This
past weekend I played in a fairly big pool tournament, the Virginia State 9
Ball Championships. Well, I played in it
briefly, anyway. Mostly, I helped my
friend Joshua Dickerson, the tournament promoter, run it. I was also the referee for the event, making
official rulings on various things. I
also served as one of the commentators on the live stream that Inside Pool
Magazine sent out over the web.
Happy
Anniversary!
The
weekend started with a celebration. MB
and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. This was especially nice as I’d been
traveling on business all week and gave us a chance to reconnect.
Our
date included a trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art to see a special
exhibit on the Maharajas of India followed by dinner at the restaurant that is
in the museum, Amuse.
The
exhibit was quite remarkable. Displays
of incredible silver, textiles, jewelry, and other doodads allowed us to ooh
and aaahh for several hours. Admittedly,
I didn’t know much about India and its rich history (still don’t, really) so it
was really cool to expand what little I knowledge I did have. Really fascinating. Now that India is one of the largest
countries in the world, I expect we all need to learn more about it.
Dinner
at Amuse was sumptuous. This restaurant
is only open limited hours on weekends.
The chef specializes in making local purchases and then turning them
into incredible dishes. He is a
wizard. The mixologist (bartender) is
also talented. For the India exhibit, he
created a couple of signature cocktails that were equally amazing. I had a “chai tea” drink that was made with
rye and several other ingredients, including cream. The
results were stunning. Turned brown
liquor, a spirit that isn’t traditionally thought of as a summer drink, into a
very refreshing libation. MB had a gin
and tonic made with designer tonic water (locally produced – as in on the
premises) that was the best she’d ever had.
The
dishes we ordered were beautifully prepared and very imaginative and the
restaurant offers mini-flights of wine by the glass. This meant we each were able to create wine
pairings with each course. The results
were quite good!
If
you come to the area, I recommend Amuse for dinner on the weekend particularly
if you have an adventurous palate!
Tournament
Saturday
The
pool tournament was held at Diamond Billiards, located on the south side of
town in Midlothian. This pool room is an
upscale establishment that’s been in business for about four and a half
years. It’s a really nice place with
great equipment, spotless bathrooms, full bar, and a solid menu of bar food and
even some healthy selections.
Open
table time for warm up and practice was 9:00 a.m. with the tournament scheduled
to begin at 11:00. (Those of you that
are pool players know that this means play actually starts about 11:30.) For the life of me, I don’t know what it is
about pool players dragging ass in late but that seems to be the rule rather
than the exception. As someone who is always on time, it drives me nuts.
Due
to some miscommunication, the tournament ended up with 72 players – slightly
more than the full field of 64. This
added some time to the early round matches.
Saturday’s play didn’t end until 2:30 am Sunday morning, as a result. I didn’t hear any complaints, though.
My
first match was called about 1:00 pm and I took on a pretty talented player in
the race to 9. After losing the lag, I
managed to run out the first table when he broke dry. That was the last really good chance I had to
do anything. I did win three more games
but only when he missed in two of them and left me with fairly easy outs. One game, I managed to win a safety battle
but that was due more to a lucky roll.
The fact is, he was a much better player than me and should beat me most
of the time. (He ended up in the money,
top twelve, I think.) I didn’t play
badly, I just didn’t get a lot of chances.
It happens.
My
second match came about 3:30 or so. This
player seemed to be more my speed, especially since he also lost in an early
round. I won the lag and we fought back
and forth until I’d gotten to a 5-3 lead thanks to a run out that included four
ridiculous shots in a row; two banks, one carom, and a table length extreme cut
shot. (I’m probably about even money to make just one
of those shots. Making all four in a row is
like winning the pick 4 lottery for me!)
From that point, my opponent just hit another gear altogether. I got very rare looks at a
clean shot and the only other game I won happened when he played a rather loose
safety that left me with a table length shot that was almost dead straight in
with the cue ball on the rail. I slow
rolled the shot and get good enough position on the next ball that I was able
to run the last 4 balls and get out.
Lost 9-6. My opponent finished
one round out of the money.
Again,
I played fairly well in both matches. I
consider myself a B player and when I’m in an event like this, the draw makes a
difference. I’ve finished in the money
here two or three times, sometimes when playing worse. Until my game jumps up one more level, this
will likely be my fate. I don’t like to
lose but until I can devote more time, I have to satisfy myself with quality of
play, setting my expectation appropriately.
(I don’t like to lose but I don’t like to be pissed off, either.)
The
rest of the day on Saturday, I spent in the broadcast booth, acting as a
commentator. This is great fun for me!
Dozens
of Fans!
Being
a commentator at a pool tournament is a lot like talking to yourself. First, the tournament isn’t on TV, it’s on
the web. Kind of like live Youtube,
except with fewer viewers. In order for
people to watch, they need to know the web address of the “channel” in order to
watch. Then, they need to be willing to
watch something as small as a computer screen to see local pool players bang
balls around. (Don’t get me wrong, some
of the play is terrific. The top players
in this event play in the US Open 9 Ball Championships, one of the biggest
events in the world. We’re not all
hacks!)
