Jerry W. Briesath and EYE PATTERNS

 

Jerry W. Briesath and EYE PATTERNS

Jerry’s name was not unfamiliar to me as I had heard his name mentioned many times on AZ Billiards.com but I had never met him in person.  It was reported that he was one of the earliest pocket billiard instructors.  I had heard he was a 100-ball runner in straight pool which is quite an accomplishment.  Making 100 balls without missing is no easy task, just try it sometime if you like.  I tried it a couple of times in the early 2000’s and was unable to run more than 44 balls. I also heard from many great players that 14.1 (straight pool) would help all of your other games, but here in the Deep South, it is hardly ever played.

About 20 years ago, I made a trip to the Derby City Classic, an annual event made famous by Greg Sullivan, a Marine and Vietnam veteran, and an accomplished pool player and action player.  I had trained very hard to hone my skills at one pocket, my favorite game to play, and had dedicated 4 hours per day, practicing for an entire month not missing a day much to my wife’s chagrin.  The practice had paid off handsomely and I was in rare form, seldom missing a shot and making few mistakes.  I had signed up to play in the main one-pocket event and couldn’t wait to see how I would perform as I felt well-prepared. 

My first match was an awful experience, losing quickly to a player unknown to me.  That just meant that I didn’t think he was a high-level player. Suddenly, I had gone from this confident, straight-shooting player to a scared, whipped puppy of a pool player.   Now I had traveled from New Orleans to Louisville, Kentucky to play in this annual event and I was not going to let one bad match keep me down.  Stoically, I faced my next opponent, only to lose that match in a similar fashion, losing a little slower than the first match, but losing, nevertheless.  My nerves were shot, it was almost like I had forgotten how to play pool.  Despite playing a conservative game, my opponent beat me senselessly, and I was beside myself.  I don’t remember my opponents playing exceptionally well and could only think about my dismal performance after training so hard.

The one-pocket event starts on Sunday and the finals match is usually on Thursday.  I hung around watching other matches that were going on around the clock, feeling miserable, but unable to come to grips with what had happened.  I had played in many big one-pocket events over the years and had beaten some of the best one-pocket players in the world in tournament competitions, so I knew that while I couldn’t beat the elite players day in and day out, in tournament play, I could represent quite well.

AZ Billiards had a private room at this event and there were two Diamond 7 Foot Pool tables in them.  Thursday night I walked in the room only to see Jerry Briesath hanging out, socializing with other pool players.  I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, still beating myself up for my poor play.  The place thinned out and Jerry had taken a seat, so I walked over to say hello and introduce myself.  While I had already taken dozens of pool lessons from professional players at this time, I was not all that keen on taking pool lessons from someone who could not consistently demonstrate what they were teaching.  I had heard that Jerry’s days of competition were already behind him, so I had never seen him shoot one shot and I was reluctant to ask him for any advice but the smart guy who sometimes lives inside of me put his pride and ignorance aside.  I told Jerry that I had practiced 4 hours per day for 30 days straight and was playing some of the best pool I had ever played and that I had gone two and out in the main one-pocket event.  My level of play for the event was far below my average level of play.   It is generally accepted that we play at our best only 1/3 of the time, our average play 1/3 of the time and our worst 1/3 of the time, but having trained so hard, I found it unbelievable that I played so poorly.  I decided to go straight at Jerry and asked him, “If I give you a hundred dollars, do you think you can tell me what’s wrong with my game?”  He replied that he would give it a try and asked me to start shooting and he would watch.  I shot FOUR SHOTS, and Jerry promptly said, “I think I know why you are playing so poorly.”  At that moment, my heart sank because I could not believe that someone could watch me shoot 4 shots and that they would know why I was playing so poorly.  I had wasted a C Note before, taking pool lessons from pro players who did not know how to teach but knew how to play and had gotten little in return.  Since I had committed to giving Jerry a hundred dollars, the smart guy who sometimes lives inside of me told me to shut off those negative thoughts and listen to what the man had to say.  Reluctantly, I asked him to explain what I was doing wrong.  He replied that he thought my eye patterns were off.  At this time, I had not paid much attention to eye patterns but listened intently to what he had to say about them.  Not only did he suggest particular eye patterns for me to try but he also explained WHY eye patterns were so important.  In less than 10 minutes of practicing eye patterns, all of a sudden, I was back in stroke, making shot after shot, seldom ever missing.  It was exhilarating, to say the least.  My brief sorrow was suddenly replaced with this unbridled confidence that comes when you receive an epiphany in your pool journey.  I reached in my wallet, retrieved the hundred-dollar bill and graciously thanked Jerry for his advice.  I’ve never been one to celebrate openly but I was thrilled inside at what I had learned.

It was getting late, but I watched a couple of more matches and finally went to sleep at around 3:00 am, which is much later than I usually go to bed.  I took a shower but the excitement that was burning inside of me kept me from going to sleep right away but I was happy to think about the future of playing pool with this new knowledge.

Friday nights, the Derby City Classic has a MIDNIGHT mini-one pocket event, where they only allow a maximum of 32 players to play, and I had already purchased one of the tickets to play in that event.  It would be a race to 2 games, single elimination.   I had no idea who had purchased tickets to play in this event and it didn’t matter if I won a match or two or not as I had a new weapon to utilize and was stoked.  Since I hadn’t slept much on Thursday night and early Friday morning, I decided I would do what many pool players do; sleep all day Friday and get up from bed in the late evening to go play pool. 

All day Friday, I lay in my bed, and it seemed like I was thinking all day long, but I made sure to keep my eyes closed even if I didn’t think I was getting good rest.  I had set the alarm for 5:00 pm and as it rang, I woke quickly, refreshed, and excited about the opportunity to play in another pool event.  I was quite hungry, so I ate a hearty breakfast meal.  While eating, I started thinking about my so-called epiphany and new weapon hoping that it was not a mirage that would dissipate as the evening wore on, so I found the nearest open table to try out my new technique, and low and behold, I was still playing at my best.  This just excited me even more and I had to remind myself not to get too excited because there would be a lot of top players in this event to challenge me, and while I needed to be confident, I needed to be poised and focused, not just excited to play my best pool.

My first match was against a top player named Chris Szuter.  At the time, I did not know that Chris had beaten many legendary players on his journey and maybe it was for the best.  I settled in and won the opportunity to break first and made a great break with Chris unable to get out of my break.  I won the first game 8-4 and the second game 8-5.  Afterward, Chris who was upset; he asked me if I gambled and I replied that I did but I was playing in this tournament.  He walked off in a huff, but I can understand why.  I wasn’t a known player, and I was fortunate to have beaten him.

My next match was against someone, and I never could remember his name or face to this day.  I won that match handily 2-0.

My third match was against the great Jose Parica.  His reputation was known far and wide as he was one of the first Filipinos to arrive in America and had beaten many elite players not only in tournament play but in gambling matches as well.  I calmed myself and continued playing well, winning 8-3 and 8-2.  Sometimes, you play well, and sometimes you get good rolls.  I got both that match.

