Luckbox Last Longer Challenge Results

Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2009

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2nd Luckbox Last Longer Challenge. It was a huge success... made even better by the $2000 added prize pool from our friends at PokerStars!

We had 24 teams enter for a total of $720 in entry fees. If that doesn't scream, "Hammer!" then I don't know what does.

In the end, Team Roach bested us all with a remarkable combined finish of 43. Poker Gnome finished 5th, Recess Rampage finished 16th and Bayne finished 22nd. They each walked away with $120 plus $500 from PokerStars.

The lovely ladies from Team Hammer Girls finished 2nd with a combined finish of 65. Katitude finished 19th, Maigrey finished 21st and Maudie finished 25th. They each cashed for $72 plus $500 to split from PokerStars.

Last, but not least, Team Tao of Pot proved that chemical enhancements can pay off. Their combined finish of 78 was 8 better than 4th place. Change100 bubbled the final table in 11th, Derek finished 28th and Pauly finished 39th. They each took home $48.

Here's the rest of the top 10:

(Apologies for any spelling errors or incorrect names. Please alert me in the comments.)

4th: Team Last Minute - Alceste, California April, DawnSummers (86)
5th: Team Waffles - Jordan, Dr. Chako, Waffles (90)
6th: Team Geek Nation - Penner, Alan, Garth (91)
7th: Team I Kissed One of These Girls - F-Train, CK, The Wife (92)
8th: Team LA D-Bags - Joe Speaker, Absinthe, Shane (98)
9th: Team Two Chicks and a Grump - Poker Grump, Katie, Writer Jen (105)
10th (t): Team Bonus Code Iggy - Obie VIP, Iggy, Rooster (113)
10th (t): Team Bad Football - Butch, Matt, Columbo (113)

Thanks again to everyone who participated. We'll definitely do this again, especially if we can get PokerStars involved!

Oh...

And for the record Team Up For Poker finished with a total of 132 which was ahead of the defending champs, Team Mizzou, who came in at 137.

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WPBT Sunday at the Sportsbook

Date: Wed, Dec 2, 2009

It was waaaay back in 2004 when the WPBT held it's first live event in Vegas. Back then, I wrote: "If you didn't know, our WPBT event coincided with the National Rodeo Finals. That meant Vegas played host to the largest collection of cowboy hats and plastic breasts since the release of Western Barbie."

One of the highlights of that trip was Sunday at the Mandalay Bay sportsbook. Here's what we wrote:

G-Rob wrote: "Another Damn trip report....I'm almost done...really!"
Otis wrote: "From Rock Gardens to Sherwood Forests"
The Luckbox wrote: Well... nothing. For some reason I teased an entry called "Sports Betting is Evil" but never got around to writing it. Instead, I'll give you this gem from the 2005 WPBT called "Too Drunk to Call."

Why am I telling you this? Well, if you're going to still be there Sunday, we've got a spectacular set up for this year's sports betting excitement!

It's called Lagasse's Stadium and it's at The Venetian. We've got a private luxury suite reserved under the names of AlCantHang and The Luckbox for the entire day of NFL games. That suite has seating for 25 but room for others. It's got two 52" TVs with remotes, a pool table, a private bathroom and an iPod docking station.

The catch? Well, we're going to have to be sure to buy at least $1500 in food and drinks among the group. I figure with the folks we'll have there, it won't be too hard. The great people at The Venetian are giving us a pretty sizeable discount on the minimum food purchase. Once again, someone's showing some love for the WPBT!

The sports book opens at 8am and Sunday NFL kickoff is 10am. Space is limited so if you're name isn't AlCantHang or The Luckbox, you better make sure you get there in time to be part of our private luxury suite.

Here's an article in the Las Vegas Reivew Journal with more on Lagasse's Stadium. And if you check out the Casino City Gang podcast on November 19th, they talk a little more about the sportsbook.

If you think you'll be there Sunday morning at Lagasse's Stadium, let me know in the comments so we can get a sense of just how crazy the day will be!

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Update #1: Luckbox Last Longer Challenge

Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2009

I want to thank those of you who have already signed up for the L-cubed challenge with the $2000 added prize pool from PokerStars!

The best news is that the vast majority of teams entered thus far are horribly flawed. Team Up For Poker is ideally suited to run away with the $1500 top prize. The rest of you are still eligible to win the $500 consolation prize.

