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

I took a liking to this pic for some reason.



A beautiful Mexican sunset.



Holly gets ready to take the plunge.



Kim and myself doing the snorkelling thing.



A shot of the colourful marine life of Puerto Vallarta.



Danny...well, I'm not sure what Danny is doing here. Rising from the dead perhaps?



SBP about to take off.



A view from above.



Kim prepares for landing.



Dan walks away unscathed.



Dan gets a kick from his last Mexican meal.



Holly smiles for the camera.



Kim being cute.



A long wait at the airport for our eventual 11:45pm departure. The a/c wasn't working that well either. Still, a small price to pay for such a fun trip!

Kim and myself on the plane to destination: Puerto Vallarta. The easiest plane ride I've ever done!



Holly and Danny from their resort room.



Our first stroll on the beach. You can tell we're newbies by how white and how covered up we are.



Danny admiring the local art scene the only way he knows how.



Holly getting attacked by a flying object. Can you spot it in the photo?



A view of the main beach near the boardwalk. The picture does not do it justice.




Ready to take on my first snorkelling trip. Shirtless Sean drew a lot of attention from the ladies on the ship...



Dan and Holly mug for the camera.



What a fun day....man, my scalp is on fire. Good thing Kim brought me a hat!



Enjoying some poolside poker. There's no other way to play it! Except perhaps with all-you-can-drink margueritas. (Kim and I both had 2 wins and a draw apiece, Holly picked up one victory and I don't know what Danny was doing).



View from Felipe's , a restaurant the four of us dined at on Valentine's Day and not to mention Kim's birthday. Happy birthday Kimmy!



Kim and I reflect on my great-looking hawaiian shirt...



A little bit later at night. That small purple haze in the background are fireworks.



View from the snack bar at our resort. You could get nachos...and wings....and fries...and oh, look, the lovely palm trees!







Some art expressed with sand.

















Typical architechture of Puerto Vallarta.










More tomorrow...

I took the time to get up to watch the Gold medal hockey final today (well, sort of...9:30am to catch the third period). I was rooting for Sweden, mostly because I wanted to see Daniel Alfredsson with a gold medal around his neck. Success hasn't come too often for Alfie, and maybe this experience will help for the Sens' playoff run this spring.

Anyway, although the worst result came out for the NHL (The United States and Canada both early exits in the tournament), there is a lot of moaning from the GMs of the league that they no longer want their players to compete in the Olympics. They look at Hasek who pulled his groin (btw, it's his groin that's injured, calling it an "adductor" injury is just smoke & mirrors), complain some more that they're the ones that pay their salaries and they owe more to their NHL clubs than their home countries.

Isn't it nice how everything revolves around the almighty dollar?

None of these GMs really care about the long-term effects of doing things like pulling their players out of the Olympics. A chance to have their players shine in front of the world. A chance to show how great the game is and get the casual viewers to pay attention to what the pros do, and maybe, have them tune in to an NHL game and see what the fuss is all about. Injuries can happen anywhere, not just on the ice. Hasek hurt himself making a routine save, something that would have happened in his next NHL game. The Canadiens' Jose Theodore slipped and fell on the ice IN HIS DRIVEWAY while putting salt on it during the Olympic break. He's out 6-8 weeks. He wasn't near a hockey rink when that happened.

Or how about giving something to the NHL fans who don't have much to cheer about this year?

Right now, if you're a St Louis Blues or Pittsburgh Penguins fan, you want this season over and done with. No chance at the playoffs, much less a Stanley Cup. So, at least for a couple of weeks, you can cheer your home country and look forward to them having a shot at the gold medal.

The league made good PR announcing its intention to support the players heading to the Olympics to represent their countries. Unfortunately, their comments up to and during the Olympics makes me feel they didn't follow through. 2010 might be the last time in a while we'll see the pros participate.

