7 DEADLY SinS - Avery Cardoza Player

Transcription

the PA SSION of THE MEN’S LIFEST YLE
the bracelet
the cash
who’s the next
$10+
some perfection is debatable.
million man?
Player Magazine’s Predictions
for the World Series of Poker
7SINS
The DEADLY
Our Exotic Lust Girl Reveals a
Bodacious Body and Tells You
How to Get Her Number!
boy soldier
Bestselling Author Ishmael Beah
Recounts a True-Life Nightmare
Few of Us Can Imagine.
[This is Not Fiction]
some is not.
Made by hand from 100% blue agave.
The world’s #1 ultra-premium tequila.
© 2007 The Patrón Spirits Company, Las Vegas, NV. 40% Alc./Vol.
simplyperfect.com
The perfect way to enjoy Patrón is responsibly.
Fitness
Plan
for the Modern
Man Using High
Tech Gadgets
7 convertibles
How to
Cook The
Perfect
Steak
New 2007 Models!
simply perfect.
6-Point
The 13
Worst
Sports
Calls
Ever
knockout!
wladimir Klitschko,
Heavyweight Champion of the World,
Talks About the Thrill of Victory
and the Agony of Defeat
+
Champagne Cocktails
Spring Fashion
T. J. Cloutier On Poker
Grammy Party Pics
Cool Finds
Big Cigars And More!
Ready to get fitted for your World Series of Poker® bracelet?
The 2007 World Series of Poker has more diversified games
and buy-in levels than ever before. Take your shot at glory.
From satellite events to the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship
to the legendary Main Event, there’s no excuse not to go all-in.
Returning to the Rio June 1 – July 17, 2007.
For more details, including how to enter, visit
worldseriesofpoker.com or call 1-877-367-9767.
The 2007 GAMING LIFE EXPO at the World Series of Poker®
• Celebrity appearances, thousands of gaming essentials & giveaways
• July 5 – 8, 2007 – Rio Pavilion
• Free, must be 21 or older
Visit www.harrahs.com/gaminglifeexpo for more details.
Must be 21 years or older to participate in event. Official rules and details available at the Total Rewards® Center. Must be 21 or older to gamble.
Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2007, Harrah’s License Company, LLC.
2006 attendance topped 100,000! Space is limited, reserve your booth today!
Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2007, Harrah’s License Company, LLC.
t h e PA S S I O N o f THE M E N ’ S L I FE S T Y L E
Features
Knockout!
50
Heavyweight Champion of the World Wladimir Klitschko had a dream. Unlike
countless others in boxing’s school of hard knocks, he achieved that dream; but not
before devastating knockouts put him on the canvas looking up at the raised fist of
his foe. The inside story of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
By Douglas Emery
Wladimir Klitschko
50
Who’s the Next $10+ Million Man?
58
The 13 Worst Sports Calls Ever
66
The most exciting event in the universe for poker players, the World Series of Poker,
is about to begin. We predict the 20 players most likely to win it all and reveal one
or two very surprising facts. By Avery Cardoza
From an interfering youngster in the Bronx to cold-war politics in the Olympics,
Player examines the most heartbreaking and devastating lapses in judgment to
reveal the thirteen worst calls in sports history. It’s time to reopen old wounds.
By Matt Mitchell
Boy Soldier: A Shocking REality
72
summer fling
78
Ishmael Beah’s idyllic childhood was ripped apart by a vicious civil war filled with
unimaginable horrors. Beah gets sucked into the vortex of a savage world as a boy
soldier doing things no child should ever hear about or take part in. This is not
fiction. By Ishmael Beah
Our spring fashion shoot will get you ready to make a statement. Hit the town in
style. Photography by Frej Hedenberg
A Man’s World
Jennifer Lamiraoui
30
Culture
10
Drinks
16
Enhance your leisure time with our selection of worthwhile, interesting, unusual or new
discoveries in our Sounds, Reads, Films, Sites, Games, DVDs and Cool Finds sections.
Celebrate life with a champagne cocktail! There are many great recipes for making
this exciting drink and I’ll show you a few of them.
By Dale DeGroff
Smokes
18
Teddy Roosevelt said, “Walk softly, but carry a big stick.” Okay, maybe he wasn’t
talking about cigars, but there’s no denying the luxury of a big cigar.
By Eduardo Rincon.
Rides
20
Warm weather is here. That means it’s time to break out the convertibles and have
fun! We’ve picked out seven top-down cruisers for you to choose from.
By Elizabeth Yun
Poker and Gambling
22
The greatest tournament poker player ever discusses the five attributes of great
players. Use this information to win your own championship title.
By T. J. cloutier
Travel
SUMMER FLING
78
26
Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor on Smallville, gives inside tips on how to
enjoy New York like a native—bagels, Broadway, baseball and booing. It’s all here.
C A R D OZ A P L AY E R .C O M ◆◆ ◆◆
INTRODUCING
L E AV E T H E W O R L D B E H I N D
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Ishmael Beah
76
The 7 Deadly
Sins
latest buzz in technology. This issue:
Nokia N95, LG Prada, Moto Q™ q9,
Nokia E90, iPhone.
Player’s guide to everything good
that’s bad for you and everything
bad that’s good for you.
Lust
WRATH
30
Our lust girl of the issue, Jennifer
Lamiraoui, has dark hair, tan skin,
exotic features and a perfect body.
Find out how to get her number…
Vanity
Last Chance
Party photos
36
What is it about jeans that everyone
finds so appealing? Get the inside
skinny on our favorite second skin.
Greed
ENVY
38
48
Medicate this man. J. D.
Steinwheeler had another bad day.
This time, he had to deal with road
rage and rubberneckers on the
freeway.
86
Exclusive photos from the Roots Jam
Session at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
Planned Parenthood 88
38
Player’s irreverent look at what
could have been.
The last of a breed, this matriarch
earns props as one of the cheapest
people ever. Here, learn the real art
of eating out.
Envy
40
Zach Gilford, star of the NBC
drama Friday Night Lights, talks
about his new life. He also chooses
between Scarlett Johansson and
Jessica Alba—and dishes on Kobe.
GLUTTONY
44
David Walzog, cookbook author and
executive chef of SW Steakhouse at
Wynn Las Vegas, shows you how to
cook the perfect steak.
SLOTH
ON THE COVER:
Photograph of Wladimir Klitschko by
Ruprecht Stempell.
46
Get fit using high-tech gadgets to
achieve your fitness goals: A 6-point
plan for the modern man. Plus the
YOUR NEXT PHONE?
◆
◆ ◆◆ P L AY E R maY/J U N E 2 0 07
84
The new summer fragrance for men.
AVERY CARDOZA
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Creative Director
JERRY MILLER
Associate Publisher
nathalie D. ramirez
Senior Editor
DOUGLAS EMERY
Advertising Director
john molinari
Associate Editors
julian Silberstang
ELIZABETH YUN
Account Managers
JOAN GIANNOLA
MICHAEL SANDERS
Copy Editor
Michael Sandlin
Assistant Editor
Brian MCINTYRE
Editorial Assistant
Shannon casey splain
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Director of Business Development
Sara cardoza
Creative Consultant
kevin seldon
Web Architect
SUNNY
Contributors
frej hedenberg, T.J. CLOUTIER, ELMORE MARTELLI COHEN, DALE
DEGROFF, LUCAS GITAR, MATT MITCHELL, EDUARDO RINCON,
MICHAEL ROSENBAUM, J.D. STEINWHEELER
Avery Cardoza’s Player
www.cardozaplayer.com
857 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003
(212) 255-9699
Subscriptions: www.cardozaplayer.com, (800) 339-6310
Letters to the Editor: [email protected]
Advertising/Marketing: [email protected]
General Questions: [email protected]
Avery Cardoza’s Player is published bimonthly. Single copy price is $4.99 in the
U.S. The entire contents copyright©2007 by Avery Cardoza’s Player. All rights
reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the express
written permission of the publisher. Statements and opinions provided within do not
necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Player does not assume liability for products
or services advertised herein.
Printed in the USA
Distributed by Curtis Circulation, Vol. 4, No. 4, ISSN Number 1547-2426
ad docMay.indd 3
3/26/07 11:26:48 AM
editor’s note
hope springs eternal…
W
e’re well into spring and the warm
weather that brings with it more
sunshine, longer days and the hope
of better things to come. Player represents
dreams—ones you’re pursuing, others you
haven’t yet attempted, and still others you live
vicariously—and passion for the gusto of life.
We’ve packed this issue full of people who live
with that kind of thirst. You’ll also find objects
and things we reward ourselves with and other
choice items that add spice, color and flavor to
our daily pursuit of life.
For our cover story, we corralled the
heavyweight champion of the world, Wladimir
Klitschko, to tell us what drives a man to be king
of a brutal sport: he also reveals the sacrifices
and the agonies he’s endured along the way.
There is a certain prestige that goes with being
the heavyweight champ; it’s a pedigree that has
included greats such as Joe Louis and Muhammad
Ali. But there’s also a satisfaction not completely
filled given that he’s one of a quartet—the
schisms in the sanctioning organizations have
created four heavyweight champions.
June marks the beginning of the holy days
for poker players around the world. In other
words, it’s time for the famous World Series
of Poker held at the Rio in Las Vegas. Great
champions such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan
and everyone of stature in the poker world will
be playing for glory, fame and more than $10
million in the main event. We predict the 20
players most likely to win it all and reveal one or
two very surprising facts.
Of course, Player would not be Player
without our famous Lust shoot—this time with
exotic knockout, Jennifer Lamiraoui—and our
signature section, the 7 Deadly Sins. You’ll learn
how to cook a perfect steak and how to dress up
Avery gets ready to participate in the World Series of Poker. Think you have an idea of who will
take home the millions? So did we—check out page 58 to review the breakdown.
but stay casual for the spring. There’s a 6-step fitness routine with assistance from high-tech gadgets,
and you’ll find out what Zach Gilford, star of NBC’s drama Friday Night Lights, says when asked to
choose between Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba. In our sports section, Matt Mitchell examines the
13 worst sports calls ever, opening up old wounds for any fan who’s ever been betrayed by an official’s
bad judgment.
We have lots more in this issue: seven new convertibles to consider for some open-air riding, super
mixologist Dale DeGroff on champagne cocktails (with some great recipes), the best big cigars to
relax with, tournament superstar T.J. Cloutier on what makes a great poker player, and the shocking
story of Ismael Beah, a boy who grew up in war-ravaged Sierra Leone. Check out our Cool Finds and
our Culture section for reviews and previews on sites, books, games, DVDs, movies and music.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Write to us at [email protected] and let us know what
you think.
The Player
The multifaceted term “player” has a variety of meanings and connotations. In its widest
usage, a player is a participant in a game; in a more colloquial sense, a player is a womanizer.
In a more urbane meaning, a “player” is an individual that charges through life with gusto. He’ll
gladly spend a few extra dollars on something meaningful, or even trivial, if it will improve the
quality of how he feels—even if it’s only for a moment.
And it’s this person—the individual who celebrates the fun, excitement, and passion of the
men’s lifestyle—who represents the “player” our magazine is written for.
◆
◆ ◆◆ P L AY E R may/J U N E 2 0 07
CULTURE
Music Festivals
The Newest Trend;
The Best to Attend
How cool would it be to have a
Woodstock every year? Well, there
can never be another festival like
the “great one,” but with a plethora
of music events across the country,
you can get all the tunes you can
handle—until the next festival, of
course. The recent phenomenon
of music festivals is paradise for
music lovers. So get out there and
enjoy ‘em.
Your job: pick at least one
weekend a year, hang in an
isolated, peaceful setting and see
tons of talented bands at a festival
geared towards your enjoyment
and comfort. The new breed of
rock festivals are not your typical
musical events, because they cater
to diverse tastes. Mostly you’ll
see rock and jam bands, but also
liberal sprinkles of reggae, jazz, hiphop, country, world and comedy.
FLICKS
Your main problems will be
figuring out which stage to hang
out at and when to take your suds
run. I’ve listed below some of the
best festivals, but watch out for
new and improving ones. The
music festival season officially
kicks off with Langerado in South
Florida, March 9–11. It’s best to
buy your tickets early—they go
fast. Look for me at the following
shows. I’ll be down in front with
my Dead shirt, rockin’ out.
◆
of attendees camping out. Hey
was a delight. With eight stages
Roxanne, “you don’t have to put
and 130 bands, you have many
on the red light,” the Police are
great acts to choose from. Also,
coming to the ‘Roo!
you’re right in Austin, which is a
terrific city for music. Each night
Coachella
when the festival ends, there
Indio, CA. April 27 – 29
are plenty of good venues for
After surviving a few rough years,
the after-shows—the music just
this festival now has their act
keeps going!
Lollapalooza
setting, Coachella also features
Chicago, IL. August 5 – 7
interesting installation art and
Organized in 1991 by Perry
sculptures. Over 100 bands have
Farrell, the Jane’s Addiction
Bonnaroo
already been announced, and
frontman, Lollapalooza was
Manchester, TN. June 14 – 17
the lineup is awesome. With
originally a touring show traveling
Let’s start with numero uno:
Björk, Red Hot Chili Peppers
through North America. In 2005,
Bonnaroo!
and a reunited Rage Against the
they settled in Chicago’s Grant
20
Machine headlining the three
Park. It’s too early to know this
on
nights, this could be the festival
year’s lineup, but 2006 had Death
of the year.
Cab for Cutie, Kanye West, Red
features
This
100
comedians
great
bands
festival
and
performing
13 stages during the four day
weekend. There’s also a complete
Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco and Manu
entertainment facility with movies,
Austin City Limits
Chao among its acts. On schedule
disco, art, yoga and a playground
Austin,TX. September 14 – 16
for 2007: three days, nine stages
for the kids. Bonnaroo is held on
As of this writing, it’s too early to
and 130 bands. Windy City, here
a 700-acre farm with the majority
know their lineup, but last year
we come.
Spider-Man 3
Bug
lesbian sex and plenty of blood and
and Paul Rudd return to star in this
Comic book geeks can appreciate
When the lonely ex-wife of an
guts may be in the mix (it’s always
film about a porn site co-founder who
the apt makeover Hollywood has
abusive husband hits it off with a
fun to watch eyeballs ooze white
discovers he impregnated a woman
given one of its most beloved icons,
paranoid Gulf War veteran, it isn’t
pus under a blowtorch). This chapter
after a one-night stand. We’ll forgive
while newbies get an entertaining
long before the two begin to develop
promises to be as visually compelling
the inevitable storybook ending
crash course in Marvel 101. This
a twisted relationship based on
as the first.
because the raunchy journey is worth
third
conspiracy theories and paranoid
installment
delusions. Tiptoe to the edge of
brings
the ride.
reality and see what drives someone
Knocked
Up
Death at a Funeral
us to a
to take the jump into madness in
Judd
When a stranger shows up at a
crossroads
this gritty psychological thriller—one
Apatow’s
man’s funeral and threatens to
in the
that’s already generating Oscar buzz
name might
reveal a scandalous secret about
Peter
for its acting performances.
not ring any
him unless the two sons pay the
bells just
blackmail, the family is put in a
saga when
Hostel: Part II
yet, but the
difficult situation. And everything
he gets
Eli Roth’s second Hostel film is a
first film he
that could possibly go wrong, does.
possessed
darker, scarier and grislier sequel.
wrote and
This noir comedy, directed by Frank
by a dark force to become Black
Three young American girls are
directed, The 40-Year-Old Virgin,
Oz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), blends
Spider-Man. Now he has to
studying abroad in Rome when a
probably does. His second feature-
gaudy satire with a clever plot. It’s
struggle against the dark side,
gorgeous woman unsuspectingly
length directorial effort promises the
one of the more intelligent comedies
and battle Sandman and his latest
lures them to an exotic weekend
same sharp humor that made his first
to emerge this year. Dark, wry,
nemesis, Venom.
getaway. Be forewarned: Random
so painfully amusing. Seth Rogen
British humor at its best.
10◆ P L AY E R ◆
may/june 2 0 07
DVDs
Alpha Dog
Truth is often stranger than fiction, and such is the
case in this film based on the real-life kidnapping
and murder of Nicholas Markowitz. A powerful young
drug dealer and his posse of teenage delinquents
kidnap a boy whose older brother owes them
some cash. Soon, a chain of deadly events are set
into motion. Director Nick Cassavetes attempts to
rationalize how a case with so many witnesses and
opportunities to escape could end in such tragedy.
The Bravery
The Sun and the Moon
Island Records
Produced by two-time Grammy Awardwinner Brendan O’Brien, this new album
(single shown) follows the band’s selftitled debut, The Bravery, which spent 24
weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The Bravery, known for their energetic live
shows, opened for U2 in Europe.
Pan’s Labyrinth
An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film,
Pan’s Labyrinth follows a young girl’s life in brutal
post-Civil War Spain. When she and her pregnant
mother go to live with her stepfather, a cruel fascist
captain, she finds herself escaping to a fantasy
world inside the labyrinth in the woods. Director
Guillermo Del Toro blends violence and beauty,
reality and whimsy seamlessly into an intelligent
and fascinating look into a war-ravaged Spain.
together and they’ve expanded
to three days. Held in a desert
Parker
◆
NEW CDs
by Julian Silberstang
Linkin Park
Minutes to Midnight
Warner Bros./Machine Shop Recordings
Co-produced by Mike Shinoda and 2007
Grammy Producer of the Year, Rick Rubin,
this is the multiplatinum Grammy-winning
Linkin Park’s third studio album. They spent
over 14 months recording these tracks, and
they made more than 100 song demos in
the process.
Apocalypto
Mel Gibson’s powerful follow-up to The Passion of
the Christ details the fall of the Mayan civilization
through the eyes of Jaguar Paw. When the Mayans
attack Jaguar Paw’s small village and capture him,
his subsequent escape begins a dangerous fight
back home to his family. The stunning visuals and
inspired direction showcase a very talented force
in moviemaking. Apocalypto is violent, visionary,
captivating and, well, apocalyptic.
Björk
Volta
One Little Indian
This is Icelandic sensation Björk’s sixth
studio album, her first since Medúlla
in 2004. Featuring ten new tracks, Volta
is written and produced by Björk. She
brought in Antony Hegarty (Antony and
the Johnsons) and Timbaland for three
of the songs.
Maroon 5
It Won’t Be Soon Before Long
A&M/Octone Records
The Best New Artist at the 2005 Grammy
Awards, Maroon 5 is finally releasing their
sophomore album, It Won’t Be Soon
Before Long. Their debut album, Songs
About Jane, sold more than 10 million units
worldwide, so there are many fans eagerly
waiting for the follow-up.
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
Nonesuch Records
Wilco delivers its new album three years
after the band’s last studio record, the twotime Grammy Award-winning A Ghost is
Born. The twelve new songs on Sky Blue
Sky were recorded at the band’s Chicago
studio, The Loft, and produced by Wilco
themselves.
www.onthefly.com
SITES
SOUNDS
Most shopping websites are designed for women, making it hard
for men to find what they want. Now get exactly what you’re
looking for or find something you never knew you wanted with the
click of a mouse. Whether you’re in need of clothing, fine cigars,
furniture, rare memorabilia, or lavish knickknacks, On the Fly
carries the necessities for a refined man’s world.
www.denimtherapy.com
What do you do after you’ve dropped two bills and change
on a pair of designer jeans, and you rip a fresh hole—and no,
not the built-in hole that cost you $150 of that amount—in an
embarrassing place? Denim Therapy has the answer. They will
make your ailing jeans like new (without patches), matching the
color and texture of the fabric and re-sewing it all back together.
www.postsecret.blogspot.com
Everyone loves learning secrets and getting them off their chest.
So it’s no wonder this site has become one of the most popular
blogs. Readers mail postcards containing their secrets to the site’s
creator, and every Sunday the best ones are published. From
humorous to depressing (and sometimes appalling), the secrets
are always interesting.
www.kayak.com
Planning a trip can be incredibly stressful. Too many sites, too
much information. Where do you go? It’s Kayak.com to the rescue.
Instead of spending hours browsing every discount travel and
airline website for the best deals on airfare, hotel and car rentals,
Kayak.com does the work for you. One click and voila!—your
possibilities are conveniently displayed.
www.pbfcomics.com
At first glance the comics on this site appear harmless and cutesy.
But it won’t take long to realize that the site’s content is being a
bit…ironic. Just keep clicking “random” for hours of very twisted
comic entertainment. Hey, we only lead the horse to water…you
don’t have to drink.
C A R D OZ A P L AY E R .C O M ◆◆
11◆
◆
READs
by Lucas Gitar
GAMES
CULTURE
Tomb Raider:
Anniversary
PS2
Our favorite treasurehunting heroine returns
with the same wonderful
feminine characteristics
that won our hearts the
first time. Of course,
I’m referring to her
giant brains. This great
remake of the original
Tomb Raider returns
with improved game
mechanics, sharper
graphics, meaner enemy
creatures and more
confounding puzzles.
Metroid Prime 3:
Corruption
Wii
Dark Samus and an
army of Space Pirates
are rampaging across
the galaxy and poisoning
planets. Use Wii’s
motion-sensitive remote
and Nunchuk to navigate
through alien domains,
search for weapons
and secrets and save
corrupted worlds. Special
features allow you to
fight enemies while
soaring through the air
and racing across the
ground.
Lair
PS3
Who cares about video
games where you fly
in planes when you
could be flying on a
dragon? In Lair, using
PS3’s motion-sensitive
remote, you steer
your monstrous mount
through epic medieval
battles. Duel dragons in
the skies with combos
and finishing moves, or
slaughter infantry on
land by spitting bursts
of flame.
