World Series of Beer Pong VII - Day 3

These fuckers won the World Series of Beer Pong this year and I have no idea who they are. The check says "Seek N Destroy" and I found out on the interwebs that they are from the St. Louis area or some shit, but to be honest with you I couldn't care less about them. Call me bitter or a jerk/asshole/bastard or some variation. I don't care. I never expected to come out here and win $50,000 but at least I used to care about the beer pong community. I used to post in the forums on beerpong.com (formerly bpong.com), interact with fellow beer pong players on Facebook and have a vested interest in the performance of the other players. Sadly a lot of that ended when I stopped playing beer pong on a "professional" level with the cessation of our CHBPL league and when I stopped traveling to Madison, Green Bay and Chicago to play in satellite tournaments. 

And then I stopped giving a shit about beer pong. Once I didn't care about that I started caring about other things like starting the revolution, becoming a rockstar and finding a nice and pretty girl to settle down with. Ok, so I really only concentrated on 2 of those 3 things. Can you guess which ones? My fist is in the air and I'm in 2 bands if you needed a hint. It's not that I'm not a fan of the ladies (because I really am despite what people keep saying) it's just that I'm dog ugly and I'm smooth like a jagged rock when it comes to talking to the ladies. But that's not what we're here to talk about. For the last 5 years (the last time that I made the Day 3 playoffs of the WSoBP was in Year II, which is thankfully captured on film in the Last Cup documentary) I have known or at least expected to miss the playoffs. If I was anywhere else in the world that would have sucked because I wouldn't have known what to do with my day. But the WSoBP is in Las Vegas and if you can't find something to do here then you are in your room closing your eyes shaking naked in the fetal. Wake up, get dressed and go outside. It's Vegas baby!!

The beautiful thing about not having to play beer pong on Day 3 is being able to do whatever the hell I wanted, which also means that I could finally hang out with Kevin. He got here around 11pm on Jan 1st and on the 2nd and 3rd I was busy playing beer pong all day. By the time that I was done around 6pm I was all tuckered out plus I was still sick. As you saw in the videos and read about on this blog, I still managed to make it out of the room and out on the town, but not nearly as much as I could have done without an upset stomach and blisters on my feet. The stomach pains prevented me from drinking and the blisters from walking, so I was pretty useless as far as doing things. Let's just say the fun police would have arrested me and locked me up for life without the possibility of parole. But I didn't have to deal with any of that today because I had no schedule and to do list to pressure me into pushing my body to the limit. I could go at my own pace and take the path of leisure. Which is probably why I did next to nothing on Day 3. All things considered I still managed to do a lot but certainly not as much as in years past.

I had a really hard time remembering what happened on Day 3 because it was the first time that I was able to go nuts and get good and drunk. I carried about some backpack rum and kept on drinking it even when I was getting free drinks in the casinos. Before I knew it it was nearly midnight. What the hell happened to my day? As I was standing outside the Bellagio during the water fountain show I attempted to piece together the events of my day and found out that it took me less than 3 minutes to recap 12 hours. Seeing as how more things had to have happened (it is Las Vegas after all) I deiced to string together all of my pictures from that day and narrate them. The following video is a combination of those two ideas.

I mentioned in the video that I probably tweeted some things that happened during the day that will help me remember Day 3. None of these are very big revelations but they are another piece to the story. That is why I have provided them below. I don't hold anything back from you guys because I want you to know the story of my life. I'm willing to tell it if you are willing to listen to it/read it. My tweets are a little more timely than the videos and pictures, but as you will see nothing really happened until we got to Downtown Las Vegas (which is the 3rd tweet) and that wasn't until night. So that's probably a pretty good reason why I wasn't able to remember the night. Everything that went on occurred during the final few hours which made it all mesh together into one big jumbled memory. I couldn't piece it together in the video and I didn't take any pictures of these events, so some of the information below will be brand new to you. And like always all of it is true. I have no reason to lie or hide anything from you. What do I have to lose anyway? I'm 30, I live with my Mom and I don't have a girlfriend. It's supposed to be all uphill from here, right?

Having a drink to start off the day and recover from the night before. Hell, it's 10am somewhere. #LasVegas
 
Double-Double Burger at In-N-Out with Animal Fries. This must be what heaven feels like. Without the heart attack. #eats
 
On the craps table there's the pass line and the don't pass line, but where is the "you shall not pass!" line? #LordOfTheRings #LasVegas
 
The machine is made by Boyd. Like Boyd Aviation? It's probably the bypass line. It's all ball bearings these days! #GordonLiddy #LasVegas
 
Played Dean Martin's Dance Party and got to hear the "Go Go Go Go!" song. It's been far too long. Life is good. #LasVegas
 
This penguin just got really high and won me 951 credits. I'm not one to judge a lifestyle. I'm for it when I benefit. #LasVegas
 
Saw a game with a black guy and gems called "Midnight Miner." Wow. That's #ALittleRacist, don't you think? #LasVegas
 
This Goldfish game isn't very loud. That's because under the sea, no one can hear you scream. But they can hear you sing. #LittleMermaid
 
My goal tonight is to be asked to leave a casino for being too loud + obnoxious. If I keep drinking + winning, it will happen. #LasVegas
 
Jerry Avila @sxejerry
Goal for tonite in Vegas is to meet bp legend the iceman @pookondotcom
Retweeted by Scott Iceman Reck
 
Ah - Glitter Gulch. Where dreams are born and apparently where strippers go to die. #RIPSapphire
 
I'm at La Bayou looking for Karma to make amends for my wrong doings 2 years ago. If I find her, I will ask her to be my wife. #TooLate
 
The biggest mistake I ever made was leaving Karma. That drink girl was the future Mrs. "Iceman" Reck. I know that now. #regrets
 
Huey Lewis' "Back in Time" from #BackToTheFuture is on. Makes me wish I could go back and propose to Karma. #TooLate
 
I left La Bayou the same way that I walked in - single. Karma is no longer working there. I'll try again next year. #persistence
 
The body is not meant to feel like this. This is inhumane. I hurt so much that future generations of me will hurt. #GettingOld
 
Congratulations to Who Fucking Cares for winning the #WSoBP VII. Sorry. It's not me so I don't give a shit. #bitter
 
Playing quarters into the Bellagio pool during the fountain show. #classic #LasVegas
 
(Man in tux is kissing his wife in wedding dress in front of Bellagio fountains) Me: DO IT DOUG!!! #mallrats
 
Yep. It's now official. My commitment to hating #LasVegas has now begun. Fuck Las Vegas. I hope it burns to the ground. #bitter

I really don't have anything left to say about Day 3. I'm pretty sure that I laid everything out there on black and let it ride. We'll see in a few spins of the wheel how I'm doing or if I have to keep raiding my kid's college funds to recoup my losses and get myself back home. I tend to go balls to the walls on Day 3 because I head back home tomorrow. I literally wore myself out by the end of the day and the only reason I sat down at the Mississippi Stud table game was to sit down and rest. I wish that I would have sat down at a penny slot machine instead because by the time 3am rolled around I had lost $165 dollars. 

While that sucked a lot at the time it's really not that bad considering that I won $250 at American Idol on Day 1 and $250 on 4 Card Poker / Mississippi Stud on Day 2. By those estimates I was actually up like $335 but I didn't factor in all of the other losses I had around time at the slots. I didn't count how much money I went out there with and I didn't count how much I came home with, but from doing that math I can't help but think that all of my expenses (food, gambling and booze) were paid for by my winnings. I might have even come home with some money but I don't really manage my finances very well. That's because I live with my Mom and don't pay rent. Hell I don't even pay for heat, electricity or food. So money doesn't really matter much to me. So if you want some, come on over.

Well, that may be it for the World Series of Beer Pong VII coverage here on Pookon's Ill Blog. It's been like 17 days since I've been home but I've been some kind of sick for every one of them. First it was cold symptoms, then it was congestion in my throat and chest and now I've got some kind of rash on my leg, my ears feel like I'm picking up sound in a church and I'm dizzy. So I'm running the gauntlet of non-normalcy here in 2012 and I still haven't seen a doctor. That's because my health insurance changed for the new year and I had to call some number and authorize something or other. I know that I should have done this already, but instead I just sat at home unable to move most days. I hate to make excuses, but that's one of the reasons why I have been so late to post these Day by Day recaps of the WSoBP. I intend to do one last video / recap of the entire time out there and I wanted to get drunk and sit down with Kevin to do it. But I have been unable to drink until intoxication (which has been terrible but also may be a blessing in disguise) and Kevin went down to Dallas with his brother Gary to help him move there. So we'll probably do that in the next week but if we don't, this will be my last time talking about it until I post all the pictures over at pookon.com.

Although it took a toll on my body in more ways than one, I am glad that I went out to Las Vegas for the 7th consecutive time for the World Series of Beer Pong. Even though Hummel that Shit! only went 4-8 I promised to come back for 3 more years (VIII, IX and X) before calling it quits. But this will be the last time I play with Hummel. Nothing against him as he was undoubtedly the best player on the team, but I promised to play with Kevin one year and Brodey another. Then I decided that I would like to reteam with either Fresno Chris or Joey Kanz one more time to see if we could recapture the magic of Year I (Fresno Chris) or succeed where we have failed many times despite being in my opinion one of the greatest Milwaukee beer pong teams of all time (Joey Kanz). So I still have something to prove out there both to myself and the beer pong community. This chapter might be coming to a close but the story is far from over. So as always keep checking back here on the blog, the Twitter, the Facebook and the website for details. Thanks for following along with me thus far and I hope you were at least entertained. At the end of the day that's all I really hope for because that it was I set out to do. Take care.

- Iceman - 

www.pookon.com

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

World Series of Beer Pong VII - Day 2

By Day 2 I was feeling better health-wise, but I was still nowhere near 100%. If I had to put it into a math equation that some of you could understand I'd say I was feeling like the square root of 7 divided by 3.41 carry the 2. Since I'm an athlete, not a mathlete I'm not going to attempt to figure that out. If you think you posses more brain than brawn then have at it. And get back to me because I'm curious as to what the answer may be. NOT. Yeah that's right. I went all 90's on your ass. What are you going to do about it? Challenge me to a 1-on-1 game of beer pong? Because you'll beat me. I promise you that. Given the way that I was playing at the World Series anyone could (and did) beat me. But at least things were looking a little rosier on the other side of the bridge on Day 2. But that still isn't saying a lot considering that we finished 1-5 on Day 1 and were losing games by 5-7 cups. Anything would be an improvement over that.

The biggest difference was my health. Physically I was feeling my age and walking around town with little to no padding in my shoes meant some pretty wicked blisters on my feet. And since I sit at a desk all day I don't get around much. I blame myself on that one, but my body isn't used to physical activity. So I felt like shit but at least I wasn't sick. That meant that I could finally drink in the morning and prepare myself properly for a full day's worth of beer pong. I'm one of those people who play better when I'm loose, and to get loose I need rum. And boy did I have some this morning. At first it looked like not even rum could bail me out of poor play. We dropped our first 2 games of the day and our losing streak had hit 7 games. All hell had broken loose and it seemed like we would never win another game. Now I know that I don't practice much back home and that I had low expectations for our WSoBP play, but I didn't expect to do this bad. That's why it was important to win another few games.

I don't remember how it all played out, but we ended up finally winning another game. I went to my record keeper (Facebook and Twitter) and found out that we won the game but our opponents made the rebuttle shot to send it into overtime. We couldn't even get an easy win. So it goes though man and looks like we had to really earn that one. But in the end a win is a win and our record improved to 2-7. Our next game went into overtime as well and I had to hit both kill shots to cement the victory to put us at 3-7. Last year we finished 5-7 and if we won out we could at least match that. But it wasn't meant to be and we dropped the next game to push our record to a disappointing 3-8. It was then that I guaranteed we would win the final game of the year. Using some wisdom from The Godfather I went out there with an attitude of "Just Play" and we won the last game on Day 2 to save a little face and end on a high note. 4-8 was my worst showing at a World Series of Beer Pong but it was to be expected. Sure it hurt at the time but the next day it was a lot easier to swallow.

I had to enlist Hummel to try and help me figure out just what the hell went on during Day 2. Because even though I wasn't that drunk, I was still knocked out from the sickness. I couldn't let that slow me down though because I'm only in Las Vegas once a year and need to live it up for those of you back home who live vicariously through me and follow me on Twitter. Speaking of that social medium, here are my tweets from that day which help to tell the story that my words both written and spoken may have failed to do. I still don't really get the point of Twitter but I suppose for me it is used to remember things and to entertain others. Hopefully you aren't offended easily and have a sense of humor. Because then you should enjoy the nonsense that I'm about to present to you. But don't say I didn't warn you...

@BPONG I want to set up a booth. $5 for photo + autograph from the Iceman. But I don't think I can afford to pay everyone $5. #WSoBP 
 
Hummel that Shit! loses their 6th consecutive game and stands at 1-6. This shit isn't even fun anymore. #WSoBP
 
Iceman is the worst beer pong player of all time and we are now 1-7. Talk about letting people down. #sadness #truth #WSoBP
 
It seems like forever since we won, but that's why it feels so good. Hummel that Shit! is now 2-7 and looking to finish strong. #WSoBP
 
Some random just came up to me and gave me a beer. Free shit. One of the perks of being celebrity. #WSoBP
 
Hummel that Shit took another overtime to win their 3rd game of the #WSoBP. Record now stands at 3-7. Oh well. #RFT
 
(Playing against 2 guys dressed as Santa + the Devil) Guy 1: I'm Santa. Guy 2: I'm Satan. Hummel: I'm Hummel. Me: I'm that shit. #WSoBP
 
Hummel that Shit loses another game and is now 3-8. So much for representing #Milwaukee. Oh well. Next year bitches! #WSoBP
 
Foreign Guy cheering against us: you aren't going to hit this shot! Me: blah blah blah blah, I have a foreign accent! #WSoBP
 
Hummel that Shit! finishes #WSoBP VII with a 4-8 record, which is our worst ever but ok all things considered. #PositiveInEveryScenario
 
I magically found my way back to Planet Hollywood to stare at the dancing girls. It's like I was meant to be here. #creeper
 
Just had an escort try to pick me up. She wanted me for my body, not for my wallet. She found me very attractive. #LiesYouTellYourself
 
I feel bad for her. She was smoking hot. She's probably not used to rejection and I hurt her feelings. #LiesYouTellYourself
 
If the conversation with the escort got into the negotiating phase, it would have been my first serious relationship. #truth
 
If the conversation lasted 10 minutes I would have updated my Facebook relationship status and took her to meet my mother. #truth
 
This gems gems gems game was playing this sweet dance pop "you gotta like it when it's gemmy" song. And I liked it. #LasVegas
 
#LasVegas plays me like a fiddle. The more loud and obnoxious the game, the more money I stick into it. #FIREBALL!!!!
 
