So, before I get to the big hand I’m going to address a video that was posted on day one of a strange situation where I called the floor person:
Flop is As 2h 10d and an Italian player bets like 2000 and I call with 3h 4h. Turn is an As and he bets 2200- I call. The river is a 5c and he bets 4000. I had a decent stack and felt like he’d pay me off with a hand like AK or AQ. So I decided that I’d raise to 14,000, and if he re-raised me I’d have no choice but to fold.
He doesn’t see me re-raise and flips his hand face up. I see the Ace of diamonds as clear as day, and the other card looked to be a two across spade, meaning it was the 4s or the 5s. Now he wants to raise me 15,000 more and I say, “Why are you raising me! I saw your hand, lol.” I wasn’t exactly sure what his second card was, but I obviously assumed if he was raising me it couldn’t be the 4s and had to be the 5s or the 10s. The two guys on my left saw his hand much more clearly and knew exactly what he had.
I had exactly ZERO intention of ever calling a re-raise of even $20. I called the floor over to get a ruling on the right procedure in this instance. Does he get a penalty? Is his hand dead? Is he allowed to raise? Different places have different rules, and I thought it would be foolish to let this one go. I’d already let the guy get away with betting in a spot where his fingers were tapping like a check. I kindly said to him, “Sir, be careful with your hand, your finger is tapping the table and I can call that a check.”
The floor man decided that once he showed his hand he was only allowed to call my raise. No matter what the floor decided, it would not have changed the outcome of the hand in the least.
On to my big hand of the day, another one that was caught on CardPlayer video. Unfortunately the connection is really slow at the hotel and I can’t watch the videos on CardPlayer, but they are on there.
I got up to like 190,000 and Eric Froehlich was at my table with about 200,000. Both of us sitting on monster stacks at that stage of the tournament.
He raises my blind to 4000 and I called with 10-10. The flop came J-10-4 rainbow and I checked. He bet 5600, I raised 15,000 more, to 21,600 and he called. When he called, I felt strongly that he wasn’t on a draw and I felt like he had AA or KK.
The turn was a K. Not the card I wanted to see. I had 162k and bet 42k. A solid, strong bet, which would appear to commit me to the pot. He moved me all in. I felt like he hit the King, and figured he wouldn’t be bluffing in this spot, or really shouldn’t be, especially considering how big his stack was. Didn’t think he’d risk all those chips with anything less than a set. I ruled out AQ completely. I felt like he hit the K, or slowplayed trip Jacks. The only hand I could beat was K-J, but I just didn’t think he’d risk his whole tournament in that spot with just two pair when I showed so much strength. My hand has to be REALLY BIG to play it this way. He should know that, and I know he does.
I later found out he had K-J and was really surprised. He told me later he thought I might have 10-J, but I thought his logic was really flawed for two reasons 1) If I have 10-J I won’t call his shove, and he has me drawing almost dead, so why push me off the hand? 2) I’m just not going to play 10-J that way in that situation based on my chip position in the tournament. It’s just not in my range at all. He did say he thought he may be able to get me off of 44, and he’s obviously right about that.
I’m honestly, and genuinely not disappointed in my fold and never really contemplated calling him at all. I’d already decided when I bet, that I was going to fold if he raised me. When you are trying to play your best, and avoid coolers, sometimes you are going to guess wrong. if you never guess wrong, well, then you just aren’t trying hard enough to play well. I’m trying to play the best I possibly can.
I missed two bluff opportunities that I could have likely won pots, but aside from that, I think my game is coming along nicely. I’m playing really well and really have a good feel for what is going on at the table. There is one “phenomenon” I guess you could call it, that really puzzles me with some of the younger players:
Typical hand. Player A raises, player B calls, player C on the button or in the SB re-raises, the “squeeze play,” original raiser folds, and the other player goes all in. I saw this probably four or five times in the last two days. The hands I saw player B turn over included AQ, 88, 77, and KJ. The move failed miserably again and again, and just had me wondering, “Do these guys ALL play with 100 big blinds the EXACT same way they play with 30 big blinds?” It was just so strange, almost surreal to watch blow up, after blow up.
