters...trust your stuff...trust your defense.

Be big Big Pelf, be big.

WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE WATCH

I am by no means one of those reactionary, crazy, clean house at the drop of a hat type of guy, and I am not saying the Mets need to fire Willie Randolph if they lose the next two games to the Phillies, but I just feel like I’m watching the same bad movie, night in and night out, and Willie’s lack of change is something that needs to be monitored.

Again, I fully understand that at any point in the season a team can lose 4 out of 6, and if you are 45-30 it doesn’t feel so bad, but what I don’t like is that we are seeing the same things that doomed us in September last year, and nothing is being done (at least from what the fans can see) to change it.

Willie Randolph has preached calm, and I’m all for the one day at a time, don’t panic approach, but I tend to think, after not panicking last year, and seeing the team collapse, that that approach isn’t working.

On the other hand, if Willie switches his message and goes crazy, shows some fire and starts to treat every game like game 7 of the World Series, and they still lose, well then what?

The bullpen has not been very good no matter when or who Willie brings in, but I also wonder if they are not being put in a position to succeed. I feel Willie keeps using the same guys in the same roles with the same (awful) results. I don’t know what the right roles for some of these guys are, but I know that by doing the same thing over and over again, and just expecting Heilman and Schoeneweis to suddenly do well is NOT WORKING. Something needs to be done with these guys other than letting them face the same situations day in and day out that they are failing at.

Where is Jose Reyes? I can’t blame Willie for this guy’s disappearance act, but a lot of the blemishes of the bull pen sure would go away if they came in games with a 7-2 lead rather than a 3-2 lead.

The starting pitching is good, but with that said, Willie can’t have a quick hook (Oliver Perez came out of the game after 5 2/3 ip and 92 pitches while he still hadn’t given up a run). I tend to trust a tired Ollie a lot more than this “well rested” bullpen.

I know Willie is a regular reader of this blog. So it is officially going to be WEDNESDAY’S WEEKLY WILLIE WATCH. Every Wednesday we’ll reassess Willie and the state of this team and discuss whether or not Willie’s time is up. Unless this team just stops winning altogether, I’m all for giving Willie 40 games to see where we are before he season gets to far away from us, and I have no desire to fire Willie yet, but let Willie know, the watch has begun. Currently I am giving Willie a score of 65 out of 100. Once that score falls below 50, it’s time for a change.

WILLIE’S CURRENT SCORE = 65

ZACH MEETS ELWAY

Elway meets elway

RALPH VISITS BROOKLYN

Does this house look familiar?

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK (3)

Bridges are for bitches

AMERICIAN IDOL DOWN TO FINAL 8

Ramiele Malubay has been sent home on American Idol.

Ramiele’s bid to become the first Asian American "Idol" came up a little short.

Hahahahahahahahaha...did you see that. See how I did that, "short" and then the picture...

So, that leaves us 8 singers. We have the Big Four, Little Three and David Archuleta.

Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha Mercado will leave this month, the order doesn't matter, they are the next three to go. As for Archuleta, I've never been a fan of his, but America has an infatuation with him, so he'll last, but I don't like the sound or tone of his voice, but what do I know, I vote for Natalie from Big Brother 9 each Tuesday to win Idol.

BROOKTOWN WSOP APRIL EVENT TOMORROW

No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tomorrow at JMAC’s.

To me, it’s still a very exciting, and a very stressful day. Yes, I know that I’m insane because the thought of playing poker for 6 hours with my friends for $60 is considered stressful for me, but if you haven’t noticed by now, I like to compete. I like to keep score, and I don’t like to lose.

I’ve been thinking about my results the last few weeks, and I’ve been trying to decide what is considered successful in a Brooktown WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em event. Obviously we all want to win, and no one wants to finish last, but what is considered losing?

Is finishing 2nd really losing? If you finish 3rd, ahead of 11 other players, did you fail?

I mean yea, the 2nd place guy "lost" heads up when it came down to the final two, but as we’ve seen over the years there is so much that you can’t control when the blinds are 4,000 8,000 and you each have 36,000 in chips. It’s pretty much going to be a coin toss.

