The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

And I never really intended to talk world politics on this forum as I wanted it to be a little more on the cheery side, but when I read this article, I just shook my head in disbelief. It's safe to say that the majority of Canadians, and probably citizens of other countries, aren't terribly thrilled there's a war going on in Iraq. Americans once supported the war, but the population is turning against it and the United States is finding it harder and harder to get young people to sign up for the army. Who can blame them? Sign up to die for a cause most feel is just fiction, gee, that sounds great, pass the pen!

Anyway, there is such a desperate need for soliders that a 52 year-old retired Army Veteran named Gary Olson is being forced to depart for Iraq and has been told to expect to stay for 18 months. This isn't the first time; he was asked to come out voluntarily 2 years ago but declined, citing the reason that, I don't know, I'M RETIRED!

So far the war in Iraq has produced 2,110 US military deaths, 15,704 US military wounded and 27,115 Iraqi Civilian deaths as disclosed on michaelmoore.com. Tonight, thank your lucky stars you get to go to sleep tonight without fear of having to fight a war the next day.

It’ll be less than a month before Wayne Gretzky announces his selections for Team Canada’s Men's hockey team. There are some sure bets that will be named to the team such as Jarome Iginla and Simon Gagne, but what’s more interesting is finding out who will be left behind. This is where the whole “Do we give the young guys a chance?” argument comes forward.

Jason Spezza is having a dynamite year so far and there is no reason to think it’s a fluke. He is currently tied for first in the NHL in scoring and was just named NHL player of the week. Combined with the fact his linemate, Dany Heatley, will be named to Team Canada is just more reason to give 22 year-old Spezza a chance to play in Turin.

Not so fast.

Wayne Gretzky has previously announced his starting centres are pretty much a lock: Joe Thornton, Joe Sakic, Vincent Lecavalier and Mario Lemieux. So if you were the GM, who would you ask to take a seat? Thornton? Not a chance. His stellar play in the World Championships playing with Simon Gagne and Rick Nash, not to mention being a part of the DDT line in the 2004 World Cup assures him a spot. Joe Sakic has been a consistent, dependable forward for Canada for years and provides invaluable leadership and a veteran presence. Vincent Lecavalier was the 2004 World Cup MVP and a big reason the Lightning won the Stanley Cup AND he's playing even better this year. Despite Mario’s rumblings he’ll be happy to give his spot to Sydney Crosby, I have a feeling Gretzky will ask Mario to play, if for no other reason players around him play better than they should because of that aura he brings with him. He’s also averaging almost a point a game this season, so it’s not like he’s a deadweight to the team, either (although I wish he’d be a little more enthusiastic about playing in the Olympics than talking about relinquishing his place, which is why I wouldn’t mind if he didn’t play).

If you figure guys like Martin St Louis will be passed over for having sub-par seasons, I expect there to be one spot left for a young kid. And the debate is will it be Spezza, Eric Staal or Sydney Crosby.

It’s true that Spezza and Staal are only 22 and 21 years old, but Crosby just turned 19. Crosby is just getting his first taste of pro hockey and no doubt he’ll be a staple for Canada in future years, I just don’t think now is the time. If you look at how Staal or Spezza have developed since their rookie seasons in the league, it’s almost night and day. You saw flashes of brilliance but now you’re seeing the full results of their development.

I’m putting my bias aside (because I'd love it if Spezza was chosen) when I say Staal gets the edge because he doesn’t have as great a supporting cast as Spezza. In Carolina, Staal is the go-to guy. In Ottawa, if Spezza doesn’t perform you go to Heatley. Or Alfredsson. Or Havlat. Eric Staal, at such a young age, is pretty much carrying the weight on his shoulders for his team to perform, and he’s doing a great job of it. I can only imagine how well he do when that pressure is lifted.

Either way, it’d be nice to send one of these young guns to Italy. If Gretzky does the right thing, at least one of those kids will get to play. We’ll find out by December 22nd.

One of the biggest blunders I see occurs when positioning for the money finishes is taking effect. I see so many bets and non-bets that should take place, it drives me crazy to no end. Remember, if the top 5 get paid and there are still 6 players left, you haven't won anything until that 6th person is gone.

Let's say the short stack goes all-in, everyone folds to the small blind who elects to call. You turn up your big blind hand and look down at pocket 10s. It cost you 3x the big blind to call, you have a strong hand, but you're not really sure what the all-in and the small blind have. You decide to call and not get too cute with a re-raise.

The flop comes K-Q-5.

Two overcards, not a great flop for you. The all-in guy can no longer bet, so the small blind acts and checks to you. What do you do?

YOU CHECK.