Was having a bad day gambling until Uncle Gary showed me some new table games. $250 later and I'm buying everyone steak + eggs. #fantastic

I forgot to mention that my Uncle Gary drove in from Palm Springs on his motorcycle to come watch us play. I've been telling him about the World Series of Beer Pong for many years and he finally came out to check it out for himself. That was really cool of him to come and cheer me on and was just another thing on the long list of cool things my Godfather has done for me. When the "Last Cup" beer pong documentary premiered at the Times Cinema in Wauwatosa my Uncle Gary not only flew here from California but he also rented a limousine for me and some friends so that we could arrive to the movie premiere in style. That was wicked awesome and even though I was pretty drunk it is one of the best times that I ever had. I will never forget about that and if I'm ever in a position to do something cool for him I most certainly will. After we finished playing beer pong we went out on the town to do some gambling. And although I was content on playing the penny slots he wanted to show me how to play this 4 card Poker game and also another one called Mississippi Stud. Using his money ($100) I made a profit of $150 and he let me keep the original $100, meaning that (for you non math wizards out there) that I was up $250 bucks on the night. Seeing as I already won $250 on the American Idol slot machine the other night, things were looking pretty good money-wise.

I wish that I could say the same thing about my health. My blisters on my feet were out of control and I could barely move. I can't remember a time when I was this physically exhausted. My body ached and it was a challenge just to get up out of a chair or walk across the room. You might give me shit for whining like a baby but trust me when I say I couldn't handle doing even the most menial of tasks. I have never felt like that before in my entire life and if I hadn't have been in Las Vegas I would have stayed in bed all day long. It was kind of unfair because the mind was willing but the body wasn't able. I almost hate to say this but now I kind of know what old people and cripples feel like. It was like I was a prisoner in my own body. When we had cleaned out Bally's Casino of all of their chips (we are pretty high rollers after all) we went over to Bill's Gambling Hall and Saloon for steak + eggs at like 330 in the morning. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I think it's a good idea right now. If I was anywhere near Las Vegas I just might head on over there tonight when I'm good and drunk. I don't see that happening, but it doesn't hurt to dream right?

If I had a reason to go to sleep and rest up for the next day I would have done that. But for the 5th consecutive year (Jesus, has it really been that long?) my team has missed the Day 3 playoffs of beer pong. While that does really suck because it means I have no shot at winning the $50,000 grand prize, it does mean that I can whatever I wanted to do with my last day out here in Vegas. And since I have a checklist of things to do every year I'm out here I guess it's a good thing that I have time to do them. First on that list is to go to the In-N-Out Burger, which only exists on the West Coast. It's the one time a year I can get the most delicious burger in the world complete with some Animal Fries. My mouth waters as I think about it right now, but I'll certainly talk more about that when I cover Day 3 in the next post. Hopefully I was able to recap everything that happened today. If I missed something then it will be forever lost because I don't intend to touch base on this again. Well at least until I do the yearly post on pookon.com. But since I don't post that until September or October I usually just make all of that shit up anyway. 

 - Iceman - 

www.pookon.com

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

World Series of Beer Pong VII - Day 1

I woke up on the morning of January 2nd sick as hell. All that I had to eat yesterday was was a power bar and 1/4 of a Subway footlong sub. Although I wasn't throwing up anymore, things were still coming out of my body wrong. Let's leave it at that. So the last thing that I wanted to do was get out of bed, start drinking and play some beer pong. I was really slow moving this morning and just putting on my socks and shoes took 10 minutes. Normally out here at the World Series of Beer Pong I start drinking around 9am to get ready for the first round of games that begin at 11am. Like most beer pong players, I play better when I've had a few and I'm a little loose. Due to my sickness and exhaustion, I wouldn't have the liquid courage in me to facilitate that loose feeling. I was going to have to go down this path alone. It was really hard at first, but then I got a natural buzz when we won our first game of the tournament. I'm a firm believer in winning the first game because then it's all downhill from there and you can breath a big sigh of relief. Lose the first game and the pressure starts to mount and your back is already up against the wall. We didn't have to worry about that though. With a 1-0 record, Hummel that Shit! was in the driver's seat and cruising towards respectability. 

Oh if it would have only been that easy. I don't know the the hell happened, but somewhere along the way I forgot how to shoot a beer pong ball. You could argue that my lack of practice over the last year directly contributed to my lost shot, but I don't think it's that simple. I do have some video as evidence, but I'm not going to provide that for you at this point. You're just going to go ahead and believe me right now. My shot was so bad that I either hit the table a good 6 inches short of the cups or I airballed it so bad the ball is still traveling. That ball may never land anywhere. I tried to go back to the room to take some shots on my own and I also tried playing against Hummel in the El Dorado practice room. We even played against some other dudes to simulate an actual game but it wasn't enough. I had lost my shot. Hummel was carrying the team but 1 person cannot shoulder all of the weight. It takes 2 people to win a game, which is why it was no surprise to me that we lost the next 5 games that day. Did it suck? Hell yeah it did. It still burns a little bit right now but I'm over it. That's because there's more important things in life than beer pong and in the grand scheme of things none of this matters. God doesn't care about beer pong records. Nor do my real friends. People out here at the World Series might thing I'm a loser because the Iceman has fallen from grace and I'm not the guy from the movie. I am the same guy from the movie, I'm just not a beer pong player anymore. Deal with it pal. By the end of the day Hummel that Shit's record of 1-5 didn't mean a damn thing to me because I had better things to do like hang out with cousin Kevin, who was in Las Vegas for the first time. After going out for a night on the town we stopped to record this video around 330am.

I hope I was able to cover all of the stuff I did on Day 1 of WSoBP VII, but like always this is just a part of the story. This is what I'm able to remember at this point. For a better breakdown of what I was thinking during the day I will provide you with my submissions to Twitter. Don't read them unless you are over 18. Some people just can't handle the Iceman. Don't be one of them.

Getting ready for Day 1 of the #WSoBP. I'm nervous as all hell. Don't know why. I'm not good. Just go have fun pal.
 