Before I list the teams currently entered, I'll remind you how to get your team in the challenge. Team entries can be left in the comments of Up For Poker on THIS POST, sent to cusephenom -@- yahoo DOT com, or done in person in Las Vegas between noon and 12:45pm during tournament registration.

Without further ado, the teams as currently entered:

Team Up For Poker: CJ, Otis, G-Rob
Team Gambling Tales: Falstaff, Special K, Mrs. Falstaff
Unnamed Team: Bayne, RecessRampage, smizmiatch
Team Fluffy Unicorns: lj, chad, augie
Team Waffles: Dr. Chako, Waffles, Jordan
Team Canada: Fuel, Schaubs, Bam-Bam
Team "I Kissed One of These Girls": F-Train, CK, The Wife
Team LA D-Bags: shane, Speaker, Troublecat
Team D-Listers: lightning36, OhCaptain, pokerpeaker
Team Wheelchair: Drizz, AlCantHang, StB
Team Procedure: BadBlood, TheMark, Moutray
Team Name Forthcoming: iggy, Obie VIP, the rooster
Team Tao of Pot: Pauly, Derek, Change100
Another Unnamed Team: Astin and a couple of buddies
Team-To-Be-Named-Later: Katitude, Maigrey, Maudie

So far, those are the 15 teams entered for The Luckbox Last Longer Challenge. I'll update this as we go.

Also, when you talk about this on Twitter, Facebook and your own blog, don't forget to give PokerStars some love. After all, we don't want this to be the last time Stars throws a little money our way!

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The Luckbox Last Longer Challenge

Date: Fri, Nov 27, 2009

Let's start with the breaking news:

PokerStars will be adding $2000 to the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge prize pool.

Let me say that again.

The awesome folks at PokerStars are once again showing their support for the WPBT by adding $2000 to the prize pool for the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge at the Winter Classic (and find it on Facebook).

Let's just say this little contest of pride and wills just grew into something awesome. Now let's get to the details. With this much money now at stake, we're putting down some rules. Read carefully!

• Teams of three must be formed before the tournament begins and submitted to The Luckbox. Team entries can be left in the comments of Up For Poker on THIS POST, sent to cusephenom -@- yahoo DOT com, or done in person in Las Vegas.

• The Luckbox will be at the tournament site at Noon, one hour prior to the scheduled start time of the tournament. Live registration ends at 12:45pm, 15 minutes prior to scheduled start time of the tournament. Sorry, no exceptions.

• Each team requires a $30 entry fee ($10 per person).

• If you are unable to find two teammates prior to the end of the Last Longer registration, you are ineligible to participate in the Last Longer competition.

• It is each team members' responsibility to notify The Luckbox (or his representative) upon his/her elimination. If notification is not made at the time of bust out, the player will be assigned the same amount of points he or she would have earned for busting out first.

• At the end of the event, each players' bust out number will be added together and the lowest total finishes first, 2nd lowest finishes second, etc. If two teams finish with the same total, the tie-breaker is the team with the top finishing player.

• From the added prize pool: $1,500 to winning team ($500 apiece) and then $500 for for second place team ($170 for top player on team, $165 for other two players). The added prize pool will be transferred into your PokerStars account. From the entry fee prize pool: 50% to the winning team, 30% to 2nd place and 20% to 3rd place. The entry fee prize pool will be handed out at the conclusion of the tournament. (Astin asked in the comments about people with no PokerStars account. First, it's free and easy to sign up! Second, you can provide us with whatever Stars account you wish if you're on the winning team. So if you want it deposited into someone else's account, we can arrange that.)

• Any and all disputes will be handled by The Luckbox and thisisnotapril. All decisions are final.

• By paying an entry fee, you are agreeing to the rules set forth here.

We want to make sure that the great people at PokerStars know how much we appreciate this so when you talk about the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge (we're going to call it the L-cubed), please give PokerStars some love (your blog, twitter, facebook, etc.).

If you have any questions about this, leave them in the comments or email me at the email address listed above!

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Why Bill Belichick Was Wrong

Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009

I can't believe there's even a discussion about this. Everyone knows that Belichick was wrong. He made an arrogant decision that cost his team a victory. Yet rocket scientists and amateur poker players everywhere are breaking out their protractors to justify this game-losing decision.

Well, I spent about 10 minutes doing my own research. I present: Other numbers.

