Slap-Shot Bounces off End Zone into Dugout

When not briefing the president on WMD intelligence, we generally try to avoid using sports and gambling metaphors, particularly in our prose, which is why we were a little nervous for Thomas Friedman this week when he went all-in with a gut-shot straight-draw:

It always starts out like the coming-out season for debutantes in Palm Beach, and it always ends around a smoky poker table at Binions casino in Las Vegas….Eventually every secretary [of State] gets dealt a poker hand - and you never know when it'll come or what sort of cards it'll contain.

And missed:

And this poker hand is seven-card stud, no-limit Texas Hold 'Em. How well you play this high-stakes hand usually determines your legacy as secretary of state.

Wha?

Tom, if you’re going to frame your entire column around a poker analogy, you might want to use an example that actually exists. We know, it sounded pretty bad-ass at the time, but so did a harmless little thing called monster-truck volley ball before all those people started suing us. The point is, you write for the Times. We forgive you, mostly because you’re probably still a virgin (see author photo), but next time you swing for the fences, make sure it’s not with a badminton racket.
Rice's Poker Hand (NYT’s)