As
you might imagine, the audience is rather restricted. At one point, when I was in the booth, we had
slightly over 350 viewers. While those
numbers are really small, they aren’t terrible for a local event. (Keep in
mind, these were early rounds.) Last
year during the finals, at one point, I think we had 3,000 which is a really
good audience. Remember, these are die
hard pool fans and that’s interesting to pool advertisers.
Anyway,
I worked three or four matches on Saturday and I was typically paired with
another player in the event. This makes
for some funny story telling along with calling the action and some
interviewing. At least, that’s what I
try to do. Pool is full of interesting
people and I like to dig that out for people to listen.
The
way you know whether or not you’re connecting with the audience is that the
internet connection allows for a live chat among those watching. This gives the announce team the chance to see
how their comments, calls, opinions, and the like are being received in real
time by their audience. Comments lead to
people bringing other viewers in, usually via social media announcements, and
that builds viewers. I also use Twitter
and Facebook, resulting in a number of people tuning in, many of whom wouldn’t
ordinarily. (Got a few calls and
messages during and afterwards, too, about this. I may have turned on some new fans!)
Because
we’re on the internet rather than the airwaves, streaming tends to be a bit raw
both in production quality and commentary.
At one point during a decidedly one sided match, I said the following:
“So Frank finally manages to
hook his pickup truck to the back of his neck and pull his head out of his butt
long enough to make the nine ball and get on the board. He now trails 7-1 in this race to nine.”
The
chat went crazy at that point. I simply
said what would have been on my mind if I’d been playing the match (and as
badly) and the viewers loved it. I’m
guessing I’d never make it on ESPN or the Golf Channel but that’s not in my
plan, either.
Shortly before midnight, I hit the wall. I’d been there
almost fifteen hours and was dragging from being “on” during the stream; I have
a little background in TV and I just put more energy into my piece of it. (Think it’s easy? Just try talking non-stop during the next
sporting event you watch on TV.
Yeah. Let me know how that
is.) I headed home to bed, planning to
be back at noon Sunday for the first rounds of play.
Baby
Got Back…On the Bike
I
managed to sleep in on Sunday; until about 6:30. That's become sleeping in for me. I’ve never really been a “good” sleeper and
it’s only gotten worse with age. At
least I have lots of interests to stay busy!
I
decided to get a bike ride in after breakfast.
Since I spent the entire day before, and most of the day Sunday, in a
pool room I thought that would be a nice change of pace!
I
set out on my Montpelier circuit of about 25 miles before it got too hot and in
no time at all, I was grinning as I spun up the road. There was very little traffic out on this
Sunday morning. In fact, I rode for
thirty minutes before seeing a vehicle.
Sheer bliss!
Once
I got to Montpelier, I headed northwest on route 33. My plan was to turn onto Hopeful Church Road, ride across to Taylor’s Creek Road near the county line, and then turn for
home.
I
was doing about 25 mph when I got to Hopeful Church and started to make the
left turn. I felt my rear wheel kind of
shudder and looked down. Dammit! Going
flat. This was the fourth flat in six
weeks! WTF?
I
slowed down, pulled over and climbed off the bike. (I hate stopping mid-ride like this because
I’m suddenly pouring sweat and it’s running it my eyes.) I pulled off my helmet and started inspecting
the tire for a puncture. I couldn’t find
anything and knew it was fully inflated when I left the house. I grabbed my frame pump and re-inflated the
tire hoping that would take care of it.
(Dreamer!) I saddled up and
continued my ride.
Another
two miles or so and I knew I’d have to change it; the tire was slowly going soft again. I pulled over at a spot that was visible to
drivers in both directions and set to changing the tube. Admittedly, I’m getting very good at this due
to all the practice of late. What it’s
taught me is that I have to invest in a CO2 pump; damn frame pumps will wear
you out!
After
getting the tube out, I worked my fingers all around the inside of the tire
looking for the culprit to the flat.
Nothing. I checked to see if
there were spokes that might be poking it from above. Nothing.
I shook my head and stuffed the old tube in my jersey pocket for future
investigation, put a new tube in the wheel, slid the tire back into place and
inflated it. I re-installed the wheel,
took a long drink to celebrate another successful repair, and pedaled off. (Finally got a chance to check the tube last night. Tiny hole in it in about the same place as the last flat. I'm thinking there is something in the tire that is embedded deep enough that, most of the time, it doesn't cause a flat. I'm hoping to perform a more indepth investigation this weekend.)
I
arrived back home with no further difficulties.
After cooling down, having a snack and a shower, I was ready to head
back to the tournament. That workout was
just was I needed!
Tournament
Day 2
I
walked through the doors at about noon and, much to my surprise, some matches
had already started! I didn’t even
expect everyone to be there yet.
Joshua
told me that they’d postponed the last couple of matches from last night on the
promise that people would get in early enough to keep on time. That made sense then; for a second, I thought
I‘d entered a parallel universe or something.
