The words from a song from Randy Travis but they really hit home. I have been off of work since February AGAIN! Surgery on my stomach for a third time in 3 years and I am still very sore. I am in a battle with the Counties Insurance Company over Surgery for my shoulder an elbow even though MRI’s show tears.

What they are doing to me is borderline criminal. I am sitting in my house day in and day out as if I’m under house arrest due to my Departments policies. I am being paid and I understand why I have to be at home between 9-5 daily. I would much rather be at work but my health will not allow me to. If I move a certain way it feels as if my shoulder is going to come off.

One of the issues here is my Workman’s comp attorney is sure I am going to win this battle but all these delays take away from my recovery time. This is one of the reasons I re-injured my stomach last time. I came back WAY to early from my second surgery.

I don’t want to bore all of you with my medical history but I have been a Deputy for 23 years in LA 26 years total counting my time in San Bernardino.

I have been in a radio car 17 years straight 20 total. Worked the County jail system for 5 years during a hiring freeze and I have no complaints about the path I chose in my life.

I have met some fantastic people in my job and some fantastic assholes too! I truly believe I picked the best Department in the world to work for and I’m proud of what I have accomplished.

However I am 56 years old four years away from mandatory retirement and the world around my personal life is falling apart.

My wife and I have not slept in the same bed since last September and we are tolerating each other for out twins sake.

So many have told me I am wrong for what I am doing but god gave me these 4 beautiful girls for a reason. I have believed this since the day we brought the second set home.

I changed my career around for them and my wife never promoted didn’t try and stay in Compton and become a gang investigator or a Homicide detective as I wanted early on. I needed to be at home as much as possible to help with changing 16+ diapers a day and feeding. My wife worked still 3 days a week. The days I had off.

I truly tried to balance both my career and my home life doing what was ever possible to make both work.

I faltered at both in some eyes.

I did however receive a visit from a Sergeant I have always respected and who I have worked for at Compton and my assignment now. He told me things I thought no one recognized in me and congratulated me and gave me a few minutes of hope in my life.

It’s not about awards or praises from superiors in my job it’s about the people you swore to protect and the different hats I have had to wear as a patrol deputy all these years and the respect you get from those who are in the trenches with you.

Something I gained at work but lost at home.

I am about to lose everything I have worked so hard for. Its never been about me, as my wife says, its been about the Diamond family and for some reason she can’t see that.

I’m borderline depressed and upset at the same time. Things have been said between us that have been hurtful and beyond repair. She still goes out with her “friends” weekly as I take the girls to their soccer practice pick them up from school at 5:30 every night make dinner and listen to their needs which at times is so cute.

Their 8 and 9 and all four have unique personalities and if not for them I don’t know where I’d be right now.

Have I made a difference in anyone’s life? Does it really matter if I have or haven’t?

Yet we throw those pant’s on one leg at a time, we put the blouse/shirt over our head and one arm goes in and then the other. We look in the mirror as we brush our teeth and some of us see someone else looking back , while others have no guilt at what is staring at them.

I have had my share of tragic events in my life as we all have. I have become a better person because of those events as well as the good that has happened to me.

I went into Law enforcement to save the world and I have said this and written it many times before. I will say it and write it again someday because it is the truth. I have seen thing’s most people in this world have not and done thing’s most people in this world would not do because of the type of job I have.

I have saved lives and had unknown people and friend’s die in front of me or in my arms. Most would be haunted by some of these but my up bringing gave me the strength to continue and I have.

I got hurt in 2006 and had my achilles operated on and during my recovery I went to Las Vegas at the height of the World Series of Poker. I am a big sports fan and watching ESPN, I like many, fell in love with their broadcasts of the WSOP.

I had played some Poker when I was younger and even attempted to play at a local Indian casino who had a one dollar, two dollar 7 card Stud game in the early 90’s. It was for fun as I was not much of a gambler and I had a family to worry about then too. My job was everything to me at the time and I lived, breathed and worked until I was divorced in 1997 after 17 years of marriage.

Ten years later I find myself re-married and I have two sets of wonderful twin girls. I have grown as a person and a father the past ten years and we are all enjoying Vegas. I see an ad for the Circuit radio show and they would be broadcasting Live from the Bellagio at 10:00am on Sunday. Gavin Smith, who I had seen on television was one of the Host’s so I asked the wife and headed over to watch.

I had never listened to a Poker radio show or any type of podcast before. I didn’t even know how to turn on an Ipod. I entered the Fonatna Lounge and saw a few people milling around and in the middle of them all was Gavin.

I sat down at a Poker table near him as he was talking to someone else and as he finished I introduced myself to him and gave him a card. He had to go over to start the show and when he sat down he put the card on the table and a young man looked at it and walked over to me and said, ” hello i am Justin, we ar going to have some of the audience members come on today and answer some trivia questions on air, would you like to do that” I said, “yes” shook his hand and shortly Justin Shronk looked at me and gestured for me to come up. He put the headphones on me and Huff introduced me as Gavin called me “The Deputy” The name has stuck and as I left the room that day Justin shook my hand and thanked me and I never have missed another show with these guys.

When they came to LA for Legends in August, I was there watching them before the shows would start. Shronk at times over the next few years would always get everyone in order and they no matter how much rambling was going on would do exactly what he asked.

I would stop into the Media room at the 2007 WSOP and see him at his computer banging away, he always made time to say “hello” and I admired him for that because some of the other people in the media I new, would not even look up or they would walk by you as if you did not exist, but not Justin.

Poker has made me a better person and been almost life saving for me. I have met some truly nice people and I no longer live and breath Cop work because of it.

Justin understood my English dry sense of humor more than anyone else I have ever met. When the Poker Road forums started, I immediately joined and although I was ever hardly on the computer or post anything in a forum I did so at PokerRoad.
Justin and I would trade banter back and forth and it was fun. This year I was injured again and began to post more often at Poker Road and even made a Video for fun about “Do You Have Shronk” never had I done this before about anyone,but Justin was special and I knew he would like it and he DID.

Justin was a big driving force at Poker Road and he even helped get a line of shirts with wild saying’s from some of the Host’s and Poker Professionals at Poker Road. he had a shirt made with ” Got Shronk” on it and I recently bought it to wear while making my second video of ,”Do you have Shronk”

I last saw him briefly at the Dream Team Poker Event in March. I then received the tragic News early Monday morning and for the first time in a very long time,immediately tears began to roll down my cheeks like a running faucet.

I was old enough to be his father, but young enough to enjoy his witty remarks. I thought to myself Why…Why would someone with so much talent and love for his job, friends, Poker and the thousands he met in the forums leave us at such an early age, way before his time.

When I was in the hospital he made sure I was alright by sending me a private message and when I saw he had just been released from the hospital in a paper suit, I chuckled but was concerned and the only way for me to communicate with him, was through the forums.

I am a better man for knowing Justin Shronk I live each and everyday the best i can and I NEVER purposely try to be rude or hurt others I associate with in anyway. Life is way to short and at a moment’s notice we could be gone.

Fortunately for us, Shronk, because of the Internet and Video’s will always be near. So many have posted amazing memories about him in all over the Poker Community sites.

A little piece inside of me died today and a little piece of me grew today. I will wear my “Got Shronk” shirt as often as possible when I go to the WSOP this year.

Take Care……Be Safe……

The Deputy

On Saturday Night March 3rd, 2012 I along with Phil who painted the portrait of Jeremy and his wife Christine and my four daughters, drove to San Diego to present the Mid City’s Station of the San Diego Police Department the painting.

It was a summer like day so we headed down to San Diego to grab some dinner before our 7:30pm presentation. We ate at the Fisherman’s Market on the bay right next to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, which was retired and been made into a museum. Also a statue of the Pulitzer prize picture of the sailor kissing a women as the end of World War II was announced was just outside of the restaurant.