Another fun hand among two great young online players went like this: Player A raises to 5200 from early position, player B makes it 13,800 from middle position. Both players have about 100k or so. Player A declares, “All in,” and Player B tanks for a while and finally calls:
Player A: 10s Js
Player B: Kd Jc
Ummm…. ok? Some may call these great plays, I personally think they are spewy and unnecessary for great players. These guys play so well, I just don’t see why they want to make plays like these, but to each their own. I’ve thought about all of these things, disected them, tried to see if there is some method to this madness in tournament poker… and I’ve concluded that, “Nope, that’s just not the way to post consistent results in deep stacked tournament poker.”
I’m enjoying poker so much. It helps that I’ve just started the year off with an amazingly positive attitude and that things in my personal life all seem to be stable. I’m going to have a huge year in 2010. I am certain of it. I know in my heart that when I focus hard, and have that extra bit of motivation to do well, that I can play great poker.
I’m down to 47,800 and we are nearing the money bubble. I’m not concerned with cashing in the tournament, I’m going to go for the win, and still feel confident, that even with blinds at 2000-4000 tomorrow, with a little bit of luck, I can do it.
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Feels good to play well and get rewarded. I was focused and paid attention all day. When I do that, and have patience, good things happened. I haven’t been listening to music while I play for a while, but since I got my new I-POD and loaded it up with some new bands and albums, I decided to listen to music all day, and oh my word was that a great idea. I felt like I was in the zone for much of the day and played a solid, aggressive game, while at the same time sniffing out some traps and avoiding too many big hits. My table was kind of juicy. When I sat down there were no real pros to speak of and no young online phenoms to deal with. Most of my opponents were passive, and when I see a table like that, I usually up my level of aggression considerably. I tend to play more pots and bet more flops. Not Barry Greenstien aggressive on the flop, but certainly a lot more aggressively than I tend to play. I was able to pick my spots very well, simply because I was paying attention and was able to figure out which flops my opponents hit, and which ones I could represent. Poker has gotten tougher, and I’m getting better at NLH and using more weapons than normal to keep up. I have stepped up my aggression level in certain spots and made some other adjustments I’m not comfortable talking about. Poker tournaments are too tough today, so it’s just not a great idea to go into detail about exactly how I’m going to play. I ended the day in great shape, among the leaders with 124,000. Tomorrow is a “day off” but I’ll be working all day. Announcing something special at a press conference at 11am, golfing with some PokerStars winners tomm (9 holes) then have interviews scheduled with various outlets as well as the ESPN crew who are here filming the main event, the charity event, and also the high roller event. I’m exhausted. Good night all. ]]>
So I’m in the Bahamas and my bag got lost on the plane. Meh, so what! I don’t care. It happens, I’m so thankful to Delta that they brought my bag to the hotel. My keys couldn’t be cut for my room and it took an hour to get in. Meh, so what! It happens! They guy behind the desk was a really nice man and we had fun talking about his family, life, politics, and the environment. It’s all good! I’m a happy boy!
I have followed all my rules tonight and will get plenty of sleep for the tournament tomorrow. I decided to play Day 1A and I’m ready to play. It will be a long day, with 8 one hour levels on day 1. On day 2 and further you are looking at 75 minute levels. Tomorrow we start wth 30,000 in chips and will play:
50-100
75-150
100-200
150-300
150-300 (25)
200-400 (50)
300-600 (75)
400-800 (100)
It’s a good structure to start off. I prefer 250-500 instead of 75-150, but it’s still a solid structure and I’m excited to play. I have my I-POD loaded with some great new music that I downloaded and hope to be patient on day one.
If I bust out of this event I will likely play in the $5000 buy in 8-game mix. I love mixed game events! I’ll also be playing in the High Roller Event and I think players are really going to enjoy what we did with the structure. We are starting the blinds at 150-300 and leaving them there for four levels with 50,000 in chips. Rather than starting at 50-100, starting out higher and leaving it there actually creates a tournament with much more MEANINGFUL play.
This format will be a hit with high stakes player. Guys who will pony up 25K to play a tournament don’t want to be bothered with the meaningless early level, so those levels are just replaced with meaningful levels. I’m not suggesting ALL tournaments should start this way, but for a high roller event, I think it’s clearly and absolutely the best way to go.
We had a meeting today with all of our Team Pros today from across the world so we could get to know each other a little better. The team has grown and we know have 82 pros on the team from various parts of the world, whether it be Latin America, Europe, or the U.S.
