Top 10 takeaways from Annie Duke's new Poker Pro League

Yes, I know, not sports and all. But going into fantasy baseball 2.5 months early is a sign of sickness, I wrote a half dozen or more NFL pieces this weekend, and there's only so much basketball I can write about until the regulars at my poker game mewl like milk-deprived kittens. So deal with this little bit of slow news day news...

10) Finally, poker professionals will have an opportunity to appear on television

9) Running the league means that Duke will play less, so that's a win

8) Joan Rivers will not be allowed into the league, and in an even more fun development, will be mentioned in every story involving Duke for the rest of her life

7) The league intends to be like the PGA Tour is for golf, in that it will be dominated by its single black member

6) The league's commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack, will stay on as chairman of the Professional Bull Riders, because this development doesn't have enough easy opportunities for Com Oh Dee

5) Cash and online game will not be counted towards league membership, because no serious poker player cares about those things

4) The league does not intend to compete with the World Series of Poker, because, well, it won't

3) Given that the chief distinction between pros and amateurs on television seems to be the size of the hissy fit over a bad beat, it will be Highly Interesting to see how "professionalism in the game" is defined

2) When Duke is on camera, HD telecast to have mysterious failure

1) Daniel Negraneau need not apply