Hummel that Shit! gets a 1 cup victory and starts Day 1 with a 1-0 record. #Rage. #WSoBP
 
Iceman forgot to bring the offense and Hummel that Shit! loses game 2 to even their record at 1-1. There is no try. #WSoBP
 
Couldn't hit a 6 stack. Pretty basic shit we missed there. And my looks are becoming a problem. Hummel that Shit! now 1-2. #WSoBP
 
A 7 cup loss puts Hummel that Shit! into the "let's have a good time" club. Oh well. There's always next year. 1-3 record. #WSoBP
 
A lopsided loss puts Hummel that Shit on the outside looking in. A 1-4 record is not ok. Oh well. Time to #RFT. #PositiveInEveryScenario
 
Classic case of "we are who we thought they were" as Hummel that Shit! falls to 1-5. There is no spoon. #disappointed
 
After a successful stint of #NapAndRally, I'm once again gambling away my children's college funds. #LasVegas
 
At Planet Hollywood Casino. If I lean forward and peak between 2 slot machines, I can see sexy ladies dancing. #creeper
 
Just won $50 from the random penguin slot machine. Dolphins may be smug, but penguins kick ass. #animals
 
Some woman sat next to me so I can't creepily oogle the sexy dancers. I'd look at her, but I'm not into mature women. #cougar
 
The cougar has fled the jungle, so now I can once again anonymously oogle the sexy dancers. The way it was meant to be. #creeper
 
These new slot machines have surround sound that vibrate the chairs. My sac tingled a bit. #aLittleGross #LasVegas
 
The lady next to me needs to stop hitting the machine. Don't make them mad. We all know what happens next. #Terminator #TheMatrix
 
I got 2 Bruce Waynes and 3 Batmans but the machine didn't give me money. That's not fair. It's the same person. #SoMuchForAI
 
Batman took $20 from me. Look I know he serves the public by locking up criminals, but do the people have to fund his cause? #bullshit
 
It's been a long day for me and its 345am. I have to go to bed so I can wake up and do it all over again. With better results. #WSoBP
 
Someone left some floor pizza outside of our hotel room. The help will probably think it was us, but I promise it was not. #framed

That's all I know right now. Someday maybe the rest of the details will come back to me. But until that happens you're just going to have to go ahead and take my word for it. You just have to damn it! You weren't there! You're lucky that I'm saying anything at all. What's that bullshit saying? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? I could've held true to that archaic and cliched statement and not said a damn thing. But I decided to share it with you. Why? Because sharing is caring. And I care about all of you guys. Because without you I wouldn't have an audience and I would be stuck here by myself talking to myself. If I wanted to do that then it would be just like every other night of my life. I feel the need to switch it up a bit every now and then. You know, to keep it fresh. And fresh is what I do. That's why they call me Iceman. Or some shit like that. I've run out of things to say so I'm just gonna color up my chips and walk away from the table. Stay tuned for Day 2 of the World Series of Beer Pong. Later.

 - Iceman -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

World Series of Beer Pong VII - Before

When I travel I always like to take one of the earliest flights possible so that I can maximize my time in my destination. This is a fairly common practice among travelers and I know I'm not alone in this belief. Need the proof? The earlier flights are usually the most expensive because all of the seats are occupied. Since I either buy my flight early or get it from my Dad (who uses his frequent flyer miles) I end up rolling into Vegas around noon or 1pm. In comparison Kevin, Chris and Sara bought their flights about 2 weeks prior to this trip and they wouldn't be getting into town until like 11pm or even midnight. This gave me the whole day to wander around by myself getting into trouble before someone was able to knock some sense into me and say that drinking excessively when you are sick is a bad idea. Even though I had a grand old time, I kind of wish that someone would have been there to be the voice of reason. Maybe then I could have spent more time recovering and less time drinking and gambling. Maybe then I would have been better suited to play beer pong on Day 1 of the Tournament. Who knows man. All of this is now in hindsight anyway. At the time it seemed like a good decision. But I stand by it. Because I had one hell of a time.

I bought some rum from the liquor store before heading out and I had more than my fair share of "free" drinks at Bill's Gambling Hall and Saloon before spending a few hours at the Bellagio. While there I played a bunch of fun penny slot machines. Probably the best assortment I have ever seen. First it was a Rock and Roll one that saw my headbanging while giving the "devil's horns" rock sign while the people in the buffet line looked on. Next it was a swashbuckling pirate game. Then a trip down childhood nostalgia with the coolest slot machine ever featuring The Ghostbusters. And finally I played this American Idol game with two foreigners and an older lady. All of us started with $20 and cashed out over $200, which was really nice for everyone. I'm pretty sure of that. Of course there's a lot more to this story which will be told in due time over on Pookon.com, but for now you have the video of me walking out of the Bellagio with my winnings being excited about actually coming in on top for once. 

And just because I love you, here are my tweets from my gambling sessions at Bill's Gambling Hall and the Bellagio. You're welcome. But please use your own discretion and caution while reading. I happen to be a little offensive at time because that's just how I am. I'm not going to apologize but I will throw out this disclaimer because you have the choice to proceed. I will always stand by the fact that no one is exempt and I can't control what I say or do. If it's funny to me I put it out here. Deal with it.

This better be the best god damn 7 and 7 of all time. Fucker cost me $20. It's suckers like me that built this town. #gambling #LasVegas

I'm thoroughly convinced that slot machines are out to get me. The Matrix is real! We are all just batteries!! #LasVegas

I'm playing "The Price is Right'" long enough to get some free drinks but I still think the Price is Wrong Bobby. #HappyGilmoreOnTV

I thought that the drink girl was really keen on me but she only liked me for my money. Which I have no more of. #LasVegas

@backalleyburner I'm playing slots next to Mickey Rourke. He was Pakastani in that film. What happened to Jeff Bridges? #IronMan

I just gave $1 to a bum because he had a sign that said "Why Lie? I need beer." A man after my own heart. Hell of a town. #LasVegas

I love walking through the Bellagio with track pants and a Brewers jersey. It's my way of saying "fuck you high society" #LasVegas

I love being a spectacle. People are staring. I'm playing this Rock N' Roll slot machine, throwing up the devil's horns + shouting. #RFT

Now the machine might say otherwise, but I'm a winner because I brought joy to the 10 people surrounding me as I rocked. #LasVegas

I won $30 on a pirate slot and I jumped around slapping my ass and shouting yo-ho! Creating a spectacle. #classic

You would think I was winning hundreds by how excited I get. Nope. Just a few bucks. But I have more fun than anyone. #LasVegas

I fully intended to walk out of the Bellagio even, but then I saw a #Ghostbusters slot machine. I ain't afraid of losing no money!!

When you're losing money, on the slot machine - who ya gonna call? My boss to get an advance on my paycheck. #Ghostbusters #LasVegas

On the #Ghostbusters slot machine you can make the terror dogs go away by touching them. In my dreams I had to wake up. #LasVegas

Here's a nickel's worth of free advice - never play a slot machine of something you hold dear. They beat you on nostalgia. #LasVegas

Are you fucking kidding me?!? I just won $150 doll hairs on the #AmericanIdol slot machine by getting a shit load of Ellens!!!!