Over the last 6 weeks of the 2009 NFL football season, teams have attempted to go for it on 4th and 2 on 14 different occasions (including Belichick's dumb decision). Any idea how many times those 14 attempts have been successful? I'll give you a minute to guess.

Yep, it's zero. That's right. A big 0%. Eight incomplete passes, two failed runs, two interceptions, one sack and Belichick's pass that came up inches short. I wonder if Belichick knew how difficult it is to convert 4th and 2 when he made his bone-headed decision?

Anyone who understands football understands the difficulty in converting 4th and 2. It's a little too far to run meaning teams can play for the pass. In fact, Belichick made it even easier on the Colts by emptying the backfield eliminating any threat of a run at all.

Of course, many argue that had New England punted that Manning (because he's so super-awesome) would have lead a TD drive anyway. I wonder what the numbers say?

Over the last 6 weeks of the season, Indianapolis has had 37 drives starting from the 30 or behind and they've converted TDs in 10 of them. That's 27%.

Over the last 6 weeks of the season, New England's opponents have had 44 drives starting from the 30 or behind and they've convered TDs in 5 of them. That's 11%.

What about when New England and Indianapolis play each other? Here are some more numbers.

In this year's game, Indianapolis had 12 drives starting from the 30 or behind and they converted TDs in 3 of them. That's 25%.

Since 2006 against New England, Indianapolis had 29 drives starting from the 30 or behind and they converted TDs in 6 of them. That's 21%.

Of course, Indianapolis got the ball from the 40 yard line or closer twice against New England since 2006 and, predictably, both resulted in TDs, including the game-winner a week ago.

So what do the numbers tell me?

4th and 2 conversion rate last 6 weeks: 0%
Indianapolis' TD rate from 70+ yards vs. NFL last 6 weeks: 27%
New England's opponents' TD rate from 70+ yards last 6 weeks: 11%
Indianapolis' TD rate from 70+ yards vs. NE last week: 25%
Indianapolis' TD rate from 70+ yards vs. NE since 2006: 21%

I don't know about you... but those numbers certainly don't support going for it on 4th and 2. Looks like NE had a chance somewhere between 75% and 85% of stopping Indianapolis on a long TD drive but very little chance of either converting the 4th down or stopping the Colts if they failed on the 4th down conversion. And that doesn't even include the fact that the Colts would have been attempting this drive with just 1 timeout and just 2 minutes left in the game which likely lowers the Colts' percentages.

Of course, lots of people will say I'm cherry-picking. Guess what? That's what statisticians do. They cherry-pick numbers to support their case.

This was a bad decision by Belichick. It's clear that the decision was last-second which only compounded the mistake. Had New England really intended to go for it on 4th down no matter what, there's little chance they throw the ball on 3rd down. Not only would a run have been a surprise on 3rd (giving it a better chance of succeeding) it also would have forced the Colts to burn their final timeout and it would likely have gotten them closer for their 4th down attempt (which, given the spot, would have made all the difference).

When New England failed on 3rd down, most of the offense was running off the field and New England was then forced to burn their last timeout which prevented them from challenging the spot on 4th down (although I'm not sure a challenge would have worked). If the plan was to go for it on 4th all along, wouldn't the offense have known that? After all, they had already burned a timeout in that same drive!

Not to mention, going for it in this situation brings all kinds of factors into play, including crowd noise and the potential of the home crowd to influence any close spot in favor of the Colts.

Of course, context doesn't matter to the people with their fancy equations. Context is irrelevant, right?

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The Challenge!

Date: Thu, Nov 19, 2009

On December 1st, 2005, I wrote this:

I haven't discussed this with Otis or G-Rob, but that's okay. They're just going to have to deal with my bravado whether they like it or not.

Up For Poker is issuing a challenge to any other threesome in a last-longer for the WPBT Winter Classic. Here's how I figure it will work:

1) Final results of the three entrants will be added together, lowest total wins.
2) Each member of each team will throw in $5 and the winning team will split the last-longer prize pool. (All teams are playing against all teams and the winning team will win the total prize pool.)

So find your team, and leave it in the comments. I'll bring a list to Vegas and you all can hand over your money. After all, you think anyone can beat the combination of Otis' skill, G-Rob's agression and my luck?

Well, guess what? I still haven't discussed this with Otis or G-Rob, but it's on again. The Up For Poker crew is challenging you. Same rules. Same prizes.

