Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Beer Pong On the Rocks - A Veteran's Insight - by Iceman (Week 5)

Beer Pong on the Rocks
By: Iceman
Week 5 – “I think were alone now. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around. I think were alone now. The hitting of the cups is the only sound.”

It’s all happening. This article is a think piece about a mid-level team struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom. We’ll get to that later, but for now I want to talk about beer pong atmosphere. When and where you play beer pong can significantly alter your game play. There’s a world of difference between playing on a league night vs. any other night of the week. So was the case in week 5 when Joey Kanz and I took on Donny and Gev of team Starsky and Clutch. We were facing some stiff competition, for I had heard from Skemp and Keith that Donny was dynamite on their home table. Although this was his first season, Gev has proven himself in the past to be a stellar player in a substitute role. We had learned from our match against Anthony and Dave not to look too deeply into stats, for the only thing that mattered was your game play in that given night. That’s why you have to take beer pong one game at a time.
In order to beat the team we were playing against this week (in this case Donny and Gev) we had to treat it like our most important game of the season. We had to play on Thursday night because one of them could not make it Friday, and that may have helped us secure the victory. It helped us that there was no one around (aside from the house residents) to cheer against us. I don’t need anyone cheering for me to perform well; my inner voice takes care of that. I also have the greatest cheerleader in Joey Kanz at my side. His game play gives me all of the confidence that I need to play my best.

Since the majority of you missed our game, here’s what you missed. We beat them in game 1 and everyone on the table shot well. Game 2 started with Donny and Gev going 7 for 7, but then they lost by 2-3 cups because the game is not over until the kill shot is hit. Once we combined them, we must have only missed 1 shot as a team and finished with high shooting percentages. Over 2 games, I shot 54.55, Kanz shot 66.67 and we split the kills. This was the first time that we had both shot over 50% in the same week, and Joey Kanz – your shot…was incendiary.

The atmosphere changes the way that you play because you adapt to your surrounding and respond to the environment. Have you ever noticed that sometimes you shoot lights-out in exhibition but then bottom-out in league play? It’s because in exhibition there is nothing at stake. You might say that pride is at stake, and the winner stays on the table rule makes you want to win if you want to keep playing, but I don’t believe in any of that new-age hooey. If you do lose, there’s always room on the sign-up sheet, no matter how long it is. There’s always another night, there’s always another table to play on, and although there’s no time for love, there’s always more time for beer pong Dr. Jones. When we played on Thursday before a handful of people, it seemed like the pressure we brought upon ourselves was gone, and we were able to play our own style of beer pong. When we are truly allowed to play our game, we cannot be beaten. Friday night is a whole different story because everyone in league is there (with a few exceptions of course) and everyone knows how you performed that night. If you’re expected to do well, you don’t want to let everyone down by playing poorly. Sometimes you over think and rush your shot, and that is when you cease to play your style of beer pong and start to play somebody else’s game. You are the only person who can control your own game on any given night, and it is up to you to live up to your own expectations. Screw what everyone else has to say, just go out there and make sure you are satisfied with what you have done on the table.

I’m going to take a moment to talk about the 1st World Series of Beer Pong. The atmosphere there was so much different than anywhere I have ever played. First off, we played inside of a convention center and up to 16 tables were going at the same time. Because I wasn’t the only one playing, I knew that there weren’t too many eyes watching and critiquing my performance. We made it quite obvious that we were from Milwaukee, but no one really knew anything about who I was or how I played on the table. Day 1 came and went and I still was just another face in the crowd. On Day 2, Fresno Chris and I started playing like true Milwaukee Beer pongers – we kicked some major ass. Our 6-0 showing on day 2 brought us more attention than I was ready for, and the bright spotlight upon me cause me to shy away and search for a dark corner. I’m ready to admit it now; I fell apart in the WSoBP playoffs because I let the pressure get to me. I wanted nothing more than to show everyone who believed in me that they had backed the right horse, and to also show everyone who doubted me that they were wrong. As soon as the attention began to focus on me, the entire atmosphere changed and my game had changed with it. The slight change in atmosphere altered my performance. If you take anything away from this, take this lesson with you – you are the only one who has control over what you do on the beer pong table. You and only you are to blame for your performance, be it good or bad. Every time that you go out there, play the best that you can and you will always be satisfied. If you shoot 75% and lose to someone who shot 80%, it really sucks, but you did the best you could. You got beat by someone who was better. Take solace in the fact that you were in control of your own destiny, and go out there and do it again next time. Remember – in beer pong you can do or do not; there is no try.

If you’re good at beer pong, you’re going to have friends like crazy, but they’re gonna be fake friends. You cannot make friends with these people. They’re gonna try and corrupt you. They are going to ruin beer pong and strangle everything we love about it. They are trying to buy respectability for a form that is gloriously and righteously dumb. The day that beer pong ceases to be dumb is the day that it ceases to be real. And then it just becomes an industry of cool. We’re coming along at a very dangerous time in beer pong. I think that you should just turn around and play something else, like connect four, but I can tell from your face that you won’t. You have to make your reputation on being honest and unmerciful. And just remember, if anyone makes fun of you for caring so much about this game and making it your lifestyle, you’ll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle.

Some people have a hard time explaining beer pong, really explaining beer pong. That’s ok, because beer pong is a lifestyle and a way of thinking. And it’s not about money and popularity, although some money would be nice. It’s a voice that says, “here I am, and fuck you if you can’t understand me.” One of these people is gonna save the world; and that means that beer pong can save the world. And the chicks are great. What it all comes down to is that thing, the indefinable thing when people catch something from your beer pong playing. What I’m talking about is the buzz. And the chicks, the whatever, is an offshoot from the buzz. You saying that you like Balkman’s quick shot kill? That is the fucking buzz!

On the whole, I’d say most of the fuck-ups in the world come from the brain, not the instincts. My whole thing is to try and make my brain go away, but I can’t, except on the beer pong table. The brain should be a softening influence on the instincts, but the instincts should drive. Trying to reconcile the brain with urges that come out of millions of years ago, the way the brain interprets these instincts, is a heavy trip. Usually I’m brain, and Kanz is instincts. But on the days when we’re both instinct, that’s when we’ve played the beer pong people know best, because…it’s the best. Show me any guy who ever said he didn’t want to be popular, and I’ll show you a scared guy. I’ve studied every player in beer pong; most of the time the best stuff is the popular stuff. It’s much safer to say popularity sucks, because that allows you to forgive yourself if you suck. And I don’t forgive myself, do you?

Someone once told me that I am too sweet for beer pong. Where do they get off? Where do they get sweet? I am dark and mysterious and pissed off. And I could be very dangerous to all of you. I am not sweet. And you should know that about me. I AM THE ENEMY!!!

You made friends with them. See, friendship is the booze they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you belong. They make you feel cool. And hey, I met you. You are not cool. We're uncool. And while beer pong will always be a problem for us, most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people don't have any spine. Their beer pong skill never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter. Great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love... and let's face it, you got a big head start. The only true currency in this bankrupt world if what we share with someone else when we're uncool. My advice to you. I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and unmerciful

I always tell my friends to never take it seriously. If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. If you never get hurt, you always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, you step up to the beer pong table and visit your friends (the beer cups).

So what do I love about beer pong? To begin with, everything…
It’s all happening…

Iceman’s lesson of the week – You have to take beer pong one game at a time. Every game you play should be treated like your most important game ever. After you get past that game, then you can worry about the upcoming one. Failure to do so will warrant unwanted results. I know over the course of the season I have been giving away too much in my lessons, but I feel that the time is right to dispense this knowledge. You know how I play my game, and you can either apply it to you own game or use it against me. The choice is entirely yours, and I hope you make the right decision.

You what really grinds my gears? – putting on one hell of a show and no one shows up to watch it. I’m sure that everyone by now realizes that I am a consistent beer pong player, and I will produce everything that I advertise to do. Stop watching me; I’ve done all that I can for this game. You need to pay attention to Joey Kanz and watch him light up the table and make cups. This kid is unbelievable, and he’s not even old enough to legally drink! You can say that about a few other people (Mike Roberts and Christian come to mind) but neither of them has done what he has done in his rookie year. I don’t mean this to be condescending, but Mike Roberts shot 37.17% in his rookie season, and Christian shot 43.35%. Joey Kanz finished his rookie year at 53.69%. Although this is the week 5 article, the season is already over; I have the knowledge base to make these claims. This marks the first time that lateness and procrastination has worked in my favor.

Iceman’s shout-outs –

Cameron Crowe – for letting me “borrow” quotes and lines from Almost Famous, even though you have no idea that I did use them. I did it as an homage and I never intended it to be otherwise. I love your movie and I count it as one of my top 5 of all time. Your writing style and characters have inspired me, and I am moved every time I watch it.

Donny and Gev – for playing one hell of a game. Balkman picked you guys to win in three games in his week 5 Bracket Buster Breakdown article, and I honestly believe that if we had gone to game 3, you would have. After a tough game 1 loss, you came out shooting 7 for 7 in game 2, only to have us rally back and beat you. I knew it was a tough loss for you guys, but understand that we had to pull off a miracle to beat you. You really had me scared that neither of you would miss in game 2, and I was ready to trash game 2 and prepare for game 3. Thankfully I didn’t have to make that decision, and I wish you all the best in the playoffs unless you happen to play against Kanz and I. Good luck.

Well, it’s time for me to rock and ride my friends, so I guess I’ll see you next time. Until then -

You can tell Rolling Stone Magazine that my last words were, “I’m on drugs!!”
Well, I think that I should work on those last words, so I’ll say, “I dig music…”
No? “I’m on drugs!!!!”
– Iceman –
www.pookon.com

Monday, November 06, 2006

Beer Pong On the Rocks - A Veteran's Insight - by Iceman (Week 4)

Beer Pong on the Rocks
By: Iceman

Week 4 – “I'd be tender, I'd be gentle, and awful sentimental, regarding love and art.
I'd be friends with the sparrows ... and the boy who shoots the arrows
If I only had a heart.”

Someone always steals my thunder. That’s the story of my life. Every time that I come up with an original idea, it always turns out that someone has already done it and I come off as nothing but a cheap imitation. That was about to change in week 4 when I told my partner Joey Kanz that the most important element in beer pong is heart. You gotta have heart of you ever expect to win at beer pong. The Tin Man feels hollow and goes on a quest to find it. What he realized in the end was that he had heart all along and he just needed to look in the right place. I can’t be mad at Joey Kanz for taking my best ideas (although he did credit me for my statement in his week 3 rookie diary article when he prematurely gave away my week 4 lesson.) You can never expect to win if your heart is not in the game. My biggest problem this season was the fact that I no longer was excited to play the game. I had lost my love for beer pong. When Friday night rolls around, I head to the beer pong house to step up to the table out of pure habit; this is what I have known to be reality over the last 2 years of my life. My life has not been without beer pong since I was a 20-year-old sophomore at UWM and a rookie in the Dining Services department of the Union.
You all know the history of our humble beginnings, but I’ll tell you a little bit of my perspective of this league. I had first heard about an organized beer pong league shortly after I had started working at the Union, but did not want to give up my Friday nights for a silly little drinking game. That now is on my list of regrets, as I did not play in the 1st season, yet I was there every Friday nights to hang out and watch every game. I am thankful to have been there since the beginning, but I cannot say that I was a part of the league when it was in its infancy. That is one of the reasons why I still play today because I feel like I still have enough to offer the members of this league.
When season 7 began, I was in the league simply because I wanted to give a rookie (Joey Kanz) the opportunity to play competitive beer pong and to interact with other people who loved the game as much as he did. I saw a lot of myself in him. I knew that without me, he would not be allowed to play in this league because he didn’t have any connections. This once again proves that it is not what you know, but rather whom you know. It was my duty as a veteran to allow someone to experience to pure joy of playing competitive pong. Heh heh, duty. Although I am old, I can still laugh at unintentionally funny words like the penal system, insert, extend and titular. I’ll never be too grown up to not crack a smile whenever those words are mentioned. Funny as it may sound, it all comes back to having heart.
Although sometimes I felt like I had given up on beer pong, I always found out that beer pong had never given up on me. There comes a time in one’s life when you have to grow up and let go of all of the silly childish things (beer pong) that have hindered you from being a member of “cultured” society. I felt like that time was now, but then I remembered how fun this game is and how much I enjoy playing, and beer pong is there waiting for me to play. We don’t choose our lives, our lives choose us, and that is why I still play after 5 seasons and why I will still be there for the World Series of Beer Pong II, Season 8, and the World Series of Beer Pong III. That’s right, you heard it right here ladies and gentlemen. Regardless of the outcome of this season, I will be back in Spring 2007 to once again play my little heart out on the plywood. And for those of you heading out to Mesquite, Nevada for the 1
st time in January 2007 and January 2008 – guess who will be behind you during you matches cheering you on – me. That’s right, the Iceman will be there to give you moral and emotional support as you crush the competition that has come from around the globe with the sole purpose of defeating you. We’re not going to let that happen because everyone from Milwaukee has your back, and no one will represent for you like I will. And that you can print in Rolling Stone Magazine!
Sometimes your heart can get you into a little trouble. Before you start worrying that I’m going to pour out my emotions to you, I’m going to keep it all about beer pong. I think that it goes without saying that I’ve made a lot of friends in this league, and the hardest thing about Friday nights is the fact that I may have to play against one of my friends and take a victory away from them. That’s pretty easy to do usually because I’d rather have a victory for my team instead of making another person feel better about themselves. As they say, all’s fair in love and beer pong. The hardest part is when four of my really good friends face off across the table from each other and I have to choose who I’d rather see win. It’s true that you can try to root for both sides, but that rarely goes as planned. You tend to cheer louder or more often for one rather than the other and people’s feelings get hurt. The reason that I point this out is because I am sorry if I ever broke your heart by cheering against you. In week 4 I noticed this when Roberts and Erin played against the Joshes. I feel as though I root against Roberts more than I do for him, so next time I’ll promise to root for him.


Iceman’s lesson of the week – you gotta have heart if you expect to win in beer pong. If heart isn’t enough to guarantee a victory, then I suggest a dose of practice as well. Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription… is more heart! I gotta have more heart!

You know what really grinds my gears? – people who doubted me. I know that there are some of you out there who picked me to fail this year. Shame on you. I know that I’m old and quite possible past my prime, but I still have the potential to turn it up when I have to. In week 4, I shot a dead 60%. While some of you may scoff at that number and say that a blind monkey could do that while sipping espresso, I think that that is quite admirable regardless of your tenure in the league. Guess what everyone – I still got it. I still have enough heart to break out and kick some ass on the table. I sure hope that you don’t line up cross-court from me when I possess enough heart to sweep over a love-starved third-world country. Heart will trump skill any day.

Iceman's shout-outs -

Keith - fir giving me the best one-liner of the night. We played a little exhibition together, and Keith and I were discussing missing just one shot. I told him that I only had missed one shot, and without hesitation, he replied, “It was a big shot!” For those of you who are unfamiliar with the movie reference, this comes from Meet the Parents when Larry Banks (James Rebhorn) insults Greg Focker’s (Ben Stiller) water volleyball performance. It was totally unexpected and I’m glad that I have devoted my life to watching movies so that I could see the humor in his statement.

Sailor Jerry – for helping me to relax and for giving me the confidence that I needed to take home a victory in week 4. It’s always an adventure when we go out sailing.

Balkman – for having the biggest heart of almost anyone I know. Ever since I started working for you in the Terrace, I’ve referred to you as the Heart (Aris is the Brains) and both work in order to keep everything functioning properly. I don’t want to sound gay or anything, but I cannot count how many times you have cheered me up with a hug, whispered sweet reassuring comments into my ear, said you loved me and actually meant it and made me feel lucky to be your friend. You’ve always been there for me Mr. Balkman, and I value all of the time we spend together. I know that everyone is jealous (especially Josh Hansen and Matthew Overby) that I get to hang out with Balkman all day long. In case you were wondering, it rocks.

Spencer/Dan – upon meeting you guys before our match, you told me that you had heard of me and my presence in the league. Normally that would have put a little pressure on me but I have learned that this is a sign of respect and that you would continue to think the same of me if I didn’t play up to your expectations. After the game, you were really cool about your loss, and I commend you on how you both handle the game and its many twists and turns. Well done sirs, and I wish you luck on the rest of the season.

Joey Kanz – even though you stole my idea I can’t be mad because it shows that you were listening to me. When I started teaching you everything that I knew about beer pong, I never expected you to actually listen to and follow my examples. I know that you have experienced so much in beer pong in a little period of time, but I feel like there are some things about this game that I need to tell you and in some way, pass them on to the next generation. When you get to be my age, you’ll realize how cool it is that someone actually cares about what I have to say. You really have made me proud to be your partner this season.

I really should be more prompt in writing these articles because I know that I am always missing out on something. Week 5 has already come and gone while I am still putting the finishing touches on week 4, so I apologize if I missed anything important.

Well, it’s time for me to rock and ride my friends, so I guess I’ll see you next time.

Until then –
I’m the teacher, man, you’re the student.
Close your ears if you feel you’re prudent
And can’t deal with the lyrics I’m steppin’ with
But they’re the lines the people are gettin’ with
A lesson well taught, here’s some more advice
I don’t sweat it on the mic
’cause I’m cool as ice.
- Iceman -
www.pookon.com

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Beer Pong On the Rocks - A Veteran's Insight - by Iceman (Week 3)

Beer Pong on the Rocks
By: Iceman
Week 3: “There’s No Crying in Beer Pong”

When he was 36 years old, Tom Hanks said a line that can be applied to just about anything in life when he told the girls of the Rockford Peaches, “there is no crying in baseball.” In 2005, the American Film Institute liked it so much that they listed it as the 54th best movie quote of all time. So what, you might say. What does this have to do with beer pong? Well, it’s because there is no crying in beer pong. No Time For Love Dr. Jones fell to 1-2 on the season after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Steamers (Anthony and Dave) in a game that we could have and should have won. Here follows a rather depressing look at the game of beer pong. Although this week I will be a little pessimistic, you can bet your sweet ass that I won’t be shedding any tears over this game.