If you are here, you’ll see the Official Magazine of the PokerStars 2010 Caribbean Adventure. It is the nicest, glossiest, event magazine you’ll ever find and has ALL of the important details in it from the schedule of events to structure sheets and rules for each of the 50 events that will take place.
For poker fans, at the back there are pictures of all the Team Pros in it if you are looking for autographs as a souvenir. In fact, on the back page there is an autograph page with all of us on it and you can actually win a FREE package to the Latin American Poker Tour Event in Chile, March 19-23, 2010. If you are the person who gets the most autographs you will win the package. In the event of a tie, a random draw of the qualifying entries will determine the winner.
If you are here, pick up a magazine at the welcome desk. It’s got loads of info in there that you’ll want to have. Seriously.
So that’s that. This happy boy is going to sleep and is looking forward to a good run tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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1. $1 million in tournament earnings in 2010. In order to do that you have to have at least one chunky score throughout the year, but over the years I’ve usually found my way there.
2009 $ 1,223,895
2008 $ 1,301,853
2007 $ 858,979
2006 $ 1,939,965
2005 $ 532,312
2004 $ 4,465,907 (Yeah, that was a good year. I won A WSOP Bracelet, two $10k buy in events and a 15K buy in event. Two WPT’s and a WSOP and CardPlayer of the Year Award. I ran gooood!)
2003 $ 532,939 (Won a bracelet in S.H.O.E. that year. Was also the last year I played any preliminary events as I was concentrating more on cash games at Bellagio)
2002 $ 530,798
2001 $ 320,937
2000 $ 10,075 (Blame it on the a-a-ah-ah-a-alcohol baby! I was burnt out after three years of chasing the tournament trail
1999 $ 354,727 (Back then my 1998 and 1999 numbers were really huge. Tournaments were smaller and the only $10k event was the main event. I did with the U.S.P.C. at the Taj Dec 99′.
1998 $ 279,066 (My first WSOP Bracelet came in Limit Hold’em)
1997 $ 75,594 (My rookie year of sorts, I won three events this year including back to back wins in Foxwoods winning the Best All Around Player Award)
2. Stay #1 on the all-time money leader list. My closest threat just happens to be the best poker player in the world, a cat named Phil Ivey. I’m narrowly ahead:
Me:$12,427,047
Ivey: $12,236,714
3. Stay #1 on the WPT all-time money leader list. I haven’t had any big scores on the WPT lately, but hope to make a deep run or two this year. My closest competitor is Carlos Mortensen.
Me: $5,519,657
Carlos: $5,260,360
4. Two WSOP Bracelets. I’ve never done it, but it’s the one area where I feel like I’m most far behind where I want to be. I have had this bizarre string of seconds that just aren’t typical for me career wise. My first 8 tournaments I got heads up I was 8-0. At the WSOP I’ve got 4 wins, 4 seconds, and 2 thirds. I feel like I should have 6 bracelets by now. I’d like to keep up a pace of 1 bracelet every other year. I started in 1998, so this coming year is year #13 for me. Two bracelets would get me closer to that pace.
5. One Tour Win. I’d like to get another win on the WPT, but will take a win on the EPT, LAPT, APPT, or any of the various tours sponsored by PokerStars. There are a lot of options and I plan on dabbling with all of the tours this year.
6. Move up to 12th on the WSOP all-time cash list. I currently sit 16th on the all-time in the money list, and I think I may be able to realistically move up four spots with some consistent results at the WSOP. I’ve had 17 cashes in the last two years for a total of 43. Currently tied for 12th place are Mike Sexton and Thor Hansen with 46. I’d need to cash at least 7 times to have a realistic shot at passing both of those guys as I expect them to cash about 3-4 times also.
7. Move up to 25th on the WSOP all-time money list. I’m at 28th right now, but without big NLH scores or a big run in the main event or the 50k it’s hard to move up too far on this list. Dan Harrington currently sits in 25th place with $3,524,47 while I’ve got $3,383,080.
8. Get to the $3-$6 level in my bankroll challenge. Yes I’m still doing and I’m up to the $0.10-$0.25 games on PokerStars. My ultimate goal is $100,000 but the odds are heavily stacked against that. I’d see it as a triumph if I can get enough of a bankroll to ante up in the $3-$6 game. I’ll need to $1500 before I can buy in to that game, and I’m currently sitting on about $180 and am currently playing. If I lose my entire bankroll at anytime, I’ll give it up. To follow the progress of the challenge I update it after sessions in the original post at Daniel’s Blog Forum
I still don’t plan on playing preliminary events. I quit doing that years ago, although I may play the big events at the PCA and possibly in LA for the LAPC. Otherwise it’s the WSOP, and the main events at the various spots on the tour.