(FYI: Comments currently require approval while I work out some spam issues, so you won't see your comment right away.)

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The Brink of Fantasy Football History

Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2009

I'm not sure how it's happened, but it has.

Otis, G-Rob and The Luckbox (that's me) are all above .500 ten weeks into the fantasy football season and all have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.

Doesn't sound like a big deal? Well, let's take a look back at history. In the past 5 seasons, our three teams have a collective 4 playoff appearances and no Super Bowl crowns. We have a collective record of 89-104-3. We have a total of 5 winning seasons among us.

Of course, Otis does a lot to bring that total down. All I'll say about his career fantasy football record is that his only winning season is the year we played XFL Fantasy Football. I'm serious. He won the Super Bowl.

But this year, the three of us are bunched at the top of the Carolina Division. I'm at 8-2 and Otis and G-Rob are both at 6-4. If the playoffs started this week, G-Rob and I would both be in the playoffs. Otis trails G-Rob by just two points for the final playoff spot and both of them trail the 3rd place team by a game.

Of course, there's still 4 regular season weeks left for something to go wrong. The only thing guaranteed is that at least one of us will be in the playoffs this year. Which sure beats last year when we were a combined 15-26-1!

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Game Review: Wii Sports Resort

Date: Sun, Nov 15, 2009

My shoulder hurts.

It's probably the number one reason why I find Wii Sports Resort to be one of the more realistic sports games I've ever played. The pain I feel in my shoulder is similar to the pain I experience after a round of frolf. Is that sad?

Disc golf is just one of the two dozen plus games offered on Wii Sports Resort. There's bowling, golf, ping pong, archery, canoeing, water skiing, and more. And most of the games offer multiple variations.

The key to the game is the Wii Motion plus. It's a piece of hardware that connects to the bottom of the traditional remote. It's probably what the Wii was supposed to be when it was initially released, but the technology wasn't there yet. Now, instead of just tracking motion up and down and left and right, the game can sense when you turn your wrist. This makes games like frolf and bowling and ping pong just about as realistic as they get.

If you've got a Wii, I'd suggest you get this game. But if you do, be sure to the get the new version of the game that comes with the second Wii Motion Plus. For someone reason, the first release of the game included just one, which didn't make much sense. You can order the new version on Amazon for about 70 bucks. It's worth it.

And my next Wii purchase? I'd expect it to be the New Super Mario Bros. I'll let you know how that game plays as soon as I get my hands on it!

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One Month Countdown

Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2009

It's clear it's been too long since I've attened a "proper" WPBT event. It's been so long I can't even remember when it happened. I seem to remember Otis, G-Rob and I each brought along Up For Poker t-shirts as a prize to the players who busted us.

That's all about to change in a month.

It's the 2009 WPBT Winter Classic and I plan to bring all of my luckbox skills to bear on all of you. I've been saving it up. It's been months since I've pulled a three-outer on the river and I'm thinking I'm well over-due.

As an added bonus, many of you will likely get to meet Lady Luck. As part of my unbelievable string of good fortune, it turns out that Lady Luck thinks Vegas is amazing. This will be my fourth trip to Sin City this year and my third with her along. We'll be arriving on Wednesday night and I'll be spending the first two days with her. Starting Friday, it'll be a whole lot of poker, some championship Pai Gow action and a Sunday morning in the sports book.

Will I see you there?

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Party Like It's 1994

Date: Mon, Apr 27, 2009

When I met the woman who would later become my wife, I was just 19 years old. I had a long, long ponytail. I delivered pizza.

In 1994 I was thin, carefree, and spent more time planning my next road trip than with silly "conventional" distractions like rent, gas, and cable TV.

I saw the Grateful Dead at Soldier Field that year. I saw Phish in Cincinnati and Louisville. I crashed a Phish show on my 20th birthday way up in Bethlehem, PA.

I ended that year with the same wife-to-be and two of my closest friends, by spending New Year's Eve in Amsterdam.

Those were heady days my friends and, now, if it's possible to have a mid-life crisis at 34, welcome to it's heart.

Maybe it starts with Phish. Could be Bonnaroo. It may be that having my brother living so much closer has a mutual bad influence. We've already caught the start of the Dead tour (as posted below) and now here's a rundown of the summer to be :

May 31 Phish@Fenway Boston, MA

My friend "Uncle Ted" scored the tickets up in the rightfield grandstand. My brother and I are flying up that morning. We get in at 11:30. We leave Boston at 5:00AM Monday. It's a whilwind, what Timmy calls a "Rockstar Vacation".