Some might think that the small blind showed weakness by checking and from here you should bet out to get him out of the pot. But you're not playing heads up. You still have to eliminate the all-in and you have no idea what he has. Both you and the small blind should check the hand down together as a co-operative play to get rid of the all-in player. This is perfectly legal as long as the two of you do not audibly announce your intentions. With both of you co-operating to eliminate the 6th player, you are moving "up the money ladder" and ensuring you get paid for your game.

The next card is a 4, the small blind checks and you check. The next card is a ten. The small blind checks. Now here, if you want to build a side pot, you hit three of a kind so a bet here would make sense. You bet out 1/3 the pot and the small blind calls. He turns over pocket jacks. The all-in had King-Queen and made two pair, but your three of a kind takes it.

If the small blind had bet out at you after the flop or turn, you would have probably folded guessing he had paired up Queens or Kings but then the all-in would have won with his two pair. The small blind would have lost his money anyway, but now it'll be tougher to get paid off with the short stack still in contention.

Unless you've made some sort of strong hand when the cards hits the community, CHECK.

Well, what can I say that you probably haven't already heard? What a FANTASTIC show!!! I tell ya, Ottawa is so lucky to have a band like U2 visit this city. It's no coincidence that after Prime Minister Martin made the call to Bono and they agreed to play here, Ottawa has been privileged to see so many top acts like The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Pearl Jam and Aerosmith w/Lenny Kravitz just to name a few. Hopefully the floodgates won't stop, because these types of events are the kind that stay with you forever.

Anyway, about the show! U2 doesn't need an elaborate set as their music can carry the show on their own, but they didn't pull any punches with their "race-track" design and these cool beaded light-curtains that descended from the rafters. Even the fans got in on the fun: at one point when Bono asked the crowd to listen to him speak about world poverty he got everyone to pull out their cellphones, making the Corel Centre look like Christmas with all the neon blue lights shining in the dark. This was definitely the Bono show, he pretty much does it on his own and man, can he pull it off! And I also like to say you can really sense his passion for his end poverty campaign. He is the genuine article, and the fans in attendance sensed it, too.

My favourite song they performed was probably Sunday Bloody Sunday. The whole crowd was on its feet and singing along and at its most energetic. My only minor quibble is with the final encore: The last three songs were Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of, Yahweh and 40; I would have personally liked to have ended with an upbeat tune, maybe Discotheque or something to that affect. But perhaps this is their way of saying they would just like to quietly leave into the night as the two hours of escape is now over.

I will take the time now to thank Alex for being the internet hacker and landing those tickets about 8 months ago. Nice work!

I came across this a few weeks ago but couldn't get that picture out of my head. Does Mel Gibson look like a psycho or what? The white/gray in his beard, the eyes...this isn't the good ol' everyday Mel we're used to. That photo was taken at a press conference to talk about his next movie called Apocalpyto, a film with unknown actors set in 16th century Mexico. All the actors will speak in an ancient Mayan language and is an action-adventure type movie. The film will be shot almost entirely in a Mexican jungle and Mel Gibson will not appear on-camera, he will be bankrolling and directing the movie instead.

Who knows if the movie will be any good, but for heaven's sake Mel, get a razor for that facial stuff, STAT!

I have to admit, when I saw Bryan Smolinski get smoked during Saturday's NJ game with a big hit in the first, I can't say it caused me much concern. But, no doubt after reading SBP's blog, Smolinski has netted 3 goals in his last 5 games and realized he must cease to suck...The first injury hurdle for the Sens starts tomorrow with Wade Redden, Martin Havlat and Chris Neil missing tomorrow's Islanders game. All three are a vital component to the team's makeup, but Ottawa has enough depth and cannot use that as an excuse if they lose tomorrow...For all you Redden haters out there, check out his stats: tied for 3rd in scoring amongst defenceman with 21 points, 2nd in the league in plus/minus with +19, and not to mention he'll be representing Canada at the 2006 Olympics...That Carolina game was an ugly win, but the sort they need to pull off consistently as it won't be 5-0 blowout games each night like they're used to. Considering the team was really down after hearing Chris Neil's mom passed away that day, I'm suprised they manged to get the victory...Christoph Schubert was perhaps the best Senator in the first half of that Carolina game, playing wing instead of D and picking up his first NHL goal in the process...Did the bench explode or what when Brian McGrattan picked up his first NHL marker on Saturday? And against a future NHL hall-of-famer no less. Nice job, Brian...Mike Fisher has been the most consistent Senator in the last three games and is playing great hockey...D Brian Pothier drives me nuts. I find he's sloppy defensively and not skilled enough to be an offensive threat. Once in a while though, he'll surprise you with a big hit...Chris Phillips is in the SBP doghouse for taking too many needless penalties and getting outworked for puck possession. Eric Staal made him look particularly stupid when he got the 'Canes first goal Tuesday...Vaclav Varada's ice time has increased for no other reason than because of injuries. Here's his chance to prove he's more than an overpaid fourth liner...Andrej Mezaros is quietly becoming one of the top rookies in the league. The spotlight for rookies is fairly exclusive to Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, but Mezaros has an unbelivable +/- rating of +19, which ties him for 2nd in the entire NHL. It's a stat every D in the league can be proud of, but unfortunately not something you can show on the highlight reels...It's a great idea to have a couple of minor league kids get to stand beside the Sens players during the national anthems before the game. It's a memory that they'll keep for a lifetime, and it doesn't cost the team one cent towards their salary cap.