If I accomplish 5 out of the 8 goals I’ll be satisfied with my year. Last year I had only one goal: pass Jamie Gold on the all-time money leader list and did that. This year I’m getting a little more specific with what I want to accomplish in poker.]]>
My only real goal in tournament poker this year is to follow ALL of my rules for every single tournament that I enter. This will also mean trying to get to the European events a few days earlier so I can settle in and get my sleep schedule right. My rules are pretty simple:
1) No alcohol the night before play. (Going to add, no getting wasted two nights before either)
2) No socializing with people at parties or anything like that the night before
3) 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep
4) Unpack my bag as soon as I get to my hotel room and organize everything
5) Eat dinner alone in my room the night before the tournament
If I can do ALL five of those things for every single event this year then I expect a really big year in tournament poker in 2010.
As for other goals, I’m going to ramp up the hours I’m putting into my bankroll challenge where I started with $10 and am trying to run it up to $100,000. I’m a huge underdog to get there with my aggressive game plan, but it’s a fun process. You can always keep up with my progress by checking this thread: Updates I’m currently up to $182.68 and am playing $0.10-0.$.25 no limit hold’em on PokerStars exclusively.
I also plan on continuing to play the mixed games at Bobby’s Room when I’m home in Vegas, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be home too much over the next few months.
I’m looking into getting a secondary place in LA, likely Manhattan beach area. I’m also planning a vacation sometime in either May or August. Completely unrelated to poker, which is a rarity for me. I’m looking at about a 10 day trip and I’m really excited about it. I really don’t take enough time away from the life I’ve become accustomed to and this trip will help me recharge my batteries after a grueling poker schedule.
On Sunday I did a video blog which you can find here: Video Blog
There are some really cute shots of Mushu in this blog and it covers a wider range of topics than this written one. Check it out.
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The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge is back on FOX this week, make sure you set your Tivo or DVR to tape if following the first football game on Sunday. As I’ve said before, make sure you tape the show after that also, just in case the game goes into OT. This week’s episode will be the last chance for players to qualify for the final which airs December 27th. The final episode will consist of the weekly winners facing off against each other with a “special dealer” for that week, all playing for the right to face off against me for one million dollars. The qualifying episode on Dec 13th is unlike any of the previous weeks, but I don’t want to spoil it for you as to why that is.
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The Bellagio WPT event is getting ready to start on December 14th. Historically I’ve had great results in this $15,000 buy in event, winning it in 2004, and since then coming 3rd, as well as a 14th place finish where I was chip leader with two tables left before losing with KK to AA.
I’m looking forward to this event, as always, but I’m not looking forward to the new Bellagio structures which have become the worst in the country. The structure just disgusts me so much, but it’s not like I’m going to skip the event because of it. I’m just so fiercely annoyed that the Bellagio went from some of the best structures in the country, then decided to just randomly make some ridiculous and laughable changes to the structures. The tournament starts with 600 big blinds which is, for lack of a better word, completely and utterly stupid, because it means taking away play at the later, more crucial stages of the tournament. I would be hard pressed to come up with a more absurd structure in this day and age for a $15,000 buy in event. Don’t get me started again on the antes!!! They lowered the antes in random spots with absolutely no rhyme or reason. The old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is certainly lost on the decision makers at Bellagio. They took a good thing, and just vomited all over it. Nice job.
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On Poker After Dark this week, the lineup looked like this: Patrik Antonius, myself, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Phil Hellmuth. It was a cash game, and that will be the case again next week with all the players changing seats for week two. If you watched the shows this week you’d know that I booked Phil Hellmuth’s action in the game. I have a lot of respect for the fact that Gus, Ivey, Durr, and Patrik play tons of hours of NL cash games on a regular basis and that my game isn’t quite good enough to compete with them unless I put in a lot of hours of my own. These episodes were filmed last year, and I hadn’t played enough to feel like I could compete with those guys, but I thought it would be a great challenge.