I
headed into the booth to call the match on the TV table and spent most of the afternoon
hosting match after match. I also got a
chance to interview a young player who is now based in our area and making a
name for himself on the international pool stage, Brandon Shuff.
Brandon
is a two time winner of the VA State championship but hasn’t played the last
two years due to other commitments. He
graciously worked a couple of matches with me and it gave me a chance to ask
him what he’s doing to manage his career.
The
upshot was that he has become very intentional about it. He plans to attend every possible tournament
he can, works on his game incessantly, and plays in a lot of money matches (I
know, I was shocked) to hone his skills and nerves. In short, he is a true, pool
professional. And the positive results have been
steady although slower than he’d like.
(My BFF Clyde called me on Monday to say how much he enjoyed the
interview. He’s not even a pool player.
Thanks!)
I
expect some really big things from Brandon over the next couple of years. He’s got too much talent, heart, and desire
not to make it! Be on the lookout for
Brandon “Sho-nuff” Shuff, coming to a big win, near you!
The
Finals
The
last match began around 9:00 pm and it featured Chris Futrell, the defending
champion, against Larry Kressel a former winner of the event. Chris had gone undefeated through the field
to gain the hot seat while Larry had fought his way back from the one loss side
where he’d had to play two additional matches to make the finals.
I
was out of the booth now because my job was to be the referee of the last two
semi-final, and final, matches. This
gave me the best seat in the house to watch what turned out to be a pretty good
tussle.
Futrell
got out to an early lead, putting up three games before Kressel notched his
first. From there, they fought back and forth
with each player going on small streaks of three games each. Eventually, Futrell moved the score to 10-8
and was on the hill, only one game away from the title. When he suddenly missed an easy 6 ball in the nineteenth rack, Kressel ran out
to get to 10-9. He then broke and was
deftly running out the rack, looking for all the world as if he was going to
make it a hill-hill match, when he suddenly rattled the 7 ball leaving it
hanging in the jaws of a corner pocket.
Looking absolutely stunned as the crowd gasped in surprise, he slowly
walked back to his chair.
Futrell
walked purposefully to the table, took his time, and ran out the last three
balls for the victory. He had
successfully defended his title! For his
part, Kressel had gotten farther along in the event than he had in five years
when he last won it.
Futrell
won $1100 and paid entry into the US Open.
Kressel won $600 and paid entry into the US Open, too. There were 8 women playing in the tournament
and Joshua is also paying entry for the top finisher among them into the US
Open. That went to Sheri Bruner. Congratulations to all!
Back
to the world….
I
rolled out the door about 11:00 pm to head home, surprised to find that the sun
had set. I’d had a three or four beers
over the course of the tournament (seriously) but I still felt like Ray Milland
in The Lost Weekend. Unless you make yourself go outside during an
event like this, it feels like you’re in a casino or on a binge. Felt like I missed the weekend, altogether. Weird.
Anyway,
I was back in the office bright and early Monday morning. I’m so out of sorts that I just told the
cashier in the employee cafeteria to have a nice weekend. And it’s only Wednesday!
I
knew I should have had more to drink.
And
finally, I need to vent...
I
hate to end with this horrible tragedy but feel it needs to be said. A local cyclist, 24 year old Lanie Kruzewski,
was killed while cycling here in Richmond on July 31st, by a hit and
run driver. The driver, a 30 year old
advertising executive, turned himself in several days later and reportedly told
police he, “thought he hit a deer” and claiming he didn’t realize he’d hit a
person and that’s why he kept driving.
He was arrested, charged with hit and run, and on August 9th
was released on $200,000 bond, forfeiting his driver’s license and passport. His driving record over the past ten years
shows a pattern of reckless driving, speeding, and multiple moving violations.
The
accident occurred at 10:20 pm on a two lane road with a very small
shoulder. The cyclist, who was riding to
her boyfriend’s after getting off work, was wearing all reflective clothing,
had a headlight and two blinking taillights on her bike all of which were
working. The Dodge Durango that hit her struck with enough force to throw her 110 feet, crushing the front fender and cracking
the entire windshield.
I am
incredibly saddened and frightened by this accident. It’s the second death of a cyclist, at the
hands of a driver, in the past year.
Statistics show that cycling is actually safer than riding a motorcycle
but that does little to assuage my fear that I’m going to end up on someone’s
fender. I am frequently passed by
vehicles going too fast for the conditions, passing in an unsafe manner (not
waiting until there is room to do so, for example) and harassing me for being
on the road. I sincerely hope none of
those people was you. If it was, though,
please consider this.
If I
were in a car instead of on a bike, is that how you would behave? Probably not.
But because I’m on a bike, and running into me wouldn’t do any damage to
your car (or so you seem to think) you might be more likely to take a
chance. Please don’t. Hitting a human will hurt your car but, more
importantly, it will ruin your life. If
it’s me, I promise I will own everything that you have. If I die, my heirs
will. There is nothing that is worth the
extra thirty seconds you have to wait in order to go around me. Nothing.
Rant over. Carry on and please remember, share the
road. There is room for all of us.
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