Side note: Some have suggested pros have no business participating in the Olympics. The look at the millions of dollars in salaries the players make and decree we should allow the amateurs, the true intended participants of the Olympics, represent their countries. In my view, in every event competed at the Olympics, you are seeing the absolute finest the world has to offer. They are called amateurs ONLY because an event like bobsledding or speed skating have no professional leagues where the athletes can make a living out of it. I want to see the best. If it just so happens hockey players can make a lot of money off it in the NHL, so be it.

Older, but wiser...

Buying sandwich after sandwich at Subway doesn't reap the rewards it once did. They no longer hand out stamps for buying their subs and starting on April 7/06, they will no longer accept redemption of said stamps. To my knowledge, there's nothing planned to replace this program. I am unsure as to why they are doing this, maybe it's too good a deal for the customer, but in any case, it's another SBP screwjob. Quizno's, here I come!

I found this off the 'net and was slightly amused....scroll down to the last part of the report.

Velocity:

Paul Birchall defeated Orlando Jordan
Orlando got massive heat despite being from Richmond (and from my high school) and started ripping on Arthur Ashe. Birchall was pretty over as a pirate and won with the Shiver Me Timbers (what, its not like they'll give it a name)- it was a cross between a Rock Botton and Belly to Belly Suplex (I haven't seen his C4 so that may have been it)

Six Man Tag Team Match: Simon Dean & The Gymni defeated Paul London, Brian Kendrick, & Funaki
Pretty boring match with the heels dominating Funaki most of the match. London and Kendrick brought in some nice offense but it was ultimately one of the Gymnini reversing Sliced Bread #2 into a Train Wreck type move.

Super Crazy defeated Vito
The crowd was really into the Mexicools tonight. Pretty good match with Crazy picking up the win following a sweet Missile Dropkick and a standing Shooting Star Press.

Juniors Match: Masagrita Sagrada defeated Sookay (sp?)
GREAT comedy match. I normally hate the Juniors but this match had me cracking up. Sagrada won with a Mexican roll. Well worth the watch.

Sylvain defeated Sean Patrick (aka Jobber)
Slyvain is back to being from Quebec instead of Long Beach and he starting insulting America. Patrick didn't look bad but he succumbed to the F5 (yes, Brock Lesnar's old move has been given to a jobber)

It's amazing how I took for granted Team Canada's chances in the Olympics. I was expecting a 5-0 preliminary record, some tough fought elimination games but of course Canada would come out on top, and a gold medal around their necks would be the end result.

I saw their most intense and best play from Canada in the third period of the Russia quarterfinal game. The style of play that was sorely lacking in every other game they played. The only player on the team that played with any consistency was Martin Brodeur, everyone else you were left thinking, "huh?" Some say leadership was a problem, with Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman sitting out. No way...if anything I thought there was not enough youth on the team. I cringed every time I saw Kris Draper for a shift in the third period, a guy with a grand total of four goals in the NHL season thus far, while Eric Staal has been lighting it up all year and he's relegated to waterboy. We need to score goals and we're turning to Kris Draper? Yikes. The last 12 periods of play, a total of 3 goals scored. You look at the Russians and see the speed and enthusiasm of Alexei Ovechkin & Evegni Malkin and think wouldn't a motivated Sydney Crosby playing alongside Staal just be the perfect antidote for that? Well, I thought so some time ago, but Gretzky and company didn't. In any case, Canada deserved to lose, and the better team clearly won.

The only good thing out of this for Team Canada fans is that the next major international competition will mean a little bit more. I have to admit, out of all of Team Canada's losses in the past, this stung the least. Maybe because Canada has won everything lately. Perhaps this will make their next victory a little more special.

If you ever watch poker on television, sometimes the pros like to show off and guess their opponent's hand when they witness a raise, a re-raise or a flat call. "You have a pair of Queens!" "Wow, how did you know!?!?" The player holding the Queens thinks the pro has x-ray vision and, like magic, can tell exactly what they're holding. The truth is that experienced, observant players can usually tell what they are holding based on betting patterns combined with what they themselves are holding, not by having supernatural powers (If someone tells you they do, ask them what suit your Queens are). For example, say I'm holding Ace-King. I bring it in for a raise. A player then re-raises, and everyone folds to me. What does this re-raiser have?

