DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “Two people can look at exactly the same thing and see something different.”

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. I remember it well when as an 8-year-old farmboy, my parents called me in to listen to the news on our old radio. War is such a terrible thing, we sometimes forget how costly it is in money and lives. I remember reading how we lost more American lives in Gettysburg than we lost in the entire Vietnam War. The Civil War was really dumb.

I’m not sure if I have the swine flu or not, but I certainly have some kind of bug. I’ve been taking flu shots for 20 years and have never had the flu since I started taking them. So this must be some kind of a different strain but I don’t have fever which goes along with the swine stuff. I’ll kick it in a few days, my immune system has always been strong.

I had a fundraiser for Congressman Pete King from New York at my home this past week. The Congressman is the strongest Republican supporter of the Barney Frank bill asking that online poker be legalized. All the interested poker players should Google Pete King and make a contribution to his campaign fund. We need all the help we can get in Washington.

It’s great to be home sleeping in my own bed. I’ve traveled so much this past year I’ve forgotten what a great family (and dogs) I’ve got. I’m going to do my best to curtail my traveling next year (even though I just made my airline reservations to London in January).

The tournament at the Bellagio is getting lots of players. Deservedly so, because I love the structure of the different tourneys. The slow structure makes for better players to be at the final tables which makes the TV shows better watching. And make no mistake about it, television is the main reason poker has done so well the past few years.

I keep getting Holiday cards from friends everywhere. That’s great, I appreciate them, but at the Brunson house it’s “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”. Remember, Christmas celebrates Jesus Christ’s birthday!

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “Arguments are a poor chisel to carve out solutions.”

After a week long trip to Texas for my induction in the Athletic Hall of Fame at my alma mater, Hardin Simmons University, I’m back home and it’s going to take a nuclear bomb to get me out of Vegas until next year. I had a great time visiting with old classmates, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over 50 yeas. There were about 15 of my ex-teammates who attended and I was on my best behavior and never mentioned the many times the school had rejected me because of my profession. But I understand and would like to let bygones be bygones.

The most notable thing about Texas is that the recession hasn’t affected it very much. The farms are white with a good cotton crop, the oil wells are pumping and the biggest saviour of all are the wind farms. The wind towers are amazing with each one generating enough electricity for 35-40 homes. There are thousands of the giant generators as far as you can see as you drive along the interstate highways. It makes you wonder why these wind farms aren’t all across the USA. It only takes a 6 mile per hour wind to turn them. If we had enough of them, we would be out of the bondage the Middle East has us in.

I went out to the little town of Longworth where I grew up. It is almost a ghost town with maybe 10 families living there. The old Brunson house is long gone but there is a trailer parked on the lot and the man living there invited us in to look around. Some of the things are still there, the old chicken coops, the barn where we had our cows and an old root cellar I helped dig in 1949. I enjoy going back every decade or so because it makes me realize you can’t go back, you have to go forward with your life.

Congrats to Mike Sexton on being selected for the poker Hall of Fame. It is a well-deserved honor and Harrah’s has some great plans for his induction. The time is getting close for the WSOP Final Table, also. I wish all of the guys good luck but I’m pulling for Ivey and Schulman. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun for everyone.

Avery Cardoza, my publisher, called me today and my autobiography has come in. It will be in the bookstores Nov. 10th and I’ve got mixed feelings about having done this book. Everyone seems to like it so maybe it will be o.k. The author of the book, Mike Cochran, was at the presentation dinner at my University and we had a nice visit. It is absolutely amazing how fast time can go, it seems like yesterday I was in school. I also saw Ann, my college fiance who looks much better than I do. She probably didn’t have as tough a life as me. I certainly hope not!

-DB