I don't care what the critics say. American Idol is the shit. This slot machine has made me $160 doll hairs so far. #LasVegas

Playing American Idol slot machine with a bunch of Japs. What do they know about America? #LasVegas

I may never leave this #AmericanIdol slot machine. After going up big I'm now breaking even. = free drinks for Scotty. #LasVegas

So the drink girl keeps coming by. But I wish that a sandwich girl came by because I'm hungry as shit. #LasVegas

I may never leave this slot machine. I'm cleaning up like a Spanish housekeeper. I started with $20 now I'm at $250. #LasVegas

When you are up over $200 it doesn't seem real. It's like playing with house money. I'm betting $6 a spin. #LasVegas

You might as well forward my mail here. Because I'm never leaving this #AmericanIdol slot machine. #LasVegas

The hardest part is knowing when to walk away. Kenny Rodgers said it best - you got to know when to fold 'em. #LasVegas

I'm up well over $300 now and at some point I need to stop. This is a lot of money. This will buy me nice things. #LasVegas

After well over 2 hours I decided to stop up $250. I could've made more money but greed got the best of me. But still - $250. #LasVegas

#LasVegas. Hell of a town. Won $250. Got my picture taken with Barney and Iron Man. Drinking in the streets. #Rage

This is just a part of the story but it gives you a pretty good glimpse into my life and what it is like to be in Las Vegas with me. As always I thank you for taking the time to try and figure just what the hell is wrong with me, and if you have any suggestions you know how to reach me. Thanks for the support because I couldn't do this shit without you. I'll go forever without posting anything on here, but when I hear that someone actually reads this drivel it makes it all worth it. And sends me right back to the keyboard to produce more content. Even though in reality I do this for me as a way to look back on the story of my life (I have a terrible memory) it sure is nice to have a little validation that I'm not wasting my time. Because there are plenty of things that I probably should be doing instead of sitting in my Mom's basement hammering out this adventure. But I guess I wouldn't have it any way. Which is why I do it. I'm gonna leave you now but trust in the fact this is only scratching the surface of World Series of Beer Pong VII. There are still plenty of tales to share. Make sure you bring your ass back here.

 - Iceman -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

World Series of Beer Pong VII - That's All for Now

Hey everyone. I'm posting on here just to basically let you know that there won't be any more updates on here until I get back home. At this point I've given up searching for free WiFi because I have giant blisters on me feet and a full schedule of walking ahead of me today, so walking will only be done for essentials. And sadly posting videos and commentary on here (not to mention all the back end stuff like formating, styling and uploading that goes on in creating content) would take up a lot of my day. I know in years past I was able to do it, but back then I wasn't old. Deal with it.

So instead of bringing you more content on here I'm going to go out into the world, fetch me a rum and create some new content for future posting. Since I will be back home in Milwaukee tomorrow night, I can start posting the things that I was planning to show you out here, so stay tuned for that stuff over the weekend. Back home it will be so much easier to do, plus it will give me something to do while I am recovering from the week long sickness that inevitably follows each World Series.

Today is hopefully going to be filled with some good times and happy memories. I know for sure we're going to In-N-Out Burger, the Main Street Station Brewery, downtown Las Vegas and out looking for Karma. If I find her, I'm going to ask her to be my wife. I should have never left her, and I have spent the last few years of my life paying dearly for it. So if I come home with a darling cocktail waitress on my arm, I gotta inform my roommate that there's going to be another person living in the house. So she knows to buy more groceries and toiletries. One can dream. Oh Karma. I dream of you every night. How could I have been so careless??

While I'm out chasing Karma, Kevin will be out chasing Destiny and Brodey still has time to hop on a plane to come out here to see if Sapphire is still alive. You never know man. Strippers are some tough critters with an outstanding willingness to survive against all odds while being a single mother and putting theirselves through college. I for one will stand and applaud their efforts. And go and get change for a $10. They need your help. Feeding the poor and helping out the meek and lowly is what Jesus would have done. I'm just trying to walk in his footsteps. You can't fault a guy for trying to do a good dead.

So while there probably won't be anything here, that doesn't mean there won't be anything of substance on Facebook or Twitter, so check there early and often. You'll either roll with laughter or be disgusted. But either way I will touch you. Even if you don't like it. But you know you do, so let's keep this quiet and don't tell the proper authorities, ok?

- Iceman -

World Series of Beer Pong VII - It's All Over

Day 2 might have been better than Day 1, but that's not saying a lot since we only had 1 win on the first day. But I decided to triple my winnings. It is Las Vegas after all and out here they let you do that crazy shit. We ended up going 3-3 today which is good for a normal day, but combined with our first day record (for you smart people out there) only equates to 4 wins. Last time I checked that's not good enough. But oh well man. So it goes.

I'm still trying (albeit not very hard - I haven't even left the hotel room) to find some free WiFi because lord knows I'm not paying for that shit. I might pay for all of this excessive drinking with years off of my life, but heaven forbid I scrape off a couple of bucks to provide you with some exclusive content. You know that I love you too much to do something silly like that. But someday you will get to see all this nonsense. Even if I have to walk back home to personally show it to you myself.

The day is over as far as beer pong goes, but there are still plenty of hours left here in Las Vegas before we are forced to go back home and annoy our families. So keep on checking back on my social networking sites to see what kind of shenanigans that cousin Kevin and I get into. Some might not be fit to print, but that is where your rabid imagination comes into play. If you can dream it, we can do it. So aim high! Reach for the stars! And let your conscience be your guide! Jiminy Cricket that shit!

That's all I've got for right now because this is becoming increasingly difficult with every sip I take. Well then stop drinking Iceman you say. You sound like my mother. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Time to detox when I get home. But now is not that time! Here is not that place! And if.we win today the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday but as a day when the world declared in one voice - we will not go down without a fight! We will not vanish into the night! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our INDEPENDANCE DAY!!!!

- Iceman -

World Series of Beer Pong VII - update

Sorry folks, still searching for a free WiFi connection. There aren't any at the Flamingo like last year. I might have to venture out to a Starbucks or some shit just to be able to post some videos as well as an update. But the results are in and they're not good. We are losing more games than winning and stand at 2-7 with 3 more games to play today. So things could be better but I'm drunk in Las Vegas. What more could you ask for?

I hope I can post a real update with all the bells and whistles (as old people like me say) but I doubt I'll be able to any day soon. Cousin Kevin is itching to hang out with me after spending the day wandering alone and my Uncle Gary is driving in from California to come hang out for the night, so if anything I won't get things posted until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Sorry folks, but I have to play the hand that I'm am dealt, to use a little Vegas phrase.

I hope everyone is doing well and that your New Year has started off right. Thanks again for all the love and support and make sure you check out the Facebook and the Twitter for all of the up to the minute results from the WSoBP. They won't always be good, but I do promise that I will always have something to say and that I will do my best to entertain. Take care.

