Poker-Playing Family Wants to Add a Title to the Pasquale Legacy

9/21/2009: TORONTO, CANADA – Another consortium of the “LRS-12” has stepped out from behind the veil of secrecy and announced they are among the new owners taking over a franchise in Japan's League of the Rising Sun.

Brothers Ethan “Pudge” Pasquale, a 23-year-old former world champion gamer and current poker professional, and 26-year-old Matthew Pasquale, also a poker pro, have been granted a franchise by PEBA Commissioner John Rodriguez, Sr. following weeks of clandestine meetings.

“We're really proud and excited to be part of this group of owners saving baseball in Japan,” said the younger Pasquale at a news conference held at Great Blue Heron Casino.

Pudge, as he's known in the worlds of both the professional gaming as well as high-stakes online poker, was born and raised in Mississauga, a city of half-a-million just outside Toronto, Canada.  Early in life he discovered his predilection for anything involving high-speed hand/eye coordination.  He was drawn to the world of online gaming, where his knack proved lucrative.  Starting with local tournaments and competitions, Pasquale became a part-time participant on the professional gaming circuit at the age of 13, and a mere two years later was recruited to play full-time by a team in South Korea.

“Moving away from my family at that young an age was very difficult,” explained Pasquale.  “But I knew that if I was going to have a chance to leave my mark in the gaming world, it was a sacrifice I had to make.  The lifespan of a gamer is relatively short.  By their mid-20s, repetitive strain injuries and slowing reflexes mean most players are past their prime.”

So Pasquale, along with his older brother Matthew, headed off to Seoul, South Korea, where the legend of Pudge really took hold.  Pudge, under the guidance of Matthew, quickly established himself as a gaming prodigy, wreaking havoc at stops along the circuit in the Far East.  The pair were inseparable; Pudge playing the games while Matthew made sure his brother was comfortable and safe.  “I turned into his manager, his trainer, his friend,” said the elder Pasquale.  “I was there to make sure no one took advantage of a trusting, naive 13-year-old boy.  There were stops in Thailand, after all.  Trust me; no level of security was too high.”

Pudge was at his gaming peak from 2001-04, winning three world championships and countless tournament trophies.  He was worth millions of dollars in winnings and endorsements.  And then he shocked the world of gaming, walking away at his peak, 19 years old and fresh off his third world title in four years.  Imagine Tiger Woods retiring at 27 or Wayne Gretzky walking away when he was 30.  “I'd had enough,” Pudge told the media at yesterday's announcement.  “I knew I wasn't going to be able to compete at that level for much longer.  Already, the next crop of preteens was nipping at my heels.  The hours were endless, the lifestyle grueling.  I was tired of the rock star lifestyle, parties every night and a different girl waking up in my bed every morning.  So I quit.”

But retirement was the furthest thing from his mind.  Pudge's departure from the world of gaming coincided with the resurgence of poker, with millions of dollars being won and lost every day, both online and at live tournaments.  “I'd learned the game as a child,” said Pudge.  “Among my first memories are sitting around the kitchen table playing penny hold'em with my dad and my brother.  Dad never took it easy on us, so when we'd occasionally win it was very sweet.  It also made us try harder because we knew we'd earned everything we won at that table.

“I think some of the skills I honed in front of the computer and Xbox translated well to the poker table, things like making extremely quick decisions and anticipating what my opponent was going to do so I could be prepared for it.  I've competed in front of thousands of people and millions more on TV, so I never had to worry about nerves getting the best of me once I hit the poker table.”

The Pasquale brothers have won several tournaments between them, raking in a combined $27 million in prizes over the last few years.  Put together with their domination of online cash games and continued endorsements in South Korea, they're worth an estimated half-a-billion dollars.  This, along with their high profile in the Far East, led PEBA Commissioner John Rodriguez to make them a part of the LRS-12.

“South Korea, Japan; it's all the same thing, right?” joked (we hope) Rodriguez at the press conference.  “All I know is when I started talking with officials over there, the Pasquale brothers were always among the first names brought up to me as potential investors.  And today we're proud to have the boys on board.”

Although not going into too much detail, Matthew Pasquale – also known by his online poker handle "monkeyman" – gave a few clues about the future of the franchise.  “Well, my brother and I are both going to continue to play poker full time, and that involves a lot of time and travel.  There's no way we're going to be able to devote the kind of time necessary to run a professional baseball franchise.  So, we're pleased to announce our father, Jeff Pasquale, will be the club President and General Manager.  Dad grew up loving baseball and has continued to follow it religiously through the demise of MLB and rise of the PEBA.  We have every confidence that dad will do whatever it takes to run a fantastic franchise.”

Jeff Pasquale is a 43-year-old journalist who still lives in the Toronto area.  He will immediately begin searching for the right personnel to work with him.

“I became a baseball fan when I was 12 years old and the Toronto Blue Jays came to town,” said the family patriarch.  “I lived and died with guys like Joey McLaughlin, Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy and my childhood favourite, Jesse Barfield.  I still remember their back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93 as though they were yesterday.  It's a feeling I want to experience from the inside this time, bringing a title to our new organization.”

A team name and location is expected to be announced shortly after the official granting of a franchise.