Since I have an Ace and a King, it is more than likely this player isn't holding an Ace or a King (Notice I said "likely". It is still a possibility, but you want to make the best guess possible based on the limited information you have). So I'd rule him or her out having pocket Aces or Kings. When someone makes a re-raise though, they're still indicating strength, even without Aces or Kings. It is extremely unlikely for someone to re-raise with absolutely nothing. What they are doing is they want the drawing hands to pay a price for seeing the flop. It is probable this person has an already made hand: a pocket pair. Players holding low pocket pairs usually will fold if raised since they want to play them to catch trips for a cheap price, or will simply call the bet. So, based on the information we have, I would guess this re-raiser would have a high pocket pair, probably Queens (remember, we already have an Ace and a King) or maybe Jacks or Tens.

You should get in the habit of trying to figure out what your opponent is holding and not just worry about your own cards. It would help you determine whether or not you will continue once the flop hits. For instance, say the flop comes up:

Ace-Ten-Six

This is a great flop for you. Top pair with top kicker, no obvious straight draws and if it came up rainbow (mixed suits), no flush draws. You should bet aggressively or maybe try a check-raise. But if the flop came:

Jack-Ten-Nine

This is a dangerous flop for an Ace-King. All you have now is Ace high. Remember, someone RE-RAISED you pre-flop. They showed no fear with your initial raise and was happy they were getting action, and to prove it they made you put more chips in the middle. You MUST give them credit for holding something. With this flop, they likely have an overpair (a pair higher than what the flop shows is possible). If they held Queens, they also have an outside straight draw (if a King or Eight hits). If they held Jacks, they just made trips. Because you reasoned out what they were holding, you can simply check to this flop, and when they bet throw your hand away and save yourself some chips.

Playing a solid game is more than playing YOUR cards. Get in the habit of guessing what your opponent has, and it will not just help you win chips but also save yourself some in the process, too.

The ol' SBP made it in town Sunday at about 6am, back to the cold cold reality that is Ottawa. The first thing I had to do of course was ask how much Canada beat Switzerland by...only to be told Canada lost 2-0! I made my way to Maclaren's to catch the Finland game, still wearing my day-old clothes and sporting a nice 5 o'clock shadow, to witness Canada lose AGAIN! Yikes. What's going on?!?!

Anyway, this was my first real trip in some time. The weather in Puerto Vallarta was perfect, it was either 27, 28 or 29C. We did a couple of snorkeling trips, saw some whales and dolphins, did some parasailing, but really just sitting beside the pool with unlimited beverages at your disposal was pretty sweet; I had never done an all-inclusive before. They also had this snack bar where you can help yourself to nachos & cheese, wings, burgers, fries, all that good stuff! It was great. Some quick facts to pass on about Puerto Vallarta, Mexico:

Mexicans are very friendly, unless they are trying to sell you something in which case they're more "car salesman" friendly...You can haggle on almost anything that is sold...I only saw one Mexican wearing a sombrero the entire time I was there, and he was standing on a street corner in front of a Wal-Mart trying to sell time shares...The weather is always perfect...American culture is present but not as bad as you might think...Pepsi seems to be preferred over Coke...Their diet drinks use the word "light" instead of "diet"...You can purchase many drugs such as viagra without a prescription...It's a myth they prefer American dollars, bring pesos...10 pesos is worth just under $1.00CAD...Their buses are the best: rusted metal boxes with wheels. Some had tears in the floors where you can see the ground underneath...A bottle of Corona in a restaurant costs less than $2.00CAD...The percentage of tourists to Mexicans is probably similar to the number of Leafs fans that attend a home Senators game.

Once I get all the photos organized I'll put some up on the blog. In the meantime, back to work tomorrow! UGH!