- Iceman -

World Series of Beer Pong VII

Hey everyone! I'm sorry if you came here looking for some WSoBP coverage that you have come to love and expect from me, but I haven't been able to provide any yet on the blog. There are a few reasons for that. 1. I've been sick since Dec. 30 and exhausted as all hell, so just walking around is tough. But I've also been drinking and playing beer pong, which hasn't helped me one bit. 2. I haven't yet been able to find a place with free Wifi internet, which is essential for me to upload videos and write about my day. Right now I'm posting through email on my cell phone, so I apologize if it looks weird or lacks the pinanche that I'm used to presenting. 3. There isn't really that much to talk about after 1 day (well 2 now) out here because Hummel that Shit! has played poorly to the tune of a 1-5 record and there's no sense in talking about that anymore. 

But there are some good things I'd like to share with you so I promise I'll have those for you as soon as I get internet. Tomorrow (today technically because its 330am pacific time) is Day 2 and we hope to pick up a few more wins but the main point is that we are having fun despite all of us being a little sick. Wish I could say some more but I'm tired of "texting" this message and tired overall. Now I'm going to bed because I need to be up in 6 hours to start drinking. Hell of a town this Las Vegas is!

- Iceman -

World Series of Beer Pong VII - Intro

I'm going to keep this brief because I need to be at the airport in 3 hours for my 9:00am flight to Las Vegas. For the 7th consecutive year I will be representing myself, my city (Milwaukee) and my beer pong league (CHBPL) at the World Series of Beer Pong. Honestly I don't know why I keep going back out there when I have so many other things I would rather do with my money and vacation time. Sorry to break this to anyone who believes in me, but I'm just not into beer pong anymore. It just kind of went away with the disbanding of our league a few years ago but still I felt the need to travel to Las Vegas to spend money and lose. Let's face it  - I'm not that good at beer pong. One can argue that I never really was but at least back then I practiced. I have barely thrown a ball at cups all year long, so I can't imagine that I'll be of any good use out there. With no shot to make the Day 3 playoffs and compete for the grand prize of $50,000 I'm basically just going out there to have a good time and hang out with old friends.

So basically I'm going because I'm not ready to find out what it's like not to go. And also because beer pong is a part of my past that still keeps me rooted in my youth. At 30 years old I'm not a kid anymore, but playing this game makes me still feel like I am. Say whatever you want about that, but I guess that has to do with my unwillingness to face the inevitable. I could go on and on about this subject, but that's not the reason I'm here. I'm here because you still care to follow my exploits and I'm going to tell you how to do that. Every day I will have a new blog post right here with a little insight as well as a video to give you a breakdown of the daily happenings. For more up to the minute news make sure you check out my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman. If you are one of those brave souls who isn't easily offended then make sure to follow me at my Twitter page http://twitter.com/#!/pookondotcom. But make sure you aren't a baby or anything because I tend to keep it pretty real on there.

So that's basically it for now. Hopefully I'm feeling better by the time I get out there (I'm sure that the forecasted temperatures in the mid 60s will help) so that I'm able to let loose, get drunk and be myself at my rawest form. I'm not going to lie - I find myself to be hilarious and when my inhibitions are lowered I just don't give a shit and just go nuts. Get ready for some pure unadulterated content. But don't say that I didn't warn you though. I will not be held liable for any of the crap on these pages in the next few days. It's the booze talking. You're welcome.

- Iceman -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Reck Family Christmas Letter 2011

My Mom sends out the annual Christmas letter to her family and friends and normally I don't share it with the world. But this year I wrote it and naturally it is mostly about Timmy. Since we can't mail a copy to everyone I decided that it was easiest to put it on here and share it with everyone on Facebook. So here you go. I have decided to quote a couple of songs in this year's Christmas letter. Click below to play them.

 I am thankful for you friends for giving me all that I have. I am thankful for everything, and everything you gave me. – “Friend” by Tim Reck, from his album 42 Days (2002)
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As you can all imagine, 2011 was a very difficult and life changing year for our family. Tim’s sudden death in April left us all with a huge hole in our hearts and a lot of unanswerable questions. This last year has been spent mostly dealing with the physical, psychological and emotional loss of the youngest member of our family. But the holiday season is once again upon us, which is the traditional time of year to send out our annual Reck Family Christmas Letter. While it would be far easier (trust me) to skip writing the letter this year, we decided to remain true to our traditions. Timmy was the keeper of traditions in this family, but it wouldn’t be right to stop the Reck Family traditions that I know you have come to look forward to. So without further ado, my name is Scott Reck and this is the Christmas Letter. 
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Losing a family member is a very sad thing and I could go on for hours about how much our lives have changed. How much time do you have? But seriously I don’t want to dwell on the negatives because we have seen so many positives this past year that deserve mention. In this season of giving thanks, we want to say a huge thank you to you – our family and friends who have helped us through this tragedy. Whether it was a hug, a phone call, a small gift out of nowhere, money to help with the funeral costs, letters of love and encouragement or a free meal; we have appreciated everything you have done for us. Our support system is the only reason we are able to start healing and continue on through this journey we call life. So thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We can’t say it enough. But this process will be ongoing for the rest of our lives, so keep those hugs and free eats coming, ok?

Right now Kris is happy to be done with another semester of school at UWM. Only a few more years until she graduates with a degree in Educational Studies with an emphasis on Early Childhood. And she is also looking forward to Christmas break and some time off from the kids at Sherman Park Preschool. Don’t get me wrong, she loves her job as evident by the fact that she has been there for 28 years, but when you deal with 3 year olds and the messes they create on a daily basis, you’d need a vacation too. Kris still lives in Milwaukee with her dog Gracie and graciously opens up her home (and refrigerator) to all of her children, even the ones who technically don’t belong to her. Aside from teaching, going to school, studying, writing papers, helping those less fortunate, singing at St. Catherine’s and being the greatest Mother in the world, she still finds time for everyone who needs it. I don’t know how she does it. Her strength throughout this past year is inspiring. She’s incredible, and I know I speak for everyone when I say we are all lucky to have her in our lives.

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James and his wife Melissa have been living in Columbia, South Carolina for almost 3 years. This past May they celebrated their 1 year wedding anniversary. This summer they bought a beautiful house in Columbia. I have been there personally and have inspected it inside and out, and I am proud to say that it is a wonderful place to raise their dogs. Yep, that plural was intentional. They have a 2 year old female Weimaraner named Baya and in October they adopted a 4 year old male Weimaraner which they named Tucker. James still works for Home Depot as a Contractor Services Manager and Melissa works for the Columbia Police Department and at several schools teaching the D.A.R.E. program. They enjoy taking the dogs to the dog park hoping to burn off some of the boundless energy the dogs have (but it doesn’t work) and going to the local pub Schooner’s to watch the Green Bay Packers games. They love living in South Carolina where the average winter temperature is 46 degrees, but they still look forward to coming back home to Wisconsin every chance they get.