I’ve said before that beer pong is a game, and games are supposed to be fun, but when is losing ever fun? Some athletes will say that it was an honor just to play in the championship game, but you know that they are just saying that to avoid sounding like a sore loser. Why play the game if you have no intention of winning? Everyone wants to win, but there can never be a team that always wins (unless your team name is the Rusty Taints (Skemp/Keith.) Although we lost, I did learn a very important lesson about beer pong and I also made a big observation about our league.

Iceman’s lesson of the week - Beer pong is as much of a mental game as it is a physical game. Let me explain. Going into week 3, we felt that we would steamroll the Steamers with ease, and we let their season stats get to our heads. We felt that we possessed everything necessary to take home the big W from the Steamers, but apparently they came more prepared to play than we did. It came down to game 3, but we really never had a chance. Prior to the game, I mentally psyched myself out that I wouldn’t have to bring my ‘A’ game to the table in order to win. Once the game had already begun and I started drinking cups, there was no turning back from there. I was mentally out of the game before the game even began. You have to treat every game as if it were the most important game of your life, because one of these days, it will be. We never know when out time on the table is up for good, and trust me; you don’t want to go down like a bitch. You have to go out in a blaze of glory, and this can only be achieved by playing as best as you possibly can in every game. But to stay within my lesson guidelines, this doesn’t mean that you have to take every game seriously and remove the fun from it, it just means that if the game has some form of meaning, you at least have to put forth your best effort.

Pressure – Freddy Mercury and David Bowie sang about being Under Pressure, but I guarantee you that they knew nothing about the pressure that we were under. I’ll let it be known that this pressure is all self-generated by Joey Kanz and myself and we could be pressure free if only we allowed ourselves to mentally block it out. Joey Kanz performed outstanding in week 2, and even got himself a Player of the Week Award, but felt the pressure to live up to that in week 3. I’ve put myself under a lot of pressure to not only live up to the promises that I made to Kanz, but to also prove to people why I was considered a “legend”, “the face of the beer pong league”, a veteran beer pong player, etc. I’ve been mentally putting myself up on a pedestal, and it is entirely my fault every single time that I have fallen down from it. I appreciate the kind words from everyone, and although I am the Man of Ice, I’m still just a normal human being just like the rest of you. Well, maybe not Balkman. There’s something unreal about that guy…

Skill – Is it just me or has everyone’s skill level increased in this league? I am blown away by the amount of talent that fills the House on Friday nights for league matches. When I first started playing, shooting 50% was having a good night. Season 1 + 2 stats are not yet updated on the new site so I can’t verify the validity of this statement, but I’ll bet that there weren’t many people who shot above 50% in the first couple of seasons. I know that I only shot 39% in season 2 (my rookie year) and I thought that it was pretty damn good. This is no longer a league of amateurs, we’re all playing like professionals and it has made this league ultra competitive. In a way I like it because that means that any team has an equal chance at winning, but at the same time I’m upset because it no longer means that I am good at beer pong. I guess I’ll go back to distributing ice, but it’s been so long since I’ve done it that I worry that I’ve forgotten how.

Stay positive and confident – you and only you know how good you are. The only person that can beat you at your own game is yourself. I’ve previously mentioned something along these lines when I said that I shoot better cross-court, which really has no ground, but mentally I have convinced myself that I cannot shoot straight forward. I’m confident in my cross-court shooting, so I stick with it. What has worked for me in the past stills works for me in the present, so why change anything for the future? I try to keep a positive attitude and do my best when I play.

There’s probably more that I could tell you, but I’ll save it for another article. That’s your reward for sticking it through all the way to the last sentence of my last one. I hope that you enjoyed reading it, because I certainly enjoyed writing it.

You know what really grinds my gears? – being old. You veterans know what I’m talking about. Someday all of you youngsters will get to be my age and realize that it takes a full day to recover after a long night of beer pong. When I wake up on Saturday morning after playing pong until 3 am, I can barely function. Luckily the only thing that I have planned for my Saturdays is a Saved by the Bell marathon that I have set up on my DVR. Either I have to cut back on my exhibition play (likely to happen) or find the Fountain of Youth and revert back to a time when I could drink like a champ and have no side effects the next day (unlikely to happen.) Eventually, my body will tell me that it can no longer handle my beer pong habbit, and I will have to cease my play. Although I can see the end, I’m still not ready to call it quite. Just don’t make plans with me for Saturday. Nothing comes between me and my Saved by the Bell DVR marathon…

Iceman’s shout-outs –

Anthony/Dave – When preparing to play you this week I underestimated your skill level. I am impressed with your style of game play and your improvements that you have made on the table. This was one of those games where we straight up got beat by a better team. I hope that we don’t meet up in the playoffs because I don’t want to be sent home before my time is up.

Lorge/Casey – for being the best 0-3 team in the history of beer pong. I know on paper it looks bad, but I know you guys can pull it together and finish at a respectable 3-3. Regardless of the outcome, I’m incredibly thankful for everything that you have done for this league and all of the work that you both have put in to it to make it a legitimate organization. Without your hard work, we would still be 12-16 friends goofing around in a cold attic on random nights.

Iceman – for my week 2 article. I consider it to be my ‘piece de resistance’ (the outstanding item, prize piece or main exhibit in a collection) of Beer Pong on the Rocks. I know you probably think it’s lame to give a shout out to myself, but I’m proud of my 5 page single spaced article about beer pong. If only I worked this hard at schoolwork, then I wouldn’t be in my 7th year of college.

Everyone in league – at the mid-season point, it is nice to reflect back upon what has happened so far. I realize now that I’m not in this league for the beer pong; I’m in it for the people. Every week you all remind me why I keep coming here to play this game. It’s so nice to see your smiling faces, share some interesting stories, talk Brewers baseball and even to see a little skin as the night wears down. I can happily call you all my friends and I look forward to the next 3 weeks (plus playoffs.)

Well, it’s time for me to rock and ride my friends, so I guess I’ll see you next time. Until then –

If your diamonds ain't shining that put that shit up
1-800-Iceman - ice yourself up
– Iceman –

Friday, October 06, 2006

Beer Pong On the Rocks - A Veteran's Insight - by Iceman (Week 2)

Beer Pong on the Rocks

By: Iceman

“Week 2: Just Because I’m Not at Work Doesn’t Mean I Don’t Follow Procedure”

Following procedure can mean a lot of things to different people, but to me it means doing something the same exact way every time that I do it. That is how I approach beer pong. Every Friday night, I get psyched up to go to league night and play some pong. Since beer pong is a procedure to me, I’ll introduce you to a few of my superstitions.

1. I always wear a bandana and loose fitting clothes while playing. I have to be in my comfort zone to avoid the beer pong danger zone.

2. I never drink beer nor do I play beer pong before a league match. This can be excruciating when I get there at 9 and don’t play until midnight, but that’s how I’ve always approached my league matches.

3. I always play on the left side of the table. I’ve played on the right during exhibition, but never during league.

4. I almost always shoot cross-court. Most people prefer head cup straight shooting, but I’ve always found that I make more cups shooting cross. When you get to be as old as me, the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” almost always applies.

5. After combine, the water cup has to be on my side.

6. If we have both balls and only the kill shot remains, I have to take the first shot.

And that is my beer pong procedure. Now, on with the article that I know Overby has been waiting so patiently for…

As you know, I’ve been playing beer pong for many seasons now, and I have come to understand a lot of things about the game; some of those things I have pointed out to my rookie partner and some of those things I hope to pass on to the next generation of pong players. But one thing that I know is that I love beer pong. Sometimes I like it so much that I’m entirely focused on the game and not on the people who make the game fun. I decided for week 2 that my #1 goal was to observe the other teams playing beer pong, and now I’ll offer up some comments and observations from those matches. I’ll start out by apologizing if I don’t mention your team, there were two tables going simultaneously and I have so many friends to watch that it was impossible to see it all.

