March 2021

The Battle For New York

Behind the Lawsuit To Reopen Rooms, and What the Rest of the Country Can Learn

PLUS INSTRUCTION SPECIAL: Clearing the Cobwebs MARCH 2021

$ 5.95

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CJ VS VIVIAN: ESPN World Open 25 Years Later

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CONTENTS

Vol. 43, No. 3 M A R C H

2 0 2 1

42

Features 32 WHAT IN THE WORLD? On the 25th anniversary of the 1996 ESPN World Open, a look back at what was right — and what wasn’t — with the cable giant’s big experiment.

by Nick Leider

36 INSTRUCTION SPECIAL: DUST OFF THE RUST With opportunities to play finally opening up, top instructors offer insight into the best ways to get your game back together.

by Keith Paradise

42 A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND After 10 frustrating months, New York poolroom owners linked arms and sued the State of New York to get their rooms reopened.

by Mike Panozzo

Columns 10 FROM THE PUBLISHER From bad to worse.

by Mike Panozzo

56 TIPS & SHAFTS

The best from the best.

by George Fels

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36

32

On the Cover Poolroom owners in New York had simply had enough. Shut down for 10 months, and no end in sight, 15 room owners hired a savvy attorney and sued New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for the right to reopen.

Cover photo by Erwin Dionisio

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CONTENTS

M A R C H

Departments

Vol. 38, No. 3 2 0 2 1

BD

The Premier Billiards Magazine since 1978

FOUNDER

PUBLISHER

MORT LUBY JR.

MIKE PANOZ ZO EDITOR

6 FREEZE FRAME

MIK E PANOZ ZO

Pool through the lens of JP Parmentier.

ART DIRECTOR

MARK TATAR A CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

8 YESTERYEAR

MIK E SHAMOS

Pool headlines 5, 10 and 15 years ago.

SENIOR WRITER

NICK LEIDER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

J P PARMEN TIER

12 WING SHOTS Pool’s Lee diagnosed with cancer.

13 YOU MAKE THE CALL A shot that needs to be settled.

14 CUEZILLA The splendor of Black Boar cues.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

DAVID ALCIATORE DARREN A PPLE TON R. A . DYER JAY HELF ERT BOB JE WE T T JE ANE T TE LEE TED LERNER SK IP MALONE Y K EITH PAR ADISE TON Y ROBLES L ARRY SCHWART Z NICK VARNER MARK WILSON

15 STROKE OF GENIUS The ‘Whirlwind’ makes an escape.

48 CHRONICLES by Mike Shamos Billiards in the movies.

PRESIDENT

KEITH HAMILTON CIRCULATION MANAGER

K EITH HAMILTON

52 TOURNAMENTS McMinn shows ’em in Missouri.

LUBY PUBLISHING INC.

Practice Table Instruction 18

Quick Hits: Tidbits to Up Your Game

20

Nick Varner • Strategies

22

Larry Schwartz • Stripes & Solids

24

Darren Appleton • Perfect Practice

26

Bob Jewett • Tech Talk

28

David Alciatore • Illustrated Principles

47 W. Polk St., Suite 319 Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 341-1110 FA X : (312) 341-1469 w w w.billiardsdigest.com email @ billiardsdigest.com BILLIARDS DIGEST (ISSN 0164-761X) is published monthly by Luby Publishing, Inc., 47 W. Polk St., Suite 319, Chicago, IL 60605 USA. Telephone 312-341-1110, Fax 312-341-1469.

Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional offices.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES in the U.S. and possessions, one year (12 issues) for $28; international, $53.

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Laser Focus The ‘Black Widow’ vows to stare down biggest challenge.

No stranger to adversity and doubt, Jeanette Lee has used her steely determination to battle through more than her fair share of physical and mental challenges. Recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the BCA Hall of Famer has vowed to use that same determination to conquer her greatest challenge.

PHOTO BY JP PARMENTIER NIKON D4, AF-S 200-400 mm f/4 3200 ISO, 1/200s @ f/4.5, 400 mm

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YESTERYEAR

Title-Crasher + 5 Y E ARS AGO +

+ 10 Y E ARS AGO +

A pair of perennial runners-up emerged victorious at the big-money China Billiard World Championships in Yushan, China.

Hanquin Shi, referred to in China as “Mr. Runner-up,”edged Britain’s luckless Mick Hill, 21-20, in the men’s finale to take home the $92,000 top prize. Shi, a converted snooker player, and Hill, an English 8-ball ace were the cream of the Chinese 8-ball field and battled to a 20-20 tie, before Hill’s dry break in the decider allowed Shi to run out. In the women’s final, Siming Chen out-shot another Brit, former world champion Kelly Fisher, 17-11, to claim the crown. The event was Fisher’s first since undergoing a double mastectomy five months earlier.

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THE UNINVITED ORCOLLO CRASHED THE WPA’S PARTY TO WIN THE WORLD 8-BALL TITLE.

Uninvited but undeterred, 32-year-old Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines dominated the 112-player final field to win the World Pool-Billiard Association World 8-Ball Championship in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Ranked outside the WPA’s top 16 and not among the Filipino players extended an invitation by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union, Orocllo flew to the UAE early to compete for one of nine available qualifying spots. After securing his spot in the double-elimination portion of the main event, Orcollo won five straight in the single-elimination portion of the event to reach the final, where he defeated Dutchman Niels Feijen, 10-3 to win the world title.

+ 15 Y E ARS AGO + After suffering through a year in which she captured just one pro title, Karen Corr started 2006 on the right foot, topping top-ranked and longtime rival Allison Fisher, 7-5, in the final to win the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Carolina Classic at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, N.C. Corr rolled unbeaten through the field, which featured the WPBA’s new format — reseeding the final 16 and reducing the event to single-elimination. In the semifinals, Corr pounced on Monica Webb, 7-1, while Allison Fisher defeated Kelly Fisher, 7-4.

Thorsten Hohmann defeated surprising finalist Keith McCready to win the Turning Stone Classic in Upstate N.Y.

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From the Publisher

Mike Panozzo

FROM BAD TO WORSE A

FTER SPENDING a year in Bizarro World, I had hoped

2021 would offer at least a modicum of normalcy.

Instead, the new year has thus far proven to be an extension of 2020, only more personal.

The year started auspiciously, with professional players in the U.S. returning to action in smaller tournaments. A ray of hope.

Instead, in early February, an ill-advised middle-ofthe-night live stream captured and shared and even more ill-advised confrontation between two “professional” players. The unfortunate incident during a post-tournament action match between four-time Team USA Mosconi Cup team member Billy Thorpe and veteran player Robb Saez included an inebriated Thorpe launching into an expletivelaced rant that lasted several minutes and concluded with the young Ohioan using a homophobic slur and physically accosting Saez.

Not surprisingly, the ugly incident quickly made its way through social media and went viral within the pool community. Players and fans weighed in on the seriousness and ramifications of the episode, with some brushing it off as a common occurrence in gambling sessions, some blaming the live stream and some admonishing young Thorpe for his unprofessional behavior.

Thorpe’s major sponsor, Cuetec, however, did not mince words. The popular cue brand, which also sponsors Shane Van Boening and world champion Fedor Gorst, almost immediately issued a statement saying that it was severing its relationship with the 24-year-old Thorpe. The statement was received with mixed reviews, with some suggesting that fans boycott the cue line.

After initially attempting to dismiss the episode as “not a big deal,” Thorpe eventually showed sincere remorse in an online interview with Cue It Up Network. “I’m embarrassed,” he said. “I need to look at myself in the mirror and find a way to be better.”

Billy Thorpe is a great young player with tons of talent, fire and heart. Few players go out of their way to engage with fans and encourage youth players more than Thorpe.

Perhaps too much success too soon caused his vision to blur a bit. He has learned the hard way that you can’t profess to be a “professional,” and expect to be paid and treated as such, if you don’t hold yourself to a higher standard of behavior.

I think Billy Thorpe will be a better person, and perhaps a better player, because of this. He is young. He has time to rebuild his tarnished reputation. And it will take time.

He should not be given an easy pass. And, hopefully, other young players with aspirations of having sponsors and being on posters will realize that you can’t have it both ways.

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Either you are a professional, or you aren’t.

As for Cuetec, kudos to the brand for standing up quickly and firmly against such behavior, caught on film or not.

Billiard brands that invest in players put their hard-earned reputations on the line when they link their products to top pros. This isn’t philanthropy. It’s business, and it’s time the players realize that.

Of course, the Thorpe episode quickly took a back seat in the pool community’s consciousness on Feb. 17, when it was learned that Jeanette Lee, the biggest name in pool since Minnesota Fats, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

Lee, 49, has already undergone several rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and is considering additional surgery to slow the spread of the disease, which has already metastasized.

News of the wildly popular Lee’s diagnosis quickly reached well beyond the billiard community, with news sites like The Washington Post, New York Post, Tampa Bay Times and People magazine picking up the story. Popular internet sites like Yahoo, Deadspin, TMZ and Today spread the news as well.

Of course, the pool community is well aware of all of the physical challenges Lee has battled throughout her Hall of Fame career — numerous surgeries on her back, neck and shoulder to alleviate or stabilize the havoc wreaked on her body from scoliosis. Her determination and will throughout her career have made her an inspiration to many who have never even touched a cue.

In true “Black Widow” fashion, Lee took a philosophical approach to her latest challenge. “I don’t think God is done with me yet,” she said. “This is just another way to inspire more people.”

One thing no one can deny, Lee is a ferocious fighter.

Her rise as both a player and a brand can be directly attributed to her single-minded focus to succeed. Few players worked harder to reach the top than Lee, who was known to follow top players around the country, badgering them for tips and convincing them to play so that she could soak up their knowledge. She took the same approach to her brand-building, never missing an opportunity to expand the visibility of the “Black Widow.”

Jeanette Lee’s impact on the billiard world can never be overstated. If a sport like billiards is lucky, once in a generation a player comes along that transcends our world and catches the attention of the masses — the masses we so desperately want and need to make aware of the sport.

Over the last 30 years, Jeanette Lee has been that player.

We should all pray that, in gratitude and as a reward, she is around for another 30.

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+ QUOTABLE+

“You have to find the right judge. That’s key.”

NEW YORK LAWYER JAMES MERMIGIS ON HIS LAWSUIT TO GET NEW YORK ROOMS REOPENED (PG. 42).

