Yankees Almost Sweep Red Sox; Score Runs 6 Months Too Late



Baseball is back and so is the greatest rivalry in professional sports. Too bad that this heated series was wasted on the first three games of the season.

Some early highlights:
1. Hideki Matsui with 7 hits and 2 HRs in the first two games and bats cleanup in the last two games
2. Derek Jeter's first walk off homerun since Nov. 1, 2001 in the World Series
3. Tino Martinez's first HR of the year
4. ARod became only the second player to hit a HR in the "black seats" as both an opposing player and as a Yankee (Tony Clark is the other)
5. Paul O'Neill was the third man in the booth for all three YES broadcasts
6. Randy Johnson won his first game in pinstripes
7. Joe Girardi is the mew Yankees bench coach

The lowlights:
1. Mo Rivera blew two consecutive saves and cost Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina their first win
2. I have to sit through another season with Michael Kay announcing on YES
3. Mo Rivera cannot pitch against the Red Sox
4. Mussina had great stuff but was squeezed by the home plate umpire
5. ARod's error in the bottom of the ninth cost the Yankees the sweep

Be sure to check out the recaps of Games 1, 2, and 3.

Chinese Delivery Guy Stuck in Elevator for 80 Hours



Sounds like a punch line to a bad ethnic joke, but it's not. Talk about someone's own personal hell. Only in the Bronx, eh? Read about the guy who was trapped in an elevator for 3 hours.

Gothamist Coverage
NY Newsday Article
NY Times Article

Last 5 Google Referrals...
1. Britney Spears pregnancy rumors
2. Degrassi: The Next Generation sneak peak
3. Derek Jeter's first girlfriend
4. Sideways Pinot awards snub
5. Ralph Wiggum disability

Pauly Publicity

I got some ink yesterday on two different sites. Ever since I got back from Vegas and told everyone the good news about my new gig covering the World Series of Poker for Lasvegasvegas.com... there's been a huge spike in traffic to all my blogs. I'm also getting randoming mentionings on other blogs and websites.

Example #1. Check out pPlayer.com. Jen Leo posted a nice write up about me and my poker blog. Here's a bit:

The Tao of Poker chronicles the avid poker adventures of... a New York writer who's been playing poker half his life. The posts, often prolific, are always entertaining -- Las Vegas trip reports, accounts from the Blue Parrot home games at Rick's Cafe, stats and spittle from his online play at Party Poker, commentary on all things poker that crosses his desk, and most hilarious-his fascination with the Hilton sisters and strippers.

Stats and spittle? Heh. Strippers and Hilton Sisters and poker. I do lead the good life. Jen is covering the World Series as well for pPlayer.com, so I'm sure we'll cross paths. I'll let her buy me a beer or twelve and we'll add it to her expense account.

Example #2. Yesterday, I was also mentioned in an article about pokerblog on Pokerpages.com. Amy Calistri gave me a shout out in her piece called The Bloggers Code: Incest is best . Here's a peek:

So to hold up my end of the blogger's code, over the course of my entries, I will be paying homage to some of the other bloggers out there that feed my need to read. You will meet some of the poker blogging household names like Iggy, Pauly, pokerprof, flipchipro, Al Can't Hang, Hank, the Batfaces, and more. We’ll learn about the World Poker Bloggers Tour.

Finally, we got some ink on PokerPages.com. Al Can't Hang was shocked he was mentioned. If BG is the "Bobby Flay" of poker bloggers, then without a doubt, Al is "Ozzy" of poker bloggers.

Anyway, I always get a little giddy when I see myself blogged on other sites. I think my new gig has created some buzz out there in bloggerdom. Pretty cool, eh? Now all I have to do is show up in Vegas and not fuck up.

Required Tuesday Reading

Anastasio Airs New Band is a blurb in Rolling Stone about Trey's new band. Can't wait to see him in 5 weeks! I'm shocked he got into RS.

I love Thomas Friedman's rants on globalism. Check out: It's a Flat World, After All.

Battle of Wits at the Border is a story about Canadian marijuana production. Personally, I think we need more BC Bud flooding the streets of NYC. God bless Canada.

Lastly, 11 years ago today... Kurt Cobain killed himself. That's what the police said. I still adhere to the theory that Courtney Love whacked him. Anyway, you should read Tony Pierce's entry on Kurt.

Congrats to Derek and Chico's Bail Bonds

We have a winner! Chico's Bail Bonds wins the fifth annual Pauly's Pub March Madness Pool.

Derek wins $200 in the largest prize pool in the history of Pauly's Pub Fantasy Leauge. North Carolina blew a 15 point lead, but managed to hold on (and cover) to give Roy Williams his first title. Congrats to Derek and Chico's Bail Bonds. Coach and I make the money... just like last year. Austin Paulbearers hung out to place fourth (again!) despite picking Illinois. Good job Matt. And in consecutive years, Haley & Jenna get the distinction of coming in last place and earning the entry fee back. Only in this pool, do you get honored for futility. Maybe next year, guys!

This was one of the closest races in recent years and one of the most exciting tournaments I had the pleasure of watching and gambling on. The Mandalay Bay sports book in Vegas was a zoo... and so were the games.

Money Winners ($410 total prize pool):
1. $200 = Chico's Bail Bonds (Derek) 1140 points
2. $100 = Stop Your Begging (Coach) 1120
3. $60 = Inside the Paris Hilton (Pauly) 1100
4. $40 = Austin Paulbearers (Matt Stephans) 1080
Last Place Winner: $10 = Twinkle & Turquoise (Haley & Jenna) 360 points

Otis sent me this message with his March Madness Pool Payment