Straight Flush

The Philter The Philter 1/4/2005

11:15 AM -- Pitches, we get pitches... As a card-carrying member of the fourth estate, I get lots of pitches -- mass mailings, actually -- from folks I've never heard of seeking publicity for things I don't usually write about. Oftentimes these folks are touting some expertise they have that will help me in my reporting. Of course, sounding smart is always a gamble.

Here's one gem I received on Monday:

BRAD DAUGHERTY, manager of EMPIREPOKER, an online poker site, and former World Series of Poker champion, says poker accessories are among this holiday season's bestsellers... 'From people who have never picked up a deck of cards, trend seekers looking to be a part of the next big thing, to poker veterans looking to brush up their game, Americans from across the nation are learning to play poker.'

Americans from across the nation? Shades of Spiro T. Agnew's finest rhetorical moment, when he declared that "The United States, for all its faults, is still the greatest nation in the country."

— Phil Harvey, News Editor, Light Reading