With a 32-player field and single elimination, you only need to win 4 matches in a row.  I had already won 3 matches in a row.  Now it was 6:00 am and my next opponent was another top player and close pool friend of World Champion Johnny Archer.  His name was Shawn Putnam who is not only a top pool player but an accomplished cue maker as well.  Shawn saw how well I was playing, and the night was already over and the morning sun was getting ready to rise.  I still felt good because I had slept all day Friday and was ready for the finals match of the event.  Shawn must have been up all-day Friday and may have been feeling a bit tired and walked up to me and asked, “Joey, do you want to split first and second place money?”  His question caught me by surprise, but I know what it is like to run out of steam and I told him I would split first and second place money with him on one condition.  His eyes narrowed, probably wondering if I had a trick up my sleeve, and said, “What’s that condition?”  I replied that I would split first and second place money with him if he tried his very best and if I thought he didn’t try his very best, I could decide not to split the money with him.  His eyes widened, he smiled, and exclaimed as he shook my hand, “I’m going to get a Red Bull and whip your ass.”  I went to the restroom, and washed my hands, face, and neck with cool water still feeling good.  In the first game I won 8-4.  The next game Shawn won 8-5.  In the third game, I won 8-3 and won the Midnight Mini-One Pocket event.  What a turnaround!

Today is March 5, 2025, and it just so happens to be Jerry W. Briesath’s birthday.  It is purely coincidental that I write this story today.  Jerry, sorry it took so long to get around to writing this story, but I have never forgotten that important lesson you shared with me, and I will be eternally grateful.  I hope you have a wonderful birthday and many more.  If any of you know Jerry, please share this story with him.

Semper Fidelis,

JoeyA

 

 

LAZARUS

Lazarus as some of us know, was the guy who was a friend of Jesus Christ and that when Lazarus died, Jesus went to his tomb, said a prayer and raised him from the dead. 

Now that was some kind of miracle but I am going to share another one with you today.

This is the true story of a pool player who by all accounts was done...kaput.  The story takes place at Rackateer's Sports Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 1900's.   The pool room was owned by Gerald Huber, the author of  "The Green Felt Jungle" and "Humphrey" (as the locals liked to call him) had these very large pool tournaments with huge Calcuttas (player auctions) and top players came from all over to play in his events. 

1995 U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion, Reed Pierce and winner of other notable tournaments such as the 1998 Camel Tour Kasson Open, and the 1994 PBT Dallas Open was entered in this tournament.  As I recall there was a full field of 128 players. BTW, Reed was also selected to represent the U.S. twice in the Mosconi Cup, in 1997 and 1998.

I had lived in Jackson, Mississippi from 1974 to 1980 and watched Reed grow into the player he had become and knew he was the real deal.  The hangout back then in Jackson was "The Office" and many a big dollar match was played on those bar tables.

Anyway, Reed is playing one of the top local players, a guy named Eddie Brown and Eddie has Reed's ears pinned back pretty good, leading Reed 8-4 in a race to 9.  At this time the tournament is about 3/4 finished and Reed was a favorite to win the event but is getting spanked by Eddie Brown.  Well Reed goes on a tear, and starts playing like the U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion that he is and winds up beating Eddie 9-8 for the match.  Reed basking in his strong comeback bellows, "How you like it New Orleans?.....THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL SEASONING!"   It was an exclamation that might have been made by anyone coming back from such a large deficit.  Well, that boast didn't sit too well with a lot of New Orleanians, but it was a hell of a come-back by Reed so you just have to sit there and let the champ have his moment.

The very next match Reed has a match with top veteran pool player by the name of Joe Villalpando.  Joe lived down in New Orleans for several years at this time and was one of our own by then.  Reed is stoked from his previous come-back win and is playing with confidence and bearing down on Joe V (yeah, that's what we called him down in New Orleans, other places called him Little Joe and probably a few other nicknames here and there).  Reed is now playing hard and has Joe V stuck 8 games to 3 games in a race to 9.  With Reed needing only 1 game for the match win, it wasn't looking very good for Joe V.

Joe V was a pal of mine and he and I used to hit the local tournament scene quite often.  We would  play in as many as 3 tournaments a week back then.  I would be Joe's chauffeur, confidant, and student, learning the ways of the pool world.  While I would do the driving, I also played in the tournaments just not as well as Joe but I was learning all of the time.

So back to the story.  Joe is standing next to me watching Reed playing like the champion that he was, giving Joe very little opportunity to get back to the table and Reed is up 8-3. 

Well Reed misses and leaves JoeV a few balls to run. Joe cleans up the table and makes the score 4-8 JoeV.

While I am not a tall guy, but Joe is REALLY SHORT and he is looking up at me and he says, "You know Joey, one time way back when, I was playing this real good player, and he had me stuck just like this and I came back to win the match."  By this time, Joe had to be in his 60's and Reed could easily have still been in his twenties.

I immediately locked on Joe's eyes (hoping to put my two years of psychology & hypnosis therapy to work) and said, "Joe, I KNOW that if anyone has a chance of doing this, YOU DO. Let's see what's going to happen!" 

The next game JoeV makes the nine on the break, now 5-8 JoeV.  The next game he breaks runs to the four ball and makes a 4-9 combo making it 6-8 Joe V. The pool room was full of electricity. I could feel it in the air through the high humidity that Louisiana pool rooms are known for.  The electricity was palpable, but it was the humidity that was making it difficult to make a ball on the break or even run out.  The electrical feeling was all over me and I wasn't even playing. The next game, Joe breaks and runs out the rack making it 7-8 JoeV. The swagger had suddenly left Reid as he realized that there was a chance that he might lose this match.  JoeV is wound up like a little short spring, shooting at everything and making almost every ball he shoots at.  Again, Joe doesn't make a ball on the break.  Reed comes to the table and again has a very tough out and can't get there so tries to lock JoeV up with a good safety which turned out to be a mediocre safety and Joe kicks the object ball in and ties the match up hill-hill (8-8) racing to 9.  Now the electricity has redoubled and everyone is in dead sweat, everyone's eyes are glazing, everyone's perspiring and the tables are soaking wet.  The players are soaked with the humidity and constantly wiping their cues down with dry towels.  The sweaters are perspiring but no one is leaving this match. I can't remember how the last match went except the last 4 balls that Joe made were excruciating for me. LOL

As the winning nine ball fell in the hole, I could not contain myself and yelled as loud as I could, "HOW YA LIKE IT MISSISSIPPI!"  The crowd went nuts.  My yell was a reflex, and I couldn't help myself. Even though Reed and I have always been cool with one another, he came unglued and started screaming and yelling that he wanted to play me for two thousand dollars and give me the 7 ball or for whatever I could come up with, and he said a few choice other words that sometimes happens when the rug is pulled out from under your feet but there was no amount of money that I could have won that day that could have taken the place of the feeling that I had when my buddy JoeV stopped Reed in his tracks. Reed had always been a MUCH better player than me or even JoeV, for that matter, but not THAT DAY.  It wasn't that I was happy that Reed lost. I was just so jazzed with what had just happened to my buddy JoeV that I couldn't hold it in. It was that day when JoeV earned the nickname "LAZARUS"for a come-back victory of extraordinary proportions. 


GET SOME, JOE V!  Ooo-rahhhhhhhh!  Happy Birthday my friend.

JoeyA
New Orleans

Posted 21st September 2016

 

Playing World Champion Niels Feijen (TERMINATOR)

Todays date is December 13, 2016.

This pool story starts back probably a dozen years ago or more.   I was practicing my craft (pocket billiards) at Pickle's Sports Bar in New Orleans (Metairie) which was almost directly across the street from the then fading but still infamous Sport Palace of New Orleans.  Both pool rooms were located on Jefferson Highway and just down the street from world famous Ochsner Hospital.  Players would bounce back and forth across the street depending upon where the action was.  Pickels Sports Bar would stay open as long as there was action. The Sport Palace was open24/7.

