Monterey wrap-up
Monterey Bay is often calmer than the bridge table
One more year in Monterey, one more great tournament. Of all the places we go each year, Monterey is my favorite–the best hotel, the best local restaurants, the prettiest drive, the best shopping and just walking around. The bridge is pretty good, too.
Diablo Valley players came home with plenty of the gold stuff, too. Starting right off in the Charity game, Dmitri Shabes was 2nd overall. Lewis Atha and Barbara Smith, Mariann Kessler and Sondra Michaelson placed in the 299er pairs.
Tuesday began with the morning pairs–and local players were first, second and fourth! Bill Barron/Trisha O’connor, Grant Robinson/Terry Boyd, Randy Corr/Pat Krock pretty much swept the event.
There’s Dmitri again, winning the Tuesday afternoon side pairs.
Wednesday morning, Martin and Dorothy Seaman were 2nd in their strat in the 299er pairs. Patsy Williams and Carole Burgess were 2nd in the B strat of the morning side pairs, Lynne Humphrey and Bill Barron were 2nd in strat C.
Ruth Kenney showed up–even though she now lives in Owls Head, Maine. Monterey is a great place to get away from the winter snow of the northeast, I should think. Ruth and Sally Knutson took 4th in C Wedeneday in the Senior Pairs, making the trip even better. That evening, Troy and Roberta Lemons topped the side game.
Thursday morning, Grant and Terry won the morning pairs. Terry wasn’t feeling well, but nothing stops her from playing cards. The afternoon side game went to Nancy Barker and Winnie Smith.
And that’s about it. I’ve already written about what happened the rest of the weekend. Hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. The full listings are on the ACBL website results page.
Help for Haiti
Waiting for help in Haiti
Haiti is devastated. Hundreds of thousands are homeless; untold numbers are dead.
Hospitals are destroyed. There was little infrastructure to begin with, there is next to none left.
You can help. Simply by texting “HAITI” to 90999 you can donate $10 to Red Cross relief; it will be on you bill next month. More details on the White House website. Life has been awfully good to most of us, we can afford to help others.
I wouldn’t know
McCain standing next to someone he apparently doesn't know
So Matt Lauer asks John McCain if it’s true that Sarah Palin was barely vetted before being proposed as Vice President, and McCain says “I wouldn’t know”.
This is the guy who wanted to be President? Was he paying attention to his own campaign?
He’s starting to make Sarah look like the smart one.
Goose Gossage wants steroids users barred from baseball’s Hall of Fame
Goose knows something about baseball, and the Hall of Fame
Mark McGwire finally admitted what most people were pretty sure of anyway–he was full of juice. I don’t even know why this is news. A real Hall of Famer, Goose Gossage, has something to say about it. He doesn’t think McGwire belongs in the HoF. More “why is this news?”
A few years ago there was an insane attempt to get bridge into the Olympics. I love bridge, but it just isn’t a sport. Not to mention that it doesn’t televise worth a damn and the Olympics are about money and advertising and don’t need or want something you can’t put on NBC and have Costas talk about sagely.
Nonetheless, the World Bridge Federation tried mightily and even got so far as to have bridge be an exhibition “sport” in the 2002 Salt Lake City games. In the process, they instituted “anti-doping” rules, and required testing of winners at World Championship events. More insanity–since beta-blockers are on the list of prohibited drugs, virtually all of our older players would be ineligible due to their “drug” use.
What were they looking for, you might well ask. Okay, I asked. I asked Chip Martel just what drugs might improve my bridge performance, and he said “coffee”. Apparently, caffeine is supposed to improve your concentration and focus. So now I drink twice as much Diet Coke as before, and still can barely follow suit.
Bridge, rightly, never made it into the Olympics. McGwire, rightly, should never make it into the Hall of Fame. Diet Coke, anyone?
Lunch with an artist
You can’t play cards all the time, at least I can’t. After 5 great days in Monterey, Gail and I took off Sunday morning to meet Sally Russel, an artist whose work we collect. She created the three ceramic “totems” on the walk right out the front door. We met for lunch at a tiny place called the Wild Goose, and talked art and tennis, kids, travel, bridge, more art, faira reviews and more art.
Sally in her studio
Sally lives in Carmel Valley Village, a place I didn’t know exists 14 miles inland on Carmel Valley Road. It’s beautiful and picturesque as Carmel by the sea, but warmer, cheaper and not foggy. She has a husband and a 5 year old daughter. Her studio is in a small industrial park, right off the main road and next to her daughters school.
