Bill Simmons on Poker

The Bill Simmons sell-out continues. I found this column by Simmons over at ESPN.com (it wasn't exactly advertised - it was as if they were hiding the article away).

After reading the column I was struck by two things:

1. Simmons was afraid to play poker at a casino for 4 years until he overcame his fear. What a wussy.

2. Even though the 2004 World Series of Poker has been over for weeks - Simmons doesn't dare offer any clue about who did what in the tournament (except Cousin Sal) out of fear of cheesing off the ESPN folks who will be broadcasting the 2004 WSOP highlights in a month's time. Again what a wus.

Simmons doesn't even go into detail about how Cousin Sal did - even though there must have been some good one-liners from Sal or some interesting observations to share. I'm guessing that he didn't go into detail because the Jimmy Kimmel Show will be running the piece to coincide with ESPN's broadcast of the 2004 WSOP highlights. (I don't know this for sure because I don't watch the Kimmel Show. It's not that I live in Detroit or anything - I just don't think it's too funny. Maybe the piece already ran. I don't know.)

If you are going to write a column about poker and the poker craze - then do that but don't mention the 2004 WSOP knowing it has to be off limits because of limits placed on you by your employer. Don't complain that poker has become too mainstream and then write a column that can only appeal to people who don't realize that the WSOP is already over.

If you take the time to read his column - you'll probably agree that it was pretty crappy. I know they all can't be gems but for the past year - the good ones have been the exception not the rule.

If this column was in ESPN the Magazine and I read it in the Irish library - I would have wiped my ass with it.