Pickle's Sports Bar was created by Mr. Bobby Gomez.  Bobby had been given the nickname "Pickle"  by  James Leone, famous owner of Buffalo Billiards which eventually had 3 locations, one in Chalmette, LA, one on Airline Drive in Metairie, LA  and another to be opened in just a few weeks from this date (12-13-16) just off of Clearview Avenue in Metairie, Louisiana.

Pickle had designed the poolroom floor with beautiful but gaudy Italian tile, a few sports televisions, and several high-quality Diamond pool tables.  I never liked that hard tile because if you knocked a ball off of the table, it would roll and bounce clear across the room. Most of the tables were tight pocketed 9-foot tables but as I recall, he had two 7-foot Diamond tables there as well.   Keith McCready and Scotty Townsend, tied it up on the 7 footers one year but that's another entirely different story. The 9-foot Diamond tables were the same tables that were used in Grady Mathews' World One Pocket Event held at the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino in 1999.  I enjoyed playing on table number 5 and was practicing that evening when a tall white male walked up on me out of the blue.  Normally, I would spot a new face walking into the poolroom, but I suppose this day I was too focused on my practice.  The stranger had apparently already asked around if there was  anyone to gamble with and came straight up to me.  He concisely and carefully chose his words and asked, "Would you like to gamble at 9 ball for $200.00? Normally, I would have liked to play one pocket, but since he was very direct about wanting to play 9 ball, I thought I would be a little cautious and crafty and replied, "You must be a very good player to want to play for $200 with an absolute stranger." (This guy looked like one of the East Germany athletes from back in the day, when there was a divided Germany.  Those men and women athletes of East Germany had that ripped muscle look combined with a Viking look if you know what I mean.  If not, you will just have to Google photos of East  German athletes.) Anyway, I continue and said, "I'll play you with the wild 6 ball", thinking that I would have a good chance against most anyone that wasn't a known champion with that spot.  He countered with, "That is a BIG SPOT.   I will give you  the wild 7 ball."  I had $200 of mad money and have always enjoyed playing unknown players who happen to pass through town so I told him that would be fine.   We agreed to a race to 9 games for the set and I started off like an Olympic sprinter.   The score was 6-2 my way and the tall, fit player walked up to me and said, "You play like a machine." I didn't know whether to laugh or to appreciate the compliment, not knowing whether it was intended as a genuine compliment to flatter me or to inflate my ego and throw me off of my game.  I was playing well and had a couple of fortunate rolls go my way and didn't give much thought to anything as I was sure I was going to win because I felt there was no way he could stop me with this big of a lead.  Those next minutes passed like a blur with me remembering very little as he chipped away at my lead.  Before I knew it, the set was over and the score was 9-7 Niels.  At the time, I didn't know his name was Niels and didn't know he was already a European phenom.  I paid off the $200 and somehow learned that he was traveling alone.  This thought stuck with me because I respect road players who travel by their lonesome.  It's a tough world out there on the road and most rely on having a wingman to help with all of the obstacles that one has to face when on the road. When he asked if I wanted to play another set, I didn't have to think long and quickly replied "No" as I had deduced in that blur of time when he won 7 games to my 1, that I was no match for this guy, whoever he was.  It would be another several months before I learned who he was and years later, I would learn that he went on to become one of the best pool players in the world.

A few years later, I would meet Niels again, at the Derby City Classic, one of America's premiere events.  Again, the discipline would be 9  ball.  I had the good fortune to exact my revenge on him.  I had improved my 9-ball game  by then, and was confident that I was playing better than the previous time we had met.  Niels won the lag and broke first.   He ran rack after rack. The score was 6-1 before I knew it and Niels broke the next rack and my legs by then were feeling cramped from sitting in the chair for so long, so when Niels was not facing me, I stood up to stretch my legs but otherwise I remained motionless.  When Niels turned around and saw me standing, he immediately came over to me and said, "Excuse me, would you mind sitting down? You are distracting me." That  statement kind of stunned me. Now keep in mind I NEVER shark my opponent by movement when I am not at the table and did not move when I was standing. But I acquiesced and sat down, after all, Niels was a world champion by then and I hold great respect for those who have given their all in pursuit of the pinnacle of this sport.

Niels went back to the table to complete a run out since he as usual, had made a ball on the break.  The one ball was still on the table, but he had a difficult shot and finally missed it, leaving me a tough shot on the one ball. I was lining up the difficult one ball shot that Niels had left me and was getting ready to address the cue ball, when I noticed Niels was cleaning his cue with a long, white towel, rubbing it vigorously up and down its vertical length.  To me, it was like waving a white flag at a bull. He was sitting in his chair but was directly in my line of vision for the one-ball shot.  I politely walked over to him as he had done to me and asked, "Niels, would you mind not waving that towel all around when I am at the table?"  His reply came forth as a protest and he forcefully replied, "WHAT,WHAT? IS THAT PAYBACK?". Now while I respect the professional players, this response didn't sit well with me and anyone who knows me, I won't let you cheat me or undermine my game while we are competing and if you try to talk a little smack to me, you are likely to get more than your share back.  If you do try either with me, you are guaranteed to get an earful no matter who you are.   It's just the way I am built. Since I considered this situation a lack of "quid pro quo", I didn't hesitate to give Niels what I thought he deserved.  After all, I had given Niels  the courtesy of sitting  down without  protesting when he asked me to because it was "distracting" him?  Now that the shoe was on the other foot, he chose to protest rather loudly I might add. So at this point, I quickly decided to demonstrate as I was talking to him at the same level of volume as he had responded to me. As I replied with additional fervor,  "NO NIELS, YOU ARE DISTRACTING ME! (With intentional flare, I demonstrated his vigorous movement with the towel so the rest of the audience could know what we were talking about) You can't be moving that towel around like that while I am shooting!."  To his credit, Niels voice dropped in volume, and he said "Okay" and that was the end of our discussion.  I went back to the table and made the difficult shot on the one ball and ran out the rack without missing a ball.  The next game I broke dry and Niels continued his professional form and terminated me 9-2.  I don't  remember having any chances after that dry break but at least I held up well enough to run out on that rack after the distraction from Niels.  

Pool is a difficult game to master and some games seem more difficult than others.  9 ball, you would think that it is an easy game since the rules tell you which ball you must shoot each time.  Sometimes, it is not so easy when you are playing a world champion.  Now many of us on this side of the pond think that One Pocket is the greatest game of all billiard games since it utilizes all of the skills that are found in all of the other pocket billiard games and more. This past Derby City Classic (2016)  Niels proved he is not just a great rotational player but has improved his skills at one pocket to world-class level as well, coming in second place in the enormous field of great players in the one pocket event. Word on the street, is that Niels has been receiving coaching advice from Alex Lely, former top professional European player, European Mosconi cup player & captain, Master Coach Dutch Olympic committee and National Coach of Niels Feijen.  I think American players like myself and others need more pocket billiard coaches.  So if you see Alex Lely around your neck of the woods, you might see about getting some coaching lessons.  I know I will jump at the opportunity if he passes my way. 