When we arrived at the Station I was suprised to see so many people in the briefing room. Sgt Scott Wahl who was my contact with San Diego Police Department did an amazing job of coordination for us. He made all the contacts and got the approval to allow us to do this portarit and setup tonights presentation ceremony.

Sgt. Wahl took us to the hallway where there were several pictures of Jeremy amongst other pictures of Station personnel doing their jobs. The Mid City Station is a very busy Station and is a low income area with a mix of cultures. There are approximately 173,000 residents which covers about 15.6 square miles.

The Mid City’s Station was built in 1996 and Jeremy is the first Officer to lose his life in the Line Of Duty at this Station. They had a sign made from wood and gold leafed made which will hang above Jeremy’s portrait. Jermy’s locker which has been encased in glass will sit across from the painting and as the Officers and other Station personnel come to work they will pass this area and see these items everyday as a reminder.

This night was about Jeremy and his peers not about what Fallen Heroes USA and Phil did and we tried to emphasize that to everyone there. They gave me a handkerchief embroidered with Jeremy’s name and badge number and a station challenge coin along with a thank you card.

A few speeches were made one touching by Jeremy’s former Captain who is now a Chief and you could see the sadness and the rememberance of that fatal day  in the eyes of everyone present. It was a very touching evening for everyone as we unveiled the portrait and they saw the magnificent job Phil did.

This portrait will be in the Station forever, well pass everyone who was there tonight and this is why I had it done. It is so much better than donating money to a fund and if we can, we will try to do this for the local Officers only because of travel. We still will do our best to help all Officers families in time of need.

Thank You Sgt. Wahl for everything you did to make this happen and Thank You to all The San Diego Officers, friends and co-workers who showed up to support Jeremy.

I am a pretty faithful individual. Those who helped and supported my foundation I would have done almost anything for them as long as it did not affect my family or my job.

If they asked me to attend a charity event for them I did. If they called me up and asked me advice about how to handle a certain situation they may have got into, I did. I even told them how they should handle a traffic ticket when they called and asked. They always wanted me to sign it off. I had to explain to them those days are long past and to go to court and state your case. I was embarrassed by some of the stories they told me on how Cops treated them and it truly made me angry as they had no reason to exaggerate the situation and we wonder why we get treated the way we do at times.

When I first met Rich Bitar I had no idea his brother was the founder of the software that ran Full Tilt and was a very powerful person in that company. The first year we did our Charity Event there was so much Full Tilt merchandise everyone who attended was amazed.

The next year was a little less and the third year even less. Also trying to get a hold of Rich to organize and findout what they were going to donate so we could use it on our advertising became more and more difficult, as he rarely returned phone calls.

By this time scandals began to surface with other sites, kids who no one ever heard of started to become household names in the Poker Community with word of their tremendous and profitable wins.

Accusations were being made against some professional players that they were cheaters and had special software that allowed them to see all the players cards.

Emails were sent to the Companies support and in return form letters stating their security was some of the best and favoritism could not happen with the random card shufflers used in the computer programming and that there was NO software in existence allowing anyone to see hole cards.

I saw so many inconsistencies while playing on line and I wrote Full Tilt and Ultimate Bet and Poker Stars about these issues I had however my questions were never directly answered.

I spoke with friends about these issues and thank goodness for me I was playing such low limit tournament buy ins financially it did not affect me but my competitiveness nature caused great frustration.

Then the stories of very intelligent individuals who played on line and could do things with computers most of us couldn’t never even think of doing showed the Poker Community that these allegations were true and even found out who the cheaters and thieves were.

Unfortunately no Law Enforcement agency could come to the conclusion who had jurisdiction over this other than maybe Interpol who did not have the resources or qualified personnel to pursue these cases.

So my articles leading up to trying to form some type of regulatory committee to over see these sites cost me my blogging with Bluff Magazine who I had respected over the years.