Infernal
PC
In this third-person
action adventure, you
play a fallen angel sent
to collect souls on Earth
for your dark master’s
unholy collection. A
variety of infernal
superpowers and hightech weaponry help you
capture human lives.
Your quest will lead
you through mountain
hideouts and ancient
catacombs, while the
forces of good fight you
every step of the way.
BioShock
XBOX360
In this creepy sci-fi firstperson-shooter, the only
way to enhance your
attributes is by stealing
genetic material from
Little Sisters, creatures
that resemble small
girls. First, however,
you have to defeat the
Big Daddies, their burly
monster protectors.
What else would you
expect from a game
set in an abandoned
futuristic city at the
bottom of a sea?
PUDGE
THE NEW ZINO PLATINUM SCEPTER CIGAR
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
The author’s first book, The Kite Runner, was a masterpiece, and spent an unprecedented 103 weeks on the New
York Times bestseller list. His much-anticipated sophomore novel is about family, friendship, war and sacrifice.
It’s another heart-wrenching look at the horrors of war-torn Afghanistan and the salvation people can find in one
another.
Riverhead, $25.95
Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey
by Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel, Fight Club, rocketed him into the mainstream thanks to the blockbuster film
adaptation starring Brad Pitt. Palahniuk’s latest is a postmortem account of an urban demolition derby leader as
told by his friends. As always, the author strips the human condition down to its core without sparing us any of
the gory details.
Doubleday, $24.95
Spent
by Joe Matt
Take a trip into the fascinatingly shameless mind of Joe Matt, a socially inept self-confessed jerk, obsessivecompulsive porn addict, perpetual masturbator, and of course chronic bachelor, who is so lazy that he urinates
into a bottle rather than walk to the bathroom. Spent is from the legendary author of the autobiographical comic,
Peepshow.
Drawn and Quarterly, $19.95
The Hazards of Space Travel: A Tourist’s Guide
by Neil F. Comins, Ph.D.
Ever fantasize about walking on the moon? Floating through zero gravity? In this age of technological
advancement and new developments in commercial space travel, this fantasy is fast becoming a reality. But
before you shell out $20 million for a ticket, take a moment to orient yourself with the many hazards you’ll face
once you go space traveling.
Villard, $24.95
Championship Hold’em Satellite Strategy
by Brad Daugherty, Tom McEvoy
Every year poker players win their way into the $10,000 World Series of Poker buy-in and emerge as millionaires.
You can, too! Two champions teach the proven strategies for winning satellites. This book covers ten ways to
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CULTURE
Cool Finds and Interplanetary Travels
The Full-Sized Travel
Grill
This portable grill elevates
to 34” high, has an
electronic ignition (no
fun for pyromaniacs),
keeps a constant flow of
gas regardless of altitude or
ambient temperatures and
has enough room for you
to cook 12 steaks. Moon
burgers anyone?
www.hammacher.com
$349.99
Logitech® Harmony® 1000 Advanced
Universal Remote
A brilliant 3.5" color touch screen
allows you to control multiple
devices as far as the next room
or inside a cabinet using
infrared and radio frequency
signals. Sleek shape and
brushed aluminum
surfaces soothe the
eye. Sounds like a good
date from Mars.
www.logitech.com
$499.99
The Beer Machine 2000
Get gourmet drunk at home. I mean get homemade gourmet drunk.
Let’s start again. This 7-pound microbrewer brews 2.6 gallons of
handcrafted beer in 7 to
10 days for just pennies a
serving. Dispenses from
your refrigerator. No
need for food and
no need to leave home
ever again!
www.beermachine.com
$112
Prometheus Piano
Black Travel Humidor
Beware the fire of Zeus. The
Prometheus Travel Humidor
keeps your cigars cool and
fresh for travel. A built-in
humidifier and mahogany
veneer interior retains a
constant humidity. Includes
a travel carrying case.
Be cool on your planet.
www.onthefly.com
$250
Sony Energy Link
Charge your USB-compatible electronic
devices virtually anytime with
this portable power supply. It
serves a triple function as a
power adaptor, portable power
supply and battery charger.
Not powerful enough for your
spaceship, but plenty good for
your auxiliaries.
www.sonystyle.com
$35
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may/june 2 0 07
David Yurman Pavé Black
Diamond Dog Tag
Go to war on fashion with this Pavé
black diamond dog tag with sterling
silver logo, chain, “925” inlay and cable
trim. Elegant and very fashionable, you’ll
be stylin’ with this necklace.
www.davidyurman.com
$1,200
Belkin TuneStudio for iPod
This four-channel audio mixer (great
for bands and podcasters) lets you
create high-quality digital recordings
directly onto your iPod. Allows input
or output of audio from a PC—PC as
in personal computer, not planetary
colonist—and keeps you connected
in the space age.
www.belkin.com
$179.99
NOW AVAILABLE IN TUBOS!
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Thomas Pink
Cufflinks
Look smoking good with
Thomas Pink. You’ll stand
out in a crowd in your normal
digs; but far away, you’ll really
make a statement. Using
silver with silver and enamel
materials, these cufflinks will
set the tone for style.
www.thomaspink.com
$95
CHUBBY AND GRAND MASTER
866 561 5525
WWW.ZINOPLATINUM.COM
DRINKS
champagne cocktails
CHAMPAGNE-Tequila
COCKTAIL
As the tequilas get
better—and indeed they
have improved over the last
40 years largely due to the
pioneering of the Herradura
company—thoughts of very
special tequila cocktails
are on the minds of good
bartenders. What could
be more special than tequila married with
champagne? There is no doubt that champagne
raises the pedigree of anything it’s added to, but
this marriage is not an easy one. It takes some
gentle handling. That’s the challenge I gave
myself when crafting the Big Spender for the
revival of the musical Sweet Charity on Broadway.
The Gran Centenario tequila I chose is as
special as they come, an añejo 100% blue agave
bottling from the Cuervo distilleries that sees
significant time in new French oak but never
loses the unique character of the agave. I added a
rum-based orange liqueur Clément Creole Shrub.
But you may have to speak to your favorite spirits
purveyor about obtaining this hard to find spirit;
it may require special ordering. If it turns out
to be unavailable, Grand Marnier is a worthy
replacement. As for the blood oranges, they’re in
season now and available from a good gourmet
grocery store like Whole Foods.
The Cristal Rosé is my first choice among
champagnes to meet the standard set by “Big
Spender,” the lead song from Sweet Charity that
gives the drink its name. However, there are a
few sparklers that are worthy and less taxing
on the pocket book: like, for instance, Moët
& Chandon Brut Rosé or the very worthwhile
California sparkler, Korbel Brut Rosé.
By dale degroff
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cocktails that follow, feel free to exercise
appropriate substitutions. I have even stipulated
Cristal Rosé for one of the recipes. Of course,
for some that might mean substituting Korbel
Brut Rosé, but that’s just fine.
CHAMPAGNE
COCKTAIL
The recipe for the
original champagne
cocktail has barely changed
in 145 years! It was one of
13 cocktails that made up
the “Crustas and Cocktails”
chapter of the 1862 book,
How to Mix Drinks, by the
father of the bartending
profession, Jerry Thomas. The recipe is very
nearly the same today as it was then. The only
difference today is that we use a sugar cube
soaked with Angostura Bitters, while the old
recipe calls for a spoon of sugar (packaging
sugar in cubes hadn’t been invented at the
time).
In London, champagne cocktails are
fortified with a splash of cognac, a tradition
started at the famous Café Royalé. However, I
prefer my champagne cocktail unadulterated
with spirits to allow the beauty and subtle fruit
of the champagne to shine through. Here is the
classic recipe:
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Ingredients:
Champagne
Angostura bitters-soaked sugar cube
Preparation: Place the Angosturasoaked sugar cube in the bottom of a
champagne glass and fill with champagne.
BIG SPENDER*
drink photograph by jamie chung
W
hat a great way to celebrate life:
with champagne! Many reserve
champagne for New Year’s Eve
celebrations or for squirting one another at
triumphant moments, but there are better
ways to enjoy this classy drink. From early
morning to the wee hours, there is no wrong
time of day to enjoy a cool, refreshing glass of
this sparkling beverage. And when you add the
possibilities of making a champagne cocktail,
the versatility and excitement of the bubbly
really comes to life.
There is one important rule I have always
adhered to when choosing ingredients for
cocktails: Use the best brands you can afford.
I was behind the bar at a couple of very fancy
addresses early in my career and I learned
quickly not to be dismayed by the presence
of Louis XIII cognac in a highball. If you’ve
got it flaunt it; why not? With the champagne
Ingredients:
3/4 ounce Gran Centenario Añejo
1 ounce Clément Créole Shrub Liqueur
2 ounces blood-orange juice
Cristal Rosé champagne (For a less
expensive alternative, use Billecart Salmon
Brut Rosé.)
Preparation: Assemble the first three
ingredients in a bar glass with ice and stir
to chill. Strain into a chilled champagne
flute and top with champagne. Garnish
with a spiral of orange peel and a flamed
orange zest.
CHAMPAGNE-Gin
COCKTAIL
The French 75 is a
dangerous champagne
cocktail. The cocktail
smacks of the same
mischief that gave birth to
the Long Island Iced Tea,
but the 75 is a bit more
upscale. The name comes
from a French artillery
piece that the Americans borrowed during
the First World War. I suspect it unfolded
as follows: a group of soldiers (“doughboys”
as they were called back then) were sitting
around a bottle of gin in the fighting fields
of the French countryside longing for a long,
cool Tom Collins. They didn’t have ice or club
soda so they mixed sugar, water, gin and a
little lemon juice and topped it with the only
sparkling beverage at hand—you guessed it,
champagne!
Some say the drink was invented at
Harry’s New York bar in Paris, a hangout for
expatriate Americans ever since it opened in
1911, but there is no solid evidence. Like all
cocktail inventions, there was seldom a scribe
around to take good notes on when these
things were concocted. (Note that the Sidecar
and French 75 still rival the legendary Harry’s
Bloody Mary as a companion for the best hot
dogs in Paris!)
Marrying gin and champagne in a sweet
and sour cocktail can be tricky, so pay close
attention to the recipe.
FRENCH 75
This started as a gin drink but is
more often made as a brandy or cognac
drink. It is made like a Tom Collins with
champagne in place of club soda.
Ingredients:
1 ounce gin or cognac (Note: The citrus
notes in Plymouth gin would work nicely
with this cocktail.)
¾ ounce simple syrup (Mix half sugar
and half water until the sugar is dissolved.)
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
2 ½ ounces champagne
Preparation: Shake the gin or cognac
with ice, lemon juice and simple syrup.
Strain into a large goblet over ice and
top with champagne. Garnish with
lemon peel.
CHAMPAGNE-Cognac
COCKTAIL
I will end with a
cocktail that brought me
my first ink, as they say in
the newspaper business.
I created it in New York
City at Aurora, a finedining restaurant opened
by legendary restaurateur
Joe Baum of Four Seasons
and Windows on the World fame.
Champagne and champagne drinks were
an important part of the bar offerings at
Aurora. It was a heady time, just before the
1987 program-trader crash on Wall Street,
and there was a lot of money crossing the
bar at cocktail hour. We were conveniently
located right under the Bankers Trust West
Building on East 49 th Street, just an elevator
ride away from some of the most successful
program traders. I needed a drink for these
lads, one that was both classy and dear.
Champagne was the ticket.
RITZ COCKTAIL*
This drink is my tribute to the Ritz
Cocktails of Paris and Madrid.
Ingredients:
¾ ounce cognac
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Champagne
Preparation: Stir all ingredients in a
mixing glass, except the champagne.
Strain into a martini glass and then fill
with champagne. Garnish with a burnt
orange peel.
*Original or adapted drink by Dale
DeGroff
Dale DeGroff,
author of The Craft
of the Cocktail, is
an award-winning
bartender and
consultant to the
spirits industry.
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SMOKES
Walk Softly,
But Carry a
Big Stick
By eduardo rincon
W
hy is it that cigars keep getting
smaller and smaller? There seems
to be an unofficial contest in the
industry to see who can make the smallest
cigar that still tastes great. Petit Coronas
have been all the rage, but smaller, fat cigars
(4 1/2" x 52, 4 3/4" x 60) are becoming more
and more popular. It’s getting ridiculous.
Frankly, it makes me want to smoke big
cigars again.
Of course, it’s harder to find the time, and
especially the place, to enjoy a large cigar,
making it a luxury when you do. But being
able to dedicate several hours to one cigar is
like being able to devote an afternoon to a
novel. And doing so with a large cigar would
be perfect.
One of the largest “standard format”
cigars is the “A.” Larger than a Double
Corona, and towering past a Churchill, the
typical A traditionally ranges in size from
9 1/4 – 9 7/16 inches with a 47 or 48 ring
gauge. Like a good novel, a cigar of this
stature needs to maintain a certain “inertia”
to keep the smoker interested. It has to be
exciting and complex from start to finish.
The development of flavor as a cigar smokes
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is a common attribute. The A cigars are
“Long Filler,” meaning that the interior
leaves run the entire length of the cigar. As
you smoke the cigar, the tars, oils and smoke
move through the filler leaves depositing
some residual oils on the leaves themselves.
…being able to
dedicate several
hours to one cigar
is like being able to
devote an afternoon
to a novel.
Puff by puff, that residue becomes more
concentrated as you get closer to the end.
Combined with the natural characteristics
of the leaf itself from tip to stem, these large
formats naturally lend themselves to more
excitement and overall substance.
Cuban Cigars
Montecristo A
The most famous of these massive vitolas
is the Montecristo A, also considered an
“Especial” by Cuban terms. Since 1935, the
Montecristo brand has been synonymous
with superiority, making it the most popular
Cuban brand in the world. The A format was
released during the 1970s, before the smoking
bans, when people could dedicate two hours to
enjoying a cigar. The Montecristo A smokes just
as a cigar of this stature should. It’s full bodied
and spicy with the classic Montecristo flavors
like leather and earth.
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza, named after the squire in
Cervantes’s Don Quixote, is another well-known
Cuban brand that offers an A. The “Sancho,”
though slightly mellower in flavor, is still a great
experience—should you find yourself on non–
U.S. soil and able to procure one and enjoy it.
Dominican Cigars
Despite the challenge of the United States
embargo on Cuban cigars, fortunately for us,
there are several Dominican-made A’s available
that are worth seeking out.
Davidoff Cigars
Davidoff stopped making cigars in Cuba
in 1989, and moved everything to the
Dominican Republic. Although some Cuban
Davidoffs still exist and fetch record-breaking
prices at auction, their Dominican cigars are
recognized worldwide for their incredible
quality and consistency. Like many of the
Davidoff cigars on today’s market, they’re
modeled after cigars that once existed in their
Cuban line.
Davidoff Aniversario No. 1
With similar presentation to the Cuban
Davidoff Aniversario 80, the Davidoff
Aniversario No. 1 (8 2/3" x 48) is a gem.
Packaged in gorgeous wooden tubes, the cigar
is more intimidating than it looks. It begins
with the signature creaminess Davidoff is
known for. Developing slowly in richness
and strength, the “Ani 1” never gets too
overpowering, ending as elegantly as it began.
This cigar is a regular part of their line so it’s
always available.
The Stretch
Davidoff also offers another large format
in their Zino Platinum Crown Series. The
Stretch (8 ¼" x 50), which sells in three packs
for $138, is an elegant gran-perfecto. Slightly
tapered at the foot, it starts with a zing of
spice, and rounds out nicely into a full-bodied
yet balanced cigar with an enchanting aroma.
The development of this cigar is extremely
impressive.
However, the Fuente Family changed that
on their Chateau de La Fuente in Bonao,
DR. Known for its incredibly full body
and rich flavor, the Opus X cigars are made
in extremely limited quantities and the
“Perfection” A (9 1/4" x 47) is among the
rarest. Its packaging is as exquisite as the
cigars themselves, with an ornate wooden
box that houses the gorgeous wooden coffins
holding the cigars.
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Series
Second to their Opus X line, cigars from
the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Series are
also recognized as being among the finest
Dominican smokes and are sought after
by smokers and collectors worldwide. The
Hemingway Masterpiece (9" x 52) is indeed
just that: a masterpiece. Along with its sister
sizes, the Masterpiece is a perfecto shape,
tapered at both the foot and the cap. It’s
finished with a stunning Cameroon wrapper
that has more tooth than a great white shark.
Given the tapered shape, the taste of the cigar
virtually changes with every puff as the ratios
of tobaccos alter, making for an incredibly
complex and exciting cigar.
Get the Full Experience
With any cigar, it’s important to make
the appropriate selection for the amount of
time you have to enjoy it. Going back to
the analogy of a good novel, you wouldn’t
just read the first couple chapters and then
discard the book. When you have the time
to dedicate to a great cigar, seek out some of
these As and enjoy the experience. ◆
Paul Garmirian’s Celebration
Boutique cigar brand Paul Garmirian has
also launched an A size recently. The P.G.
15th Anniversary “Celebration” (9" x 50) is a
welcomed addition to this already successful
line of limited cigars. With tobaccos aged up
to five years, this enormous cigar is classically
P.G. It’s incredibly smooth, with a medium
body and velvety character that is maintained
from start to finish.
Fuente Cigars
Fuente Fuente Opus X
When it comes to cigars that are in
demand and sought after, there is one brand
that trumps all: Fuente Fuente Opus X.
Launched in 1995, this Dominican Puro
was an anomaly. Until that year, no one
had been able to successfully grow great
wrapper tobacco in the Dominican Republic.
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RIDES
Let the
sun
shine in
BMW M6 Convertible
Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible
Honda S2000
MSRP: $105,095
The new M6 is unadulterated German
muscle pumped into a sleek exterior
reminiscent of a bullet—which is exactly
what you’ll feel like when you’re rocketing
to a top speed of 155 mph. The fourseater convertible shares the same 5.0liter, V10, 507-horsepower engine, so
you’ve got power along with the benefits
of a convertible. And even though it’s a
soft top, the three-layer design blocks
noise and wind like a hard top. But what’s
the use? You won’t need it while you’re
soaking in the rays.
MSRP: $45,755
Flash back to 1966 in the jacked-up
American classic that had Nicolas Cage
Gone in 60 Seconds . Carroll Shelby and
Ford reunite after forty years to create
this 500-horsepower, supercharged V8
beast, the most powerful production
Mustang to date. While the convertible
doesn’t bear Shelby’s iconic Le Mans
racing stripes, it comes fitted with
the same cloth top as high-end Ford
convertibles like the Jaguar and the
Cobra. Go topless and flex those
American muscles in this beauty.
MSRP: $34,250
This hip, young convertible has only been
around for eight years, but it’s backed
by forty years of reliable Honda motorsports history. The tiny 2.2-liter engine is
capable of generating an unprecedented
237 horsepower—the largest power-tosize ratio of any car—while the tiny frame
means you’ll only have enough room for
a hot date. The electronically powered
soft top drops in under six seconds:
that’s pretty fast, so you’ll lose almost no
time being at one with the air while this
speedster races across the asphalt.
Cadillac XLR-V
Ferrari F430 Spider
Jaguar XK Convertible
Morgan Aero 8 America
MSRP: $97,460
Forget images of old men puffing on stogies
in the backseat of an El Dorado; the best
seat in this Cadillac is the driver’s. Press on
the pedal and the 4.4-liter, V8 engine’s soft
purr will morph into a roar as it launches you
from 0-60 in under five seconds. Its sharp,
angular exterior manages to be sporty while
keeping in line with the archetypal Cadillac
aesthetic. The push-button hard top takes 30
seconds to retract, but that’s the only thing
slow in this 443-horsepower machine. This is
definitely not your grandfather’s Caddy.
MSRP: $216,375
Amazing and magnificent are two words
that come to mind when attempting
to capture the Ferrari experience. The
manufacturers make no attempt to deviate
from this standard with the new 4.3-liter,
V8 F430 Spider. Retract the electronically
operated cloth top and see what a top
speed of 193 mph feels like without ruffling
your hair. The F430 is so aerodynamic that
a piece of paper in the passenger seat
won’t blow away. Its appearance? Hey,
it’s a Ferrari. This gorgeous convertible
will make jaws drop everywhere you go.
MSRP: $81,500
British sophistication on the inside,
menacing curves on the outside, and
brute power throughout, the XK is almost
a paradox—part luxury car, part muscle
car. But just a few minutes with this 300horsepower, V8 animal, and you’ll see
that these qualities find perfect harmony
here. Its prominent grille and squat
proportions resemble those of the Aston
Martin (also made by Ford) and that’s a
good thing. Cruise to a top speed of 155
mph with the fabric top down and chase
the horizon in style.
MSRP: $115,000
Rattle the cages and shake the bars
of what you’d normally expect in a
convertible with this unique take on the
traditional sporty drop-top. If you like
your antiques to look brand new, the oldschool throwback look of the new Aero 8
America is right up your alley. While the
exterior might say 1920s, flooring the 325horsepower, V8, BMW engine will scream
otherwise. It’s pretty and it’s powerful:
this two-seater instant classic will have
everyone craning their necks for a look at
the lucky driver.
