Strong Shark Moves

The weekly lingerie show was in high gear at a billiard parlor I play in
from time to time. FTR, I am not adverse to appreciating nice looking women but seldom strain my eyes to look at the working girls. Being a married man I make every effort to avoid any temptations of this sort. I am in a serious pool match with a regular competitor and friend and I am in a position to get to the hill first, shooting a long straight shot, down the long rail about 6 foot distance between the cue and the object ball, with a moderate amount of draw required. On the Diamond tables, this can be difficult depending on how hard you hit the ball. So I am preparing to get down on the shot and my opponent says, "Excuse me!" and starts talking to one of the passing Lingerie Ladies. I thought this was inappropriate as I don't like interruptions while I am at the table. I waited about 30 seconds for the conversation to end and it did. The LL then walks away from my opponent and stands about 4 feet from the table in my direct line of fire. I figured that I must learn to compete under all circumstances and don't want to appear to be a big cry baby so I prepare for the shot while she stands motionless wearing little more than a smile. I re-focus and go through my pre-shot routine, get down on the shot and pull back the cue on the final stroke with hardly enough power to reach the object ball let alone pocket it. :-(
Some people will do anything for a win........

Photo credit: http://the-lingerie.blogspot.com/

Where's your first cue?

My first cue was a Palmer.
It had lots of inlays and mother of pearl.
It was purchased in 1974 or '75 for about $100.00 As I recall, the cue was
one of their more expensive cues. It weighed 21 ounces and won many matches
for me. Unfortunately, it was replaced by a younger, better looking and
better playing cue by Joss in 1983. One day a neighborhood kid asked me if
I had a cheap cue that he might buy. His maximum price was $35.00. That
was in 1985. I sold him my old Palmer and he still has it today. He
offered to sell it back to me for the $35.00. I told him (he is about 35
years old now) it was probably worth a lot more than that but that I would
buy it back. He hasn't been in the neighborhood since. :-)
My Joss East cue, was returned to Danny Janes in 1998 for a makeover and was
returned to me looking like a brand new cue.
In the meantime, I purchased two Moore cues (Mark Moore) and sold one. This
past year I went to a tournament in Kalamazoo where Mr. Wright (from
Illinois) a cue distributor, took pity on me and allowed me to hit some
balls with virtually every cue in his display. (He had DOZENS). This
experience let me to liking the hit of an Ernie Martinez cue, which
eventually led me to liking the hit of a Bender cue. Unfortunately I never
bought a cue from him, but that experience gave me a whole different
perspective on cues. Don't ever pass on an opportunity like this. THANKS
Mr. Wright!
There is a special cue waiting for your game right now. You have to find
it. It may already be made or it simply needs to be created by a cue maker
with your input in mind. The cue maker might even be on this newsgroup
waiting for you to ask just the right question. Cue sticks are like
automobiles. There is one that will fit you perfectly, at least it will be
perfect for you RIGHT NOW. Your body, muscles and taste will change as you
age. The cue you are playing your best pool with today will likely be
replaced with a different one as you gain experience, knowledge and age. :-)
My Bender cue is getting its final touches as we speak. I feel like I felt
when I was anticipating my date with the love of my life. God, it feels
good to be young! Love can do that for you. A good friend owns many
different sticks that are not common in our area and I borrowed his Bender
cue and fell in love all over again. Please don't tell my wife. She is
very jealous of my cues.

Photo credit: carlopool.com