I felt the Brick and Mortar Poker players needed these on line sites because of the advertising dollars they spent in the Poker advertising community and also by paying players to wear their logo at major events. It was a win win for Poker and this is why I didn’t turn my back on them.

I always felt the 1961 Wire Act didn’t pertain to on line Poker and it had never been deenmed illegal to play on line Poker. The port act that the banking bill was attached to was pure politics and the banking portion should have never been allowed on such an important measure. More should have been said at the time but I don’t think the online community really understood what was going on with that bill until it was to late.

So here we sit a year later and some on line sites have not paid its customers the money they had in their accounts. The DOJ has come out and publicly stated, on line Poker doesnt fall under the 1961 wire act but the tranferring of money was done illegally.

It was done the way it was because of the UIGEA Bill that referred to the 1961 wire act making on line Poker illegal. The on line sites tried to get creative and beat the system. If the Government wouldn’t have made the references to the wire act the UIGEA Bill would have never flown in Congress who was under the impression these activities on line were illegal.

So since the UIGEA Bill was predicated on the 1961 wire act shouldn’t it be repealed because on line Poker didn’t fall under it?

Most people in this Country like to go to Vegas, Atlantic City or New Orleans and all the other casinos we have. It’s like a whole other world when your in Vegas with the lights, glamour and the night life excitement. The possibility of your dream of winning big and never having to work again. However I would say 85% of those who do patronize Casinos could care less about On Line Poker and our small minority voices aren’t enough to persuade our politicians to legalize it.

Many charitable foundations have suffered as have many legitimate businesses and many jobs have been lost since April 15th 2011.

I don’t think those charitable organizations care now once they have found out about the illegal activities within some of these sites which have been exposed the past year. Those honest employees although devestated by the loss of their jobs are probably reeling with anger towards these sites who wasted millions and embezzled millions as they did all the work.

Yes it was nice to sit in the comfort of your home and not have to go out and fight traffic or drive long distances to a Brick and Mortar Casino to either play a tournament or a cash game.

If you took a bad beat in a tournament it was a long drive back home as you thought about that hand and the what if’s! However if you were at home playing on line and busted out another tournament started within minutes and all you had to do was reach over and click the mouse on the “registration” button, as long as you had funds in your account. If you didn’t you pulled out your credit card or atm card and made a deposit. EASY!

Im disappointed in myself and definitely in Full Tilt for what they have done to so many. I was a big supporter but I was no Grinder or Durr or many others who had success at the WSOP and became Full Tilt Red Pros or put on the payroll to wear their logo. I had a real job and Poker was a hobby but I supported them and wore their logo for free when ever I went to an event. I was known by alot of the players because of my foundation and being “The Deputy” so when Full Tilt took the logo of of Mizrachi and couldn’t even give me and my friends tickets to get into see the Final Table of the 2010 WSOP after we drove from LA, I tore up every shirt, patch and hat I had. After all their the ones who sat me down and begged me to start Fallen Heroes USA after the loss of my first foundation. They said they were going to pay for the website and the new logo and were going to advertise all over for us. Lies, all lies and why they told me this and never followed through I have no idea.

So with my own money and support of my friends Fallen Heroes USA got off the ground and is growing day by day as those Full Tilt guys are in hiding trying to stay out of jail for embezzlement. I don’t think they will ever be arrested but one never knows, Calvin Ayre the founder of Bodog Poker site recently was even though Bodog has not been in the USA since 2008.

So my question to all of you is … Do we REALLY need on line Poker legalized in this country or will it bring more corruption and accusations of wrong doing by the new sites that will evolve if legislation is passed, or will we be able to regulate it after everything we have learned from the past mistakes?

I’m kind of tired of the politicians sticking their nose in our private affairs. If we want to spend our hard earned money on certain things they should not tell us how and where we can. Horse racing bets are allowed on line! Do the job we elected you for to make sure everyone can get a job, own a home without fear of losing it to big banks and drive a car that we can afford to put gas into. Make sure theres no Monopilies of big businees in this country and keep our streets safe and our men and women of the armed forces from be killed over senseless issues.