Dear

LEE BATTLING CANCER

Jeanette

BCA Hall of Famer diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

THE BLACK WIDOW ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT POOL LIFE, LOVE AND ETIQUETTE.

I

N AN announcement that shocked the pool world — and made headlines far beyond traditional billiard circles — Jeanette Lee revealed that she is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

The 49-year-old “Black Widow,” arguably behind only Minnesota Fats as the most recognized pool personality ever, released a statement through her longtime agent Tom George on Feb. 17 acLee was both pool’s No. 1 player and its biggest celebrity. knowledging that she agencies like the Washington Post, New had been diagnosed with the disease and York Post, Tampa Bay Times and People had already received her first round of magazine, and popular social media sites aggressive chemotherapy. like Yahoo, TMZ, Deadspin and Today.

“I intend to bring the same resolve Part of the press release divulging I brought to the billiards table to this Lee’s diagnosis included information fight,” Lee said. about the establishment of the Jeanette Despite a dire prognosis and the exLee Legacy Fund, “a trust designed to pectation of numerous rounds of cheprovide for the care, well-being and edumotherapy and possibly surgery, Lee, cation of her three daughters.” no stranger to physical challenges, reLee said the focus of her fight to live is mained upbeat and philosophical. her daughters Cheyenne, 16, Chloe, 11, “I don’t think God is done with me and Savannah, 10, who she said are the yet,” she said in a call. “This is just angreatest achievements of her life. other way to inspire more people. I’m “I owe it to my three daughters [to planning on being around for a while. never give up],” Lee said.

“I need to know that something good A GoFundMe page was set up to fund will come of this,” she added. “Everythe trust, and within three days the Jeathing I’ve already been through has prenette Lee Legacy Fund was more than pared me for this.” halfway to its goal of raising $250,000.

News of Lee’s diagnosis spread quickly Tony Stewart, NASCAR legend, pool fan and was picked up by numerous news 14

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(Q)

I’m an older player and still play at a semi-pro level. I try to give back to the game by teaching younger players the nuances of the game, but some kids just resist coaching.

You have always devoted time to helping young players. What’s your advice?

Marty Pauley, Lincoln, Neb.

(A)

I’ve learned over the years that if a child is unwilling to learn, you just have to move on to another child, regardless of the first child’s potential. If someone shows no serious interest in improving as a player, they will never reach the level they could if they accepted help. It’s like the old saying: Show me a little effort and I will gladly give you my time. There are so many kids who would love your support and advice. Just make it clear at the start that they have to take responsibility for their game and for themselves. Tell them that if they do that, you will be right there to help them along.

Let them know that you believe in them, but you will not allow them to give anything short of maximum effort. Doing so only reinforces bad habits. Remember: God helps those that help themselves.

WRITE JEANETTE AT BILLIARDSDIGEST.COM

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numbers

BD IN BRIEF BARSTOOL SPORTS GIVES GRANT TO CONNECTICUT ROOM BOBBY HILTON was sitting in his office doing paperwork on the afternoon of January 9, when his cellular phone started ringing.

As owner of Yale Billiards in Wallingford, Conn., Hilton has been walking the same tightrope that many poolroom and small business owners have during the COVID-19 pandemic. Capacity restrictions after being shut down for three months had limited his business while mask regulations and safety concerns kept regular customers away. Hilton was still able to pay his employees and taxes, but had fallen a month behind on the rent — a problem many room owners are currently battling nationwide. As fall became winter and business remained

# G A M E #

down by about 40-percent, the long-term prognosis wasn’t promising.

Hilton answered the call on his phone and, within minutes, the new year was already looking more promising. On the other end of a video call was Dave Portnoy, founder and president of the social media company Barstool Sports. Weeks earlier, Hilton’s close friend Vinny Gambarella had submitted a grant application to the Barstool Fund — a charity created by the company to assist small businesses struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Portnoy was calling to tell Hilton his grant application has been approved, and that the business will be receiving $5,000 a month until Yale is either back in the black or the restrictions have been lifted.

Both Hilton and Gambarella follow 16

15

Poolrooms listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the State of New York (pg. 42).

$313K

Prize fund in the 1996 ESPN World Open in Santa Rosa, Calif. (pg. 32).

2013

Year that Jeanette Lee was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame (pg. 12).

YOU MAKE THE CALL: UNSETTLED With Mike Shamos

QUESTION: You’re the referee in a pro 9-ball event being played under the World Standardized Rules (WSR). Player A has just broken and pocketed the 1 ball. The 9 has come to rest in contact with the rail at the point of the pocket. The path of the 2-7 combination to the 9 is blocked by the 6 ball. Player A gets an idea — she hits the 2 very hard, which sends the 7 into the cushion at high speed along the dotted line. The contact between the 7 and the cushion causes the cushion rubber to expand outward from the point of contact, and this propels the 9 ball into the pocket without being touched by any ball. Player A says, “I win!” Player B says, “Wrong! It’s a foul to move an object ball without hitting it. The 9 moved, but not because it was contacted by a ball, so it’s a foul.” What do you do?

ANSWER: The WSR are unclear in this situation. Rule 6.6 indeed says that “[i]t is a foul to touch, move or change the path of any object ball except by the normal ball-to-ball contacts during shots.” However, Rule 1.7 says that a “ball may settle slightly after it appears to have stopped, possibly due to slight imperfections in the ball or the table.” If a ball truly settles during a shot, it is replaced. But this was not settling because the 9 didn’t just drop — it was shoved in by a forceful hit into the rail very close to the ball. It was not a “normal ball-to-ball contact,” either. Player A was clever, but deliberately caused the 9 to move other than through a ball contact. I would rule that it was an intentional foul, but I can see arguments for other outcomes. The rules should be clarified.

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CUE CRITIQUE: RISK REWARD

Black Boar cues take bold risks in creating memorable designs.

BY DENO ANDREWS Players and collectors alike share the feeling of opening their cases and exposing a wow-factor cue. Given the odd shape of cue sticks and over 100 years of design history, building a unique elegant design has its challenges. Despite those challenges, Black Boar excels in creating memorable and timeless designs, making them some of the most collectible pieces in the industry. Featured this month is a bold cue that takes risks. A birdseye maple forearm hosts six points that elegantly transition the cue from warm earth tones to a more binary black and white aesthetic. While alternating high and low points is somewhat common, Black Boar’s ivory sub points of the same height ran the risk of overpowering the forearm. However, the points are both long enough to make a visual impact, and short enough to not undermine the complexities of the woods. A black lizard wrap establishes a black negative space while the skin’s texture respects the cue’s complexity. Below the wrap are large arrays of ivory geometric shapes, each pointing to the center of the ebony butt sleeve. Leaving ample space between the shapes created an integrative interplay between the foreground and background. Understated ivory dots keep the eyes moving around and simple warm wooden rings reference the almost forgotten warmth from the forearm.

For more information on this and other high-end cues, visit CueZilla.com, where you can read other cue critiques and join the discussion yourself.

‘BLACK WIDOW’

- continued from pg. 12 -

and longtime friend of Lee, donated $10,000 to the cause.

Diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, Lee has dealt with physical ailments throughout her life, including multiple surgeries to fuse vertebrae in her back and repair deteriorated disks in her neck and shoulders. She underwent surgery as late as early 2020 to address neck pain and sciatica, ailments that had caused her to all but retire from competition.

Lee said it is possible that her various ailments and chronic arthritis may have masked any pain by the cancer, which has metastasized and invaded other parts of her body. As a patient keenly aware of her body and in constant contact with medical advisors, Lee also contends that the impact of COVID-19 and the suggestion that anything less than dire medical visits should be avoided may also have played a role in her not getting diagnosed earlier.

“I’m usually on top of any new pain or symptoms and have fairly regular visits with doctors,” she said.

Lee, who has suffered from anxiety disorder for nearly 20 years, said she began noticing shortness of breath when she laid down around the beginning of the year. Assuming it was anxiety-based, she did nothing about it. The breathing issues persisted, however, and she thought she might be suffering from bronchitis.

“I had no other symptoms other than having to take deep breaths anytime I laid down,” she recalled.

When her shortness of breath worsened, Lee finally took herself to an urgent care facility near her home in Tampa in mid-January. X-rays revealed pleural effusion, often referred to as “water on the lungs,” and Lee was directed to a local hospital for further tests.

“The fluids were sent to pathology,” Lee said. “I think they knew right away that it was serious.”

The cells were cancerous, and masses were found elsewhere in Lee’s lymph nodes. She underwent her first chemotherapy treatment on Jan. 27.

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STROKE OF GENIUS Recounting the greatest shots in pool history V ide o pr ovide d by M atchr oom Pool

PLAYER: Jimmy White EVENT: 1995 Mosconi Cup LOCATION: Basildon, U.K. DATE: December 9, 1995

B

ACK IN 1995, the Mosconi Cup

was still a new event to pool— something considered a bit of a lark but with enough big-name talent to attract international attention.

It also had enough pull for British snooker pros to take a turn at 9-ball.

In a doubles match, snooker legends Jimmy White and Alex Higgins matched up with Americans Bobby Hunter and Mike Massey with Team USA leading, 10-8, in matches in the race-to-16.

In the opening game of the best-ofthree sets to three racks, White came to the table in the terribly unfortunate situation shown in the diagram, following a Hunter miss on the 4 ball into the bottom right corner. Luckily for the Yankees, the cue ball ducked behind the 9 ball along the footrail,

Watch Jimmy White’s magic trick at BILLIARDSDIGEST.COM

blocking any direct route to the 4.

With no feasible defensive options, White had little to keep him from taking a flyer on a two-rail kick at the 4.

Drilling the cue ball into the nearby rail with plenty of left English to bend its path off the left long rail, White didn’t have much room for error. Pulling the cue ball back toward him, White risked giving his opponents ball in hand by hitting the 9 ball before the 4. But the snooker pro executed the shot perfectly, rattling in the 4 as the cue ball bounced off the right long rail. That shot helped the British tandem take the first rack en route to winning the set and the match.

Getting his team back to within a point, 10-9, White proved to be the deciding factor in the entire Mosconi Cup. With the teams knotted on the hill, 15-15, the snooker pro outshot Lou Butera in the deciding race-to-4 set, 4-2, for a thrilling victory for Team Europe—the Continent’s first win and its only until seven years later in 2002.

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‘BLACK WIDOW’

- continued from pg. 14 -

“This is all so weird,” Lee added with a laugh. “I always felt like I would go young, but I always figured it would be a tragic end, like a car wreck.