It's time to travel! I haven't gone on a non-Canadian, non-take-the-car trip south since I came back from Australia 7 years ago. The destination: Puerto Vallarata. Length of stay: one week. It's going to be good times in 30C weather, just soaking in the sun, relaxing, all that fun stuff. Those seven days will probably blow by, but it'll be worth it!

Anyway, this means some time-off from the blog. Never fear SBP followers, I shall return, with some pics you can all be jealous of.

Peace!

-The ol' SBP

I don't need this now! The condo above me had a slight water leakage problem. Turns out one of the water hoses broke and the superintendent told me that "hundreds of gallons" of water leaked all over the floor above me. The water leaked into my apartment from the window panes in my 2 bedrooms and from the pipes behind my air conditioner. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad. The super actually told me he's surprised not more got into my place. Anyway, I had towels everywhere and was anxious about what damage could be done, especially with my trip just two days away. (Just two days? Yay!) Looks like everything will be ok.

So...I went to the Sens-Thrashers contest. Yikes, that game felt like a trap fest to say the least, lousy result aside. Now tell me if this makes any sense. Tonight's game was "Barbados Night", where they gave a trip for 2 to Barbados away, and it gave a chance for Sens' owner Eugene Melnyk to show off the bar he owns down south called "Bert's Bar". A lot of the employees working at SBP (yes!) were wearing these neat Senators' Hawaiian shirts. I went to Sensations to see about getting one. "Do you have any for sale?" I ask. "You know, a lot of people have been asking that tonight. No, we don't have any for sale!" Wow, there's a merchandiser that needs to be FIRED. They could have made tons of money selling those shirts if they just HAD THEM FOR SALE! Why would you have every worker of yours wearing it when the fans can't buy them for themselves? With thoughts of donning it during my stay in Mexico, it was an easy decision to purchase. But I couldn't give them my money! Oh well, as the Hulkster would say, "Whatcha gonna do?!"

Hockey seemed to be immune to corruption and scandal. When we hear about cheating athletes using steroids, booze cruises complete with strippers & sex or coke-snorting star players, we don't think of hockey. Football, baseball, basketball...that's where the problem lies. I have a feeling perhaps because the American media just simply doesn't care enough about hockey, or that Canadian journalists are just too polite to make an inquiry about their fellow patriots on their life outside the rink, we are just starting to learn hockey players are just as bad as the others.

Phoenix Coyotes' assistant coach Rick Tocchet has been ordered to head to New Jersey to answer to authorities about running an illegal gambling operation. Make no mistake about it, they're not asking him about a few hundred dollars he lost on the Seahawks...this operation has been linked to organized crime and it apparently also implicates other NHL players yet to be named and, to my shock, Janet Gretzky. Yes, Tocchet is still innocent until proven otherwise, but the state would no doubt in my mind HAVE to have the goods to make such a charge against a former athlete to not risk national embarrassment. Not to mention implicating the wife of the most respected and decorated athlete Canada has ever produced, Wayne Gretzky. This is early for me to say, but if Janet is somehow involved, there is no way you can then tell me Wayne didn't know about it and participate in some fashion. Rick Tocchet is friends with Wayne first, not Janet. I cringe to think how this could affect the Canadian psyche knowing Gretzky was rubbing elbows with the mob or he had at least known Tocchet and his wife had dealings with them. Hopefully, this is something that will not be uncovered by the investigation.

Anyway, after reflecting on all this, the thought came to me WHY would anyone in this day and age get involved in an activity that is SO easy to do legally? If you want to place a bet on a sporting event, just find an offshore internet company and boom, you're off the hook. That's all there is to it. And with all the money Rick Tocchet has made in his career and all the sweet coin Janet has been enjoying being married to the greatest hockey player ever, isn't that enough? Are you having that hard a time paying the rent that you feel the need to become a law-breaker?

These allegations couldn't have come at a worse time. Canada is heading to Turin to defend their gold medal earned in 2002, and with Wayne as the mastermind behind Hockey Canada the media is going to have a field day with him. The attention will be paid to what's going on outside the rink, not on it.