Take Care and Be safe!

Those of you who do not know what Black Friday was or is, it was on April 15th 2011 the DOJ ( Department of Justice) seized the domain names of several On Line Poker sites and held all the money in their accounts and charged the owners of the sites with money laundering and other alleged crimes.

I had a total of $65.00 on Full Tilts site which is nothing compared to some friends of mine.

I played on line for fun and supported Full Tilt because they did so much for my charitable foundation. Well Rich Bitar whose brother Ray is one of the founder’s of Full Tilt was the one who supported us. When we had our charity events he made sure we were well supplied with swag and other items Full Tilt had in their wherehouse.

However when I met Howard Lederer and Jesus Ferguson, Phil Ivey and a few others and thanked them for their support it was if I was bothering them.

When my good friend Michael Mizrachi, (The Grinder) made the final table of the 2010 World Series of Pokers Main Event he was going to wear the charitys logo on his shirt. I was told by Rich it was ok months prior to the final table being played.

All-In Magazine did a full page article about Mike supporting the cause and that he was wearing the charities logo. Well five minutes before Mike entered the Penn and Teller theatre at the Rio for the beginning of the final table, he called me and said Rich told him he could not wear our logo.

I traveled to Las Vegas injured from a work related altercation with a suspect and had several friends who took me there for this event. I called Rich and told him about all the people who were expecting to see Mike with our logo on but he said it was going to take away from their logo and his decision was final.

I kept my thoughts to myself at the moment but I did share my disappointment with my friends who brought me to the event. We even had trouble getting tickets to the event because so many people came to Vegas to watch it live.

My feelings and faithfullness to Full Tilt ended that afternoon. I only played on Full Tilt after that day on Thursday Nights with a group of friends involved with the TPT Poker Tour.

We did a podcast as we played and I met so many great people who played and listened to us from all over the United States. We had several pro guest come on and Paul Ellis and Geoff Manning who developed this show were so very kind to allow me to join them weekly as we played and talked Poker.

Since I became interested in Poker in early 2007 I have been fortunate to be able to write some articles for Poker Pages and blog for Bluff Magazine.

I lost my blogging rights at Bluff when I began a series of blogs about some inconsistencies with play and certain players on Poker Stars website.

My blogs were right on and I was not alleging anything criminal about Poker Stars but I was leading up to the fact On Line Poker needed some type of regulation committee who had full access to these sites due to so many complaints of wrong doing.

I never had the opportunity to complete my series as Bluff magazine fearing they would lose their advertising dollars from Poker Stars pulled my blog and told me I could not post anymore. Several months later what I was talking about in my blogs was found to be true and Poker Stars admitted the problem and made attempts to correct it.

I don’t think we need On Line Poker to be legalized in the USA. The Indian Casinos who have a huge political say in this Country due to their substantial political donations are opposed to any legislation their not part of.

Have you ever played Poker in an Indian Casino? They abide by their own rules and regulations as they have to answer to no one other then their tribal leaders. If you have a complaint it falls on deaf ears, especially if its about an employee.

Indian Casinos are a Sovereign nation how could the USA regulate what they do with On Line Poker? How could the States regulate Indian Casinos?

I am not against the Indian Casinos at all here. I play Poker most of the time at San Manuel Indian Casino because it is so close to my home. I have had success there but if an issue arises its not even worth complaining about as I found out one day when I had an issue with a dealer. San Manuel gives a lot back to the community and they should be commended for that, however I fear if they were to be involved in On Line gaming regualtion would become a legal issue.

Las Vegas has the Nevada gaming commission one can file complaints with. They also regulate slot machines payouts in Nevada. There is no regulation like Nevada’s in Indian Casinos when it comes to slots as far as I know. They can set the payouts whatever they feel like.

Part 2 of my story on On Line gaming I will write on Friday March 2nd.

I had done almost everything I could due to my limitations caused by my surgery at a very bad time, but as ALL my friends told me My health was more important then this tournament.