“I have to say, what has hurt the most has been thinking about my girls’ futures much more than thinking about myself.”

Lee’s path to stardom in and beyond pool began in the early ’90s in New York

City and quickly blossomed. Within four years of devoting herself full-time to the game, Lee reached the top of the women’s rankings, becoming the No. 1 player in 1994. Her brashness, beauty and drive quickly made her the talk of the pool world. Her unparalleled skills in self-promotion helped her develop a public persona that transcended pool. Over the next 15 years, the Jeanette Lee brand

blossomed, resulting in inclusion in ESPN Magazine’s “The Body Issue,” her own ESPN SportCenter commercial, a spot in Korea’s “Dancing with the Stars,” and endorsement deals with gaming site King.com, Bass Pro Shops and more.

Lee also won a dozen Women’s Professional Billiards Association titles and captured the gold medal at the 2001 World Games.

Barstool on social media and when Hilton confided in him how bad business had been, his friend filled out an application and submitted a brief video of the room owner giving a tour of the facility.

“Our barstools are up and not being used,” Hilton explained in his video submission.

With 2.7 million followers on Hilton’s Yale Billiards got an unexpected gift.

Twitter and 9.6 million followto do news stories and people calling ers on Instagram, Barstool Sports has from as far away as Georgia and Florida grown to become a multi-media empire to congratulate him. Additionally, the and one of the largest sports entertainbuzz has created about a 15-percent inment social media platforms in the crease in business. country. As the pandemic continues to “Really since the pandemic, I haven’t hurt and hamper small businesses, the made anything,” Hilton said. “I told company created the Barstool Fund, Dave, thank you. You’ve allowed me which has raised over $35 million and to catch up on my rent, which is aweprovided grants to over 260 small busisome.” nesses nationwide.

A few weeks after submitting the application for the nationwide grant CUETEC DROPS THORPE program, news broke that a restaurant FOUR-TIME Team USA Mosconi in the small Connecticut town just Cup participant and two-time Derby outside of New Haven received a grant City Classic winner Billy Thorpe was from the media platform. A few days dropped abruptly from sponsor Cuetec later, a second Wallingford business on Feb. 9, following an ugly, latewas awarded a grant. night rant during a money match in “Now we’re thinking there’s no way Poplar Bluff, Mo., that was being livewe’re going to get it,” he said. “We went streamed. from a little optimistic to not optimisThe action match between Thorpe and fellow pro Robb Saez, took place tic.” at Smokin’ Aces Bar & Grill, where a That was until January 9, when Portnumber of pros gathered for bar table noy called Hilton on WhatsApp, chattournaments during the first weekend ted briefly and asked for his banking in February. The Thorpe-Saez match information. was played following tournament play News of the grant approval has made in the early morning hours of Feb. 6.

Hilton and Yale minor celebrities, with The match was being live streamed on local television stations dropping in

the TV Mike network.

During the match, Thorpe launched into an expletive-filled rant with Saez, at one point using a homophobic slur and then physically attacking Saez. The live stream continued, with one announcer even commenting, “Well, this should be interesting.”

The video was captured and almost immediately widely shared on Facebook pages and other social media sites.

Cuetec, which added Thorpe to its pro staff in September 2019, quickly posted an official statement severing its contract with the 24-year-old Ohio pro.

“Cuetec is a proud advocate for sportsmanship and inclusion, and unequivocally condemns any language or actions that bully, intimidate, alienate, or otherwise harm any person or the game itself.”

The statement went on to say that the company “requires all of its player representatives to uphold this standard of conduct.”

Thorpe’s initial attempts to diffuse the situation on social media by blaming alcohol and dismissing the altercation as being typical of gambling matches were met with mixed reaction. Thorpe subsequently appeared on Cue It Up Network noticeably more remorseful, saying, “Honestly, I’m embarrassed. I regret everything. The only thing I can do is move on and be better.

I need to look at myself in the mirror and I need to work on being better.”

“I’m sure Billy learned from this,” offered Thorpe’s close friend and Cuetec staffer Shane Van Boening. “For sure, he needs to stop getting into matches like that and needs to focus on tournaments.”

BARSTOOL SPORTS - continued from pg. 13 -

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INSTRUCTIONALS

CHAMPIONS LIKE YU HAN WORK ENDLESSLY ON THEIR STROKE DELIVERY. (PG. 28)

INSIDE 18 QUICK HITS +

A bevy of useful nuggets.

By BD STAFF

20 STRATEGIES + Getting up and down effectively.

By NICK VARNER

22 SOLIDS & STRIPES + Let your soldiers provide protection.

By LARRY SCHWARTZ

24 PERFECT PRACTICE + Take the guesswork out of blind shots.

By DARREN APPLETON

26 TECH TALK + What is the timing of a stroke?

By BOB JEWETT

28 ILLUSTRATED PRINCIPLES + Deliver your very best stroke.

By DAVID ALCIATORE

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INSTRUCTIONALS

Bite-sized bits of top-notch instruction

OpeningShot with Mark Wilson

Q)

How do you best predict the

results of running into clusters, whether small clusters or the break shot in straight pool?

Luke Gomez; Eau Claire, Wis.

A)

One of the most important

challenges in pool is ball-pocketing accuracy. Elite players hit specific parts of the pocket to enable the cue ball to land on very specific parts of a cluster. Crude pocketing will not produce the desired results when striking a cluster. This requires a very precise stroke and accurate pocketing. And even before he shoots, an elite player will look for insurance balls should the cluster not yield a follow-up shot. Power is another factor. The elite player will use only modest power to ensure more predictable reactions. Using power to dislodge balls is the most common error in breaking up a cluster. Control of both the cue ball and object balls is the goal.

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BD HOUSE PRO: TONY ROBLES

UNCOMFORTABLE? GOOD

O

NE SHOT I rarely see players practice, particularly developing players, is shooting when the cue ball is frozen to the rail. Believe me, I know why players don’t practice this shot. It’s uncomfortable. It’s difficult.

It can be humbling.

But that is the exact reason you should practice these shots. Besides, the cue ball tends to nestle itself up against the cushion far more often than we would like.

Of course, the easiest way to practice is to simply set up a shot and keep shooting it until you feel comfortable.

But let’s try a practice regimen that focuses on your approach to the game as a whole.

Again, the key to succcess at the table is to be comfortable in any situation that may arise. In a competitive environment, nerves come into play and you don’t need the added stress of not feeling confident in the shot you face.

Do shots off the rail make you uncomfortable? Are you confident when one of these shots comes up? Some players tend to try to avoid their weaknesses and simply hope that those weaknesses are not exposed at critical points in a game.

Let’s turn the tables and spend the necessary time improving on your weaknesses.

Here is a drill that will test your ability to shoot off the rail. Trust me, this will be humbling at the start. It’s a difficult drill and you’re not going to like some of the shots you’ll be faced with.

In the diagram, the cue ball is frozen to the middle of the bottom rail. Randomly throw a few balls on the table

and try to sink each one into one of the far corner pockets from that same cue ball position. It won’t take long for you to realize how difficult these shots are and why you need to practice them.

Don’t get frustrated. Set goals for incremental improvement. With focus and determination, you will eventually be able to handle this drill with a good percentage of success.

At that point, you will see that something that made you uncomfortable is now a strong part of your game.

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Drill Bits-

WAGON WHEEL + WHY DO IT +

To practice cue ball control.

Set up the balls as shown and, using different cut angles and different amounts of follow and draw, try to pocket the 15 and have the cue ball lightly bump each of the target balls. Keep score by allowing yourself three attempts at each target ball: three points for contact on the first attempt, two for using two shots and one point for taking three attempts. + HOW TO DO IT +

Stun Shot 90-De gree Tange nt Line

Legendary Tip WHEN TWO of the greatest players to ever wield a cue follow the same principle, it would be wise for aspirational players to heed their advice.

The late, great Irving Crane and fellow legend Mike Sigel both hailed from Rochester, N.Y., and Sigel learned plenty at “The Deacon’s” hip.

“Irv taught me a system for aiming on off-angle combination shots,” Sigel once said. “He would line up behind the two balls, visualizing the first ball as the cue ball. He’d draw a line from the first ball to a point on the rail, and he would imagine the second ball didn’t exist. Concentrate on hitting that point with the first ball.”

Safe Haven FOUR-TIME BCA U.S. Open 14.1 champion and two-time World 14.1 champion Steve Mizerak loved long runs, but was just as satisfied gaining an edge through safety play. “The best safeties are those that leave your opponent not only shotless, but without any recourse,” Mizerak wrote. “I liked using a cluster for safes, rolling into a cluster to free a ball or two, but leaving the cue ball stuck into the stack and taking most of the table away from my opponent. The same cluster that denied you an open shot can be your best friend in beating your opponent to the next open shot.”

“

Only use the weapons you are familiar with or you will end up shooting yourself.

”

— BCA Hall of Famer Jeanette Lee

STRAIGHT

TALK

GURU GEORGE FELS HELPS YOU RUN 100 WHEN EXPERT players play straight pool, close to 90 percent of the scoring will be in the bottom two pockets.

But that doesn’t mean that you have to completely ignore the other four pockets, especially the far two corners.

Willie Mosconi turned around and sent object balls into those far two corner pockets more often than did his peers.

And we all know who won the lion’s share of matches between Mosconi and his peers!

On the Spot FORMER US OPEN CHAMP JOANN MASON-PARKER + How does one prepare for competition after such a long layoff?

This is my second comeback. It’s been 10 years since I’ve played competitively. I’ve prepared by keeping loose and light, with tons of repetition. And most importantly, fun. + What has come back the quickest? And what has been the biggest struggle?

Timing and tempo came back naturally. I started playing as a kid, so I’m a feel player. My challenge has been building up stamina and mental focus. Yoga helps with that. + Has anything surprised you?

Being given this opportunity from my new sponsor Navigator was a big surprise. I’m inspired by the many messages from fans all over the world, and I’m thrilled to be playing again.

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+ S TR ATEG IE S +

BY Nick Varner

UP AND DOWN

Simplify routes and focus on angles when going up and down the table.

R

OTATION GAMES often force you to travel up and down the table several times during the course of running out. And just as often, other balls take away one or more paths as options. This, of course, requires you to pick routes that entail the least amount of risk in terms of traffic, speed control and angles. Sometimes, speed needs to be too long or too short for the best results.