We're just going to RAWK! Should make for a pretty interesting return flight in any event.

June 9 Phish@Asheville Civic Center Asheville, NC

Hard tickets to score but I paid the scalpers. This will bring about some scorn in the -Head community. I absolutely do not care. Otis, Pauly, and my wife will be there too. Should be silly since it's the smallest venue on the Phish tour this year.

This is an old-school venue. I plan to act in a very stupid manner.

As soon as the show ends my wife and I will hop in the fully-loaded car and head to Charlotte for a few hours sleep before hooking up with my brother, his wife, and "Uncle Ted".

We'll be getting an RV.

June 10 Phish@Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, TN

We'll take that RV 4 hours down I-40 to Knoxville and hook up with a half-dozen more friends. We've got 12 seats for this one. Hopefully the Joker and TD will be there. Some other friends, both new and old will be using some of the 12 tickets my brother and I scored (all at face value) through various means.

My seats are fantastic. Lower level, Pageside.

After the show we'll load up the RV and hit a hotel just 6 miles away.

This will be the last clean bathroom for days.

June 11-14 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN

This is my fourth Bonnaroo. B and I went in 2002, 2004 and 2007. My brother and his wife will be with us for the third time. Uncle Ted, Matt, and Julie-Steakdoses are back for a second time.

It's awesome for a long list of reasons but my favorite are :

Phish is playing both Friday and Sunday nights.
Plus,
The Beastie Boys.
David Byrne
Bruce Sprinsteen and the E Street Band
Snoopy Dog
etc.
etc,
etc,

I can't wait.

August 15 Phish@Merriweather Post Pavillion Columbia, MD

I threw this in for good measure. I scored 4 tickets on the Fishman side in the lottery. My wife, my brother, sister-in-accodance-with-law, and I will have fun.

You know, because its the Phishes.

Now here are my concerns,

I'm not 19. I'm older, fatter, and more pampered. I do have actual responsibilities.

And kids.

I played in a decent frolf tournament Sunday and played well. Today my back and legs have been extremely sore. That makes sense. I competed for a full 11 hours.

You know, competed.

At standing, walking slowly, and throwning a frisbee.

Yikes. If that hurts now, I'm more than a little worried about the stamina required for a summer of '94.

We'll see how it goes.

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Since We're Talking About Frolf...

Date: Mon, Apr 20, 2009

I have a scabbed over gash that runs from the top of my left triceps down past the elbow. The left hand has a few nasty scratches that make it look like I lost a catnip fight with a panther. My special "frolf shoes", actually Teva trail shoes, are so badly torn I haven't even tried to wear them in a week.

Plus, I had to buy a new skeeter.

Still the worst part of my past week was the following admonition from my wife :

"I don't think you should play alone anymore. If (Otis) can't play, you should just go to the gym instead. It's too dangerous."

She actually said that!

I'm so ashamed.

I started playing frolf regularly, by which I mean almost every day, about 8 years ago. That first initial infatuation lasted a good two years before taking a 5 year snooze. Then, last summer, Otis and I rediscovered what we loved about it in the first place :

It gets us out of the house.
It gets us outside.
It gets us away from our wonderful and better-than-we actually-deserve wives.
We can pretend we're competitive without, you know, skills or talent.

I've played pretty much every day for the past year.

But even a true love needs a fresh look, a new position to try, a fresh approach. After playing almost exclusively at "Timmons Park" we we thrilled to get a new course out in Greer.

So without further yammering nonsense, here's my take on the new "Century Park" course and details of my latest frolf humilation.

Now that the leaves are coming in, the course is looking good. The city of Greer had to redesign the course last year and brought Innova in for the course architecture. That led to a complete clear-cutting of all the underbrush. Before the spring it had a real zombie apocalypse feel. If you've read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", this is the landscape you pictured.

Now with some leaves on the trees it looks like the apocalypse...with chlorophyll. That's an improvement in my book.

The layout is actually quite superb, a mixture of tricky elevation changes, long bombs, and at least a few relatively easy birdies.

Notable are :

- The third hole which is over 400 feet and has a tough uphill lie that begins about midway.

- The 7th, which should be the easiest in Greenville but has caused me to develop a frightening mental block. There is only one tree to hit. I always hit it.