We’ve had 14 No Limit Hold ‘Em events over the past 3+ seasons. Half of those events have been won by Rich Southard (4) and Neil Martucci (3). And although we have had 28 different players play in at least one of the 14 events, only 9 of the 28 guys have ever made it to heads up, Jay Fern and Rich being the most, each with 6 times in the final 2.

That’s an interesting statistic, although I will say that, while I think it is true that some players had an early advantage over others because of a better understanding of the game, the strategy and the odds, simply by having played and studied the game much more, that disparity has significantly decreased.

Kent Bent has been heads up in 2 out of the last 4 NL Hold Em events (having won 1, and finished 2nd in the championship) and neither Tom Brucato (9 NL cashes) nor Jay Fern (8 NL cashes) have cashed in the last 3 events, so it would appear that the field is getting stronger, and the competition tougher.

So again, what makes a successful finish? I guess that’s all relative to the players expectations, their past finishes, and how the night (bad cards, bad beats etc) actually went.

A player who has won 3 times in 3 years, and finished in the top 4 the last 5 events, would be disappointed with a 5th place finish, whereas a guy who has never won, and in the last 5 months has not finished higher than 9th may consider 5th place a successful night.

Now, as for tomorrow, I am picking Mike Triola to defeat Jay Fern, with a top 4 from Eddie P (provided he shows up on time, doesn’t go out drinking with the ladies, isn’t distracted by texts from females, and gets a good night sleep on Thursday).

JULY 1, 2010

Only 819 days.

It doesn’t sound like that long a time.

819 days ago it was January 5, 2006. Rich Southard had just won the first Brooktown WSOP title, no one knew what “subprime” really was, Pedro Martinez was probably hurt, and on Lost we were 5 episodes in and had no idea what was going on.

Not much has changed.

So what is so exciting 819 days from now? Well, on July 1, 2010, LeBron James becomes a free agent and will sign a contract to play for the Knicks. Now I know the Knick fans still have two full seasons of preparation (and losing) to endure. They have to be sure not trade away expiring contracts, and they probably have to lose a lot more games, but none of that matter. For the Knicks it’s all about 7/1/10. For now we must simply get rid of Isaiah, and get this roster ready to make room for the greatest player ever to play for the Knicks.

Sorry Clyde and Patrick, but LeBron will be the most exciting, captivating, “must see TV’ thing to hit Broadway since rumors (yes I’m starting them) of Moulin Rouge hitting the big stage.

819 days…19,656 hours….

By then Rich may still be the defending WSOP champion, no one will know what subprime really was, Pedro will probably still be hurt and I’m sure we’ll still have no idea what is happening on Lost.

It’ll be here before we know it.

19,656 hours…1,179,360 minutes.

SOMETHING YANKEE RELATED

As a mortal enemy of the New York Yankees and everything Bronx (cesspool) related it takes everything I have to actually write this, and give credit that this is pretty cool.

Now take into account that I am also the same person who loves the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! chant and maybe that will give you some perspective as to what I like and dislike but I’m kinda impressed

KNICKS HIRE DONNIE WALSH AS PRESIDENT

Well, it is certainly a start.

Until Isiah Thomas is fired however, anything short of trading for LeBron James is meaningless news as far as I’m concerned.

There was a time, not so long ago, when the end of April meant a great Knick game every couple of nights, whether it was against the Heat, the Pacers, or of course the Bulls, it was must see TV when the basketball play-offs got under way.

Since this “team” was put in Isiah Thomas’ hands however, I haven’t been able to sit through one single game, not to mention, care about an entire series of games. Add Isaiah’s name to the list of not just awful, but embarrassing coaches/managers my teams have had over the years (Rich Kottite, Jeff Torborg) and please let’s just move on.

Listening to Thomas’ answers when reporters ask him anything, I am left with a feeling that Isaiah is actually mocking us and laughing inside thinking the joke is on us with how unrealistic the answers he gives us are. There is no way someone in this position can be so out of touch with reality. I won’t even get involved in the disgraceful sexual harassment case, and all Isaiah’s racist comments and attitudes…all I ask is that this man please go away, never to return to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks, or anything New York related ever again.

As for Donnie Walsh, it’s not like he comes here with a hand full of rings, he doesn’t even have a finger full of rings, so we’re not getting the next coming of Red Auerbach, but at this point all we can hope is that the knocks lose the rest of their games this week and next week, Donnie fires Isiah as soon as the season ends, and Walsh can figure out someway to get ride of players, free up some cap space and at least bring in interesting, exciting, and decent players that make basketball in NY worth watching again.