I agreed with them but they have no idea of my desire to keep my word and the old saying “The Show Must Go On”!

The Bicycle Casino did an amazing job helping in the promotion of this event by putting it on their website, designing our flyers and placing several posters inside the Casino advertising the event.

Marie-Lizette Acoba who has become the marketing department for the Bicycle Casino as of late and has been a big supporter of Fallen Heroes USA made videos, tweeted, Facebooked and blogged about this event EVERY day for months.

A gentleman by the name of George Kozel who is known in the Hollywood community as the “Poker Host” has many celebrity friends and coordinated their schedules to attend this event which over 30 did.

I had numerous Deputy friends pass the word around and quite a few showed up. I was pleasantly suprised and a few who I thought would show, didn’t.

Before I arrived I was contacted by one of my board members who arrived there early and he told me the Event Center where we always hold this event was not available to us because of another function going on. I was a little upset until I arrived and saw where we would be having the tournament and it worked out perfect for us. The only snafu was so many people came to play the cashiers line backed up and a few frustrated players left.

With a 166 paid entries and 5 complimentary players I was very pleased and actually excited. I was physically exhausted after only an hour as this was my first day leaving the confines of my house, other then going to the Doctor to have my stitches removed a few days before.

I had to continue though and with George on the microphone getting everyone wound up the atmosphere was exciting and people were anxious to play.

We had the Fallen Heroes USA EZ-Up erected at the entrance to our buffet and a Bicycle Casino back drop for pictures and as the Celebs arrived George introduced them and people came over to take pictures with them causing even more excitement.

The buffet was excellent as usual and Mo Fathipour the Bikes Tournament Director made sure all the dealers were ready extra tables were setup and his staff ready to go.

Mo did an amazing job and I am very grateful for his support and due to the amount of people the tournament started about 3:30 but once Shannon Elizabeth gave the “Shuffle Up and Deal” announcement almost everyone was seated and ready to play.

We had $20 re-buys for the first 90 minutes and during that period we only lost 6 players. So as level 4 started we still had 165 people playing and they all were trying to win the $3200 first place prize.

I hardly played because I could not sit down as the sitting put pressure on my stomach, so most of my day was standing and there were a few times I thought I was going to faint but some cold water and Ice on my face and the adrenalin of such a great turnout kept me going.

I cannot thank everyone enough who showed up and those of you who didn’t for one reason or another missed out on a great afternoon. I did not hear one complaint from anyone all day and I have received several e-mails thanking us for putting on this event.

I made it through the day and Monday I slept in and laid on the couch all day. It was a holiday so everyone was home we ordered food in and just watched TV all day.

I go for hopefully the last time Thursday to get fluid drained from around the incision early in the morning and last night I was able to sleep on my left side for the first time. May not sound like a big deal but it IS.

Theres a video of the event posted below in the video section but just in case heres a link for you all to watch it.

THANK YOU and talk to all of you soon.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/1Ggkrz8b0NQ

Well its that time of year again and even though I just got out of the hospital I am bound and determined to have this Charity Event on February 19th at the Bicycle Casino.

Several of my friends have put in alot of their time to help me with this event due to me having my 3rd surgery on my stomach. This one was the worst and I cannot explain the pain to you but I am getting through it without much help.

I just find it amazing how people hope I fail at my endeavor of bringing a smile to a Law Enforcement family after they have lost a loved one, peer or friend.

All of you who follow me know how my first attempt was taken away from me by some individuals at my work. That is old news and I have not let that deter me in anyway of continuing something I believe in very passionately.

I can feel the resentment everyday at work that my Charity has been successful and there is another Deputy who has a foundation and it just happens to be he is at our unit now. He is a good guy and I have no personal resentment against him but recently he added “Fallen Heroes” to his organizations name. I found this as odd as a Deputy at my work purchasing the name FallenHerosUSA.org ( the “E” is missing from heroes)

However I continue to try and help and we did some awesome things for people over the holidays. Donated thousands of dollars of toys to the LASD toy drive, bought Christmas hams for 25 families and 5 families had a complete Thanksgiving Dinner on us.