- The 10th which lies to the right of the teepad with that path obstructed by heavy trees. It's a pretty easy birdie for a lefty who can get a good long range fade but is tricky for a righty who has trouble with a turnover disc.

- The 11th is the hardest hole in the area IMHO. Otis' too. 397 feet with a steep uphill and some pretty dense tree obstructions about midway. A par here is very impressive.

- The 15th. Notable because, while long, it is not a particularly difficult shot. Somehow, this is an Otis mental block hole.

- The 16th. A case could be made that this is actually the easiest hole on the course. I, however, have now lost two midrange discs here...including my daughter's "Skeeter".

Last week I threw a fade shot that I thought would curve into the basket. I had the range right but actually pulled it a bit and caught the side of a tree. That sent my skeeter a good 50 feet away and at a 90 degree angle from the hole.

When I crossed the creek and found my disc, I found that there is actually a SECOND creek perpendicular to the first. My disc was beyond a good 20 feet of dense bramble on the opposite bank.

After sloooowly stepping through the thorns, I got to the near bank and devised a retreval plan :

Step down about two feet onto the near bank with my right foot.
Quick step with left foot across 2 feet width of creek to far bank.
Scoop Skeeter.
Push back onto right foot.
Climb out.
Resume play.

In my defense, a strategy much like this has worked thousands of times before.

Instead it went bad fast.

When I stepped down, my right foot sank a good 8 inches in the mud. When I lunged forward it wouldn't come loose.

I tried to re-adjust and threw my weight backwards, my arms flailing in a spiral.

With my left hand I reached backward for something to grab and stop my fall. With my right I tried to break my fall into the creek.

The left hand found something to grab. A thornbush. It ripped my hand open (my throwing hand no less) and I finally let go falling entirely into the mud.

The mud was so soft now that I couldn't stand to get out. I had to find some sturdy sticks nearby to get solid footing for the climb from the creek.

When I did, my right shoe stayed behind. I had to get on my stomach and pull it out.

I left the skeeter behind.

Now I'm not allowed to play alone. And, sadly, this is my SECOND major frolf injury of the year. This one, luckily, was without witnesses.

The last was in a competitive tournament.

/Frolf Content

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Tink, F%$#!

Date: Thu, Apr 16, 2009

It's the first lesson I taught my wife when she joined me for a round on the frolf course. She'd never seen disc golf before so I figured I'd start easy.

**TINK**

"F%$#!!!"

It's the sound of a disc hitting the basket, but not staying in, and the subsequent reaction of the player. It only took about 5 minutes before we heard it happen the first time to a player in a group behind us.

It's been more than a year since I've been on the disc golf course, and it felt good to be back!

The course in E-Vegas is amazing. All 18 holes have nice concrete tee pads and pictures of the hole at each tee. In fact, a number of the longer holes have alternate tee pads for women, amateurs and G-Rob.

There's a lot to like about the set-up of the course, too. There are mandatory openings through which you must throw the discs. There are lots of places where a bad throw could land you out of bounds or in the water. And the holes offer lots of opportunities for a variety of shots. It's a longer course than Timmons Park back in Greenville, but it also doesn't have as many Death Star trench-like shots either.

On this day, I managed just one birdie (despite what the course suggests, regular frolfers consider all holes to be a Par 3). But I was happy with how I threw considering it had been so long since I was on a course. And I can't wait to get back out and do it again!

Plus, this gives the guys from G-Vegas just one more reason to visit. 1) Free place to stay. 2) Casino boat with poker room. 3) Disc golf course. 4) And for Bad Blood... some adult establishments.

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Dead Again

Date: Tue, Apr 14, 2009

(Posters Warning : CJ told me this blog now has a more diverse focus. I still plan to stick to gambling in some sense. Because I am a problem gambler, this still leaves an immense range of topics about which I can, and will, post. I just felt like writing again.)

I saw a wookie bounce off the hoods of three cars. He streaked past me, with clumped hair flapping and woozy knees wobbling, presumably running FROM something that only he could see. With wookies there's an equal probability that he's running from :

A) The Law.
B) His Past.
C) His Imagination
D) Soap.

He'd just run down our aisle when he darted between cars, bouncing off one, into another fender, then off a hood. I thought he got away. I later heard he was slammed down by three cops.

For those of you playing at home, that's "A".