By Elizabeth Yun
W
e’re well into spring and summer is coming soon—and
that means warm weather, long sunny days, convertibles and
fun! We’ve picked out the hottest top-down rides that’ll have
you sizzling everywhere you go, even when the sun has dipped into the
night. Summertime, and the living is easy—or at least it’ll feel that way
when you’re cruising with the wind in your face and the low growl of a
finely tuned engine humming in your ears. Cruise fast down the highway
or slow along the beach or down Main Street; whatever you do, it’s the
perfect time to enjoy a convertible!
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POKER & GAMBLING
FIVE
Attributes of
Great Players
By T.J. Cloutier
W
hat separ ates great poker
players from average players?
I’ve been asked that question a
zillion times over the years. Here are some of
the characteristics that I believe distinguish
perennial winners from one-time wonders.
1. Great Players Make Very Few
Mistakes
Poker is a game of mistakes. Nobody plays
it perfectly but the best players make far fewer
mistakes than anybody else. In final table play,
any mistake you make could cost you a place,
a lot of money. Earlier in the tournament, a
major mistake may not knock you out. You can
recover from it and still make it to the money.
But at the final table, that same mistake is
magnified because it can cost you a higher
place in the tournament than you would have
had if you hadn’t made the mistake. It can
even cost you the championship.
Not only do great players make very few
mistakes, they know they’re making a mistake
while they’re doing it, not after it’s done.
Before I make a play at the pot in a poker
tournament, I ask myself “Should I do this
now, or should I not?” Sometimes, I just say,
“The hell with it, I’ll just do it.” And I pay for
it! But I know I’m making a mistake while I’m
doing it. Amateurs play hands they shouldn’t
play and they don’t know they’re making a
mistake.
If you don’t know you’re making a mistake,
how can you learn from it? Knowing when
you’ve made a bad move is an instinct that
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P L AY E R maY/june 2 0 07
develops from what you’ve learned over the
years. When you see that a play doesn’t work,
chalk it up on your mental blackboard so that
you can learn from it. My premise is that great
players don’t make bad mistakes. And they
don’t do it year after year after year.
Great players bring their A-game to the
table with them. There’s not a player alive who
brings it with him every day, but top players
play their A-game throughout the tournament
a lot more often than average players. It’s like
any other sport or job—the guys who are
really good at what they do get the cheese
over time.
2. Great Players Have an Innate
Sense of Timing
I believe that in any poker game, the best
players have a superior sense of timing that
is rooted in what they’ve learned over the
years. Timing is an offshoot of instinct and
observation. If you’ve played a lot of poker,
your instincts will tell you what to do. Your
mind has learned all this stuff, and your
subconscious will kick it back to you in
particular situations. For example, you’ll have
pocket fives, somebody raises the pot, and
you throw them away. And you do that time
and again, throwing away small pocket pairs.
“Muck ‘em,” your mind tells you. “You don’t
need to play this pot.” Then all of a sudden,
your subconscious says, “Call!” You follow
your instinct, you call—and you win the pot
with a hand you have correctly folded a zillion
times in the past.
It’s like ESP and it works. I’ve always had a
pretty good sense of when I can make a play and
who I can make it against. A sense of timing
is akin to instinct. And instinct is something
that you can’t teach. Some players are just born
with an innate sense of timing, and there are
other players, like me, whose sense of timing
comes from a combination of what I’ve learned
over the years through observation, and the
memory skills I was born with.
I’ve gone for three to four hours in a poker
tournament when two fives or two sixes were
the biggest hands I’ve held, and I probably
didn’t play them. But almost invariably, I’ve
had more chips at the end of that round than
I started with just by making situational plays
based on timing and instinct. I would say that
one out of ten times, I’ll make a play at the pot
and I’ll be wrong. But one out of ten isn’t a bad
percentage.
Some readers have told me, “Well, T.J., you
When I say learn the game,
I mean you learn the game—
not only what the cards tell
you, but what the players
tell you. And I don’t mean
what they tell you with their
mouths—what they tell you by
the way they play.
talk about instinct and timing, but you don’t
tell us how to get it.” You get it by playing,
by observing, paying attention to the game,
learning the game. When I say learn the game,
I mean you learn the game—not only what
the cards tell you, but what the players tell
you. And I don’t mean what they tell you with
their mouths—what they tell you by the way
they play.
The things that you learn become the
foundation of your instincts. In Super
System, Doyle Brunson labels it “recall.” It’s
what I call “playing the game.” You’re not just
playing your hand, you’re playing the game.
Even when you’re not in the hand, you’re
playing the game because you’re learning
something by observing the players who are
in the hand. Nobody is good enough that
they can’t learn, no matter who they are.
3. Great Players Know How to
Make More Money on a Hand
Another thing that separates great players
from average players is that a great player
can play the same hand against the same
hand, and the great player will make more
money on it than an amateur will. An
inexperienced player might have a hand, bet
it on the f lop, and bet it again on fourth
street. Then he decides to show it down on
fifth street, figuring that he’s already made
enough money on the hand. But the great
player won’t miss that last bet. He will bet
it on fifth street, and get paid off there too.
He’s not worried about that certain card that
came off on the river.
If you’re willing to call a bet on the end,
why not make a bet on the end? Always keep
this in your mind. If you’re a good enough
player, you’ll throw the hand away if you get
raised and think you’re beaten. But since you
were going to call a regular bet anyway, why
not bet it on the end? You see this happen
in limit poker all the time, and quite often
in no-limit games: Bet, bet, show down. It
becomes a pattern with some players. But
the great player who goes ahead and bets
the hand on the river, and gets paid off, will
get more money out of the same hand than
the amateur will. In other words, the better
players will use the best betting strategy to
get the most value out of their hands.
The example above involves the bet-betbet rather than the bet-bet-call. Of course
it only holds true when you think you have
the hand to bet with. Obviously, if you’re
bluffing and you bet-bet and get called both
times, there’s nothing wrong with shutting
down if you haven’t made something by
fifth street. A lot of times when I start off
bluffing, I go ahead and fire three barrels—
but the minute I sense that I am beaten, I
shut down.
On fifth street, the top players never
make a call when they’ve put somebody on a
hand that can beat them. An amateur might
be thinking “Well, if he has such and such,
I can beat that hand, so I’m gonna call.”
Instead he should be thinking “He has such
and such, and I can’t beat that hand, so I’m
folding.” There might be five possible hands
on board that the amateur can’t beat, and
one possible hand he can beat—and he puts
his opponent on the one hand he can beat to
justify making the call.
23◆
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5. True Champions Have Stood
the Test of Time
Great players have a track record against
Excerpted from How to Win the
Championship: Hold’em Strategies for the
Final Table by T.J. Cloutier
prestige llc, ny, ny 10016 • phat farm and the associated phat farm logos are trademarks of phat fashions, llc under exclusive licenses to rklr licensing, llc • atman is a trademark of rklr licensing, LLc. www.russellsimmons.com www.phatfarm.com
top competition over a long length of
time. I’m not talking about the little daily
tournaments, I’m talking about big-league
tournaments with buy-ins of $1,000 or
more. In the old days, it used to be $500
or more, but now that tournaments have
escalated, the big tournaments start at
$1,000 buy-ins.
I see a lot of poker wonders come along
who do well for one or two years, and then
you never hear of them again. It’s happened
time and time again. But great players have
stood the test of time—players like Doyle
Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Phil
Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Tom McEvoy, and
Johnny Chan—and have been winning big
tournaments for years and years and years.
At the end of the year, they get the money.
If they played the same crew all year long,
they would end up winners. And the reason
they get the money is because they play the
game the way it should be played.
The great players have paid their dues.
You put in your dues learning how to
play. When they first started out, a lot of
successful players got broke playing poker.
In the old days when I first started playing,
I got broke a lot of times. But you get up the
next day and say, “This is a new day, let’s
go get ‘em.”
When everyone sits down at the table,
the great player is the one that everybody
else notices first. “Oh, no! You’re at my
table?” they say. I hear it all the time. A less
experienced player thinks, “Well, I know I
can’t win now, but at least I can get some
experience, and then I can go home and
tell folks that I played against so-and-so.”
Whether they mean it or not, it’s still a form
of respect. Great players are the players that
everybody knows, respects, and fears.
You also pay your dues by starting small
and then building up to higher games and
tournaments. You won’t find somebody
coming in new and winning a big tournament
with no experience whatsoever at playing
little tournaments. A lot of today’s best
tournament players took up tournament
play after playing high limits in live games,
but they worked up to the high games by
first playing in small games. ◆
© coty
4. Experts Don’t Burn Up Their
Chips
Great players know that every bad call
they don’t make is the same as a win. This is
a basic truth in poker. A great player knows
that if he doesn’t make a call here and a call
there, the money he has left after saving
those calls is the same as winning a pot. It
makes the difference in the money he has
available to raise a pot later on in the game.
All those “long” calls that players make on
the end, especially in limit poker when they
say they’re calling because of the size of the
pot, probably will make the difference in the
amount they’ve won or lost for the day.
A lot of times you’ll see a player make
long calls from the f lop on. The f lop
might come J-10-4 and he has an A-4. An
opponent makes a small bet and the A-4
calls it. On fourth street comes a 5 or 6, a
nothing card. His opponent makes another
small bet and the A-4 says to himself “I’m
gonna call one more time. I might spike
an ace or a four on the river,” not thinking
that maybe the bettor has a K-Q and if an
ace comes on fifth street, the A-4 will lose
the hand. Then the f lop blanks off on the
end, and he’s lost two bets because he can’t
legitimately call with bottom pair. He’s just
burned up his chips. But great players don’t
burn up their chips. They have the chips in
front of them so that they can play when
they finally get a hand.
The bet-call, bet-call, bet-call is a type
of play more likely to be made by a player
coming out of the limit hold’em ranks into
the no-limit ranks. However a lot of people
are starting off in poker by playing nolimit hold’em. They’re beginning by playing
online and they see a lot of draw-outs in
the little online tournaments. Instead of
learning the things they should be picking
up from the game, they start thinking “Hey,
look at the pot that guy won because he
made the call on the end.” They don’t realize
how seldom that happens. All they see is
that he won a big pot by calling. Then when
they play a big tournament in a casino, they
do the same thing. The result? They burn up
their chips looking for that miracle card and
end up looking for the lobby.
◆
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Russell & Kimora Lee Simmons are donating 100% of their net proceeds from
any Phat Farm Atman fragrance purchase to charitable organizations.
TRAVEL
My Guide to New York City
them. The SoHo Grand is a good choice
if you’re looking for a hip and trendy area
with lots of shopping. The location is cool
but the rooms are a little too small for my
taste. If you have multiple personalities like
me, you need the space.
By Michael Rosenbaum
team I’ve emphatically despised since birth.
Sorry, Nathalie. You see, in New York, you
either like the Yankees or the Mets. Not
both.
Here are some of my favorite things to
do while I’m in my favorite city:
Where to Drink & Party
If you want a hot spot, go to Bungalow
8. The DJs are always great. It’s not the
easiest place to get into; but when you
do get in, there’s a cool vibe, and it has
comfortable couches and really good
music—a little hip hop, a little 80s. If you
can’t get in, try Stay Lounge for its good
music and intimate setting. If you like
Where to Stay
One of my preferred hotels is the Le
Parker Meridien Hotel. I get a nice room
with a view of Central Park. I also like
staying at the W Hotel on Lexington
Avenue. The deluxe rooms here have cool
terraces and you can throw great parties on
photograph of nobu by alan batt
to become the next Brad Pitt. But with
long greasy hair and a “pleather” jacket, I
looked more like Brad and something that
rhymes with Pitt.
When I was a kid, my parents took me
to Coney Island (the Ferris wheel always
reminds me of one of my favorite movies,
The Warriors). We’d enjoy a couple of
rides and eat Nathan’s hot dogs until we
were blue in the face. Then we were off
to Shea Stadium for a Mets game. The
associate publisher of this magazine told
me to mention the Yankees and I agreed.
Little did she know that the Yankees are a
Le Parker meridien HoTel
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P L AY E R maY/J U N E 2 0 07
NOBU
Things to Do
I make a point to see a sporting event
at Madison Square Garden as often as
possible. You’ve got to see the New York
Rangers play hockey at the Garden.
Ranger fans are the most loyal in the
world and also the loudest. The New York
Knicks basketball team is fun to watch as
well, but they kinda suck right now. Go
to Shea Stadium and support my team,
the Mets. You can get there by subway.
Actually, you can get anywhere by subway,
except New Jersey. But why would you go
there?
If you want to play hockey, soccer, or
swim, head to Chelsea Piers. They’ve got it
all there. If you like museums, I’d go to the
American Museum of Natural History.
During the summer, I take the Long Island
Rail Road to Jones Beach for some fun in
the sun and rockin’ concerts.
For shopping, head to Greenwich
Village. Or sometimes I’ll go uptown,
because the big kid in me loves to shop at
FAO Schwarz. I like to look at the giant
stuffed animals and play the giant piano
with my feet, just like they did in the
movie Big.
One Day Itinerary
• Wake up and grab a bagel and cream cheese
from almost any deli in the city. A New York
bagel beats any other bagel in the country.
• Walk through Central Park and hit the
American Museum of Natural History. It’s free
and all they ask for is a donation.
• For lunch, grab that chicken pot pie from the
Brooklyn Diner.
• For dinner, get sushi at Nobu or go to Jekyll
and Hyde for some decent food and a lot of fun.
• Broadway, baby—see a play. The musical,
Wicked, is one great option. You can buy cheap
tickets in the early afternoon in Times Square.
If you’re in New York, you have to do this. Just
to say you did.
• If not Broadway, go to the Garden for any
sporting event. There’s nothing like booing with
45,000 other angry fans.
• Go for a few beers at the Collins Bar in
Midtown and then head over to Bungalow 8 if
you’re looking for a late night out.
• When you’re walking back to your hotel after
a drunken night out, grab a piece of Ray’s Pizza
on Prince St (between Elizabeth & Mott). It
somehow cures hangovers.
• Sleep ‘til noon the next day. ◆
Michael Rosenbaum stars
as Lex Luthor on Smallville
(Thursdays, 8/7c on the CW).
His new film, Kickin’ it Old
School, is in theatres April 27.
METS photography by marc s. levine/ny mets
E
ven though I’ve lived outside of
New York for the past thirteen
years, I’ve always been in a “New
York State of Mind.” Whether I’m hearing
Billy Joel or Frankie sing about it, I smile
the second I think about New York. I can’t
think of any other place I’d rather be—at
least for the weekend.
During my college years all I could
think about was moving back to New York;
and the second I graduated, that’s exactly
what I did. Within a few weeks, I was
living with four dudes in a one-bedroom
apartment on the Upper East Side trying
Where to Eat
I particularly like staying at the Le
Parker Meridien Hotel because it’s close
to two of my favorite restaurants. My first
stop is always the Brooklyn Diner, home
to the best chicken pot pie. I actually look
forward to the indigestion I get after eating
it. Also, and I know people will laugh at
me, I love eating at Jekyll and Hyde. This
was actually one of my first—albeit shortlived—jobs in New York City. I think I was
fired. Jekyll and Hyde is a horror-themed
restaurant with ghouls, talking statues
(the ever-powerful Zeus), and an eccentric
group of servers and bartenders. It’s a real
treat, and it will give you something to talk
about for years to come. On the upscale
side, if you like sushi and you can get
reservations, go to Nobu. There’s no other
place for sushi.
dive bars, head over to Collins Bar for
its “Cheers”-like ambience or the Patriot
Saloon for its country feel. If you’re in
the mood for some real fun, go to 2nd on
2nd and karaoke your ass off. However,
avoid getting your own room—make sure
you embarrass yourself in front of people
you don’t know. Songs to sing: “Man in
the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “Break it
Down” by Tears for Fears and “Love on the
Rocks” by Neil Diamond.
Shea stadium
Stay lounge
METS BASEBALL
27◆
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What Makes A Player?
7
THE
DEADLY
SINS
Pl ayer’s guide to
every thing good
that’s bad for you
and every thing
bad that’s good
for you
LUS T 3 0
va nit y 3 6
Greed 3 8
Style
s ub s tance
s i n
en v y 4 0
glu t ton y 4 4
sloth 4 6
the PASSION of THE MEN’S LIFEST YLE
w r ath 4 8
. . . be a player
s ub s cr i be : cardozaplayer . com
29◆
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7 DEADLY SINS
LUST
La Femme Fatale
P h oto gr a p hy by Fr e j H e d e nb er g
Shirt by Kenzo
Underwear by Jezebel
Earrings by Zoe Chicco
Shoes by Salvador Sapena
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30◆
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With her dark hair, tan skin, exotic features and
perfect body, fashion model Jennifer Lamiraoui
is not your typical French import.
(This Page)
Shirt by Kenzo
Underwear by Jezebel
Bracelet by Pianegonda
Shoes by Salvador Sapena
(That Page)
Vest by Rock and Republic
Underwear by Araks
Tights by Emilio Cavallini
Necklace by Gara Danielle
Ring with links by Pianegonda
Gold bar ring by Zoe Chicco
Oval charm necklace by Bing Bang
She’s appeared in numerous European magazines and
advertisements and has arrived to conquer America. Normally
we’re opposed to a foreign invasion on American soil. For
Jennifer, though, we’re waving the white flag.
I was curious to know what it takes to date a model, so on the day
of the photo shoot I asked Jennifer what qualities she looks for in
a man. Her answer: “Successful, intelligent, kind, and funny—but
not too funny.” Yes, she’s definitely French. And she doesn’t
like rich men. So if you’re suffering from a budgetary-challenge
disorder, that still leaves hope should you meet Jennifer in a New
York lounge or club.
Of course, all hope was shattered when I asked her what would
be the best way to approach her. Her response, “No, don’t.”
“There’s no way to approach you and speak to you then,” I
persisted.
“No, I don’t like that.”
Just then the hairstylist came over to get Jennifer ready. As she
walked away, Jennifer turned around and said, “But if you’re going
to try, be original.”
And then she was gone. Bon appétit. ◆
–Les Rugl
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editor douglas emery / Hair by Arturo / www.arturo.bz using Joico / Kim birdsley bower @ williams image group /
Photographic Ass: Jon E Studio: Solo Productions, Solo-pro.net / Stylist: Amit Gajwani @ www.artistsbytimothypriano.com
(This Page)
Bikini by Skaparinn
White sheer top by Araks
Gray heels by Alex Herchkovitz
Long chains and bracelet by Pianegonda
(That Page)
Underwear by Princess Tam Tam
Earrings by Zoe Chicco
35◆
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7 DEADLY SINS
VANITY
good jeans breed good looks
Player Fashion Interview with Eric Goldstein of Jean Shop
Interview by Douglas Emery
T
You can visit the Jean Shop at 435 West 14th
Street, New York, NY 10014. (212) 366-5326.
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he popularity of jeans has exploded. You see jeans being
worn everywhere—at the office, in nice restaurants and at clubs.
Designer jeans now average $200 a pair, and surprisingly, people
continue to pay these prices. So what is it about jeans that everyone
finds so appealing? We stopped in at Jean Shop in New York City to
chat with co-owner Eric Goldstein about their highly coveted denim
and to get the inside skinny on our favorite second skin.
How long has Jean Shop been open?
Three years.
What were you doing before that?
I was with Ralph Lauren, started Double RL (a division of Ralph
Lauren), and worked there for five years. Then I did research and
development at the Gap Corporation for ten years. My partners are
Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman, the founder of Lucky Brand.
How did Jean Shop come about?
We decided to create the best jean company in the world: classic style,
all selvage (edge-finished) product from Japan, and just worry about the
style and quality. We had a couple of meetings and the next thing you
know: Jean Shop.
What has accounted for the popularity of jeans?
I think it’s the simplicity. You can wear them anyplace—to the fanciest
restaurant in Manhattan or L.A., to work and to hang around the
house. The more you wear a high quality pair of denim, the more
broken in it gets and the more comfortable it becomes. And it looks
okay, too.
What’s the price range of your product?
Our jeans start at $240 and go up to $600.
What exactly is the customer getting at that price? That’s
more expensive than most jeans. Although, to be fair, most
designer denim starts around $200.
You’re paying for the best components from five different countries
around the world, the best construction, and the highest quality fabric,
which is then individually hand-washed. Nobody makes a better quality
product than we do. Our jeans are very reasonable for what you get. We
design, manufacture and produce in our own factory and laundry so we
can afford to sell it at a reasonable price and still have the best quality
out there. And we can do that because we sell direct.
Who is your customer?
Someone who wears a quality product with classic style that’s going to
wear the jeans two years from now and not look in the closet and say,
“What the hell was I thinking when I spent $250 for these jeans?” That
is the case for many of the jeans on the market right now. They’ve got
the designs all over the back pocket and so on and so forth.
Is there a trend in denim that you would like to see go away,
such as the jeans with all the crazy patterns?
I don’t want to see it go away, because then everything would be the
same. These design details differentiate the products. It’s not what I
believe in for designer wear, but there are plenty of people out there
who do.
What is the design philosophy behind Jean Shop?
Best quality, classic style. Those are the two things we focus on. And
great fit. All of our fits are straight leg, nothing flared. We have four
fits in four different fabrics; a Relaxed fit, which is the widest leg, a
Classic fit, that’s a narrower leg and a lower rise, and a Rocker fit,
which is the same rise as the Relaxed fit but with a much narrower leg.
And then we have the Skinny fit, which is our unisex fit for men
and women.
If a guy gets only one pair of jeans, what should it be?
A guy who only wears one pair of jeans is not going to wear jeans too
often; he’s going to wear a suit. So if he only has one pair, it should be
a dark wash that he can wear with a tie or a t-shirt. Either a Classic or
Relaxed fit.