Does it suck to be Todd Marchant or what? The downfall of the new salary cap system is usually the mid-range salary players are the ones that are sacrificed to make way for big money talent. Columbus traded for Sergei Federov from Anaheim and to make cap room, they placed Marchant on waivers to bypass his no trade clause. They actually approached him about foregoing his no-trade stipulation, but wouldn't tell him where he was headed, so of course he said forget it...Apparently not everyone learns from the past. Mats Sundin still isn't 100% certain if he'll keep on his visor after that accident that broke his orbital bone in the first game of the season. What will it take for these guys to protect themselves?...Unbelievable Martin Brodeur ranks 30th+ in the league in both goals against average and save percentage. He'll probably still get the start in Turin, though, he rises to the occasion for big games...Steve Yzerman was told by Wayne Gretzky if he wants to play for Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics, it's a done deal. Yzerman responded by saying he doesn't want to play if he doesn't deserve it. I'm a fan of Stevie Y just like anyone else is, but I think most realize he's 40 years old and isn't the same player he was a few years ago. He does bring lots of intangibles but it's time to make room for the younger crowd like Eric Staal and Jason Spezza...Speaking of Yzerman, he's not a fan of the new NHL and doesn't like all the penalties being called. It's the players will have to learn to adapt, it's not the league's responsibility to cave-in if the players still clutch and grab...If you're going to have a seizure, no better place than in the middle of a hockey game where medical personnel are immediately available. Red Wing Jiri Fischer appears to be in good health after being rushed to hospital. This incident reminded me of Sergei Zholtok's passing not too long ago, again because of heart problems. Take care of yourselves out there, if you don't have your health you have nothing...Calgary has been on a hot streak, going 9-1 after a dismal beginning. Their slow start could be attributed to the fact most of their games were played on the road. Even if the rinks are pretty generic, it's always tougher to win in your opponent's backyard...Not doing so great is the Florida Panthers with 11 losses in a row. Coach Jacques Martin has been criticized for continuing to play a defensive style, but really outside of Olli Jokinen who can be counted on over there to put points on the board?...And finally, can someone tell me how G Patrick Lalime still has a job?

After Eddie Guerrero passed away last week and wrestler Nick Dinsmore (who wrestles as the character Eugene) was sent to hospital after abusing his prescription medication hours later, it was announced on WWE.com that owner Vince McMahon, unquestionably under extreme pressure, has a new drug testing program for his workers. Apparently an independent agency will conduct the tests at random with no prior warning made to the workers. It will be comprehensive, encompassing all recreational & prescription drugs as well as for steroid use.

Not too many people know that McMahon DID have a drug policy in place in the early to mid 1990s. It was probably done more as a response to the steroid trials in which he was exonerated of all charges, but in any case it was dropped around 1996 because business was horrible and Vince no longer wanted to spend the money on it. With an outside firm doing the testing, Vince will no longer be the first person to hear about it and decide the course of action to take, at least in theory anyway. Of course, WWE has to decide on what punishments should be levied, which have yet to be determined to anyone's knowledge

When I spoke to anyone who followed WWE at one point or the other about this, no one believed a new policy would be strictly enforced. A lot of internet sites think as many as 1/2 the roster would fail any test if it were taken today. On the flipside, there have been reports that the wrestlers feel this is a step in the right direction so long as everyone is treated equally and any rehab required will be available as stipulated.

Myself, I'm very cynical. You look at guys like Batista, who is 6"5 and 330 lbs; is it all protein bars? He's the Champion of the Smackdown division, would Vince honestly have him sit until he'd test clean if he failed a test? And as the last "policy" proved, it was a joke, and never taken seriously.

Too many guys have died, way too young. Some died while they were still in the business, others a short time after. Here are a few names to reflect upon that have died before the age of 45, and hopefully the bigwigs at WWE will see the light and realize things must change, and fast. Keep in mind, there are less than 100 wrestlers employed with WWE at one time who appear in their main programming.

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
The Renegade - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Ray Candy - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules Hernandez - 45

My co-worker's 5 year-old daughter, Kisha, signed up to play hockey for the very first time this year. And lucky for her, she got to play on the Corel Centre ice during the intermission of Saturday's Sens-Devils game. Kisha also played in her very first tournament over the weekend, scoring a hat trick for her team. Keep up the good work Kisha, maybe a spot on Team Canada will be waiting for you some day!

Ok, I consider myself a pretty easy-going person. I dish it out and I take it. When I do dish it out though, it's playful, and I never, ever, make any personal attacks about a person's physical appearance or mannerisms which they have no control over. If I tease one of buddies about the Leafs, "Toronto sucks just like you!" who cares, it's all in fun. If I noticed a friend of mine has put on 100 lbs in the last three months, I'm not going to say, "Hey, you big fat tub of goo, ease up on the Big Macs!" I'm sure they are already feeling pretty down about it, so why would I be a jerk and bring attention to it?

So this week, no less than three people, THREE, have walked up to me and said, "Hey Ben, got a few gray hairs there don't we?!"

Ok, why are you telling me this? Are you trying to make my day? Are you trying to pay me a compliment? Yes, I've noticed to, I'm getting older, this will happen, so why are you drawing attention to it? How are you expecting me to react? You know, I don't feel any different than I did 5 years ago, I feel great. But not when I hear stuff like that.

Tease me about my enjoyment of St Hubert's & Subway. Tease me about all those times the Senators choked in the playoffs. Tease about that time a girl turned me down for a date because she already planned to take a nap three days in advance. By all means! Personal stuff, how about taking the time to compliment instead of criticize, or maybe just not saying anything at all.

Am I being too sensitive about this or what do you think?

Does he have a future in the entertainment industry or what!? And Holly, my management fee will be a discounted 9% just for you! :)

Ok, who honestly can't wait to get up at 6 o'clock in the morning to jog 10K in the rain, snow or blistering heat? No one, repeat, no one, that's who! If we could stay healthy and have a decent physique without having to hop on the stationary bike, I'd say 99% of us would opt not to bother with exercise.

Of course, that isn't reality. We must do some form of physical activity to keep in shape. But it can be hard to motivate yourself to do it. We find excuses not to bother, and soon enough it's back on the couch with remote in hand to watch "Family Guy", while munching on a bag of two-bite brownies (mmmm!).

A trick that helps me out is simple: As soon as I get home from work, I head straight to my bedroom to put on my t-shirt and shorts for my treadmill workout. And that's it! Althought in my mind it's not exactly something I'm dying to do, walking around my apartment in my athletic gear is a not-so subtle reminder it needs to be done. And really, getting ready for it is half the battle.

Since employing this technique, I've increased my 2-3 workouts a week to 4-5. If it works for me, hey, maybe it'll work for you, too! Now get on that treadmill tubby! :)

For the first time in 31 years, Australia qualified for the World Cup of Soccer in dramatic fashion against Uruguay. Playing a home & home series, Uruguay took the first game 1-nil, but back in Sydney, Australia the home team took game two, also with a score of 1-nil (I sound like a soccer guy already!). In what was a first in World Cup qualifying history, a decision as to which team would go to Germany in 2006 was decided on penalty kicks. Australia took that result 4-2 in front of 82,000+ elated Socceroo fans. And just to add more to the celebration, John Travolta was in town doing a promotional tour for Qantas. When he came into the players' sight, and impromptu rendition of "You're the one that I want, wooh, ooh, ooh!" quickly followed. How cool is that?! Travolta left the stadium, hair drenched in champagne, remarking it was the best game he had ever seen.

I'm not the biggest soccer fan but I always take the time to watch the World Cup of Soccer. It'll be nice that this time (seeing that I am 1/2 Australian, didn't you know?!) there is a team I really do hope will take it all!

What is it with Sens fans? Ok, Ottawa lost yesterday. THEY’RE STILL 13-3! There were people calling in the Team 1200 after the game saying Ottawa can’t beat “good” teams, and other sent an email suggesting Jason Spezza should be benched. Yeah, there’s an idea, bench a top 10 NHL scorer. I can only hope fans who call in their own team's radio shows have equally lame ideas…Anyway, the game itself was alright (which I attended, ½ price!), but the 2nd period is what cost Ottawa. It felt like I time travelled back to 2003, with little offence and a team willing not to forecheck to protect their lead…Nice standing ovation for Daniel Alfredsson for getting his 600th career point last night. Sen 4 life!…It took me over an hour and a half before I got home from the game. There was a point where it took 30 minutes to move my Jeep 12 feet. Definitely the longest time I’ve spent in a Corel Centre parking lot…Rumours persist Vaclav Varada will be traded since he’s paid $1.2M and plays less than 5 minutes of ice time. Ottawa has been relatively lucky in the injury department and I don’t think moving him is a good idea. You need guys that can be called upon to step it up when injuries take over…Tickets for the 2nd half of the season go on sale this Saturday, and they have another ½ price game when Gretzky’s Coyotes visit on the 10th of January. You can pre-order before Saturday by using the code SENSHOCKEY (SBP is your hookup!)…The Ottawa Citizen’s three suggestions for the Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson line are the Dash line, Cash line and Dazzle line. Apparently the players don’t like any of them. I used to like the Dazzle line, but the more I think about it, it’s not exactly a name that strikes fear in your opponent or anything. We need a cool name like “Ministry of Offense” (Too bad we wasted that on Yashin & Co.)…Funny quote by Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun, suggesting the Smolinski line (with Havlat and Schaefer) should be named the “Doughnut” line because of the “lack of substance in the middle”…Coach Bryan Murray needs to figure out how to get the powerplay going. Going 1 for 23 in their last 3 games, it’s a hurdle they’ll need to overcome close games like their 2-1 loss last night...Nice touch by the Corel Centre music guy, who played Kurt Angle's theme after Mcgrattan chucked the knuckles against Jesse Boulerice. They definitely know their audience! :)