Now, generally I like to get all settled in before wookie watching, but since this is the first Dead tour in years I was prepared for anything. My wife, brother and I got to Greensboro at least 3.5 hours before showtime. Presumably enough time to either drink a dozen beers or wait once in the porta-potty line.

The good news is that most of the salesmen were pretty savvy. That's unusual for a wook. The two most active undercover cops were a big burly guy in a yellow shirt that said "Dead" and another guy, also burly, but at least 6 foot 6 with a crew cut and a blue 'do rag.

I saw douche-rag guy hit up one pipe vendor near our car. Pipe vendor was holding his glass in a black case and strolling down our lane when douche grabs a random pipe and whips out a wad of cash. My car was blasting tunes at the time and I couldn't hear everything said but I saw douche-rag point several times to the "bowl" portion of this young wooks glass. Wook, again, was savvy. The only part of the conversation I actually heard was wook telling cop, "These are for tobacco man. I could hook you up with THAT if you want."

Cop grabbed his money back from the wook, put the glass back, and stormed away without a word.

That's the gamble that is the Dead lot these days. I remember back in the day, we'd see more of everything than you can imagine ( I mean wow, really, everything) and the cops did nothing. It used to kinda freak me out the way cops would just ignore all the obvious, illegal activity at a GRATEFUL DEAD show. Maybe Jerry was responsible for greasing the locals, but the cops ain't cool these days and they haven't been for quite some time.

Granted, like the wookies themselves, some people deserve what they get. One kid, a girl who I'd say was about 17, came by our car holding a ticket in her hand. She showed it to me....busted for drinking in the lot. Now, here's where she got super-extra-mega-dumb. Her girlfriend was in the process of getting busted by yellowshirt guy (who again, could have just worn the uniform for all the subtlety he brought to undercover work) and our kid goes up to give her friend a hug. During the bust. While holding an open beer.

Sigh.

These are tomorrow's leaders.

So once inside we take totally excellent floor seats just to by the soundboard (Philside) and I continue the now standing bet I have with Pauly. We each pick 3 songs for 1st set opener. 3 more for second set. 3 more for encore. I took $20 off him when Phish opened with Fluffhead at Hampton.

We pushed all three for the dead.

Here's the setlist for those who care :

Set 1

Music Never Stopped
Jack Straw>
Estimated Prophet >
He's Gone >
Touch of Gray
I Need a Miracle >
Truckin'>
Miracle

Set 2

Shakedown Street
All Aong The Watchtower
Caution
Jam
Drums
Space
Cosmic Charlie
New Potato Caboose
Help on the Way >
Slipknot! >
Franklin's Tower

Donor Rap

Encore:

Samson and Delilah

Some notes :

I love Music Never Stopped but am unable to NOT hear Donna scream OHHHH YEAH at crucial parts of the song. I'm not sure what that means. I've never actually SEEN Donna but that's what years of bootleg cassettes will do for a man.

My brother and I really, really, really, really, really, wanted to see Estimated Prophet simply because we like screaming AH NA NA NA NA along with Bobby Weir. We're amused by simple things.

He's Gone was written long before Jerry died but when you're touring without him you do know the audience assumes it's ABOUT him now....right?

Miracle was the highlight of the first set. I got stuck in the beer line during Touch of Grey and missed part. In fact, I missed so much that I missed Truckin'. I was so oblivious to it that I PICKED Truckin' as one of my 3 second set openers with Pauly. It was a dumb bet.

I enjoy the song Shakedown Street very much.

I also Enjoy All Along the Watchtower and Warren Haynes really shredded it up on this one.

Caution was awesome and this is the best thing about having Warren play with the band. He can actually sing the blues. Not the douchey Bobby Red Rooster blues but the good ol' Pigpen brand. If you get to see the Dead this year, hope that they play this song.

During Cosmic Charlie my wife said, "you know the DEAD never played this but all the after-bands (Phil, Ratdog, the Dead) play it all the time. I wonder why."

Then they played New Potato Caboose. Wow. I don't even own a bootleg version of this soon. I couldn't remember the name until it was half-over. I do remember that "touching makes the flesh cry out loud." That counts for something.

The band started the Help>Slip>Frank at 11:30. That's 4 hours in.

My brother and I assumed all day, it being Easter and all, that we'd see either Promised Land (my guess) or Greatest Story Ever Told (his). Samson and Delilah is what we got.

C'est la vie.

This is the kind of crap I blog about now.

It did contain some gambling.

That counts.

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