Niels' numerous titles go back quite a way, and I'm sure him being around coach Johan Ruijsink didn't hurt either.  Besides being on so many winning Mosconi Cup Teams and being voted MVP more often than not a few of  his FIRST PLACE TITLES are:

Mosconi Cup XXIII American 14.1 Championship 2016 Mosconi Cup 2015 Euro Tour Austria Open 2015 Euro Tour Italian Open  2015 World  9 Ball  Championship  2014 Mosconi  Cup 2014 Deurne  CC 9Ball 2014 Longoni Benelux Open  2014 Longoni Capelle Open2014 Mosconi Cup 2013 World Pool Masters  2013 Euro tour Austria Open 2013 Hanger Open 2013 Mosconi Cup 2012 Mosconi Cup 2011 Eurotour French Open 2010 Eurotour French Open 2009 Mosconi Cup 2008 World 14.1 Championship 2008 Euro tour Costa del Sol Open 2008 Blackpool Open 2008 Challenge of Champions 2007 Mosconi Cup 2007 Derby City Classic 9 Ball Division 2007  Blaze Tour  #24 2007 Big Apple 9-Ball Chall. 2005 Viking Tour Nat'l Championship 2005 PP Tour  #3 Open Div.2005 Skins Billiard Championship 2004 Niels Feijen's other high finishes in tournaments around the world are far too numerous to mention. You have to admit that is a pretty sporty resume. Joey Aguzin 12-13-16

 

Dec

24

My Best Story of Scotty Townsend

MY BEST STORY OF SCOTTY TOWNSEND.

There are many stories about Scotty as most of you already know and they were some of the most interesting stories any of us ever heard.  Scotty died in a motorcycle accident on December 22, 2016.  I should have written this story long ago because I have always felt that we should honor those we care about while they are still alive.  I’ve always spoke well of Scotty and I can honestly say that we were friends.  He and I talked on the phone often about our families and the struggles that we all face.  He was candid about his life and he was interested in how you were doing, and always ready to lend a kind word or share a joke.  So I hope that Scotty’s family and many friends look upon this story and see the giant that he was to so many of us. 

Scotty and I had many battles on the pool table, and I occasionally tossed back a few beers with him wherever we met.  He was a fun guy to be around, and his stories entertained everyone who heard them or who was a part of them.

This particular story takes place in Mobile, Alabama at Breaker’s Billiards in the early 2000’s.  There used to be an annual tournament in August and as I recall Scotty was often in attendance.  This year Scotty was tossing back a few stiff drinks as he was known to do but even with a regular habit of drinking alcohol, he never went looking for trouble but you knew that he wouldn’t back down from it, if it came his way.

What is special about this story is what it says about the real man that some of us had the honor of knowing.

By this time, I had gotten to know Scotty fairly well as he always sought me out to play some 9 ball, giving me the 5 ball and winning most of the time.  I was awestruck of Scotty’s wardrobe for this event.  He wore his cowboy hat, cowboy boots, cowboy shirt, personal handmade necklace and a pair of plaid short pants; a combination that was hard to not smile at.  Well, Scotty is having a conversation with another fellow who is dressed up real sharp, expensive clothes, gold jewelry, fancy watch etc.  The guy has his girlfriend with him, and she is kind of hot and the guy is trying to impress Scotty with drinking, telling stories but ultimately trying to impress his girlfriend.  I am about 5 feet away and trying to listen to the conversation because if you know Scotty, it was almost always a great conversation. 

Anyway, I’m listening and creeping closer and closer trying not to miss any of the conversation and the place is kind of noisy, but I am hearing most of what is being said.  I decided to not say anything or interject myself into the conversation but Scotty had given me “the nod” and with his unspoken permission I crept in closer to listen.  I finally realized that the well-dressed dude does not know who Scotty is but is having an animated discussion with him about everything under the sun.  Both of them had a few drinks while I listened, and the guy was REALLY trying to impress his girlfriend and Scotty was amused and participated in listening to the dude’s braggadocio.  The guy told Scotty that he was going to do some gambling with Scotty, threatening to play for a hundred a game.  It was obvious that the dude couldn’t play pool at a very high level and that he was really trying to (and failing) to impress his girlfriend and anyone else who might be listening or passing by.  As the minutes wore on, the guy started making disrespectful remarks about Scotty’s attire.  Scotty just smiled and when the guy was looking at his girlfriend, Scotty would look my way and wink.  I was thoroughly satisfied to wait this out without interfering.  Scotty knew his way around a bar and a pool room, and I doubt he ever met anyone that he truly feared.  What I really started to like is that it was obvious that the dude was getting drunk and starting to talk belligerently but Scotty wasn’t taking offense and had his own style of banter which seemed to compliment the conversation.  Scotty could take as good as he got so I was just there to be entertained and Scotty just kept listening to this guy talk about how he was going to take Scotty’s money on the pool table and much, much more.  Some of the guy’s jabs were personal and I just didn’t know how Scotty would respond.  I genuinely feared for the guy’s safety as he was his own worst enemy.  Scotty just smiled and drank some more and listened and shot back a few of his own retorts.  I thought I was watching a movie set and was wondering what was going to happen next.  In fact, I was wondering when Scotty was going to have enough of this guy’s lip and rip into him as the dude kept getting more and more out of line as he consumed more alcohol.  Scotty kept drinking but never got angry or even tried to embarrass the dude in front of his girlfriend.  Scotty knew what the guy was trying to do, and it was okay with Scotty, plaid short pants and feather sticking out of his cowboy hat.  This must have gone on for close to an hour and I was wondering how it was going to end and hoped that Scotty wouldn’t retaliate and hurt the guy, but the dude just kept on and on.  Finally, the dude tells Scotty.  “You know I was going to play you some $100 nine ball but the more I think about it, the more I think I would just like to take you out in the parking lot and whip your ass.”  Scotty grinned wildly at the guy and responded back, “You’d have a better chance at beating me at pool than whipping my ass in that parking lot.”.  It was a statement made in humor more than an attempt to get under the other guy’s skin but the dude saw that there was something inside of that unique looking guy’s persona that made him reluctant to give Scotty any more shit.  Scotty had every right to be steamed with this guy and every right to call the dude outside but Scotty used his humor and confidence to assuage this surly guy’s attitude without provoking the situation.  Most men would have asked the dude to go outside long ago or at least embarrassed him in front of his girlfriend or just cracked his jaw on the spot, but Scotty showed me another part of his personality and that was the day he really became a giant in my eyes.

JoeyA 12-24-16 

 

A Cue of Extraordinary Proportions.

A Cue of Extraordinary Proportions.

Some of you know me as JoeyA.  I started calling myself JoeyA decades ago because it seemed like my last name “Aguzin” is seldom pronounced the same way by two different people.  It can be a bit of a distraction when the tournament Calcutta is held up because Augustino, Aaahguzine, or A-Goo-Zin doesn’t answer when his name is called.  I enjoy competing in regional and national pool tournaments and on occasion like to sit behind the mic to do pool commentary when I am not competing or hanging out with friends.  The writing is a kind of therapy for me, so every now and then I enjoy sharing some of my pool adventures with my friends on Internet forums, on my blog or in an occasional magazine like AZ Billiards Buzz magazine.  I hope you enjoy the article and please say hello when I pass through your town or when we meet at the next pool tournament.

Well, this past weekend (April 22-23, 2017) my son, good friend “Doc Hutch” and I went to the White Diamond Super 9 Ball event.  It is a premiere weekend bar table event that draws players from all over the world.  It is held twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the late fall.  Here in Louisiana, it gets hot during the summer months, so they try to have the bi-annual event when it is a little cooler. 