What are the best jeans for a night out?
Dark denim is a clean, fashionable look because you can dress it up and
you can dress it down. Wear it with a blazer and a white button-down.
Keep it simple.
What about shoes?
It kind of depends. A basic loafer is fine. Sneakers are fine. It depends on
where you’re going.
How about to a club or a lounge?
A nice boot.
What’s the best way to wash jeans to preserve the original
appearance?
True denim gurus don’t wash their jeans very often. The longer you go
without washing the jean, the more they’re going to get broken in and
the more comfortable they’ll feel. When you do have to wash a jean,
wash it in cold water and hang it to dry.
Let’s talk about different fits for different body types.
A lot of it depends on preference. Someone who is taller can go
for a Rocker fit, which is a little bit of a higher rise and a narrower
leg. Someone shorter might want a lower rise, which is more
comfortable because it doesn’t come up so high. Heavier people
might also want a low rise. We deal with a lot of athletes and they
go with Relaxed fits—big guys with big legs. They like to wear jeans
that are looser.
And the legs?
Personal comfort and aesthetics.
What’s the best clothing item to compliment a pair of jeans?
Some people think a great t-shirt. I love jeans with a leather jacket. I
also like Converse and a white t-shirt.
Is there ever a time when you shouldn’t wear jeans?
There’s never a time when you shouldn’t wear jeans. ◆
37◆
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7 DEADLY SINS
GREED
GETTING YOUR MONEY’S WORTH
I
wouldn’t say my Grandma Fay was the
cheapest person that ever lived, but she’s
worthy of mention with the cheapest. She
always had a plan: get every penny’s worth out of
everything. And where she shone the brightest,
was at the dinner table. She was a master at it.
I’m not talking about helping yourself to free
food from leftover dinner plates (my brother),
sending food back (my girlfriend), getting free
food because of foreign objects that had found
their way into the repast (no comment), or
various and sundry other methods. I’m talking
about the average restaurant experience, where
you pay the proper amount at the end of the
meal, but get your money’s worth in between.
It would start as soon as we entered the
restaurant. These were the days where pay phones
were omnipresent and they cost a quarter to use.
Grandma Fay would start by checking the coin
return slot, and when she occasionally scored
a coin, her ensuing cackle could be heard for a
dozen yards. Almost nothing brought her more
happiness than finding a stray coin.
Then it was the coffee. She would tell the
waiter to fill her coffee cup to the top. Her
explicit instructions and commanding voice
left no room for misinterpretation. But no
matter how high the coffee’s level was when
it arrived—even if the waiter had burned his
fingers from the overspill—she’d demand it be
filled even higher. After yelling at the waiter, of
course. She drank her coffee black, no doubt for
economic reasons; she didn’t want to get shorted
one ounce.
The second request concerned the free
bread—making sure it arrived quickly—and
the third, was to get more Sweet’N Low into
the little container which held the sweeteners.
Amazingly, that container was always empty at
our tables. And then empty after the refill. The
bread didn’t last long either.
“Young man, can we have some more
bread?”
The waiter would glance down at the basket,
which minutes before had been stocked to
overflowing, and see only crumbs. But one
look at my grandmother’s hawkish eyes and he
would scurry off without saying anything about
whatever he was thinking. My cousin Phil,
one year younger than me, who would always
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38◆
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accompany me on our weekly visits, would turn
red in embarrassment.
So where were those rolls? She would dump
them into her voluminous pocketbook, which
always arrived empty. At a restaurant, if it
wasn’t nailed down, it would find its way
into my grandmother’s suitcase-like apparatus.
Thankfully, entire tables wouldn’t fit into her
bag but much else would.
The best incident occurred one night at
an Italian restaurant. At the end of the meal,
Grandma Fay examined the bill as she always
did. The boisterousness at the table immediately
ceased while she painstakingly checked every
charge on the bill—this ritual occurred after
every meal. Within seconds, a clicking noise
emanated from Grandma Fay’s mouth, much
like the sound of sliding abacus beads. The
clicking meant trouble. For a very long minute
or two, the only sound at our eerily quiet table
was the clicking noise. Then the waiter would
get called over.
“Young man,” she would invariably start,
“what is this charge?”
He examined where she was pointing. “It’s the
tax, ma’am.”
“It’s two cents off.”
“I’m sorry, let me get this fixed up,” the waiter
said, nonchalantly shrugging.
But to Grandma Fay, getting beat out of two
cents was no petty thing. It was like highway
robbery and she let the waiter know it. By this
time, the owner had hustled over, because my
grandmother had worked herself into a frenzy
and was yelling at everyone, including the
owner. No amount of apologizing would placate
her. “Why should I give it to them?” she’d
thunder out, staring us down with those hawk
eyes. My cousin, who had physically shrunk into
his seat as far as possible, had turned from red
to bright red. He never had a strong stomach for
my grandmother’s tour de force performances.
Me? I loved them, because if you didn’t see it
with your own eyes, you wouldn’t believe it.
But let me put the situation into perspective.
The restaurant owner was her client (she was
in the real-estate business). He had personally
seated us, sent over free appetizers and a bottle
of wine, much to my grandmother’s delight—
she would audibly cluck in happiness—and did
everything he could to make us feel special. And
this brouhaha was over two cents. No kidding.
Her diatribe would carry on through the
paying of the bill, the walk outside to the car,
the drive home and on any other future occasion
where the situation was brought up again. In a
word, classic.
But before we hit the open air, my grandmother
passed the candy bowl up front at the cash
register. A regular patron might pick out a few
morsels for immediate consumption. A “pro”
will get a healthy portion for later benefit,
maybe a handful. My grandmother would pick
up the bowl and empty its entire contents into
her pocketbook (plus get all the toothpicks)—
on top of the rolls, artificial sweeteners, sugars,
napkins and whatever else she had managed to
collect—and set the empty bowl back down. On
the way back to the car, you’d hear her cackling,
in between yelling about the two cents.
So, when I leave a hotel room after filling my
bags with toilet paper (I already have enough
washcloths and shampoos) it’s not so bad, is it?
By the way, I don’t think my grandmother ever
bought a napkin in her life. If something could
be obtained for free, she sure as hell wasn’t going
to pay for it. ◆
photography by ELIE BERNAGER
By Elmore Martelli Cohen
7 DEADLY SINS
ENVY
Player interview with:
Zach
Gilford
by nathalie ramirez
Z
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photograph courtesy of NBC Photo
photograph by Ralf Strathmann
ach Gilford tells us how
his life has changed since
landing his exciting role as
quarterback Matt Saracen on the
critically acclaimed NBC drama
Friday Night Lights.
What were you doing before Friday
Night Lights?
I was living in New York, doing the whole
auditioning thing and working for a company
called Patagonia, which sells outerwear
clothing. I did a lot of backpacking and rock
climbing during the summer when I was a kid
so I took that route instead of working in a
restaurant.
Had you done any film or television
prior to getting your gig?
Yes, two independent films and an episode of
Law and Order. I got lucky right off the bat,
I had only been out of school [Northwestern
University in Chicago] for about a year and a
half when I got my break.
You already had an agent?
At the end of my senior year in college I did a
showcase in New York and through that I got
my agent and my manager. I guess they liked
me enough. I got pretty lucky. Not only was I
ahead of the game because I had representation,
I was a few steps ahead of the game because I
had very good representation.
What did you think before you
auditioned for Friday Night Lights?
I had read the book and seen the movie, which
I loved, so I was really excited about it. And the
script was sweet. I went in to audition again
and again. I had to go out to L.A. seven times
before I got the part.
Where were you when you found out
you got the role?
I was in a car with a friend of mine and we
were driving up to Lake Tahoe to go skiing for
the weekend. It was 11 o’clock at night and my
agent and manager were in New York, so it was
2 a.m. for them when they called. I had pretty
much given up. It had been over a week since
the last audition so I told myself it’s not going
to happen. I’m usually pretty even keel when I
get good news, but when I found out about this
I was stoked. I didn’t know what to do or say.
I told my buddy who was driving—he’s one of
my best friends so he knew about the project—
and he was screaming more than I was. He was
like, “Dude, that’s awesome!”
Has the show affected your life?
I have a job now. That’s exciting.
You mean a job that you want to do,
that you’re passionate about.
Exactly. I enjoy it. It’s fun. But honestly, with
this show it’s not just a job. It’s something I’m
proud of. There are shows on TV where, if I
were on it, I would be like ‘Oh, I have to go do
this.’ Tonight we’re playing in all this fake rain
and it’s going to be cold and brutal, and a big
muddy mess. But it’s gonna be fun. How often
do you get to play football in the mud in Texas
in the middle of the night?
Did you play high school football?
Yeah, I played a year of football and then broke
my leg so I had to move on. It just took me too
long to rehab. By the time I was ready I was a
couple years behind everyone else. I wasn’t born
to be a top-notch athlete, anyway.
Still, it’s pretty cool that you get to
relive it.
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room knowing that the director wants to see
me, especially when I’ve been fighting so long
to get my foot in the door.
Have you made any big purchases since
you got your role?
Probably the biggest one I’ve made is my
50” television. I was living in New York,
auditioning and didn’t really have anything.
I came here and the first thing I bought was
a TV.
I’m sure you do have to be in shape for
your role as Matt Saracen. Can you
tell us about your workout routine?
I run like seven miles a day or so. I also just
started doing yoga a few weeks ago. That’s
really it.
Do you work with a trainer?
No, that’s not really my thing. I grew up
playing sports. I was always active, running
around, being a kid. I do a lot of extended
hiking and camping trips. That keeps me in
fairly good shape. I’m going to India for two
months, doing a mountaineering course in
the Himalayas. I’m excited about that.
What do you think of actors who give
up on certain sports because they’re
afraid of getting hurt?
Are you kidding? It’s stupid. You know, if
I break my leg and can’t work for six weeks,
whatever. I’m not going sit around just
because I’m worried about spraining
an ankle.
And the most important question
of all: Jessica Alba or Scarlett
Johansson?
Ohhh, that’s tough. They’re both beautiful
women. Scarlett Johansson has got that
classic, old-school stunning beauty, and
Jessica Alba is ridiculously hot. ◆
Zach’s 7-Point Fitness Program
1. Run 6 – 10 miles: 5 days a week
2. 90 minutes of yoga: 4 days a week
3. Three sets of 40 push ups: every day
4. 150 sit ups, plus pull ups till I max
out: every day
5. Walk my dog
6. I don’t sit on my ass all day
7. Get out and play like a four-year-old
photograph courtesy of NBC Photo: bill records
I know, it’s good. All my buddies who played
football for however many years, now they all
have real jobs and I’m like, ‘I’m getting ready
to play football.’
What’s your sport: basketball or
football?
They’re both my favorite. Growing up, it was
basketball, but I’ve always loved football.
You played sports and now you act. On
a success level, would you rather be
George Clooney or Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan. No question.
What’s wrong with George?
Nothing. It’s just, who cares? I mean, he’s an
actor, producer, whatever. Michael Jordan is
the greatest basketball player ever.
How do you feel about Kobe?
I hate Kobe. Don’t get me started. I don’t like
that guy. You know I used to hate Shaq. But
then, when they played together. I hated Kobe
so much I started to like Shaq.
How has your life changed?
I had to totally relocate my life and start all
over, make new friends. Southern hospitality
is not a myth, it’s true. At the same time the
South is a different culture with different rules
than where I grew up. Not having my friends
around all the time has been pretty rough. It’s
the first time I’ve had to
branch out on my own
without a safety net.
Has your celebrity
status affected your
relationships with
your friends?
I’ve been tight with a
group of boys that I
went to high school with
for about ten years so
nothing’s really changed
at all. They think its crazy
and weird to see me on
TV every week. Everyone
will give me a call after an
episode and give me crap.
Have you had any
strange celebrity
experiences?
Walking the red carpet.
It’s so weird. They tell
me, ‘Just walk down and
stand there by yourself,
stop here so they can take
your picture and interview
with this person, walk ten
more feet and have fifteen
people take your picture.’ I’m still wondering
why people want to talk to me. The biggest
adjustment has been coming to terms with the
fact that people I’ve never met want to know
something about me. It’s flattering but it takes
a little getting used to.
Tell me about your goals.
I’d love to do some movies. I’m back and forth
to L.A. a lot trying to get a job when this is
over. If movies aren’t an option, then I hope I
opt out and go on to something else because I
don’t consider myself the type of person that
says, ‘I’m an actor, it’s what I’m meant to do.’
That’s not me. It’s fun and I have been able
to do it so I’ve kept doing it. But if it ends up
not being fun, I’m not scared to move on to
something else.
Has the show opened up more doors
for other parts?
It totally has. Before Friday Night Lights, I
would have to pre-read in order to get to the
director. What director was going to look at
me? Now I can send them a couple episodes
of the show and they can look at it, which is
cool. More often than not, I can go straight to
the director because I have material to show. It
gives me more confidence when I walk into the
7 DEADLY SINS GLUTTONY
Cooking the Perfect
Steak at HoME
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chefs Alfred Portale and Mark Miller, David
went on to become the corporate executive chef
at Glazier Group in New York City.
In 2005 he released the widely regarded, The
New American Steakhouse Cookbook. Walzog,
now the Executive Chef at SW Steakhouse at
Wynn Las Vegas, offers surprisingly simple
advice that requires few ingredients. Because
of this, he emphasizes, each ingredient must
be high quality. Trying to save a few bucks will
only ensure mediocre results. Now, fire up the
grill, follow these steps and start cooking the
best steaks of your life!
Here’s Walzog’s advice for the perfect steak:
Steaks courtesy of Omaha Steaks, www.omahasteaks.com / Photography by jamie chung
S
ummer is almost here, which means
warm weather, baseball and barbecues.
It’s time to clean the grill and cook some
steak. Not just good steak, or even great steak,
but the perfect steak. We’ve enlisted the help
of acclaimed chef David Walzog, the premiere
authority on steaks. After training under famed
Selecting the Cut
The NY strip, filet, rib eye, and porterhouse
are the primary “premium cuts of steaks,”
which the highest standards of tenderness and
flavor are measured against.
• New York Strip Steak: In my opinion, a NY
strip steak is the best cut for tenderness, flavor
and texture.
• Rib Eye: This cut has a lot of qualities such as
fat content, which translates to flavor.
• Filet Mignon: The popularity of the filet
mignon is due to its tenderness and lack of
fat, and thus, is perceived as a “healthy steak.”
People also like this cut since it’s usually the
smallest of any steak on the menu.
• Porterhouse: This cut is popular because it
offers two cuts in one—a sirloin and a filet.
• T-Bone: The difference between a T-bone and
porterhouse is that the porterhouse has a larger
filet, whereas a T-bone can have just a very small
piece of filet.
• Other Cuts: Cuts such as flank and skirt are
full of flavor, slightly tougher and are best when
marinated.
Selecting the Meat
Look for a bright red color to the meat,
with no odd or sour smells. A steak that’s
well-marbled—referring to the fat grains that
run throughout the steak—is the key. The
more marbled the meat is, the better quality,
tenderness and flavor to the cut. This fat is most
important throughout the cooking process and
internally bastes the meat. Do not buy steaks
with excessive fat on the outside, i.e., steaks
with large pieces of fat inside of a rib eye or top
fat on a rib eye or strip steak. Steaks cut from
larger pieces of beef for your order are preferable
to prepackaged beef. But prepackaged beef is
also okay if you have confidence that it’s not
going to be sitting around for long periods of
time. I have found that the Costcos of the world
offer great prepackaged steaks. The high volume
suggests that their inventory of prepackaged
beef rotates quickly.
Seasoning the Meat
Use only kosher salt, ground black pepper
and neutral oil, such as grape seed or corn oil,
to season your meat. The quantity of oil should
be just enough to coat the steaks. There is no
need for spice rubs or marinades—buy the
best and let it stand on its own. Season the
steaks aggressively. A well-seasoned steak will
look slightly overseasoned prior to cooking;
however, this will compensate for some fall off
when you oil the steak prior to cooking and
while grilling. Season the steaks no longer than
30–40 minutes before cooking.
Preparing the Grill
The best way to cook a great steak is outdoors
on a charcoal or gas barbecue grill. First clean
the grill with a wire brush. Once clean, season
the grill using a kitchen towel coated with
cooking oil. Next, build the charcoal in a
pyramid in the center to concentrate the heat.
Light the charcoal and allow for it to cook out.
When the edges have burnt off and become
gray, knock down the charcoal and spread out
the coals.
may happen; you don’t want the steaks to burn.
Allow the steak to cook for 2–3 minutes more.
Lift the steak and look at the charred side of the
grill. When it is charred to your liking, turn the
steak over and repeat the process. Use tongs, not
a meat fork, for turning. Don’t drag the steak
across the grill. This creates flare-ups, which
will create an acrid or bitter flavor.
Move the steaks onto the cooler area of the
grill and allow them to cook for an additional
3–4 minutes. This is important, because thick
steaks need some indirect cooking to achieve
“doneness.” The total cooking time for a 1.5"–2"
thick, 16-ounce New York strip steak is about
12–14 minutes. To verify doneness, use a meat
thermometer. As a rule of thumb, 115 degrees
for medium rare then increase 5 degrees for
each preparation—120 degrees for medium,
125 degrees for medium well, 130 degrees for
well done. When ready, remove the steaks from
the grill and allow them to rest. This helps the
steaks continue to cook slightly, allowing the
blood back out from the center of the steak (the
steak constricts when cooked). Lastly, have all
platters ready prior to grilling. An extra 1–2
minutes could ruin a great steak.
Drinks (Alternatives to Cabernet)
Beer is a great alternative to red wine with
steaks, especially dark or amber beers that are
“hoppy” with bright, crisp flavors. These really
compliment the fattiness of steaks and match
up well with the charred exterior. Red wines,
such as pinot noirs from the United States
or Rhone wines from France, are also very
complimentary to steaks because of their acidity
and pronounced rich fruit flavors and spiciness.
Be sure to leave a hot-spot concentration in
the center of the grill. Also leave a place on the
side of the grill that will serve as the “go to” spot
of indirect heat. If there is flare-up, which often
happens when the exterior fat on the steaks
renders (especially in the first few minutes of
cooking when it drips onto the hot grill), you
can pick up the steaks and move them to this
safe area on the grill, returning the steaks to the
hot spot when the flare-up subsides.
Accompaniments
Shellfish such as Maine lobster, grilled
shrimp, and sautéed crabmeat are perfect
accompaniments to a good steak. Also, nice
touches like sautéed foie gras, or a small
portion of fatty fish such as black cod, pair
well with filet mignon; the steak is lean and
the contrasting accompaniment is fatty.
Vegetable options might be black truffle
creamed spinach, braised cipollini onions and
charred jalapeños. ◆
Cooking
Allow the steaks to cook on the hot spot for
3–4 minutes. Then close the grill cover. But
don’t leave the grill! This is when a flare-up
You can find David Walzog at SW Steakhouse
at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Boulevard
South, Las Vegas, NV. www.wynnlasvegas.com
702-770-3325.
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7 DEADLY SINS
SLOTH
COOL TECH
get fit!
by brian mcintyre
by brian mcintyre
2007 high-end cell phones
use tech gadgets to achieve better health
H
ot weather is on its way, which means it’s only a matter of months before your body, in all of
its glory, will be on full display. So if your physique looks more like Tony Soprano’s than Brad
Pitt’s, pay attention. Breaking out of your fitness funk can be a daunting task; but follow these
six steps and you’ll quickly begin to see results. Take advantage of these user-friendly devices to bolster
your tech-IQ while having more fun getting fit.
1. Getting Started
Ease back into exercise by signing up for a 5K. Follow a targeted running plan, and use Omron’s
Pocket Pedometer HJ-720ITC ($49.99) to monitor your training progress. Measure the
steps, total distance and calories burned during your run, while health management software
tracks years of exercise statistics. Stay committed to a training schedule, and you’ll cross that
finish line with ease. www.omronhealthcare.com
international
deluxe Plan
Basic Plan
Nokia N95
Nokia’s N95 is a
multimedia powerhouse.
This Symbian OS “smart
phone” features a 5.0
megapixel auto-focus
camera unit, a GPS
receiver with a preloaded
mapping application
(covering over 100
countries worldwide), and
an impressive 2.6" QVGA
display. A TV-out function
lets you send images and
videos to a larger screen,
and the sliding dial pad
alternates between phone
mode and multimedia
control center.
Price: $799.99
www.mobilebee.com
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P L AY E R Nokia E90
A bit out of Middle
America’s price range,
but perfect for the
corporate jet setter, the
E90 Communicator will
increase your mobile
productivity with extensive
browsing and editing
application features.
Transfer media-rich files
via HSDPA. Then take
your business global and
talk on every continent
with quad-band GSM,
while an integrated GPS
module (featuring Nokia
Maps) directs you to the
best Chinese restaurant in
Prague.
Price: Expect to pay
$1,000
www.puremobile.com
may/J U N E 2 0 07
LG PRADA
Ultra-sleek and uberstylish, this modified LG
KE850 handset comes
preloaded with exclusive
Prada content (B&W
minimalist user interface,
ringtones, leather case).
It runs on GSM tri-band
frequency (along with
EDGE connectivity),
and features a 3" wide
touchscreen that’s been
compared to Apple’s
iPhone. Already available
at select Prada stores in
Europe, the Madison
Avenue crowd is certainly
anxious for the U.S.
release.