We are about to give the San Diego PD the portrait we had painted of their Officer Jeremy Henwood who lost his life in August in the coming weeks. Just trying to get the logistics of delivery worked out.

I never established this charity to get pats on the back or praise, I have done it for the CAUSE and through all the adversity I have faced and continue to face I have marched forward with the support of a few close friends and am determined to try and continue as long as I have the support of those few.

I have been in Law Enforcement since 1986 when I became a Reserve Deputy for San Bernardino Sheriff patrolling the Fonatana area. I went full time with LA County Sheriffs Dept in 1989 and am proud to be a part of this organization. I have met and worked with some of the best Cops in the world and have saved a few lives and have always tried my best to represent not only myself but LASD and the Station I worked for. as well as ALl Law Enforcement.

I have told you all before Gavin Smith gave me the nickname “The Deputy” and it stuck. Everyone I meet knows me as “The Deputy”, who is also the Fallen Heroes guy and a LA County Deputy Sheriff.

Me being unable to drive I can only due so much and its tough asking people to help when they have lives of their own.

I am always nervous about the number of players who will show up. We have changed the format of the event this year to try and get more players by giving cash prizes out instead of gifts. We are not buying many raffle items as the last event the sales of tickets were poor. The economy is still tough for many and we lowered the entry fee by $20 and the rebuy fee by $40 this time to attract some more players.

My way of getting the word out through my departments email system was not used this time and it could hurt. We have been on twitter and Facebook inviting people but only 30 people have pre registered and its 6 days away.

The Bicycle Casino has been magnificent in their support. They made our flyers for us this time and have posted several posters inside their casino of the event.

We have a few big name Hollywood Celebrities attending and they allowed us to use their image on a flyer so hopefully this helps our marketing of the event.

Packages containing flyers were mailed to every Police Station in the County and a few to some other agencies.

We will continue to grow and I am currently planning a Golf Tournament for thsi year. They are not big money makers but it gets the word out about us and we can reach out to a different group of people. Also on the burner is a Comedy Night.

I hope to see you all at our event this coming weekend, if you dont play Poker we are having a great buffett lunch and for $15 you can join us.

Take Care Be Safe….

The past year has gone by so fast it’s amazing we are already in November getting ready for the Holidays. I mean Christmas Items have been in Costco and Walmart since September. I used to think that was insane but the way time has been going by as fast as it has, it actually makes good sense.

Three of the four girls have really been involved in soccer this year and the fourth has decided to play this coming January. At $80.00 just to register thats easy math for one to figure out. YES, $320.00 just to play plus the expense of shoes for the girls who are in a growing spurt $25.00 fee if you do not sell the leagues fund raiser items and $60.00 to $70.00 a pop for their turn in snacks. The three month season costs around $1000.00 for them to play which to me is priceless for several reasons. To see my daughters out there running, working hard and very athletic brings a huge smile to my face and joy in my heart. The younger daughter Bianca (green jersey) is very talented and she has an awesome coach this year. I wish all Coaches were as good as Coach Bobby but their not. Jennifer and Jasmine (purple Jerseys) are the smallest girls on their team but they have a ton of heart and I am very suprised at their athletic ability and desire for the game. Their coach gave this big speech at the beginning of the season how much he has done in the soccer community and how many of his kids have college scholarships to play soccer. What a joke he has turned out to be! Late for practices and a few times he has not even shown. This past week was his daughters turn for snacks and they did not even bring any. She is also the laziest whiniest girl I have ever been around, yet her father continues to play her all game. Several of the parents have begun to yell at him during the games and rightfully so! Our teams parents are all very cool people. Not one is obstinate or a pain in the ass. I enjoy talking to each and everyone of them, it has to be the first time in my 37 years of coaching and being a parent there has not been one out of place parent associated with a team.

San Manuel Indian Casino