Remember when I said Kris opened her house to everyone? I meant it in a big way. I took a few years off of writing this letter to “find myself” through meditation (I am an artist) but now I’m back. Things kind of got turned upside down when I lost my best friend and June’s Blanket band member, so I moved back home so I could sort it all out. My Roommate accepted me and my cat Coach Gordon Bombay with open arms, and although she probably regrets it now, we’ve had some good times living together. I still work at Mark Travel Corporation, so keep me employed by booking your next trip through Funjet Vacations. This past summer was my 10th year at Miller Park and what a year it was. Thankfully the NL Central Division Champion Milwaukee Brewers were able to provide a fun and exciting distraction, but they fell a little bit short of reaching the World Series. Oh well, there’s always next year. I promised Timmy that I’d get better at guitar, and jamming with friends has become my new hobby when I’m not tirelessly working on my websites Pookon.com, TimReck.com or adding all sorts of Tim’s music, pictures and videos to The Reck Room page on Facebook. There’s always something going on in my life and I’d like to personally thank all of my friends and family who have helped to keep me busy.

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Jenny is still living on Milwaukee’s Eastside with her cat Higgins. Up until recently she had been working at a Life Insurance firm but she has since been laid off. The economy sometimes hits pretty hard at home, so if you know anyone looking for a dedicated, hard working and intelligent person please let her know. She is ready and willing to fill out an application and interview. Jenny continues to follow her favorite band Umphrey’s McGee and goes to their concerts every time they are around, be it in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Minneapolis and even Denver, Colorado. Music is a very important part of Jenny’s life, and it is something that has and will continue to bond her with Timmy. Her diligence to share his talent and legacy with others is admirable. Jenny has been instrumental in the healing process because she possesses many of the qualities that I loved most about Timmy, and she has become the person I go to when I need someone. She’s the Garth to my Wayne.

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I’d like to think that there is a heaven and that Timmy is up there with God and all the Angels jamming in the Heavenly Band. Timmy loved music and history. Think of all the cool people he gets to meet. One day he could be talking about the Civil War with Abraham Lincoln and the next day he could be trading solos with Jimi Hendrix. Plus he gets to finally meet one of his idols and musical inspirations - Harry Chapin. Timmy is missed by friends and family alike and we will never forget about his inability to take a “nice” picture without a goofy look on his face, watching him play guitar and drums and marveling at his talent and falling for his engaging personality. There are so many things in life that will continue to remind us of him, and I hope you carry some of those things with you. That way he’s always with us. Things will never be the same, but the memories and the impact he had on our lives will never go away. If you have yet to get a copy of any of his 6 CDs please contact us or head over to TimReck.com to listen online. We are thankful that he left behind his music for us to listen to so we can always hear his voice.
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In this holiday season please remember those less fortunate and give whatever you can. I am pleased to report that Timmy was an organ donor, and we recently received word from the Wisconsin Donor Network that the people who now have his heart, lungs, kidneys and liver are all doing well and thanks to Timmy, they are able to spend this Christmas Season with their families. There’s comfort in knowing some good was able to come out of this tragic loss. We have also seen the kindness and generosity of others and it is nothing short of amazing. God bless you all, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. From my family to yours – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

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The Reck Family

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It seems like I've been here before, I can't remember when. But I have this funny feeling that we'll all be together again. No straight lines make up my life, and all my roads have bends. There's no clear-cut beginnings, and so far no dead-ends.- “Circle” by Harry Chapin, from his album Sniper and Other Love Songs (1972)
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- pookon -
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www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

The Rapture

For 6 long months I have been awaiting the Rapture. Now to be quite honest with you I wasn't aware of the last Rapture that didn't happen on May 21st because I was too busy being sad and trying to put my fucking life back together. See since April 24th my life has not been the same. Well that's putting it lightly. To be quite honest with you it's been a personal hell. I lost my best friend and the person I cared most about in the entire world and there is no sign that anything is ever going to get better. I can't get a new best friend. It's not like I can open up a fucking drawer in the locker room and shout out, "Hey bitch wake up! You're my new best friend!" It doesn't work that way. Despite my knowledge of everything in this world coming from shit I learned in the movies, it just doesn't work that way. I spent 24 years of my life forming a bond that could only end in death and that's what it took to tear us apart. It's bullshit. Things weren't supposed to be that way. It's not fair. And it doesn't make an ounce of sense. So bring on the Rapture.

In Theology the Rapture is defined as the experience, anticipated by some fundamentalist Christians, of meeting Christ midway in the air upon his return to Earth. The actual definition is ecstatic joy or delight. Most people know it as the End of Days and the 2nd coming of Christ, in which he promised to return to Earth and take all of his children to heaven and raise the dead from their graves. The World as we know it shall cease to exist and those that are among the chosen shall live forever in Heaven with God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost for all of eternity. 

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then, shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."

"And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." Mark 13: 24-27 

Life has it's moments and we should definitely celebrate all of them, but nothing is as great as the moment where Jesus calls us back home. Who doesn't want to return to the maker? Even though we choose our own paths during life, it was He who gave us the tools. the talent and the know-how to use all of that for the greater good. We owe everything that we are to God and therefore we must do what he asks of us. I have long since said that I am an Instrument of God. But I never really have known exactly what that means. It is when God uses a person to achieve a result. I don't know what I am supposed to be doing here and I don't know why I am doing it, but not all instruments are played the same way. In what limited time I have left on this Earth I will do what He asks of me, no matter how much I don't understand it. 

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and I may not have lived my life according to God's word and scripture, but I am a good person. I can't promise to be that way on a daily basis but deep down inside I am a pure soul. Kind and generous, slow to anger, rich in spirit and eager to help the needy. Every act I do I do with his blessing behind me, which is why I don't stop to think before carrying on with my day to day activities. Not all of this makes sense, and I am just doing what I am told. In the end it will all come together in some glorious epiphany that will bring about real change and Revolution in this world, and not just the bullshit one that we raise our fist in the air because Uncle Greg told us to. I'm here for real and I'm here for a reason.

“I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

I do hope that the Rapture is real. Well it is real, it just isn't happening on October 21st as Harold Camping predicted. Because that old fucker doesn't know shit. He's like 90 years old or something so he might as well be some senile bastard. Truth be told he doesn't know when it is just like none of us know when it will happen. That's because God doesn't want us to know about the date of the Rapture. If we knew when Jesus would come back to Earth to take our souls to Heaven we would live our lives according to God's Plan. The whole reason we don't know the date is so that we spend every day of our lives as if it was our last and we be Christ-like in our actions on a daily basis. Any day he is going to be here to bring us back home and we need to be ready for it, whether it be in 2011 or 2111. Hell it might not even happen in our lifetime, even though for the majority of the year I wish it would have been. 

The whole reason that I wanted the Rapture to happen on October 21, 2011 because I want to die, but not by my own accord. I can't die by my own hand because that's no way to go. If an otherworldly force (like Jesus Christ coming to take the souls of the chosen) washes upon us then we have no choice. There is nothing humanity can do to stop the end of the world so we might as well just accept it. I'm on that train of thinking so don't get all worried like I'm going to kill myself or some stupid shit like that. I do want to die but for one reason and one reason only - I want to see my brother again. I miss him so much more every day since he has been gone and these last 6 months have been the worst of my life. I may never understand why he left us so soon but I hope by the time Jesus really calls my name I will understand why I'm still here and he isn't. There has to be a reason for all of this because if there isn't then life is just fucking bullshit. The only reason that I still believe in God is because there is no way he would leave me here to go through all of this pain and suffering if there wasn't some grand reward waiting for me in the end.

