History Archives - The Bank

World Series of Poker Celebrates Golden Anniversary in 2019

March 6, 2019 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

The World Series of Poker, which commences on May 29th and runs until July 16th, turns 50 this year. Yes, the ultimate pinnacle and pantheon for poker players everywhere on Earth celebrates its golden anniversary at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; where it’s been staged every year since 2005.

It’s all capped off by the 2019 World Series of Poker main event- the poker’s world championship, which runs from July 3rd until the final day on July 16th. For those who can’t make it to Vegas, the ESPN family of networks will televise portions of it, every single night of the event’s duration.

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Filed Under: Business, Entertainment/Media, History

Help Free the New York Knicks: The Declaration of Knickdependence

February 27, 2019 By copy-editor 1 Comment

By Nick Coker

Occasionally turning points occur in human history that will permanently alter the course of the future. Whether these occurrences are improbable weather events, technological advancements, conflict or diseases that incur untold casualties – things that once were considered impossible or non-existent occur or come to life and have such an impact that our very understanding of the way the world works and what is possible, changes forever.

Nicholas Taleb coined these moments ‘Black Swans’ for the black swans discovered on the west coast of Australia. Prior to their discovery the prevailing thought was that only white swans existed.

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Filed Under: Business, History, NBA

Revisiting “Let’s Ram It,” the L.A. Rams Sexually Suggestive 1986 Music Video

January 30, 2019 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

With the Los Angeles Rams now back in the Super Bowl, it’s the perfect time to revisit their 1986 music video “Let’s Ram It,” which didn’t exactly specialize in the art of subtlety.

Remember, when the L.A. Rams recorded this monstrosity it was a very different time and political climate. When the Rams moved back to L.A. a couple of years ago, the internet’s virtual time capsule was dug up and “Let’s Ram it” was written about in several different publications. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Entertainment/Media, Fashion, History, NFL, Social Issues Tagged With: l.a. rams, los angeles rams, ram it, super bowl 53, super bowl LIII

In Die Hard, What Christmas Eve Bowl Game has Notre Dame vs USC?

December 23, 2018 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

This weekend begins the bowl season, and with it the crappy bowl games that very few of us care about. Saturday brings us a cadre of bowl games that are just as awful as whatever bowl game hosted Notre Dame and USC in the classic Christmas film “Die Hard.”

The total number of bowl games has multiplied at an absurd rate these past few decades, but one truth still remains- real bowl games don’t start until after Christmas, and for the most part well after Christmas. Genuinely desirable bowl games still adhere to tradition, and take place on New Year’s. (For a preview of #14 Notre Dame vs #17 LSU go to this link)

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Filed Under: College Football, Entertainment/Media, History, Notre Dame

Rube Waddell: Story of the Most Heroic, Egregious Idiot in Cubs History

December 21, 2018 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

George Edward Waddell, or as history as called him Rube Waddell, was born on a Friday the 13th and passed away on an April Fool’s Day. In between he lived a life that was well, covered just about everything one could hope to do. Like so many great American heroes he was taken from us too young; passing at the age of 37.

As my co-host on “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” Travis Miller said- we like to think that the reason he died so young was because he really had nothing else left to do. Here at this link, as well as in the embedded file below, we recap the highlights of Rube Waddell’s life in LGWS 7, on the Hammer & Rails podcast network.

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Filed Under: Chicago Cubs, History, MLB

Michigan and Ohio’s Toledo War of 1835, and the Frostbitten Convention

November 19, 2018 By paulmbanks 11 Comments

This week is rivalry week in college football. Which conjures up memories of the Toledo War and the Frostbitten Convention.

This weekend brings awesome games with cool names like “The Iron Bowl” (Alabama-Auburn) and “The Holy War” (BYU-Utah). But only one of these rivalry games can claim an actual war in the history of its geographic region. That’s the Michigan Wolverines vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, or “The Game,” as it’s called.

The Toledo War is one of the many reasons ESPN Classic is running a marathon of past tOSU-UM games today.

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Filed Under: College Football, History, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes Tagged With: frostbite convention, frostbitten convention, michigan-ohio boundary war, michigan-ohio state, michigan-ohio war, ohio state-michigan rivalry, ohio-michigan boundary war, ohio-michigan war, toledo strip war, toledo war, war of toledo, war over toledo strip

Revisiting Disco Demolition Night in Let’s Get Weird, Sports Episode III

September 16, 2018 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

“Disco Stu does not advertise,” but I do. The Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast is back with episode number three, centering on Disco Demolition night. Part of the Hammer & Rails Podcast Network, which is under the SB Nation umbrella, the latest edition of LGWS is the most popular episode yet, with 4,150+ listens and counting!

And why not? It is a classic tale of a baseball promotion that worked “too well.” The Chicago White Sox drew too many people, and the event got too much “notoriety” as it was an absolutely cataclysmic night at the old ballpark back in 1979.

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Filed Under: Entertainment/Media, History, MLB

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