Friday Night Lights vs. Purple Parrots

I was very impressed with this matchup, for several different reasons. First off, it was good to see Mike Roberts sharing the ball once again. I do remember calling him out on the fact that he hogged the ball while playing with Anthony last year, and by the time playoffs rolled around, he was a changed man. Beer pong is a team game, which will be my beer pong lesson at the conclusion of this article. Speaking of teams, I do appreciate the effort put forth by Kim and Laura into choosing a team name and creating uniforms. Upon further investigation, I found out that the Purple Parrots were a team on the Nickelodeon show “Legends of the Hidden Temple” (1993). By that time I was 12 years old, and was too cool for Nickelodeon, so I’ve never even heard of the show. I want to congratulate Kim and Laura, because even though they lost, they eradicated the stereotype from my mind that an all-girl team is bad at beer pong. Look out for them to upset someone in the 1st round of the playoffs…

There's no "I" in Beerpong vs. Episode VI : Return of the Brodi

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m terrified to play against Brodey and Balkman in a game that actually matters. I’ve played more games of exhibition that I care to count to against these two, but when the game is on the line, they are so money and you don’t even know it. That’s me, but when I watched Sean and Ben take on these legends I noticed something, especially from the rookie Sean. I compare him to Prince Fielder. He doesn’t have the bulk or the power, but he had the poise, patience and professionalism of someone who had been in the league for years. I saw him blow out a kill shot in game 1 then hit a kill to win the game in a 15 second span. I was very impressed with his style of game play.

You can’t talk about game play without talking about the Greatest Show on Plywood. I know it’s not their name anymore, but it rings true every time the step up to the table. What happens when you are beat in game 1 by a rookie team? Live up to your former name in game 2. Brodey and Balkman put on a textbook game of beer pong and closed it out with their signature move – the Tablebreaker. Game 3 was all Brodey/Balkman. They only shot at and hit 1 of the sets of 6 cups, which resulted in a “slide your cups over” to the center rather than a “combine.” Balkman shot and made during the combine for an instant Lorge. He then walked over and stole a ball right out of the opponent’s hand. Their game play not only resulted in a victory, but they came through with one of the most entertaining games of the night. The Godfather (Brodey) is back, so next time you see him, pay him some respect. If you don’t, he’ll put out a hit on you.

My Balls, Your Chin vs. Made You Eat Your Parents

Benny Stiemsma is a diamond in the rough that is about to be unleashed upon the world so that we all can appreciate his true beauty. I’ve always believed in Benny, and I’ve loved him from Day 1. I believe I remember saying at one time, “if it were mandatory to be gay, I would be gay with Benny.” I always knew that he was a fantastic beer pong player; he just needed the opportunity to show it. Partnering with Christian was not that opportunity, at least at first. There’s no debate when I say that Christian is one of the best beer pong players out there, but beer pong is a team game and you have to play as a team to win. Christian finally let Benny shoot and Benny is on the cusp of magnificence. Sure, the stats don’t tell the real story, but believe me when I say that he will turn heads with his impressive play. If Christian continues to share the ball, this team is infallible, mostly because Benny has what so many people are missing – the 5th element necessary to call upon Captain Planet – Heart.

Josh Kemp and Josh Hansen need a win more than I need another beer right now. They have been one of my favorite teams to ever step up to the table, plus they have been two of the nicest most genuine guys that I have had the pleasure of engaging in conversations with. Although my sister keeps calling Josh Kemp “Luke” and Josh Hansen was a real asshole to me 1 night 2 years ago when he was wasted, I’ll still be cheering for them the rest of the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll finish at least 3-3, if not 4-2. I can’t give them the automatic 4-2 because week 5 they will be playing Overby/Amie, which is my favorite beer pong team this year.

Overby/Amie vs. Dropping a Deuce

I hate to play favorites and make this a popularity contest, but if you want your opinion heard then write your own damn column. Overby/Amie is my favorite beer pong team this year. They have the perfect genetic makeup to be the best team. They have enough skill, beauty, intelligence, Brewers knowledge and charisma to overcome all odds that stand in their way They may not win a championship, but I guarantee you that they’ll share an experience that is unrivaled anywhere else in life. Now, on with the game.

I knew that this game would be very evenly matched. Weiser and Overby are similar in skill, and they both have enough sense to pick an excellent partner. Amie was strong last season, and it looks like Katee has stepped her game up to the next level. I knew this one would go shot for shot. When this happens, it is very important to get hot at the right moment, and always play for game 3. When 2 evenly teams meet in game 3, the previous 2 no longer matter. People may have their theories on momentum, but I think game 3 is up for grabs to the first team that gets hot and rides it to victory. Games 3 brings out the best or worst in us because your back is now against the wall and it is win or go home.

That in when I noticed a few things about Overby. It is something that I would like to touch upon; it is something that I call Beer Pong Attitude. BPA is present in all of us as we play our games, and just like regular attitude, it fluctuates between positive and negative depending on the situation. Basically, if you are playing well and hitting cups, you have a positive BPA. Adversely, if you are missing shots and beating yourself up, then you have negative BPA. C’mon Iceman, you say, all that you have done is stated the obvious. So what? Why does this matter? It matters because beer pong is as much of a mental game as it is a physical game, which will actually be my beer pong lesson next week, but I’ll give you a tease. Beer pong mentality affects beer pong physicality. If you think positively, positive things will happen. Mind controls muscles that shoot the ball, if clouded your mind is, cups you will not hit. It’s as simple as that. I’ll be blunt for a second – don’t beat yourself up after a missed shot Overby, while you were punching the wall Amie made a shot that kept you in the game. A good partner is able to carry you/keep you in the game even when you aren’t playing your best beer pong. You ended up winning because of your team, not because of a single person.

Although he had some negative BPA, all of that faded away once it came down to the kill. I’ll try to keep this brief, seeing as Overby and I had a 20-minute conversation on this, but it might not happen. When Overby is standing at the opposite end of a kill shot, he calms himself by facing 90 degrees to the left of the cup. He takes a deep breath (one that involves his entire upper body), turns, then hits the kill. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is very similar to what Derrick Turnbow does before firing a 98 mph pitch towards home plate. And although Overby idolizes the Brewers, that’s not the reason that he does it. He does it because it slows the game down and allows him to play at his level. It’s just as much of a physical move as it is a mental one. I encourage you to watch him the next time that he attempts a kill. Sure, you may laugh, trust me, he said that he has had his share of doubters, but it works. I have seen it with my own eyes. When he set himself up for this Turnbow move, there was no doubt in my mind that this game was over. He tried to explain his actions but it was unnecessary because I completely understand why he does it. You’re talking to the guy who traces a line across the table before he used to shoot. I believe that move is called the Iceman Slide. I look forward to watching the rest of you season unfold, and I believe that you will lead the league in quality starts.

No Time for Love Dr. Jones vs. Stalvey’s Rejects

What would an Iceman article be like without a mention of his own team? I will start out by saying that my game play was atrocious. Not to take anything away from my opponents (Chris Hummel and Katie Jesse are both fabulous players) but I was off this week. That is why it is important to understand that beer pong is a team game. Unless you are Skemp or Riley, you will not be on fire every single week. Joey Kanz carried me this week by shooting 65% while hitting 2 kills shots. Not bad for a 2nd week rookie. I almost gave the game away by allowing Hummel to get 5 steals off of me in 2 games, but thankfully Kanz dominated after the combine in game 2. We got our first victory as a team, congratulations from Christian for conserving beer, and I got a nice view of the future if we both get hot at the same time. Other than that I really didn’t pay much attention to our game because I was too focused on the goal – the almighty W.

Iceman’s lesson of the week – beer pong is a team game. I think I’ve already explained that one over the course of this week’s diary.

You know what really grinds my gears? – There’s not enough beer to play exhibition. I guess I could easily solve that problem by bringing over a 30 pack, but I came here to play beer pong, not to go home at 12:30 still sober. I only live 1 block away. I wanna stumble home wasted, because man I love pullin' my gun out when I go into my apartment because it scares my cat half to death. Mitchell!

Iceman’s shout outs –

Fresno Chris – I know you already played your week 3 game, but you already have amassed 6 kill shots in 3 weeks. That’s impressive, seeing as how you had to step out from behind a rather large but albeit handsome looking shadow for this season. Keep up the good work buddy. I wish you and Salmon Godspeed in your quest for greatness.

Brodey/Balkman – for living up to your former team name and making beer pong entertaining for people to watch. If beer pong ever becomes mainstream we’ll need more teams like yours to keep the audience enraptured. (Of course we can always encourage the play along at home aspect of the game.)

Christian – I know that I discretely and indirectly tore you apart last week in my grinds my gears segment, but I had to say it. You have proven me wrong by allowing Benny to morph into the player he has become. Although I can’t take back what I have said before, I appreciate everything that you are doing for this league.

Everyone else in the league that I did not mention – Don’t worry. I’ll be getting around to you in the coming weeks. We still have some more time to get to know each other over a plastic cup of room temperature beer or across the table from each other.

Lastly, Joey Kanz – I promised that I’d shoot a dead 50% this year, and I failed on my promise. Thankfully, beer pong is a team game and you were able to carry me in week 2. It’s good to know that I can count on you on and off the table. I’m also taken aback that you have been paying attention to my beer pong lessons and following them. I hate to say it, but I was right. You really made me proud in Week 2.

Well, it’s time for me to rock and ride my friends, so I guess I’ll see you next time.
Until then –

You’re as cold as ice, you’re willing to sacrifice our love.
You never take advice, someday you’ll pay the price, I know.