Their tournaments have Calcuttas (player auctions) which regularly climb to the $100,000.00 range, so you can understand how they regularly get 128 players which is where they cap the event.

This event was shaping up with so many great players, that we knew we would be having a great time just like we always do.  The three of us are amateurs but enjoy testing ourselves against the best players in the world and they all come to Lafayette, LA which is in the heart of Cajun Country.

I could talk about how good my draw was, my good fortune of beating one of the top pros in this event, my mediocre finish in the top 30 players of this event, my mixed play, the good times with family and friends, the tasty food or the fact that I haven’t cashed in this event in the last several events but what this story is really all about is about a trend that I have been witnessing for the last decade or so. 

This story is about how cue sticks have been changing for the better.  I’ve been playing with a DymondWood “low-deflection” cue for the last few years.  DymondWood is a laminated wood that is impregnated with a phenolic resin and it creates what I refer to as a synthetic wood.  The only problem with DymondWood is that it is very hard to work with when you’re trying to create a low deflection playing cue.  Quite a few cue makers have successfully made break cues and jump cues out of DymondWood but relatively few have tried to make low deflection cues out of this wood because it is so difficult to work with.  I have paid attention to the many distinct types of cues that have been developed over the years by different companies, and it seems that innovation is everywhere.  It also appears that more companies are creating cues using synthetic materials than ever before.

This past tournament I was having a wonderful time competing and won a couple of matches and lost a couple of close matches.  But in between all the competing, I am sweating a scotch-doubles partners game between some of the young, talented, up-and-coming players that have popped up on the pool scene in recent years.  I know most of the players because I have been fortunate enough to be around them at other events in the past, sometimes doing commentary for their matches or getting steep handicaps in friendly action matches with them. 

One of the guys playing is someone who I have had the good fortune of being around quite a bit since he lived in my hometown of New Orleans for a brief time and is a talented player by the name of Evan Lunda.  I met Evan Lunda in New Orleans a few years ago and at the time he was playing with a low-deflection DymondWood cue so I was very familiar with his game.  His prototype cue was made by Steve Titus, one of the founding creators of Predator Cues.  This time I see him with a Steve Titus cue, but it looks different this time.  From a distance, it looked like it was one of the darker DymondWood shafts but it looked a little different and I couldn’t really tell if it was DymondWood or something else. 

So, I’m in between matches watching four pro players playing a scotch doubles match of one pocket.  The players are Evan Lunda, Skylar Woodward, Billy Thorpe and Alex Olinger, names that most of you are very familiar with since their names are often seen at the top of the food chain in tournaments all over the country.  A month ago, in another big one-pocket event (The Scotty Townsend Memorial Event) at The Arena in West Monroe, Evan Lunda came in third place just behind Billy Thorpe and Shane Van Boening.  It was a $2,000 entry fee one pocket event with some of the best players in the world competing for nice prize money and Calcutta money. 

Evan’s game had changed rather dramatically since I had last seen him and I now started to really wonder if he had a new cue.  Listening on the sidelines, I heard that it was indeed a new cue for Evan.  Later I discovered that he had only been playing with his new cue for a few short months, but I could tell that he was dialed into its properties.  While I don’t have any scientific data to share about how the cue performs, I can tell you from an experienced player’s viewpoint, the cue is TOP SHELF.

When the four pro players started playing with the cue I heard one of them whine teasingly that the cue imparts English so easily that you can get “TOO MUCH” throw on the object ball.  It could have just been a warning to the others or some gamesmanship as I perceived it to be a teasing whine.  But as the minutes wore on, I saw their reluctance to give the cue its just due, change to an almost euphoric type of experience as each of the pros took turns demonstrating their prowess at the table.  It started right away; multiple rail banks, 80-90 degree cuts, kick shots, and shots of all types, they seemed to make more of them than was usual.  Now I know just like the rest of you that these pros can play with just about any cue but what they were doing “CONSISTENTLY’ was pocketing difficult shots and getting shape shot after shot.  Each successful shot seemed to fuel the fire in each of the other players and using the same cue.  I never could decide who was having the most fun because all of them were stoked, sometimes glassy-eyed and each of them were letting out their stroke with 3, 4 and yes, FIVE-railers being made with ever-increasing consistency.  Safeties were not allowed in these games, so the governors had been removed, and all hell broke loose.  The four of them were reveling when each of them would make a difficult shot, teasing each other when they came close but missed and in general were having a wonderful time.

When one of their innings was over, they would pass Evan’s cue to the next person.  This went on for over an hour.  Now everyone enjoys testing out a friend’s cue but most of the time it is returned to the owner rather quickly.  As I watch these young pro players make difficult shot after difficult shot, I realized that this is something unique that was taking place.   I’ve seen my share of high-level play sometimes competing against the best players in the world in tournaments or just sitting in the commentator’s box, talking with the likes of Billy Incardona and legends like Jeremy Jones.  I had happily settled into one of the spectator chairs since seating was limited because of the substantial number of attendees.  The spectators, (me included) were just in awe of their raw firepower and high-level play but what I really liked was the fact that none of them wanted to give up the cue, so they all shared this one cue for over an hour.  That alone is a good enough testimony that my observations weren’t out of line.

The impromptu Scotch Doubles match eventually came to an end, and I got a chance to renew my acquaintance with Evan and talk with him about his cue.  It turns out that it wasn’t a DymondWood shaft like what Evan has been playing with in the past but a Revo shaft made by Predator.  Previously, I had played with a Revo cue that had a 12.9mm shaft and while it was nice, I have always preferred a narrower shaft than that.  Evan’s shaft looked to be a smaller diameter than 12.9 and it was.  The butt of the cue had been made by his friend, Steve Titus.  BTW, if some of you don’t know this, Steve is an accomplished player in his own right and is always inventing something new for the pool world whether you are familiar with his name or not.

Now some of you may not know that I am a serious student of the game and of equipment.  I teach pool at a couple of pool rooms around New Orleans and enjoy learning about all aspects of pool.  In addition to taking pool lessons from professional pool players and professional cueing instructors, I pay attention to what equipment the best players are using, and I ask a lot of questions, mostly about performance because I have always placed performance above style and novelty.   I test cues with a variety of different shots to compare their performance to my equipment.  It is seldom that I ever come across something that is better than what I am currently using but I knew right then and there, that this cue deserved a closer look and hoped that I would get a chance to investigate further.

As luck would have it, a few days later Evan shows up at my home room, Buffalo’s on Bloomfield in New Orleans.  Evan knows the passion I have for the game of pool itself and how I love to test new equipment so he generously shared his cue with me for more than an hour.  He just left the cue with me and said he would be back later.  I could tell immediately that this cue had a certain “power” to it.  I’m not talking about anything from the metaphysical realm.  I’m saying that his cue was easier to play with, easier to draw the cue ball, easier to apply force-follow and yes, easier to pocket the object balls.  It also seemed like it was easier to obtain precise shape as well.  I know it sounds funny but I even found myself keeping my body and head more still than normal.  It could have been that I didn’t have to put as much effort into making the shots.  The table conditions were perfect so that could have a little something to do with it as well.  We all know about the “new cue syndrome” but this wasn’t it either.  When Evan returned, he also took the time to demonstrate some of the more difficult shots that are possible with the REVO cue showcasing his immense talent. 