Going all-in and calling an all-in are two completely different things. Remember, the objective when playing is two-fold: accumulating chips AND not going broke. I find a lot of players, in their attempts to win pots, often neglect that vital 2nd part of the equation. There seems to be a myth that you must play recklessly and bluff like there's no tomorrow to be a winner. This is hardly the case. In fact, I find solid play by using good cards and strong position win the most. And remember, when you put all of your chips in the middle, you better have a premium hand to back it up otherwise you're catching a cab home early.

To give you an example, one time I was playing online (a shocker in itself indeed!) and on the very first hand, there were two callers and the third person immediately went all-in. Everyone folded to me, and I looked down at pocket Jacks. Without really thinking, I called the all-in. He showed King-Queen. Sure enough, a King came up on the river and I was packing my bags. After just one hand!

In that situation, I was ahead pre-flop. Not by much though: about a 55-45 favourite. My entire tournament life though was in this one hand and we didn't even start. So why risk going broke so early? Especially in this situation: At best, I might have called someone with a lower pair, but the most likely scenario (which is what ended up happening) was that I was up against two overcards and it was a coin flip whether or not I was going to continue. It was also possible to be up against pocket Aces, Kings or Queens which would have made me a HUGE underdog. Without question this player was a maniac going all-in like that, but he could win without showing his cards if everyone folded. Myself, I HAD to win the showdown. That's why going all-in first has one major advantage:

Regardless of your two hole cards you can win the hand if everyone folds.

And if you are called you still have a shot of winning & doubling up if the community cards are nice to you. The point of this article is that you should never risk your tournament life like I did in the above example on a coin flip with everyone equal in stack size. I recommend calling only with pocket Aces or Kings in the above scenario, MAYBE Queens but even then a lot of players like pulling an all-in with Ace-King so it might end up just being a coin toss on whether or not you survive there, too.

Get your chips in the middle, but be sensible about it.

At the age of 38, former WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room of an apparent heart attack Sunday morning. A quick press conference was held by WWE owner Vince McMahon and attended by Eddie's nephew, Chavo, where Vince assured everyone the Guerrero family would be taken care of, and that night's Raw and Smackdown tapings would be a tribute to Eddie with the wrestlers having the option of participating. Eddie is survived by his wife, Vickie, and his three daughters, Shaul, Sherilyn and Kaylie-Marie.

Eddie was a favourite of many fans of WWE. His comeback story is the king of comeback stories. Eddie battled addictions stemming from pain-killers and recreational drugs, and at one point was fired by WWE because he could not get it under control. After a tumultuous time getting himself out of the habit, he was given another chance and he made the most of it and then some. His wife stood by his side through all his ordeals, and a fond memory I have of Eddie is him calling her from his cell phone just after winning his first WWE World title. He thanked her for standing behind him through all his tough times and, well, it melted my heart (I'm a big softee for that sort of thing). A lot of people didn't think Eddie could become a champion because of his relatively small stature, but the crowd responses to him dictated his fate and the championship belt was strapped securely around his waist in due time. Another fond memory of Eddie is him celebrating in the middle of the ring at the end of Wrestlemania XX with one of his closest friends, Chris Benoit, both World champions while the crowd cheered on to no end.

Eddie Guerrero could do it all...he was a fantastic in-ring worker AND was terrific on the mic. His "I lie, I cheat, I steal" gimmick left the audience in stitches. I would love how he'd plant a steel chair on an unsuspecting opponent then lie down on the canvas, the referee would turn around and see Eddie passed out on the mat and he would win by DQ while Eddie's rival would protest to no avail. No matter how many times I saw that gag, I'd smile every time.

The fans will miss you for a long time, Eddie. Here's hoping you're in a better place.

Ok, a late start as at the last minute, decided to head up to cottage country with Kim, Kerri and Alex the night before, so I didn't get in until just before 3pm. (It was worth it though, $20 profit made playing poker!) Yeesh, this is going to be a long night. Lets get started!