Hellmuth somehow felt that despite not playing cash games regularly against anyone, that he could just walk right into this game and be a favorite. I disagree and put my money where my mouth is by booking his action in the game. With the addition of the Hellmuth book, I went from feeling like -EV to +EV. Ivey, Durr, and Patrik just play at another level. In order to compete with them you have to work very hard, play lots of hours, and study your weaknesses. I’m willing to admit they are far better than I am at no limit cash games, but I think Hellmuth actually believes he is the “best no limit hold’em player in the world by far,” (his words not mine). He’s either lying to the public when he makes those statements, or, he genuinely believes that. Either way, he’s either lying or completely delusional.
If you want to be a successful poker player that reaches the highest levels, you simply can’t do that unless you are aware of your weaknesses and focus on plugging those leaks. For most people, even after doing that, they’ll simply never be good enough to play at the highest levels. That’s just life. You have to accept that and find a game you can beat. Most people rise to their own level of ruin by always looking to play in games they can’t beat. It’s part ego, part delusion, and part competitive spirit.
When I sit down in NL cash game with Ivey, Durr, and Patrik, I’m not delusional in the least. It’s not ego either. I can afford to play with them, and it drives my competitive juices to try and play the best I can.
Change the game to an 8-game mix, and I promise you, there isn’t an 8 handed lineup I wouldn’t play in. There are guys I respect, obviously, but that’s an area where I do have a lot of confidence in my abilities.
Phil Ivey
David Benyamine
David Oppenhiem
John Hennigan
Patrik Antonius
Doyle Brunson
Huck Seed
To me, provided none of those guys are on life tilt or something, would be about the toughest lineup I could think of off the top of my head.
The list is a bit different when you change the game to no limit hold’em cash games. Ivey tops both my lists, but after that, things are different. Durr makes my list for sure, as would Patrik. After that, the truth is, I haven’t played enough against the other top NL players to know. I played a decent amount with those three guys last year and on this years taping of High Stakes Poker and I’m impressed by all three. I can’t beat them, but I’d like to some day, maybe later in life, dedicate myself to playing more no limit cash games and seeing just how good I can get.
In the meantime, my focus will be on the Bellagio WPT event. As usual, since it is a tournament and all, you can expect to see heavy doses of small ball throughout. Tournaments are just different and they require a different skill set. I’ve got a lot of experience there, and have spent lots of time thinking about the best approach to deep stacked tournament poker, and it always comes back to small ball. It’s the best way to play tournaments. Period.
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December:
Dec 13th Online Tourney for PCA Qualifiers
Dec 14th-19th WPT Bellagio
Dec 22nd Team Pro Tuesday on PokerStars
Dec 29th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
I have had great history in this Bellagio event, winning it, then coming 3rd the next year, and two years later being chip leader with two tables to go before losing with KK to AA and finishing 14th.
January:
Jan 3rd Fly to Bahamas
Jan 5th PCA Main Event Day 1A
Jan 7th $5000 8-Game (tentative)
Jan 8th $5000 NLH Heads Up (tentative)
Jan 9th $5000 PLO (tentative)
Jan 11th $25,000 NLH High Roller (tentative)
Jan 15th Fly Home
Jan 19th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Jan 26th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
The plan is to go deep in the PCA main event, but if not, I’m going to play some more of the side events, something I haven’t done in years.
February:
Feb 2nd Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Feb 9th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Feb 14th Fly to Copenhagen
Feb 16th-21st EPT Copenhagen
Feb 22nd Fly to LA
Feb 23rd $10,000 NLH HU LAPC
Feb 26th-Mar 4th $10.000 WPT LAPC Main Event
A busy month with a trip to Copenhagen then straight to LA for a long road trip away from Vegas. I hate that, but there isn’t really a way around it.
March:
Mar 5th Fly Home
Mar 7th Fly to San Jose
Mar 8th-12 $10,000 WPT Bay 101
Mar 16h Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Mar 19th Fly to Austria
Mar 21-26th EPT SnowFest
Mar 27th Fly Home
Mar 30th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Totally looking forward to EPT Snowfest! Haven’t skied in years, but I think it might be one of the funnest events of the year. If you like to ski, you should totally come to this event. Even if you don’t, it should be a fun time and a good tournament.
April:
Apr 5th Fly to ****
Apr 6th-11th ****
Apr 12th Fky Home
Apr 13th Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars
Apr 18th-24th $25,000 WPT Championship
Apr 24th Fly to Monte Carlo
Apr 25th-30th EPT Grand Final
I have something in the works for early April I can’t talk about yet, but after that, we are looking at the intense double championship of the WPT and the EPT.