October 21st isn't the Rapture, despite what some old dude says. The Rapture may happen but it also might not. But I will spend the rest of my life believing that someday I will be reunited with Timmy who was and always will be my inspiration for all that I do. A lot of things have changed since he has gone, but I am doing my best to hang on to all of the good times we had in 24 short years. June's Blanket, Godsplash, Movie Night, our inside jokes and laughs, watching you play guitar and drums and thousands of "Yeah Timmy!" moments and how much I wish that I could be you. And you always wished that you could be me. I never got the chance to teach you to love and be happy with the person that you are and never try to be someone else. The reason you were the greatest is because there was only one of you and there will always only be one of you in this world. And even though physically you have moved on to be with God and be at peace, the rest of us are left here dealing with the pain of living without you. 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

God is my rock. He stands true and just even when I can not. And although I may not go to church more than 2 times a year or say my nightly prayers, he listens to me even when I'm not speaking. He reads my thoughts and always reassures me that everything is going to be OK. And I know that he is jamming out to a live version of The Cosmic Dance. Because everyone can play a tune (God too), it's just part of the cosmic dance.And who better to lead the dance than the craziest dancer of them all - Timmy the Kid.

Timmy and I once dropped our pants in front of a sign that "Heaven is real, so is Hell. Jesus is the answer, time will tell." Read into that all you want but take away this one thing - time is the only thing that can heal all wounds. In time I will be reunited with the greatest person I have ever known. Someday June's Blanket will make more beautiful music. Someday I will proudly shout "Yeah Timmy!" Someday I will cry no more tears. Someday I will understand the meaning of this life. But that time is not now. Right now this Rapture thing is bullshit and life is what you make of it. And I'm going to make mine amazing. That's what Timmy would have wanted me to do. He always wanted me to be amazing. And although I may fall a little short, I will never stop trying. In the end I don't really have to be doubly great for the both of us. You were plenty great on your own. But I will promise to be great for myself. Hopefully even doubly great. And I will. I promise that to you brother.

 - pookon -

www.pookon.com

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Harry Caray and Greg Proops

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Milwaukee Brewers 2011 - Series 1 + 2 - Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves

March 31 - April 3, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. The 2011 season started where the 2010 season ended. The Reds won the NL Central in 2010 and are viewed upon many to repeat this year, and they proved those people right by starting out 3-0 by sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers right out of town. Despite 2 games that were very winnable the Brewers struggled with closing the door in Game 1 and scoring runs in Game 2. As for Game 3? Well we don't talk about Game 3 and the comical stinker that Randy Wolf called pitching. The Reds totally owned us last year (when they won like 11 of 14 games) and are up on us 3-0 this year. In order to win the division we need to beat the other teams in our division, and the opening series of the year didn't prove that we could. But it was only 3 games and there are still 159 to go, so anyone that was jumping off the bandwagon or joining the Sportsradio 1250 "Done Club" is an idiot. Did it suck? Hell yeah. Was I crushed? You bet. Was I so fucking angry that I thought I was going to turn into the Incredible Hulk? You bet. Did I get over it? Of course. And the series against the Atlanta Braves definitely helped me to do that. Milwaukee Brewers record: 0-3.

April 4 - 7, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves at Miller Park. Call me an stupid, alone in my principles or unwilling to buy into the hype (but don't call me late for dinner yuk yuk yuk) but the Atlanta Braves are my pick to win the NL East. Yep, that's right I pick them to finish the season with a better record than the Philadelphia Phillies. I think they have a real wild card of a team filled with unpredictable young players that have more potential to win games versus the proven veteran Phillies. Pitching was the story in this series. On the Home Opener Chris Narveson went 6 scoreless but Takashi Saito gave up 2 solo homeruns in the 8th inning and the Brewers lost 2-1 to start the season 0-4. Yovani Gallardo then tossed a complete game, 2 hit shutout gem in a must win game to stop the losing streak and get the Brewers win #1 on the season. #5 starter (for now) Marco Estrada needed the offense to back him up, and they finally showed up in Wednesday's game and the Brewers won 5-4. On Thursday Shaun Marcum rebounded from his 5 walk performance at Cincinnati and earned his 1st win as a Brewer and the team won the series 3 games to 1 against the Braves and things were starting to look up after that 0-4 start. And now the casual fans are backing away from the ledge and jumping back on the bandwagon. Us real fans knew that an 0-4 start wasn't the end of the world when there were still 158 FUCKING GAMES LEFT IN THE SEASON! But the Brewers showed some life and the ability to forget the past and move on. Milwaukee Brewers record: 3-4.



There was a lot of emotion from me in the 1st week as I went from excited to depressed, angry to disappointed, relief to happiness and nervous to balls to the walls joy. I'm such a fan that I sometimes do take the games too seriously and ride an emotional rollercoaster with every pitch, at bat, inning and game. While it is a lot of stress to constantly change the way I feel I can't help it because aside from my family and friends, there isn't anything I love more than the Milwaukee Brewers. With all the hype going into 2011 (and seriously, this team really is that good) and the possibility of winning the NL Central and going to the World Series, I really wanted to see them get off to a good start. And although I know that it is a long season, in the end every game is going to matter because the other teams in our division (well, mostly Cincinnati) should be in the race in September and we need to make sure we have more wins than they do. Simple idea right? But it becomes painful if something so easy gets so complicated towards the end of the year and we miss the playoffs by a few games thanks to these early losses. But there is no reason to dwell on that now, because there is so much baseball left to play and the weather is just starting to turn around for the better.

I want to hand out awards at the end of each of these wrap ups. And although several players got off to a hot start in Cincinnati, Rickie Weeks is the MVB (most valuable Brewer) of the series as he led of the series and the season with a homerun and returned to Milwaukee with 2 homeruns, 4 RBIs and a .308 batting average. If Weeks puts up numbers close to last year's, it's going to be one hell of a year for the Milwaukee Brewers offense.

I really wanted to give the MVB to Nyjer Morgan for his outstanding defense, plate discipline and baserunning as well as showing us what Carlos Gomez could be like, but the award has to go to pitcher Yovani Gallardo for pitching a complete game, 2 hit shutout when the team was desperate for a win to end the losing streak. He also got the 1st base hit of the game and scored the only run in a 1-0 win. I predicted that in 2011 the Brewers would not lose more than 5 games in a row, and they were dangerously close to doing that in the first week of the season. Pitching wins games, and in this series that couldn't have been more evident as every game was decided by 2 or fewers runs.

Next up the hated Chicago Cubs and their asshole fans head North to Miller Park for a weekend series. The Cubs are probably going to be shitty this year but they will probably be a thorn in the Brewers' side because if there's anything I learned over the years is that there is no way to predict the outcome of a Brewers/Cubs game. Anything can happen, and it usually does.

- pookon -

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