- Iceman -

www.pookon.com

Friday, September 29, 2006

Beer Pong On the Rocks - A Veteran's Insight - by Iceman (Week 1)

Beer pong is once again fresh in our minds as another school semester has started and yet another beer pong season is underway. For the GBPL/CHBPL, this will be the 7th season, and my 6th as a participant. My name is Iceman, and I've been a staple in the beer pong league since it's inception. I've seen it grow from infancy to the juggernaut that it has now become. I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect upon my current year and provide a veteran's viewpoint on this current season. I almost didn't come back to play this year, but like every crusty old veteran in professional sports, I just don't know when to throw in the towel. So I'm back, and I'm willing to offer up my observations about Season 7.

First off, I must mention a little bit about all of the hoopla surrounding the 1st week of play. In case you didn't notice the cameras, boom microphone and the people operating them, a documentary crew was in town to interview some of the members of the league for an upcoming film. I got the chance to sit down with them for over an hour on Thursday night, and I gave them a taste of what beer pong has meant to me over the past 4 years. I did get a little teary eyed when I recalled all of the precious memories, but I won’t dwell on that much longer. You'll just have to wait until the documentary comes out to see what portions of my ramblings made the cut. They did talk with us again briefly on Friday night during league play, but it was so hectic there that I didn't even notice that my team, No Time for Love Dr. Jones suffered our first defeat, but I'll talk on that later. Saturday morning gave us (Brodey, Balkman, Casey, Lorge and myself) one last opportunity to sit down with the documentary gang and reveal the rest of the information that they were seeking. After the cameras and microphones were put away, all that was left were a couple of friends playing beer pong, just like in the good old ol' days of the Cramer House Attic...

Season 7 started off with a bang, and I remember stepping up to the table feeling like a man past his prime. All of that changed when I grabbed a hold of a ping pong ball and sunk a cup. I then realized that in beer pong, it doesn't matter how old you are, because anyone can play the game. People here didn't care that I was anywhere from 1-7 years older than they were, all that they cared about was the fact that I was there. I've made a lot of friends over the years of playing beer pong, and it would be a shame to not be able to mingle with the crowd I "grew up with" over the last 4 years, although some faces are fresher than the others. I had two goals for this upcoming season - 1. to shoot a dead 50% and be perfectly reliable, especially in pressure situations, and 2. to open up the door and provide insights of the game to my rookie partner. I've known Joey Kanz for about 2 years; I met him through my younger brother so he is a good 5 years younger than me. His excitement for the game rekindled that feeling in me, because after season 6 I had "lost that beer pong feeling, o-o that beer pong feeling" (that one is for Brodey and Jeff.) I knew that his only ticket into the league would be to partner with me, so I took him under my wing and started this season with high hopes...

His inaugural game would not be an easy one. We were facing two established players, both of whom I had previously partnered with at some time during my beer pong career. Fresno/Hollywood Chris Lomascola is currently my roommate and was my partner seasons 3-4, 6 and at the 1st World Series of Beer Pong. Matt Salmon was my partner in season 5, which I still consider to be the year where I had the most fun because I didn’t expect anything out of our team. We didn’t care about stats or wins/losses, we just went out every week to play and have fun, which is what this game is all about (more on that later). They won game 1 by cup, we took game 2 by 1 cup, then they won game 3 by 1 cup. It was a very exciting match up, but Joey Kanz learned right away that it doesn’t matter how well you do on other beer pong tables, all that matters is how you play on Any Given Friday at the new beer pong house. I shot around 48%, which is close enough to my promised goal, but he shot in the low 30's, which rarely earns you that coveted W. But it's ok, because next week is a brand new week, and I'll sure as hell right there with you ready to play some pong. I apologize for not including any commentary on anyone else in league – I was simply too busy and overly tired to notice what was going on. Hopefully I will pay more attention to other games and use the information gathered there as a clever ploy to get you to read my articles hoping that your name is mentioned. We’ll see about that as the season unfolds…

Now I'll have some customary parting words (and for this article, the rational that I have for including them.)

Iceman's lesson of the week - This is where the Veteran in me will attempt to instill some knowledge to anyone trying to improve their game - The game is not over until the kill shot is hit. Until that moment, you still have a chance (albeit a rare chance sometimes) to win the game, so keep on trying as hard as you can to hit cups. Also, when a combine is reached, it's a whole new ball game because now you're back to arguably the easiest formation to sink cups.

You know what really grinds my gears? - Since I am old, there are some things that upset me that didn;t used to upset me when I was younger. This section will allow me to bitch and moan a little bit about how the league has changed, what beer pong was like when I was a kid, random stuff that irks me, etc. - It seems to me that some people (who I won't name) have forgotten that beer pong is essentially a game. Games are supposed to be fun. And this is even a drinking game, where you get to drink and play at the same time! I understand that every game has to have rules or else pure chaos would erupt, but when we are playing in exhibition , some people should relax on the rules and try to have fun. When we first started playing, we didn't really even have rules and we just played to hang out and get drunk. It was something to do on a Saturday night that didn't involve rubbing up on a bunch of guys in a sweaty basement house party with underage kids.

Iceman's shout-outs - Here I'll just throw out a couple of random shout-outs to all people.

Salmon - it's great to have you back in league. Your participation this year reminds me of all the good times in Season 5...

the Veterans - Without you guys, this league wouldn’t be the same because these new kids don’t understand what league was like during the early stages. You guys have been there every step of the way and we have so much history that it would be a shame to not have you involved...

people living at the new beer pong house - thanks for letting us mess up your house a couple of times a week. Without a proper venue, this league could not function. I apologize in advance if I ever help turn your house into a federal disaster zone.

Readers of this article – sorry that I wrote so much. I guess I just had a lot to say during week 1 that I needed to include in here. I promise to not get crazy in the coming weeks and force you to read on a non-school night. But hey, thanks for reading anyway.

Well, it’s time for me to rock and ride my friends, so I guess I’ll see you next time.

Until then -

Gonna rock, and roll this place -- With the power of the ninja turtle bass.
Iceman, ya know I’m not playin’ -- Devistate the show while the turtles are sayin
Ninja, Ninja, RAP! Ninja, Ninja, RAP!
Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO; Go Ninja, Go ninja, GO!

- Iceman -

www.pookon.com

Sunday, May 28, 2006

I'm Never Happy with Perfection...

And no, I'm not talking about being pissed that Graboids rampaged my small Nevada town and that I needed to call upon Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon (not to mention the Dad from Family Ties) to save the day. No, I'm talking about what I have come to refer to as George Lucas Syndrome (GLS). Simply put, it is never being happy with the work that you did, so you constantly edit, alter and even sometimes add new things to previous works. It's named after Lucas because of his altering of the Star Wars Trilogy for the Special Edition release in early 1997. Then, when it came out on DVD in September of 2004., he once again added scenes and touched up the special effects. Here's why I have a problem with it. When he created the trilogy, they were perfect because they were the best that could have been done at the time. The limitations that he had make the film look like it was made in the late 70's/early 80's. Once you add scenes with today's technology, the CGI doesn't match up and it makes the old CGI look funny when before it just looked normal. Lucas should let his work stand as it was then, because there's no use trying to perfect perfection.

Ok, sorry about that. He is when I explain to you why that point matters. I've started something on my website that I have named Project Rebirth 2006. Basically, I'm going through every page that I have created and enlarging all of the pictures so that my entire site has a uniform look. While this doesn't sound like GLS, because all I'm doing is enlarging pictures, here's where GLS comes into play. I have to refrain myself from adding new comments or changing some of the things that I said up to 4 years ago. What I wrote then captures how I was feeling at the time and my writing style. That says more about me at the time that anything captured in the picture. Some things I regret writing, while others I feel like I should have said more. This is a difficult struggle because I don't want to be diagnosed with GLS because I am strongly opposed to it.

Project Rebirth 2006 will guarantee that everything is uniform in size, allowing the viewer to see the image with better clarification. If I stick to my principles, the content will remain the same. Although my standards of perfection have changed, what I viewed as perfect then still is perfect in that context. I will forever change my perfection standards as I become more knowledgeable over time, but I will never be perfect until I can allow my work to represent my maturity level at the time period in which it was created. So far I'm doing a good job at keeping my GLS in check, but time can only tell if my constant suppression of it will lead to an unstoppable explosion of change. Pray to whatever God you have that that day will never come.

Until then - check out the ongoing process of Project Rebirth 2006 at pookon.com

www.pookon.com

Friday, May 12, 2006

Workin' for a livin'

I just realized this morning that I'm tired of working. I work nearly 30 hours a week at my job at UWM then another 20 at Miller Park if the Brewers are in town. I was getting angry about it this morning until I realized that I'm only 25 years old, and that I still have at least another 40 years until I retire. Then I realized that people in my generation probably won't even be able to retire because the government is messing up and spending all of the money that we pay to them. So that means that I'm not going to have another day off of work until I can no longer physically work because I'm dead. I sure hope that I find I job that I like at least a little bit so that I don't run away and become a hermit. By then, I only hope that the world's population hasn't surpassed 10 billion, for then there won't be any empty space for me to occupy and still be all alone. I guess I gotta stop being a bitch and just deal with it. That's what everyone else does; you don't see them whining about it on a web log. I gotta get back to work now so I can afford to bitch about it later on.

www.pookon.com

Thursday, April 27, 2006

I'm getting real tired...