May:
May 1st Fly Home
May 2nd-WSOP Try to break 80 from the back tees at
TPC Summerlin for a large sum of money. Don’t bother
me in May, I’ll be working out, golfing, and gearing
up for a grueling run at the WSOP once again.
I bet a lot of money that I could shoot 80 or better from the back tees at TPC Summerlin by next years WSOP. I only have to do it once, and they don’t even have to be there. Only stipulation is that I have to putt out. When I was playing everyday in August I came oh so close shooting 83 twice and 84 once. I know I can do it, time is the only factor so I’m dedicated the entire month of May to golf. Don’t bother me!!!]]>
In this pic, on the left and sitting is Randall. Randall was my brothers best friend and they used to hang all the time. My parents always loved Randall, he is a big guy with a big heart. He was also the guy that made sure when I won money playing pool that the guys would pay me. I was real small and skinny and sometimes people would try playing the “double or nothing” game with me until the number got so high they figured they’d just dodge me. No joke, I played a guy once for $2 a game and we ran it up to a $3200 debt! He wanted to play me double or nothing again for $3200, but I figured he couldn’t pay. I was right.
I never got the whole amount, but Randall was in charge of collecting that debt for me, and let’s just say that he was more persuasive than I could have ever been.
Behind Randall is Sheldon “the roofer.” That’s the nickname my dad gave him and it’s a long story. That guy Sheldon is literally the guy who started my poker career. Sheldon is a good dude, but he isn’t the best poker player. He used to come over to the house and play me all kinds of poker games and I swear I don’t think he ever won. He didn’t have any money either, though, so Sheldon, for lack of a better word, became my bitch! My parents would tell me to cut the grass or pull the weeds from the pool area (I hated pulling weeds) and I’d call Sheldon, “You wanna knock of $20 from our debt? Come by the house, we have work for you.”
Sheldon lives in Victoria now and he was nice enough to fly across the country to be there for the funeral.
Sitting in the middle is Mikey Spencer. Mikey used to always be ridiculously ripped. He worked out like 36 hours a day or something like that, but still, he never seemed to be able to bulk up his chicken legs, lol. I used to spend most of my time back then with Mikey, his brother Tony, Oren and Regev, back at the Spencer house.
Up top and to the right is John Anderson, Randall’s brother. John was a bit of a bad ass growing up. He was the best break dancer in the school and was a pretty good football player along with Mikey who was a wicked running back at A.Y. Jackson. John was in a bad car accident many years ago, but he seems to have made a full recovery and is doing well.
Sitting bottom right is resident joker Nigel. Nigel used to talk a lot of smack, and John would routinely beat him up when we were kids. One day, after about the 100th time Nigel got a beat down, his mother grabbed John’s arms from the back and yelled to Nigel, “Lick him!!!” That was probably the only time Nigel ever got the best of John, thanks to an assist from his mother.
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On Sunday, my friend Angie got us two floor seats to the Raptors game and I had a blast at the game! The Raptors lost, but it was an entertaining game nonetheless. After the game me and Ang had a drink at Jack Astor’s, then I headed uptown for a reunion that was like 20 years in the making.
My friend from grade school, David “Fuzz” Gold was at the game and saw me on the floor. I told him to round up the troops for a get together, so he made a few calls and we decided to meet at Moxie’s, a very cool restaurant/bar in Richmond Hill.
David and I got there early and reminisced a bit. He’s doing really good these days, owns his own business and keeps busy. Not too long after, we were joined by Junior, a guy I hadn’t seen in the longest time:
I don’t think I need to tell you which one is Junior and which one is David “Fuzz” Gold, should be a pretty easy read I would imagine! It was so good to see Junior, he is doing really well. He has an awesome family with six kids! Busy woman. I guess in his early 20’s he became a full on rasta and that turban sits about two feet on top of his head! I couldn’t rock that look, but it works for Junior.
I don’t have other pics, my Blackberry WorldWide is a piece of junk and doesn’t have a camera on it at all. It’s the only Sprint phone that works worldwide, time for an upgrade.
Anyway, these days Junior makes music videos and seems to be doing really well. Not too long after that, a real blast from the past, my buddy Vaughan showed up! This guy hasn’t changed a bit! Both he and Fuzz brought in some yearbooks from the late 80’s and I can’t believe what I wrote in Vaughan’s yearbook! It’s actually really funny, but I just can’t type it out in the blog, because then all the nutcases will think I’m a racist for real!