When Evan separated the shaft from the butt of the cue, he rolled the shaft across the table and as I lowered my head to observe the light under the shaft’s taper, I marveled at the extreme precision of the taper.  It was the most precise taper I have ever seen in any cue shaft.  Evan’s unique cue shaft had no ferrule and was charcoal black in color which provided a great contrast against the cue ball and the blue cloth.  As always, his tip was perfectly shaped.

The table conditions are very good at Buff’s NEW PLACE located at 5015 Bloomfield-New Orleans, Louisiana, especially since all of their Diamond pool tables are being recovered for their BIG MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT EVENT, which is coming up in just a few short weeks but I was making incredible shots, drawing my cue ball effortlessly and just had the time of my life playing with his REVO cue. 

Predator currently makes a 12.4 mm shaft and a 12.9 mm shaft using uni-loc and radial pin joints.   I have a marked propensity toward slightly thinner shafts like a 12mm but I don’t know if Predator will be making a REVO shaft that thin or not.   I also like a 30” length shaft and a 3/8-10 modified pin, but that isn’t something that they offer right now. Hopefully, as these cues and shafts that are made with synthetic materials become more exposed to the pool world, we will see my prediction that we are entering a golden era in cue building where science allows cue builders to continue to expand the use of these new materials. 

It took golf many decades to make the transition from wooden clubs to high-tech metal clubs, but I suspect pool will move along a lot quicker with young ambassadors like Evan Lunda and Predator Cues leading the way into the future of pool.  I also surmise that some of the other professional players will be giving the nod toward this cue.  Our own local pro, Ronnie Wiseman gave me the “WiseMan Nod” when I asked how he liked Evan’s cue.  That says a lot coming from the WiseMan.  Anyway, it was a pleasure to see professional players enjoying some of the newer cue technology that is becoming more popular with players every day.

Joey (JoeyA) Aguzin

 

A Magical Week in Chicago

A MAGICAL WEEK IN CHICAGO.

Approximately 60 years ago, a young boy raised in a loving but impoverished home found out that he had a talent for playing flipper pinball machines.  Every Saturday morning, he would go to the local Mid City Bowling Alley which also had a few pinball machines for their younger customers.  This was in the early 1960’s and playing pinball was very popular.  The games back then cost a nickel per game.  He would walk well over a mile and get there as soon as the bowling alley opened on Saturday mornings.  At an early age he had learned how to make up for the allowance his parents couldn’t afford to give him.  His skill rapidly increased and it wasn’t long before he could beat most of the games, most of the times, earning more games than he could play often running the number of replays up to 15 games.  When he had that many replays, he would then step aside and allow the other kids who had money to spend to play his replay games for a nickel a game.  In one day, he made enough money to go to the movie theater or just spend his earnings on other hobbies that children enjoy playing.

As the years past and he grew older, he was introduced to “gambling pinball machines”.  They were pinball machines that did not have flippers and instead had numerous holes and bumper posts all over the surface of the machine for the silver balls to fall into.  Most municipalities outlawed these “gambling pinball machines”.  The businesses, bars and restaurants who had these machines provided large tax revenue for the cities and states so most municipalities during that time, allowed businesses to have the machines but didn’t allow the businesses to “pay off” or provide compensation to those who won games when they played the machines.  Like most pinball machines, these devices had tilt mechanisms in them and if the machine were hit too hard or moved too quickly the game would be terminated by the “tilt” mechanism.  With quick reflexes and tough hands, a good player could move the silver balls toward the desired holes to win games/money.  As time went on, his prowess increased and so did the number of pay days.  Eventually, while living in Jackson, Mississippi, he became known as Pinball Joey.  One day the amusement company who owned all of the gambling pinball machines in Jackson caught up with Pinball Joey and officially warned him that he was no longer allowed to play pinball machines in Jackson, MS.  That was the end of an era for Pinball Joey but the love for playing those games of skill just got put on the shelf for a while.

Fast forward decades more and Pinball Joey, who eventually became known as Joey With A Tie by the pool players of the infamous Sport Palace of New Orleans.  The passion for playing pinball had seemingly been replaced by a love of playing pool and that began another journey.  David Walters, a friend of Joey With A Tie recently retired from a high-level computer job in the government and was interested in learning how to create video pinball machines and told Joey who by now had become known just as JoeyA about a Pinball Expo in Chicago, Illinois.  The love for pinball had been on the shelf for so long that it was interesting to see that there was still a flame burning after all these years.  JoeyA and David decided to make a trip to the pinball capital of the world and visit the Expo.  Plans included playing in a pinball tournament, learning about the new video pinball machines, and having dinner with Elvira-The Mistress of the Dark, a sensual diva from television horror film theater. 

Since both David and JoeyA also enjoyed a multi-decade passion for pocket billiards, plans were made to visit the largest pocket billiard chalk and cue tip factory in the United States (and perhaps the world) called Tweeten Fibre Company located in Chicago, Illinois.  Little did they know that few people are ever invited to tour this legendary facility which produces Elk Master, Le Pro Triumph and many other cue tips along with the most famous brands of chalk for the pocket billiard industry.  Their customers are International in scope and are the largest wholesalers in the billiard industry who sell to the retailers around the world, who then sell to individual cueists. 

Upon arriving in Chicago at the Expo, it immediately became clear that despite getting back into the swing of playing pinball with a couple of weeks to get back in “stroke”, the both of them would be at a major disadvantage not because of age or skill but because there would be hundreds of different pinball machine games of which they had never played before and any pinball enthusiast knows that it takes more than quick reflexes and eye-hand coordination to play well.  You must have intimate knowledge of the various target values for each particular game and how to magnify those targets to excel at that particular game.  Immediately upon arrival, they decided to practice as much as possible before the tournament but alas, they did not have enough time to prepare adequately and were going to be playing against the best pinball players the world has ever seen.  The event went on for a few days and while David and JoeyA didn’t place in the money, they didn’t come in last place either, out of the hundreds of other players that came there to test their skills at pinball and win several thousand dollars of prizes, including a new pinball machine.  It was a lot of fun revisiting our youth and by the way, there were plenty of gray beards from our era who were also having the time of their life.  A side trip to Stern Pinball, Inc., the leader in American Pinball machine manufacturers was just as exciting as the Expo itself.  We learned exactly how the machines were manufactured.  Our tour guide was a man of extreme knowledge and shared with us, every step in the manufacturing process of the flipper pinball machines.  Some things have changed in the design of pinball machines and some of those changes are quite noticeable such as the high-end graphics that are a staple in most of the pinball games like the new Elvira’s House of Horrors by Stern Pinball of Chicago, Illinois.

The photo above doesn’t do justice to the graphics or the machine.  The visuals and audio in this machine are second to none.  It was such a hit at the Pinball Expo that Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) was brought in for this event.  Cassandra is still the beautiful woman that she has always been and it looks as if she has been able to control time itself as well as a couple of generations of testosterone. 

  Here she is with JoeyA at the Expo.   

Elvira even signed a brochure for MARINES-FIND YOUR PLATOON, a Facebook Group with over 34,000 members.   

You might remember Elvira from televison like this:

 A visit to Chicago is something everyone should do at least once in their life, especially if you like pocket billiards.  Chicago is the home of one of the oldest pocket billiard chalk manufacturers in the world, a company by the name of Tweeten Fibre Company.  They also make some of the finest leather cue tips in the world, with famous brands like Elkmaster, Le Pro, Triumph, Blue Knight, Triangle, Silver King, Rocket Cue and Royal.  Tweeten also manufactures the most popular chalk brands in the world made to exacting standards.  You would be surprised at the brand names that Tweeten proudly manufactures.  It not only includes arguably the most popular brand of cue chalk called MASTER & Triangle but many "private" brands.