What I mean is this: Too long or too short is relevant when obstacles make it imperative that you land on the proper side of the next object ball.

Take the layout in the diagrams. Given the positions of the 6 and 7 balls, you will need to land on the right side of the 4 ball to get up table for the 5 (Diagram One). If you land anywhere in the shaded area, the cue ball will be running into the 6 and/or 7 after contacting the 4. Ideally, you’d like to land on the 4 ball as shown. From here, you can contact the cue ball with low left English and spin it up table to position C-2. This shot does require good speed control because you need to be below the 5 and close to the rail for the proper angle to get back down table for the 6 ball.

Another option is to use follow on the cue ball and go across table for position on the 5 ball at C-3. Again, speed is important here. You want to avoid hitting the rail much farther up table because you could end up too full on the 5 ball.

That would make getting the cue ball back down table for the 6 a lot more difficult.

Anytime you have to go from one end of the table to the other, the angle you fall on each ball is always critical. Fall too full and you can have trouble being able to travel far enough for position.

Fall too thin and you may be at risk to pocket the shot. Speed and angle coming off the object ball are crucial.

One helpful position tip is to use rail targets as a guide. Find the spot on the rail that will create the proper angle to

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C

B

D

Diagram One C-3 C-2

A

A

B

F

E

C

D

Diagram Two C-3 C-2

C-4

A

get the cue ball to your desired position. In Diagram One, I determined that rail target A would be the best spot from which to get the cue ball to position C-2. Obviously, it takes a little practice to gain a good sense of the precise spot you want to contact on the rail. It won’t take long, though, before you become pretty accurate with your rail targets. I always find that being able to create a visual image helps in execution.

Now that you’ve established two good positions for the 5 ball, let’s look at the

F

E

routes from each to the 6 ball (Diagram Two). You need to fall close to straightin on the 6 ball (C-4) so that you don’t have to travel far for position on the 7.

The exact angle you get on the 5 ball will determined where you need to contact the cue ball.

Moving from position C-2 to ideal position on the 6 ball would require a little high right English, while shooting from position C-3 would be a two-rail shot, again using high right English. In both cases, your rail target would be the first diamond above the side pocket.

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+ SOLIDS

&

STRIPES

+

BY Larry Schwartz

SOLDIER ON

Pay close attention to your opponent’s soldiers with your battle plan.

I

F YOU are at all familiar B with my basic 8-ball strategies, you are well aware that I encourage players to consider their group of balls as soldiers in the battle to win the game. While most players’ focus is on finding a way to pocket all of the balls in their group, not enough attention is paid to the value that those A balls have in helping you win the battle. Unless you can run out, your stratB egy should be to keep as many of your soldiers as you can on the table until that run-out opportunity presents itself.

Having those soldiers block your opponent’s path is every bit as valuable as putting them in pockets.

Likewise, however, your opponent’s balls are also soldiers, and A you need to keep their placement on the table in mind when calculating your chances of running out. This means that you must play offense and defense at the same time.

You are playing solids in the diagrams,

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C

D

Diagram One

F

E

C

D

Diagram Two

F both of which show your balls in the same positions. However, your opponent’s soldiers are in different spots in the two diagrams. The position of those enemy soldiers will present different

E challenges to you as you determine how to run the balls in your group. In fact, their positions will cause you to opt for different shot sequences in the two run outs.

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As always, don’t be fooled by what would appear to be the easiest opening shot. The layout in Diagram One offers a very simple run out, but only if you choose the correct opening shot. In the diagram, you are offered three very easy options for your first shot: the 7 ball in pocket F; the 6 ball in pocket B and the 5 ball in pocket A. The only ball that is in a difficult spot is the 2 ball. Because the 2 is right next to the 8, it is the logical choice to save it for last. Choosing the best opening shot, then, should be determined by the pattern that will give you’re the simplest route to an easy shot on the 2.

Always searching for a pattern that will minimize your cue ball movement, you’ll find that you can pocket the 7 and 6 balls with simple stop shots, leaving you on the right side of the 5 to get the cue ball up table for the 2. Here, the 5 is the key ball. Obviously, you could just as easily use stop shots starting with the 6 ball and then the 7, but that would leave you on the wrong side of the 5 ball. Your opponent’s soldiers positioned along the end rail would prevent you from getting the cue ball up table for the 2.

With the angle left by your stop shot on the 6, a little high left English will send the cue ball on a nice path toward the opposite long rail and perfect position on the 2 ball.

Diagram Two switches the sequence. This time, your opponent’s soldiers are along the rail between pockets A and F. Now, shooting the 7 ball first and then the 6 would leave you without a path up table from the 5 ball. The 5 ball is still your key to getting the cue ball up table, but now the natural path is off the end rail and around. Shoot a stop shot on the 6 ball first, then the 7 ball. Use center right English on the cue ball when pocketing the 5, so that the cue ball takes the path shown toward the 2.

To work on this type of strategy, I recommend practicing stopping the cue ball until you perfect it. It requires a straight stroke and a half-tip below center hit on the cue ball. Aim for the center of the pocket.

Also, practice the shot on the 5 ball from both angles shown in the diagrams. Both are natural shots, but speed will play an important role in your success with this shot.

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+ PERFECT PRACTICE +

BY Darren Appleton

BLIND MAN

Don’t simply guess when faced with a blind pocket shot.

P

EOPLE OFTEN ask me what the most difficult shot in the game is. Of course, there are a lot of tough shots, but blind pocket shots are probably right near the top of the list. I see so many players — even professionals — struggle with this shot.

Mostly, the struggles come from laziness. Players often simply get down and fire away, guessing where the pocket is. Of course, that approach can work, but the chances of making the shot with any consistency really drop. I’ve seen this shot overcut and undercut, particularly when the cue ball is close to the object ball, as it is in the diagrams. At this point, the success rate is probably about 30 percent. To get that rate up to 6070 percent, without even needing a good stroke, copy what I do. The results will help you on all blind pocket shots, but especially on those in which the cue ball and object ball are close together.

I’m not big on aiming systems, but I do have a little visual system that I use on blind pocket shots like the one in the diagrams.

In this instance, I would walk around the table to the opposite corner and look at the line of the shot from one corner to the other.

From that spot, I pick out a spot maybe a foot in front of the object ball (red spot). In my mind, that spot is the pocket. I don’t try to visualize all the way to the actual corner pocket. I know that if I can hit that imaginary pocket, the ball will go in. It makes judging the line a lot easier.

Additionally, once I know the line, I visualize an imaginary cue ball a few feet from the object ball. Visualizing where I need to hit the object ball to send it to the red dot becomes even easier from here. Now, I see everything I need to give me the confidence that I will make the shot.

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Diagram One

Diagram Two

At that point, it’s simply a matter of trusting what you are doing and executing the shot. On this particular shot, I would play with a touch of bottom left English to kill the cue ball. If you just play this shot with center cue ball, there is a chance you’d lose the cue ball and scratch or even double kiss the object ball. Always remember you have to control the cue ball as well.

So, remember, the key to blind pocket shots is to not be lazy. Don’t simply

get down on the shot and guess. Walk around the shot so you get a good look at the line of contact and the cue ball path. Pick out a short target a foot or two from the object ball and in line with the pocket. When practicing, make a little mark on the table. Determine where you need to contact the object ball to hit that mark and your percentage on blind pocket shots will go up for certain.

Use this system, particularly on close shots. I use it all the time.

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+ TECH TALK +

BY Bob Jewett

TIMING IS EVERYTHING But what, exactly, is the timing of a pool stroke?

I

WAS recently watching an instructional video about the stroke as demonstrated by a top player. He made hard shots look effortless as he moved the cue ball around the table to pinpoint position.

The presenter commented about the player’s remarkable timing, and went on to say that few of us would ever achieve such timing. What did he mean exactly?

What is the timing of a pool stroke?

I agree that timing is important but since the video never actually said what timing is, let’s try to figure it out.

First it’s clear that it has nothing to do with the speed of preparation for the shot.

Playing tempo — how quickly you decide on a shot and get into position — is an important but different topic. Shot timing in this study is about the sequence of arm motions that send the cue stick into the cue ball. It is about the position of the cue stick and especially the tip, the forces that the hand applies to the stick in sequence, and the resulting acceleration and speed of the cue stick up until it hits the ball.

In Figure One is an example plot of what happens to the cue stick during a stroke. Time runs from left to right and the vertical axis is the speed of the cue stick. The important times in the shot are labeled.

The shot begins at the left end of the diagram with the tip at the cue ball and the cue stick still. Not all players pause at the cue ball before the final stroke, but it’s a highly recommended part of fundamentals. Then the cue stick is brought back with relatively low speed.

Let’s cover the relationship of velocity (or speed) and acceleration since that’s often misunderstood. Velocity is how fast you’re going along with the direction. Acceleration is how fast your velocity is changing. If your car is moving at 50MPH with a steady speed, you are not accelerating. You may have to press

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on the accelerator to maintain your speed but that’s just to get the engine to provide enough force to cancel the force of friction from the wind and tires. If you step on the brake, you reduce speed with negative acceleration, and if you use more gas to go faster, you have positive acceleration. You can tell from a plot like Figure One how large the acceleration is by how steep the curve is and whether it slopes up or down.

Figure 1

During the back stroke, the initial acceleration is small. It builds up for about the first quarter of the backstroke — note where the slope is most negative. The acceleration back decreases until we reach the bottom of the backstroke curve, about half way through it, and the acceleration is zero but the speed back is largest. At that point the force from the hand is zero and the cue is just coasting back.

The hand now has to stop the backward motion of the cue stick by pushing forward. That gets the cue stick to stop at the back of the backswing.

This example stroke has a pause at the end of the backswing. Note that both the speed and the acceleration go to zero. At that time, there is no stick motion and no force forward or back from the hand. The arm is at complete rest.

The forward part of the stroke starts with the hand moving the stick forward, slowly at first then pressing harder and harder. Note that about half way to maximum speed the slope of the curve is also steepest. That’s where the acceleration is

greatest and the force from your hand — the force is proportional to the acceleration — is largest.

The stroke continues with some forward force which gradually reduces — see the slope bending over — until it is close to zero, and the cue stick is coasting at high speed.

That is the instant that the tip hits the ball, at least for this example stroke.

Within about a thousandth of a second the speed of the cue stick drops to half of the value it had just before impact. The curve should actually be a lot steeper during that time. The whole stroke is perhaps two seconds long so the impact slope should be nearly vertical if drawn to scale.

