Yankee Fans Enjoy Your World Series by Gitelson

Now before I write this post, let me be clear. I HATE THE RED SOXS. They are the most rascist team in not only baseball, but in all of sports. I hate them as much as I hate the Yankees. When the two play each other, I root for the stadium to explode.

Ok, now that I have gotten that out of the way, enjoy todays post.

Yes Yankee fans you have just swept the Red Soxs. All I have to say is enjoy your World Series now, because it's probably not going to get better.

Gitelson have you gone crazy you ask? We've destroyed the Red Sox's and now we can fast forward to the World series you say? Well, I'm not so sure.

You see I have a good memory, and I remember the 2004 post season. The Yankees were a few outs from bitch slapping the Red Soxs and going to the World Series. Then a miracle happened. After a few karate chops, and sub par pitching performances the Yankees were on the low end of the largest collapse in not only baseball, but in all of sports history.

All the Yankees had to do was win one game. ONE GAME. Yet the Red Soxs showed up every day, and slapped the Yankees around to goto the Series. It was fun to watch a bunch of non corporate "idiots" beat up the Yanks.

So before you go for your World Series tickets remember history.

Miracles happen.

PS: I am getting ready to pay for my Mets post season plan, and the Post is reporting that Glavine will be pitching in a week. That means that next week we will probably have back a rested Pedro, and Glavine.

The "slide" Continues?

The Mets did not play last night, and the Phillies won, pushing the Mets down to only being 13 1/2 games ahead of them (the Mets are 16 games ahead of the Braves).

The Tigers beat the White Soxs, thus moving themselves back to being 6 1/2 games ahead of them.

So far, I'm not looking stupid.

VH1 World Series of Pop Culture - The Finals

Tags: TV, World Series of Pop Culture

I wish I had jumped on this show from the beginning. I came across VH1's World Series of Pop Culture while I was in Vegas a few weeks ago. They had a marathon showing during the afternoon and my buddies and I spent a good portion of down time in the "Rain Man" suite watching show after show. We were tired, but not hungover thanks to DrWan's anti-hangover pills. Anyway, the WSOPC finals was this past week and I figured I'd utilize a good idea at least once. Here's the show in play along format. All the questions, no answers, along with my running commentary!

Our first category is Tom Cruise movies, which gets a chuckle from the audience.
They start out with a gimmie. If you think about it Tom Cruise hasn't really been the franchise film type since only one of his movies has spawned sequels. Kinda strange.

This made me think of Ben Stiller's early Tom Cruise parodies. I had to think about the title for a second...just a second though. 2 for 2 suckas!

Heh, a guy I knew used Top Gun as his closer movie with the ladies. He kept using it so I guess it worked...or he really liked Top Gun in the Tarantino way.

This one I actually had to just guess, since I've never actually seen the whole movie. I guessed right though.

The hardest question so far. I just remembered this because it starred Timothy Hutton, who was the hot young actor of the day. Strange how things turn out.

Crap!!! I missed this one. I guessed Rob Lowe. Even if I had gone Swayze with my second guess it would have been wrong too. I just figured they would have given the most entertaining toasts.

I was living in the south at this time ...so, yeah.

There was no way a teenage boy at that time would have not seen this movie because of Elizabeth Shue. Sadly I'll also admit, years before I ever set foot inside a bar, my friends and I made a "Cocktail" parody video to "Hippy Hippy Shake" where we pretty much threw bottles and glasses filled with food colored water all over the place. Once again...Thank God I didn't grow up in the YouTube generation.

I actually saw this movie in the theaters and I still had no clue! What a horrible night that was, we went to two different theaters and waited two showtimes just to get into a movie where they...kept...talking...like...this..all ...movie...long.

Missed this movie...I had no clue.

This was actually the last award winners of the last 10 years. It only went one deep in the answers. Kinda surprising, I could have done about four or five.

For those fans of the show the Boeghy Bunch won that round! The next category is TV Teen Dramas. Um...I don't know if I should be playing along now.
Okay so I got that one, but in my defense I have a younger sister who was a fan of the show.
Okay so that's two now. My sisters also liked that one. Plus it once had an episode guest starring Juliana Hatfield!
Uh...I watched the show because Katie Holmes is hot?

Aight, FINE I have no excuse for knowing this one. HATERS!

Come on, Buffy at least has some cred to it, y'all!

