That's it, I'm done

There was a time (two days ago) when I would watch anything poker-related on TV. I enjoy poker..I read Cardplayer and PokerPages with regularity, I play online and in Vegas when I can. So to see poker sweeping the nation and getting recognition on television was a boon, and I watched it all--the WSOP on ESPN, the occasional tournaments broadcast on FoxSports...when I moved and discovered my new area carried the Travel Channel and I could be blessed with the World Poker Tour every Wednesday, well, I nearly bought a votice candle to properly thank the Blessed Virgin for her bounty.

And, yes, I even dutifully followed the progress of Celebrity Poker Showdown. Now, I know there are many poker purists out there who scoff at the "fadism" of poker. I can't say I entirely disagree with this, but most of what I have heard is knee-jerk protectionism of what is "ours" and shouldn't be shared with other people. Like the lonely Cubs fan who sat in the empty grandstand of Wrigley Field in 1980 and was, in short order, swallowed up by a fan-base suddenly blessed with a modicum of success and a rejunvenated neighborhood, the traditional poker player suddenly finds himself rubbing elbows with the previously unindoctrinated. Poker is a craze, and this drives some of the veterans nuts. Especially the celebrification of the game.

Didn't bother me a whit. Until last night.

Last night's Celebrity Poker Showdown lineup featured, among others, Cheryl Hines from Curb Your Enthusiasm (the funniest show on TV right now), the tall lanky guy from the horrible Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and Dennis Rodman. For the most part, CPS, to its credit, has stayed away from the D-list crowd. But with Rodman they are verging into VH1 reality TV show territory. I knew right away that the downslide of CPS had begun. Witness:

Cheryl Hines raises with Ks10s. Rodman, who so far has not seen a raise he wouldn't call and is sucking out left and right, calls with Q5o. The flop...KQQ, no spades. Hines bets and Rodman...FOLDS.

That was it. Channel switched to the baseball game. Yes, I'd rather watch the hated Yankees vs. the whining Red Sox than stomach another minute of poison poker. Mind, I will still watch "real" poker, but the fadism, for me, is done.