That large speed change in a very, very brief time is a huge acceleration which says that the force between the tip and the ball is enormous. Well, enormous compared to the force your arm has provided up until then. Instantaneous forces of several hundred pounds are common during tip-ball impact, which is far higher than anything you can consciously apply at the instant of contact.

The ball leaves the tip at about 130% of the peak stick speed which seems impossible but is due to the fact that the tip is springy and can release stored energy into the cue ball as it departs the tip.

Once the ball has left, the cue stick actually speeds back up. This is due to the hand and arm which do not slow down during that brief impact due to the softness of the flesh of the hand compared to the tip. They still have a grip on the cue and bring it up to something like the average speed.

To finish the stroke, your hand starts pulling back on the stick and it comes to a stop. If you have the bad habit of pulling the cue stick backwards at the end of the stroke instead of just letting it coast to a stop, there would be another negative stick speed region.

A huge error that many players make in stroke timing is to put the breaks on before the tip gets to the ball. For that

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kind of flaw, the curve would come smoothly down somewhat from the peak speed before ball contact and the very sharp drop. If you fix that timing error, you get more energy into the cue ball with the same effort. That is the main point to take away from a study of timing.

There are two common pieces of advice that are used on timing problems. The first is “accelerate through the ball.” If you understood what was said above about speed and acceleration, you know that this is not technically correct. The most efficient stroke is when you hit at peak speed and zero acceleration to get maximum velocity into the cue ball for a given amount of effort expended in getting the cue stick up to speed. While technically incorrect, this advice can be effective in getting a beginner to do the right thing.

The second saying is “let the cue stick do the work.” The idea here is that you want to be coasting at peak speed through the cue ball and not on the upward-sloped acceleration part of the curve, muscling the shot. Again, it is a matter of getting the most energy into

Figure 2

the cue ball with the least effort.

How does anyone learn proper timing without high-speed video and accelerometers? They learn by trial and error and finding the easiest way to hit the ball to achieve a given cue ball speed. Most players naturally have that timing most of the time. I think timing problems are most likely to show up under stress — you have to draw the ball more than you’re comfortable with and your smooth, easy stroke comes off the rails. The best way to avoid those situations is to expand your comfort zone by working on its boundaries.

One other aspect of stroke timing is the pause at the end of the backswing noted above. In Figure One there is the briefest

possible pause with one instant where the stick is still and there is no forward/back acceleration or force on it. Many players have a significantly longer pause where the cue stick is motionless for a fraction or even a full second. Watch Chris Melling.

Another kind of stroke timing has no pause at all. That is shown in Figure Two. Note the very different shape of the speed curve in the transition from back stroke to forward stroke. In this kind of stroke, once the “forward” muscles are activated at the peak backward speed to stop the backswing, they are never relaxed. Instead the forward force builds continuously. First it stops the backward motion.

By the time that happens, the muscles are already pressing strongly forward and pressing harder each instant. In effect, they are coiled up at the back of the backswing.

I learned to stroke with no pause so my timing looks like Figure Two. If I have to demonstrate it, I can put in a pause, but for me and my 57 years of playing without one, it is not comfortable. Is a true pause useful or necessary? If you have a problem with rushing shots, a pause at the end of the backswing is a good thing to try to get that under control.

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+ I L L U S T R AT E D P R I N C I P L E S +

BY David Alciatore, Ph.D.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Best practices for your stroke can help iron out inconsistency.

[Note: Supporting narrated video (NV) demonstrations, high-speed video (HSV) clips, technical proofs (TP) and all of my past “Illustrated Principles” columns can be accessed and viewed online at billiards.colostate.edu. The reference numbers used in the articles help you locate the resources on the website.]

I

RECENTLY posted online video NV J.66 covering the generally recommended best practices for the stroke. Here, I will summarize important highlights from the video. Before getting started, I want to be clear that as long as a stroke is accurate and consistent with both direction and speed, it is a good stroke—even if Image 1 you pump your stroke with a loose wrist like Francisco Bustamante, use a J.21 and NV J.40.) As shown in Image sidearm stroke with lots of “body Eng2, the forearm should also be in a verlish” like Keith McCready, use a short tical plane. This will make it easier to and punchy stroke with unnecessary stroke straight. With the cue still and elbow motion like Allen Hopkins, or the tip close to the CB, carefully check have a bent and locked wrist like John visual alignment, cue direction and tip Schmidt. (The video includes video for examples of these stroke types). All these players are accurate and consistent, and that is all that really matters, so there would be no reason for them to change. However, if you have trouble with stroke consistency or accuracy, it might help to try to incorporate some of the following stroke best practices into your game.

1. Set and Check I will assume you are already in a good stance after a purposeful preshot routine. (If you need help with these things, see the links in the NV J.66 video description.) As shown in Image 1, Image 2 in the “set” position with the tip close to the cue ball (CB), the forearm position. This is easier with a low stance should be perpendicular to the cue with with the chin as close to the cue as posthe cue as level as possible. (If you are sible. Before moving the cue, make sure wondering why I crouch in my stance everything looks good by slowly movwith bent knees, see online videos NV ing your eyes between the CB and ob-

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ject ball (OB), giving your eyes time to focus on each.

2. Relax and Test Take several slow warm-up strokes to ensure you are relaxed and settled, and to test that your aim remains true during arm motion (as demonstrated in NV J.66). You can also judge the stroke length you want based on the desired shot speed. Keep your eyes focused on the CB during the warm-up strokes to make sure you do not contact the CB by mistake.

3. Pause and Verify After the warm-up strokes, recheck the cue alignment and tip position with the cue still, before committing to the final stroke.

4. Focus on Target Shift and lock your eye gaze from the CB to your ghost-ball or contact-point target. Give your eyes time to settle before starting the final stroke.

5. Pull Back Slowly Smoothly and slowly pull back the cue and pause (even if only for an instant) at the end of your backstroke.

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The backstroke length should generally be shorter for softer shots and longer for power shots.

6. Transition Smoothly Be very careful to have a smooth and unrushed transition between the final backstroke and forward stroke. If you have trouble with this, adding a deliberate pause at the end of the backstroke can help. As demonstrated in NV J.66, a jerky transition can create unwanted body motion and stroking errors. Again, go back slowly and don’t rush the transition.

7. Keep Grip Relaxed As illustrated in Image 3, keep your grip relaxed during the entire stroke.

Tightening the grip can lead to poor tipcontact-point accuracy, and tightening your entire arm can cause the cue to lift.

Again, keep your grip and arm relaxed during the stroke if you want to hit the CB where you are aiming.

8. Accelerate Smoothly Be sure to accelerate smoothly into the CB and follow through. which will help make your stroke more accurate and consistent. You will also have better speed control. Sometimes people refer to this whole process as having good “timing.” If you rush the backstroke or transition, decelerate during the stroke into the CB, or constrain the followthrough, you have bad timing and you will not have good speed control.

9. Keep Elbow Still If you want to be accurate with the tip contact point on the CB, you should keep the elbow still during the stroke into the CB. If you drop your elbow, you will not hit the CB at the height you expect. It is OK to drop the elbow if you can drop it straight and do so mostly after the hit. One problem with elbow drop for some people is that other bad things often come with it, like wrist turn and chicken-wing sideways motion. The recommended type of stroke is called a “pendulum stroke,” where the shoulder and elbow remain still and only the forearm moves (like a pendulum). In Image 4, the elbow at the end of the stroke is in the same position as at the beginning and during the entire stroke, as if it were “pinned.”

10. Finish the Stroke If you accelerate into the CB, the cue will follow through naturally, which is

Image 3

Image 4

sometimes called “finishing the stroke.”

Even with a straight draw shot, where the CB will come back, you have plenty of time to get the cue out of the way. If you decelerate during the stroke into the CB, you will not have good speed control.

11. Stay Down and Still OK, I lied. There are 11 stroke best practices, not 10. Be sure to freeze after your stroke, keeping your head, body, arm and cue still and down well after impact. As demonstrated in NV J.66, do not lift up and turn your head to watch the OB. Don’t lift your body up on the shot either. Be a “relaxed statue” during and after the shot. Some people ask: Why do I need to stay down if the ball is already gone? If you stay down and still after the shot, there is no way you will move during the shot, which can cause problems. Remember, for best results, be a relaxed statue during and after the hit.

I hope the advice in this article and online video NV J.66 helps you fix some stroke issues that might be holding back your game or causing inaccuracy and inconsistency. In the video description, there is a link to stroke best practices that concisely summarize everything in the video. Other useful supporting resources and related videos are also included. Be sure to check out these resources if you want more help with your fundamentals. Finally, if you want to learn by watching top players with excellent technique, watch and study match videos with Allison Fisher, Chang Jung-Lin, Chris Melling, Eklent Kaci and Tyler Styer. These players exhibit most of what is discussed here.

David Alciatore is a PBIA Advanced Instructor, dean of the Billiard University, and author of the book, “The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards,” and numerous instructional video series, all available at: DrDaveBilliards.com.

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19 9 6 E S P N W O R L D O P E N

A MOMENT IN TIME A quarter century later, the 1996 ESPN World Open — the sports entertainment mega-channel’s biggest foray into pool with $313,000 added and 40 hours of tape — is a case study that helps illuminate where the game was and where it stands today.

By Nicholas Leider

W

ITH MUCH of everyday life stuck in a strange stage of limbo for the past year, as everyone hopes for a return to something close to normalcy, it’s only natural for the mind to wander a bit. Between the bread making and the Zoom calls…

With much of pool still on hold, it’s only natural to remember better days, if only to get a pool fix by watching a classic match on YouTube.

But checking the rearview mirror can provide other benefits—with a ESPN tried to create more action for the event, filming the players competing on side-by-side tables. little self-examiits interest in financially supporting and helped organize the event and won the nation in order as days and months all broadcasting subsequent World Opens. men’s division, the Battle of the Sexes blend together.

The 1996 event — billed as a new enmatch between men’s and women’s It’s been 25 years since the ESPN deavor to present the best players, both champions, and the scotch-doubles World Open — a remarkably ambitious men and women, to millions of viewers event to pocket $88,750. “You know, event that included the cable network — was a high-water mark that never led when you’ve got the greatest men and putting up a whopping $313,000 to the to greater opportunities. women players and then people see prize fund, political infighting among “They really were amazing events,” them and then see that it’s interactive, I players and organizations, experimensaid Allison Fisher, who finished second just don’t see how it could be much bettal formats to make the game as TVin the 1996 event and won subsequent ter.” friendly as possible and plenty of buzz ESPN events in 1997 and 1998. “The But in the ensuing few years, ESPN, about the potential future for pool to enormity of it was really something.” which recorded all the matches in the reach a wider audience.