Finally!!! I had no clue there ;) I'm gonna go start a barfight now just to go prove something.
No apologies here...The pre-Oliver OC episodes were really great TV, yo!
I can proudly say I've never seen a Gilmore Girls episode. The category only goes 8 questions in. Awwww...I mean...El Chupacabra wins. Next category.

It's 1990's song lyrics. I'm not going to shy away from saying this is my absolute strength right here. I was totally immersed in music back then and I was still exposed to a lot of mainstream stuff at the time as well. I used to have a game I'd play with this girl I was interested in back in the day. We'd start talking completely in song lyrics and see how long we could keep it going. Our record was close to an hour once over coffee. Yes, I have a strange way of wooing women.
It's like RAYAYAIIIIN on your wedding day! Sorry, I couldn't help it.

On the list of greatest songs of all time and I'm not even a big U2 fan.

True story. I went to the wedding of a childhood friend of mine in rural Kentucky who played the country version of this song over the church speakers in the middle of the ceremony. I kind of teased him about it afterwards, he said it was his wife's idea after they said no to his suggestion. He was going to sing "Lady" by Styx as he played it on the church's baby grand piano. The patron saint of unintentional comedy wept that day for the loss.

This song quite possibly kicked off one of my favorite eras in music.

The only reason I remember this song is because it started a legendary fraternity boy hissy fit in our house living room when Arsenio Hall refereed to this guy as the next James Taylor or something.

Hated this group with a passion. I'll give it away if I mention why. Just...HATE!

Sweet! This song is on one of my YouTube mixtapes. It's kinda tough when the host just reads the lyrics without the familiar cadence.

Another song that's tough without cadence. I actually had to think about this one for a sec.

I used to love to belt this song out. It's such a fun song to sing. I wonder if the karakoe bar has it...hmmmm. We only go nine in. Chupacabra takes this category as well.

We now go to fictional locales. El Chupacabra has a 2 to 1 advantage. In all serious the show is intense as shit!
Embarrassingly enough I blurted out the wrong answer. There is no such place as the Kwik-E-Stop. Damn you Kevin Smith!!!

It's questions like these, that make me really want to play, just so I could get theatrical with it. Makin' their waaaaaaayyy the only way they know how!

Sadly, that applies to this question as well. Them young girls they do get weaaaarryyyy!

We've got a pattern here! I'll choose Judge Smails...Oh Billy Billy Buh-illly.

Wow. I don't know this one. Totally drawing a blank. Wow. It saves me from doing the Elaine dance.

The cancellation of this show and "Sportsnight" led to me scorning the three big networks. With very few exceptions, like Grey's and "How I met Your Mother" I've stayed away pretty well. I'll probably add Studio 60 to that list in the fall as well.
Come on! If you don't get this one you are a total *draws shape in the air* square!
Wow I really would have lucked out on this show. A question inspired by TC and M Mt. Rushmore inhabitant Billy Dee Williams? Shoot, where's the signup for next year, yo! Okay, the dude from the Boeghy Bunch has just missed a Caddyshack, Pulp Fiction, and Empire Strikes Back question. I didn't think that was possible for any guy contestant in their late 20's early 30's. At least one of the three should have been answered by ANY guy on this show.

Just for shits and giggles I would have said syphilis. Just because I've always wanted to say syphilis on TV. I had no clue on this one.

Was there anything cooler than seeing "Angel Heart" while the Cosby Show was in it's prime? Anyway I was a fan of both Cosby and A Different World so I got this one. They both missed it and El Chupacabra wins $250,000 dollars for this yo. I'll bet it will be bigger next year. I now have a new short term goal in life. Now I just need to find two other pop culture jerks!

With Alex Rodriguez, the Mets might have won a World Series or two.

"Can you imagine how different this might have turned out had Phillips marched into Fred Wilpon's office two months after the Mets were overwhelmed by the Yankees in the 2000 World Series and convinced his boss to sign A-Rod?"

Sure. I can imagine.

With a shortstop who regularly puts up 40 and 120, the Mets may have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons instead of missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons.

All the Rodriguez merch that filled Steinbrenner's coffers may have made Wilpon an even wealthier man.

The seemingly impoosible boost in attendance at Yankee Stadium may have been transferred to Shea.


"Wilpon's wallet would have tightened up like A-Rod with men on base had he committed to 10 years at $25 million per.

