college friend was forced to leave skool for a semeser to pay off bookies . however, he did provide this classic example of fatalism. - when playin poker, anytime someone bitched about a bad beat Joe would unsympathetically say "F!^%k ya if ya can't take a joke " trying to steam the guy . I never thought it funny Until - at Wheeling Downs horsetrack Joe bet his last and only $800 on a 14-1 shot (a tip from a guy who had hit before) with our bookie . This was it for Joe . He owed the book 5 grand- if he wins he's clear with the book - if he loses he drops out and it's off to work in the steel mills . BTW, this was in 1969 . So we drive off To Wheeling to watch the race . joe's horse finishes neck and neck . it takes an agonizing amount of time for the results to post - Joe's horse lost . He wants to wait to see the photo . We go over to the wall where they'll put it up . Noone's talking cuz we know Joe's situation . I'm standing next to him when they post the photo . Joe and I are first in line - he stares at it a good 30 seconds(closest photo finish i've ever seen) and then I hear it - a barely audible whisper - "F!^%k me if 'I' can't take a joke"
The old "a chip and a chair" saying.
I don't even know how it goes exactly, but that's all you need to be alive. Sometimes you can battle back from the most terrible circumstances. Always better to be in that situation than completely dead and out of a tournament, it gives us hope.
I don't even know how it goes exactly, but that's all you need to be alive. Sometimes you can battle back from the most terrible circumstances. Always better to be in that situation than completely dead and out of a tournament, it gives us hope.
