A thrilling comeback and a long road ahead

On Saturday the Oregon Ducks overcame two fumbles, two interceptions, a muffed kick return, ten dropped passes and several missed tackles to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers in double overtime. Trailing 20-3 in draining humidity before an opposing crowd, the defense rallied with 11 straight stops, while junior defensive back Jairus Byrd sparked the team with an interception just before half and an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

The team made a long series of devastating and costly mistakes, but they showed tremendous heart and resolve to come back and win. Still down by seven as the third quarter ended, pinned deep in their own territory on second and long, junior college transfer LaGarrette Blount broke free on a 72-yard run, then followed with a five yard touchdown after sophomore quarterback Justin Roper loped for a first down on fourth and two to keep the drive alive. Purdue's kicker duck-hooked a field goal try to win it at the end of regulation. Sacks unraveled two Boilermaker drives in overtime, and the Ducks ran five straight running plays to win the game, Blount powering in from the three.

I watched Blount dance in jubilation at midfield, his helmet off, a face full of pure joy, and I had the sense it could be a special year for Oregon football. Starting quarterback Roper was on the sidelines with a bag of ice on his knee, the second Oregon signal caller this year to go down with a knee injury, but there is a character and a quality of leadership in this group that understands adversity and the need to rise above it. I felt his joy, and their relief at overcoming the great temptation to give in when things were at their worst. That's why we love sports. ABC used to call it "the human drama of athletic competition." It was marvelous to witness. Next week they host Boise State.

Afterward I went to the gym for an hour and a half of cleansing exercise, had some teriyaki for dinner, and came home to play poker. I played with decisiveness and clarity for five solid hours, reached the final fifteen in a field of 3100, then made a critical error. I had a pair of sixes in middle position, with 98000 chips, about 10 times the big blind. I thought for a moment and pushed them all in. A big stack behind me had wired kings. He flopped a king and turned a king for quads, and my tournament was over.

The error was one of timing. With five times the blind or less, pushing in with the sixes would have been absolutely the correct decision. In a later position on the table, it would have been defensible. But in this position and this situation, I should have mucked them immediately without a second thought. I didn't have enough chips to make a minimum raise, and any bet would commit too much of my stack to the pot, so it was either all-in or fold. I should have folded, and I knew this.

It was an emotional decision, a moment of weakness. I'd fought very hard to reach 15th, a plateau where surviving players made $22, and I plunged in, not thinking about the strategy that had gotten me so far. I'd been fiercely patient to that point, not committing chips unless I had an edge, waiting for good situations, and gambling only when necessary, when the situation dictated it. At one point I was down to my last 695 chips and had to put them in with a straight draw. There was 5800 in the pot so it was a perfect decision, and I made my straight on the turn. At another I had wired jacks, put in a raise, and two players went all-in after me and I threw the jacks away, because I had 20,000 left and sensed the jacks were beaten. The second reraiser turned over a pair of aces. In another hand I flopped a full house holding 77 in the big blind, the board reading 7 2 2. This is an actionless hand generally; hardly anyone else could have much. I checked. A big stack with late position made a minimum bet. I quietly called. An ace came on the turn. He made another minimum bet. I called again. Another deuce came on the river. I checked he bet. Only two hands could beat me. The way he had been betting, he either had a big hand and was trying to entice me into a mistake, or he had an inferior hand and was just trying to buy the pot cheaply. I made a minimum check raise, he raised back, just the minimum again, and I knew he had the two. I made a 500 chip call, and he turned over ace-deuce. Well behind at the beginning of the hand, he caught perfectly twice to win, a thrilling comeback of his own.

The significance of this from my perspective, though, is that I didn't go broke. This was a situation that would have busted most players. He caught a 46-1 card at the end of the hand, but I reasoned it out and just called when most players would have reraised and lost all their chips. In poker, it isn't what you do with great hands that determines your success. It's learning how to lose less with your losing hands, and recognize when you are in trouble. Twice in this tournament I spotted trouble and avoided it. Not without damage, but I avoided the crippling damage that would have sent me to the rail. I lived to fight another day. I picked my spots well and outlasted 3100 players. Then at the end I made an awful mistake.

On the very best days, you make few or no mistakes, and outrun one at just the right time. I will have one of those days soon and win $200 or $2000 instead of 20. In the meantime, I got some exercise and some sun, and the Ducks won in double overtime.

Sunday morning I slept in, then walked to the Gateway Breakfast House for a big breakfast. It's an old-fashioned neighborhood place where the waitress recognizes the regulars, "Hey Pedro, sit wherever you want." The service is pleasant and the portions are enormous. An 8.50 breakfast features two juicy porkchops and a pile of perfect hashbrowns; I ordered a pancake with it and the pancake covered a full-sized dinner plate. I'm a big eater and took half of the food home. So it was really a 4.25 breakfast with lunch on the side. I read the college football coverage and the baseball box scores, the Duck stories and statistics twice. The Beavers rolled over Hawaii, their offense starting to jell. Shane Morales, Sammy Stroughter and James Rodgers each caught touchdowns, and their freshman tailback shook loose for some long runs. They have USC and Utah in the next two games, after a bye week. Ichiro was two for five, Manny Ramirez 1 fo 5, and Alex Rodriguez sat out the first game of a double header and went hitless in the nightcap. Even Hall of Famers have bad days. I'll bet anything he makes a comeback. I'll looking forward to reading about it, and having one of my own.

I hope this day brings you blessings. Here in Oregon it is an utterly marvelous day. I'm in a poker game right now and I'm off to a great start, with 4200 in chips in the early stages. When the game breaks up I'll take the Vista Cruiser for a spin and get outside. Maybe I'll drive out to see Roger, or go for a bike ride. It's a long road ahead, but some of the scenery will be wonderful.

postscript--

The poker game went on for five and a half hours. I played steadily and well, played only the strongest chances and had 300,000 chips with 35 players left out of 5544. I need you to understand it is phenomenal to play in events like this every day and reach the later stages of them as often as I do. Be assured it takes a great deal of skill and nerve. Anyway, a certain player had raised three times in a row, on tilt after a bad beat, and he had shown A7 suited twice. He goes all in again. I have king-king in late position, and I know there's a range of hands he might have, most of which I'd be a good favorite to beat for dominating position in the tournament, the chip lead. His bet has me covered, so my choices are to call or fold. I call, everyone else folds, and he turns over an ace of spades and a queen of clubs. I'm a seventy percent favorite to win this hand for 615000 chips. 615,000 chips, twice as many as anyone at the table if I win. He flops an ace, and my tournament is over. I won $27, but if I win this hand I take dead aim at the final table and $500-1700.

As I've said before, these things happen. All you can do is put yourself in position, play strong, and wait for your night to win. I did everything right today, won money, and I could have won two weeks pay. You probably don't believe me, but I will win soon. Based on my results it's a matter of time. I'm reaching the final 100 of large field events routinely. I just need to break through with a win. You may be skeptical but don't bet against me. You'll be an underdog if you do.