There is more to this than just Rick Tocchet and Janet Gretzky. This is the reputation of the sport that myself and fellow Canadians hold very dear. I hope at the end of the day, the damage done is minimal.

Seven stores later, I was finally able to pick up a copy of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Two Best Buys, Two Future Shops, One Music World....nothing. I then went to an HMV, who had ordered just ONE copy of it. The disc inside it was dislodged and rattling inside. The store clerk was on the ball though and opened it up first before selling to me to see if it was scratched, and it was. So, when looking for reading material at Chapters for my trip to PUERTO VALLARTA! I forgot they had a DVD rack and sure enough, they had a handful of copies for sale. That's right. A book store had it.

Now, I know it wasn't the biggest box office draw or anything, but it WAS released in theatres, garnered lots of critical claim, and just recently got a Best Documentary nomination for the Oscars. It is a very important study of how corporate greed influences the lives of many, how rich white men in suits cannot be trusted, and how we must never be lax when investigating and prosecuting white collar crime. Give it a try...resist renting Doom and try something different.

...especially with the Sens playing only .500 hockey the month of January, but what would be the perfect way for the Senators to win the Stanley Cup? They would have to face teams whose demons need exorcising...(this reflects just how obsessive and perhaps demented I am about the Ottawa Senators)

They start off taking on a battered and bruised 8th place Maple Leafs, finish them off in 5 games and from there get on a high that they cannot get down from. They then play a formidable Sabres team, while veterans like Redden and Alfredsson have not forgotten their previous playoff losses to them some years ago. Although Buffalo is boosted by the return of Daniel Briere, goaltender Ryan Miller's inexperience in the playoffs have them lose in 6. New Jersey upsets the Flyers and 'Canes to face Ottawa in a classic Conference Final rematch from 2002-03. It is a battle of Hasek vs Brodeur, but Ottawa's firepower proves the difference as Patrik Elias can't score by himself and beats them in seven games. They go on to face the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup finals which has the whole country eating, breathing and living the series. Ottawa takes advantage of their home ice, winning all of their home games while SBP is in the corner front row against the glass throwing himself repeatedly against it as Alfie hoists Lord Stanley, a complete 180 from the depressed look from the game 7 conference final loss in 2002-2003.

Ahhhh...to dream.... :)

Alright, so I read a thing or two about a thing or two on digital cameras. I decide on the Canon SD30. 5 megapixel, can shoot stills and video, compact (fits nice in your pocket!) and it I like the colours. Retail price is $449.99-$499.99 depending on where you go, BUT, Best Buy has it on sale for $379.99. I visit the store and ask for the violet one.

"Oh we have it, but it's regular price."
"What? Your sign says $379.99"
"Yeah, but that's just for the red and black ones"
"But it's the same camera!!!"
"Yeah, weird isn't it?"

I didn't mind the red or black actually, but on principal it was ridiculous these clowns wanted to score an extra $70 out of my wallet because they wouldn't let me pick the colour, me, the customer, wanted.

I also was looking to pick up Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room DVD which came out on Jan 31/06. Aside from the fact the clerks never heard of it, they had it listed in their computer as Enron: The SMALLEST Guys in the Room which didn't help things much. Their stock showed 4 copies available but after looking in the New Release and Special Interest sections and the stockroom, they couldn't find it.

Best Buy...Best Bust!

Ham, Gruyere and Spinach Strata

You need:

1 large baguette
1/4 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 lb ham, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 large eggs
4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pepper to taste
6 cups coarsely chopped spinach
3/4 lb (375g) Gruyere or Fontina cheese

Preheat broiler. Cut baguette diagonally into 2cm slices. Brush both sides with butter and toast on baking sheet until golden, about 30 seconds each side.

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir until golden. Add ham then spinach and saute until lightly browned. Set aside.