An SBP thumbs up as we start the proceedings. Man, what is going on with my hair?



First sighting of Jar Jar Binks. "Moy, moy, meesa loves you!" Truly awful.



One of only two reasons to watch The Phantom Menace: The pod race and Darth Maul. Lucas created a really good villain here...too bad his screen time was only 10 minutes.



So far so good. Attack of the Clones is now up, in the meantime some yogurt to keep SBP moving.



Hayden Christiansen was such a whiny b**** in this movie. But he gets to score with Nathalie Portman, so kudos to him! Anyway, I'm starting to get hungry....



Subway roasted chicken caesar sub, mmmm, that's better! I actually kept the movie running while I went to pick it up. It's ok though, because the movie itself didn't pick up until Nathalie Portman had her shirt conveniently ripped in half. Mmmm...Nathalie Portman! ;)



Ok, let's get Revenge of the Sith started. I'm thirsty, time for a beverage...



More yogurt. My hair is just out of control...



The climatic Anakin-Obi, Yoda-Sidious duels gets my full attention. I could watch that over and over again. But why didn't Yoda dust himself off and head back to battle after he fell from one of the senate pods while fighting Sidious? That was kinda dumb.



The final scene of Sith as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru hold a young Luke Skywalker. I remember when I went to see Sith at a midnight screening, these three girls sitting beside me were actually crying while all this was going on. Good to have people around out-nerding you!



We're making decent enough time, as the first three installments are done and I put in the disc that started it all: Star Wars - A New Hope.



Starting to feel a little tubsy-wubsy sitting around, time for a trip to the treadmill. Man, I sweat like nobody's business!



Shower action time. To prevent the ladies from getting too excited and the gents from getting too jealous of my killer bod, it's a PG-rated photo for my blog. Starting to think that at one point the shaggy hair of Han and Luke were considered dated just a couple of years ago, but now it looks perfectly in-line with what the kids are doing these days.



It's beer o'clock as I put on The Empire Strikes Back. C-3PO informs Princess Leia the odds of Han & Luke surviving a brutal snowstorm is 725-1, or approximately the odds of flopping a flush when holding two suited cards. ;) You can tell at this point the fatigue and the beer are taking its effect on SBP. Did I somehow get hairier???



The moment that shocked the world when first released...Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker "I am your father." You need to have your own lightsaber to hold when watching this stuff, trust me.



I start Return of the Jedi and it's almost 1 am, slowly dozing...



Gone....



Ok, that happened a few times during Jedi, but I'm fully alert when my favourite Star Wars scene from all six movies transpires...Luke blows a gasket when Vader suggests Leia will join the dark side if he doesn't. The haunting vocals that accompany John Williams' score makes this scene work. This is why I like Jedi more than most people I know.



And we come to an end. Time to catch some zzzzs, I don't know if I'll ever do that again!



Stats:

Food consumed:

12" Subway chicken caesar sub
3 Subway chocolate chip cookies
2 empire apples
1/4 container of raspberry yogurt
1 granola bar
Melba toast & honey (A concoction I discovered during the evening. Not a bad snack!)
500ml chocolate milk
1 can of C2
1 bottle of water
1 Canadian Light
1 cup of hot chocolate

# of times I fast-forwarded: 5
# of times I fell asleep: 3
# of phone calls: 2
# of hos who came by to GIVE ME MY MONEY!!!: none

I'm all Star-Wars'd out. Peace!

I'm going to try to put my Star Wars day up tomorrow...but in the meantime, here's my favourite 2 year-old in the whole world, Brittany. And this time, she's got aces up her sleeve!

I might look like that guy on the left when the day's over - SBP





In my attempts to win over all those ladies out there :) I am going to try to watch all six Star Wars films in chronological order on Friday. Haven't popped in the Episode III disc yet even though I bought it 10 days ago, just waiting for my Star Wars film festival to begin. If you'd like to join SBP, give me a call! (hmmm...how come I think this is going to turn into a solo effort?)

I'm going to document my day on my blog, perhaps Saturday if I have any energy left over. Friday will likely have no posting but, fear not SBP followers, my regular posts will resume!

The combination of The Rock and one of my favourite video games of all time proved too tempting to resist. So yes, I was a sucker who paid $8.00 to see it. There is a cool first-person perspective sequence that lasts about 5 minutes towards the end of the movie, but you have to endure the other 85 minutes to get there. There's nothing much redeeming about this Aliens rip-off. Even from a nostalgic viewpoint it's not going to work for many, as the sets and mood are borrowed heavily from the most recent Doom 3 as opposed to the early 90s version of the game. And it was so ridiculous when the Rock's character (spoiler ahead, like you care because you won't be dumb enough to see it) decides that "quarantine" means "kill innocent civilians".