I'm getting real tired of a lot of things, and today I decided to do something about it. Let me tell you about a few things that I was getting tired of. I'm getting real tired of my messy carpets, so I went out and bought a vaccuum. I'm getting real tired of being sick all the time, so I bought some dayquil, but I had to sign my name and show my ID so that I wouldn't use the pseudoephedrine to create methamphetamine and get high. I'm getting real tired of my toothbrush, so I bought a new one. I'm getting real tired of looking like an asshole, so I bought shaving cream and a new razor. I'm getting real tired of the dark, so I bought some lightbulbs. I'm getting real tired of moldy shower cutains and bathroom mats, so I bought new ones of those too. I'm getting real tired of my broken dresser taking up space in my room, so I dragged it outside and left it on the street corner. I'm getting real tired of my clothes laying all over the floor, so I bought some hangers. I'm getting real tired of cat hair attaching itself to my clothes, so I bought a lint brush. I'm getting real tired of not getting enough vitamins in my diet, so I bought some Centrum. I'm getting pretty tired of staying sober all the time, so I had a couple beers. I'm getting real tired of being tired...so I guess I'll go to sleep right now.

www.pookon.com

Friday, April 14, 2006

I'm still here, and I'm not going away!!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to remind you that I'm still alive. I know that I haven't been posting very often, and now I'll tell you why. I've been pretty darn busy, and that's about it. I'm a full time student, plus I work 30 hours a week. Starting April 3rd, I go back to working at Miller Park for the 2006 Milwaukee Brewers season. When I'm not working, I'm trying to fit in time for website/blog updates and drinking, since those are the most important things that I do. Oh yeah, and I also try to find time to hang out with my friends and family. I still know how to have fun though, and even though I'm almost 25 now, I still act like a kid, just check out me eating pizza during my spring break trip to New York City with my Dad and my sister. Mmm that was delicious. I'd like to thank you for checking this stuff out (the posts I did from the World Series of Beer Pong were intense and I think that I was able to provide a clear example of just how cool it was, and I thank you for checking them out.) I'm going to try and blog more often, like twice a week, and just say things that are on my mind instead of posting random stuff that I view as interesting. Do I care if anyone is reading this? Yes, in a way, but this blog is more or less for me to look upon and see what I was thinking or doing at that particular moment in time when I typed these words in this space. I never expect anyone (other than friends and family) to give a shit about me and check back on a regular basis for updates on my life, but if you happen to be someone, then I thank you for taking the time out of your hectic life to care about mine. I am grateful to have you as a visitor here. If you've got a website or a blog that you'd care to share, then send the link my way, I will gladly take an interest in your activities and "repay the favor." In closing, I guess I just felt like posting because it's been a while, and I feel the need to just throw something out there just because. Life's been good, and it'll continue to get better if there's any thing that I can do about it...

www.pookon.com

Oh and by the by, everything that I wrote in this post is the truth, even though I wrote it on April Fools Day (yeah, I realize that it's April 14th by the time I'm posting it.) I'm not one of those people that goes around posting fake news stories just to draw readers in and open people's eyes. I only speak the truth, and like my man Abe Lincoln, I've never told a lie.
Oops...I just told one. Damn it!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Iceman, CHBPL teammates, Milwaukee make news

If you've been reading lately, you're well aware that I played in the World Series of Beer Pong in Mesquite, Nevada from January 2-6. We got a lot of media attention out there, with the most prolifflic one coming from playboy.com. The Milwaukee gang turned heads, and brought attention to ourselves at all times. I'm going to provide some link to some of the articles written about the World Series of Beer Pong, just so you have an idea of how huge this thing was. I can't promise that these links will always be valid, I don't know how long they'll keep the articles active on their websites. Check out these sites at your own risk, and as always, viewer discretion is advised...

playboy.com - the best article written, possibly ever. There's nudity on the site, but it's worth going to to read the article, even if you have morals. The article speaks at length about myself, as well as my friends and our beer pong league. It also has some sweet pictures of us and a video of Casey Reily playing some beer pong with Cara Zavaleta, Miss November 2004. If you read one article in your life, I suggest that you read this one. It's freakin' sweet.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal - The Las Vegas newspaper; they wrote an article about the World Series. It doesn't speak of Milwaukee or mention any of us, but there is a great picture of Matthew "Brodey" Callies and Michael "Dave" Balkman playing some beer pong. A few of us (including me) can be seen behind them trying to psych out the oposing team.

Daily Nexus - The student newspaper from the University of Santa Babera. The article was written by a member of the newspaper who attended and participated in the WSoBP. It has a nice picture on "Fresno" Chris and a couple of nice words from Matt Salmon. It's worth a read because it has a good viewpoint from a participant instead of a spectator.

World Series of Beer Pong - the official site for the WSoBP. They don't really have any good pictures up yet (although there are some nice videos of Brodey and Balkman) and the articles barely go into any depth on the events. Hopefully they'll add some more stuff to it in the coming weeks. Check it often to see if they announce any upcoming beer pong events, as well as a decision on next year's WSoBP.

WSoBP Retrospective from one of our New York buddies - Our friends Tom and Matt were in our divison and played alongside us nearly every game during the first 2 days. Their team was called the Lumberjacks, and they hail from Albany, New York. We never played against them, which was a good thing because they were so nice I would've hated to hand them a defeat. Tom wrote a daily entry of his unique perspective of the tournament, which I thought was cool because it differs from what I personally witnessed.

CHBPL - our league website. You can check out profiles of the people who went to the WSoBP. There's also information about everything that we do when it comes ot beer pong.

That's about all I can find right now. If I find any other links, I'll be sure to put them up here someday. Enjoy reading, and come on over to the Chateau Murray if you want to try out beer pong for yourself. Have a great day!!

www.pookon.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

WSoBP Day 5 (January 4) - Beer Pong Finals (long version)

You already read some highlights that I posted on January 6th. This is the full play-by-play account of the final day of play, which included the playoff round. A lot happened, but we didn;t get to play a lot because there were only 32 teams, and it was double elimination. It wasn't the greatest day ever (that was yesterday, Jan. 3) but it was still a hell of a lot of fun.

11:15 am - Waiting to begin the playoffs. I'm already 3 Miller Lite's in the hole, as well as 1 deep in Monster drinks. Playboy TV is here filming some of this for a segment. To demonstrate the game, Road Rules castmember and Playboy Playmate Novemeber 2004 Cara Zavaleta played an exhibiton game against Duncan and Billy, the event organizers. None of them were very good, so the game went on for a while. Cara asked for a volunteer to be her partner, and Casey Riley immediatly rose to the occasion. He performed well, but naturally let Cara take all of the credit. Smooth move Riley, but it won't win you the $10,000 grand prize.

11:55 am - Fresno and I won our 1st playoff game amid the onlooking of every writer there and constant video cameras in our faces. It was tough to play under all of that pressure, and our game came down to 1 - 1. I barely hit any shots, but at least we won. Brodey/Balkman lost, as did Riley/Phany. Lorge/Casey won, meaning that they will play Fresno/Iceman in round 2. I want both of us to win, but that can't be possible so I'll cheer for us. I got interviewed by Cara for Playboy TV, and told her that if I won, I'd throw a sexy party, complete with a sailor hat, tacky 70's music and scantily clad women (ala Stewie Griffin.) I invited her and anyone else whe knew from playboy to come along, which made her laugh. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and I was drunk and really didn't care.

12:20 pm - Just lost to Lorge/Casey. I guess it was expected because we're not that good in the CHBPL. It's rough, but I really shouldn't dwell on it much longer. The more I think about it, the more angry I will be. They better not make me anygry...You wouldn't like me when I'm anagry. I'll turn into the Hulk and tear this mother down. Hopefully I can manifest that anger into a victory in the next round. If not, then at least we were the #4 team going into the playoffs. They can't take that away from us. We found out later on that we may or may not have beaten them because of the redemption/rebuttle rule. Everyone was unclear about how the rules worked, so I'm calling shenanigans on this game's procedure. Who won? According to the tournament, they did, but I'm always going to question that ruling.

1:00ish pm - Brodey/Balkman are going into double overtime. They established a rebuttle rule for the playoffs, but did a poor job of describing and enforcing it. Because of that unclear ruling, they lost, but we established ourselves as the most hated group in beer pong. During Brodey/Balkman's game, most everyone in the audience was cheering against Milwaukee because we've been loud and supportive of our teams, and I guess we've rubbed too many people the wrong way. I was wasted and standing right behind Brodey and Balkman, shouting at the other team. There were times when they stopped paying attention to the game and started paying attention to me, but they were good enough to not get psyched out. Maybe it also was that Brodey/Balkman didn't bring their A game. Whatever it was, we've done our city proud.