Price: $780
www.ustronics.com
MOTO Q™ q9
Gadget heads, business
professionals and
fashionistas will be
drooling to get their
hands on this one. Less
than 1/2" thick with a
sophisticated frame and
smart screen display that
adjusts to virtually any
lighting environment,
this sleek, robust device
screams power and
personality. HSDPA
technology brings blazing
connectivity speeds for
data transfers, streaming
media and web browsing,
while Corporate Microsoft
Exchange provides easy
access to personal or
corporate e-mail accounts.
Price: $999.99
www.mobilecityonline.com
2. Stay Motivated!
Rocky had “Eye of the Tiger” when he trained to fight Clubber Lang, and Jennifer Beals had
her leg warmers and danced like a “Maniac” in Flashdance. It’s no secret that music motivates
people to exercise. The Nike+ iPod Sport Kit ($29) lets you hear your favorite workout
playlist, while the Nike+ Sensor sends a performance summary to the iPod nano screen after
your run. www.apple.com/ipod/nike
iPhone
Expect a frenzy when
iPhone hits stores this
June. A revolutionary
interface and innovative
touchscreen software
means your finger controls
all devices functioning
through the multitouch
display. All the music
features offered by iPod
are included, plus Visual
Voicemail lets you hear
messages in any order.
A huge 3.5" widescreen
display boasts iPod’s best
resolution yet and is perfect
for its advanced Safari web
browser.
Price: $499 for 4G (flash
memory), $599 for 8G
www.apple.com
www.cingular.com
3. Exercise Efficiently
Whether you are running, walking, swimming or cycling, Timex’s Ironman Triathlon®
Heart Rate Monitor ($130) tracks your heart’s performance to help maximize exercise
efficiency. Worn as a wristwatch, an alarm sounds when you fall out of your targeted heart
rate zone. It also records lap times and features separate timers for each part of your workout.
www.timex.com
4. Switch it Up
Ever dream of canyoneering in Moab or trail running on Mt. Washington? Escape your
monotonous training schedule and go exploring without ever getting lost. Garmin’s
Forerunner 305 ($375) wristwatch GPS receiver and wireless heart-rate monitor features
advanced mapping features and a Web-based application to provide tracking, analysis, and
workout route sharing for all of your explorations. www.garmin.com
5. Play a Sport
Turn your next golf outing into some serious exercise. By carrying your own clubs and
walking the full 18, you’ll drink less beer and burn tons of calories. Make the most of your
workout and swing like a Master using Zelocity’s PureContact Golf Performance Monitor
($395). This electronic golf guru will help improve distance control and shot efficiency, while
comparing your performance with different clubs. Now go get ‘em Tiger! www.zelocity.com
6. Know Where You Stand
After six weeks of training, you’ve dropped a few pounds and feel terrific. But
fitness encompasses so much more than weight loss. Tanita’s BC549 Ironman® Body
Composition Monitor ($150) configures Body Fat Percentage, Hydration Level, Muscle
Mass, Bone Mass, Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR), Visceral Fat, and Physique Rating.
These indicators represent important measures of fitness. See just how fit you really are.
www.tanita.com
47◆
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7 DEADLY SINS
WRATH
®
never again
by j.d. steinwheeler
I
drove on the freeway last week among
all the maniacs, lunatics and Mad Max-like
outlaws. After that experience, I’ll never go
on a three-laner again for the rest of my life.
You know what I’m talking about? Oh, I know,
I say that every year I make my pre-summer
trip. But this time, I mean it.
You see, I’m a safe driver. “It’s better to get
there slower, but get there safe”—that’s my
motto. When the government lowered the
speed limit many years back to 65 mph on
the big roads, I was upset like everyone else,
but for the opposite reason. Not because they
made the speed limit too slow, but because it
was too fast. It should have been 55 mph, even
45 mph. So it takes longer to get there. What’s
the rush?
I followed the government stats after the
speed limit was lowered. There were fewer
accidents, fewer fatalities and the roads were
safer. Slower means safer, it’s not hard to figure
that out. So when I see a speed limit, I don’t
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push it those extra 5 mph like the typical
driver trying to put one past the highway
patrol, I go safer. I take off 15 mph minimum.
If it’s dark or raining, I take off another 5 mph;
if both, I add them up and take off 10 mph.
Normally, I avoid highways, freeways,
autobahns, interstates, those free-for-all roads
with too many cars going too fast. All you
get is aggravation. Take last year’s trip, for
instance. The ordeal starts out at the entrance
ramp. I’m waiting for an opportunity to enter
the traffic flow. But everyone is going too
fast—that darn 65 mph limit—so I wait until
the coast is clear. I hear a lot of honking and
look in my rearview mirror. Ten or eleven cars
get behind me, every one of them banging
away on their noisemakers. What, they expect
me to just drive right on the road like the idiot
who was there before me? Heck, no, I’ll wait
until it’s safe.
I get my opportunity and go. I’m barely off
the ramp and onto the lane before the cars
behind shoot out ahead of me, cutting me off
in the process. The drivers are still honking
their horns and they glare at me like I’m to
blame for all the traffic problems. So I get on
the road, and following the guidelines of my
motto, “It’s better to get there slower, but get
there safe,” I reduce my speed to 45 mph, not
the normal 50 mph (it looked like it might
rain that day so I knocked off the extra 5 mph).
Once I’m on the highway, it takes forever
to get to the middle lane. That’s where I like
to drive. I don’t like being crammed in on the
right lane, especially with all the maniacs that
enter traffic at full speed. I use my blinker, but
nobody lets me in. And to be safe, I always
slow down before changing lanes. But what
do people understand about safety? The cars
behind me start tailgating and blinking their
lights. But I have a plan for them. I slow
down even more. They get the idea that I’m
not moving, change lanes and move on. Let
them honk all they want. But then there’s
always another car after that one that starts
the tailgating again. And again I have to slow
down. It’s like a job out in that jungle.
I remember that trip. It was a nightmare.
All those old cars blowing black exhaust smoke
all over my car, people changing lanes without
blinkers, SUVs blocking my view (they ought
to outlaw those things), the annoying tailgaters,
people not letting me change lanes, trucks
obscuring signs (I feel the need to see every
sign), traffic going too fast and then too slow—
one car had a flat and every rubbernecker just
had to look.
That was enough for me. I went three
exits and then got off the road. I would have
escaped in two exits, but the road-rage nation
in the right lane wouldn’t let me in. Finally, I
exited and drove straight home, taking side
roads all the way. I immediately put in an old
movie, grabbed some popcorn and slumped
deep into my couch, happy to be out of that
nightmare. I obsessively replayed scenes from
a movie where everyone was stuck in traffic.
Except me. ◆
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KNOCK
The Thrill of Victory
and the Agony of Defeat
OUT
By Douglas Emery
W
ladimir Klitschko is not boxing’s savior. He does
not have an unbeaten record. In fact, he has three
losses. For all of the accolades heaped upon him by
the media—and there have been many—Wladimir is never
considered a sure thing when he puts his gloves on to fight. He
has an imposing physical presence—6'6" 244 pounds. And he’s
extremely talented, but he’s been dogged by failure when the
spotlight has shined brightest on him. When he steps into the
ring, no matter how seemingly inferior his opponent may be,
fans wonder: Will Wladimir Klitschko be knocked out again?
Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Klitschko, born on March
25, 1976, in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan (and raised in Kiev,
Ukraine), did not start boxing until age 14, but went on to
compile an outstanding amateur career record of 134 wins
against only 6 defeats. His amateur success culminated with a
gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It was
his first time in the spotlight.
Shortly after the Olympic games Wladimir and his older
brother Vitali—also a heavyweight boxer—moved to Hamburg,
Germany, where they turned professional. Wladimir easily
won his first 24 fights, most of them held in Germany. He
dispatched his opponents with a polished precision that
endeared him to his adopted countrymen.
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You have to
survive the
struggle and
preparation,
and boxing is so
tough and hard
but I love it.
Then, in his 25th fight, the first in his hometown of Kiev,
Wladimir suffered his first professional loss to the underdog
Ross Puritty. Wladimir ran out of steam and the fight was
stopped in the 11th round. (He has yet to fight again in Kiev.)
For an up-and-coming heavyweight, this was not a good
sign. However, Wladimir won his next 16 fights, picking
up the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight
championship belt along the way by beating Chris Byrd.
But while the WBO is a sanctioned organization, it is not
considered a legitimate title in the boxing world. Only belts
from the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing
Council (WBC), and the International Boxing Federation
(IBF) are considered meaningful.
After five successful defenses, Wladimir was poised to take
on Lennox Lewis, who was, at the time, the best heavyweight
boxer in the world.
The media had bought into the Klitschko hype as had HBO,
the cable network with a long history of showcasing the best
boxing talent in the world. In a division long dominated by
black boxers, from Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes to Mike
Tyson and Lennox Lewis, the marketing possibilities for a
legitimate white contender were lucrative. As a routine warmup for the bout with Lewis, Wladimir agreed to fight South
African Corrie Sanders, a 37-year-old journeyman who was not
considered a serious contender.
On March 3, 2003, Klitschko and Sanders fought in
Hannover, Germany. HBO broadcasted the fight to familiarize
American viewers with Klitschko—an appetizer for the fans
before his upcoming superfight with Lewis. But as analysts
would note, Klitschko (“Dr. Steelhammer”) appeared too
relaxed, even lethargic, when he entered the ring. He wasn’t
even sweating from his pre-fight warm-up, and he didn’t get
much chance to do so during the fight either. Sanders knocked
him senseless in the second round.
The defeat was a disaster. A huge payday was shattered in
just six minutes. The major payday against Lennox Lewis
never materialized, costing him tens of millions of dollars
in prize money alone. The pay-per-view and ticket sales were
potentially record-breaking. Klitschko was revealed as a
fighter with a “glass” chin who was unable to recover from a
big punch. His toughness was also questioned. But what was
overlooked was that Klitschko did not go into the Sanders
fight undefeated. He had already lost to Ross Puritty, evidence
for anyone willing to look past the media hype that Wladimir
Klitschko was far from unbeatable.
Wladimir Klitschko needed redemption. But things got
worse. After two easy knockout victories against mediocre
fighters, Klitschko fought for the vacated World Boxing
Organization title against a talented American named Lamon
Brewster. The American stunned Klitschko with an onslaught
in the fifth that put him on the canvas, unable to continue. If
there were hopes that Wladimir Klitschko would be the next
great heavyweight champion of the world, they appeared to be
extinguished that night.
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Following this devastating loss, Klitschko rebounded with two
knockout victories, setting himself up for a big showdown with
the then-unbeaten Samuel Peter, the “Nigerian Nightmare,” who
was being touted as the next great champion. Wladimir survived
three knockdowns to win a unanimous decision, earning a match
against the highly regarded Chris Byrd.
Klitschko thoroughly dominated Byrd, stopping him in the
seventh round, his dream of hoisting a respected heavyweight
championship belt above his head fulfilled. In his next fight against
Calvin Brock, an undefeated American contender, Klitschko
absorbed considerable
punishment but won
with a devastating
right hand in the
seventh.
At 31 years old,
Wladimir has a lot
of
things
going
for him. He is a
world heavyweight
champion,
earns
millions of dollars in
prize money, has a
PhD in sports science
and philosophy, lives
in Beverly Hills,
and is sponsored
by companies like
Hugo
Boss
and
Mercedes-Benz. But
to be considered a
legitimate champion,
he’ll need to unify the
heavyweight titles.
Can
K litschko
rise to the occasion
of a big fight or
will he be felled in
his quest for boxing
legitimacy? We talked
to Wladimir about
the thrill of victory,
the agony of defeat,
and what it takes to
be a champion.
Where are you right now? Germany?
Yes, I just got home.
I thought you lived in Beverly Hills.
Yes, I have more homes than one: Las Vegas, Bel Air, Germany,
and Ukraine. And actually, New York is like my hometown. I
don’t have a place there yet, but each time I’m there, I feel like a
New Yorker. I spend a lot of time in New York. It’s my favorite
city in the United States.
Tell me about what you went through after your two big losses.
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It was a difficult time. But, to be honest, I would not change
anything.
The rough times make you appreciate your successes
more and remind you that you have to work hard. And
I’m sure you’ll be a better champion now.
I usually receive such a compliment from a woman, but thank you.
Hey, don’t take this the wrong way! You’ve come back
and proven that
you can take a
punch. But I’m sure
the question on
the minds of fight
fans is this: What’s
going to happen
when you get hit?
Well, that’s why
I’m taking care of
business. I hit my
opponent before he
gonna do anything
else.
The best-defenseis-a-good-offense
approach?
100 percent.
Who would win in
a fight between
you and your
brother Vitali?
Vitali.
He’s coming out of
retirement?
Yes. Vitali is how
I got into boxing.
I never thought I
was going to be a
boxer, but I was
always trying to do
what my brother was
doing. Boxing has
allowed me to meet
such great people
as Bill Clinton,
Max Schmeling,
Muhammad Ali,
and great actors like
Dustin Hoffman, and
a guy I really respect a lot, George Clooney.
Do you party with George?
We’re not close buddies, but we had a chance to meet each other
because of Ocean’s 11.
Before you lost your first fight, were you overconfident?
I’ll just give an example. I started to box when I was 14 and I
won almost everything. After six years, I went to the Olympics
and won a gold medal. I didn’t even dream about that because
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it’s such an unbelievable thing to get. So in the early years, I had
so much success. Four years after the Olympic Games, at the age
of 24, I got my first title as a heavyweight. And a couple of years
later I lost it.
Did you change the way you trained after losing?
Yes, I spar more now.
Was your loss to Lamon Brewster your toughest?
After Brewster, I went to the bottom. It’s definitely the opposite
way I had gone before. I created a saying for myself, “Listen,
Wladimir, from nothing to everything is a long way, but from
everything to nothing is only one step. It’s a lot shorter.” After
Brewster—I don’t know why it happened—I just started to enjoy
my time in boxing. I had to work through it. I’m not actually
back yet. I’m just getting into my prime and looking forward to
accomplishing much more in boxing. You have to survive the
struggle and preparation, and boxing is so tough and hard but
I love it.
After the Brewster fight, did you think about retiring?
Not at all. After the Brewster fight I picked up a British paper,
the Boxing News. On the cover, I saw a picture of myself lying on
the floor with big letters, “A Broken Man.” It was pretty painful
to read it and see. But that was the moment I said I don’t want
to stop. I don’t want to quit boxing. I just have to analyze my
mistakes, which I’ve done.
Who will you fight next?
I like your magazine so I will give you information I have not
yet announced. This edition is coming out in May, right?
Yes, May.
In a couple of days we will announce a fight. We’re not done yet,
but it’s pretty much done. I’m going to fight Brewster again and
I’m looking forward to it. The fight will take place in Germany.
When?
The fight will be the eighth of July.
Do you want to fight him because he beat you?
Yes. That loss puts a shadow on me, all these conversations about
my balls—which nobody has seen—my stamina, my chin, my
heart. It just kind of follows me. No matter what fight I have,
the Brewster fight is brought up. It was watched by a lot of
people who think in their minds that I just kind of quit. Right
now is a good time to get this fight done. Lamon is a great
opponent because he beat me. I’m looking forward to it.
Do you ever take time off, or do you always have to train?
Can you imagine since 14 I’ve done this business? So more than
half of my life I am in this sport. I was fighting all the time so I
didn’t need to train in between because my preparation time is
intensive. I do other things like golf or kite surfing. It keeps me
in very good shape.
Do you have a favorite golfer?
A guy that wins all the time and you know his name already.
Tiger Woods?
Of course.
Have you ever played golf with Tiger?
No, but I played golf with John Daly. It was a Pro Am
tournament. He is so funny.
Can you drive the ball farther than him?
I don’t want
to stop. I don’t
want to quit
boxing. I just
have to analyze
my mistakes,
which I’ve done.
It doesn’t
matter. I’m
going into
the ring to
win the fight.
This is
my job.
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Oh, no way, no way. When he hits the ball with the driver
the sound of the impact is like smashing. His technique is
amazing. We had fun.
Going back to boxing, what’s your ultimate goal?
Do you want to unify the belts? Do you want to fight
Nicolai Valuev and Oleg Maskaev?
Yes, this is my goal. And the frustration right now is that
Valuev is going to fight Vitali in April, I believe. So everybody
is busy. Being the champion of the world means you’ve got to
fight everywhere. My idol is Muhammad Ali. He was fighting
in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Africa, Indonesia, in the
U.S. I have been trying for a year and a half for unification
but boxing politics makes it difficult to accomplish. It’s
frustrating to me.
Valuev is close to breaking Marciano’s record. Do you
think he will fight you before he breaks the record?
I wish, but I doubt it. His promoter’s goal is to break the record and
I think that is the first thing they are thinking about.
But even if he breaks the record he has to retire
undefeated for the record to mean anything.
It’s a different point of view. If he will get it done, it’s going
be the record. I hope he’s going to fight some good names.
If he gets to 48 wins you should make sure you’re the
one he has to fight for the record.
Mass media has to push it, get fans excited about it. It’s
public pressure.
Do you think boxing is as popular as it used to be?
No, we have a lack of big names, especially heavyweights.
Do you think the UFC has affected boxing? It’s very
popular now.
Yes, it is. But boxing is going to stay a classic sport forever.
It’s been around for hundreds of years. Legendary names like
Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis—
you cannot take them out of history. Those names promote
the sport and they will be there forever. We definitely need
more famous names.
Should they change some of the rules to make boxing
more exciting?
No, it’s not about the rules. It’s about the quality of fighters.
But do you think there has been a drop in talent?
The sport has always been like that. Mike Tyson was
knocking out guys, but there was also no top talent then. I
don’t want to say that Mike fought guys that were not that
exciting, because he was fighting Holyfield and Lennox. Mike
was amazing with his technique, his speed, and his size. He
is such a short guy and he was knocking people out in the
first round. That was so exciting. His name is as big as any
other athlete around the world. We now have Valuev who is
totally the opposite of Mike. He is the biggest heavyweight in
history, size-wise.
Who would you rather fight, Valuev or Maskaev?
It doesn’t matter. I’m going into the ring to win the fight.
This is my job.
You said that Valuev will be fighting in April, and that
Maskaev will be fighting Vitali. If Vitali beats Maskaev
for the championship, would you fight your brother to
unify all the belts?
No, I will never fight my brother. I believe everybody would
love to see the fight, especially pay-per-view. I’m sure we
could collect a lot of money. But that is not the issue. At this
level, you just give all you can to win. I never say never, but
in this case I say never.
Who is currently the best heavyweight?
I think I have to
pay some respect
to Valuev. I have to
give credit. He has
good coordination
and is in good
condition.
In the last five
years Eastern
European
heavyweights
have dominated
the heavyweight
division. There
are certainly no
great American
heavyweight
champions. Why
do you think
this is?
In the Soviet Union,
professional boxing
wasn’t allowed. We
had a break for a
long time when no
Soviets were fighting
in the professional
division. But now,
the doors are
open. And I think
amateur sports are
a great background
for professionals.
You have to have
kids playing in the
backyards. I believe
that amateur boxing,
especially in Eastern
Europe, has a good
tradition and good
coaches. The kids
are learning how to box at a young age.
For the critics who say you don’t have a heart or a chin:
Why do you think you lost that fight to Brewster?
I don’t want to comment on my losses. My answer is going to
be my next fight and the fight after that. There are too many
talkers. Let’s stop the talk and walk the walk. ◆
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in th
for poker players begins
June 1 at the Rio in Las
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[Find OUt Who will be the 20
07 WSOP Champion]
everyone’s minds—except the players. The
competitors, amateur and pro alike, are all thinking
they’re the one. But in all likelihood, they’re not.
The odds are deeply stacked against each player.
The more entrants there are, the greater the odds
against any one individual surviving the nearly two
weeks of bad beats, all-ins, do-or-die decisions and
fateful cards. Given the ban on Internet gambling
in the United States (the Internet poker sites act as
feeders to the WSOP), it is expected that the field
size of the main event will be smaller than last
year’s 8,773 players; but I’m still estimating that
more than 5,000 players will participate.
If we assume 5,000 participants—with all else
being equal—any player’s chances of winning are
1 in 5,000. These odds are not very promising,
but it’s certainly a lot better than your chances in
the lottery (one in several million). The WSOP
happens to be a lot more fun as well, providing
players with hours—and with any luck—days and
days worth of fun, challenges and cash prizes (for
the top 10 percent, that is). The WSOP is also a
lot more expensive than a lottery ticket. A WSOP
entry costs $10,000; you’ve got to pay to play.
But all else is not equal. Some players are
better than others (a lot better), and bring high
levels of skill, plus tremendous experience, to
the tournament. But at the same time, as we’ve
seen over the last few years in which complete
unknowns won the whole enchilada, anyone can
win.
So what are the odds of winning? On the
surface, an amateur with few skills is going to be a
lot worse off than 4,999 to 1 against. Most likely
it’ll be at least 50,000 to 1 against. So many critical
decisions have to be made that inexperienced or
weak players will inevitably make many incorrect
choices. A player may get away with one or two
bad decisions (though many won’t), but over a day
or two of play, most amateurs will be gone (along
with many pros, to be fair).
On the other hand, a skilled player will have
much better chances of winning than the average
player’s 4,999 to 1 odds. His skills, experience and
talent may, at least, put him in a position to win.
The best players’ chances? Start with this: If there
was a tournament of the top 200 players, with all
having equal chances of winning, the odds would
be 1 in 200. Give the better of the best players
credit, and you can drop the odds to 1 in 75 or so.