"Sarge, they show no signs of infection, we have to evacuate them!"
"No signs of infection? Who cares, they all must die!!!!"

I'm paraphrasing a bit, but you catch my drift.

The Rock has a good screen presence and will always be credible in an action role, but he needs to do something GOOD for a change.

The 17% rating over at rottentomatoes.com is pretty accurate. Avoid this one (but you knew that already). But I should also point out, like many bad movies, I was never bored.

The Ottawa Citizen is looking for your help to name the Heatley-Alfredsson-Spezza trio. I thought of the "DAZZLE" line while on my treadmill but someone already put that down. Anyway, if you have an idea visit the link:

http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/soundoff/story.html?id=811c18c3-163e-4dad-8644-08e9c7f2094d

NEW YORK/TORONTO -- Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, who led all scorers with 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in three games, has been named the NHL's Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 6.

I was talking to one of my buddies about a game he was going to play on a Friday night:

"So how many guys are coming out?"
"Oh, we got nine."
"That's a good turnout. How much is the buy-in?"
"$10. We don't want to go broke."
"Fair enough. So how does it pay out?"
"Winner take all."
"What?"
"Winner take all."
"Are you serious, with nine people?"
"Yeah, that's the way we do it."

No matter how good a poker player you are, you can't always win. Losing is inevtiable. World Champion Phil Hellmuth says poker is (from memory) 65% luck and 35% skill. I actually think it might be higher than that, but hey, take Hellmuth's word over mine, he's making a living out of it! Anyway, my point is no matter how skillful you may be, if you're getting dealt 7-2 offsuit each hand there's only so many skillful bets and raises you can make to stay in the game; you will eventually need cards to win pots. That is why I will never play a game that doesn't payout to more than 1 person. If it's a shorthanded game, say 4 people, it's probably ok to just pay 1st place. But with nine, I wouldn't play unless the top 3 paid out. Sure, you get paid well IF you win in a "winner take all" payout structure, but how often does that happen? And sometimes you might play well when there's a full table, but be lousy when playing heads-up (1 on 1). In my view, you should still get some sort of reward for getting to be one of the last remaining people playing; it takes some skill to get there.

In addition, you should only play games you feel comfortable playing. A $20 buy-in tournament was turned down by a friend of mine because she's used to playing $10 games. I think that's a good idea. If it's too much for you, don't play. If you go against this thinking and decide to play anyway, you'll probably worry too much about the amount of your wager so you won't be able to concentrate and play a good game. Put up money you're ok with losing, and play in games where you can get a decent return on your investment, even if you finish 2nd or 3rd.

"I don't know why fans would bother to go to the rink to boo Alexei Yashin," said his agent, Mark Gandler. "The people need to get over it. They've got to forget what's happened in the past and enjoy going there to see good hockey. Alexei enjoyed his time in Ottawa." Ah, we're over it, we just need to remind Alexei he's a money-grubbing, over-paid bum who used Ottawa as a means to get one of the most ridiculous contracts in NHL history. And hey, it's fun...If you traded Jason Spezza and Zdeno Chara for Alexei Yashin today, you would be fired...Ottawa's top attendance was reached last night with 19,700+ paid customers, but for some reason they didn't use the word "sellout"...Ottawa has scored 31 goals in their last 5 games; I'd like to take the time to thank Bryan Smolinksi for contributing 1...The best line in hockey is the Alfredsson-Spezza-Heatley line...Coach Bryan Murray must be a front-linner for coach of the year. You might argue the Sens have so much talent they can't help but be a winning team, but Murray has been vocal to his players and he has their ear. He's not afraid to call them out if they've been underperforming and it works; witness Havlat's 6 goals since coming back from his suspension, and Mike Fisher's strong play since returning from injury...Is Chris Neil going to reach the 40 goal plateau? Well, probably not, but hey, give him credit for playing the best hockey of his career...In more NHL scheduling ineptness, Ottawa doesn't play again until Thursday. With a lot of games being crammed in during the months of February and March to accomodate the Olympic break, this really doesn't make much sense. This also hurts the Sens because man, they're on a roll...The question isn't if Dany Heatley will break Marian Hossa's 13 game point-streak record, but how many games he'll go before it ends. And aside from his great play, did you watch the highlights of him being mic'd by TSN on Wednesday? He was singing (poorly), making fun quotes, just having a ball. Welcome to Ottawa Dany, the fans in this city already love you.

