Back Porch Backporch Features

Doyle Brunson is a poker legend -- as the game's popularity soared in the late 1990's, and as college players ditched class to play Texas Hold 'Em online, Brunson remained (and still remains) one of the greatest current players.

While Brunson didn't win the World Series of Poker this year, he did release a new book, The Godfather of Poker, in which he details his life story as a poker player. It's an amazing tale -- you can read about it and purchase it on Amazon here -- and absolutely worth a read. But even more awesome? FanHouse had the privilege of speaking with Doyle earlier this week.

Dear Annual Giving Office,

Recently, I received a letter in the mail asking to contribute to the annual giving office to help alleviate the financial hardships the school has undergone in the current economic recession. This marks my first donation request as a Middlebury Alumnus -- a time that should be a happy and joyous occasion celebrating the long journey from acceptance to graduation to joining a proud group of Alumni who contribute to the school to ensure the College upholds its high standards of learning.

Yet, this is no such time.

Before I decide to donate some of my hard-earned dollars to the College I love, I would like to express a few grievances about the financial allocations process, mainly about the absurdity of providing funding to Harry Potter wannabees who trounce around with brooms that don't fly between their legs and put my beloved Middlebury on the national radar for its Quidditch 'team.'

Don't tell Andy Roddick that Halloween is for kids.

Or golfer Stewart Cink.

Or even 50-year-old John McEnroe.

They were just a few of the sports figures that donned interesting costumes for Halloween. Luckily, cameras are always on handy to capture the oddities. After the jump, look at some of the best (and worst) Halloween costumes worn by athletes, fans ... and a dog.

Now go fetch your griddle, Andy!

Kate Lacey (or Katie Lacey, according to the post), a Senior VP at ESPN, was one of the names that Deadspin dropped earlier this week when they examined, using reader-submitted rumors, the "sexual depravity" within Bristol. ESPN responded yesterday with a statement calling that examination both "despicable" and "rumor mongering."

Turns out, AJ Daulerio's editorial commentary in this instance was actually spot on: the New York Post confirmed Friday morning in a story titled "2 ESPN Execs Playing Around" that Lacey is indeed in a relationship with co-worker David Berson.

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

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NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

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POLK CITY, Fla. -- After flying 50 combat missions over two tours of duty in World War II, Neal Goss returned home a reluctant American hero.

Sixty-four years later, he has done it again.

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

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NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

Consider this hypothetical: what if two coaches met in a dark alley and threw down in a no-holds-barred brawl? Who would emerge victorious?

First, some background: back when I was in high school, when my friends and I were pretty creative in finding ways to avoid actually paying attention in class, we'd create brackets (think NCAA Tournament) where we'd pit our teachers against each other**. Whoever we thought would win in a fight advanced to the next round. It always ended with our offensive line coach against our wrestling coach in the finals and a huge argument as to who would come out on top.

Anyway, last week, the Back Porch staff somehow ended up discussing whether Rex Ryan or Tom Cable would win in a old school playground scrap. I passed along the above information, and shortly after that, an idea was born -- NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament.