tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71543798234950591422024-03-17T14:30:39.375-05:00Untold Stories: Billiards HistoryCheck back regularly for the newest interview excerpts, documents and other archival material related to pocket billiards history and the <a href="http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_untold_stories/">"Untold Stories"</a> column in Billiards Digest. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.poolhistory.com">www.poolhistory.com.</a> Have a research suggestion? A story to tell? Send author <a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><strong>R.A. Dyer</strong></a> an email.R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-36584448105376929952018-08-17T07:31:00.001-05:002018-08-17T07:50:18.732-05:00 Hofstatter, Davenport Elected to Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">Broomfield, Colo., August 3, 2018 - The Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame welcomes two of the game's top players of the '90s to the class of 2018. The United States Billiard Media Association today announced that Austrian import Gerda Hofstatter Gregerson and "California Kim" Davenport have earned induction as the 71</span><span class="s2"><sup>st</sup></span><span class="s1"> and 72</span><span class="s2"><sup>nd</sup></span><span class="s1"> members of the sport's most prestigious club.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Hofstatter Gregerson, 47, will enter the Greatest Players wing of the BCA Hall of Fame, while Davenport, 62, will be honored in the Veteran Players category. Both will be formally inducted during ceremonies on Oct. 26, 2018, at the Norfolk Sheraton Waterside in Norfolk, Va.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A native of Friesach, Austria, Hofstatter Gregerson was an accomplished athlete, competing in tennis and skiing, and winning a national junior fencing title before committing herself to pool. Hofsttater Gregerson won her first European Championship (and the first ever for Austria) at 18, and has collected 10 European Championship gold medals. In 1993, she relocated to the U.S. to join the new Women's Professional Billiard Association Classic Tour and promptly won the very first event. Over the next seven years, Hofstatter Gregerson added seven more Classic Tour titles, as well as the 1995 WPA World 9-Ball Championship, the 1997 WPBA National Championship and the 2000 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship. She added her ninth Classic Tour title in 2010 at the San Diego Classic.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Hofstatter Gregerson currently resides Charlotte with her husband Dan and daughters Sophie and Madison. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from New York University, and has a pilot's license.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After finishing second in voting in each of the last three years, Hofstatter Gregerson was named on more than 70 percent of the ballots in 2018, far outpacing first-time nominees Niels Feijen and Corey Deuel, each of whom were named on 36 percent of the ballots. Shannon Daulton, Jeremy Jones, Stefano Pellinga, Vivian Villarreal and Charlie Williams received votes on fewer than 25 percent of the ballots.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">"My first reaction is, 'What am I doing in there with all those great players?'," Hofstatter Gregerson. "Honestly, I never expected to get in. Everyone who has gotten in is so deserving, I was just honored to be on the ballot. But I am excited, humbled and honored to be in such great company.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">"It's a great thing for my kids," she continued. "They'll be so proud. And it's nice to know that you will be remembered in the history books."</span><br />
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Born in Oklahoma, Davenport relocated to Modesto, Calif., in the early '80s. By mid-decade, Davenport was making a name for himself on the pro tour, winning events like the Bowling Green Open and Tar Heel Classic. He broke through in 1988, winning the highly regarded Japan Cup and Eastern States 9-Ball Championship. After adding three more titles in 1989, Davenport put in a Player of the Year performance in 1990, winning the Brunswick Challenge Cup in Sweden, the Sands Regency Open and the B.C. Open - all major tour titles.<br />
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Davenport added eight more pro tour titles, before an injury to his left eye for all practical purposes ended his pool-playing career.
Davenport, who resides in Acworth, Ga., had been recommended for consideration by the Hall of Fame Veteran Players Committee after failing to garner enough votes for election on the general ballot prior to turning 60.<br />
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"That's really good news," said Davenport upon being informed of his election. "I had started to wonder if it would ever happen, so it's hard to explain how I feel right now. To be honest, I thought my record was good enough to get in before now, but better late than never.
"In the end, this is what 40 years of playing pool comes down to," he added. "And 100 years from now, people will see my name next to Mosconi's, which is not a bad thing."<br />
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"My first reaction is, 'What am I doing in there with all those great players?'," Hofstatter Gregerson. "Honestly, I never expected to get in. Everyone who has gotten in is so deserving, I was just honored to be on the ballot. But I am excited, humbled and honored to be in such great company.<br />
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<b>About United States Billiard Media Association</b><br />
Founded in 2007, the United States Billiard Media Association is a non-profit association dedicated to elevating the visibility and status of billiards in the media at large. The USBMA consists of professional print, radio, TV, public relations and Internet media persons who cover cue sports. One of the association's main functions is electing of billiard media members to the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame Board for the purpose of nominating and electing players and notable figures to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.<br />
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<b>About Billiard Congress of America</b>
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Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through Billiard Congress of America leadership. The Billiard Congress of America seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool
R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-82746016726325044702017-11-08T08:00:00.002-06:002017-11-08T08:02:49.827-06:00UK Website Devoted to Billiards, Snooker History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Interested in the the history of UK billiards and snooker? Check out the UK Billiard and Snooker Archive, which touts itself as the only website dedicated to to the history of snooker and english billiards. The website charts the history of both games, and includes biographies of several key players like Joe Davis and Willie Smith.<br />
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Here's the link: <b><a href="http://www.billiardsandsnookerarchive.co.uk/">http://www.billiardsandsnookerarchive.co.uk/</a></b><br />
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R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-42146593385661868642017-04-02T11:30:00.001-05:002017-04-02T11:35:02.723-05:00St. Elmo: Favorite Haunt of Wimpy Lassiter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This <a href="http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/dark-side/2013/05/31/st-elmo-billiards-norfolk-virginia-ca-1914/">photo of the St. Elmo</a> pool hall in Norfolk, Virginia. It was the favorite haunt of the world famous Wimpy Lassiter and also was featured in the book, Hustler Days, which is available from online retailers. It was taken by photographer Harry C. Mann and is available under common licensing from the Library of Virginia.<br />
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You also can learn more about the pool hall and Lassiter in the book, <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">Hustler Days</a>, which is available online.<br />
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Former sailor John Pizzuto was a St. Elmo's regular during the late 1960s. He sends us this brief recollection of his time there.<br />
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<i>"Most of the players had a nickname, mine was Sailorboy. I kept Sam Bass in beer money Saturday afternoons, getting straight pool "lessons" from him. Carolina kept my cue behind the bar when we were out to sea. I played golf and straight pool with Old Red. He was pretty old and towards the end of my time there, he didn't come in very often. At the time he seemed like he was in his 70s. Some of the other regulars were Cab Driver, Onion Head Red and a pretty good player named Cash McCall. He ran a bartending school. </i><br />
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<i>One Saturday afternoon, I was practicing alone. One of the regulars egged me into asking "that old man in the chair" to play some nine ball. I walked over and asked, but he politely declined. I awkwardly offered him a spot. He shook his head. As I walked back to my table, the regulars all started laughing, asking me if I knew who that was. By then, I figured it must be Wimpy. I had heard he came in from time to time, but I had never seen him. I walked back over to where he was sitting and offered my hand in apology. He shook it with his left."</i>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-47729341443678823712017-03-12T15:18:00.002-05:002017-11-08T07:46:14.015-06:00Fox: Death by Fly or Shark?<style type="text/css">
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<span class="s2">This excerpt, below, from an old edition of the <i>New York Times </i>describes the discovery in 1866 of the body of pool player Louis Fox in a Rochester, New York river. But how did Fox's body get there? </span></div>
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<span class="s2">According to one very colorful (and perhaps apocryphal) story by sports historian Frank Menke, Fox, shortly before his death, had played a challenge match with John Deery to determine the 1865 world billiards champion. "Fox, far in the lead and on his way to winning, found himself bothered by a fly, which, despite 'shooing,' continued to light on the cue ball," wrote Menke in his 1939 <i>Encyclopedia of Sport</i>. "Fox, excitingly trying to chase the fly, miscued, and it was Deery's shot. Deery ran out the string to win the championship. The heart broken Fox rushed out of the hall to a river, leaped in, and was drowned."</span><br />
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<span class="s2">In a slightly different account from the<i> Semi-Centennial History of the City of Rochester </i>(by William Farley Peck and published in 1884), </span>Fox killed himself because he was distraught over the "loss of his championship cue." Meanwhile on page 103 of the 1898 edition of <i>Championship Billiards, Old and New,</i> the author claimed that Fox, "some time after his defeat, was found dead in the river, and it has always been claimed that, crazed by grief, he committed suicide."<br />
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<span class="s2">So, the question at hand -- as put forth by billiards writer J.D. Dolan -- is whether Fox was killed by a fly or a shark.</span></div>
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<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><strong>-- R.A. Dyer</strong></a>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-41523909469471242742015-12-12T14:06:00.001-06:002015-12-12T16:37:07.266-06:00HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Books & More<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfAypT-euz36XbtBlq8FTQ6bBaLg7Bl0wew4-uRMMwIUQa-F3vkur52G-ZU8QqLWEkxikZ5w0lVj9y0WMrUH2eWDJA3bT-cbj9JLp7daYKB25jz15RQJR0jRwk_I31HE22W2qfrosxRw1/s1600/huster_champ_bookcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfAypT-euz36XbtBlq8FTQ6bBaLg7Bl0wew4-uRMMwIUQa-F3vkur52G-ZU8QqLWEkxikZ5w0lVj9y0WMrUH2eWDJA3bT-cbj9JLp7daYKB25jz15RQJR0jRwk_I31HE22W2qfrosxRw1/s200/huster_champ_bookcover.jpg" width="112" /></a><i>Does that special pool lover in your life already own 20 instructional books? How about going another direction this year and getting him or her the gift of pool history? As we like to say at <a href="http://poolhistory.com/">poolhistory.com</a>, a sport without history is a sport without consequence. But there's plenty of literature out there to help fill the gaps. I've included some of my favorite selections (including a couple of my own books) plus some video resources and other material. You can find each of these potential stocking stuffers online. Keep reading for all the details.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Champ-Mosconi-Minnesota-Rivalry/dp/1592288839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449943076&sr=8-1&keywords=Hustler+%26+the+Champ"><b>THE HUSTLER & THE CHAMP</b></a><br />
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://poolhistory.com/index.html">R.A. Dyer’</a>s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Champ-Mosconi-Minnesota-Rivalry/dp/1592288839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449949908&sr=8-1&keywords=Hustler+%26+THE+CHAMP">The Hustler and the Champ</a>, chronicles the long colorful rivalry between pool’s greatest tournament player and its most colorful hustler. Read more about The Hustler and the Champ at the <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/index.html">poolhistory.com</a> website. </span>Purchase the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Champ-Mosconi-Minnesota-Rivalry/dp/1592288839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449943076&sr=8-1&keywords=Hustler+%26+the+Champ">Amazon.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurhY0iDoQhgAXOAirzoMPr6DRJOncUoFqaKH4kFFrctMDIMafpj5DJhgw44L2yAFsG8JfDRy_KRIy66kv7H_Seq-3zkFTvgAfnjGDpgOrS0BzR_gJhfTw6NeJ8Ih_35CKqepa8U6FTO1y/s1600/JerseyRed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurhY0iDoQhgAXOAirzoMPr6DRJOncUoFqaKH4kFFrctMDIMafpj5DJhgw44L2yAFsG8JfDRy_KRIy66kv7H_Seq-3zkFTvgAfnjGDpgOrS0BzR_gJhfTw6NeJ8Ih_35CKqepa8U6FTO1y/s200/JerseyRed.jpg" width="133" /></a><span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Days-Minnesota-Lassiter-Americas/dp/1592281044/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449948914&sr=1-1&keywords=Hustler+Days">HUSTLER DAYS</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This critically acclaimed book tells the story of pool in the 20th century and of the 1960s revival brought on by 20th Century Fox film, The Hustler. The book profiles some of the game’s greatest players, including Rags Fitzpatrick and Harold Worst. Purchase the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Days-Minnesota-Lassiter-Americas/dp/1592281044/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">Amazon.</a></span><br />
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<b>3 GREAT BOOKS BY THE LATE, GREAT <a href="http://bankingwiththebeard.com/">FREDDY "THE BEARD"</a></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAitpPB4vjX_IS6wB-bttydCywdxBxjo3j7v_X1zkFzycThKU3ApHsWLyqnoc_84aoM60VEraXRE4M_kTGFlrnVSzXXmZVBxv4bXoasEJ020ogsDl2Zyfof-kCyQxKJq19aHZzRDuzwxH/s1600/Pool+Hustler+Book+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAitpPB4vjX_IS6wB-bttydCywdxBxjo3j7v_X1zkFzycThKU3ApHsWLyqnoc_84aoM60VEraXRE4M_kTGFlrnVSzXXmZVBxv4bXoasEJ020ogsDl2Zyfof-kCyQxKJq19aHZzRDuzwxH/s1600/Pool+Hustler+Book+Cover.png" title="" width="190" /></a><i>Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna was an old-time pool hustler, a banking expert and one of our sport's great storytellers. I was sorry to hear of his passing in 2014. I've highlighted three of his books here. Each is well worth the investment. You can purchase them directly from his website, <a href="http://wwwbankingwiththebeard.com./">www.bankingwiththebeard.com.</a></i><br />
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<span class="s1"><b>THE “ENCYLOPEDIA” OF POOL HUSTLERS</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This reference work is not anything you’ll ever read from start to finish — at</span> least, not in any disciplined way — but it’s a book you’ll want to have around your nightstand or in The Brown Study. It’s chock full of quick and quirky anecdotes about players both famous and obscure (mostly obscure), all seasoned with Bentivegna’s aromatic brand of BS.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy4y1tEDvTR4kxwz8C_8bjqkOMhWqTRe31jIsUmTZbtsPxJz7KO8f8I_IX3yKL41nrwZ9UnfBm9nvGSFZKyGiTYvpijjWj4B3yqw_rlAiChZDyoPnWJPmydd85BBpT40OXyyGmdemoSIO/s1600/BankingWithBeard.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy4y1tEDvTR4kxwz8C_8bjqkOMhWqTRe31jIsUmTZbtsPxJz7KO8f8I_IX3yKL41nrwZ9UnfBm9nvGSFZKyGiTYvpijjWj4B3yqw_rlAiChZDyoPnWJPmydd85BBpT40OXyyGmdemoSIO/s200/BankingWithBeard.png" width="172" /></a><br />
<b>BANKING WITH THE BEARD</b><br />
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<span class="s1">Freddy's first book, "Bank</span><span class="s1">ing With The Beard," includes a banking formula that incorporates the concepts of acquired english a</span>nd cue ball english. It's 200 pages long. The tips are invaluable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInL1PQ1jW74Mr7tDfXJOanYIw0amnEH4mhsW21ZLqdrtO0iDidMBtj4-4tQtm5Trffz_ml7x2uF4iit8VYAARVb_asTBQ3u6CmUwOjTKjEb8VwTvruA2dZfFnot77R6g8pkhuQjxd_L0T/s1600/Gospool.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInL1PQ1jW74Mr7tDfXJOanYIw0amnEH4mhsW21ZLqdrtO0iDidMBtj4-4tQtm5Trffz_ml7x2uF4iit8VYAARVb_asTBQ3u6CmUwOjTKjEb8VwTvruA2dZfFnot77R6g8pkhuQjxd_L0T/s200/Gospool.png" width="153" /></a><b></b><br />
<b><b>GOSPOOL OF BANK POOL</b></b><br />
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Freddy's second book, "The GosPool of Bank Pool," also runs about 200 pages long -- but about half of it is devoted to colorful anecdotes. I found myself laughing out loud as I read about Minnesota Fats, Eddie "The Knoxville Bear" Taylor, Cornbread Red and Harold Worst. </div>
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<b>AND MORE BOOKS...</b></h3>
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<a href="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0156005549.01._SX220_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0156005549.01._SX220_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" height="100" width="77" /></a><span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Byrnes-Standard-Book-Pool-Billiards/dp/0156005549/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449944714&sr=1-3&keywords=shamos+pool">BYRNE'S NEW STANDARD BOOK ON POOL & BILLIARDS</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This</span> is the first instructional book that I ever purchased. Who knew that a collection of table drawings and shot descriptions could be so funny? A friend of mine had lent me a copy many many years ago. After reading only about 10 pages of it, I marched out and bought my own. You should too. (And while you’re at it, pick up Bryne’s second instructional book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Byrnes-Advanced-Technique-Pool-Billiards/dp/0156149710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449953706&sr=8-1&keywords=advanced+technique+in+pool+%26+billiards">Advanced Technique in Pool & Billiards.</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Byrnes-Advanced-Technique-Pool-Billiards/dp/0156149710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449953706&sr=8-1&keywords=advanced+technique+in+pool+%26+billiards">)</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1KjjABSIQvPOuX7HKMzx0sqW2m1Yv7KVue1PIgwXzo0WbTUFBr-hcFOFYUWjpAOd2R5c0raChTyC0N-3-b3L0DohFX7l7BoMjvBs6R9Rsh0T-uuGBkxHwW5UQYmWN3JyODKhQrQYnACP/s1600/Shamos+Book.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1KjjABSIQvPOuX7HKMzx0sqW2m1Yv7KVue1PIgwXzo0WbTUFBr-hcFOFYUWjpAOd2R5c0raChTyC0N-3-b3L0DohFX7l7BoMjvBs6R9Rsh0T-uuGBkxHwW5UQYmWN3JyODKhQrQYnACP/s1600/Shamos+Book.png" title="" /></a></div>
<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Billiards-Completely/dp/1585746851/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449944714&sr=1-2&keywords=shamos+pool">NEW ILLUSTRATED ENCYLOPEDIA OF BILLIARDS</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Ever wonder how many possible ball arrangements there are in a straight-pool rack? Wonder no more. Mike Shamos, in this wonderful collection of the trivial and the historic, tells us. Here, you can learn about Kelly Pool, the Lambert Trophy, and the origin of the slang "weight." There’s plenty of pictures. As a hardback, it makes a perfect addition to any coffee table.</span></div>
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<a href="http://theasylum.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/hustler.jpg?w=261&h=400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://theasylum.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/hustler.jpg?w=261&h=400" height="100" width="65" /></a><span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Walter-Tevis/dp/1560254734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449949126&sr=8-1&keywords=The+hustler+tevis">THE HUSTLER</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">There i</span>s no more important novel related to American pool as <i>The Hustler</i>, by Walter Tevis. Although not based on the life of Rudolf Wanderone, it nonetheless launched his media career. The book also led to the 20th Century Fox movie and the great renaissance for our sport during the 1960s. You also can read all about <i>The Hustler</i>, Minnesota Fats, the 1960s renaissance -- and the interrelation between the the three -- in my own book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Days-Minnesota-Lassiter-Americas/dp/1592281044/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">Hustler Days</a> (referenced above).</div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175037871l/471937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175037871l/471937.jpg" height="100" width="64.5" /></a><span class="s1"></span><b>MCGOORTY, A POOL ROOM HUSTLER</b></div>
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<span class="s1">Danny McGoorty was a poolroom hustler, ladies’ man, and drunk. Robert Bryne recorded McGoorty’s life's story, and then used it to craft one of the most delightful and hilarious biographies ever written about an American cueist. This book also includes fun anecdotes about some of the most important players of the last century, including Mosconi, Fats, Welker Cochran and even Alfredo De Oro.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdVy6FChVdmwL6vmRA6ihcCp-zc8cNBVa1ivo8kIjcV2aaU940sxDNCMgGNTC8SFkNU6cLjdQtxn2NzEz36Gh2OvlFd2JMV0svJy3ie8DbiC2BECQpX-I7jHKQ4yPrvF33pSHGwnIHxul/s1600/Willie%2527s+Game.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdVy6FChVdmwL6vmRA6ihcCp-zc8cNBVa1ivo8kIjcV2aaU940sxDNCMgGNTC8SFkNU6cLjdQtxn2NzEz36Gh2OvlFd2JMV0svJy3ie8DbiC2BECQpX-I7jHKQ4yPrvF33pSHGwnIHxul/s200/Willie%2527s+Game.png" width="136" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willies-Game-Autobiography-Stanley-Cohen-ebook/dp/B013CUBZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449957512&sr=8-1&keywords=willie%27s+game">WILLIE'S GAME</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Willie Mosconi in his biography <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willies-Game-Autobiography-Stanley-Cohen-ebook/dp/B013CUBZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449957512&sr=8-1&keywords=willie%27s+game"><i><b>Willie’s Game</b></i> </a>co-authored with Stanley Cohen, speaks of Fats, Wimpy Lassiter, Irving Crane and several others. Speaking about Onofrio Lauri, Mosconi said: "You wouldn’t want him to be the guy standing between you and a championship. He was a sensational shot maker. If he got on a roll he could run out on you quicker than you could count the balls." Find the Kindle edition <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willies-Game-Autobiography-Stanley-Cohen-ebook/dp/B013CUBZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449958571&sr=8-1&keywords=willie%27s+game">here.</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq9o9yI9Dl8a22KdoK1RJJgVYT7W9JbZVrnrDS5lB8nhKGspzArpKi4e5YknrsLk55w9JTOiek7cXnmWTAR2EUQO-KbapmLWB78hzA9FFEX130tD4LI9ce91rRmtf6nGacjB3rAijXlSd/s1600/bank_shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq9o9yI9Dl8a22KdoK1RJJgVYT7W9JbZVrnrDS5lB8nhKGspzArpKi4e5YknrsLk55w9JTOiek7cXnmWTAR2EUQO-KbapmLWB78hzA9FFEX130tD4LI9ce91rRmtf6nGacjB3rAijXlSd/s200/bank_shot.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bank-Shot-Other-Great-Robberies/dp/1592287018/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449958337&sr=8-1&keywords=The+bank+shot+and+other+great+robberies"><span class="s1"></span><b>THE BANK SHOT AND OTHER GREAT ROBBERIES</b></a><br />
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<span class="s1">This is the autobiography of Minnesota Fats, co-written by Tom Fox and with an introduction by <a href="http://poolhistory.com/index.html">R. A. Dyer.</a> It tells Fats' story is his own colorful words. A great fun read. Find it online <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bank-Shot-Other-Great-Robberies/dp/1592287018/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449958337&sr=8-1&keywords=The+bank+shot+and+other+great+robberies">here.</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAnDEzUW4pDdedx_nM2r7xSZjHq07DKDDY_XPNspJtMfjufsZJuJx6O1Gz4DDG12BHIdRvBuagwDA7NbgnetbvMB7wTS-f50BpP8Uolqc9o3_XZ-JmJYXool-C5gyo3EVKNesJhQyODhr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-12+at+12.42.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAnDEzUW4pDdedx_nM2r7xSZjHq07DKDDY_XPNspJtMfjufsZJuJx6O1Gz4DDG12BHIdRvBuagwDA7NbgnetbvMB7wTS-f50BpP8Uolqc9o3_XZ-JmJYXool-C5gyo3EVKNesJhQyODhr/s200/Screen+Shot+2015-12-12+at+12.42.17+PM.png" width="126" /></a></div>
<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pool-Wars-Worlds-Greatest-Players/dp/1475925913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449949163&sr=8-1&keywords=Pool+Wars+helfert">POOL WARS</a></b></span><br />
<span class="s1">Jay Helfert's great book Pool Wars is subtitled "On the Road to Hell and Back with the World's Greatest Money Players." That's particularly apt, given that Helfert here has collected stories about Charlie the Ape, Ronnie Allen, Cuban Joe, and of course Minnesota Fats. Helfert writes about brawls and sleeping in pool rooms. He has some wonderful old pictures of a crazy skinny Earl Strickland and Buddy "Rifleman" Hall. A great read.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>OTHER STUFF ...</b></span></h3>
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<span class="s1"><i>If that special someone doesn't feel like reading over the holidays, here are a few non-book recommendations:</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8qehpnLNfyrX_-IA_XPb3xplscWIvPoIZ4k0YLXMs64DgFRemtzaGl0vy__8DRBfzTmauj9SHLI0gH7tE7klMs1idJSnnMrLmKySy4vsbT47LnoEZBVyfZiZcQ96cjMUEstgKkKlZsXz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-12+at+1.13.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8qehpnLNfyrX_-IA_XPb3xplscWIvPoIZ4k0YLXMs64DgFRemtzaGl0vy__8DRBfzTmauj9SHLI0gH7tE7klMs1idJSnnMrLmKySy4vsbT47LnoEZBVyfZiZcQ96cjMUEstgKkKlZsXz/s200/Screen+Shot+2015-12-12+at+1.13.44+PM.png" width="142" /></a></div>
<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://www.helainegarren.com/">PHOTOS BY HELAINE GARREN</a></b></span><br />
<span class="s1">In 1970 Helaine Garren shot a series of images at Bensinger’s Pool Hall while she was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. Garren's astounding photos have won rave reviews from Slate, the Chicago Reader and every pool publication you can think of. </span>Buy prints directly from Ms. Garren at her website, <a href="http://www.helainegarren.com/">www.helainegarren.com</a>.</div>
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<span class="s1"><b><a href="http://accu-stats.com/">Accu-Stats</a></b></span></div>
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Call Pat Flemming over at Accu-Stats HQ and he'll recommend a good DVD. He's never steered me wrong once. Here's his number: 1-800-828-0397. You can also check out the website at <a href="http://accu-stats.com/">accu-stats.com.</a> </div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51No6GPEoOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51No6GPEoOL.jpg" height="100" width="73" /></a><span class="s1"></span></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O77SPO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1560254734&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=131QTKY22ZFJJZQKD1XB">THE HUSTLER (DVD RELEASE)</a></b><span class="s1"></span></div>
<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com">
</a><br />
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<span class="s1">The Hustler is the single-most important film ever made about our sport. For that reason alone, it deserves a revered sport in the DVD library of any lover of pool history. </span> The scenes between Paul Newman, as Fast Eddy, and Jackie Gleason, as Fats, are inspirational. The two-disk collector's edition also includes several extra documentaries, including one entitled “Swimming with Sharks” with commentary from Max Eberle and<a href="http://poolhistory.com/index.html"> myself.</a> So there’s that.<br />
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<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><strong>-- R.A. Dyer</strong></a>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-58753153899569394872015-09-19T09:49:00.003-05:002015-09-20T12:46:39.586-05:00VIDEO: Ko bests SVB in World 9-ball Final<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TxEv-fhVDgM" width="400"></iframe>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2861" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<i><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2860" style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2844" style="font-size: medium;">By Ted Lerner </span></span></i><br />
<i><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2860" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">WPA Press Officer</span></span></i></div>
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2860" style="font-size: small;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2866">Doha, QATAR -- </b>Showing
why he is not only one of pool’s most talented performers, but perhaps
its most hardcore player as well, Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi captured his first
World 9-ball Championship tonight in Doha, trading blows with the USA’s
Shane Van Boenin</span><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2845"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2844" style="font-size: medium;"></span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2860" style="font-size: small;">g for two and a half hours before pulling away in
crunch time to win 13-11.</span><br />
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2864" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2865" style="font-size: small;">Both
players put in gritty, high-quality performances, with brilliant shot
making under pressure, coupled with just a handful of errors from both
superstars. The outcome was in doubt right down to the dramatic end, but
it was Ko who seemed to will himself over the finish line for the
historic win.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2863" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2862" style="font-size: small;">The
win is the 26 year old Ko’s second world championship this year, after
capturing the 10-ball world title in the Philippines back in February.
That victory seven months ago served to fulfill the former teen prodigy’s long cherished dream of winning his first world title.
Tonight’s win puts Ko in the pantheon of all time pool greats.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Shane Van Boening" src="http://wpapool.com/images/web/JMG_0069_-_Copy.jpg" height="286" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shane Van Boening" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shane Van Boening, photo courtesy Richard Walker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">For
Van Boening the loss in his first ever World 9-ball final has to be a
massive disappointment, especially considering that he had literally
lapped the field in his prior matches, playing some of the most
scintillating 9-ball seen in many years. But the American’s mastery of
the break shot came to end against Ko, and he was forced to duke it out
with the Taiwanese. Van Boening had more than enough chances to pull out
the match, but with the pressure mounting late and the wear and tear
taking its toll on both players, Ko had just that little bit extra to
get the job done.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2842" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpapool.com/images/web/JMG_0080_-_Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ko Pin Yi wins the World 9-ball Championship" border="0" src="http://wpapool.com/images/web/JMG_0080_-_Copy.jpg" height="185" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2843" style="border: 1px solid black; margin-top: 1px;" title="Ko Pin Yi wins the World 9-ball Championship" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiwan's Ko Pin Yi wins big in Qutar. Photo by Richard Walker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2841" style="font-size: small;">Under
normal circumstances a match up in the world finals between greats like
Ko and Van Boening would be expected to be a tight slugfest from
beginning to end. But prior to the final almost nobody in the Al Arabi
Sports Club, and the tens of thousands tuning in around the world on the
live stream, was giving Ko a chance. That’s because up until that point
the American had been in a rarefied zone that few pool fans had ever
seen, winning his five previous race to 11 matches by the almost
preposterous total score of 55-14. Having figured out the break shot,
Van Boening simply couldn’t be stopped and he carried an air of
confident invincibility that made him appear untouchable.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
day began with the two semi-finals and the contrast couldn’t have been
more different. Playing on the TV table against Pin Yi’s younger brother
Ko Ping Chung, Van Boening again hit every break shot perfectly—wing
ball down and open shot on the one. He quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead
before the 20 year old Ko got one on the board. But then it was straight
back to the race track and before anyone knew it the American had won
the match 11-1. Van Boening was making 9-ball look like child’s play.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">On
the adjacent table Ko Pin Yi and former World 9-ball Champion Wu Jia
Qing, as expected, put on a show for the ages. Wu had Ko pinned down at
6-2, but Ko clawed his way back to 6-5. Leading 7-6 Wu played an errant
safety and Ko got his first tie, and a shot of confidence to boot and
he soon went ahead 8-7.The pair then took their games to the next level,
trading pressure packed break and runs, safeties and clutch pots. Wu
would never lead again as the two Taiwanese were tied at 8, 9 and then
10. Having won the lag, Ko had the last break and broke and ran for a
well deserved spot in the finals.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">An
hour later the race to 13 final began and, based upon thumping Van
Boening had given to Ko’s younger brother, and everyone else he had
faced this week, almost nobody had picked the Taiwanese to pull off the
win. Ko, however, is clearly not ‘everyone else.’</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
Taiwanese won the lag and after a safety battle, grabbed the first rack
to go up 1-0. Van Boening notched the next rack, and the pair traded
frames with each holding serve until the score reached 4-4. But one
thing was vastly different for the American in this match compared to
all his previous matches. Although he was having some success on the
break, he wasn’t nearly as flawless on that break as he had been
throughout the week.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2840" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2839" style="font-size: small;">Then
in rack 9 Ko was the recipient of several lucky rolls that would be the
first of nearly a handful that would help propel him forward throughout
the match. Ko scratched shooting at the 7-ball but was fortunate that
the same ball ended up married to the 8-ball, leaving Van Boening only a
difficult bank, which he missed. Ko then missed the subsequent shot,
but this time the 7-ball got snookered. Ko eventually took a rack that
he had no business winning to move up 5-4.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Ko Pin Yi" src="http://wpapool.com/images/web/IMG_9647_-_Copy.jpg" height="380" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Ko Pin Yi" width="285" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ko Pi Yin, photo courtesy Richard Walker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Shane
found his break and ran the next rack to tie it at 5-5. Then in the
next frame Ko got lucky again. He went for a 2-9 pot, missed, only to
see the 9-ball drop in the side for a fluke win and a 6-5 lead.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To
his credit Van Boening kept his composure and it served him well. Two
break and runs sandwiched around a Ko scratch brought the American his
first lead of the match and an 8-6 advantage.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Just
as he did against Wu earlier, however, Ko used the deficit as his
motivation to stage a fight back. At the same time Van Boening lost his
momentum and several mistakes cost him plenty. Ko won two straight to
tie the match at 8-8.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2838" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ko
looked to be going up 9-8 before a shocking scratch while shooting an
easy 8 gifted Van Boening the rack and a 9-8 lead. But then the American
gifted one back in the next frame, losing position on the 7 and leaving
a jump shot in the jaws. The match was now tied at 9-9 and the world
title looked like it was going to come down to a flip of the coin.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">With
the pressure palpable Ko took back the lead in the next frame. Van
Boening pounced on an errant 4-ball and tied it again at 10-10. Ko
responded with a break and run. And then Van Boening did the same to tie
it at 11-11. Showing incredible moxy, Ko then fired back with yet
another break and run. The Taiwanese was one away from the crown.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
final frame served as a metaphor for Van Boening’s one and only match
in the tournament where he experienced breaking struggles. With no open
shot after the break, the American had to push out. Ko declined the shot
and Van Boening’s attempt at the two-ball went astray, leaving an open
table for Ko. A battled hardened Ko took his time and picked off the
remaining colors and claimed his very first World 9-ball Champio</span><span style="font-size: small;">nship.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2837" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://wpapool.com/images/web/JMG_0547_-_Copy.jpg" height="448" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2835" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" width="290" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ko Pi Yin takes the gold. Photo by Richard Walker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2836" style="font-size: small;">After soaking up </span><span style="font-size: small;">the accolades and posing with his winner’s trophy and $30,000 check, Ko basked in the quiet satisfaction o</span><span style="font-size: small;">f
a job well done. Yes he had made a few mistakes. Yes he had gotten some
lucky rolls. But he had persevered. And that, above all, made this win
that much more special.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“When
I won the World 10-ball in the Philippines, that was great,” Ko said.
“But winning the World 9-ball Championship, this is unbelievable. I’m
really happy because before I came to Doha I wasn’t playing that good.
But I worked really hard on my game, especially my break shot.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“I
definitely didn’t play per perfect in the final. But I played really
good in the semi-final and of course that is more important because that
got me to the final. I was 7-6 behind when Wu made one safety mistake,
and after that everything changed.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2834" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2833" style="font-size: small;">“In
the previous matches I was playing perfect, just like Shane, who is
such a great player, a real gentleman. But it’s the final of the World
9-ball championship and you know so many things can happen. I think we
both played good and both made some mistakes. I feel that I got a few
lucky rolls to help me win the match. There was a lot of pressure
especially from 8-8 on. But at the end of the match I played good and I
am happy I was able to stay patient. You just never know in 9-ball. The
ball is round and you have to wait until the last 9-ball drops.”</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2832" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2831" style="font-size: small;">An
obviously gutted Van Boening knew he hadn’t played in the same
swashbuckling style that had brought him to the finals, especially with
the break shot. The American, however, still played a brilliant match.
He also took the loss like a man, gave credit where it was due, and
promised his fans he’d snap a world title off soon enough.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2830" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2829" style="font-size: small;">“He
got a lot of fortunate rolls and he got lucky to hook me a couple of
times after misses,” Van Boening said. "But I also made a couple of
mistakes that I should have never have made. He played great and really
didn’t make that many mistakes. I think I made more mistakes than he did
and that is what cost me.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2828" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2827" style="font-size: small;">“He
was breaking good and I was breaking bad. There were more people in
here(the Al Arabi Sports Club) which changed the temperature and the
break a little bit. I really think that was the difference. My break
wasn’t working for me. I was having trouble getting a clear shot to run
out. That’s the way the game plays.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2826" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2825" style="font-size: small;">“There’s
nothing I can do. I’m not that disappointed. It’s an honor to play in
the world championship finals. I know I can’t win every tournament.
Either way if I win or lose it was fun to play in the finals. I’ll be
back.”</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2822" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2824" style="font-size: small;"><i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2823">**The
2015 WPA World 9-ball Championship was sanctioned by the World
Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the governing body of pool, and promoted
and hosted by the Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation (QBSF).</i></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2821" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2820" style="font-size: small;"><i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2819">The
winner of the 2015 World 9-ball Championship received $30,000. The
runner received $15,000. The total prize fund was $200,000.</i></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">RESULTS FINAL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 13 – 11 Shane Van Boening (USA)</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1442673956385_2816" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">RESULTS SEMI-FINALS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Shane Van Boening (USA) 11 -1 Ko Pin Chung (TPE) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ko Pin Yi (TPE) 11 -10 Wu Jia Qing (CHN)</span></div>
R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-28053434253826181552015-08-30T13:11:00.002-05:002015-08-30T13:54:33.624-05:00Man of Many Talents: Hall of Fame Inductee Charles Ursitti Known for Marksmanship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOzHmsAX-bE2iaYtwpQzIjH26vs7gNEC9tW85yedoXFKgBlnM7dHj_WP72afYoQLVJTX0rdtBeN9a0IojvYNCeJSh2HxS3uhRMTF8lcCz2IfHepQARG5H5GmslQjJHcXjSeMTjPRBR2v/s1600/Ursitti+USA+Today-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOzHmsAX-bE2iaYtwpQzIjH26vs7gNEC9tW85yedoXFKgBlnM7dHj_WP72afYoQLVJTX0rdtBeN9a0IojvYNCeJSh2HxS3uhRMTF8lcCz2IfHepQARG5H5GmslQjJHcXjSeMTjPRBR2v/s320/Ursitti+USA+Today-1+copy.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
Did you know that Charles Ursitti, recent Hall of Fame inductee and a key figure in the book <i><a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_champ.html" target="_blank">The Hustler & The Champ,</a> </i>was also a highly competitive sharpshooter? He learned about guns from his father, and then went on to shoot both in public exhibitions and in tournaments.<br />
<br />
Charlie was the driving force behind the Great Shoot-Out, the famous 1978 televised match between Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconi. You can read more about that in <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_champ.html"><i>The Hustler & The Champ</i>,</a> published by Lyons Press. Charlie also has amassed one of the greatest repositories of historical pool and billiard statistics in America. You can see those stats online, for free, at <a href="http://charlesursitti.com./">charlesursitti.com.</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<i>The New York Newsday </i>article shown above describes Ursitti's victory in the individual shooting competition at the Charlton Heston Celebrity Shoot in California, back in July 1993. That's Heston himself in the photo, in the middle, and the actor Paul <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIBtlrwnDYayjsYFuV-7zrS1LB5lObNx68MvFAA6BQpRRmKx4y_eKq23HRo7pxjbvcq3BsDVcy56wsOrVu17ywmdLfqE9d9vaMsr6dutF-I7xQbvxJT6uWvqElfivk3aY2ad0dfFchqXn/s1600/huster_champ_bookcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIBtlrwnDYayjsYFuV-7zrS1LB5lObNx68MvFAA6BQpRRmKx4y_eKq23HRo7pxjbvcq3BsDVcy56wsOrVu17ywmdLfqE9d9vaMsr6dutF-I7xQbvxJT6uWvqElfivk3aY2ad0dfFchqXn/s200/huster_champ_bookcover.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
Sorvino on the left. Charlie is pictured at right.<br />
<br />
According to the article: "Ursitti's dead-eye shooting stole a large part of the show. 'It was <br />
unbelievable,' said Brendan Banahan, Ursitti's teammate and publisher of <i>Field and Stream </i>magazine. 'I'd never seen anyone shoot as confidently and accurately.' Ursitti earned a perfect score in all four events of the handgun competition and recorded the highest score of 100 participants."<br />
<br />
Ursitti is to be officially enshrined into the<a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2015/08/ortmann-ursitti-enshrined-in-bca-hall.html"> Billiard Congress Hall of Fame</a> during a ceremony in October. Wimpy Lassiter, the late hustler and fellow Hall of Famer who figured prominently in <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">Hustler Days</a>, also was an expert marksman. <br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b>-- R.A. Dyer</b></a>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-62353348693220735152015-08-22T13:26:00.001-05:002015-08-30T13:12:59.531-05:00Ortmann, Ursitti Enshrined in Hall of Fame<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUttLot8nj6AjWkaf1Xza8s6FD8fT46CRzdHIMdY863g3mU_eWhSE3R1HbzLn0zlpOaBPkPiyQWgp_HT1gBxR5MIIL0F0Kw0Yo9rLqvoE9fJHAgu7MpDHmjc1ZtIHQACD3uXOJy5pI_i2/s1600/OrtmannJake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUttLot8nj6AjWkaf1Xza8s6FD8fT46CRzdHIMdY863g3mU_eWhSE3R1HbzLn0zlpOaBPkPiyQWgp_HT1gBxR5MIIL0F0Kw0Yo9rLqvoE9fJHAgu7MpDHmjc1ZtIHQACD3uXOJy5pI_i2/s200/OrtmannJake.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivoer Ortmann, left,<br />
and Johnny Archer.<br />
Courtesy Billiards Digest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">BROOMFIELD, COLO., Aug. 18, 2015 — (BCA Press Release) Two trailblazers in the pool world have earned
election into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2015.
Former world champion Oliver Ortmann of Germany and pool
promoter/historian Charles Ursitti will be inducted as the 65th and 66th
members of the sport's hall of fame, the United States Billiard Media
Association announced today.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Ortmann, 48, of Hamburg, will enter
the Greatest Players wing of the BCA Hall of Fame, while Ursitti, 68,
who was born in New York City and now resides in Florida, will be
honored for Meritorious Service. Both will be formally inducted during
ceremonies on Oct. 29, 2015, at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside in
Norfolk, Va.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">One of the most decorated players in Europe, Ortmann
led the way for European players in the United States by scoring a
shocking win over pool legend Steve Mizerak in the final of the 1989 BCA
U.S. Open 14.1 Championship in Chicago. Ortmann went on to win the 1993
BCA U.S. Open, as well as three World Pool-Billiard Association world
titles — the 1993 WPA World 9-Ball Championship and the WPA World 14.1
Championship in 2007 and 2010. The fiery Ortmann twice won the
International Challenge of Champions (1997 and 2000), and captained Team
Europe's winning Mosconi Cup squad in 2002. He also holds 14 European
Pool Championship gold medals, 13 Euro Tour titles and was three-time
European Player of the Year.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">"This is a great surprise to me,"
Ortmann said, after being notified of his election. "It's great news. To
be honest, I had stopped thinking about the hall of fame. Many years
ago I thought it was possible, but after years went by, I thought my
time had passed."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHMirDO6fbgd3cp5fRRw1ozDuluE_sAMLWfcmdkecmYV2vagr54TugysgG8QlPikehyphenhyphengA7KPq3nGsfbhWu_XAffCpdCI-WUkQ79WR4E3yJaxNMPj6gCzv_PQIPx3T_hg3dTvv0btdWr7K/s1600/Ursitti3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHMirDO6fbgd3cp5fRRw1ozDuluE_sAMLWfcmdkecmYV2vagr54TugysgG8QlPikehyphenhyphengA7KPq3nGsfbhWu_XAffCpdCI-WUkQ79WR4E3yJaxNMPj6gCzv_PQIPx3T_hg3dTvv0btdWr7K/s200/Ursitti3.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Ursitti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Ursitti's career in billiard promotions began
when he teamed with boxing promoter Big Fights, Inc., to produce the
first-ever meeting of pool legends Willie Mosconi and "Minnesota Fats"
in the "Great Pool Shootout." The 1978 ABC-TV Wide World of Sports
production drew more than 10 million television viewers, and remains the
most watched pool match ever aired in the U.S..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ursitti went on to
promote televised matches between Fats and Mosconi, eventually
introducing modern day players like Allen Hopkins and Steve Mizerak into
the productions. A seven-year run with CBS Sports Spectacular created
opportunities to add more pro players, as well as female stars Jean
Balukas and Loree Jon Ogonowski (Hasson).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ursitti was responsible for
pool's initial forays onto cable giant ESPN, where he promoted the "King
of the Hill" series and the "Legends of Pocket Billiards" series.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In
addition to being a promoter, Ursitti researched and created a database
documenting the history of competitive pool and three-cushion billiards
in the U.S., chronicling the sport from 1878 to present day. The
database is available online for free at <a href="http://charlesursitti.com/" target="_blank">CharlesUrsitti.com.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">"Needless
to say, I'm thrilled to be elected into the BCA Hall of Fame," Ursitti
said. "When I was first introduced to pocket billiards in 1976, I never
dreamed of someday joining the greatest of the great. I consider myself
really lucky with all of my promotions, and was honored to work with the
legends of the sport, from Willie and Fats, Irving Crane and Jimmy
Caras, to Mizerak, Hopkins, Mike Sigel, Jimmy Rempe and the rest. It has
been a great trip, and I will cherish that forever."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Voting for
the 2015 BCA Hall of Fame was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board,
which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living
members of the BCA Hall of Fame. Induction into the Greatest Players
category is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. To be
eligible for consideration in the Greatest Players category, a player a)
must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must
have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must
have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">A
special Meritorious Service Committee recommends a person for
consideration by the Hall of Fame Board. Induction into the Meritorious
Service category is achieved if more than 50 percent of the Hall of Fame
Board votes in favor of the candidate.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Ortmann, in his eighth
year of eligibility, was named on 60 percent of the ballots, edging out
fellow pros Gerda Hofstatter (44 percent) and Kim Davenport (37
percent). Belinda Calhoun, Shannon Daulton, Mary Kenniston, Rodney
Morris and Vivian Villarreal each received votes on fewer than 25
percent of the ballots.</span>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-22003632891384346692015-08-04T11:12:00.001-05:002015-08-04T17:47:48.912-05:00Pool Historian William Hendricks Dies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM-buUnCZyeqBHZ5MlXXchAC5Rp3rvZ4FrCHDiwMRbVlHCcHEn97iXGKntU2AeJcUs5XzfK1c_2SkfFIJccbqSTTJMe3RafWbHW00A_bg97iUobkJo6hJSW1L4C_BUhCJVRJbaBBTy1wj/s1600/IMG_1051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM-buUnCZyeqBHZ5MlXXchAC5Rp3rvZ4FrCHDiwMRbVlHCcHEn97iXGKntU2AeJcUs5XzfK1c_2SkfFIJccbqSTTJMe3RafWbHW00A_bg97iUobkJo6hJSW1L4C_BUhCJVRJbaBBTy1wj/s320/IMG_1051.jpg" width="242" /></a></span></div>
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2339" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Here’s a bit of sad news for pool history fans: William
Hendricks, author of the very good but somewhat obscure <i>Official Standard
History of Pool, Billiards and Snooker,</i> has died.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2340" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2345" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">The World War II veteran was 90 years old. He passed away on
May 15<sup id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2346">th</sup> in an Illinois nursing home.</span><br />
<div id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2344" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2345" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2352" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2352" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><i>The Official Standard History of Pool, Billiards &
Snooker </i>is a hard-to-find gem, one that includes fascinating tidbits about the
early history of billiards equipment and the game. </span><span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2352" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">A timeline in the book
goes all the way back to 1164, and cites the earliest documented use of the word <i id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2353">“bille” </i>to refer to certain medieval ball
games. </span></div>
<div id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2351" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2352" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2359" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2359" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">According to an <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetelegraph/obituary.aspx?pid=174884896">online obituary</a>, Hendricks was born on Sept.
16, 1923 in Alton, Illinois. He served in Europe during World War II and
later became a professor at Southwestern Illinois University-Edwardsville and
Belleville Area College. He also was an avid pool player.</span></div>
<div id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2358" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2359" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2365" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2365" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Although never in wide circulation, Hendricks' book has
been cited in many other works, including those by billiards historian Mike Shamos (<i>The
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards</i>) and John Grissim (<i>Billiards</i>). I also cite
Hendricks in <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_champ.html"><i id="yiv7314291037yui_3_16_0_1_1438702675465_2366">The Hustler & The Champ.</i></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b>-- R.A. Dyer</b></a></span>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-38199229474365729752015-06-13T10:37:00.000-05:002017-04-02T18:16:56.589-05:00American Pool History: A TimelineHere's a work-in-progress timeline of American pool. Feel free to suggest more entries or corrections. One day I'll put this up more permanently on the regular poolhistory.com website. <br />
<br />
<b>1565</b><br />
Pool makes its first appearance in North America, according to Frank G. Menke, a sports historian. A Spanish family brought it with them to St. Augustine, Florida. (<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=jFQEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=RA1-PA160&ots=FS_Ylo_EKh&dq=JOhn%20seereiter%20pool&pg=RA1-PA162#v=onepage&q=JOhn%20seereiter%20pool&f=true">Source: Life Magazine, Oct. 8, 1951</a>).<br />
<br />
<b>1748</b><br />
George Washington purported to have won a pool game. (Source: <a href="http://bca-pool.com/?page=39">A Brief History of the Noble Game of Billiards</a>, by Mike Shamos.)<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>1819</b><br />
Michael Phelan, considered the father of American pool, is born in Castle Comer, County Kilkenny, Ireland.<br />
<br />
<b>1824</b><br />
Michael Phelan and family join father John Phelan in New York City<b><b>.</b></b><br />
<b><b><br /></b></b>
<b><b>1827</b></b><br />
The first slate tables appear. Previously, the playing surface of tables was cut from wood and then briefly with marble. However, marble was known to "sweat" in warm weather. [Source: Encyclopedia of Sports, by Frank G. Menke, 1939.]<br />
<br />
<b>1835</b><br />
India wooden cushions are substituted for wooden cushions, which had been popular previously. The India rubber cushions provided a "spectacular bounce," according to sports historian Frank G. Menke. [Source: Encyclopedia of Sports, by Frank G. Menke, 1939.]<br />
<br />
<b><b>1850</b></b><br />
Phelan, seen now as greatest player in the United States, publishes <i>Billiards Without a Master.</i><b><br /></b><br />
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<b><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYoNlXaNliV5Qgp2YW14SljZlfa2Sv8de6A3hGSWe4IYJKevRhXSsLnu6qeHaBP5bQn1js2PQBhHVBp33mMUGAeoCt6ApqkN0Ev7K9GMrGKmbp9J1bPFRF3fU78xULxcUVv4WdMxgI8fd/s1600/PHelan+Mug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYoNlXaNliV5Qgp2YW14SljZlfa2Sv8de6A3hGSWe4IYJKevRhXSsLnu6qeHaBP5bQn1js2PQBhHVBp33mMUGAeoCt6ApqkN0Ev7K9GMrGKmbp9J1bPFRF3fU78xULxcUVv4WdMxgI8fd/s200/PHelan+Mug.png" width="200" /></a></b></b></div>
<br />
<b>1856</b><br />
Phelan’s book<i>, Game of Billiards, </i>is published; he opens a
room at the corner of Broadway and 10th, New York. It was considered
the finest and most luxurious pool room in the world. He also publishes
the first edition of <i>Billiard Cue</i>, the first billiard periodical.<b><b><b><br /></b></b> </b><br />
<b>1859</b><br />
Jim Seereiter and Michael Phelan play in a four-day standing room only tournament in Detroit for an astronomical $15,000. Phelan won; in April Dudley Kavanaugh beats Michael Foley in another <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ATzTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=%22American+Billiard+Players+Association%22+Phelan&source=bl&ots=6BrRKJg8s6&sig=gPq-2inPeLtDRqUt77HeQGWyphs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBGoVChMIlvLl_KyLxgIVC1SSCh3cAwBJ#v=onepage&q=Dudley%20Kavanaugh&f=false">high-profile match</a>, also in Detroit.<br />
<br />
<b>1863</b><br />
Phelan retires from active competition; <b></b>he also
offers a $10,000 reward for anyone who can devise a suitable ivory
substitute for the manufacturer of billiard balls. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/05/13/the_death_of_billiards_and_the_rise_of_plastic_on_99_invisible_with_roman.html">This effort has been credited with the eventual development of plastic.</a> Dudley Kavanagh wins in a pro championship in Irving Hall, New York, June 1-9. He becomes second U.S. pool champion.<br />
<br />
<b>1865</b><br />
Vulcanized rubber came into use for cushions, and remains the standard to this day. [Source: Encyclopedia of Sports, by Frank G. Menke, 1939.]<br />
<br />
<b>1865</b><br />
On Sept. 7, Louis Fox and John Deery, joint holders of the world billiards championship of 1864, meet in Washington Hall, Rochester, New York, to decide the 1865 title. According to an account of sports historian Menke: "Fox, far in the lead and on his way to winning, found himself bothered by a fly, which, despite 'shooing,' continued to light on the cue ball. Fox, excitingly trying to chase the fly, miscued, and it was Deery's shot. Deery ran out the string to win the championship. The heart broken Fox rushed out of the hall to a river, leaped in, and was drowned." [Source: Encyclopedia of Sports, by Frank G. Menke, 1939.]<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>1869</b><br />
Celluloid, the first industrial plastic, is discovered by New Yorker John Wesley Hyatt. Hyatt was attempting to come up with a substitute for ivory billiard balls, but his new substitutes sometimes exploded on impact.<br />
<br />
<b>1873</b><br />
Jerome Keogh, inventor of straight pool and five-times billiard champion, is born. <br />
<br />
<b>1897</b><br />
Keogh wins his first world championship.<br />
<br />
<b>1907</b><br />
Eight ball is invented. The first three-cushion championship is established.<br />
<br />
<b>1910</b><br />
The game of straight pool is invented by Jerome Keogh.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b>1911</b><br />
The very first World 14.1 Tournament was held in 1911 and won by <a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2010/05/alfredo-de-oro-one-of-greatest-ever.html">Alfredo De Oro. </a> <br />
<br />
<b>1912</b><br />
Straight pool becomes the official tournament game of pocket billiards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqQ3jPei0n-HPQCLeIn7wJxuxJjMffIUG_irdn_uNp1C67TtANELo_xBbG2keqSfOCQwhSUPgnt1wBxXeKLCuZum1jqKUK4E6dIgkaUC0p1flFoyt-2Qqms1Qsh52Yn-6LM1_JT84qID1/s1600/AlfredoDeOro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqQ3jPei0n-HPQCLeIn7wJxuxJjMffIUG_irdn_uNp1C67TtANELo_xBbG2keqSfOCQwhSUPgnt1wBxXeKLCuZum1jqKUK4E6dIgkaUC0p1flFoyt-2Qqms1Qsh52Yn-6LM1_JT84qID1/s200/AlfredoDeOro.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfredo De Oro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>1913</b><br />
Rudolf Wanderone, AKA Minnesota Fats, is born in New York on Jan. 13. Willie Mosconi is born in Philadelphia on June 27. The industry reports one of its best years, ever, for table sales.<br />
<br />
<b>1914</b><br />
Dudley Kavanaugh dies in New York on March at age 80. <br />
<br />
<b>1916</b><br />
Ralph Greenleaf competes in his first national championship tournament, held in October at Doyle’s Academy in New York. The 16-year-old Greenleaf was described as a “Boy Wonder” by the <i>New York Times.</i><br />
<br />
<b>1918</b><br />
<a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">Luther Lassiter</a> is born. <i><br /></i><br />
<br />
<b>1919</b><br />
Greenleaf wins the first of his 13 world titles.<br />
<br />
<b>1929</b><br />
Greenleaf, playing in Detroit, regains the title – his eighth. He defeats the scoreless Frank Taberski with a sensational 126-ball run.<br />
<br />
Harold Worst, future three-cushion and pool champion, is born on Sept. 29 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.<br />
<br />
<b>1933</b><br />
Willie Mosconi makes his national tournament debut.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie Mosconi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>1941</b><br />
Willie Mosconi wins the first of 15 world titles.<br />
<br />
<b>1948</b><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Billiard Congress of America is established.</span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span> <br />
<br />
<b>1953</b><br />
Jerome Keogh, winner of five titles and the inventor of straight pool, dies at age 80 on January 12. <br />
<br />
<b>1954</b><br />
Harold Worst wins the world three-cushion title during an event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.<br />
<br />
<b>1954</b><br />
Willie Mosconi establishes the BCA-recognized straight-pool high-run record of 536 balls. He accomplished the startling feat in Ohio, on an 8 by 4 table.<br />
<br />
<b>1956</b><br />
Willie Mosconi suffers a stroke.<br />
<br />
<b>1961</b><br />
George Jansco conducts the first of his <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">famous hustler tournaments</a> in Johnston City, Illinois. The tournaments, which lasted about a decade, would eventually attract nationwide attention. <br />
<br />
20th Century Fox releases “The Hustler.” The film, starring Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman, would reinvigorate the public’s interest in the sport.<br />
<br />
Rudolf Wanderone begins making the fanciful claim that he was the real-life inspiration for the film’s <a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">Minnesota Fats</a> character.<br />
<br />
<b>1963</b><br />
<a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_days.html">Luther Lassiter </a>wins the first of his seven Billiard Congress of America-recognized titles. He won many more non-sanctioned events.<br />
<br />
<b>1965</b><br />
Three-cushion champ Harold Worst briefly conquers the world of pocket billiards with victories at the Las Vegas Stardust tournament in June, and in Johnston City in October and November.<br />
<br />
<b>1966</b><br />
<i>The Bank Shot and Other Great Robberies</i>, the fanciful memoirs written by Minnesota Fats and <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rVghVnnZ52owXnxDRGBukWD-IESNu8iKXFmwxZw56yRZLIfpK-vUSMeSvCzqlb8fyRZWVLQO-1LGgi1dPuXaKn38uWbZTbE-vLaa0XgpICh3j1eTG_Fxxo-O3RwRgN776FjVdoM4wZDX/s1600/Bankshot+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rVghVnnZ52owXnxDRGBukWD-IESNu8iKXFmwxZw56yRZLIfpK-vUSMeSvCzqlb8fyRZWVLQO-1LGgi1dPuXaKn38uWbZTbE-vLaa0XgpICh3j1eTG_Fxxo-O3RwRgN776FjVdoM4wZDX/s200/Bankshot+Cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
Philadelphia newspaper writer Tom Fox, gets published.<br />
<br />
<b>1969</b><br />
George Jansco dies. Brother Paulie takes over management of Johnston City tournament.<br />
<br />
<b>1972</b><br />
After reading newspaper reports of widespread gambling, federal agents on Oct. 26 raid the Johnston City tournament. The '72 tournament would be the last. <br />
<br />
<b>1978</b><br />
<a href="http://poolhistory.com/books/hustler_champ.html">Willie Mosconi and Minnesota Fats</a> would play the first of several televised challenge matches. It was the most-viewed pool match in U.S. history.<br />
<br />
<b>1984</b><br />
Earl Strickland wins the first of his historic five U.S. Opens. <br />
<br />
<b>1986</b><br />
<i>The Color of Money,</i> a sequel to <i>The Hustler, </i>opens to favorable reviews. The film stars Tom Cruise with Paul Newman reprising his role as Fast Eddy Felson. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMt-ZCsy_pR3i0fQ0Z6p_nNKPuhhz_Eg0-ElExP9SYKJJwy5aw1bP9VnQ2Q-Ymp3kZdimtJ-gzIdNKxuaruaezcJkUm3yX8Hg03I5Lqw8-NHYdPM-kUV-AcxE7YN2ihBTWa7ZE08v2gXE/s1600/allison-fisher-nc-wpba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMt-ZCsy_pR3i0fQ0Z6p_nNKPuhhz_Eg0-ElExP9SYKJJwy5aw1bP9VnQ2Q-Ymp3kZdimtJ-gzIdNKxuaruaezcJkUm3yX8Hg03I5Lqw8-NHYdPM-kUV-AcxE7YN2ihBTWa7ZE08v2gXE/s200/allison-fisher-nc-wpba.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allison Fisher</td></tr>
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<b>1993</b><br />
Willie Mosconi dies in Haddon Heights, New Jersey on Sept. 16.<br />
<br />
<b>1995</b><br />
Allison Fisher wins the first of her more than 50 Women's Professional Billiard Association titles. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>1996</b><br />
Minnesota Fats dies on Jan. 18.<br />
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</div>
<br />
<b>2000-2001</b><br />
Allison Fisher wins 8 consecutive
major pro pool tournaments. <br />
<br />
<b>2007</b><br />
Shane Van Boening wins the first of his five U.S. Opens. <br />
<br />R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-65089862966655715192015-06-12T16:44:00.001-05:002020-02-10T20:09:05.784-06:00 Michael Phelan, the Father of American Pool — A Timeline *<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Phelan, Father of American Pool</td></tr>
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<b>1819 (April 18th) —</b> Born in Castle Comer, County Kilkenny, Ireland<b>.<br />1823 —</b> Father John immigrates to the United States. Here, he begins to operate a number of pool rooms.<b><br />1824 —</b> Michael Phelan and family join father John in New York.<b><br />1830 —</b> Begins learning the jewelry trade. He eventually abandons this trade and instead follows in his father’s footsteps, devoting himself to the pool business.<b><br />1838 — </b>Phelan travels to Galveston, with plans to open a pool room there. The plan goes awry, and Phelan remains stuck and penniless in the south for several years.<b><br />1842 — </b>Michael Phelan returns to New York.<b><br />1847 —</b> Opens the famous Arcade Billiard Room on Barclay Street, a favorite of the fashionable young men of the day.<b><br />1848 —</b>Irish nationalists launch aborted rebellion; Hugh Collender, Phelan's future business partner, flees Ireland — <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ATzTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=%22American+Billiard+Players+Association%22+Phelan&source=bl&ots=6BrRKJg8s6&sig=gPq-2inPeLtDRqUt77HeQGWyphs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBGoVChMIlvLl_KyLxgIVC1SSCh3cAwBJ#v=snippet&q=coffin&f=false">apparently in a coffin </a>— when the rebellion fails<b>; </b>Phelan lends financial support and helps arm militias in the United States.<b> </b><b><br />1850 —</b>Phelan, seen now as greatest player in the United States, publishes <i>Billiards Without a Master.</i><b> </b>This was pool's first best seller.<b><br />1851— </b>Phelan visits Europe as a delegate of the “Insurrectionary Party of Ireland,” meets with rebel leaders; is ejected by British authorities. <b><br />1851 or 1852 — </b>Leaves New York for California.<b><br />1854-1855 — </b>Returns to New York<b>.<br />1854 — </b>Begins manufacturing billiard tables, entering into a partnership with Hugh Collender to form Phelan & Collender.<b><br />1855 — </b>February, Plays a three-carom match with Monsier Damon, a French expert, for a stakes of $1,000; he opens a room at 39 Chambers Street, New York<b>.<br />1856 —</b> Phelan’s book <i>Game of Billiards </i>is published; he opens a room at the corner of Broadway and 10th, New York. It was considered the finest and most luxurious pool room in the world. He also publishes the first edition of Billiard Cue, the first billiard periodical.<b><br />1858 — </b>Phelan defeats Ralph Benjamin of Philadelphia for $1,000. This is the first recorded billiard match in American history.<b><span id="goog_764508671"></span><span id="goog_764508672"></span><br />1859 — </b>Enters into a high stakes challenge match with John Seereiter In today’s dollars, the stakes would be valued at more than $400,000.<b></b><br />
<b>1860 —</b>Buys Tobias C. O'Conner's share of billiard table manufacturing business,<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ATzTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=%22American+Billiard+Players+Association%22+Phelan&source=bl&ots=6BrRKJg8s6&sig=gPq-2inPeLtDRqUt77HeQGWyphs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBGoVChMIlvLl_KyLxgIVC1SSCh3cAwBJ#v=onepage&q=Phelan&f=false"> O'Conner Collender.</a><b><br />1863 — </b>Phelan retires from active competition.<b> </b>He also offers a $10,000 reward for anyone who can come up with a suitable ivory substitute for the manufacturer of billiard balls. T<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/05/13/the_death_of_billiards_and_the_rise_of_plastic_on_99_invisible_with_roman.html">his effort has been credited with the eventual development of plastic.</a><b><br />1865 — </b>Phelan was a founder of the American Billiard Players Association, which was open to professional players, poolroom proprietors and amateurs. Controversially, he brings a large segment of the sport under his control.<b><br />1870 — </b>Saves his grandson from drowning during International Yacht Race.<b><br />1871 (Oct. 7) — </b>Dies, presumably from the lingering effects of exposure from helping saving his grandson the previous year.<b><br />1993 — </b>Inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.<b><br /></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b></b></a><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCdaLKMrww4CJ4D9NLQqgAlF8K7NIultlo_akkly6qEiqZ_v7_KCraIF6jVFlBV8TMUOZMYdZq1w4lUTgffr7MoGlLYyb6tbFYtrqkMw5BCeDLGtZAJ0wFMaBucWN33bLmWn8Wl3PFWJM/s1600/Phelan+Factory.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCdaLKMrww4CJ4D9NLQqgAlF8K7NIultlo_akkly6qEiqZ_v7_KCraIF6jVFlBV8TMUOZMYdZq1w4lUTgffr7MoGlLYyb6tbFYtrqkMw5BCeDLGtZAJ0wFMaBucWN33bLmWn8Wl3PFWJM/s400/Phelan+Factory.png" width="400" /></a></b></div>
R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-91391895122384916822014-08-08T18:23:00.002-05:002014-08-09T14:06:36.695-05:00Immonen, Parica Selected for Hall of Fame<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Broomfield, Colo., August 6, 2013 – The United States Billiard Media Association today announced that two-time world pool champion Mika Immonen and Jose Parica, the leader of pool’s “Philippine Invasion” in the 1980s, have earned induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in the Greatest Players category.<br />
<br />
Immonen, 42, and Parica, 65, will become the 63rd and 64th members of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. The pair will be inducted during <a href="http://www.usbma.com/HallofFame2014/">ceremonies </a>on Oct. 17, at the Chesapeake Convention Center in Chesapeake, Va.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQL7F3i6CtThegtWVLfe3E-gZzHfJpoSWfavxeQrCMx2uOG76NF2i3r4JWtQS_7DDsRYfxJXyz2wH_uP04itfE4KxIgZ-YDL1_w16GrzbBPNO1zpQNMTay6UTn3j_xis3M5CArzlcB69V/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQL7F3i6CtThegtWVLfe3E-gZzHfJpoSWfavxeQrCMx2uOG76NF2i3r4JWtQS_7DDsRYfxJXyz2wH_uP04itfE4KxIgZ-YDL1_w16GrzbBPNO1zpQNMTay6UTn3j_xis3M5CArzlcB69V/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mika Immonen</td></tr>
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<br />
Immonen, born in London, but raised in Finland, was the European 9-Ball Tour’s No. 1 player at 20. Four years after capturing his first major international title — the 1996 Peace Cup in Taiwan —Immonen settled in New York City. A year later, he won the World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales, topping a star-studded 128-player international field and grabbing what was then pool’s richest top prize — $65,000. Immonen was a dominant player throughout the 2000s, winning 10 pro titles in the U.S., including back-to-back U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship crowns (2008, 2009). He added his second world title when he won the 2009 World 10-Ball Championship.<i> Billiards Digest</i> named Immonen “Player of the Decade” in 2010. Immonen has added a handful of major titles since 2010, including the World Cup of Pool doubles crown in 2012. He has also played as a member of Team Europe in the Mosconi Cup 14 times, and was named MVP in 2008.<br />
<br />
“This is really amazing,” Immonen said, when the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame call interrupted a practice session at Amsterdam Billiard Club in Manhattan. “I’m a little beside myself right now, with goose bumps. After last year (in which Immonen lost to Jeanette Lee in a special Hall of Fame run-off]), I knew I had a chance. But you never really believe it until it’s real.”<br />
<br />
“When I was younger, I had dreams and goals,” he added. “It’s a timeline, and the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame was on that list. Obviously, that goal takes time. I wasn’t in a big rush to be recognized as an old geezer, but it’s nice to be in the Hall of Fame at 41.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jose Parica</td></tr>
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<br />
Parica becomes the second player elected to the Greatest Player wing of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame through recommendation of the Veterans Committee. (The Veterans Committee considers players who failed to be elected through general voting prior to turning 60. Players recommended by the Veterans Committee are put on the final ballot. Election is confirmed with a 50 percent approval from the Voting Members of the Hall of Fame.) Following a distinguished career in the Philippines, where he gained a reputation as the pool-crazy island’s money-game king, Parica arrived in the U.S. He won his first pro tour title in 1986, at the Clyde Childress Open.<br />
<br />
After a sabbatical from the game (1992-1996), Parica returned to the Camel Pro Billiard Series with a vengeance, winning a pair of tour titles. His consistent play throughout the year also earned him the $50,000 Player of the Year (POY) bonus award to the tour’s top points earner. The points title came down to the semifinals of the year’s final event, when Parica battled Buddy Hall in a match that determined which player would claim the POY award. Parica topped Hall, 9- 7. Parica continued to rank among the game’s top players well into the 2000s, winning Derby City Classic titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003, including Master of the Table in 2002.<br />
<br />
“It has been a long time to wait,” said Parica, when told of his election. “For many years, I didn’t think the people from the BCA knew who I was. I was always asked about my record. I won many major tournaments in the U.S. They commented about my gambling, but what pool player doesn’t gamble? But it is a great honor,” he added. “I’m very happy.”<br />
<br />
Voting for the 2014 BCA Hall of Fame was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. Induction in the Greatest Players category is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. A second player is elected if both players are named on more than 70 percent of the ballots. To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Players category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.<br />
<br />
Immonen, in his second year of eligibility, was named on 75 precent of the ballots. Germany’s Oliver Ortmann was named on 33 percent of the ballots, and Gerda Hofstatter was named on 27 percent. Belinda Calhoun, Kim Davenport, Mary Kenniston, Jeremy Jones, Rodney Morris and Vivian Villarreal each received votes on less than 25 percent of the ballots. <br />
<br />
<b>About United States Billiard Media Association</b><br />
Founded in 2007, the United States Billiard Media Association (USBMA) is a non-profit association dedicated to elevating the visibility and status of billiards in the media at large. The USBMA consists of professional print, radio, TV, public relations and Internet media persons who cover cue sports. One of the association’s main functions is electing of billiard media members to the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame Board for the purpose of nominating and electing players and notable figures to the BCA Hall of Fame.<br />
<br />
<b>About <a href="http://bca-pool.com/?">Billiard Congress of America</a></b><br />
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through Billiard Congress of America leadership. The Billiard Congress of America seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game <br />
<br />R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-53038466274141286882014-07-16T17:55:00.001-05:002014-07-16T18:12:40.483-05:00The Dean: Memories of Onofrio Lauri<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-wBy99bbgvXynJBerz0zO3K-L4GVYlvh3O4xTnbUBqqWsfmPOD7E02_rhcnn5PfUetbh7gIhgYp5vQIorOU3D1HKsq6FqlN_UxWlKtbaCc35cswPJMRfoARv_tL0N1if_qME0PhSghaf/s1600/Mosconi,+Lauri,+Crane.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-wBy99bbgvXynJBerz0zO3K-L4GVYlvh3O4xTnbUBqqWsfmPOD7E02_rhcnn5PfUetbh7gIhgYp5vQIorOU3D1HKsq6FqlN_UxWlKtbaCc35cswPJMRfoARv_tL0N1if_qME0PhSghaf/s1600/Mosconi,+Lauri,+Crane.png" height="310" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Willie Mosconi, Lauri, Irving Crane</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">e.</td></tr>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Erling Hammarstrom, the son
of Norwegian parents, wrote me recently with recollections of his poolroom hero, the famous Onofrio Lauri. I've reproduced his letter, shortened somewhat for space.</span></b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My sister and our parents settled in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood called Bay Ridge. The year was 1953 and I had just graduated from high school. A friend asked to go shoot a game of pool at a second-floor room managed by Onofrio Lauri, known as 'The dean of pocket billiards.' </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was fascinated. The sound of the click of the balls. I even liked the smell of the powder that you put on your hands. One day I came to the poolroom early and there was no one in the place except Lauri. He challenged me to a game of straight pool and gave me a 90-ball spot on a 100-point game, playing for a pack of cigarettes.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lauri ran five racks before he got out of position: the fifteen ball, which was his break shot, ended up behind the rack. Lauri called it in the corner pocket and I told him he'd never make it. He said let’s double the bet. He hit the cue ball off the right-hand side rail and it clipped the fifteen ball into the corner pocket before it broke open the rack. After running 150 balls Lauri unscrewed his cue and said that was enough for today. I went downstairs and bought him two packs of cigarettes. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes Lauri and I would talk baseball. I was a real Brooklyn Dodgers fan and I thought Lauri would be too. But years ago he shot pool with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and ever since that day he was a Yankees fan. I also asked him who was the best player of all time. Was it Greenleaf or Mosconi? Lauri had played against both of them. Lauri thought for a moment and said in a single game he'd pick Greenleaf, but over a series of games it would be Mosconi because he was so consistent.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdVy6FChVdmwL6vmRA6ihcCp-zc8cNBVa1ivo8kIjcV2aaU940sxDNCMgGNTC8SFkNU6cLjdQtxn2NzEz36Gh2OvlFd2JMV0svJy3ie8DbiC2BECQpX-I7jHKQ4yPrvF33pSHGwnIHxul/s1600/Willie%2527s+Game.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdVy6FChVdmwL6vmRA6ihcCp-zc8cNBVa1ivo8kIjcV2aaU940sxDNCMgGNTC8SFkNU6cLjdQtxn2NzEz36Gh2OvlFd2JMV0svJy3ie8DbiC2BECQpX-I7jHKQ4yPrvF33pSHGwnIHxul/s1600/Willie%2527s+Game.png" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosconi, in his autobiography, writes about Lauri</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every year Lauri would play Willie Mosconi at Julian's in Manhattan on 14th Street. Lauri might win two games, but he said you always get punch drunk playing Mosconi because he was so good. The last time I saw Lauri and Mosconi play was in 1965, at a place called the Golden Q in Queens. They were playing 200-point matches and Lauri ended up defeating Mosconi with runs of 90 and 110. After the match Mosconi turned to the crowd and said, "doo you believe this old man?"</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mosconi in his biography Willie’s Game co-authored with Stanley Cohen, speaks of Onofrio Lauri. "You wouldn’t want him to be the guy standing between you and a championship. He was a sensational shot maker. If he got on a roll he could run out on you quicker than you could count the balls.”</span></span>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-58853052807871049002014-06-27T19:50:00.000-05:002020-02-10T20:12:13.167-06:00Parting Gift from Freddy the Beard: The "Encyclopedia" of Pool Hustlers*<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsF8ruaEucQRSdaMwE1PB7y7tIyY6mK97uOdR6i522tDqrKDzV6BBnySt9xahnfnz_e8gz1uGthSspjBE9Zszw-rmS9nbBHZYDhcBHBY5aWIoyaa-yjCjP52Bxag-eMtvxJxquAAx_qSW/s1600/Freddy+the+Beard.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsF8ruaEucQRSdaMwE1PB7y7tIyY6mK97uOdR6i522tDqrKDzV6BBnySt9xahnfnz_e8gz1uGthSspjBE9Zszw-rmS9nbBHZYDhcBHBY5aWIoyaa-yjCjP52Bxag-eMtvxJxquAAx_qSW/s1600/Freddy+the+Beard.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pool writer Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/06/20/rip-freddy-the-beard-bentivegna">passed away</a> earlier this month. He was a great guy and a very funny writer. Late last year he completed what would become his final book, </span></i><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The "Encyclopedia" of Pool Hustlers.</span></b><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> It's top notch. Here's an excerpt of a review I wrote for </span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Billiards Digest</i>. </span><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">RIP Freddy.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-- R.A. Dyer</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The 'Encyclopedia' of Pool Hustlers</i> Colorful, Fun</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nowhere in<i> The “Encyclopedia” of Pool Hustlers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> will you find a list of birth dates and death dates
of famous pool players. Nowhere will you find academic descriptions of pool
games, the sort you might find in Mike Shamos’ </span><i>New Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Billiards. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Nowhere will you
find the sensible organization of Robert Bryne’s pool treasuries.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But what you <i>will</i> find in Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna’s
new reference work is fun — 325 chaotic pages of it. <i>The “Encyclopedia” of
Pool Hustlers </i><span style="font-style: normal;">is not a book you’ll ever
read from start to finish — at least, not in any disciplined way — but it’s a
book you’ll want to have around your nightstand or in The Brown Study. It’s
chock full of quick and quirky anecdotes about players both famous and obscure
(mostly obscure), all seasoned with Bentivegna’s aromatic brand of BS.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAitpPB4vjX_IS6wB-bttydCywdxBxjo3j7v_X1zkFzycThKU3ApHsWLyqnoc_84aoM60VEraXRE4M_kTGFlrnVSzXXmZVBxv4bXoasEJ020ogsDl2Zyfof-kCyQxKJq19aHZzRDuzwxH/s1600/Pool+Hustler+Book+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAitpPB4vjX_IS6wB-bttydCywdxBxjo3j7v_X1zkFzycThKU3ApHsWLyqnoc_84aoM60VEraXRE4M_kTGFlrnVSzXXmZVBxv4bXoasEJ020ogsDl2Zyfof-kCyQxKJq19aHZzRDuzwxH/s1600/Pool+Hustler+Book+Cover.png" title="" width="190" /></a> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The entries are usually
short — some just a few paragraphs. But
his book <i>is </i><span style="font-style: normal;">expansive. Formidably
so. Leafing through it, I quickly
found entertaining entries for <a href="http://untoldstoriesjerseyred.blogspot.com/2009/06/houston-circa-1968-69-70.html">Greg “Big Train” Stevens</a> </span><i>(He was the
only guy that I ever saw eat a whole loaf of Wonder Bread for a meal),</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Alfie Taylor (</span><i>old time road-hog hustler) </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and “Gar” Milborn Frazier (</span><i>World’s champion
stay-up man</i><span style="font-style: normal;">). Bentivegna includes a few
entries for pool playing celebrities, including James Caan and Elvis Presley.
He also describes “The Wonder Dog of Pool,” a man he calls “The Filthy Beast”
and by necessity includes an entry entitled “Chemical Enhancement.” </span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The “Encyclopedia” of Pool Hustlers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is a better book than it has any right to be</span><span style="font-style: normal;">. But if you order the </span><i>Encyclopedia</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (and I think you should), don’t for a moment lose
track of what it is you be getting in your mailbox. Like the hustlers that
Bentivegna writes about, this book is chaotic and untidy. Neither are there any real profiles here, no
get-into-the-weeds details.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What you’ll find instead are outrageous anecdotes,
first-hand stories of lying, cheating, drug taking and boozing. At its very
core, this is an anthology of boys behaving badly. This is a book about pool
hustlers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And for my money, a fine one. </span></span></div>
<br />
<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b>-- R.A. Dyer</b></a>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-40676929707036972972014-02-24T16:29:00.001-06:002014-02-24T17:31:12.358-06:00New Branch in the Fats Family Tree<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone — the many better known as <a href="http://untoldstoriesminnesotafats.blogspot.com/">Minnesota Fats</a> —
was the most famous pool hustler in American history. But how much do we really
know about him? Here’s a quick
quiz. But be advised: some of these are trick questions.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which statements are true?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Minnesota Fats character in <i>The Hustler, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">the novel by Walter Tevis, was based on Wanderone.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone was born in 1913.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone was married twice.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone had no children.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone had only one child, the famous rhythm and
blues singer<a href="http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_untold_stories/NOV06Untold.pdf"> Etta James.</a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rudolf Wanderone was a top-notch pool hustler.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8TdX4lSRuWvSnHyP__gZ4OwWqaBt1tduwoC6otmtGoie4cGtgqKgNP1UeVKYi95jRZx__Dcn8HViqkyJLOx0D2UpbYNZviOjzw6WO2AVM422Gp_YAgk8P7-JBDE94PgdRLFb_k88KOfH/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-24+at+4.14.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8TdX4lSRuWvSnHyP__gZ4OwWqaBt1tduwoC6otmtGoie4cGtgqKgNP1UeVKYi95jRZx__Dcn8HViqkyJLOx0D2UpbYNZviOjzw6WO2AVM422Gp_YAgk8P7-JBDE94PgdRLFb_k88KOfH/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-02-24+at+4.14.11+PM.png" height="128" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wanderone with daughter, Juanita.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This may come as a surprise, but all of these statements —
with the exception of number 6, are in dispute. This, despite what it says in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Wanderone">Wikipedia</a> and even what has been previously reported in my own
books, like <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Champ-Mosconi-Minnesota-Rivalry/dp/1592288839/ref=sr_1_1/104-0525202-3198352?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186851528&sr=1-1">The Hustler and the Champ</a> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and
</span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Days-Minnesota-Lassiter-Americas/dp/1592281044/ref=la_B001JP2G8Y_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393280325&sr=1-2">Hustler Days</a>.</i> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New information has come to light, information that I’ve
detailed in recent edition of <i><a href="http://www.billiardsdigest.com/">Billiards Digest</a>.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> We now know that
Wanderone may not have been born
in 1913, that he may have been married three times (not just twice) and that
he had at least one child other than Etta James (and whether <a href="http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_untold_stories/NOV06Untold.pdf">Etta James </a>was
his daughter remains an open question.)</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's the Cliff Notes version of what we now know:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wanderone had a long relationship during the 1930s with a
woman named Lucy Blanche Maria Wood, who gave birth to a daughter named Neva
Juanita. Lucy Blanche died in 1959. Neva Juanita died in 2010. Wanderone was
almost certainly Neva Juanita’s father, and he also may have been married to
Lucy Blanche. This is startling because Wanderone never publicly acknowledged
any wife prior to Evalyn Grass, whom he married in 1941. His second wife (or third, depending on how you count) was Theresa Bell. Also, the timeline of his relationship with Lucy Blanche puts into doubt Fats' supposed birth year of 1913.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This new information comes to us from
JustinVerhovnik, a hithertofore unknown grandson of Wanderone. Speaking to me
for a January 2014 edition of <i>Billiards Digest, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Verhovnik</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">said that
the last time he laid eyes on his grandfather might have been in 1980, at about the
time that Fats was divorcing Evelyn Inez.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The story is long and drawn out, but I’ll try to relate more of it in
a future blog post. You can also try to track down that January edition of <i>Billiards
Digest</i>. Freddy Bentivegna likewise has included some detail in</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> his new book, <a href="http://bankingwiththebeard.com/"><i>'Encyclopedia' of Pool Hustlers</i></a><b>.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b>-- R.A. Dyer</b></a></span></span></div>
R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-11481966570094005262012-07-12T08:29:00.000-05:002012-07-12T08:42:52.810-05:00The Color of Money Brings Fortune to Chicago's GingerMan Tavern<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCYDgRw8HYvd6QeEcpSK9p38zOHdZnfA4TFV9l2N5hIWUv_fiJf4vjGrSiEb2mvPjsSaSHAZmYrllOcY9hbtfwPCrYX1vJ7bPL-IfwPLJtHHOx6dsrhqtT76RzOdf85tI167wg999iTHA/s1600/ColorOfMoney_Gingerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCYDgRw8HYvd6QeEcpSK9p38zOHdZnfA4TFV9l2N5hIWUv_fiJf4vjGrSiEb2mvPjsSaSHAZmYrllOcY9hbtfwPCrYX1vJ7bPL-IfwPLJtHHOx6dsrhqtT76RzOdf85tI167wg999iTHA/s400/ColorOfMoney_Gingerman.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from www.movie-locations.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Reader Don Patterson sent in this story in a few months back. It's about his friend <a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2010-aston-martin-rapide-vs-2010-porsche-panamera-turbo-comparison-tests">Dan Schnitta</a>, owner of the GingerMan Tavern in Chicago and the GingerMan Raceway in southwest Michigan. </b><br />
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648" style="color: black; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<i><span id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_1326212343646131" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
<i><span id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_1326212343646136" style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_19_1342097006969552" style="font-size: small;">The
year is 1986 and Dan was at work behind the bar at his <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/gingerman-tavern/Location?oid=4115100">GingerMan Tavern</a>. He is staring at a stack of unpaid bills and a empty bar. He
is trying to decide whether to pull the plug and call it quits or try to
keep the doors open, when two gentleman in suits
walk in and order a couple drinks. Dan goes about his business as the
two gentleman walk around the bar pointing and talking. The two men
then approach Dan after their drinks and tell Dan they have a
proposition for him. The proposition is that they'll pay him a large
sum of money and completely remodel his bar if he closes for a month or
so, while they shoot scenes for a movie. Dan has little reason to ask
many questions other then where do I sign. </span></span></i></div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWX56t5a9f3976a1nBOxz6FQyOmS2DPykKu6IsgPnbLDKAExxTWzaoYKlrpvvVHxydxo8XYDoCQwEAtmfDYs9lxMXLTewCOkpvqqhiGJjtVVrMZkWu_0OtS0dnMz9ofOvAyFT3jpZPLU7/s1600/The-Color-Of-Money-Tom-Cruise-and-Paul-Newman-Pool-Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWX56t5a9f3976a1nBOxz6FQyOmS2DPykKu6IsgPnbLDKAExxTWzaoYKlrpvvVHxydxo8XYDoCQwEAtmfDYs9lxMXLTewCOkpvqqhiGJjtVVrMZkWu_0OtS0dnMz9ofOvAyFT3jpZPLU7/s200/The-Color-Of-Money-Tom-Cruise-and-Paul-Newman-Pool-Table.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Cruise and Paul Newman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
<i><span id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_1326212343646136" style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_19_1342097006969552" style="font-size: small;">Dan watches as his bar is
remodeled and transformed into a movie set. The day comes when </span>they're ready for shooting the scenes and much to Dan's surprise, he shows up to find <span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1342097079_0">Paul Newman</span>
and Tom Cruise on the set. Production comes to an end and Dan now has a
newly remodeled bar that was used as a movie set. He reopens to a new clientele and business
is good, the bills are paid and the bar is making
money. Dan is thinking life could get no better.</span></i></div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
</div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
<i><span id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_1326212343646136" style="font-size: small;">Several months
later, his manger calls him all excited and asks Dan what should he do,
he has arrived to find hundreds of people standing in line all the way
down the block and waiting for the bar to open. "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090863/">The Color of Money"</a>
has just opened in theaters and the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/GingerMan-Tavern/203000006380188?sk=wall">GingerMan Tavern</a> is now one
of Chicago's main attractions. Dan is quick to recognize
the opportunity and applies a cover charge and takes it one step
further, the table that Newman and Cruise played on is roped off and a
significant addition charge is applied to playing on "The Table". The
moral of the story can best be summed up as: Even in your darkest hour,
one never knows when financial good fortune will walk through your door,
but when it does, you had better have a good understanding of "The
Color of Money".</span></i></div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yiv913377019yui_3_2_0_13_132621234364648">
<span id="yui_3_2_0_19_1342097006969600" style="font-size: small;">Dan
got to know Paul Newman quite well during the filming and that
both men discovered a common love for fast cars and racing. When Dan
opened his track in Michigan, Paul was a regular patron and made
several visit, testing various cars. You can find the GingerMan Tavern at 3740 N. Clark Street, in Chicago. And if you're a racing fan, here's the link to Schnitta's <a href="http://www.gingermanraceway.com/">GingerMan Raceway</a>.</span></div>
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Thanks to Don Patterson for the great story.R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-69550589038895992022012-02-18T16:26:00.001-06:002012-02-18T16:27:02.010-06:00Chang Jun Lin Takes World 8-Ball Title<div id="yiv214861348"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329594870372358"><div style="clear: right; color: #333333; float: right; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Chang 11-6 over Fu Che Wei in all-Taiwan Final </i></b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Story and photos courtesy Ted Lerner and World Pool and Billiard Association</span></b></span></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Fujairah, UAE) </b></span>— Call it a case of the student surpassing the master.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Taiwan’s Chang Jun Lin, who for the last ten years has been a pupil of fellow countryman Fu Chei Wei, did his pool teacher proud by winning the 2012 World 8-ball Championship, convincingly beating Fu Friday in an all-Taiwan finals in Fujairah, 11—6. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="2012 World 8-Ball Champion Chang Jun Lin" height="213" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_0170_-_Copy.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="2012 World 8-Ball Champion Chang Jun Lin" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 World 8-Ball Champion Chang Jun Lin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Chang’s performance, which started with a gritty 9-7 semi-finals win over England’s Chris Melling, vaulted him atop the pool playing world and deservedly so. Chang’s ability to read patterns, his even-keel demeanor, and his dead-eye potting skills, were all on display throughout the week in Fujairah and carried him through world class competition all the way to his first world championship.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The fact that Chang has learned much about pool and life at the feet of the 38-year-old Fu, added a fascinating twist to what had become an all-Taiwan 8-ball party in Fujairah. The 26-year-old Chang began studying the game from Fu at the age of 16. Despite traveling the world in the last few years, the two had never played each other in an international event.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">As is the case in most pro tournaments, the tournament was constantly in a state of flux, with a single small roll of a ball determining outcomes of matches and careers. But by the time the finals rolled around, it was clear that the two hottest players this week had made it. Like Chang, Fu was playing red hot pool the last few days and had never come close to defeat. His 9-3 beat down of China’s Liu Haitao in today’s semi-final was just the latest in a string of powerful performances. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Both players were playing at about the same high level so it was difficult to predict who would come out on top in the final. But one thing was perfectly clear in this tournament; dry breaks and only one missed ball invariably lead to instant punishment from the other player. And that’s exactly how this match played out.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Fu won the lag but missed an early ball which Chang pounded on for the clear and a 1-0 lead. Chang then coolly broke and ran the next rack for a 2-0 lead. Fu broke dry in rack three and when Chang couldn’t convert a long pot, Fu also missed and paid the price for a three rack deficit.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The deliberate Chang doesn’t normally let big leads like this get away, but Fu decided it was time to make a match of it. Fu finally got on track when he broke serve in the next rack after Chang scratched on the break. He broke and ran rack 5, then broke serve in rack 6, and broke and ran rack seven for a 4-3 lead. That, however, was the last lead Fu would see in the match.</div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329594870372357" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">From there Chang stepped on the gas and took the next four frames, which included two break and runs, one clear off a dry break, and a cleared table from a Fu miss, all for a 7-4 lead and a vice grip on the match.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">At this point Fu’s energy level seemed to wilt, while the tall and burly Chang just kept motoring along. Fu got one back, but Chang kept on going, punishing a single mistake by Fu, and breaking and running when he had the break. Chang made Fu pay for a mistake to go up 8-5. Then broke and cleared for a 9-5 lead. Fu got one consolation rack before Chang closed out his first world championship in style; a break and run, and clear off a Fu miss.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Afterward Chang was understandably highly emotional not just about his amazing accomplishment, but about the man who had helped him get to the top of the mountain, who happened to be the same man he had just beaten to get there.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“It’s like a dream,” Chang said through an interpreter. “To be a world champion. It’s something I dreamed about for a long time. I didn’t feel any pressure playing him. He taught me more than just how to play pool. He taught me how to be a man in real life, how to carry myself, how to behave and lead your life, don’t criticize and get down on yourself too much. Lead with you actions not your words. He is not just a teacher but a big brother to me, and a good friend.”</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">For Fu, the result brought on mixed emotions as his long cherished journey to his first world title ended in a losing battle with his very own pupil. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I played bad in the final,” Fu said, still able to laugh and joke . “I felt like I ran out of energy. I’m very happy for him. I’m proud. But I think I would have preferred to have played a player from another country.” </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">For winning the World 8-ball Championship, Chang won $20,000, while Fu takes home $15,000</div></div></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-33138694392312066742012-02-17T08:28:00.003-06:002012-02-17T08:33:43.659-06:00All-Taiwan Final in World 8-ball<div id="yiv1081092654"><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1KgFl1HB96LXTc_4tZ25lf1czgEFOcsIaUbZSjLGLm62hr6uMXsa4lj41BbgQjr8SG20Z0qHUW4Xkf922_BmNEsZnwtEiJmGXD3ZTb1rcKA11LvM8q_GzHHzZ3Z0BUhcCgsTfb7zSWy1/s1600/Day+4+World+8-ball.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1KgFl1HB96LXTc_4tZ25lf1czgEFOcsIaUbZSjLGLm62hr6uMXsa4lj41BbgQjr8SG20Z0qHUW4Xkf922_BmNEsZnwtEiJmGXD3ZTb1rcKA11LvM8q_GzHHzZ3Z0BUhcCgsTfb7zSWy1/s320/Day+4+World+8-ball.png" width="202" /></a><br />