The Women’s Professional Billiard hopes of producing 40 hours of content “As far as looking at it as a big comAssociation’s Classic Tour saw future to be broadcast on both the main station mercial for pool or pocket billiards, opportunities on ESPN while the men and the newly launched ESPN2, cooled it did the trick,” said C.J. Wiley, who

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got a smaller share of screen time, but the promise of sustained exposure never panned out.

Wiley (left) dreamed about his bit opportunity months ahead of time, while Villarreal (below) held out hopes of drawing WPBA ace Allison Fisher in the women’s final.

Breaking Away The ESPN World Open had its share of controversy well before the players entered the Team Players poolroom in Santa Rosa, Calif., in January 1996. A handful of top men’s pros were breaking from the Professional Billiards Tour, the organization led by polarizing personality Don Mackey. The faction was headlined by co-promoters C.J. Wiley and Allen Hopkins, Oliver Ortmann, George Breedlove and Earl Strickland.

These players splintered from the PBT citing a lack of organization and leadership, with Wiley forming the Professional Cuesports Association as an alternative to the Camel-sponsored men’s tour. While headliners like Johnny Archer, Nick Varner and Efren Reyes didn’t attend, Wiley and company saw the appeal of the exposure ESPN was offering.

ESPN, meanwhile, tried to stay neutral in the simmering feud within the men’s ranks. Gary Morgenstern, the ESPN programming manager for pool at the time, was obviously onboard with the 40 hours of programming the network would receive from the World Open, but he knew Mackey and the PBT weren’t afterthoughts.

“I just want to keep the dialogue open,” he said at the time, referring to a meeting with Mackey to discuss potential opportunities. “ESPN is nothing without programming. And to close the door on any provider of programming is not a good idea for us. Not that we’ll do any event [with the PBT] in the future or that we won’t. We just want to stay open to all possibilities.” [The PBT’s Johnny Archer did earn a spot in the 1997 ESPN event, topping PCA’s Roger Griffis in an Us-Against-Them finale.]

Hedging from one sentence to the next, Morgenstern understood the political maneuverings within pool were

not his concern. But even players at the ESPN World Open had reservations about the made-for-TV approach to the ESPN event. All matches would be filmed with players competing on two side-by-side tables. Sets were rapid-fire, alternate-break races-to-7 in a single-elimination bracket for the men and women. Additionally, the men’s champ would meet the women’s winner in a tempting Battle of the Sexes — with the winner pocketing an extra $20,000.

Pool purists were unimpressed, but if the goal is building an audience outside of those who appreciate long races and winner-breaks, something had to give.

“I looked at [the ESPN World Open] as its own event,” Wiley said. “We’ve got 50 other weeks in the year to do our thing how we want — it’s not like we’re committing ourselves that much.

This was a made-for-TV event to show-

case pool. If that’s going to get enough people interested in pool to stimulate business and lead to opportunities, I don’t see how that can be a bad thing.”

TV-Ready Drama By 1996, Wiley was established as a top professional, though his first major championship eluded him. In the lose-and-your-done bracket, he cruised past Stevie Moore, 7-2, and escaped a challenge from New York’s George SanSouci, 7-6. In the semifinal against Strickland, Wiley slammed on the gas after splitting the first eight racks for a 7-4 victory. In the final opposite Germany’s Ortmann, Wiley jumped to an early lead and held on for a 7-5 victory, good for $40,000 and a spot in the Battle-of-the-Sexes set opposite the women’s champ, with a shot at an additional $20,000.

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19 9 6 E S P N W O R L D O P E N means “a dream” in a very literal sense.

Months before the event, he had participated in a spiritual practice with a local indigenous community that culminated with a jump into the ocean off a cliff — all while focusing on a wish, goal or intention.

“I thought to myself I wanted to win the biggest pool tournaments, the most money, the most exposure — it was all the most, the most, the most,” Wiley said. “I thought it was absolutely impossible at the time, but it all came true in three months.”

day. You don’t get that with streaming video.”

With ESPN and its various stations airing cornhole, ax throwing, darts, e-sports and the like, pool has been squeezed out of the programming schedule — at least in the U.S. A curious comparison for the World Open is a similarly made-for-TV event that began just two years prior, the Mosconi Cup. Now the biggest spectacle in pool, thanks in part to the resources and promotion of Matchroom Sport, the transatlantic competition began as something of a lark in 1994.

Drawing from snooker, American pool, and both men’s and women’s tours, the Mosconi Cup built its following slowly as it inched its way an out-there once-a-year “competition” to its current place as the central event and year-end blowout for pool — thanks in large part to its system of player qualification which creates a year-long storyline for the four-day event.

But the ESPN World Open would recede from its headlining status by the end of the decade. Some could point to the disorganization within the men’s tour, while others saw the The Battle of the Sexes was played in a house divided with fellow men and women pros. answer in fiddling around with the game and format to make it Villarreal said. “I was dying to draw Looking Back more TV friendly. The cottage indusher for the last two [WPBA events], and try of fixing what ails pool has been now was the best time because I was While the 1996 ESPN World Open around for decades and isn’t going anyreally playing at the top of my game.” didn’t become the spark that thrust where. But now, 25 years later, listenAdvancing to the set opposite Wiley, billiards into an established programing to the guy in charge of putting pool the Texas Tornado said she felt comming option for cable television, it did on TV shows what could’ve been with fortable competing against men beput $313,000 into players’ pockets, put the World Open. cause she had a long history of putting hours of professional pool in front of “From what I saw and the feedback her money up in similar situations. millions of people, and led to three I got afterwards, it was certainly a “I gambled way back when, and I more high-profile events to close out very exciting event,” ESPN’s Morgenmean, that’s why I was comfortable,” the decade. The expectations at the stern said. “But we’re simply taking Villarreal said. “Because with the men, time might have been a bit unrealistic a wait-and-see attitude at this point.

I’d play $20, $40 sets just to play. I — something that shouldn’t be a knock Sure, if the ratings are terrific and if it knew if they were playing for nothing, against the actual tournament. proves to be a saleable vehicle—which they wouldn’t give it their all.

“That was about as big a rush as you it hasn’t been in the past—then I’ll But the Team Players poolroom was can get,” Wiley said. “Playing every be able to make an argument that we Wiley’s environment. He jumped out match on ESPN and then facing Vivneed to take this to the next level, to to an early lead and had no problem ian Villarreal for $20,000. After that, live coverage. But [live coverage] will closing out the 7-3 victory.

I’d walk through an airport and 10 or be very difficult to do if this [40 hours “Winning — that was a dream 15 people would recognize me and say of programming] doesn’t take off.” come alive, really,” he said. And Wiley something. You just don’t see that tothy of that open chair opposite Wiley with an impressive run through the women’s bracket. She topped Peg Ledman, 7-5, Loree Jon Jones, 7-6, and Jeanette Lee, 7-4. In the final, she met Allison Fisher, newly arrived from the U.K. but already with a pair of WPBA titles. The set between the two top players ended with an unlikely event — as Fisher rattled the 9 in the pocket jaws trailing, 6-5. Villarreal dropped the title-clincher without a problem.

“I knew when I beat Loree Jon and Jeanette, I was ready to play Allison,”

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INSTRUCTION SPECIAL

RUST AND DUST There is light at the end of pool’s tunnel, but will your game be ready when tables are open?

By Keith Paradise

I

T WAS a much longer vacation than billiards instructor Mark Finkelstein and his wife had originally anticipated.

The couple had traveled to Japan in early March before the Covid-19 pandemic began to tighten its grip on the globe. As positive cases began spiking and countries began locking down, airlines quickly began canceling international flights and the Finkelsteins more or less became stranded in the Asian country. Thanks to his wife being Japanese, the couple was able to obtain a green card and drivers license while waiting for travel to reopen. They Heady PBIA instructor Alciatore insists returning to the table “is not like riding a bike.” finally returned to the ued to take its toll. In New York, pool I came back, my bridge wasn’t firm United States on December 10, almost rooms went to court last month to apenough and my eye pattern wasn’t dis10 months after leaving. peal to state government for permission ciplined enough.”

After taking a few weeks to acclimate to reopen – which they successfully Although this story might be the to the time zone difference, Finkelstein achieved. most extreme example of being away cleared off the pool table in his baseAs we enter the early stages of 2021 from the game for an extended break, ment and started playing again. As one with vaccines slowly trickling out it’s a familiar theme as countless playwould expect, the Professional Billiard amongst the population, there are reaers have found themselves on hiatus Instructors Association Master Instrucsons for tempered optimism. Positive from their cues during the past year. tor was a bit rusty after nearly a year Covid-19 cases which had began spikIn certain sections of the country, findwithout a cue in his hand. He was struging late last year appear to be receding safe access to pool tables has been gling with staying down on the shot, ing and, as of the typing of this story, a struggle. Some have either lost access with his bridge moving and with his eye elementary schools in certain parts of to tables due to rooms being closed or patterns while lining up the shot. the country are planning a returning to the business hours being shortened, “I wasn’t as precise as I was when I in-person learning due to the decrease while others may not have felt safe in went away,” said Finkelstein, who also in positive cases regionally. In the world an enclosed space regularly touching operates the Cue Master Pool School of sports, Major League Baseball and a playing surface while virus continwith partner Mark Powell. “When

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the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are currently scheduled to start on-time.

The country is making plans to return to post-pandemic life – including pool. For the competitors who have had their cue case in the corner for so long that it’s collected a mild coasting of dust, now would probably be a good time to start devising a game plan to knock the rust off of your game. And if a player and instructor with 60 years of experience like Finkelstein has to work to get back into playing form, odds are pretty good you’ll need some freshening up as well.

“It’s not like riding a bike,” said Billiards Digest contributor and PBIA Advanced Instructor Dr. Dave Alciatore.

“It takes constant, reinforced practice.”

To help the constant practice of our readers, Billiards Digest spoke to six of the most notable instructors in the game to get their impressions on what common flaws many players have after a long layoff and methods to improve. Additionally, we’ve provided a handful of drills competitors can work on to help sharpen their games.

to watch him pocket balls and pinpoint the issues.