The Tweeten factory is a huge factory with mechanical machines scattered throughout the plant manned by numerous employees.  The manufacturing process of creating cue chalk or cue tips is a precise science and they guard their secrets quite well. 

 

David Walters and I were quite fortunate in being allowed to tour the plant, and we are grateful to the owner of the company for granting us the privilege of seeing the insides of this enormously successful business.  Tweeten does not sell retail.  They have large wholesalers located all over the world who distribute their unique products, so don’t waste your time trying to buy anything direct.  One of the things that David and I noticed is that both the chalk manufacturing and the cue tip manufacturing were very labor intensive despite the large numbers of machines cranking out these products one at a time.  The machines are rather fast but very mechanical and employees watched over each of these machines with focused attention.  In my early years, I worked in a plant that manufactured 80-column Hollerith cards, also called IBM punch cards and have an empathy for machines that do repetitive chores as well as the employees who run them.  I didn’t ask how many units were produced each day because I didn’t want to put my host on the spot but from observation, I can say that a lot of high-quality chalk and cue tips are produced in this manufacturing facility each and every day.

 Tweeten also has numerous pocket billiard accessories that they sell to the wholesalers, and some of them are unique products that you may have never heard of since their target audience are the national wholesalers.  Below you will find some of their accessory items that they sell.

Accessories not pictured: Fibre Blocks White Fibre Points Garnet Discs Repair Kit Rubber Facings Marker Stretchers Marker Wire Adjustable Fork Bit Adjustable Points Jumbo Master Spots Small White Spots Small Green Spots Small Black Spots Black Waxed Cords Billiard Room Signs

Litho'd Metal Trimmer Plastic Top Trimmer Duplex Metal Chalk Grip Robber Cover Metal Grip Ideal Chalk Hangar Braided Cord Three-Cornered Sail Needles Tefco Bent Needles Brass Jointed Screw Black Fibre Ring White Fibre Ring 1/4" Black Fibre Discs 1/8" Black Fibre Discs Master Chalk Holder Triangle Chalk Holder

Accessories not pictured:

• Fibre Blocks
• White Fibre Points
• Garnet Discs
• Repair Kit
• Rubber Facings
• Marker Stretchers
• Marker Wire
• Adjustable Fork Bit
• Adjustable Points
• Jumbo Master Spots
• Small White Spots
• Small Green Spots
• Small Black Spots
• Black Waxed Cords
• Billiard Room Signs

• Litho'd Metal Trimmer
• Plastic Top Trimmer
• Duplex Metal Chalk Grip
• Robber Cover Metal Grip
• Ideal Chalk Hangar
• Braided Cord
• Three-Cornered Sail Needles
• Tefco Bent Needles
• Brass Jointed Screw
• Black Fibre Ring
• White Fibre Ring
• 1/4" Black Fibre Discs
• 1/8" Black Fibre Discs
• Master Chalk Holder
• Triangle Chalk Holder