<h1 style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 20px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">FU CHE WEI AND </span><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329486469_0" style="font-size: small;">CHANG</span><span style="font-size: small;"> JUN LIN WILL PLAY FOR $35,000 </span></h1><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Story and photos courtesy Ted Lerner and World Pool and Billiard Association</span></b></span></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Fujairah, UAE)--</b></span>World 8-ball supremacy, along with $35,000 in cash, is assured of a home in Taiwan for the next year, as Fu Che We and Chang Jun Lin both won their semi-final matches this afternoon at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The all-Taiwan final between Fu and Chang will begin later today at 5pm local time(GMT +). The match will be a race to 11, alternate break.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Fu Che Wei, Promoter Ahmed Ibrahim, Chang Jun Lin" height="133" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_0120_-_Copy.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Fu Che Wei, Promoter Ahmed Ibrahim, Chang Jun Lin" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fu Che We, promoter Ahmed Ibrahim, and Chang Jun Lin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Fu completely dominated China’s Liu Haitao winning easily 9-3. Fu has been playing red hot 8-ball in the last few days, breaking well and barely missing any balls. It’s a recipe for success in professional 8-ball and has brought the veteran campaigner into his first world championship final.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Chang’s semi-final match vs. Chris Melling was much closer but the 26 year old from Taipei put in a brilliant performance in overcoming the confident Englishman. Melling raced out to a 2-0 but then saw Chang, with his deliberate style, crawl back in the match.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Chang took the lead at 4-3 and never looked back. Melling had trouble all afternoon with the break, consistently coming up dry. Chang took advantage and built up a 6-3 lead. Melling battled back to 6-5, but Chang broke and ran for a 7-5 lead. Melling again broke dry in rack 13 and Chang pushed the lead up to 3. Melling had one last fight back, moving the score to 8-7. But Chang held his nerve in rack 16 to get over the finish line first.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The winner of the World 8-ball Championship will receive $20,000, while the runner up will receive $15,000. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><i>The WPA will be providing up to the minute coverage of the finals on its website, </i><i><a href="http://www.wpa-pool.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>www.wpa-pool.com</i></a></i><i><b>,</b></i><b><i> </i></b>including live scoring of the match , as well as blow by blow coverage via the WPA’s Twitter page, @poolwpa.<br />
<br />
</div></div></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-74957408660743233372012-02-15T19:03:00.000-06:002012-02-15T19:03:56.928-06:00Big Names Fall in World 8-ball<div class="tripane message content showqr" id="yui_3_2_0_1_132935298382057"><div class="msg-body inner undoreset" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329352983820110" role="main"><div id="yiv2049630116"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><b><i>Defending champ Orcullo upset in UAE</i></b></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Story and photos courtesy Ted Lerner and World Pool and Billiard Association</span></b></span></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Fujairah, UAE — </b></span>The World 8-ball Championship turned into a wide open race on Wednesday in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, as some of the game's biggest names, including defending champion Dennis Orcullo, last year’s runner up Niels Feijen, and semi-finalist Darren Appleton all were sent packing barely after the knockout stages had gotten going. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Other big names, like former champions Ralf Souquet and Karl Boyes were also handed their walking papers. In all it amounted to a proverbial one-day bloodletting in one of the sport’s biggest championships.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_0019_-_Copy_-_Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Team Poland" border="0" height="211" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_0019_-_Copy_-_Copy.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin-top: 1px;" title="Team Poland" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Poland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The biggest upset of the day was easily Orcullo, who went down hard to upstart Karol Skowerski of Poland. Both Orcullo and Skowerski had won their round of 64 matches earlier in the day, and came up against each other in the first of the round of 32 matches later in the evening. When the defending champion sent the cue off the table on the opening break it must have been a terrible omen for the Filipino, who was certainly expecting to go far in the event he won last year.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Indeed things continued downhill even faster for Orcullo as he fell behind 5-0 in the race to 9, alternate break contest. The 28-year-old Skowerski, who’s ranked number 4 in Poland, took advantage of several errors from the defending champion, and played surprisingly confident pool throughout. The Kielce native showed superb potting skills and was never intimidated even when Orcullo began a fight back. In fact it was the Filipino who seemed to fold as Skowerski won the match going away, 9-3, for the biggest win of his career.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I played well and I really concentrated well the whole match,” an obviously delighted Skowerski said after the match as he was congratulated by teammates Radislaw Babica and Tomasz Kaplan, both of whom were eliminated earlier in the day. “I wasn’t scared and I wasn’t nervous.”</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">At about the same time, Feijen, who’s been runner up here two years running, found himself in a difficult match against the very talented Ko Pin Yi of Taiwan in a round of 32 contest. Everyone expected this one to go the distance but it wasn’t even close. Ko, who over the last year has been making it clear he intends to be one of the world’s best players, blew Feijen out of the building, taking the match 9-2. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>American Max Eberle Still in the Hunt</b></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_9998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Li He Wen" border="0" height="132" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_9998.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin-top: 1px;" title="Li He Wen" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le He Wen, above, Beats Appleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
One of the more interesting matchups of the early sessions in the round of 64 was perennial favorite Souquet taking on the USA’s Max Eberle. Eberle is the last American standing in this year’s championship, and over the last 24 hours he’s been openly relishing carrying the mantle for the USA, the ancestral home 8-ball. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Indeed “Mad Max” started his match like a man possessed as he jumped out to a 4-0 lead. As expected the Kaiser methodically crawled his way back into the match and looked to be squeezing the air out of the American. Eberle, though, stood his ground and wouldn’t let the German great catch him as he held on for a gritty 9-7 win.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I came out strong and I think that set him back a bit,” Eberle said afterward. “Ralf was tight today. He usually plays cleaner but he kept giving me opportunities.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Brit star Appleton falls to Li of China </b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Darren Appleton came into this year’s championship supremely confident of his chances to take the title, even admitting early in the week that for him to lose, an opposing player would have to shoot lights out pool.</div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“You really have to beat me,” the powerhouse Brit said. Those words came back to haunt Appleton tonight as China’s talented Li He Wen beat him senseless in the round of 64. The 31 year old Li, who hails from Shenyang in northeastern China and is China’s number one ranked player, steamrolled Appleton 9-3 to move into the round of 32 on Thursday.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I played very good today,” Li said afterward through an interpreter. “He didn’t break good and he gave me too many chances.”</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Several times today in Fujairah it was proved that players from the Middle East have made great strides in recent years and are no longer just filler for tournament fields. Salah Al-Rimawi, 23, of the UAE brought some noise to the Fujairah Tennis Club as he upended fancied Brit Daryl Peach, 9 – 5. Al-Rimawi, who is the UAE’s number one player and made it all the way to the final 16 last year here, played solid pool throughout and jumped out to a 7-1 lead over the former World 9-ball champion, who had seemed out of sorts the entire tournament. Peach fought back but Al-Rimawi showed true grit by bearing down and crossing the finish line in style. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Earlier, 20 year old Ahmad Jallad, who showed fine form last June in Qatar for the World 9-ball championship, showed he can play serious 8-ball as he put in a gutsy performance against favored Filipino Joven Alba. Alba, who coaches the national team of the UAE, went up 6-2 only to commit some glaring errors that allowed the youngster to gain some momentum. Jallad clawed his way back to go up 7-6, then held off the Filipino for a narrow win, 9-8.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">It was not the best of days for the Philippine contingent as six Pinoys went down to defeat. Still three big names are still in the championship; Lee Van Corteza, Roberto Gomez, and Carlo Biado. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Thursday is sure to provide plenty of drama and tension as the field will be reduced to four players by the end of the day. Thursday play begins at 2pm in Fujairah(GMT +4). </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The 2012 World 8-ball Championship concludes on Friday with the semis and finals. The winner will receive $20,000 while the runner up will get $15,000. The tournament has a $156,000 prize fund. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><i>The WPA will be providing up to the minute coverage of all the happenings on its website,</i><i> </i><a href="http://www.wpa-pool.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>www.wpa-pool.com</i></a><b><i>, </i></b>including<i> </i>live scoring of all matches, in depth articles on the goings on posted several times a day, as well as blow by blow coverage of big matches via the WPA’s Twitter page, @poolwpa. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Live scoring, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=131&pagetype=live_scoring&eventid=65&eventnewsid=100" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Updated Brackets and complete Final 64 draw, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/scoreuploads/65/Result.PDF" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Photo Gallery, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=21&pagetype=photo_gallery&eventid=65&eventnewsid=" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><i>*The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the world governing body of the sport of pool. The</i> <i>WPA is also the member organization for pool of the </i>World Confederation of Billiard Sports<i> (WCBS), the international umbrella organization encompassing all the major cue sports.</i><i></i></div></div></div></div></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-18563635961538530902012-02-15T08:59:00.001-06:002012-02-15T19:09:41.101-06:00Eberle Last American in World 8-Ball<h1 style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; margin: 20px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Saving the Day for the USA</b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span></h1><h1 style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; margin: 20px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Story and photos courtesy Ted Lerner and World Pool and Billiard Association</span></b></span></h1><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Fujairah, UAE) -- </b></span>Facing elimination, and bearing the burden of having to carry the hopes of the United States squarely on his shoulders, Max Eberle proved his mettle tonight at the Fujairah Tennis and Country club, pulling out a hard fought come from behind 7-4 win over Singapore’s Kwang Chan Ken to advance to the round of 64 knockout stage at the 2012 World 8-ball Championship.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Max Eberle" height="133" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_9944_-_Copy_2.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Max Eberle" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Eberle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Eberle, who originally hails from Ohio but now resides in Las Vegas, is now the sole American left in this year’s World 8-ball Championship. The single elimination knockout stage begins on Wednesday at 2 pm (GMT +4). All matches will be race to 9, alternate break. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Eberle went into his do or die late night match already knowing he had to carry the flag for the red, white and blue. Moments earlier, Brandon Shuff, the only other American in this year’s competition, blew a golden opportunity to take down the Netherland’s Nick Van den Berg on the TV table. Shuff was clearing the table with the score tied at 5 and played poor position with just three balls left on the table, leading to a scratch. Van den Berg went up 6-5, then broke and ran for the 7-5 win.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I dogged it,” a gutted Shuff said afterward. Things were looking dire for Eberle as well before he decided enough was enough. Leading 3-0, Eberle suffered several dry breaks and soon found himself down 4-3. Then the fight back began. “Mad Max” won four straight racks for the win.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“It was a gritty win,” a delighted Eberle said afterward. “I had to bear down and pull out some good run outs. I really fought hard and it feels good. America still has hope. I have to pull it out for the USA.”</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">It won’t be easy, though. Eberle has drawn none other than Hall of Famer Ralf Souquet in his first match in the round of 64. That match is scheduled for 4 pm Fujairah time.(GMT +4)</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Earlier, there were some tense moments out on the playing floor for former World 9-ball Champion Daryl Peach. Peach found himself at deaths door while facing 13 year old (yes that’s right: 13 year old) Mohammed Saed Saed of Qatar.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Mohammed Saeed Saed" height="133" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/IMG_9910.JPG" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Mohammed Saeed Saed" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohammed Saed Saed of Qatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The youngster was playing lights out pool in that fearless way that only a juvenile can do, while Peach played horribly all match. Tied at 5 all, Peach had only the 8 ball left to go up by one, only to scratch after potting the black pearl. This put the kid on the hill with the break, but he broke dry and Peach cleared. Peach nearly gave it away in the decider, but fear and nerves finally caught up with Saed Saed and he blew a certain win with awful position, leaving Peach an easy run out. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“That was the worst match of pool I’ve ever played,” a somewhat stunned Peach said afterward.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The unique World Championship-style pressure seemed to infect many of the tables in the evening session. Aoki Ryoji from Japan and Jayson Shaw of Great Britain went down to the wire, with Ryoji pulling out a 7-6 squeaker. Hamzah Ali, the first and only pro pool player to come out of the African country of Eritrea came from 6-3 down to take Spain’s Carlos Cabello to a one game decider. Hamzah got down to the 8-ball but missed a golden opportunity for pool glory when he missed, leaving a clear and win for the Spaniard.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The remaining three days of this year’s World 8-ball Championship promise plenty of nerves, tension and fireworks as most of pool’s big names made it through. It’s almost assured to see a Filipino in the final four at least as all nine Filipino players entered into the tournament qualified for the final 64. These include defending champion Dennis Orcullo, Lee Van Corteza, Roberto Gomez, Carlo Biado, Joven Alba, Elmer Haya, Ramund Faoron, Demosthenes Pulpul, and Elvis Calasang.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Fans around the world can follow all the action from 2012 World 8-ball Championship in Fujairah on the WPA website <i> </i><a href="http://www.wpa-pool.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>www.wpa-pool.com</i></a><b><i>. </i></b>The WPA will be providing live scoring of all matches, in depth articles on the goings-on posted several times a day, as well as blow by blow coverage of big matches via the WPA’s Twitter page, @poolwpa. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Live scoring, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=131&pagetype=live_scoring&eventid=65&eventnewsid=100" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Updated Brackets and complete Final 64 draw, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/scoreuploads/65/Result.PDF" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>For Photo Gallery, <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=21&pagetype=photo_gallery&eventid=65&eventnewsid=" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><i>*The World Pool and Billiard Association (WPA) is the world governing body of the sport of pool. The</i> <i>WPA is also the member organization for pool of the </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Confederation_of_Billiard_Sports" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="World Confederation of Billiard Sports">World Confederation of Billiard Sports</a><i> (WCBS), the international umbrella organization encompassing all the major </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sports" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Cue sports">cue sports</a><i>.</i></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-54748385794140454102011-12-12T08:02:00.002-06:002011-12-12T13:44:31.814-06:00EUROPEAN ROMP!<div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Team Europe Beats USA, Wins Mosconi Cup</span></div><div id="yiv1012113637"><span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The winning European Squad with Coach Johan Riujsink" height="319" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/mc2011_winners_003.