One of the flaws the former World 9-Ball Champion struggled with early on was his stance.

Appleton initially returned to competitive play wearing glasses, which altered his vision and resulted in him standing too close to the cue ball. He adjusted his footing and results changed as well, finishing 2019 with a ■ top-10 finish at the InternationOne player who knows a al Open and placing 17th in the thing or two about returning to the game after a long layoff World 9-Ball Championship. is Darren Appleton. During Like most games that involve a two-year stretch in which hand and eye coordination, the he dealt with a handful of stance in pool is one of the most personal setbacks while also crucial elements necessary for creating and promoting the developing consistent results.

World Pool Series, the BilCompetitors need to form a staliard Congress of America ble and balanced tripod in order Hall of Famer estimated he to maintain proper alignment, practiced maybe 10 times – effectively see the balls and viwith some of those feeling sualize the shots. more like obligation than So, what is the proper stance anything. When Appleton technique? Well, that depends recommitted to playing fullon which instructor you ask.

Appleton (top) knows a thing or two about long layoffs, time in 2019, he found both while WIlson (above) takes a tough stance on basics.

Appleton teaches stepping into his cerebral and mechanical the shot with both the lead and tition against opponents and against game to be flawed. back feet facing the target, with the himself with drills. He started work“When I started working on my butt of the cue stick over the back foot. ing on his physical game with long, game, I realized that I had become PBIA Advanced Instructor Anthony straight-in shots for hours in order to mentally fragile,” he said. “I hadn’t Beeler has developed a system that infix his stroke mechanics. When Applereally been under pressure for two or volves setting up for each shot by uston couldn’t diagnose the imperfecthree years.” ing the cue stick held along the hip as tions on his own, he brought in friend He worked on his mental game by a ruler to measure distance away from and English 8-Ball champion Mick Hill competing more, both in live compethe cue, then building the stance with March 2021

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I N S T R U C T I O N F E AT U R E the right foot in the target line. Alciatore believes that a stance can be an individual component that each player needs to figure out based on what type of feet placement and body position will achieve maximum stability, consistency and stroke clearance.

Regardless of whichever teaching philosophy is preferred, one constant remains: A stable stance which provides consistent vision is needed in order to play the game effectively.

One reason many players struggle to or refuse to change or alter their stance is that they’re comfortable in the existing methods they incorporate. If any player has struggled with alignment or stick clearance in the past and has found themselves not playing during this pandemic, now might be the time to make a fresh start.

“The bulk of cueing issues come from the stance,” Wilson said. “So, the stance is pretty darn critical.”

A solid stance is also critical to a smooth stroke, something else that many amateur players struggle with – especially after an extended period away from the game. Many of the instructors that were interviewed spoke of players developing a rushed or jerking motion-type stroke instead of a smooth motion. This type of flaw can also result in unwanted body movement and increased inaccuracy when cueing. The technique most frequently recommended by instructors is referred to as the “pendulum stroke,” where both the elbow and shoulder remain still during the shot.

When it comes to developing a rhythm, many teachers promote the “set-pause-finish” system for stroking technique.

The player sets up over a shot and verifies their alignment.

Once the desired contact point on the cue ball is established, a handful of warmup strokes are taken while eyes remain focused on the cue ball. After pausing to verify positioning, the player will shift eye focus on the target, pull the stick back slowly and pause before following through with the shot.

One of the most common issues Alciatore has seen on the stroke of players return-

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Drill, Baby, Drill WHEN WILSON was in England in 1995 to compete in his second Mosconi Cup he befriended English snooker legend Steve Davis, who was at the prime of his career at the time and earning roughly $2 million a year annually.

One afternoon, Davis invited Wilson to work with him while he prepared for an upcoming snooker tournament.

During his 10-minute warm up before playing, the snooker star placed the cue ball on the table’s “brown spot” and struck the ball down table into the short rail. The ball traveled straight down table where it bounced off of the short rail, traveled back up table and struck the cue tip from whence it came.

The performance left a lasting impression on Wilson.

“You just don’t jump out of bed with your muscles tuned up enough and warmed up enough to project the cue ball perfectly straight,” Wilson said.

“And in most people’s cases, it’s not that you don’t know the shots or how to aim, it’s that you project the cue ball as pure.”

This drill is one that both Wilson and Alciatore recommend for working to correct and straighten stroke.

Alciatore, who overviews a modified version of the drill among many oth-

ers in his “Top 10 Aim, Alignment and Stroke Drills” video available on YouTube, uses a golf tee on the rail as an aiming tool and places two billiard balls on each side of the tee as a guide.

As a player becomes more proficient at the drill, he suggests moving the balls closer together to make the drill more challenging.

Here are some other drills and training options mentioned by our instructors: THE MIGHTY X: This drill was created

by Bert Kinister and used frequently

by Johan Ruysink when training the U.S. team for the Mosconi Cup. To set up this drill, place a ball by the second diamond near the corner pocket and a cue ball in the opposite corner.

A mirror image of the shot is lined up for the opposite corner, giving an “X” look to the pattern execution. Finkelstein recommends attempting to complete the shot by pocketing the object ball with a slightly below center hit on the cue ball so that it rolls forward one ball width. The purpose of this drill is to check the straightness of the stroke and determine if the tip is striking the vertical axis, since any unwanted English will cause the cue ball to spin.

Additionally, attempting to get the cue

Mighty X

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ball to land a ball width forward will help with speed control.

Most Famous Useful Drill of All Time

15-BALL BREAK AND RUN: Recommended

by Wilson, the concept is simple: Rack up all of the balls, break them, then take ball in hand and see if you can clear the table. Any ball can be shot, just like in straight pool.

“It looks easy, but it isn’t,” Wilson said. “What you’re looking for is pattern play and you learn to respect each ball.”

15-BALLS WITHOUT A CUE BALL: German instructor Ralph Eckert suggested taking all 15 balls, lining them up on the second diamond of the table and shooting the balls directly into the corner pockets without using a cue ball.

“If you use a cue ball to do this, then you’re not concentrated on the actual thing you are doing,” Eckert said.

What you are doing is working on your stroke, bridge and follow through.

You’re not looking to pocket the balls as quick as possible, but as clean as possible. Alciatore has a similar drill on his drill video. Speaking of Dr. Dave...

PROGRESSIVE PROGRESS POOL DRILLS: Coauthored by Alciatore and fellow Billiards Digest contributor Bob Jewett, this series of exercises get more difficult as the player gets better and will get easier as a player decreases in skill level — offering an evolving and progressively challenging curriculum to players looking to sharpen or test skills.

Progressive Progress Pool Drills

For example, the progressive stop shot drill places the cue ball four diamonds back from the object ball while the object ball sits near the corner pocket. If player makes the ball and stops the ball

15 Balls Without A Cue Ball

within a ball width of where the object ball was located, progress with the cue ball now moved back a diamond. If the player misses, the cue ball should be moved closer. Similar drills are available for draw and follow shots.

Another layer to the practice which Finkelstein recommended is to videorecord practice sessions with a smart phone or video camera in order to see specifically what the body is doing during the stroke. In many instances, a player could be moving their head or not set up correctly to begin with and don’t realize it until they see it on video.

“What you think you are doing and what you’re actually doing are probably two different things,” he said.

“People think that they’re doing the right stuff but the video doesn’t lie.”

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I N S T R U C T I O N F E AT U R E limeters because the stick could wagand Beeler both recommended starting ing to the game is the timing and tengle inside of the fingers or the bridge to work out an hour a day in order to sion within their movement. In many will open up while the stick moves forslowly build endurance. instances, players who are rusty have ward. Additionally, a bridge that is too “For me as a coach, I would rather see a tendency to tighten their grip on the far away from the cue ball can lead to you practice for an hour, be structured cue stick when they are uncertain or accuracy issues, as there is more space and put your whole soul into that hour lack confidence. This can ultimately between the ball and the tripod which than to play for 10 hours and only put result in the jerking cue movement and that soul in for an the cue’s tip not hour,” Beeler said. striking the cue “Because the nine ball efficiently. hours is probably Beeler said that going to outweigh most top players the one hour that will execute the was really good.” “s et-p au s e-f i nThat said, not ish” technique in everyone’s stamroughly two secina, mindset and onds but an amafocus level is creteur who is quickly ated equal. If a jerking through player can work a stroke compact on drills and techthat time down to a nique for a few second-and-a-half hours or more and or less. In order to not lose interest or have his students drive, why should slow down and they stop? think about tempo, “The amount of Beeler will have time you should students count to practice is the three before pullamount of time ing the cue back, that you can have then count to four quality practice,” through the stroke. said Alciatore. “If Another aspect you can focus for of the preshot six hours, go for routine that Beelit.” er sees students The last piece of struggle with is not instruction from spending enough Beeler has noticed that his students’ pre-shot routines usually need fine-tuning. our sixpack of time at the set pois holding the stick. teachers is most obvious yet so easy to sition before pulling the cue back into Finkelstein also added that a bridgforget when trying to improve and enplace and stroking through the shot. ing issue could be related to the first hance a skill: Have fun with it. Setting He equated lining up a shot with a pool topic discussed: stance. up drill after drill, day after day, will cue with the process involved in lin“If your bridge is too far back, that lead to tedium. Instead, competitors ing up the target with a firearm, addmeans your feet are too far back,” said should consider working on drills for ing that competitors should be using a Finkelstein. “And I would back that up 30 minutes or so, then play the ghost similar methodology. further and say you didn’t get down on for a few racks, then switch back to a “Think about a marksman shooting the shot correctly.” couple more drills, then finish off the at a target,” he said. “Do they hold the day with a couple of the break-and-run gun really still or do they stroke it all ■ attempts Wilson recommended. Many around? I try to line up the shaft like a Regardless of what series of drills is of the drills on Alciatore’s website also sight on a gun barrel.” chosen, players may want to choose include a scoring system, so a player The final flaw that instructors see quality over quantity in the early can work on posting an initial number frequently is with the student’s bridge. stages of beginning to practice again. and trying to improve over time.

As players return to play and try to reTraining for numerous consecutive “You don’t want to make the game establish old methods, the initial efhours early on could strain back and so painful by doing a bunch of drills forts will sometimes result in bridges leg muscles that aren’t used to the long and stuff,” Alciatore said. “Whatever that are too loose, too close to the cue hours the way that they previously had you do, you have to have fun and get ball or too far away. been. Additionally, an extended pere-excited for the game. To me, that is If a bridge is too loose, Finkelstein riod of practice could lead to mental the most important thing.” said a shot can be off two or three milfatigue and diminished focus. Wilson

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NEW YORK ROOMS

BILLIARD

BATTLEGROUND Tired of waiting, New York room owners sued to reopen…and won!

