Once again readers I must apologize for my lack of posts on this blog lately. There is much to discuss, and despite my ridiculously busy work schedule (see Title) I have managed to find a quiet moment to sit down and do a little writing.
First things last, the NBA season has come to its conclusion, and the Miami Heat once again reign supreme. I gotta hand it to them. They are one tough team! For those of you that missed the last two games of the Finals (especially Game 6) that was as good a performance as you will EVER see by two NBA teams. If the Finals were a heavyweight boxing match, it would have gone 15 rounds and ended like Rocky 1. I loved every minute of it, despite the fact that the Heat won. I was rooting for San Antonio. I'm a huge Tim Duncan fan, not just because of his longevity, but because he is a true professional and represents the NBA very well. Classy, hard-working, likeable, and he was mentored by an even classier professional by the name of David Robinson who in his own right is an NBA legend. I have to hand it to the NBA as an organization. It had one really entertaining season, despite many key players absent in the playoffs due to injuries. (Russell Westbrook, Danny Granger, Rajon Rondo, and Derrick Rose to name a few). The off-season has been even more entertaining. 13 of the 30 NBA coaches lost their jobs. Jason Kidd is now the coach of the Brooklyn Nets after being retired for 5 minutes as a player after 20 seasons. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are no longer Celtics, and are in fact going to be coached by Kidd next season! Doc Rivers took off for LA, Lionel Hollins was fired after taking Memphis to the Western Conference Finals (take note Boston!), George Karl was fired from the Denver Nuggets shortly after receiving the league's Coach of the Year Award (seriously, what do you have to do to keep your job as a coach in the NBA???), and Dwight Howard continues his search for a new home. And it's only July 3rd!
In other news, the World Series of Poker continues to roll along. Erick Lindgren and Mike Matusow are the two big names to win bracelets so far this year. Lindgren's 2nd career bracelet coming in the $5,000 NL Hold 'Em 6-handed event for $606,317, and Matusow's 4th career bracelet coming in the $5,000 7-card stud hi-lo event for $266,503. The biggest news so far though, in my humble opinion, has been "The Magician" Antonio Esfandiari's 4th place finish, and $1,433,438 payout in the $111,111 High-Roller event. This is the 2nd consecutive year he has had a million dollar plus payday at the WSOP. If you'll recall, he won the WSOP's first ever $1,000,000 buy-in last year for over 18 million dollars. He has $21,102,878 million dollars in career WSOP earnings and 3 bracelets. Is it time to start the debate on whether he is the best performer at the WSOP over the past 10 years? I would say yes, and I would say he is in the Top 5 along with Hellmuth (who currently sits on 99 career WSOP cashes) and Matusow with $3,568,716 in career WSOP earnings, who have also been phenomenal. In fact, Matusow recently defeated Hellmuth heads-up to take down NBC's National Heads-Up Championship for $750,000. He has been on an absolute roll over the past few months.
So I know you must all be wondering: what about you Ben? Been playing any poker lately? The answer to that question is simply: "no". I plan to in September when I go on a "work-related" two-night trip to Atlantic City, but my bankroll has been severely depleted due to a stagnant employment situation over the winter. In fact, that isn't even the most common question that's been asked lately. It's been: "So, where ya workin' now?" The answer to that question is a bit more complicated. Once again, drawing your attention back to the title of this post, I currently hold 3 jobs. Chocolate, bagels, and booze are my business baby! M-W at a chocolate shop, Th-Sun at a bagel shop, and 5 nights a week service bartending at a local restaurant. It breaks down to 75 hours a week for 2 months straight, and June 24th-August 27th without a full day off. Many of my closest friends and family worry that I'll burn out before summer's end. What they all fail to realize is I've been burnt-out for the last 5 years, which was the last time I had an actual vacation. I know what most of you must be thinking: Am I crazy? The answer to THAT question is also quite complicated. See ya in September!! Until then...