Vaughan’s brother came, as did Mark, another Zion alum who is rapping these days, and then a real shocker, the Rocket showed up. Rocket was a sick athlete back in the day. In the 6th grade he ran the 100 meter in 11.03. Yeah, that’s pretty fast for a little kid! Rocket is coaching track these days.
It was such a fun get together, man do we have some stories. I was a tough kid that didn’t back down even if I knew I was gonna get a beat down, and Vaughan reminded me that he was the first guy who fought me at PineWay. I told I could take him now… I get brave when I drink, lol.
Eventually the place was shutting down (we were loud) and we had to take Fuzz home because he was making a bit of a mess out front!
The night wasn’t over for us though. The boys took me to a Jamaican club on Yonge St. Security was tight, cops outside the door, and I got screened twice, but eventually we got in. There was a couple hundred people there and something about it just felt soooo familiar to me. It just reminded me where I really came from and how I grew up. My friends would say I grew up in the hood, but I didn’t. I grew up NEAR the hood and just happened to hang out there all the time. They didn’t see it as making a difference.
I was literally the only white guy in the club, and that’s pretty much how things always were for me when I went out back then. I never really had many white friends until high school. Actually, that’s not quite true either. Most of my friends at Zion were Asian, and most of my friends today are Asian.
I felt completely safe at the club, but the boys went out of their way to protect me. Someone always had a hand on my back, or were grabbing my arm directing me where I need to go, and where I need to stay away from. It’s a different kind of scene, and if you aren’t used to it, I could see how it would be intimidating for some.
After that club closed down we ended up just loafing in the parking lot. Just like old times, talking about all kinds of stuff from whether Michael Jackson was a pedophile to whether Kanye West gets robbed at awards shows.
Most of the night we talked about rap and I ended up being the judge. It was pretty unanimous that no one could spit like Biggie Smalls, and also that Jay Z didn’t have that extra kinda flex to compare with Biggie. He was the man.
Then the debate got crazy when we talked about who spit the best on that track Forever, Drake, Kanye West, or Eminem. I think I surprised them a bit when I said that I thought Drake killed it, Kanye was solid as usual, but while Eminem is capable of things no one else is, his rhymes were a bit too quick and they didn’t resonate with me on this track. I gave the edge to Drake.
We also talked basketball. Some of the guys were part of the best team in the city back in the day. They won the city championships at Vanier, but the next season, because most of them transferred, they couldn’t play. Season after that, it looked like they’d go all the way to the nationals with Vaughan running the point. However, Vaughan didn’t care too much for people running their mouth, and after a game where you are supposed to shake hands and say “good game, good game,” Vaughan decided to shut one of the trash talkers mouth. That ended that season! Vaughan still has the DVD of the game when they won the city championship, I’d love to see that. I was such a stats geek even back then, I tracked all the points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks for all the players. I even remember Vaugan’s stat line: 2 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 0 blocks, and 2 steals. He was a true point guard.
Man I miss those guys. Woke up a part of me that’s been dead for a long time. My roots, where I came from… they reminded me. Easy Ranks, easy Toots, till the next time we link up.
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So I’m in Toronto and was watching the Grill Room and they were talking about Brian Burke’s decisions so far as GM as well as the Phil Kessel trade. I’m passionate about hockey and the discussion prompted me to share my thoughts as to the key mistakes this organization makes over, and over again in the salary capped NHL.
There was one trade in particular that sent me over the edge. It involved a young goalie prospect named Tukka Rask who is now playing for the Boston Bruins after they fleeced the Leafs by getting rid of a back up goalie, Andrew Raycroft, in return for a bona fide, top notch prospect.
At the time, the Leafs were in a position of power with two solid young prospects in goal, with Justin Pogge and Rask. I always felt Rask was clearly the better of the two, but they traded him anyway. Pogge was later shipped to Anaheim for a bag of pucks and Rask is playing great for the Bruins and will be one of the best goalies in the NHL for years to come.
Back then, John Ferguson Jr. was at the helm and he had better options available to him, but he goofed. He could have signed a free agent goalie like Curtis Joseph and kept both young goalies. That would have allowed him to flip one of the goalies for either a defensive prospect or a scoring forward. Instead, we lost Rask, Raycroft was awful, bounced to Colorado, and now backs up Luongo in Vancouver.