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; margin: 1px auto;" title="The winning European Squad with Coach Johan Riujsink" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Europe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>BY LUKE RICHES</b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span">World Pool & Billiard Association</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>LAS VEGAS</b><b> -- </b>EUROPE has successfully defended the <a href="http://partypoker.net/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1323697178_0">PartyPoker.net</span></a> Mosconi Cup following a convincing 11-7 victory over the USA at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Holland’s Niels Feijen, in his seventh Mosconi Cup, downed the winning 9 ball.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">With two singles and two doubles wins, Feijen won the Mos Valuable Player Award. "I just want to thank the crowd, the British and Europeans and you need them to make it," <span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">he said after his 6-3 victory over Rodney Morris to seal the Mosconi Cup. </span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The Americans, who had trailed 10-5 at the start of the day, won the opening two games to leave the Europeans looking a little edgy.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Neils Feijen reacts after sinking the last 9-ball " height="301" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/mc2011_winners_001.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Neils Feijen reacts after sinking the last 9-ball" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Niels Feije</span>n</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">"Even this morning, there was pressure on us and we knew they would come out strongly. There was some heat to get over the finish line but these guys are just so good,” continued Feijen.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Johnny Archer, playing in his 15<sup>th</sup> Mosconi Cup, was stoical in defeat. "We lost a couple of matches we should've won and they blitzed us in a few matches," he said. "We all gave it our best and will do it again next time. Hats off to their team, they hung in there when things didn't look good."</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">The opening match of the day saw Shane Van Boening keeping US hopes alive as he comfortably beat Nick Van den Berg 6-2. Veteran Johnny Archer also beat Darren Appleton Sunday, and in the process effectively quashed the hopes of a repeat MVP trophy for the stellar English player.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">So in the end it was Niels Feijen who was left to finish off Team USA. He beat Hawaiian Rodney Morris 6-3 to give the Europeans the decisive 11th point. <span class="yiv1012113637Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"Being the Most Valuable Player is something I've been dreaming about this for seven years, every year I've played in it," said Feijen.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Sunday's Match Scores: </b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Nick Van den Berg <b>2-6 Shane Van Boening</b></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Darren Appleton <b>3-6 Johnny Archer</b></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>Niels Feijen 6-3 </b>Rodney Morris</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><i>The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the international governing body of the sport of pool. Please visit the WPA site at <a href="http://www.wpa-pool.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wpa-pool.com</a>. Follow the WPA on Twitter: @poolwpa </i></div></span></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-20965869921033158792011-12-04T22:40:00.002-06:002011-12-04T22:54:13.173-06:00SVB extracts $5,000 from Strickland<div style="font-family: inherit;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">South Dakota Kid wins 9-ball Challenge Match</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">After losing to Earl Strickland earlier this year in 10-ball, Shane Van Boening took his revenge with a 75-67 victory over the mercurial Hall of Famer in a Las Vegas challenge match on Sunday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both players put up $5,000 in the winner-take-all event sponsored by <a href="http://theactionreport.com/">theactionreport.com</a>. Play began on Friday and continued throughout the weekend.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/gallery/gallery/Pro9Advertising/2011TAR22Poster1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/gallery/gallery/Pro9Advertising/2011TAR22Poster1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Van Boening mostly led throughout, although the tight Diamond table installed in The Action Report's Las Vegas studio seemed to flummox both players. Van Boening was up by only 50-48 at the end of Saturday’s play</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Van Boening continued to lead Sunday, methodically stringing together racks despite his opponent's almost constant griping. The length of time it took Van Boening to rack the balls and Van Boening's softer-than-usual break seemed to particularly irk the older player. “Look at that – he’s got an eight-minute rack, and a two-mile-per-hour break,” Strickland complained at one point.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Briefly it appeared that Strickland, Hulk-like, actually was becoming stronger as he became angrier. After falling behind 63-58, The Pearl suddenly won six in a row, complaining and glowering with every sunk nine-ball. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But that rush Sunday would be Strickland's last. After a miscue and few other unforced errors, The Pearl allowed the always dangerous Van Boening to quietly trot to victory. Strickland continued to complain afterwards. "I'm willing to say that I'm a f***ing a**hole, but there's a lot of a**holes," he acknowledged shortly before the recording ended. </span><style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strickland beat Van Boening in a similar winner-take-all <a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2011/03/eccentric-pearl-beats-young-gun.html">10-ball event </a>conducted last March in Youngstown. Both players put up $10,000 for that event.</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com"><b>-- R.A. Dyer</b></a></span></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-50893049752835958962011-11-10T07:49:00.000-06:002011-11-10T07:49:02.194-06:00CHINA'S CHEN SIMING NAMED 2011 WPA WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> <b><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">ORCULLO LEADS MEN'S RACE WITH ONE EVENT TO GO</span></i></b></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Chen Siming" height="213" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/DSC_0426.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 1px auto;" title="Chen Siming" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China's Chen Siming wins WPA Player of the Year honors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><b>(Courtesy World Pool and Billiard Association) -- </b>Chen Siming, the 17-year-old pool prodigy from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_0">China</span>, has been named the World Pool and Billiard Association (WPA) women’s player of the year for 2011.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> Chen won the WPA’s top individual honor by beating out fellow Chinese Fu Xiaofang, who came in second. England’s Kelly Fisher, who recently won the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_1">Manila</span>, came in third.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> The WPA Player of the Year honors are based on the total number of ranking points each player accumulates throughout the calendar year. In 2011, the women competed in six different WPA ranking events. Players receive points based on their order of finish in each event. The amount of ranking points available in each event varies, depending on the size of the field and prize fund.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> Chen had a stellar all-around year and managed to accumulate 2,144 ranking points, far ahead of Fu with 1,627, and Fisher with 1,546. The teenage sensation won the Philippine Open 10-ball championship in March. She then took the runner up spot to Fu at the China Open in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_2">Shanghai</span>. Her biggest point haul, however, came in September at the Women’s World 9-ball Championship in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_3">Shenyang, China</span> where she took second to winner Bi Zhu Qing. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> For winning the WPA Player of the Year award, Chen will receive a trophy and a beautiful Tag Heuer watch. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Dennis Orcullo" height="207" src="http://wpa-pool.com/images/web/gallery/Dennis_-_Copy.JPG" style="border-width: 0px; margin: 1px auto;" title="Dennis Orcullo" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dennis Orcollo leads among the men.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> On the men’s side, the WPA Player of the Year winner has yet to be determined as there is still one more ranking event to be played, the All <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_4">Japan</span> Championship, in mid-November. However, the Philippines’ Dennis Orcullo is the current favorite to capture to top honors as he currently sits in the top spot. Orcullo, who captured the World 8-ball Championship in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_5">Fujairah, UAE</span> earlier this year, holds 2,510 ranking points. His nearest rival is Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama with 2,287 points. England’s Darren <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_6">Appleton</span>, who recently won his second straight U.S. Open title, is currently in third place with 2,126 points.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> The men’s Player of the Year award is based on points won in 8 separate ranking events over the course of 2011. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> For the complete rankings for both men and women, please <a href="http://wpa-pool.com/web/rankings" rel="nofollow" style="color: #339999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320932443_7">Click Here</span></a></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-85070449891511145712011-09-26T11:08:00.016-05:002011-09-28T16:21:40.021-05:00Van Boening wins $20K Challenge Match<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">SVB outshoots Pagulayan 30-17 on Final Night</span></div><br />
During the early going, American 10-ball hero Shane Van Boening seemed stuck in low gear. Facing Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan in a three-day race-to-100 marathon last weekend, the wiry pool shark from Rapid City, South Dakota would put together two racks in succession here, three racks there. And the misses were aplenty.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhiRlm3FDwML4198kEVjnVtyLWkhr6LQAMONuymYNlWl4IqLEiO-8_WfTBTCDlSWVYLQDAW9c7d5K5NBXQZTKDFOTuhct8CxlFRQWp8aC5cRx5SIl8uIxYDWijdE0I4Q30DnwI6l16iTD/s400/6072672276_9b6bc59c46_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhiRlm3FDwML4198kEVjnVtyLWkhr6LQAMONuymYNlWl4IqLEiO-8_WfTBTCDlSWVYLQDAW9c7d5K5NBXQZTKDFOTuhct8CxlFRQWp8aC5cRx5SIl8uIxYDWijdE0I4Q30DnwI6l16iTD/s320/6072672276_9b6bc59c46_z.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>SVB outscored Pagulayan on Friday thanks only to dramatic 7-pack at the very end of the night. On Saturday SBV won one game fewer than Pagulayan. <br />
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"He's weak. He's broken down," commentator Billy Incardona noted of the South Dakota Kid's early performance.<br />
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But all that changed Sunday, the last day of the much anticipated Action Report challenge match, when the man many believe to be America's greatest 10-ball player suddenly found his groove. Van Boening buried opponent Pagulayan beneath a torrent of pocketed balls on his way to what suddenly became an easy victory.<br />
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Final score after three days: Shane Van Boening: 100. Alex Pagulayan 84.<br />
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For his effort in the two-man <a href="http://actionreport.com/">ActionReport.com</a> tournament, Shane Van Boening goes home with $20,000. Pagulayan goes home empty-handed. Both players put up a $10,000 entry fee. The event was streamed over the Internet from Las Vegas.<br />
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<b>What had began as a trickle ended in a flood.</b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Pagulayan">Pagulayan</a>, a former U.S. Open nine-ball champion, Canadian snooker champion and World Pool Masters champion, is a dangerous opponent who beat Van Boening during an earlier Action Report challenge match. The first two nights of the rivals' latest confrontation where characterized by exchanges of safeties. Bothh players also appeared flummoxed by the extra-tight table pockets.<br />
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Van Boening, also a former U.S. nine-ball champion, committed several unforced errors during those first nights, and maintained a slim lead thanks only to his thunderous break and a big 7-pack on Friday. But he immediately won the first half dozen games Sunday, and then never let up. Pagulayan was stuck in his chair for most of the night.<br />
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In all, SVB outscored Pagulayan 30-17 during the final night of the event. He played quick, and played aggressive. His famous break smashed open the balls so thoroughly that those that weren't pocketed immediately ended up spaced on the table as if he had positioned them by hand.<br />
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"He blew him out tonight," Justin Collett, the event promoter, said of SVB's performance Sunday night.<br />
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<a href="http://theactionreport.com/">The Action Report </a>has sponsored similar challenge matches over the last several years, including those pitting Van Boening against 9-ball legend <a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Earl%20Strickland">Earl Strickland</a> and Van Boening against two-time U.S. Open champion <a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2010/10/van-boening-beats-immonen-in-shoot-out.html">Mika Immonen.</a><br />
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The outcome Sunday corresponded closely with fan predictions at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pool-Billiard-History/424151615424">poolhistory.com Facebook page</a>. By an 8-1 margin, fans predicted Van Boening would come out on top. The average margin of victory for Van Boening, among those predicting he would ultimately prevail, was <a href="http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2011/09/readers-favor-van-boening-over.html">17.24 games</a>. The actual margin of victory was 16 games.<br />
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<a href="mailto:hustlerdays@yahoo.com">-- R.A. Dyer</a>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7154379823495059142.post-50295315381686590112011-09-25T20:30:00.000-05:002011-09-25T20:30:26.297-05:00Bi Zhu Qing Surprise Winner of Women's World 9-Ball Championship in China<div class="msg-body inner undoreset"><div id="yiv90646763"><span class="yiv90646763Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> </div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><img alt="Bi Zhu Qing" height="336" src="http://www.wpa-pool.com/images/Web/gallery/_WJT4179bb_-_Copy_3.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: right; margin: 1px;" title="Bi Zhu Qing" width="434" />BY TED LERNER</strong></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Story Courtesy World Pool Billiard Association </strong></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>PHOTOS COURTESY OF <a href="http://my147.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MY147.COM</a></strong></span></div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>SHENYANG, CHINA -- </strong></span>Bi Zhu Qing stands no more than 4’11”. But Sunday night in Shenyang, this tiny woman became a giant of women’s pool and a sporting hero in the most populace nation on earth. This after the relatively unknown from Beijing defeated world number 2 and heavy favorite Chen Siming 9-7 to capture the 2011 Women’s World 9-ball Championship.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bi’s title win capped an incredible day for the 23 year old. Up until Sunday, she was mostly unknown beyond her professional peers in China, where the women’s game is wildly popular and its top players are legitimate stars. She is ranked number 7 in China and 81<sup>st</sup> worldwide and had never won any pool tournaments of note. </div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">That all changed on the last day of the Women's World 9-Ball Championship in this northeastern city of 7 million people. After she quietly worked her way through the field at the Liaoning Hunnan Sports Training Arena beginning Thursday, Bi shocked defending champion and world number one Fu Xiaofang in Sunday’s semi-final, 9-6. Playing the role of underdog perfectly, Bi played seemingly without a care in the world, while the pressure of stardom and expectation appeared at times to get to Fu.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">“I’m very happy, very excited,” Bi said afterward as a throng of media snapped the new champion’s picture. “That’s the best I ever played. Fu and Chen are great players and to beat them both in one day makes me proud. I was more nervous during the finals than in the semi-finals but I wanted to do my best because this was my chanced to achieve my dream. So I tried to relax.”</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Chen hardly seemed disappointed as she joked with Bi in the media room afterwards and posed for photos. She realized that she hadn’t played her best and, with a gracious manner typical of all the Chinese women pool players, gave full credit for the win to Bi.</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="" height="104" src="http://www.wpa-pool.com/images/Web/gallery/_Q1F1740_-_Copy.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: right; margin: 1px;" width="200" />“The first three racks I played well,” Chen said. “But after that, Bi played better than me. I’m happy for her.”</div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bi won $30,000 while Chen took home $15,000. </div><div style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><em>The World Pool Association (WPA) is the world governing body of pool. The 2011 Women's World 9-ball Championship is being sponsored by Chevrolet Automakers. Star is the official pool table, while Andy is the official table cloth. The event is sanctioned by the WPA and the Chinese Billiard and Snooker Association, (CBSA).</em></div></span> </div></div>R.A. Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203284748098418423noreply@blogger.com1