After graduating in art from UC Santa Barbara, she has always been an artist–she says her life was always directed to art, there was no other way for her. However, successful artists must be good business people as well, and she has proven her talents there, as well. Her website has both her one of a kind artworks and ceramic and linen good she has designed and had mass produced. Among other things, she is currently working on tiny versions of her large “beads”, since it is easier to sell smaller, cheaper items.
Afterward, we drove back to the Hyatt to pick up Gail’s car–we came down on different days, and had two cars there. The drive home turned into a road race, of course, and Gail won, as she usually does.
Free money update
As noted in this post, Costco is selling $100 Hyatt gift certificates for $79.99
I got them, but wasn’t going to stop worrying until I used them. Worry time is over, there was no problem at all.
I checked out this morning, and paid a $900 hotel bill with $800 worth of the certificates–and there was no question, no problem, just “Thanks for staying with Hyatt”.
And I most certainly wasn’t the only one using the certificates this morning–I watched other people using them too. In fact, the front desk clerk suggested buying more of them, noting that they never expire. (California state law, gift certificates may not expire, even if they have a printed expiration date)
We’ll be back in Monterey next year, and the hotel in Santa Clara is a Hyatt too. Costco, here I come.
At least I’m consistent
Just what you want to see across the table.
Thursday, I played in the Open Pairs with Micky. We had one good game and one bad game and came in 9th overall.
Saturday, I played in the Open Pairs with Billy Miller. We had a couple of decent but not great rounds, and came in 9th overall.
One hand stands out to me,not because we got a great result, but because it demonstrates a true professional trait–trust in your partner.
I picked up
KQJ652 5 AJ83 84
Billy opened 1C and I responded 1S. RHO stuck in a 2H bid, and Billy passed. Playing support doubles, I knew that he did not have 3 card spade support for me.
What to do? I’m too big to just bid 2S, so I jumped to 3S.
Billy, holding:
void KQ87 QT62 KQT73
passed smoothly–no fretting, no squirming, no trying to “save” partner. One of the true marks of the professional is complete trust in partner.
With a little help from the defense, I brought the contact in. The big lesson, though, is trust, trust, trust your partner.
* After the game, because good partners don’t give lessons during a game, Billy said that I should have doubled, not said 3S. Double is much more flexible, and gives him the opportunity (which he would have taken on this particular hand) to sit for the double, or to make a spade raise on honor-doubleton, having already denied 3 card support.
More gold for Eldonna
Pat George, Joe from Idaho, Patricia Perry and Chris Stack won their bracket of the compact KO tonight, squeaking past their competition in the final by 1 measly imp.
Measled out were Eldonna and Joyce. But this means that they were 2nd, and got yet more gold points. Isn’t it amazing how you can struggle for ages to get the last little bit for you gold card, and then the gold just keeps flowing in?
Lucky me
It pays to hang around the partnership desk, or something.
I was going to play with Gail today, but just before gametime there was Billy Miller looking woebegone because nobody would play with him.
So Gail volunteered to go shopping with Carol Scott, and I saved Billy from a day of watching football in his room.
He’s a delight to play with. We had a decent game; I only lost my mind once (and like all great partners Billy didn’t say a word as he played his four two fit for a zero) and we’re poised to make a big move in the second session.
Saturday morning regional report
Eating breakfast in the remodeled restaurant here at the Hyatt, slowly recovering from last night’s Eldonna fest in our room.
Looking at the daily bulletin I see that Diablo Valley players are the stars here.
Randy Corr and Bill Barron won a morning size game. Andy Fine and Beth Eggers were right behind them. Ally Whiteneck and Trisha O’Connor won the Friday aft. 299’r pairs.
Carol Griffin won the seniors with former ACBL president Roger Smith. It looks like he came all the way from Cleveland just to play with her. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Danny and Linda Friedman were 4th in the big open pairs event with the Barometer finish.
Micky and I have had a great week–won a KO (with Danny Friedman and Bruce Tuttle), won the second morning Swiss (with Bruce and Don Nemiro), 2nd in the first Swiss (with Danny, Bruce and Don), 9th in the Thursday pairs.
Sure wish this tournament could go on forever. Can’t wait for next year already.
Totally Unauthorized 