Ferguson made a whole host of blunders that made it impossible to correctly blow up the team and start the rebuilding process. He signed too many players to no trade clauses, and the Leafs were stuck with nothing of value at the trading deadline. The Flyers, for example, when they had that one awful year, were able to flip Peter Forsberg and others and made a quick turnaround just one year later by committing to a fire sale.
Moving to the present: the Phil Kessel trade. It excited a lot of fans in Toronto, but to me, I saw yet another foolish attempt to make this team close to mediocre without committing to a necessary long term rebuilding plan.
Kessel, is a great player, but this isn’t about that. With or without Kessel, this Leaf team is a long way from being a contender, so what exactly was the point? The Leafs traded TWO first round picks AND a second round pick for Kessel. Not too steep a price for a team in contention for a cup, but the Leafs? Is Kessel NOW, more valuable then a potential core of young studs to build around?
The Leafs have Nazeem Kadri, Luke Schenn and other young players to build around, but it will be a couple of years before they come around. Now, the Leafs are poised to challenge for the worst record in the NHL, and that wouldn’t be so bad, except for the fact that they handed their first overall pick over to Boston! In the next two years, they could have added two top five picks and a pick in the mid thirties to the young squad in the hopes of building a dynasty from within, kind of EXACTLY like the way the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Capitals were built, and how the Islanders and Kings are looking to build. It is the ONLY way to build a great team in the NHL today. This is not baseball. You can’t buy a championship anymore. You MUST build through the draft, it’s the only way.
Now here is the kicker with Kessel: by the time (if it even happens) the Leafs become a better young team, guess what? Kessel will be a free agent! That would mean that in three years, Kessel, who we gave up three high picks for so that we’d finish 12th in the division instead of 14th, could be long gone, and the Leafs would be without those picks, and without Kessel. Nice job.
I’ve heard the foolish argument, “With Kessel you know you are getting a bona fide goalscorer, but with draft picks, you never know what you are going to get.” That would be a valid argument, um, er, if it weren’t for facts and statistics.
The truth is, in the last 10 years or so, a very small percentage of top 5 picks have turned out to be duds. It happens, but I’d love to bet that in 5 years from now, whoever the Bruins draft with those Leaf picks will far outweigh the value of one man, especially when you consider the fact that Kessel can NOT make the Leafs a contender right now. His value to the team now is essentially useless, unless of course, finishing 11th in the division excites you. All this, without mentioning the fact that Kessel was out with a shoulder injury at the time of the trade.
In fact, a smart GM would take things a step further and trade Thomas Kaberle while his value is still high. The best rebuilding strategy consists of letting young players gel together, and filling the rest of the roster with journeymen veterans who are respected in the league and will be good role models and teachers. For example, a guy like Chris Chelios, while his skills have long been gone, would be a good guy to have in a dressing room full of aspiring rookies. If your team sucks, get rid of assets in their prime and trade them in for younger prospects. That’s the quickest way to build a solid youth movement.
So here is the thing: I get why teams in Phoenix and Columbus can’t quite afford to be patient and commit completely to a youth movement. They aren’t exactly hockey hotbeds and if the teams don’t win, fan support dwindles. That’s what gets me the most! If the Leafs are horrendous and suck for three years, the building will still be packed to the rafters! The Leafs have the best opportunity out of any team in the league to build a dynasty for two core reasons: 1) The fans are desperately loyal, and 2) players like playing in Toronto. It’s not hard to convince free agents to join the Leafs.
So that’s why I can’t support and endorse the team. I’m too practical and logical, and I don’t get excited by mediocrity. I’d much rather watch a team like the Islanders even. An awful team last year, they pick up John Tavares to go along with Kyle Okposo and Josh Baley, and all of a sudden they have something to build on. Not saying the Leafs don’t have building blocks- they do. They have lots of young guys who have potential, but they should have MORE and they should be further along then this after so many consecutive years golfing in May instead of playing for the cup.
I want to root for the Leafs. It’s my home town and I grew up a fan, but I can’t sit by and watch the organization put band aids on a team that’s in need of a triple bypass surgery.
If I ever get silly rich, I will show a city how it’s done. I will show them how a patient strategy that relies on great scouting is the ONLY real way to build a championship team these days.
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