2:20 pm - Well, this Cinderella story has come to an end. We lost, and are officially out of the tournament. When we got beat by Dixie Normous, we didn;t get a rebuttle because they hit the last 2 cups in succesion. To tell you the truth, my heart wasn't really in this game. First off, I didn't know that we were even playing at this time, and no one from Milwaukee was there to support us. Ah well, at least we showed everbody where we came from.

3:30 pm - We're all out of the tournament now, but a lot of drama has taken place. Riley almost got into a fight with Raphael from the Ninja Turtles. I know that he's cool but rude, but he didn;t have to get all upset that we razzed him a little bit. He was mad because we were cheering against him because he takes the game too seriously and he was there for the money instead of the beer pong. His team was also the #1 seed going in to the plaoffs, so naturally everyone wanted to see an upset. Riley may have taken it too far, but this guy snapped when someone made fun of him. He got enraged, and I tried to calm him down by telling jokes. I opened my wallet and asked him, "If I give you some money out of my wallet, will you promise not to kill me?" This only angered him more, and I'm surprised that I'm still alive. He blew it way out of proportion, and I'm glad we didn;t have to fight him because it would have been a lost cause and he wouldn't have learned his lesson.

4:00ish pm - Team France played against Slippery Fetus for the championship and the $10,000, but I really didn't care. I stuck around just to see how good they were, and I think that Fresno and I could've taken them easily. There was some kind of awards ceramony afterwards, where they gave away the check. They gave out some other random awards, but i really didn't care.

I may be wrong, but this is what I believe the final standings were:

Casey/Lorge - 6th
Iceman/Fresno - 10th
Riley/Phany - 15th
Brodey/Balkman - 20th
Salmon/Aaron - 50th (Despite not making the playoffs, they are still ranked 50 out of 83 teams.)

Not too bad if you ask me. Find me another city that has 4 teams ranked in the top 20 in the country in beer pong, and I'll stop telling everyone that Milwaukee's the best beer pong city.

7:30ish pm - playing beer pong in room 5130 with the Canadian guys from the tournamnet. Just like we did the other night, they stole a brown-top table from outside the convention center and set it up in the room. We were playing a 10-cup game, and I won 2 in a row with this girl named Katie. I shot over 50%, and everyone was amazed by my skill and knew that I was for real. While I was standing outside after I lost my 3rd game, Salmon came and joined us and founjd someone that he could talk soccor with. People (including Billy's Dad) were doing a beer bong out of a pink flamingo that held about 5 beers. I had a few more beers then wandered towards our room to see what was going on.

8:30 pm - about to play beer pong against the journalists; the writer from playboy.com and the one from Toro magazine. The Godfather (Brodey) and I will have to take them down. And we did.

9:39 pm - What started out as me walking to the soda machine for a Coke ended with me playing beer pong in 3 different hotel rooms. The journalists stuck around for a good while and played a bunch of games with us. I don't really remember when we ended, but I know several people stopped in to play, and we all had a great time. Beer pong truely is the one sport that will unite all mankind as one. There was so much beer pong going on. We were being so loud that the security guards were upset at us. We ended up moving the tables to the tennis courts. I don't think they played too long, because I saw everyone heading towards the casino. We were hanging out with Billy's Dad, who was like 60 but still knew how to party. I found out from some of the guys that I have a nickname other than Iceman. Some people refered to me as the OCD guy because of the shooting approach that I take. They are of course refering to obsesive compulsive disorder because I have to do the same thing every single time before I shoot the ball.It's more of a routine thatn anything else, and it just helps to steady my nerves before I shoot.

We kept on playing until everyone got tired. I then joined Brodey at the bar where he was playing alongside 1/2 of Team France. They were wiping out the competion as only the Godfather and a $10,000 winner could. I watched them for a little while, but decided that my time would be better spent gambling or surfing the internet.

1:30 - 3:30 am - I just figured out what a big dork I am. I spent 2 hours in a casino, but I wasn't gambling...I was on the internet.I've been feeling a little deprived, and I get all giddy whenever the connection bars glow green.

After that, I went back to the room to get a few hours of sleep. We are supposed to be out of the hotel by 9:30, and we plan on spending the entire day in Las Vegas before starting the 30-hour drive home. I know I'm skipping out on my sleep, but I've been having way too much fun to waste what precious time I have out here on sleep. I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I get home...

www.pookon.com

Friday, January 06, 2006

WSoBP Day 5 (January 5) - Beer Pong Finals (short version)

I'm not going to have enough time today to type up an entry for the finals, but I just wanted to get on here and give you a couple of tidbits so I don't leave you hanging until Sunday. The next time I'll have internet access is on Sunday when I'm back home in Milwaukee, so here are a couple of highlights from Thursday's events. I'll expand more on them Sunday afternoon.

- Casey Riley played an exhibition match with a Playboy Playmate against Billy and Duncan, the event organizers and members of the bpong.com staff.
- Casey/Lorge and Iceman/Fresno won their opening round games.
- Brodey/Balkman and Riley/Phany did not.
- we played Casey/Lorge in round two and lost to them.
- we established ourselves as the most hated group in beer pong. Everyone there was cheering against us every time we stepped up to the table.
- won our next 2 game before losing in the 4th round (out of 8) of the losers bracket.
- Casey/Lorge made it to 6th round and ended up as the 6th team overall out of the 32 who made it into the playoffs. Ice/Fresno tied for 12th, Riley/Phany tied for 20th and Brodey/Blakman tied for 24th. Not too bad if you ask me.
- Riley almost got into a fight with this guy who looks like Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- played beer pong in about 3 different hotel rooms with people from the tournament. We even played with the writers from playboy.com and Toro magazine, both of which were just learning the game of beer pong.
- went to bed around 4:00 am, preparing to spend entire day in Las Vegas on Friday 1/6.

Like I said, I'll expand on this more when I get home, but at least now you have a general idea of what happened during the final day of this event. Take care, and I'll see you on Sunday. Thanks for reading, and also thanks for your comments to my blog. It's good to see someone who cares.

www.pookon.com

Thursday, January 05, 2006

WSoBP Day 4 (January 4) - 2nd Day of Beer Pong

10:55 am – Waiting for the games to begin. Once again, I didn’t eat breakfast (Fresno went to McDonald’s again) and I immediately drank a beer as soon as I got out of bed. I am currently consuming a Monster energy drink, and I’m hyped beyond belief right now. The 10 of us are just hanging out on the bleachers like a bunch of 3rd graders, except that we drink something other than juice boxes and 25 cent milk cartons.

11:30 am – We’re now 4-2 after beating the Idaho Potato Peelers. These guys told me that they were in Las Vegas all night, and didn’t get back to Mesquite until 8:00 am. Looking rather ragged and tired/hung over, they actually came within 2 cups of beating us. We were a little off at first, but we got the W, and that’s all that really matters.

12:05 pm – The Cleveland Steamers failed to show up, so the game resulted in a forfeit. After our easiest victory yet, we’re now 5-2, with 4 games left to play today.

1:10 pm – We just beat Peer Bong Squenis Wad by 2 cups. They were arguably the best team that we have faced yet. We shot solidly, going cup for cup against them. We 1-2d them, meaning Fresno hit the 1st cup and I hit the 2nd to secure us a victory. It was old school TYGB style. We’re now 6-2 and riding high. There’s no “half time” intermission today, meaning that there’s little rest until the next game. Hopefully we can ride this high into the next game. During this tournament, I’m all decked out in old “ball and glove” logo Brewers gear from head to toe, making my love for the team publicly known. They also know that I’m proud to be from Milwaukee and Wisconsin. They tried to taunt me with saying, “You work at the stadium!” Like that’s even close to a taunt, seeing as how I love my job more than anyone really should. When I hit the kill, I jumped up and yelled, “YOU’RE G D RIGHT I DO!” I apologize now for the brash language, but I couldn’t help it at the time and I needed to preserve that quote as it was said.

2:15 pm – Beat the Motherchuggers by 4 cups. We’re 7-2 now and I hit another kill shot.

3:40 pm – Went back to the room to grab a beer and get my buzz back after eating lunch. I ate lunch with Brodey, Balkman and Fresno, and our food was actually warm today, which was a big improvement over yesterday’s food.

3:45ish pm – Played round #11 against Cat Griz, and beat them by 4 cups. This increased our cup margin and gave me one more kill shot.

4:15ish pm – Won our 6th game of the day against F.A.C.E. and finished at 9-2. This game was huge because there was seriously like 30 people gathering around to watch us. There were photographers, journalists, fans and the event organizers rooting us to victory. I had to hit the kill shot, because I didn’t want to let any of them down. This victory guarantees us a spot in tomorrow’s double elimination playoff tournament. When I hit the kill shot, Balkman said, “The Ice is nice” and it was the truth. But I could’ve never done it without my partner Fresno Chris. He’s been shooting well in every game and he’s always there to back me up. I feel bad because all of the “media” attention is on me, and he once again has to take a back seat to me in the beer pong universe. He’s a good sport about it, and next time I’ll put in a good word for him. He did have the best taunt ever though. The FACE guys weren’t drinking their beer. We were screaming at them to man up and drink, but they wouldn’t. Fresno walked over, picked up their cup, and chugged it. The crowd went nuts and I think they lost because they let us get in their heads.