Now add to the mix another 5,000 random players
with lesser chances, but for whom there’s still a
possibility of winning.
So you see, no player by himself, no matter how
good, is anywhere near a good bet to win the big
one; that is, not without a payoff of hundreds of
dollars to every dollar wagered. In other words,
every player is a long-shot to win.
Vegas.
Below, I’ve presented my list of the top-20
favorites to win the main event of the WSOP
and provided my subjective opinion on how far
they’ll go. These 20 form a collection of the
greatest tournament players in the world and
include a few others who are poised to make
some noise this year. Keep in mind that with
so many players competing in the main event,
predicting the winner is more of a dubious exercise
in futility—because it’s improbable that any of
the 20 listed will win—but just the same, it’s an
entertaining look at the possibilities. I’ve based my
predictions on the success players have enjoyed in
past tournaments, and on who’s running hot now;
plus, I’ve figured in overall skills to come up with
the finalists.
There are many other deserving players that
didn’t make this list. And you could easily have
flopped out many in my top 20 with other worthy
choices. If I could include an additional 20
choices, there would still be obvious oversights. So,
for many of the other great tournament players,
superstars like Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen,
John Juanda, Gus Hansen, et al, my apologies. If
you get to the final table this year, I’ll make it up
to you in next year’s top-20 roundup.
Meanwhile in no particular order, here are the
20 players most likely to win the World Series of
Poker in 2007.
by avery cardoza
T
he world series of poker (WSOP)
is not just one big event, as many nonpoker players assume, but a series of
tournaments that stretch out over the course
of about six weeks, all played at the Rio. There
are 54 open events announced for this year’s
WSOP, and while all of them are important to
poker players and carry an enormous amount
of prestige, there are none more prestigious
than the $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em main
event. The main event, which will start on
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P L AY E R M ay/J U N E 2 0 07
July 6 and run for about two weeks, is the
Holy Grail of poker, the “Big One” that every
poker player aspires to win. It’s not just the
money—and nowadays, it is an ungodly amount
(last year’s first-place prize was $12 million)—it’s
the prestige and everlasting poker fame and
recognition that drives every player’s dreams.
The main event of the World Series of Poker
is a spectacle that must be seen in person to
appreciate. Witnessing more than 2,000 poker
players in a room (the tournament is scheduled
over several days to accommodate all the players)
filled with more than 200 dealers and spectators
packed side-by-side watching the action is a sight
to be remembered. Just before play, the sounds
of all those nervous, excited poker players toying
with their chips amps the excitement level to a
fever pitch. It is that exciting. And then there’s
the magic. When the WSOP announcer calls
out the traditional opening words, “Shuffle up
and deal,” the event is on!
“Who will win?” is the big question on
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unknown internet player
Roland De Wolfe
Phil Helmuth
“Brat”
is
short
Johnny Chan
Chris Ferguson
Roland is the 2006 European
You could make a convincing
Doyle Brunson calls him the
His main event run from 1987–
Player of the Year and holds
personality and shorter on class,
ambassador
game,
case that T.J. Cloutier is the
greatest cash-game poker player
1989 is the greatest short-term
among poker pros that the man
things to be no different. There
the distinction of being the only
but ultimately one of the very
“Kid Poker” has a long list of
greatest tournament poker player
today; but Doyle also says he’s
dominance ever shown in World
nicknamed “Jesus” can do four
are just too many players in
player to win both a WPT poker
best no-limit hold’em tournament
accomplishments.
Negreanu,
in history. He’s reached the final
unlucky in tournaments, three
Series of Poker play. The first
things extremely well: 1) Split a
the main event and too many
title and an EPT title as well. Add
players in the world. And given
three-time World Series of Poker
table at the World Series of
gold bracelets notwithstanding.
two years of this run brought
banana from ten feet by whipping
do-or-die situations over a full
to that a fantastic third place
the controversy he creates, he’s
bracelet winner, two-time WPT
Poker four times, twice coming in
Well, in 2006 Chip’s tournament
Johnny Chan back-to-back World
a playing card through the air. 2)
week’s worth of poker to give
finish in the 2005 WPT poker
good for the game—I’ll give him
champion, 2004 Player of the Year,
second (1985 and 1990). To put
luck held in the most prestigious
Championships, and the third year
Dress unerringly in his signature
the pros a chance. And look at
championships and you have a
that much. His 10 World Series
and Super System 2 contributor,
this in perspective, many great
WSOP event among the pros—
saw him come in second, just one
black getup and black cowboy hat.
the mismatch. There are perhaps
star who’ll be coming to the big
rings, including his 1986 main
has to be on anyone’s list of
players on this list haven’t even
the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E.
card off the mark. This amazing
3) Ballroom dance like a fiend.
100–200 name players versus
one confident and in top form.
event
always
favorites to go all the way. He has
made it to the final table once.
tournament. The title in this first-
run will never be equaled. But
4) Play world-class poker. The
thousands of no-names. While
Like all top players, he’s very
puts Helmuth right in the mix
won more than 40 tournaments
Not a strong enough argument?
ever WSOP event was so highly
don’t measure Chan on just
2000 World Champion of Poker
the Unlawful Gaming Act will cut
aggressive, knows how to pick
for any discussion in a serious
worldwide and amassed over
How about this? He has 60 major
coveted among pros because
that. He’s one of the great cash-
is a heady player bringing five
into the mass of players making
his spots and is a force to be
no-limit
He’s
$9 million in career tournament
tournament titles (and counting)
the rotating games of hold’em,
game players and his ten WSOP
WSOP gold bracelets and 25 final
the yearly exodus to the biggest
reckoned with. Can he parlay an
talented, experienced and has the
earnings. Until the recent dramatic
and appeared at 39 final tables at
Omaha 8-or-better, razz, seven-
bracelets ties him for most ever
table
event in poker, there should still
impressive and enviable 2006
wherewithal to go all the way.
surge in WSOP prize money, he
the World Series of Poker—both
card stud high, and seven-card
with Brunson and Helmuth, his
credentials—to the event..
be well over 5,000 players duking
into a dream? We’ll see…
hold’em
event.
Chatty, affable, and the perfect
David “Chip” Reese
Every year an unknown player
championship,
on
T.J. Cloutier
wins it all; and this year, expect
it out for poker’s most coveted
The
Daniel Negreanu
for
the
was the all-time money winner
achievements top those of any
stud 8-or-better, tested a player’s
most recent win coming just last
In a Nutshell: Big credentials,
in poker tournament history. And
other player in the history of the
overall poker skills. Also, the field
year. The “Orient Express” has
It
is
common
knowledge
appearances—enormous
title. If we assume, for argument’s
In a Nutshell: Like so many
big mouth, big ego, but big
you can add to his impressive
game. He’s also got four WSOP
comprised a who’s who of the
been on the big poker stage and
In a Nutshell: This year, warning
track power only. Feels good day
sake, 5,000 competitors, that’s
other top players, the dream
can end quickly. Roland’s last
disappointment. Phil’s a great
credentials,
Player-of-the-Year
bracelets, and won the Player
greatest poker players in the
the big screen, appearing in the
one, feels good day two, but day
player, but this year will showcase
awards in both the WPT and
of the Year award in 1998 and
world. The last player standing
movie Rounders, starring Matt
three is a disaster. It happens,
knowns. Advantage: unknowns,
chips will go in the middle, and
(once again), how great a loser he
WSOP. Clearly, he is one of the
2002. In other words, the guy is
was not only one of the nicest
Damon and Ed Norton.
dance it off.
by a landslide.
he’ll watch, disbelievingly, as his
is as well. One day and gone.
greatest tournament players in
a machine.
guys around, but the best: Chip
opponent rakes them in. One day
Odds of Winning the Main
Event:250 to 1 against.
the world.
4,800
unknowns
versus
200
In a Nutshell: The Unknown
in, and it will be good-bye time.
Player is a huge favorite. It’s not
going out on a limb to say that he’s
Event:400 to 1 against.
going all the way.
Reese.
In a Nutshell: He wants the big
Predictions on Winning a
In a Nutshell: I like Daniel’s
chances, I just don’t like that he’s
Bracelet: He wants that 11th
bracelet bad—as bad as Chan and
Event: 10 to 1 favorite.
Bracelet: The man is hot and
one bad, more than anything else.
He’s got all the credentials and all
In a Nutshell: The 2006
H.O.R.S.E. event felt so good.
However, Chip is gone before
In a Nutshell: He had his day in
Event: 300 to 1 against.
the sun and can still take home the
bracelet, as we saw in 2005. It’s
Bracelet: He starred in some
just that 2007 won’t be his year.
clever commercials in 2006, but
Out in one day, then back to the
Big Game.
that was then. In 2007 his star at
the skills. But luck isn’t with him.
Brunson—and the competition
got one shot to get through a
massive field. He’s brilliant, he’s
players are starting to take notice.
between all of them will be lively.
got the experience, and everyone
is the knife in the heart.
But he won’t get it this year.
knows he’s a great player. But he
within 45 minutes. It’s just another
Bracelet: The Unknown Player
But that won’t help him this year.
Roland goes for the dream but
day in the life of a legendary poker
Predictions on Winning
will have a great year, winning
wakes up too early. Better luck
player.
next year.
bracelet after bracelet, and will end
Bracelet: T.J, makes a push for
up with more titles than the known
one more hurrah—at least this
players.
Bracelet: I think Daniel’s going to
year. If he gets chips, he’s the
favorite in any tournament. He’ll
a Bracelet: The bracelet
competition between Chan,
Helmuth and Brunson is great fun.
He gets one final table; but despite
doesn’t get out of day two.
bag a bracelet and get close one or
two times more. Unfortunately that
Day one was a brief flutter; day two
bracelet, as prestigious as it is,
get that shot, but won’t prevail at
his one final table. Favorites don’t
won’t be the big one.
always win.
midnight and heads back to the
Big Game where he wins $200,000
Bracelet: Chip will go deep again
in H.O.R.S.E., but not repeat. Nor
the table fades and he walks away
disappointed. He’s a great player,
but sometimes that’s not enough.
the eye of the tiger, he doesn’t
catch his prey.
will he get any other bracelets this
year. He’s as good as they get, but
2007 is not his number.
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Phil Ivey
Allen Cunningham
Jeff Madsen
Tom McEvoy
Doyle Brunson
Men Nguyen
Many pros consider Ivey as
He’s not well known among the
Jeff’s 2006 WSOP performance
McEvoy doesn’t get the credit
What can you say? He’s the
The 2001 World Champion
The 1996 World Champion of
T he
general public, but among the
was simply unreal. Barely legal,
he deserves. He’s the author of
man. Doyle Brunson is the “Babe
is one of the toughest players
Poker encored his championship
player
in poker today, or the best.
professionals, everyone respects
just some months over the age
more than 10 poker books, some
Ruth of Poker,” the greatest poker
around today. He’s an incredibly
feat with one perhaps even
up the victories. He has six
He plays regularly in the Big
this very accomplished world-
of 21, Madsen tore through the
co-authored
tournament
player in the history of the game,
competitive, aggressive opponent,
more
WSOP
Game—the highest stakes game
class player. He has over $8
events in remarkable fashion.
great T. J. Cloutier and fellow world
and a living legend who still plays
and a monster once he gets chips
appearance in both the 2003 and
bracelets, more than 45 overall
in the world at the Bellagio—
million in tournament earnings,
One WSOP gold bracelet would’ve
champion Brad Daugherty. These
in the highest limit poker games
in his stack. The best strategy
2004 events, against fields of 831
major
against the elite of poker: Doyle
a dozen first place finishes and
made even the greatest players
are books that have inspired world
in the world. The two-time World
to use against Mortensen is to
and 2,576 players respectively.
and
Brunson,
Barry
four WSOP bracelets. A 2006
happy, but Madsen, the youngest
champions. In fact, he wrote the
Series of Poker champion (1976
remove his chips; until then
Not that Harrington, a great
appearances. Like many others
Greenstein, and company. He’s
final table finish (4th) in the
ever bracelet winner, didn’t stop
first book on tournament play
and 1977) and celebrated author
he’s always a major threat that
analytical
all-around
on this list, “The Master” is still
also participated in the largest-
main event further cemented
there. He won a second WSOP
back in 1985—that’s almost two
of Super System put a topper on
can explode and exploit at any
gamesman (he’s a top chess
hankering for the big one to
stakes poker game in the world
Cunningham’s reputation as a
gold bracelet. With the gigantic
decades before the poker boom.
an incredible 50-plus-year career
time. When Carlos won a WPT
and backgammon player as well)
cement his legacy. Meanwhile,
against billionaire Andy Beal, and
player to be watched. He’s got
fields competing in all the 2006
He’s also the holder of four WSOP
in August 2004. He managed
in 2005, he became only the
and one of the great tournament
he collects Player of the Year
is considered a poker prodigy by
the goods to get there. And his
WSOP, where thousand-plus fields
gold bracelets, including the main
a win against, at the time, the
second person (Doyle Brunson
poker players today, needed this
awards like he owns them: four
just about everyone. He already
near-victory in 2006 will make
were commonplace, this was
event in 1983. Add to that a PPT
largest field ever to play a WPT
was the other) with a WSOP main
feat to get respect, but it showed
in all (1997, 2001, 2003, 2005).
has five WSOP bracelets, six final
him that much more determined
an unbelievable performance.
win in 2005, making him the first
(667 players) making him the
event and WPT championship.
just how dangerous he is in the
His remarkable consistency and
table appearances at the WPT,
in 2007.
And he didn’t stop there! He
ever with titles in the WSOP and
first player to win both a WSOP
He had a very good 2006 WSOP
big event.
high finishes show that Men
made another final table and
PPT, and you have a player that
and WPT title. A stunning 2006
with an awe-inspiring three final
In a Nutshell: Oh, so close in
2006. And it will be oh, so close in
then another. He made four
knows how to get it done. As to
WSOP victory gave him a total
tables. More than $4 million in
In a Nutshell: He ran great
final tables, including two golds,
the naysayers, few can match
of ten WSOP gold bracelets—tied
tournament earnings and two
in 2003 and again in 2004.
In a Nutshell: He’s got all the
2007. I’ll go out on a limb here: top
in one of the greatest WSOP
McEvoy’s impressive list of WSOP
for most ever—certifying Doyle
gold bracelets are pretty good
Dan’s a great player, careful and
credentials in the world, but they’re
50 finish.
performances ever. He’s a player
and PPT bracelets.
as a continuing threat on the
by
methodical, but doesn’t quite get
not going to seem like enough in
to watch.
biggest stage in the game.
Spaniard can play.
there. Out on day two.
2007 when he flames out in
day one.
Chip
Reese,
winnings.
Bracelet: It’s very hard to bet
against Ivey. He’s the complete
poker player; and for many, the
most feared. He’s got the charm,
but in 2007 the charm doesn’t
have him. He remains stuck at five
bracelets, but only for this year.
SSARY:
big event GLO
s of Po
WSOP: World Serie
ur
WPT: World Poker To
tour
r
ke
Po
EPT: European
ker
with
◆
standards.
This
impressive:
mind,
final
table
V ietname se-bor n
just
keeps
bracelets,
two
tournament
countless
racking
WPT
victories
final
table
knows how to get there.
bracelets, a main event
championship, a PPT bracelet and
In a Nutshell: Doyle goes deep
In a Nutshell: He’s very
into the top 100, thrilling poker
aggressive, relentless, and will find
Predictions on Winning
willing and I think he’ll get close.
He lands in the top 100, which is a
some good old-fashioned luck will
fans everywhere. But after visions
of Benny’s Bullpen, he gets taken
a way to push the pressure valve.
He’ll march over inexperienced
a Bracelet:He’s got all the
go a long way. But this year, not
attributes to get himself a bracelet,
Bracelet:One final table, lots of
great finish, before he fades.
long enough. Out on day two.
down by bad cards and then a bad
beat. Doyle told me: the closer you
but luck and circumstance are
fickle things. He runs a schneid,
spirited play, but no gold this year.
players, build a stack and steamroll
opponents. Eventually, he’ll run out
get, the more it hurts.
of coal, but not before he powers
and must wait until 2008 to set
things right.
Bracelet:McEvoy hits a final
into the top 50.
Bracelet:Madsen’s eye-popping
2006 WSOP augers for more
table, but is stranded there at four
success. If he sticks to his game,
bracelets, his fifth eluding him.
Big field, tough luck, long wait ‘til
Bracelet:Tied with Helmuth and
Chan for 10 bracelets, Doyle’s
you’ve got to like his chances. I do.
Add another bracelet.
competitive spirit allows no rest.
He gets to two final tables but no
himself a bracelet, and get real
further. But no worries either, his
on the tremendous momentum
opponents fall short as well. Battle
established in 2006, this will be a
very big year for him at the WSOP.
In a Nutshell: Young, willing and
Bracelet:Tremendous talent
able. I say he’s able, I know he’s
and running hot are a strong
combination. His taste of the
ultimate prize in 2006 makes him
want more. And he’ll get it. Add
next year.
moves to 2008.
62◆
anyone’s
In a Nutshell: Four gold
another bracelet to his collection.
◆
Dan Harrington
either the most dangerous player
and millions of dollars in poker
◆
Carlos Mortensen
Better luck in 2008.
Bracelet:Carlos is going to get
close two more times. Building
63◆
◆
Joe Hachem
Greg Raymer
Michael Mizrachi
As is the vogue, the 2005
When Raymer won the 2004
The 2006 Player of the Year is
Robert is a cerebral player
WSOP main event champion was
WSOP main event championship,
on everyone’s radar. He has great
who can analyze a hand not just
an unknown until he came away
earning his seat by qualifying
feel; he’s also super aggressive
for hours, but for weeks (and I
with $7.5 million, everlasting
online, pro players gave him no
(ignore
“Grinder”
suspect months). I’ve heard him.
poker
most
more respect than the previous
nickname) and hard to get a read
He’s got one gold bracelet and
coveted bracelet in poker. And
year’s winner, Chris Moneymaker.
on. In other words, he’s one of
seven final table appearances
like Raymer, he proved he was
He was viewed as just a lucky
the top tournament players in
at the WSOP (coming in second
no fluke. Hachem has continued
“Internet” player. But the first
the game. He brings 10 first place
to Phil Ivey in one, and third to
winning. Since his huge victory,
player to win $5 million in a
finishes, two WPT championships
Johnny Chan in another), plus
he’s appeared at six more final
tournament was much more than
(each worth more than $1 million
a 10th place finish in the very
tables, including two more in the
a passing ship in the night as he
in cash) and a lot of momentum
prestigious
2006 WSOP, and has won a WPT
proved the following year. He
into the event. With more than $5
event in 2006 (behind Doyle
title (worth $2,182,075) in the
survived day after day in the
million in tournament winnings,
Brunson, T. J. Cloutier and other
Doyle Brunson North American
2005 main event and everyone
he is one of the biggest money-
greats, including Chip Reese, the
Classic. Hachem is the real
was watching to see if he could
winning tournament players in the
winner).
thing.
repeat. Finally eliminated in 25th
world, and thus, very dangerous.
fame
and
the
the
ironic
place, Raymer got his due (plus
In a Nutshell: He’s got the skills,
another $300,000 or so). He’s
he’s got the bracelet, and he’s got a
chance. Four days of play is a very
reached a total of three final
good run, but it’s not enough days.
He goes down in flames, but gets a
more in the WPT. Raymer’s a
tables in WSOP play, and several
definite presence.
cash finish, just not the huge cash
◆
In a Nutshell: The Grinder is hot
coming into the WSOP, but cool air
cool, and has a lot of experience to
quickly takes the heat out of freshcooked food. His hot dog lacks
a voracious appetite for a bracelet.
However, reality overrides desire;
the mustard, and the tournament
is over way too quickly. There’s
two days and the dream is done.
go with a very analytical mind and
great game, but one long day
frustrating, the near-misses
are heartbreaking. Luck and
turns into two, and two turns into
an early exit. The ex-champ was
Bracelet: Hachem is determined
feeling it, but it wasn’t feeling him.
Bracelet: Grinder is too hot not
to show that he’s no one-hit
wonder at the WSOP. The 2005
circumstance are fickle things. One
world champion will impress,
to get a bracelet and he’ll do just
that. Along the way, he’s going to
have a great WSOP with two more
intimidate, and ultimately fall short.
Bracelet: I like Raymer’s game.
He’s got what it takes. One final
final tables (and near misses)—just
show, it’s a very disappointing
not the big one.
year.
empty handed.
sn,oubguht
best chan cde
dly e
o
Handicapping the Women
table gives him a taste, but not
enough of a taste. He goes home
e
These guys have th
In a Nutshell: The man is very
always next year.
redemption.
64◆
H.O.R.S.E.
In a Nutshell: Raymer has a
misses and a long year to wait for
◆
WSOP
he was hoping to see.
It’ll be one final table, two near
◆
Robert Williamson III
Bracelet: The big fields are
final table is nice, and a second
Jennifer Harmon is the greatest woman
player in the world, Kathy Liebert brings good
WSOP credentials and has been running
hot, Jennifer Tilly is the reigning WSOP
women’s champion and has brainy Phil Laak
(Unibomber) as a mentor. But just the same,
of all the name players, I like Annie Duke to
survive the longest. She’ll get close, top 250,
which will be impressive; but like all other
pros, she’ll rue the bad beat that took her and
every other top pro out of the game.
Best Finish by an Unknown
is nicer; but with nothing else to
Which unknown player will win it all?
