Tag Archives: sports

BOOK: “Lucky Devils” by Kit Chellel

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Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the GameLucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game by Kit Chellel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site — Simon & Schuster

Release Date: April 14, 2026

This book provides a fascinating look at the field of “advantage gambling” from the 1970’s through the 1990’s / early 2000’s. Advantage gambling is the use of applied mathematics and computing to snatch up part of the advantage in odds that normally accrues to “the house” (i.e. the casino / gambling establishment) to make gambling not so much a sucker’s game. Card counting is a specific variety of this undertaking. This story is largely told through the life stories of three prominent advantage gamblers, Bill Benter, Bill Nelson, and Rob Reitzen. While the book starts with card counting in blackjack, it broadens beyond that — and even beyond the casino — into horse races and online poker.

As one reads about the activities of these gamblers, one also learns about intriguing, related subjects such as the mafia’s hand in Vegas, the development of computing technology (as it applied to gaining advantage,) and even how a younger Trump managed the challenging task of losing money through casino ownership.

If you’re interested in how smart people have tried to beat the house, and the risks that that entails, I’d highly recommend this book. I found the book compelling from start to finish.

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DAILY PHOTO: Cricketers at Maharani Laxmi Bai College

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College students playing cricket on the field in front of Maharani Laxmi Bai Arts and Commerce College in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.

CANADA LIMERICK

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There was a hockey player from Canada
   who was entirely lacking in stamina.
      He shot like a sniper,
      but breathing was hyper,
   He got outskated by dear old grand-ma-ma.

PROMPT: Athletes

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Daily writing prompt
Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.
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Muay Thai fighters. To survive careers spanning of hundreds of fights, taking knees and elbows, is a feat. While they might not be fighting as often these days, you still probably have to go through a period of a fight per week to raise up to the point where you can have a more sensible rest-to-fight ratio.

PROMPT: Olympic Sport

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Daily writing prompt
What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
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Curling. I don’t know why. By all logic, it should be boring as hell, but – somehow – it’s like a slow-motion train wreck, and I can’t take my eyes off it.

BOOKS: “Swimming: Made Easy” by Terry Laughlin

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Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Any Swimmer to Achieve Fluency, Ease, and Speed in Any StrokeSwimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Any Swimmer to Achieve Fluency, Ease, and Speed in Any Stroke by Terry Laughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Google Books Page

I learned a lot from this book’s emphasis on how to smooth out and lengthen one’s strokes. The author describes his approach as teaching “fishlike” swimming, and effortlessness is emphasized.

The book covers all four of the strokes one sees in competitive swimming (i.e. crawl [a.k.a. freestyle,] backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.) For each stroke one learns how to improve balance, stroke length, and fluidness, as well as a bit about breath and coordination.

The book is presented in two parts. The first is the more theoretical bit and the second describes drills one can use to improve one’s technique. Part one is longer, more detailed, and written in more readable prose. Part two is shorter, more picture-laden, and tends to stick to bullet points. Photos are monochrome, mostly from above water level, and of varying degrees of clarity / informational value.

My biggest peeve with the book is that it frequently breaks into advertisement for other products (i.e. DVD’s [dates the book, as I’m pretty sure no one has an operational DVD player anymore] and gear.)

I’d recommend this book for readers interested in learning to swim more efficiently. The book is geared toward competitive swimmers interested in shaving time, rather than recreational swimmers who are just interested in a move pleasant experience (e.g. if one swims for fun, one will probably not be running a sequence of drills as that kind of defeats the fun of the activity.)

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PROMPT: Athletes

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Daily writing prompt
Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.
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I generally leave admiration for professional athletes to others, as I feel — like other entertainment celebrities — they get an unhealthy level of adoration as it is.

That said, I have been impressed by grappler Mikey Musumeci for the intensity of his training regime and for finding his own way.

BOOKS: “Judo Unleashed!” by Neil Ohlenkamp

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Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate Training Bible for Judoka at All Levels (Revised and Expanded Edition)Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate Training Bible for Judoka at All Levels by Neil Ohlenkamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Release Date: July 9, 2024

This is a new and revised edition of a book that has been on the market for many years. It provides an overview of the sport and martial art of judo, with particular emphasis on the competitive version of the art. It does discuss the self-defense philosophy and approach of judo in broad brushstrokes, but the techniques that are discussed (and shown) individually are the competition-legal ones. The book does take a no-nonsense approach and focuses on a straight-forward delivery of the most crucial information for a general reader.

The book’s organization is as one would expect of a martial arts guide: an introductory overview, a detailed breakdown of the techniques by type (i.e. throwing, grappling, groundwork,) and a brief closing (i.e. “where do we go from here”) section. Among the book’s useful features is that Ohlenkamp often tells the reader which judoka were particularly noted for their adeptness with a given technique as he presents said technique. This gives the reader wanting a little more insight the opportunity to do some internet research for video clips of that particular judoka doing the technique in question.

The book has a large number of color photos that are clear and present the gist of each technique in mid-action. It also has extensive appendices discussing rules and the formally accepted techniques of Kodokan Judo.

I found this book useful and would recommend it for those interested in judo, whether as a potential student or to compare and contrast it with other grappling sports / martial arts.

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PROMPT: Sports

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Bloganuary writing prompt
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
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Combatives: i.e. Boxing, Wrestling (real, not acted,) Muay Thai, Judo, etc.

PROMPT: Sports Team

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If you started a sports team, what would the colors and mascot be?

Black & White; the skunk (but one with character, though more bellicose and less French than Pepé Le Pew. Like Yosemite Sam possessing a skunk.)