Around 5:00ish day 2 was complete, and all of the teams fared better on the second day that they did on the first. The final results after 2 days of beer pong are:

Iceman/Fresno: 6-0 day two, 9-2 overall
Casey/Lorge: 4-2 day two, 8-3 overall
Brodey/Balkman: 4-2 day two, 7-4 overall
Riley/Phany: 4-2 day two, 7-4 overall
Aaron/Salmon 3-3 day two, 5-6 overall
That puts Milwaukee at 36-19 after two days.

At 8:00 the 32 teams that make the playoffs will be announced. Until then, we’re gonna be watching the USC/Texas Rose Bowl game. A lot of us have money riding on this game, but Fresno was the only one who bet on Texas to win and cover the spread.


6:05 pm – Balkman is passed out already. It turns out that he didn’t sleep last night because he spent the night in the casino at the blackjack table. Sounds stupid if you ask me, but winning $500 is worth more than a good night’s sleep.

Watched the game, and Fresno ended up winning some money because Texas covered the spread in the game. I bet on USC to win, so I lost again. I also bet on the Milwaukee Bucks to win, but they lost, so I lost money yet again. I decided that I’m giving up on gambling for the rest of this trip. One thing that I’m not giving up on is beer pong. Our 9-2 record gave us the #4 seed in the playoffs, loosely meaning that we were the 4th best out of the 80-some teams that entered this tournament. CHBPL (Casey/Lorge) enter into the playoffs at #13, the Greatest Show on Plywood (Brodey/Balkman) are #21 and Milwaukee’s Best (Riley/Phany) are at #26. Sadly, Aaron and Salmon did not make the playoffs, but we still have 4 Milwaukee teams representing tomorrow. Check back to see how we did, but know this – if Fresno and I win the $10,000 grand prize, you won’t have to wait until the next day to read about it, I’ll be calling you to let you know immediately.

www.pookon.com

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

WSoBP Day 3 (January 3) - 1st Day of Beer Pong

8:30 am – woke up and bummed around. I remember watching Saved By the Bell, I only mention it because it will have relevance later on today. You’ll see. I know that Chris and I started drinking pretty much after we got out of bed. We gotta be prepared for today’s events. At 9 am, I was watching Dawson’s Creek, which just gave Chris another reason to make fun of me.

10:00 am – Went to the convention room to play beer pong. We were supposed to meet and hear some opening comments, get placed into division, go over rules, etc. You know, get all of that official stuff out of the way early. It seems like some of the teams didn’t feel like showing up, so they delayed this meeting until 11. Salmon and I went to the Casino to play penny slots. While there, the waitress brought me a beer, and seeing as I didn’t eat any breakfast, I was feeling pretty good by the time 11:00 came around.

11:00 am
– Met at the conference center to play some beer pong. We were devided into 6 division, each comprised of 13-14 teams each. The Team You’re Gonna Beat (Fresno Chris and myself) were in division 2, the Professors of Pong (Aaron and Salmon) were in #3, CHBPL (Casey V. and Lorge) were in #4, the Greatest Show on Plywood (Brodey and Balkman) were in #5 and Milwaukee’s Best (Casey R. and Ryan “Phany”) were in #6. It was nice that we didn’t have to play anyone else from our group, because then we could play some teams we’ve never seen before. A little bit later, round 1 began.

12:00ish am – Chris and I beat the Sloshballers from Pacifia, CA in 9 shots. Out of the 14 tables playing simultaneously, we were the 1st team to win in the 1st World Series of Beer Pong. I was als o the 1st person to hit a kill shot. Those are two firsts that I’ll always be proud of, and no matter what happens in this tournament, they can’t take it away from me. The rest of Milwaukee’s finest were cheering me on, shouting “Iceman, Iceman!” every time I had a ball in my hand. We won by 3 cups, and amazed everyone by hitting the last 4 in a row. We turned some heads with our playing style and our support group.

12:30 pm
– a writer from the Canadian magazine Toro interviewed me. They asked me some standard questions, and they also took some photographs of me while I played. Casey/Lorge and Salmon/Aaron had 1st round byes. Brodey/Balkman won by 1 cup, and Casey/Phaney won as well, giving Milwaukee a 3-0 record so far. A writer for Playboy.com interviewed Brodey and asked him questions about our group.


1:40 pm
– After our second win, where we won by 4 cups and I hit my second kill shot, there was a lot of hype surrounding this guy named Iceman. The writer from Playboy.com interviewed me, and we sat down and talked for 10 minutes. I told him a lot of interesting things, about our group, our league, why I draw a line with my middle finger before shooting, why they call me Iceman, and things of that nature. If any of my information gets posted in his article, I’ll be sure to include it in this blog in a future posting. Throughout the rest of the day, he also took some pictures of us, which hopefully will be viewed by someone and we can all win free beer or something. The people from Toro magazine had me and Fresno Chris sign a release waiver so that they could use our pictures. The line that I signed said model name, so that now means that I’m a male model because I’m really really really ridiculously good looking. I’m working on my “ice glare” as we speak. We’ve been talking with other teams from around the country, and everyone that’s here is really cool. We’ve been hanging out with a lot of the other teams, and joke and goof around like we’re old friends.

2:00ish pm – Finished our 3rd game of the day, and won that one as well. We then went outside on the tennis courts for some burgers and hot dogs. The food was cold, but we ate with these two guys who have been playing next to us. We’ve been talking and laughing and enjoying some good beer pong moments. They think that we’re hyped, and I hope that I can live up to that.


We then had a 45 minute break “halftime” as they called it, and we had a bye during the first game back, giving us close to 2 hours to wait to play some more beer pong. During this time, I went to Starbucks to upload yesterday’s blog entry, then waited until my next match. Tom Petty said that the waiting is the hardest part, but I’m sure that he wasn’t talking about beer pong, even though it applies here as well. When we finally did get to play again, I was tired, and really didn’t feel like playing or drinking.

5:00ish pm – We lost both of our games in the afternoon, not because they were better than us, but because we failed to make shots. We both were off and not into the grove. I felt bad because I had built up so much hype that photographers were waiting to take a picture of me when I nailed the kill shot and I let them down. All of our teams had a disappointing 2nd half, and Brodey had a stern talk with us about improving tomorrow and not looking like a bunch of flunkies (my interpretation of the Godfather’s wisdom.) Tomorrow is another day, but today these are how the teams stand:
Casey/Lorge: 4-1 with a bye.
Iceman/Fresno: 3-2 with a bye.
Brodey/Balkman: 3-2 with a bye.
Casey/Phany: - 3-2 with a bye.
Aaron/Salmon: 2-3 with a bye.

Overall: Milwaukee is 15-10, which is above .500 but we know we’re better than this.

I don't remember much from the rest of the evening, because I was dissapointed by my performance in the 2nd half of today's events. Here are some highlights from the rest of the evening...
- We found a table (those brown folding ones like the ones we had in the St. Catherine’s cafeteria when I was in grade school) and carried it to Aaron and Brodey’s room. We put it in the doorway between rooms 5119 and 5118 and played some beer pong. The guys in 5118 are from New York and rock at beer pong. They won at least 7 games in a row before Aaron and Brodey took over and dominated the table until I left. Playing beer pong in a hotel room kicks ass.
- I went to the casino again, playing penny slots. I lost money again. I then decided to do a little experiment. I took 300 nickels ($15) and played the maximum (3) on a slot machine to see 1. how long I could last, 2. whether or not the machine would go “cold” or get “hot”, 3. see if I could actually win any money. I started at 12:10 am, and finished at 12:36 am with no money left over. $15 only lasted 26 minutes, and the most I ever won was approximately 130 nickels, which only put me back at the 300 mark at that time. I have concluded that I suck at gambling and cannot win no matter what I play.
- I walked around trying to get a picture of the Oasis casino sign that said Welcome to the World Series of Beer Pong. I also noticed that the neighboring casino, the Casablanca, had a similar sign. I finally made it close enough to get a decent picture, and decided that since I had made the walk over here, I might as well go inside and check it out. The Casablanca was designed better than the Oasis, and there were fountains and palm trees inside and stuff. I played the Price is Right nickel slot machine after perusing the casino, and immediatly won $5.15. It's too bad that I put it right back in the machine plus some. I think I've pretty much given up on gambling.
- I walked back from the Casino and stopped at the Shell gas station to buy some Monster energy drink, a rice krispie bar, a snickers bar, and some Ruffles potato chips. When I got back, it was around 1:30 am, and I had to be up at 8:00 am for another day of drinking. Life is rough.

www.pookon.com