Comments on The Player Hater's Ball: Tangible Proof That Bill Simmons Is A Loser I've ...

you do have some good points, but a lot of them ar...

2006-08-21T13:18:00.000-04:00

you do have some good points, but a lot of them are obscured by your irrational anger. you've written about simmons before, but never with this level of pique. i've read all of simmons' columns and he's never held himself up as a consummate poker player. he's definitely referenced how he's getting better, but not professional level. agreed that he should have been upfront about his entry fee.

a national column about losing on a bad beat is poor form, but he was pretty much obligated to write about it after everyone knew he was in the tournament. also, he's simmons. of course the column will be based around something from "rounders" (which legitimately could be used as the key point where hold 'em became acceptable as mainstream pursuit). i thought this was by-the-book simmons; no more, no less.

I have a sneaking suspicion the previous comment w...

2006-08-20T16:34:00.000-04:00

I have a sneaking suspicion the previous comment was left by Bill Simmons after he found this page while sitting in a darkened room searching his name on Google.

You can't insult Simmons and envy him at the same ...

2006-08-19T22:54:00.000-04:00

You can't insult Simmons and envy him at the same time.

Sure, Simmons' column is whining. But your blog is a Simmons wannabe.

Actually, my junior year history teacher didn't be...

2006-08-19T14:27:00.000-04:00

Actually, my junior year history teacher didn't believe the Rocky IV as communist toppler theory.
We were assigned a project where we were supposed to pick a historical movie and discuss four scenes with the class and how they correlate with actual events. We chose the following scenes from Rocky IV:
1) Drago kills Apollo (Sputnik)
2) Rocky agrees to fight in Soviet Union (Salt II talks)
3) Gorbachev gives Rocky standing ovation after beating Drago (Hasselhoff plays at fall of Berlin Wall)
4) Rocky gives famous "if I's cans change, you's can change" speech (Soviet coup)
Even with those stellar ideas, our teacher, Ms. Little, refused to allow it. We did Braveheart instead, yet missed all the subtle anti-semitic messages that Mel Gibson had littered throughout.

"At the final table, no famous pros were left sitt...

2006-08-18T23:30:00.000-04:00

"At the final table, no famous pros were left sitting. A former Hollywood agent won the whole thing. Twelve million bucks. Nobody was even surprised."

This is the line that showed me this column was complete crap. First of all, Jamie Gold proved over the days to be a fantastic poker player. At the final table, he was close to even money (if not better) in every single elimination he had when the money got in. He also was the chip leader since Day 4, and unlike countless people before him, never relinquished that lead.

Second, I really must know who Simmons thinks IS a famous pro. Because the fourth place finisher, Allen Cunningham, is one of the best in the business. They had a feature at last year's WSOP where they discussed the "first crew" featuring Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, and Cunningham. They asked each member of that crew who they believed was the best of the bunch, and every single one said Cunningham. Cunningham is a guy who has won 4 World Series of Poker bracelets before age 35, and until recently (2004) held the record for the youngest-ever bracelet winner. Add that to his 2005 Toyota Player of the Year crown, and it's simply ludicrious to say that he's not a big-time professional.

This column was complete crap, probably the worst Simmons has ever written. I can't believe he has fallen so far.

There are those who think the fall of Communism ca...

2006-08-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

There are those who think the fall of Communism can be attributed to something other than Rocky IV?

Yes, but I only complain to you about that.

2006-08-18T17:36:00.000-04:00

Yes, but I only complain to you about that.

This is a hall of fame column, Mr. Chase. And the ...

2006-08-18T16:52:00.000-04:00

This is a hall of fame column, Mr. Chase. And the sad thing is, Simmons is probably responsible for thousands of players exactly as ignorant as he is.

However, you're slightly guilty of hypocrisy by saying you don't begrudge reckless players. First of all, you begrudge everyone, always. Second, need I remind you of times you've played with one "Dr." B. Pfeffer. Or, let's call him Brad P.