Consequently, no Glavine, no Pedro, neither of the Carloses and no Wagner."

Everyone knows that ARod wasn't demanding $25 mill per from the Mets.

But, as discussed above, it's an investment. You take a World Series team and you add another superstar player. You don't stop there. You get playoff money, World Series money, merch, ticket sales increase, etc.

All of this is money, money, money, money that Jeff Duncan was unable to generate.


Why no Pedro on the Mets? Over the past five years, the Mets just made more money, so they could have spent more money.

As a bonus, no Ty Wigginton at the hot corner.


Also, there's something seriously wrong with Matthews's math skills.

Let's just assume ARod was actually paid $25 million by the Mets and let's further assume that the Mets generated no additional revenue as a result of the investment. Both of these assumptions are wrong by a lot, but we'll give Matthews's attempt at an argument the benefit of the doubt.

According to USA Today's Baseball Salary database, the 2006 Mets mentioned by Matthews make the following salaries:

Glavine: $10 mill.
Pedro: $15 mill.
Beltran: $13.5 mill.
Delgado: $13.5 mill.
Wagner: $10.5 mill.

Total: $62.5 mill.

So, if the Mets had spent $25 mill on Alex Rodriguez, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of these players? What happened to the remaining $37.5 mill? Did Minaya spend the whole thing on ARod's Shea Stadium luxury box and Spring Training merchandise booth?

Do you feel lied to?

You should.


Oh, by the way, guess how well the Mets have done without Alex Rodriguez? They haven't done squat.

Was that seriously Wallace Matthews's grand plan? Stink for five years and then spend some money?

Good plan. It really worked out.


"As for Reyes and Wright? Well, because each of them plays a position also played by A-Rod, at least one, if not both of them, probably would be playing elsewhere."

Well, gee. I doubt that very much. Because even if one of them had to be moved to make room for a slouch like ARod, I doubt if both of them would have to be moved.

Because, as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he does not play two positions at the same time.


Or how about this disastrous scenario?

ARod at shortstop on his way to 800 homeruns, young Wright at 3b, Reyes and a few minor leaguers traded for Barry Zito and Nick Swisher.

That team might have two rings by now, instead of zero.

The World Series of Poker

Mere words can't describe what I was feeling after I checked into my room at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas Sunday afternoon. I was finally here, the World Series of Poker. I went down to the poker area after I dropped off my luggage in my room, and quite frankly, I have never seen anything like it. There were hundreds of poker tables in this gigantic meeting room, and God knows how many people playing poker, milling about, and gawking at the poker royalty. Within fifteen minutes I had introduced myself and spoken with Daniel Negranu, said hello to Greg Raymer, and eyeballed almost every poker superstar I had ever seen on television. I was in nirvana, and the fact that I was going to be part of it was beyond thrilling.

After I made the final registration for the next day's tournament, my buddy and I went to the Sahara Hotel to play in a no-limit tournament there as a warm-up for the next day. The very first poker tournament I ever played in was this very same tournament at the Sahara almost two years ago, and it had a very familiar feel. I did pretty well and lasted until there were four tables left before I got knocked out. Then we went back to the Rio and joined a 4-8 limit hold em game on the WSOP floor. You see, while the actual WSOP tournament events are taking place, there are satellites and sit and go tournaments, and money games, both high and low limit, all happening at the same time. There were a couple of real arrogant big mouth buffoons at this table, and they obviously pinned me for a fish right away. I lost seventy bucks pretty quickly, but then started to catch cards, and trapped them in hands, and bluffed successfully, and check raised successfully, and I took these bozos down that night for two hundred and fifty dollars. It was sweet.

And then, the next day, yesterday to be exact, came the moment of truth, the one thousand dollar buy-in no limit event. I had a pre-determined strategy, where I was going to be ultra selective about the starting hands I was going to play, I was not going to chase, I was going to follow my gut instinct, and I was not going to let myself be put all in unless I had the nuts. The very first hand came, and I was dealt pocket 9's. You gotta be kidding me, one hand into this tournament, and I already have a tough decision to make. The big blind was 25 dollars, and the guy to my right raised it to 75. I called, several people dropped, and then a guy in late position re-raised to 375. Holy hand grenades, Batman, this is only the very first hand, and already I have a tough decision. The guy to my right folded and it was up to me. I put the raiser on either a higher pair or a hand like AK or AQ. Well, I didn't want to shove in a bunch of chips and lose right off the bat to a higher pair, or a drawing hand that may end up with a higher pair after the flop. It was just too soon for me to play a middle pair like that, at least in my mind. So, I folded it. Was that the right play? Who knows, all I know was that if the pair had been higher I would have called, but my gut instinct told me to lay it down, so I did.

