Well it's Friday May 30th and the Day started just like every other day. My alarm went off at 5:15 AM and I started another day. It was Friday so it's a Day I don't go into the office as I work from Home in the morning and spent the rest of the day enjoying Wonderful Las Vegas. Today was a day I had been looking forward to since I moved to Las Vegas in January. You see today was the first day of the World Series of Poker. I will tell you that next to handicapping sports and racing my horses that Poker is my next favorite thing to do. Every year my wife & I spent 7-10 days in Las Vegas during the World Series as it was something we did every year as part of our vacation. I taught my wife to play tournament poker and she wasn't half bad. It was something we enjoyed together.
This year was going to be special as for the first time I was going to be in Las Vegas as a resident for the entire World Series. As I already said this was something I had been looking forward to since January. So as soon my work was done I was heading to the Rio to get into the action. I was there last night playing in the Cash Games and had a very healthy night at the tables. When I went to bed last I was excited and could hardly sleep I was basically like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa Claus to put the presents under the tree.
The Call that changed my life..
My wife had to go back to Pennsylvania last week to attend to some things back there for me as I still have a office and employees back there. My cell phone rang at 6:30 AM it was my secretary and she didn't have good news. My neighbor had found my wife in our drive way next to her car. She had collapsed on her way to the office. They called 911 but it was too late. It appears she had a massive heart attack and was gone instantly.
I wrote this post as I was traveling back on the plane to Pennsylvania. I wanted to keep my mind occupied. The rest of the day was pretty much a blur as news got around back home one by one all of my friends that I left behind in PA starting calling me in Las Vegas. As you can imagine every call brought out the emotions over & over but that's what good friends are for and I'm blessed to have great friends and family waiting for me in PA.
I also have great new friends here in Las Vegas and quite honestly I wouldn't have made it thru today without them. From my first call to RJ at 6:45 AM who talked with me for 30 minutes. Then Jocelyn who is a dear friend at Pregame and who ironically was originally from Pittsburgh as well came to my condo for support and is going to take care of my cat while I'm back in PA. To Mark and Matty two great friends who were there for moral support and help find me a flight home and got me to the airport.
Arnold and Julie who's kind words helped pass the time as I waited to leave for the airport. JD was there with support from Detroit as was everyone else at the Pregame offices Tesha, Peter, Dean, Kari & Mike. It's nice to have those kind of friends in not one but two states.
Probably the toughest phone call of the Day was the one to my Horse Trainer back in PA. This man has trained my horses for me for over 20 years he's more like a brother than an employee. He also loves poker and we discuss hands almost every evening when we make our daily call to update me on the horses. You see today my best horse, the horse I named after my wife was racing. I wanted to call him myself because I didn't want him to find out from someone else who might of called or sent him a text. Al was already in the paddock as we were in an early afternoon race. I broke the news to him and as close as we are it was an emotional call. I cut the call short and said I'll let you go you have a race to get ready for. My final words to him as I hung up was to tell Kat to make Kathy proud.
Jocelyn and I watched the raced on line and my Driver Bill Zendt sent her to the front and she was hung to the quarter in a very fast time but took the lead thru half and down the backside towards the 3/4 pole but suddenly the horse who was sitting 3rd made an explosive more and stormed past Kat N Mouse and opened up by 2 lengths just as I thought she wasn't going to win as horses generally don't come back after being past but then the announcer gives Kat N Mouse a Big Call at the Top of the Stretch as Bill pulled back to the outside and she put on a furious stretch drive like she had wings, honestly I believe she had wings of an angel behind her because to not only came back to win the race she drew away by 3 open lengths and was just 2/5 of a second off her lifetime mark. It was a milestone victory for her as that win put her over $200,000 in career earnings and it came on the day I lost her namesake who was with me when I bought her as a weanling at auction. When my trainer called after the race his words were Kat took care of business and I will see you tomorrow try to hang in there.
Sorry again for the very long post I but I needed to write it. For all my loyal followers here at Pregame as you can expect I will be away for a few days as I won't be making any picks. I plan to be back with my selections starting with the NBA Finals. Talk to you guys soon....