This was one of the major highlights of our trip to Chicago and we were fortunate to have been invited to tour the plant and see how these various chalks and tips are made.  Personally, I have a profound respect for non-layered tips and plan on utilizing the same cue tips as champion cueists such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Efren Reyes.     A trip to Chicago by two pocket billiard players wouldn’t be complete without visiting the many pool rooms located in that part of the U.S.A.  David & I, early on, visited Red Shoes Billiards in Alsip, Illinois not far from Chicago.  I had always heard about this poolroom and knew that Freddy the Beard Bentivegna made this pool hall his home pool room.  Almost 20 years ago, I attended the U.S. Open One Pocket Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan and met the owner of Red Shoes Billiards- John Lavin, so it was great fun to walk into the pool room unannounced and just sit there and stare at the owner who didn’t recognize me at first.  John is one of those tough Chicago guys, a military veteran himself, Army airborne if I am not mistaken and runs his pool room in a disciplined if not stern manner.  We were amazed at how well-behaved the customers were.  Signs were all around the spacious pool room, letting customers know what behaviors and dress were allowed and not allowed.  John has a very authoritative voice, something he most likely acquired from being in the military and when he spoke, patrons listened.   David & I decided that we would visit the same day that our plane set down in Chicago so that we would at least be able to say that we visited Red Shoes Billiards.  After a little fun with before starting contest, John and I picked up where we left off almost two decades ago.  He is a gracious host and runs the pool room like it was his own military unit.  All of the customers were polite and friendly and had an appreciation for the pool room and pocket billiards in general.  John invited David and I to play in their annual one pocket event on the next Saturday which had an entry fee of $50 per person with a maximum of 32 players.  One pocket events generally take a long time to complete and this one is called the Iron Man Event since it is completed in one LONG day.   David and I at that time didn’t know if we would have time to attend the one-pocket event and told John that if the opportunity allowed us to play, we would.  As time went on with the Pinball Expo, we realized that more current pinball players had more knowledge than we did about the hundreds of pinball games there.  We were able to finish a little early even though we won some matches.  A call to Red Shoes Billiards and our entries into the Iron Man event were sealed.  David nor I, are still spring chickens so immediately, I put in place a plan to manage my energy and focus.  In the last few years, I have been reading many books on performance as well as the latest articles that appear on various social media sites.  Having studied with a couple of sport psychologists over the years, I knew at my advanced age, I would need to do some things differently than some of the young pocket billiard stars of Chicago.  Fresh in my mind was an article that talked about taking 20-minute naps.  The article suggested that taking 20-minute naps was far better than taking longer naps, because with the 20-minute naps, you avoided some of the deep sleep problems with naps lasting longer than 30 minutes.  The longer naps can make you feel groggy while the shorter naps help you to feel more alert. 🎵  Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!  🎵  My first match is against a young gunslinger from Chicago, and I lost the first two games 8-0.  I only managed to win one game against the straight shooter and quickly lost the match.  It was kind of a bummer to lose that first match, especially with my opponent running out like he was playing 9 ball.  The tables were in great shape, and were Brunswick 9 footers with generous size pockets.  I seldom ever play on Brunswick tables and regularly play on Diamond Billiard tables at Buffalos on Bloomfield in Metairie, Louisiana.   Anyway, I decide that all I could do is play my best.  Being on the one-loss side, I got the feeling that there was no pressure since no one would expect me to perform any better than I already had.  Sometimes I think about what other people are thinking about my pool game and that isn’t a good thing, but it seems that when I am on the one-loss side I don’t care what others might be thinking.  So, I manage to grind out a win here and there and before you know it, I am getting close toward the end of the tournament and playing better as the night went on.  Those 20-minute naps were helping me to focus against very tough opponents who weren’t taking those naps.  I wound up in the quarter finals against famed Chicago player Piggy Banks who also plays a great game of one pocket.  Good fortune favored me in my match against Piggy Banks and I moved on to the finals against a great player by the name of Sergio.  The finals match was single elimination which meant that even if you came out of  the one-loss bracket and made it to the finals and the winner of the hot-seat (winner’s side) had not lost a match, the outcome would be a single race to four games.  Sergio was a very quiet and methodical player who didn’t take many chances.  I was relaxed and getting tired by that time and I noticed that Sergio was playing me extremely safe and not allowing me any shots at my pocket.  After a while, I decided that if he wasn’t going to take any chances, I would on occasion start taking some chances.   Sergio played me very tough not giving me much to shoot at but over time I became more convinced that I could make some of those shots that people call “circus shots” without risking the whole game.  I occasionally made a few of those shots and I believe it destabilized Sergio’s game and he made more mistakes than he had all night long.  After a very long session, I managed to squeak out a victory and win the Iron Man Event at Red Shoes Billiards.  So, if you want to play in events that wear you down, I suggest that you try out JoeyA’s 20 minutes naps. David & I went back to the Marriott Hotel for some much-needed rest but only managed to get about 6 hours of sleep because David is an early riser.  I normally sleep 9 hours per  night, but I was still jubilant over the previous magical night and didn’t mind the lack of sleep.  Eating at the Marriott buffet every morning is like a feast, so I always looked forward to eating breakfast there.    We still had not visited the renowned pool room called Chris’s Billiards in Chicago and that was on our bucket list so after visiting one of the pool rooms where they had almost a dozen Gabriel 9-foot tables and playing for a couple of hours we decided to head over to Chris’s Billiards.  It didn’t hurt leaving the Gabriel tables (which happen to be one of my favorite pool tables) because of the $18.00 per hour price tag.  We spent $45 in pool time for only a  couple of hours.  I know, I know, two hours should be $36.00.  A little pricey, I guess they recognized our New Orleans/southern accents and decided to take advantage of us.  No matter, we weren’t going to let a little exploitation ruin our trip.    Walking into Chris’s Billiards is like walking through one of the Gunslinger’s doors in  Stephen King’s book The Dark Tower.  It is a trip into the past.  The movie, The Color of Movie directed by Martin Scorsese was filmed there.  A long stairway brings you to the top floor where the dozens of pool tables are located.  There had to be close to 50 pool tables in multiple rooms.   David and I took our time looking around and before we had time to explore the whole pool room, a familiar voice shouted, “JOEYA”!  I was flabbergasted because no one knew that I would be there.  The voice belonged to non-other than Mike Eck, who I had met in previous one pocket events.  I had read recently on Facebook that Mike had retired from the police department and it was great to see him again.  He quickly introduced me to one of his friends called Chicago Fats.  I told Fats that it was nice to meet him and that was it.    We noticed another familiar face, that of Tony Chohan who was giving a one pocket clinic to a dozen or more players and gave Tony a nod, not wanting to interrupt his clinic on one pocket. He smiled, returned the nod and went on with his clinic.    David and I got a rack of balls and headed for one of the tables in the back near where Tony was giving the clinic and made sure that they weren’t using that table.  We practiced for no more than 10 minutes when Chicago Fats, a light-heated, friendly guy boomed his voice across the pool room, “JoeyA, get warmed up, Chicago Fats has got you some action!”  I  just smiled at his shout and David and I practiced for another 20 minutes.  I had never met Chicago Fats before, and I know he was watching David, and I play but I had never seen him play so I didn’t know the level of his skill at pocket billiards.  Then Fats shouted out something from across the large room, directed at me once again.  I motioned pointing to my ear that I couldn’t hear what he was saying and beckoned him to come closer.    He came over very close to me, a large man with a great personality, becoming of someone named Chicago Fats and said confidently, “What do you want to do JoeyA?”  I replied, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”  He replied, “One pocket”.  I asked how much he wanted to play for, and he said it didn’t matter but if I only wanted to play for $25 or $30 a game, that would be all right too.  Now I had lost 1/3 of my sleep from the night before and knew I couldn’t play long and probably wouldn’t play my best pool with so little sleep.  I figured that with the money I had one at the one-pocket event and the fact that David had already offered to go in half with me against Chicago Fats, I didn’t have much to lose.  Gambling at pool has always been just a hobby for me and I never try to “bust someone” (beat them out of all of their money) but I felt like I needed to play one match which might take more than a couple of hours, so I offered to play Fats for $400 in a race to 4.  He quickly agreed and knew then that I was playing someone who had a lot of confidence in his game as compared to mine.   The very first game, I missed a critical easy shot, and Fats made me pay large for that mistake.  He won the first game even though I was breaking and had made a decent break.  The next game, he breaks and not only am I unable to knock any balls away from his pocket and his side of the table, but I can’t even find a safety shot that would delay his next onslaught.  Looking over the table, I concluded that I would have to take a chance on a risky 4-ball combination and try to control the cue ball and leave him long.  The intended object ball came a full ball’s width away from my pocket and Fats had another game under his belt, leading me 2-0.  I knew we were racing to 4 and just kind of settled down with the knowledge that I was at a major disadvantage but vowed to myself that I would do the best that I could under those circumstances. When you accept the situation, you’re in like this one, you have a much better chance of climbing out of the mess instead of digging the hole deeper by doing extreme things.  I finally managed to win a game and I was so relieved.  Now I was only down 2-1 in a race to 4.  That sounded a lot better than being down 3-0, so I prepared to play even harder the fourth game.  Fat’s break was incredible each time he broke the rack but this time I managed to get out of his break without losing the game on one shot.  After a hard-fought battle, I tied the score up 2-2. Now it was the fifth game in the race, and it was my break.  I thought I made a decent break, but Fats was determined to not relinquish his lead and came at me with a fury, first getting out of my break and then making one great shot after another, playing me safe only when he couldn’t shoot my liver in.  I couldn’t do anything about his onslaught that game he won handily and made the score 3-2. The 6th game with Fats breaking and him on the hill, I knew that it was do or die as he only needed one more game to win the set.  Finally, Fats doesn’t make a perfect break and I managed to get out of his break and with a lot of safeties on my part, I managed to squeak out a victory in game number 6.  I was so relieved to have won that game because I could tell that Fats was out to win and I felt very fortunate to have tied up the series 3-3. The 7th game came down to me breaking and both of us only needed to win one game to win the set and the $800 at stake.  I finally had gotten the feel of the table for breaking and made an almost perfect break.  Fats played a safety shot but left me a typical one-pocket, bank from the long rail side and I managed to pocket it and one more ball.  Now I was in the lead and all I could think of was the old saying I had coined years ago when doing one pocket pool commentary, “Get ahead, stay ahead”.  I kept playing safety after safety because Fats was fighting hard now, and I don’t know what was going on in his head, but he tried to use his superior firepower on me and attempted a very difficult 3 rail bank shot with force-follow on the cue ball going three rails as well.  Wouldn’t you know it, he made the difficult bank and the cue ball swung around the table for a great opportunity to put the match out of reach for me and end the match but the cue ball kept rolling and rolling and I realized that one of two things were going to happen; either he was going to get perfect shape to run out the rest of the game and match or the cue ball was going to scratch.  As I held my breath the cue ball slowly made its way into the pocket and now Fats had to spot the ball he made plus another.  Now with cue in hand, I made a few more balls, played a few more safeties, and finally closed out the set.  My good fortune for the week had continued and I counted myself very lucky that day, having bested an opponent that surely had superior firepower.  After collecting the wager and thanking Fats for the super-tough action, David and I said our goodbyes to Chris’s Billiards and returned home to New Orleans after a magical time in Chicago.  I encourage all of you to take a trip out of your comfort zone and visit another pool room where you have never been before and “get in the grease” as we like to say back at Buffalo’s on Bloomfield in New Orleans.   Do something out of the ordinary even if at first, you might think it could be uncomfortable.  A ship that stays in safe harbor will never know the wonders of the world. 12-04-19