We miss you Patrick Ewing.

TOP 10 FAVORITE METS

Having been a Mets fan since 1973, I starting thinking about my favorite players and I have put together this little list.

10. Johan Santana – Yes he’s been a Met for exactly one day, but are you kidding me…after the embarrassment of 2007 I don’t think there was any move this team could make to excite a Met fan again except to acquire this guy. We won’t forget the last 3 weeks of 2007, but after watching this guy pitch, and getting him in his prime, there is little doubt he will move up on this list pretty fast.

9. Rick Reed – I don’t have great memories about Jerry Koosman, and although as a kid I used to get a kick out of watching Dave Kingman hit, he was a jerk. Go back and look at Rick Reed’s stats as a Met, the guy was very solid. He didn’t walk anyone, and just went out there and got people out and was always a good guy. Cone and Leiter were better, but I always like Rick Reed best.

8. Pedro Martinez – I loved Pedro as a Bosox, and I love Pedro even more as a Met. He is one of the most charismatic players we have ever had, not to mention one of the most talented. To watch a healthy Pedro is to watch one of the greatest players of our generation, so here’s to hoping Pedro has a solid 2008, signs a new deal with the Mets and finishes his career in NY.

7. Lee Mazzilli – After Seaver was traded the Mets this Brooklyn born Italian basket catching CF was the best player we had. I still remember the 1979 All Star game (that he should have won the MVP award of) when he walked with the bases loaded against Ron Guidy and then later hit a HR off Jim Kern it was probably the first time I could remember one of my favorites doing something to actually win a game, when everyone else was watching.

6. Jose Reyes – although he is blamed for being a huge part of the collapse of the 2007 Mets, he is probably the most exciting and electrifying player in their history. When Reyes is getting on base and running the bases he makes the entire offense roll. Defensively I think he is a bit over rated, but none the less, he is a solid fielder and great to watch everyday.

5. Edgardo Alfonso – Although his “big” years were short lived, he was at one time the best player in NY, and we thought he would put up one big year after another. A clutch hitter, and top notch defensive player at both 2nd and 3rd base. After he injured his back he was never the same hitter, but 1997-2000 at the ages of 23-26 we thought we had a guy who would be a super star for the next 15 years.

4. Mike Piazza – This future Hall of famer was an offensive force to watch in his years as a Met. He always carried himself with dignity, and had a great presence in the lineup. No one ever hit the ball harder, and you never wanted to miss his at-bats. After the awful 1990 seasons, Piazza came aboard and immediately this organization has a renewed sense of respect. His home run at Shea in the first game back after 9/11 will never be forgotten.

3. David Wright – he’s only been here a few years but he has the chance to go down as one of the all time great Mets. So far he has exhibited a great “awareness” of who he is, and what he is. And what he is, is a class act with a ton of talent.

2. Keith Hernandez – The captain. After all those awful losing seasons once Seaver was gone, Hernandez came to the Mets in 1983 and was the first piece of the puzzle that brought an entirely different attitude to this team and a championship (my only in all 3 major sports as a fan in 35 seasons) in 1986. His professionalism and tenacity were by far the makings of an amazing leader.

1. Tom Seaver – the franchise and the reason I grew up rooting for the good guys and not the Yankees. I remember trying to emulate his pitching motion right down to the grass stains on my right knee, and I went to bed crying when he was traded in 1977. I was at the first game when he returned to Shea as a Red, I was at the first game when he returned as a Met, and I went to Cooperstown for the weekend to see his induction.

TAXES AND THE ELECTION

Wow.... this is amazing - and if you want to compare with any other years, you can go to the website which shows tax info from1913 to the present.

Taxes...Whether Democrat or a Republican you will find these statistics enlightening and amazing.


www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html


Taxes under Clinton 1999 Taxes under Bush 2008



Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 30K - tax $4,500

Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 50K - tax $12,500

Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Single making 75K - tax $18,750

Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 60K- tax $9,000

Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750

Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250


It is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever.



If Obama or Hillary are elected, they both say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen.



It's all in the spin, the people that get the word out and control the media make it always sound better than it really is. To bad very few people (on both sides) ever really understand the truth.