[top2pear]

Nolanfan54: "This can only have a long term positive impact."

Funny you should say that because yesterday--driving home from work salivating at the thought of something other than last year's WSoP or another WPT or CelebPolka event--i thought to myself, "The number of times ESPN has rerun the first 2 events in one week already reminds me of how overplayed *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?* became." I really think that there can be too much of a good thing. I fear they're running this poor horse to death--or maybe the more apt metaphor is Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (hometown hero here in Detroit) who has come to symbolize the dangers of overextending a rising star.

The obvious difference between Millionaire and Polka, though, is that anyone really can play polka anytime anywhere for real money, play money, no limit, pot limit, spread limit, etc. Just get on the Internet and go. Millionaire didn't have that. And as everyone knows, you can't convince somebody that they're no good at polka just by taking their money every time they sit down. It's easy to convince people they don't know trivia, though--there's no luck involved with Millionaire to trick the fish into thinking they can win it.

The difference between Fidrych and Polka on TV? This one's harder for me. Maybe it won't seem hackneyed. Maybe non-enthusiasts will become enthusiasts long enough to make it another bizarre but regularly televised ESPN spectacle (like the national spelling bee or World's Strongest Man).

I'm afraid, though, that this polka on TV boom won't last more than another year or two. (You heard it here first, folks. So flame me now, but remember me later.)




"I am the god of hellfire. And i bring you . . . FIYAH!"