What’s the sound of one hand clapping? On
the first question, if I knew the answer, the
player wouldn’t be unknown would he? As
to the second question, I can’t answer that
one either.
e
n
o
n
to even get to the fi
The Next World Champion
So how many of my top-20 predictions will
make the final table? None. That’s right, not one
of them. These guys have the best chances, but
oddly enough, none are likely to be among the
final nine. It boils down to the unknown player.
In a tournament of this size, in a do-or-die
format, the small sample of just one tournament
leaves room for all sorts of surprises.
Will the eventual winner of the 2007 World
Series of Poker champion be the best player in
the world? No, the unknown player who wins
won’t even be in the top tier of contestants. This
winner would go broke if you sat him down
against the best in a real cash game. However,
you can say that for this tournament, he will
have been the best tournament player, or more
accurately, he had great luck at the right time—
again and again and again. He’ll make mistakes
and get away with them, just like the great
are likely
ble.
nal ta
players do when they win tournaments. Only the
great players will make fewer mistakes and need
less luck to triumph. But just the same, you need
a lot of luck to win a tournament, especially a
big one. And a lot of skill as well.
Whether it’s getting the right cards,
opponents, hand match-ups, situations or
sucking out at opportune times, the combination
of all of these factors combined with great play
will crown a champion. Given all the above, the
2007 World Series of Poker champion will have
been the best player that week.
Get ready for the games; they’re going to
be great. If I win this year’s event (1,000 to 1
against), I’ll have no choice but to put myself
on the 2008 top-20 predictions. Until then, I’ll
write about the big guns wearing the bracelets
and wait for the next unknown player to claim
his share of fame. Meanwhile, I await those
famous words, “Shuffle up and deal!” ◆
65◆
◆
The
worst
sports
calls
ever
By Matt Mitchell
I
n the year 1711 the renowned poet Alexander Pope wrote, “To err is human,
to forgive divine.” But we’ll have to pardon him for his naivete. The guy wasn’t
a sports fan.
We all know how it feels. We’ve all endured that pain, that special sting that can
only come from an official blowing a crucial call. We’ve sprung to our feet in furious
protest at the nearsighted referee, the nervous line judge, or the grudge-holding
umpire. These caricatures are now as old as the sports they officiate.
Our familiar heckles about brain function, weight issues, and suspect vision echo
from outfield bleachers, to center ice, and back to the obstructed-view seats in the
corner of the end zone. The home fans may demand perfection from their team, but
they expect perfection from the officials.
Any miscue or questionable ruling is seen as outright theft, with a bad call always
being a more convenient scapegoat than your trusted quarterback’s interception, or
your hometown shortstop’s error. A beloved player making a mistake is something
fans can understand, but a critical error by a referee is something they could never
forgive.
From an interfering youngster in the Bronx to some cold-war politics on the
hardwood, there are plenty of infamous mistakes that never fail to rile up loyal fans,
revealing old wounds as fresh as the day they were inflicted.
Player examines these lapses in judgment to reveal the thirteen worst calls in
sports history. The severity of each mistake is judged on each game’s particular
situation, with playoff and championship match-ups obviously generating the most
controversy.
Please be warned: This article is not for the faint of heart. Only the most heartwrenching, blood-boiling miscues have made the cut. You’d better buckle up.
◆
◆
66◆
◆
13
12
◆
◆
The Pine Tar Incident
Kansas City at New York,
1983 MLB Regular Season
The visual is enough to
jog the memory of any true
sports fan: Kansas City
legend George Brett’s face
contorted in pure fury,
racing out of the dugout with
murder in his eyes toward home plate umpire Tim McClelland.
In the ninth inning of a July 24th game in Yankee Stadium, Brett
shocked the Bronx faithful by pounding a two-run homer off closer
Goose Gossage to pull his Royals team ahead by one run.
But as he rounded the bases, New York manager Billy Martin
barked at his bat boy to retrieve Brett’s bat. It was taken and brought
to the attention of McClelland. The rules clearly state that the handle
of a bat may not be treated with any substance higher than 18 inches.
The bat’s pine tar went past this mark, and McClelland ruled Brett out
and the homerun nullified. Next came George’s meltdown.
After the game the Royals appealed McClelland’s ruling. This was
upheld by the league, who ruled that the bat should have been removed
from the game but that the batter could not be called out.
The game was then replayed twenty-five days later, starting after the
controversial home run. Royals closer Dan Quisenberry would end the
12-minute affair to give his team a much-deserved 5-4 victory, and
George Brett some much-needed relief.
The Long Count
Gene Tunney vs. Jack
Dempsey, 1927 Heavyweight
Boxing Championship
In 1926, the shrewd and
evasive Gene Tunney met
working-class
icon
Jack
Dempsey in Philadelphia
before a rain-soaked crowd
of 120,000. Fans came to see heavyweight champion Dempsey, “The
Manassa Mauler,” defend his title for the first time in over three years.
But Tunney would upset Dempsey, sending shockwaves through the
boxing world.
This upset set up one of the greatest and most widely publicized
circus-atmosphere rematches in boxing history. On September 27, 1927,
Tunney and Dempsey met again, this time at Chicago’s Soldier Field,
before a crowd of over 104,000. Spectators would pay more than $2.65
million to attend the match, creating a new gate record that would take
decades to break.
The spry Tunney built a clear lead through the first six rounds. Then,
in the seventh came a classic moment in boxing history. Dempsey
connected with a wicked combination: a right, followed by a left hook to
the chin. As the champion Tunney staggered backwards, Dempsey sent
him to the canvas with a brutal four-punch combination to Tunney’s
unprotected head.
At the time, a rule that had recently been established by the Illinois
State Athletic Commission stated that in the event of a knockdown, a
fighter must go to the farthest neutral corner before the count began.
68◆
◆
Dempsey, who made a habit of standing as close to his fallen opponents
as possible, refused to do so, possibly due to unfamiliarity with the new
rule.
After referee Dave Barry finally moved Dempsey toward the correct
corner, he began his count. Instead of picking up at the timekeeper’s
count of six, he began at one. Tunney remained floored until Barry’s
count of nine, giving him more than fifteen seconds on the canvas.
Tunney used the extra time to regain his wits and would go on to a
unanimous 10-round decision, denying the former a champ a chance to
reclaim his title in what would be Dempsey’s final bout.
Tunney would claim afterwards that he was aware of the miscount
and could have stood up at any time he wished. He asked reporters the
rhetorical question, “Why would anyone want to get up early in the
same ring as Jack Dempsey?”
11
Knoblauch’s Phantom Tag
New York at Boston, 1999 MLB American League
Championship Series Game 4
The Yankees traveled to
Fenway Park to play the rival
Red Sox, up two games to
one in the series. Boston came
to bat in the eighth inning,
down by one run. Following
a Damon Buford strike out,
Jose Offerman singled into
right field. Dominating closer
Mariano Rivera is brought in
to face third baseman John
Valentin, replacing Yankee starter Andy Pettitte.
Mariano gets Valentin to ground to second, where the Yankees’
Chuck Knoblauch fields the ball and attempts to tag the sprinting
Offerman on his way to second base. Despite coming up at least four feet
short when attempting the tag, umpire Tim Tschida calls Offerman out.
Knoblauch then throws to first to complete the inning-ending double
play, killing Boston’s rally with Nomar Garciaparra on deck.
Outraged at the call, Boston manager Jimy Williams goes ballistic
and is thrown out of the game for arguing the call. Camera angles
do nothing but confirm the ridiculousness of the call, and fans begin
littering the field with debris in protest.
Tschida would admit after the game to blowing the call, though
referring to Chuck Knoblauch as “Knobby” in a post-game press
conference did not win him any friends in Beantown.
The Yankees went on to clinch the pennant in Game Five, and swept
Atlanta in the World Series.
10
Pippen’s Phantom Foul
Chicago at New York, 1994 NBA Eastern Conference
Semifinals Game 5
Michael Jordan’s sudden retirement following the 1992-1993 season
left famous second fiddle Scottie Pippen as the Chicago Bulls’ undisputed
leader. In the team’s lone playoff run between their first successful
Championship “three-peat” and Jordan’s return in March of 1995, Pippen
led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face their most hated
rival, the New York Knicks.
The home team would win every game
of the seven-game series, with the Knicks
taking the first two in the Big Apple
before falling to the Bulls twice in the
Windy City. Pivotal Game Five looked
like it would change this trend, with the
Bulls clinging to a precarious lead late
in the game at a packed Madison Square
Garden.
But in the closing seconds referee
Hue Hollins calls Pippen for a foul on
New York guard Hubert Davis during
an unsuccessful three-point attempt, leading to screams of protest from,
among others, Pippen and coach Phil Jackson. Davis would sink all three
free throws to give his Knicks the crucial win.
A famous photograph of the play would publicly expose Hollins
gaffe, revealing that Pippen contested the shot legally and could not
have committed a foul. This caused howls of conspiracy from Bulls fans
nationwide, and even referee supervisor Darrell Garretson would criticize
Hollins’s ghastly call.
Chicago would rebound to win Game Six at the United Center, but the
Knicks rode their home court advantage to a victory in the series finale.
Asked recently about the famous call, Pippen insisted it was “water
under the bridge.” But by ruining his only chance to lead his team to a ring
without MJ, it’s a safe bet Hue Hollins has blown his whistle in plenty of
Pippen’s nightmares.
9
Hrbek Lifts Gant Off First Base
Atlanta at Minnesota, 1991 MLB World Series Game 2
His Atlanta team down 2-1, outfielder Ron Gant knocks a two-out
single to left field. The thirdinning hit moves teammate
Lonnie Smith to third with
the slugging David Justice
due up next. Gant scampers
back after rounding the bag,
just as pitcher Kevin Tapani
fires the ball to first baseman
Kent Hrbek, the Twins’ 250pound first baseman. Using his
significant weight advantage, it
appeared obvious that Hrbek
lifted the 172-pound Gant
off the bag while applying the
tag. Umpire Drew Coble believed it was merely Gant’s momentum
doing the lifting. Gant is called out, ending the inning and the
rally. Gant, along with normally reserved manager Bobby Cox,
have a few choice words for Coble, but all is in vain.
The incident would be just another case of home-field advantage in
this classic seven-game thriller, capped off with Jack Morris’s historic
10-inning shutout for Minnesota. In fact, the 1991 World Series can
be remembered as the second time in Series history that the home
team won every game.
The only other time? The Twinkies seven-game victory over the
Cardinals just four years earlier.
8
The Ineligible Man Downfield
New York at San Francisco, 2003 NFL Playoffs
After blowing a nearly insurmountable 24point lead, the New York Giants still had a
chance to win this game—one of the most
frantic, hotly contested playoff games in
NFL history. Down 39-38 with six seconds
remaining, the G-Men lined up for a 41yard field goal. But after holder Matt Allen
fumbled the snap, chaos reigned.
Allen scrambled and threw a desperation
pass to guard Rich Seubert four yards short of
the end zone. But before this prayerful heave
can reach its target, Seubert is dragged down by 49er defensive end
Chike Okeafor, a blatant case of pass interference.
A flag is thrown, but it’s actually against the Giants’ Tam Hopkins
for being an illegal man downfield. San Francisco declines, the game is
ended, and the 49ers move on to the next round.
As both the NFL Commissioner and Director of Officiating would
agree later, the penalty called was correct, but the passer’s intended target
was legally downfield. The failure of the referees to call pass interference
would be deemed “totally unacceptable.”
An interference call would have offset the ineligible man downfield
penalty. Since a game can’t end on offsetting penalties, one additional
untimed play should have taken place. In effect, this would have created
a “do-over” for New York, and allowed them to re-kick the potentially
game-winning field goal.
After the game 49er coach Steve Mariucci would confess that he
expected a well-deserved pass interference flag, but wasn’t too upset
when one didn’t come flying. Even the guilty party, Okeafor, readily
admitted that it should have been called.
But unlike most Giant fans, New York general manager Ernie Accorsi
was not ready to hang the burden of the loss on Ron Winter and the
rest of the officiating staff, saying plainly: “The officials didn’t blow a
24-point lead.”
That’s right Ernie. They just blew the last six seconds.
7
The Jeffrey Maier Game
Baltimore at New York, 1996 MLB American League
Championship Series Game 1
The Orioles led the Yankees 4-3
in the bottom of the eighth inning
when Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball
to right field. Orioles outfielder Tony
Tarasco seemed ready to come down
with the ball when, from over the
fence, a glove appeared to deflect the
ball into the stands. Umpire Rich
Garcia erroneously ruled it a home
run, which tied the game, and the
Yankees went on to win the game,
the ALCS and the World Series.
The guilty party was Jeffrey Maier,
a 12-year-old kid from New Jersey who received a ticket to the game at
his World Series-themed bar mitzvah the previous week.
69◆
◆
And while his play didn’t exactly hand the Yankees a victory,
it was the catalyst in the pivotal first game. New York would still
need a Bernie Williams walk-off in the eleventh to win.
Afterwards, Maier became a Big Apple folk hero. He made the
talk-show rounds, and was even given the key to the city by mayor
Rudolph Giuliani. Eat your heart out, Steve Bartman.
Maier would also become a rather distinguished ballplayer
himself, and holds the career hits record at Wesleyan University, a
Division III school. In an ironic twist, Orioles owner Peter Angelos
even considered drafting him. When Scott Erickson, the Orioles
Game 1 starter, heard that his team was considering drafting the
boy that stole his playoff victory ten years before, he said he really
hoped the kid would make it to the majors, adding, “so I can
drill him.”
6
The Buffaloes’ Fifth Down
Colorado at Missouri, 1990 NCAA
Football Big 8 Conference Game
Despite spiking the ball on a fourthdown play, followed by an inconclusive
touchdown run and an officiating
crew meeting that lasted more than
fifteen minutes, Colorado would be
given the victory on their final play
against a fuming Missouri team.
Down by four with time winding
down, quarterback Charles Johnson began marching his Colorado
team down the field from deep in his own territory. In wet and
slippery conditions, a pass to his tight end gives the Buffs a first
down with forty seconds remaining, and just a few yards short of
the Missouri goal line.
Johnson spikes the ball to stop the clock on the ensuing first
down, and the running play that follows is stopped short of the
end zone. Colorado runs another failed rushing play, bringing up
fourth down. Claiming he thought it was third and not fourth
down because the down marker had not changed, Johnson again
spikes the ball to stop the clock. The officials do not catch their
error, and on “Fifth Down,” Johnson calls his own number and is
ruled in for the touchdown as time expires.
A lengthy crew meeting followed, and the Colorado touchdown
was ruled official. After the game Missouri’s chancellor would
appeal the loss, but Big Eight commissioner Carl James declared
it was “not a post-game correctable error” and the victory would
be allowed to stand. Seven of the officials working the game were
given indefinite suspensions.
Under the guidance of head coach Bill McCartney, a former
Missouri football player, Colorado would go on to win a share
of the National Championship that season. But it wasn’t until
eight years later, during a stop back in Columbia, Missouri, that
Coach McCartney would first claim regret for the outcome of the
infamous game, saying he was “truly remorseful” for what had
occurred.
However, he has not, as of this issue’s printing, forfeited his
National Championship.
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5
Park Steals the Fight
Park Si-Hun vs. Roy Jones Jr., 1988 Light Middleweight
Boxing Olympics
After shooting up through the amateur
ranks, supremely gifted 19-year-old Roy
Jones Jr. fought his way to the Olympic gold
medal bout in Seoul, South Korea. He would
square off against Park Si-Hun, the Koreans’
homegrown pugilist, in the 156-pound final.
Ringside announcer Marv Albert described
Park’s sluggish style as “dipped in molasses,”
and with just over a minute left in the third
and final round, nearly all agreed when he
said the overwhelmed Korean was “taking
a thrashing.” But soon after Jones raised his
gloves in post-bout triumph, judges would
rule 3-2 in favor of his opponent.
The controversy that resulted would take nearly a decade to officially resolve,
and even today nothing has been truly settled. A final IOC decision in 1997
found no clear definitive proof of bribery or wrongdoing among the judges.
Jones was never awarded his gold medal, despite out-landing his punches by a
count of 86 to 32, including a remarkable 20 to 3 in the opening round.
The three dissenting judges would later be suspended under suspicion. But
Jones would receive nothing more than his silver medal, and an ironic parting
gift: He would be awarded the Val Baker award as the Olympics’ best boxer.
Jones would go on to one of the most successful boxing careers in history
and was named “Fighter of the Decade” in 1999. But after such injustice in
Seoul, Jones surely agreed with Marv Albert when he bellowed, “Park Si-Hun
has stolen the bout!”
4
3
Denkinger Calls Orta Safe at First
St. Louis at Kansas City, 1985 MLB World Series Game 6
It is Game Six of one of the greatest Fall Classics ever. The Kansas City Royals’
Jorge Orta comes to the plate to lead off the bottom
of the ninth, his team down 1-0. Facing St. Louis
Cardinals’ closer Todd Worrell, he hits a roller to
first baseman Jack Clark, who flips it back to Worrell
covering the bag. Despite being at least a foot short of
the bag, Orta is called safe by umpire Don Denkinger,
who instantly becomes the most reviled character in
the St. Louis sports universe.
The hit did not give the Royals the victory, however.
With just a man on first and facing a team fielding
five Gold Glovers, the Royals still needed a dropped foul pop-up by Clark and a
passed ball from catcher—and 1982 World Series MVP—Darrell Porter before the
winning single by Dane Iorg, a former Cardinal who hit just .223 that season.
The subsequent seventh game would prove to be anything but an instant classic,
with Kansas City blasting a deflated Cardinals squad 11-0, giving the “Comeback
Kings” their only World Series crown.
Denkinger can take solace in none of this, however, as he remains a hated figure
by the Cardinal faithful to this day. Some even blame his call for keeping beloved
manager Whitey Herzog out of the Hall of Fame. He received barrels of hate mail,
and even death threats, including one voicing a desire to shoot him with a .357
Magnum.
But today, as the angry letters still trickle in, Denkinger is at ease, believing, “in
my heart, and to the best of my ability, I made the call as I saw it.”
Tell that to the Gateway City, Don.
2
Brett Hull’s No-Goal
Dallas at Buffalo,
1999 NHL Stanley
Cup Finals Game 6
In the game’s third
overtime,
Dallas
winger Brett Hull
scored on Buffalo’s
all-world
goalie
Dominik Hasek, giving the Cup to the Stars and sending the entirety of
the hockey world into an uproar.
In the moments previous to the goal, Hull took a shot, but Hasek
knocked the puck out of the crease. Hull then kicked the deflection
toward his stick using his skate. While doing so, his left skate entered
the crease without the puck. He shoots again successfully, and bedlam
erupts.
Today these events would have been nothing to argue about. So
why the frenzy? At the time, the rules stated that unless that puck was
already there, “a player of the attacking side may not stand in the goal
crease,” and if he should receive the puck and score while doing so, “the
apparent goal shall not be allowed.” Numerous goals that season had
been overturned under similar circumstances.
But the goal was not officially reviewed, and officials would later
justify the non-call by saying the entire shot, rebound and kick sequence
represented a single possession, making his crease violation legal. The
rule was quickly changed during that off-season.
An area used to sports heartbreak, Buffalo’s public outcry has scarcely
waned in the years following. One crestfallen fan even said the dubious
call “led the people of Buffalo to question their very existence.”
Even today, in the rear windows of some Western New York
automobiles you can still see them: tiny, tattered flags waving, the words
on them badly faded. “No Goal!” the flags scream. But you can cry into
your hot wings, Sabres fans. The dream is over.
Maradona’s “Hand of God” Goal
Argentina vs. England, 1986 Soccer
World Cup
The masterful Maradona, Argentina’s
team captain, scores a pivotal goal in their
quarterfinal match against England with
the help of the most infamous handball in
World Cup history.
Five minutes into the second half with
the game still scoreless, a Maradona pass
into the penalty area is deflected by his
teammate. It is then floated back to the
goalie off the foot of English midfielder Steve Hodge.
In a flash, Maradona cuts through the middle of the English defense
and jumps to head the ball before the goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, can
grab it. The diminutive Maradona (giving up eight inches to the 6’1”
Shilton) knows he won’t get a clean header off, and instead strikes the
ball with the back of his left hand.
Though clearly a handball, referee Ali Bin Nasser did not call it off,
and Argentina would go on to win 2-1. Maradona would say afterwards
that the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little
with the hand of God.” Argentina would go on to defeat West Germany
in the World Cup finals.
It took Maradona almost twenty years to admit to the handball,
but says he has never regretted it for a moment. The reasons for this
stubbornness run deep.
In a 1966 World Cup quarterfinal match held in London’s Wembley
Stadium, Argentina’s captain Antonio Rattîn yelled at a German referee
during a tense first half. He was subsequently ejected for “violence of
the tongue,” despite the referee not understanding any of the player’s
Spanish. When the supervisor of the referees, an Englishman, entered
the field to remove Rattîn, it was seen as a sign of German-English
collusion, and a fierce rivalry was born.
Add to that the 1982 Falklands War, an English manager calling
Argentineans “animals,” and the 1998 World Cup red-carding of David
Beckham, and it’s easy to see why Maradona said his famous goal felt
like “stealing the wallet of the English.”
1
USSR Given Extra Time
USSR vs. USA, 1972
Basketball Olympic Finals
In what is widely regarded
as the most controversial
international
basketball
contest ever played, the
American Olympic team
had their string of seven
consecutive Gold Medals
broken when the referees
not once, but twice reset the
game clock at the end of regulation.
Going into the game, the United States had never lost in Olympic play,
but this was their youngest team ever. In fact it was Doug Collins, the 21year-old future NBA All-Star and coach, who provided two of the game’s
biggest points.
Down by one with time winding down, Collins intercepted a Soviet pass
and was shaken up after being fouled hard driving to the hoop. Assistant
coach Don Haskins (of Glory Road fame) begged head coach Henry Iba to
have someone else shoot the foul shots. But Collins stayed in and sank both
free throws, despite the horn going off in the middle of his second attempt.
With the U.S. squad up by one with three seconds remaining, the USSR
inbounded the ball, but a referee stopped the game with just one second
to play. The Soviets claimed they had called for a timeout before Collins’s
second foul shot, and the officials had the clock reset back to three seconds.
A referee put the ball in play, the Soviets failed to score again, and the final
buzzer sounded. Game over, right?
Wrong. As the American players celebrated, R. William Jones, the
Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation, ordered the
clock once again reset because the referees had put the ball into play before
the game clock had officially been reset. With a miraculous third chance, the
Soviets were able to convert on an Aleksander Belov lay-up as time expired,
enraging American players and coaches
A postgame protest by the United States was denied, and every member
of the infuriated American team would vote to refuse his silver medal. They
remain in a Swiss vault to this day with at least one player stipulating in his
will that his medal never be claimed. ◆
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BOY
SOLDIER
By Ishmael Beah
A S h o c k i n g T r u e - L i f e Tal e
As a boy, Ishmael Beah’s idyllic childhood was ripped apart by a vicious civil war filled
with unimaginable horrors. Before long, everyone around him was dead—his parents,
his neighbors, his friends—and his village was a devastated wasteland. Beah was pulled
into a world of evil where fear and indiscriminate atrocities ruled and nobody could be
trusted, not even a child. At 12, he found himself roaming the countryside, starving,
destitute, and dodging death on a near-daily basis. Before long, with no options left,
he was sucked into the vortex of a savage, brutal world as a boy soldier doing things no
child should ever even hear about, let alone be a part of.
In this shocking tale, New York Times bestselling author Ishmael Beah tells us what
it’s really like growing up in a nightmare few of us can imagine. The setting: Sierra
Leone, West Africa. The story: frightening, and all too real. The skinny: He lived it.
This is not fiction.
Photography of Beah and his adopted mother by Douglas Emery, shot exclusively for
avery cardoza’s player magazine.
T
Ishmael’s adoptive mother, Laura Simms, who was responsible for bringing
him to the United States.
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here were all kinds of stories told
about the war that made it sound as if it
was happening in a faraway and different
land. It wasn’t until refugees started passing
through our town that we began to see that it was
actually taking place in our country. Families who
had walked hundreds of miles told how relatives
had been killed and their houses burned. Some
people felt sorry for them and offered them places
to stay, but most of the refugees refused, because
they said the war would eventually reach our
town. The children of these families wouldn’t look
at us, and they jumped at the sound of chopping
wood or as stones landed on the tin roofs flung by
children hunting birds with slingshots. The adults
among these children from the war zones would
be lost in their thoughts during conversations with
the elders of my town. Apart from their fatigue
and malnourishment, it was evident they had seen
something that plagued their minds, something
that we would refuse to accept if they told us all of
it. At times I thought that some of the stories the
passersby told were exaggerated. The only wars I
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T
he attack happened
unexpectedly one night. There
hadn’t even been any rumors that
the rebels were as close as fifty miles from
Kamator. They just walked into the village
from out of nowhere.
It was about 8:00 p.m., when people were
performing the last prayer of the day. The
imam was oblivious to what was going on
until it was too late. He stood in front of
everyone, facing east, vigorously reciting a
long sura, and once prayer had started, no
one was allowed to say anything that was
not related to the performance of the prayer.
I didn’t go to the mosque that night, but
Kaloko did. He said that upon realizing
that the rebels were in the village, everyone
quickly and silently left the mosque, one
at a time, leaving the imam by himself as
he stood there leading the prayer. Some
people tried to whisper to him, but he
ignored them. The rebels captured him
and demanded to know what parts of the
forest people were hiding in, but the imam
refused to tell them. They bound his hands
and feet with wire, tied him to an iron post,
and set fire to his body. They didn’t burn
him completely, but the fire killed him. His
semi-burnt remains were left in the village
square. Kaloko said he saw this from the
nearby bush where he hid.
During the attack, Junior was in the
verandah room where all five of us slept. I
was outside, sitting on the steps. I had no
time to go look for him, since the attack was
sudden, but instead had to run into the bush
alone. That night I slept by myself, leaning
on a tree. In the morning I found Kaloko,
and together we returned to the village.
All the houses were burned. There wasn’t
a sign of life anywhere. We looked in the
thick forest for Junior and our friends, but
Ishmael at a book reading in the Half King Bar, New York City.
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they weren’t anywhere to be found. We
stumbled across a family we knew and
they let us hide with them in the bush by
the swamp. We stayed with them for two
weeks, two weeks that felt like months. Each
day went by very slowly as I busied myself
thinking about what other possibilities lay
ahead. Was there an end to this madness,
and was there any future for me beyond the
bushes? I thought about Junior, Gibrilla,
Talloi, and Khalilou. Had they been able
to escape the attack? I was losing everyone,
my family, my friends. I remembered when
my family moved to Mogbwemo. My father
held a ceremony to bless our new home. He
invited our new neighbors, and my father
stood up during the ceremony and said,
“I pray to the gods and ancestors that my
family will always be together.” He looked
at us, my mother held my little brother, and
Junior and I stood next to each other with
toffee in our mouths.
One of the elders stood up and added to
what my father had said: “I pray to the gods
and ancestors that your family will always be
together, even when one of you crosses into
the spirit world. To family and community.”
The old man raised his open hands in the
air. My father came over and stood by my
mother and motioned for Junior and me
to come closer. We did, and my father put
his arms around us. The gathering clapped
and a photographer took a few snapshots.
I pressed my fingers on my eyelids to hold
back my tears and wished that I could have
my family together again.
Once every three days we visited Kamator
to see if people had returned, but each visit
was in vain, as there wasn’t a sign of a living
thing. The silence in the village was too
scary. I was scared when the wind blew,
shaking the thatched roofs, and I felt as if I
were out of my body wandering somewhere.
There weren’t footprints of any kind. Not
even a lizard dared to crawl through the
village. The birds and crickets didn’t sing.
I could hear my footsteps louder than my
heartbeat. During these visits, we brought
with us brooms so that we could sweep away
our footprints as we went back to our hiding
place to avoid being followed.
I became frustrated with living in fear. I
felt as if I was always waiting for death to
come to me, so I decided to go somewhere
where at least there was some peace. Kaloko
was afraid to leave. He thought that by
leaving the bush we would be walking
photograph by UNICEF/HQ98-0536/Giacomo Pirozzi
knew of were those that I had read about
in books or seen in movies such as Rambo:
First Blood, and the one in neighboring
Liberia that I had heard about on the BBC
news. My imagination at ten years old
didn’t have the capacity to grasp what had
taken away the happiness of the refugees.
toward death. He decided to stay in the
swamp.
I had nothing to carry, so I filled my
pockets with oranges, tied the laces of my
tattered crapes, and I was ready to go. I said
goodbye to everyone and headed west. As
soon as I left the hiding area and was on the
path, I felt as if I was being wrapped in a
blanket of sorrow. It came over me instantly.
I started to cry. I didn’t know why. Maybe
it was because I was afraid of what might
lie ahead. I sat on the side of the path for
a while until my tears were gone, and then
moved on.
I walked all day and didn’t run into a
single person on the path or in the villages
that I passed through. There were no
footprints to be seen, and the only sounds
I heard were those of my breathing and my
footsteps.
For five days, I walked from dawn to
dusk, never coming in contact with any
human being. At night I slept in abandoned
villages. Every morning I made my own
fate by deciding which way I was going
to go. My goal was to avoid walking in
the direction from where I had come. I
ran out of oranges on the first day, but I
collected more at every village that I slept
in. Sometimes I would come across cassava
farms. I would uproot some and eat them
raw. The other food that was available in
most villages was coconut. I didn’t know
how to climb a coconut tree. I had tried, but
it was just impossible, until one day when
I was very hungry and thirsty. I arrived at
a village where there was nothing to eat
except for the coconuts that sloppily hung
from the trees, as if teasing me, daring me
to pluck them. It is difficult to explain how
it happened, but I mounted the coconut tree
quite fast and unexpectedly. By the time
I realized what I was doing and thought
about my inexperience in this particular art,
I was already at the top of the branches and
plucking coconuts. I climbed down just as
quickly and looked around for something
to crack them with. Luckily, I found an old
machete and got to work on the coconut
shells. After I was done snacking, I found
myself a hammock and rested for a while.
I got up well rested and thought, I think
I have enough energy now to climb and
pick more coconuts for the road. But it was
impossible. I couldn’t even climb past the
middle of the trunk. I tried again and again,
but each attempt was more pitiful than
the last. I hadn’t laughed for a long time,
but this made me laugh uncontrollably. I
could have written a science paper on the
experience.
On the sixth day, I came in contact with
humans. I had just left the village that I
slept in the previous night and was on my
way to look for another one when I heard
voices ahead of me, rising and fading as the
wind changed direction. I got off the path
and walked carefully, minding my footstep
on dried leaves in the forest to avoid making
any sound. I stood behind the bushes,
watching the people I had heard. There
were eight of them down at the river, four
young boys about twelve years old—my
age—two girls, a man, and a woman. They
were swimming. After observing for a while
and determining that they were harmless, I
decided to go down to the river for a swim
as well. In order to avoid scaring them, I
walked back to the path and headed toward
them.
The man was the first to see me. “Kusheoo. How de body, sir?” I greeted him. His
eyes searched my smiling face. He didn’t
say anything and I thought maybe he didn’t
speak Krio. So I said hello in Mende, my
tribal language.
“Bu-wah. Bi ga huin ye na.” He still
didn’t respond. I took my clothes off and
dived into the river. When I rose to the
surface, all of them had stopped swimming
but remained in the water. The man, who
must have been the father, asked me,
“Where are you from and where are you
going?” He was Mende and he understood
An adolescent boy, abducted in 1994 at
age 13 by Revolutionary United Front
rebels, shows the scars from being beaten
after trying to escape.
have a better understanding about how to
get to Bonthe. It was clear from the tone
of his voice that he didn’t want me around
and didn’t trust me. I looked at the curious
and skeptical faces of the children and the
woman. I was glad to see other faces and
at the same time disappointed that the war
had destroyed the enjoyment of the very
experience of meeting people. Even a twelveyear-old couldn’t be trusted anymore. I got
out of the water, thanked the man, and was
on my way, heading in the direction he had
pointed that led toward the sea.
Sadly, I do not know the names of most
I became frustrated with living in fear.
I felt as if I was always waiting
for death to come to me,
Krio very well.
“I am from Mattru Jong and I have no
idea where I am going.” I wiped the water
off my face and then continued, “Where are
you and your family headed?” He ignored
my question by pretending he didn’t hear
me. I proceeded to ask him if he knew the
fastest way to Bonthe, an island in the south
of Sierra Leone and one of the safest places
at that time, according to hearsay. He told
me that if I kept walking toward the sea,
I would eventually find people who might
of the villages that sheltered and provided
me food during those times. No one was
there to ask, and in those parts of the
country there weren’t any signs that said the
name of this or that village.
I
t must have been a Sunday morning
when the corporal told us to take the
day off training. He tapped the palm of
his hand with the flat edge of his bayonet.
“If you are religious, I mean a Christian,
worship your Lord today, because you might
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distributed among us. Two crates of
ammunition were set out, one containing
loaded magazines, the other loose bullets.
The corporal commanded us to take as
much ammunition as we could carry.
“Don’t take too much, though. We want
you to be able to run fast,” he said. As
I loaded my backpack and waist pack, I
looked up and saw that some of the older
soldiers were doing the same. My hand
began to shake and my heart beat faster.
All the other boys, except for Alhaji, were
having fun, because they thought they
were gearing up for more drills, but I
I have never been so afraid
to go anywhere in my life
as I was that day.
knew we weren’t going for training, and
Alhaji leaned on the wall of the building
clutching his gun like a mother would hold
her baby. He knew it, too.
“Stand up on your feet, soldiers,” the
corporal said. He had left us briefly to
change. He was fully dressed in army
leave. The adult soldiers led the way. Some
carried ammunition boxes, the length of
two cement bricks, between them, and
others had semiautomatic machine guns
and RPGs. I held my AK-47 with my
right hand, its mouth pointing to the
ground. I had attached an extra magazine
I
photograph by UNICEF/HQ01-0134/Roger Lemoyne
not have another chance. Dismissed.”
We went to the square wearing our army
shorts and the crapes that had been given
to us. We started a soccer game, and as we
played, the lieutenant came out to sit on
the verandah of his house. We stopped the
game and saluted him. “Carry on with the
game. Right now I want to see my soldiers
play soccer.” He sat on the stoop and began
reading Julius Caesar.
When we were done with soccer, we
decided to go to the river for a swim. It was
a sunny day, and as we ran down to the
river, I felt the cool breeze drying the sweat
on my body. We played swimming games
for a few minutes, then divided into two
teams for an ambush game. The first group
to capture all the members of the other
group would win.
“Let’s go, soldiers, the holiday is over,”
the corporal called out from the banks
of the river. We stopped our playing and
followed him to the village. As we jogged
to catch up with him, we jokingly tripped
and pushed each other into the bushes.
At the village we were asked to quickly
service our AK-47s. As we cleaned our
guns, backpacks and waist packs were
with adhesive tape to the one inside the
gun. I had my bayonet on my left hip and
some magazines and loose bullets in my
side pack. In my backpack I had more
magazines and loose bullets. Josiah and
Sheku dragged the tip of their guns, as
they still weren’t strong enough to carry
them and the guns were taller than they
were. We were supposed to come back
that evening, so we carried no food or
water. “There are a lot of streams in the
forest,” the lieutenant had said, walking
away, leaving the corporal to finish what
he had started. “It is better to carry more
ammunition than food and water. Because
with more ammo, we will be able to find
water and food, but with more water and
food, we will not make it to the end of the
day,” the corporal explained.
The women and older people in the
village stood on their verandahs and
watched as we were led away by the adult
soldiers into the clearing toward the forest.
A baby cried uncontrollably in his mother’s
arms, as if he knew what lay ahead of us.
The sun’s brightness painted our shadows
on the ground.
photograph by UNICEF/HQ98-0537/Giacomo Pirozzi
An adolescent boy, abducted in 1994 at age 13 by Revolutionary United Front rebels,
was branded with the initials RUF after he tried to escape.
uniform and carried a backpack and a
waist pack full of ammunition. He held
a G3weapon and his helmet under his
arms. We stood in line for inspection. All
of the boys wore army shorts and green Tshirts. The corporal handed us green head
ties and said, “If you see anyone without
a head tie of this color or a helmet like
mine, shoot him.” He screamed the last
two words. Now it was clear to all that we
weren’t going for training. As we tied our
head cloths, Sheku, standing next to me,
fell backward. He had taken too much
ammunition. The corporal emptied some of
the magazines from his backpack and stood
him up. Sheku’s forehead was sweating
and his lips trembled. The corporal patted
him on the head and continued talking.
“The other men”—he pointed to the
older soldiers—“will carry spare boxes of
ammunition, so do not overload yourselves.
Now relax, we will be on our way in a few
minutes.”
The corporal walked away. We sat down
on the ground, and everyone seemed to
wander into their own thoughts. The daily
bird songs were gone, replaced now by the
raising of firing levers as the older soldiers
readied themselves. Sheku and Josiah sat
next to me, their eyes watery and dull. All
I could do was rub their heads to assure
them it might be okay. I got up and walked
over to Alhaji and the rest of my friends.
We made a pact that no matter what, we
would try and stay together.
A young soldier came by with a plastic
bag full of some kind of tablets. They
looked like capsules, but they were plain
white. He handed them to each of us with
a cup of water. “The corporal said it will
boost your energy,” the soldier announced
with a secretive smile on his face. As soon
as we had taken the tablets, it was time to
have never been so afraid to go
anywhere in my life as I was that day.
Even the scuttle of a lizard frightened
my entire being. A slight breeze blew and
it went through my brain with a sharp
swoop that made me grit my teeth in pain.
Tears had begun to form in my eyes, but I
struggled to hide them and gripped my gun
for comfort.
We walked into the arms of the forest,
holding our guns as if they were the only
thing that gave us strength. We exhaled
quietly, afraid that our own breathing
could cause our death. The lieutenant led
the line that I was in. He raised his fist
in the air and we stopped moving. Then
he slowly brought it down and we sat on
one heel, our eyes surveying the forest. I
wanted to turn around to see my friends’
faces, but I couldn’t. We began to move
swiftly among the bushes until we came to
the edge of a swamp, where we formed an
ambush, aiming our guns into the swamp.
We lay flat on our stomachs and waited. I
was lying next to Josiah. Then there was
Sheku and an adult soldier between myself,
Jumah, and Musa. I looked around to see
if I could catch their eyes, but they were
concentrated on the invisible target in the
A boy reads a storybook in a UNICEF-assisted interim care centre for former child
soldiers near Kenema, in Eastern Province, Sierra Leone.
swamp. The top of my eyes began to ache
and the pain slowly rose up to my head.
My ears became warm and tears were
running down my cheeks, even though I
wasn’t crying. The veins on my arms stood
out and I could feel them pulsating as if
they had begun to breathe of their own
accord. We waited in the quiet, as hunters
do, our fingers gently caressing the triggers.
The silence tormented me.
The short trees in the swamp began to
shake as the rebels made their way through
them. They weren’t yet visible, but the
lieutenant had passed the word down
through a whisper that was relayed like a
domino effect: “Fire on my command.”
As we watched, a group of men dressed in
civilian clothes emerged from under the
tiny bushes. They waved their hands and
more fighters came out. Some were boys, as
young as we were. They sat together in line,
waving their hands, planning a strategy. The
lieutenant ordered an RPG to be fired, but
the commander of the rebels heard it as it
whooshed its way out of the forest.
“Retreat!” he told his men, and the
grenade’s blast got only a few men, whose
split bodies flew in the air. The explosion
was followed by an exchange of fire from
both sides. I lay there with my gun pointed
in front of me, unable to shoot. My index
finger had become numb. The forest had
begun to spin. I felt as if the ground had
turned upside down and I was going to fall
off, so I clutched the base of a tree with one
hand. I couldn’t think, but I could hear the
sounds of the guns far away in the distance
and the cries of people dying in pain. I had
begun to fall into some sort of nightmare. ◆
From the book, A Long Way Gone by
Ishmael Beah. Copyright © 2007 by Ishmael
Beah. Published by Sarah Crichton Books,
an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
77◆
◆
Summer Fling
Photography by Frej Hedenberg
Sportscoat by Obedient Sons
Trousers by Rock & Republic
Sweater by Charles Tyrwhitts
Belt by Ted Baker London
79◆
◆
◆
◆
80◆
◆
editor: douglas emery / Model: Shaun@ NewYork Models / Grooming: Carolina Garcia / Photographic Ass. Jon E/ Shannon
Casey Splain / Studio: Solo Productions, Solo-pro.net / Stylist: Amit Gajwani @ www.artistsbytimothypriano.com
Sweater by Buckler
Vest by Relegion
Sunglasses by Tsubi
Shirt by Obedient Sons
Cufflinks by Ted Baker London
Shorts by Trovata
81◆
◆
Hat by Kelly Christy
Shirt by Trovata
◆
◆
82◆
◆
83◆
◆
Navy suit by Zegna
Shoes by Rock & Republic
Sunglasses by Ted Baker
◆
◆
84◆
◆
Pants by Buckler
Tie by Rock & Republic
Belt by Ted Baker London
85◆
◆
party green!
Once again, the Roots Jam Session was the place to be in Los Angeles the night before the 2007 Grammys, bringing together the
best in entertainment for an impromptu musical jam with Grammy award winners, The Roots, as back-up. This year’s jam consisted
of performances by Queen Latifah, Dave Chappelle, Fall Out Boy, and Anita Baker with India.Arie and Matisyahu. The annual
jam is produced by Tina Farris of GoodTimeGirl and Kevin Seldon of Keldof 360 (www.keldof.com). This year’s green theme,
used to launch the national Feed Your Roots environmental campaign, included green carpet arrivals and drinks (compliments
of Tanqueray) served in biodegradable cups, all used to educate and integrate composting in schools across the nation (www.
globalinheritance.org/feedyourroots).
◆
◆
86◆
◆
photography by Allison Lucas
THE SCENE
87◆
◆
last chance
PLANNED PARENTH
Player's irreverent look at what could have been
D
BY JERRY MILLER
Nell Carter
+
Mr. Spacely
=
Cruz Bustamante
Ginger Spice
+
Syndrome
=
Bobby Kielty
Morticia Adams
+
E. T.
=
John Mark Carr
Mr. Bean
+
Jerri Blank
=
Nicole Richie
+
300’s Monster
=
Roger Ailes
Crystal Gayle
+
Chewbacca
=
Paula Abdul
+
E.T.
=
Fergie
Spider-Man
+
Gollum
=
Kirsten Dunst
Divine
Tom Petty
◆
◆
88◆
◆

7 DEADLY SinS - Avery Cardoza Player

Transcription

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