Four hands later, I was dealt AQ in early position to the left of the big blind. I raised to 150. Everyone folded, except for one guy, who called. The flop came A-J-3, rainbow (meaning all different suits). I thought I was golden with a pair of Aces, and a high kicker, so I bet out 300 (mind you, everyone starts out with 1500 chips and there are no re-buys, once you're out of chips, you're done). The guy raised me 300. So I thought about it, what could he have? An ace with a higher kicker? Maybe. But I just didn't think so, I thought I had him beat and he was trying to bluff me off the pot. So I called.

The turn card was another Ace, so now I had three aces with a very high kicker. I thought again about what the other guy might have, and my gut instinct said to play it aggressively. I threw all my chips in, he called, and the son of a bitch turned over an AK. I couldn't freaking believe it, the bastard had me out-kicked. Of course, there was no help for me on the river (only a Queen could have saved me), and just like that, I was knocked out. Twenty minutes into the tournament. I felt like crying.

I ran into Chris (Jesus) Ferguson heading towards the tournament as I was heading back to my room, and I asked him if I could go over the hand with him. He agreed, and told me that there was nothing I could do, that I played it right, and I just got beat. Damn!!!

Since then, I have run the hand over and over in my mind about three hundred times, and I realize that I didn't think things through sufficiently. When the guy raised me after my bet on the flop, that should have told me that I was beaten at that point, that either he had me out-kicked, or he had AJ (which would have given him two pair), or that he had pocket jacks and had flopped a set. I should have laid the hand down at that point. The other thing to consider is that, since I was first to act after the blinds, I was out of position. Dan Harrington, in his book on no limit poker, says to be very selective from that position, and that you should not play AQ unsuited when you are first to act. Well, I learned a very expensive lesson that Harrington was right. I wish I had remembered that, and had lain the hand down.

Here was my thinking. When the second ace came out on the board, that meant three aces were accounted for (the two on the board and the one in my hand). Only a little more than half the deck had been utilized, so the chances were pretty good that the other ace was in the unused part of the deck. I thought that maybe the guy was trying to bluff me off the hand with something like KJ or QJ. I just didn't believe that he had the other ace with a better kicker. And, for once, my gut instinct failed. Part of my gut instinct said to fold, and the other part went through the analysis laid out above. The bottom line was that I was beat.

The next time I am in that spot, I won't play the hand in that position. And if I do play it, and I get raised like that, I will respect the raise and fold. Easy to say now, but very tough to do. Think about it, I had three aces with the second best kicker. How in the world do you get away from that hand? Or as Jesus Ferguson told me, "what are you gonna do?" My first experience in the World Series of Poker, and I was gone in twenty minutes. Unbelieveable.

That night, I went back to the Sahara and played in yet another no limit tournament. There were 176 players, and I survived to the final two tables and finished 17th. Not good enough to win any money, but a pretty respectable finish. The tournament was filled with players who had played in the WSOP and had been knocked out on bad beats and were licking their wounds. I felt like I was not alone. I also learned that Jennifer Tilly, the actress-turned-poker pro, who won the ladies event at the World Series last year, was the first person knocked out of the World Series event on the very first hand. I guess she played her pocket nines, or whatever marginal hand she was dealt.

So now here I am, back home in Tucson, where I didn't expect to be until Thursday night. Yes, I'm licking my wounds, thinking about the beat I took, and playing it over and over again in my mind. And at this point, the only thing I know for sure is that I'll be back next year. My friend Jimmy (who also played in the tourney and lasted about an hour longer than I did) and I have already promised each other that we will try again next year. You see, we have this dream that we are both at the final table, we've knocked everyone else out, and we're going heads-up for the bracelet. Maybe it will happen next year.