In large bowl whisk eggs, milk, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add bread and toss gently. Transfer saturated bread to shallow 3L casserole, slightly overlapping slices. Place spinach and ham mixture between slices. Pour remaining egg mixture into casserole.

Sprinkle cheese over the strata, lifting slices with spatula to allow cheese to fall between slices. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake strata in middle of the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, or until puffed and edges of bread are golden and custard is set.

NICE!!!!!

I want to pick up a digital camera for myself. The pics I've taken have been from my VIDEO camera, which is a bulky piece of equipment to be carrying around in my pocket. It would be nice to get one before my Puerto Vallarta trip, but if not, not the end of the world. Anyway, if you own a digital camera, tell me how you like it, what you would change, what I should look for, how much it was, etc, to help me with my purchase!

Thanks.

One misconception of playing poker is that when a players looks down at a pair of hole cards, decides to make a move with it thinking it's the best hand, turns out it IS the best hand, but the next 5 cards help your opponent and not you so you lose chips, that you made an incorrect decision. Truth of the matter is, poker players respect plays that you have the courage to call when you have the leading hand, while they don't really care for players who just catch lucky cards to win pots.

Do you know who Robert Varkonyi is? Probably not. He's the 2002 World Series of Poker champion. He hasn't won much of anything since. Kudos to him though, he's probably made more money than I ever will, but poker circles don't really talk about him. The reason is that during the tournament, he went heads up calling with marginal hands like Queen-Ten, and despite knowing he was likely beat pre-flop, call anyway, and catch lucky cards to win. Thing is, it didn't happen just once, it happened a lot. During the telecast you could hear the audience groan when he'd win a pot calling with junk cards. No one really looks at him as a top pro, just a guy who got extremely lucky at the right time.

At my Sunday poker game, there was one hand where the short stack went all-in. Everyone folded to a player holding pocket Queens. Now, she knew she was ahead and could take down a big pot, but because she felt the all-in was holding Ace-X, she was fearful he would catch an ace and win the flop, despite the fact she was a 67-33 favourite going in.

While it is true that could happen, you can't be scared of being outdrawn. If you know you're going in with the best of it, you have to make your move. In this situation, she still would have had enough chips left to keep playing if she lost. And if she won, she would have been chip leader with a commanding lead. And not to mention with the table 5-handed, landing pocket Queens is an absolute monster starting hand. And you cannot give credit for a desperate short-stack for having that strong a hand. She decided to fold, the all-in showed Ace-Queen, the flop was played out for fun and no Ace hit. If she only listened to her instincts, she would have been sitting pretty.

I'll tell you another story. A different short stack went all-in with a pair of sixes. I looked down at pocket Kings and did not hesitate to call. He hit is third six on the river and took down a big pot.

Did he make the right move? Absolutely. Short-stacked with a pair, you're all in.

Did I make the right move? Absolutely. Pocket kings is the 2nd best starting hand you can have, and I was a 80%-20% favourite to win.

Did I lose? Yes I did, but I would have done it again in a heartbeat because it was the correct play to make. And as the luck factor is what makes poker so appealing to begin with, you still sometimes gotta roll with the punches.

Go in with the best of it, and on the whole, you'll win more poker than lose.

...sorry, are you asleep? Yes, the nominees were announced yesterday for the 78th edition of the Academy Awards. With no real slam-bang picture that audiences got behind up for contention, I don't think too many people will be tuning in March 5th. Hopefully Jon Stewart will make it fun and worthwhile, as I plan to tune in (that will probably be a solo effort).

Some slam-dunks that should win include Brokeback Mountain and its director Ang Lee for Best Picture and Best Director, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Best Actor in Capote. I'm going to guess Best Actress will go to Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line, Best Supporting Actor to George Clooney for Syriana and Best Supporting Actress to Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener.

On a side note, I'm hoping Enron:The Smartest Guys in the Room or Murderball will take Best Documentary over March of the Penguins. March was good, but really, it was a little too cutesy-poo to be an Oscar nominee.