So I'll be going to the Corel Centre tonight to catch my first live Sens game of the season. Three reasons why I chose tonight's contest:

1. All tickets 1/2 price! ("Mmmmm....chocolate....1/2 price!" - Homer Simpson)
2. Game not on free TV
3. I get to boo Yashin

Last season, before I became a homeowner, I went to 22 Sens games. Now, yeesh, I budgeted for 2 games this year. But since this game is 1/2 price, and the next game I'm going to (November 15th against Carolina) is only costing me $26.00, maybe I can say those two only amount to 1 game so perhaps SBP can sneak in another one this year? Oh yeah, I think so! ;)

So last night's Controller Controller show nearly didn't happen. My sister called up my buddy John on his cell to say Nirmala had got in touch with her and she has laryngitis so the show's cancelled. I went into Zaphod's to look for my friends to see if they were waiting for us. Didn't see them, but saw Nirmala, and I told her "Man, that sucks you had to cancel." In her raspy voice she said she wasn't cancelling and the show was still going on! So I had to go back outside to collect everyone and tell them Controller Controller was still playing. It was a good thing I ran into Nirm or the evening would have been a bust. Anyway, Nirmala sounded great and you couldn't tell she was sick. Now perhaps I'm just getting older, but it was REALLY loud, I mean, louder than any other small club show I've been too, my ears are still ringing. "Those pesky kids! Back in my day...." :)

I'm off to Zaphod's tonight (how often do I say that?) to check out my new favourite band, Controller Controller. I happen to know the lead singer, Nirmala Basnayake, and got myself on the sweet GUEST LIST! Yeah, the social elite, that's where I am! Nirmala appreciates how enthusiastic I am about CC's music, although it's cute when she tries to be all humble about it. Anyway, this group released an EP called History over a year ago and although it was short, it had energetic, catchy songs that didn't take me long to get into. They released their first full length album a few weeks ago called X-Amounts, and they're touring now to support it. Their music is a sort of dance/techno/rock/pop compilation, and my only complaint is the song "Rooms" which is too bluesy and a bit of a downer tune for my tastes. But that's a minor point, the album is fantastic and I highly recommend it.

On a side note, it's really cool to see Nirmala's band take off. She's following her dreams and it's all starting to come to fruition. I wish her and the rest of her band all the success they deserve. NOW SUPPORT THEM AND BUY X-AMOUNTS! :)

Since starting this blog, I’ve written only one post about WWE and the reason is I’m finding it harder and harder to get into it. The booking decisions make little sense and the talent Vince McMahon & company are trying to push makes even LESS sense. Let me talk about what has transpired in the last few weeks or so to let you know what I’m talking about.

Vince recently “fired” announcer Jim Ross, or good ol’ J.R., in an angle to annoy Steve Austin. In reality, Ross had to undergo surgery and it was thought he would be brought back later on. For the record, Ross is the best play by play guy they have. Anyway, Austin and Ross are good friends both in and outside the ring, so for the next WWE Pay-Per-View, Taboo Tuesday, they put together a silly match where the replacement announcer, Jonathan Coachman (Coach), would wrestle Steve and if Steve won Ross would get his job back. Ok, easy to follow so far.

But what Steve didn’t know was that Vince wanted him to lose to Coach in some screwball fashion. Austin got upset at this and refused, so he didn’t work the PPV. Seeing that Austin was a big name and one the main reasons Vince was hoping to draw big PPV numbers, he had to do something not to screw the audience out of a big name not showing up, so he got the Smackdown Champion, Batista, to arrive. The thing is, this booking doesn’t make any sense. The match was created about Ross’ firing and Batista doesn’t have any real loyalty to him. But the whole J.R. getting his job back stipulation was just dropped and Batista won a squash match against an announcer without a chance, and it didn’t advance any storyline in any way. Off the top of my head, it would have made sense to have the Rock appear in Austin’s place, but why spoil the occasion with Rock jobbing (losing) to an announcer? If Vince wanted that outcome, I’m sure Rocky would have passed as well.

As a follow-up to Ross losing his announcing duties, Joey Styles was brought on board as the next announcer and he will be hired on a trial basis for the next few weeks. Styles was a great announcer for the now defunct ECW and I have no problems with him being considered a replacement for Ross. Because this was all last minute though, it screwed up the stories, got one of the WWE's biggest draws upset, and the people who paid to see Taboo Tuesday were robbed of seeing Steve Austin. Who wins out of all this mess?

My rant doesn’t end there, no! One of my current faves, Christian, quit the company. His contract ran out and there were reports Vince was trying to basically force him into signing a new deal Christian was unhappy with. Despite having the best-selling "Captain Charisma" t-shirt (that many of you have seen me wear proudly!) and fantastic crowd support, he was made to do job after job and was removed from main event contention. There's an interview with him on wwe.com where he says he wants to pursue other things, but doesn't discuss what they are. He's just being polite: Christian was understandably upset at the direction his character was taking so he decided to walk. In the meantime, Vince is trying to have guys like Chris Masters pass as the next big things but the crowds have been completely apathetic towards him despite the push he’s been given. Why bury someone the crowd likes, and waste TV time pushing someone the crowd hates? I just don’t get it. Screwups like this are making it harder for me to tune in.