Second Half Predictions

Yes, we’re a couple of weeks past the halfway mark in the baseball season, but I forgot to blog about it then, so I’m doing it now.These were my predictions back on April second:American LeagueEast: New York YankeesCentral: Cleveland IndiansWest: Oakland A’sWild Card: Toronto Blue JaysNational LeagueEast: Atlanta BravesCentral: St. Louis CardinalsWest: San Francisco GiantsWild Card: New York MetsAmerican League Championship SeriesYankees vs. ClevelandNational League Championship SeriesCardinals vs. GiantsWorld SeriesYankees vs. GiantsWorld ChampionsYankees===This is how you know I don’t have the Force. I can’t predict shit. Then again, neither could the Emperor (“I have foreseen it”), Yoda (“Forever will it dominate your destiny”)... Yeah, I’m drifting off topic.Anyway, who could’ve known the suck-ass Tigers would get off to such a start? Why does Cleveland not have its shit together? How did the entire NL become the bitch of the AL, making even Tampa and KC look good (11-7 and 10-8, respectively)? Why doesn’t Boston have a 12 game lead over an injury-plagued Yankee team that boasts an outfield some days of Melky Cabrera, Bubba Crosby and Aaron Guiel?It pains me, but these are my second half predictions:American LeagueEast: New York Yankees (Fuck it. It can still happen.)Central: Chicago White Sox (I still don’t believe in Detroit.)West: Oakland A’s (I’m sticking with Oakland, but anyone can take this division. I’m tempted to pick the Angels).Wild Card: Detroit Tigers (But the Twins are impressing me with their winning streaks.)National LeagueEast: New York Mets (I don’t think they’ll end the year 13 games in front, however.)Central: St. Louis Cardinals (Sticking with my original pick.)West: San Diego Padres (This division is up for grabs, but I don’t think the Giants can recover from an ineffective Bonds and Arizona went in a tailspin after the Grimsley thing.) Wild Card: Cincinnati RedsAmerican League Championship SeriesTigers vs. White SoxNational League Championship SeriesMets vs. CardinalsWorld SeriesMets vs. White SoxWorld ChampionsWhite Sox

New York artist Luigi Cicala and How Art Made The World

How Art Made The World, a documentary series hosted by Dr. Nigel Spivey, premieres this summer on PBS. With aspirations similar to the Art Of The Western World series created by Robert Hughes, each episode discusses how humans have developed our communication of ideas through visual imagery. Current concepts of beauty, spirituality, mortality and political persuasion are linked to ancient historical events, demonstrating how images have influenced the way we perceive the world.

The earliest known cave paintings have survived the centuries hidden in remote caverns. The painters must have had little concern for others to view their works, as the illustrations appear in isolated crevices that are difficult to navigate. An unusual work from this period places the images outside of the caves, making it easily accessible for others to see. This shift from personal, private creation to public display is a contextual shift transforming the purpose and meaning of visual representation.


Alexander the Great harnessed the power of public imagery for political influence. His portrait was sculpted multiple times with slight variations
in his posture and expression until the sculptor captured a peaceful and sympathetic, yet strong and vigorous quality in his face. This image of Alexander was imprinted upon coins, and currency then became an early means of mass communication, serving as a commonplace, everyday reminder of his presence to the people under his control. This concept continues today, forming the foundation of political propaganda both crude and sophisticated.

The gods and goddesses of myth and religion have provided a rich cast of characters from which to draw narratives, creating a shared dialogue that brings a culture together. Mythic personae are rooted in the human experience, but transcend mortals with their superhuman, otherworldly powers.

The tradition continues in today's pop culture superstars, the true gods and goddesses of the twenty first century.

Luigi Cicala draws upon these mythic characters as the subjects creating the dramas he portrays on canvas. Historic fables and popular culture share
equal territory on the battlefields where these confrontations take place. The sharp, surreal world of comic book heroes is not far removed from the tales of the superhuman Greco-Roman gods. Barriers between the past and the present are removed, and associations swim freely among the celebrities of ancient history and personalities of current events.

Cicala's practiced hand combines the naturalistic traditions of classical Italian painting with the highly technical practices of today. In a statement from the artist, he admits to collecting action figures, toys and the occasional odd found object to utilize as models for his rendering. He appreciates pieces that are old and worn, which brings a personality that is entirely different from the original, brand-new store-bought persona. The toys become proxies for human beings in his imagery. His paintings reshape our preconceived notions of recognizable characters, and examine how these myths and icons of our youth can act out the rich dramas of the adult world.

The final installment of How Art Made the World will air on PBS this Monday, July 24th. The rest of the series is available on DVD through PBS.

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