By Mike Panozzo

T

HIS IS all Greg Hunt’s fault.

The owner of New York’s legendary Amsterdam Billiard Club remembers all too well the events leading up to the shutdown of poolrooms in New York City on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020. Hunt was in the midst of preparing for the club’s 30th anniversary bash, scheduled for March 30. The gala event was actually going to start on Friday, March 27, with an exhibition by pool icon Jeanette Lee, kicking off a weekend of festivities. Lee

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was a waitress at the original ABC when it opened in 1990, before launching a playing career that would take her to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.

The main event was to host 300-400 people, including TV and movie stars Paul Sorvino and Tony Danza, and pool stars Mika Immonen, Tony Robles, Thorsten Hohmann and more. It was going to be, in Hunt’s words, “a major event.”

All the while, however, Hunt was wary.

“My brother (and original partner) Ethan and I

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always resisted anniversary parties,” Hunt recalls. “In our business, they’re bad luck. Whenever a bar or restaurant or club had a big anniversary party, it seems like they’d all go out of business within a year or so.”

Amsterdam Billiard Club didn’t even get that far!

Ten days before the event, New York State closed 100 percent of nonessential businesses statewide. For the next 10 months, the lights remained out and the doors shut at every poolroom in the state. State shutdowns of poolrooms across the country suffered the same fate.

“We’re never having an anniversary party!” Hunt insists, only half joking.

But while Hunt may jokingly take some responsibility for any part that karma played in the shutdown of rooms in New York, he can also take a fair amount of credit for the recent injunction that has allowed rooms in the

city and state to reopen. He was one of the ringleaders in a group of 15 billiard rooms that filed a lawsuit against New York State and Governor Andrew Cuomo in December, arguing that the state’s actions against poolrooms were arbitrary and capricious.

The suit, filed by the group’s attorney, James Mermigis, a Long Island attorney who had already argued successfully on behalf of gyms in New York, cited numerous businesses similar to poolrooms that the state had allowed to reopen, including bowling centers and casinos.

In mid-January, a judge in Syracuse, where the case was heard, issued a temporary injunction to the state’s ruling, allowing the 15 plaintiffs the right to reopen under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines — a limited workforce and 50 percent capacity for visitors. An argument for permanent injunction has yet to be scheduled.

PHOTOS BY ERWIN DIONISIO

Attorney Mermigis (left) took on the State of New York on behalf of room owners like Sansouci (center) and Hunt (right).

Mermigis (left) has proven effective fighting for small businesses. Sansouci (right) felt poolrooms had been “targeted.”

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NEW YORK ROOMS

While other room owners proposed a less-combative approach, Munarov insisted the state would only respond if sued.

“The owners are elated,” Mermigis told Newsday.com. “They’ve been shut down for almost a year, accruing rent, utility and insurance bills every month, unable to open to visitors while casinos and other establishments were open.”

In the aftermath of that announcement, Mermigis was informed that Cuomo plans to appeal the injunction, a curious move in singling out poolrooms while trumpeting the importance of opening the economy in New York.

“The judge ruled that we would be treated like bowling alleys,” counters Hunt. “So, going forward, as bowling alleys are extended leeway, we should be, too.”

Bowling centers in New York State were allowed to reopen in mid-August, following a vigorous statewide campaign by members of the well-heeled New York State Bowling Proprietors Association that focused on educating

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lawmakers and health officials as to bowling’s ability to operate safely.

In fact, the reopening of bowling centers in New York was critical in getting poolroom owners to gather and fight.

“Bowling alleys reopening was the tipping point,” says Athena Sansouci, general manager at Steinway Billiards in Queens.

Additionally, according to Sansouci, in the middle of summer the City of New York alerted poolroom owners that it was doing away with specific poolroom business licenses and that the rooms would now be lumped in with restaurants.

“Then Cuomo sent an email saying pool was a contact sport,” laughed Sansouci, the widow of former New York pool legend George “Ginky” Sansouci.

“We felt like we were being targeted.”

Hunt, Sansouci, Doug Rhee of Society Billiards in Manhattan and Timur Munarov of The Billiards Company in

Forest Hills began sharing their frustrations and started contacting fellow poolroom owners to discuss a plan of action.

“At first,” recalls Hunt, “we just wanted to lobby the governor. We launched a ‘Please Don’t Leave Us Behind the 8-Ball’ campaign. We eventually got 15 rooms together and each sent a box of new billiard balls to Cuomo’s office.”

The group, which initially formed under the Metropolitan Billiard Room Association and later changed its name to the New York State Billiard Room Association to attract members outside New York City as a legal maneuver, continued to bombard the governor’s office with signed petitions, emails and letters.

They received nary a single response from any representative of government.

“This was 15 small business owners,” says Hunt. “Entrepreneurs who’ve dumped their life savings into

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PHOTO BY JONATHON SMITH

New Yorker Magazine, Mermigis said, these businesses.” earn a living and the right to gainful “I went to the Politico website. I looked According to the association’s webemployment. at results of the 2018 election and site, the group employs more than “It’s not a fundamental right,” Merlooked at jurisdictions that [Cuomo] 1,000 workers and estimates losses of migis says, “but it is still a right progot demolished in.” He settled on filmore than $73 million during the shuttected by the Constitution, and the ing in a county where Cuomo received down. state has to account for that. If you can only 30 percent of the vote.

“In retrospect,” says Hunt, “I found show that the state’s actions were arbiThe poolroom owners enlisted a [the lack of any response] disgusting.” trary and capricious, you can win even member from Syracuse, Hunt encouraged the Brick House Billiards, others to consider hiring and that is where Mera professional lobbyist as the next step, but Munmigis filed his suit on their behalf. The strategy arov implored the group worked perfectly. to consider a bolder ap“Our judge (State Suproach, suggesting that preme Court Justice Cuomo would not likely Gerald Neri) had true respond to anything empathy for these busishort of a lawsuit. ness owners. These own“Others had been takers were losing money ing a softer approach,” to nearby states where Munarov says. “I was rooms were open. He felt in negotiations with my the decision by the State landlord, but we needed of New York was arbito be open. We still had trary.” to pay our rent, utilities Among the arguments and insurance, which set forth by the State was are more than our paythe contention that pool roll. I didn’t think we table cloth was porous could have survived past and therefore could aid April.” in the transmission of the Through his business virus. attorney, Munarov had “That’s how [the State] heard of Mermigis and lost,” Mermigis contends. his successful efforts to “Casinos use identiget gyms opened in Aucal cloth, and they were gust. open. There were cloth “We met him and like examples in a lot of busihim a lot,” says Hunt. nesses that are open. It “He was really passionwas a ridiculous thing ate about us and was anto argue. Once the judge gry about our situation.” saw these examples, it “What was interesting was easy for him to rule to me was that bowling that the law against poolalleys were allowed to open,” Mermigis recalls. rooms was arbitrary.”

“Both are operated in Of course, New York large spaces and are very is not the only state in capable of ensuring a which poolrooms have safe atmosphere — good Barretta joined to “help all rooms,” but is waiting for better terms. struggled to get clearance air systems, the abilto open. In numerous states, including California, Louisiana ity to have small, contained groups of on a non-fundamental right.” and North Carolina, poolrooms are people, etc. I felt good about a constituA clever strategist, Mermigis encourstill not allowed to open. And in most tional equal protection claim.” aged the local rooms to solicit members states that allow poolrooms to be open, “All the rooms have great ventilain different parts of the state so that he regulations limit the rooms to as little tion,” Sansouci says. “We use UV would be able to file the suit in an area as 25 percent occupancy and don’t allights, disinfectant, wear masks, enthat might be more sympathetic to his force social distancing. Being open and low food and/or beverage service. clients’ plight. safe is easy for us.”

What can poolroom owners still “You have to find the right judge,” Mermigis based his suit on the 14th struggling for survival take from the Mermigis says. “That’s key.”

New York case?

When discussing a previous case in Amendment, ensuring the right to March 2021

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NEW YORK ROOMS slowly getting back into business and are cautiously optimistic.

“We are only at 50 percent occupancy and we have to close at 10:00 p.m.,” notes Munarov. “A large portion of any poolroom’s business is after 10:00. For us, it’s probably 50 percent. But at least now we have a fighting chance.”

“We opened Jan. 30 and had a line outside before the doors opened,” says Hunt. “But, overall, it’s still very slow.

Fifty-percent occupancy and no food or alcohol makes it tough. Numberswise, we’re down 85 percent from last year at this time.

“But it’s better than not being open at all. Fixed costs don’t go away. If you can operate with a skeleton payroll and cover that payroll, it’s worth it. Anything above that goes to monthly fixed costs.”

(As of mid-February, New York rooms have been allowed to serve food and beverage at 25 percent occupancy.)

Pro player Jennifer Barretta, owner of Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, was a plaintiff in the lawsuit but has opted to stay closed for the time being.

“I’m waiting until we can serve food and alcohol above 25 percent and stay open past 10:00,” Barretta says. “I’m very wary of inspectors. I’ve heard some bad stories.

“But I was part of the For Hunt, tight restrictions are better than being closed, but he’s not planning any parties. lawsuit because I want to help all poolrooms. I’d had enough. It’s be easy to get everyone together again.” because all they really need to show is hard to make it as a small business in While poolrooms around the counthat the ruling is for a legitimate govNew York City. I want everyone to be try have been slow to organize, many ernment interest. The state will win open.” have turned to the Billiard Congress of that argument 95 percent of the time.”

The New York room owners admit America for guidance.

Mermigis also says that the bigger that the governor’s appeal is a concern, “We’ve tried to serve as a resource the group, the better the chances. but with positivity rates dropping and a conduit to rooms in need,” says “The more plaintiffs, the more powacross the country and the continued BCA Executive Director Rob Johnson. er,” he says. rollout of the vaccine, the future holds Among other resources, the associaHunt concurs. promise. tion has hosted webinars with the Na“Forming an association and launch“As vaccinations increase and the tional Federation of Independent Busiing a website was a big deal,” he says. weather opens up, more businesses nesses and directs room owners to an “It helped to be able to show that we will open,” says Hunt. “My gut tells me employment lawyer in Colorado that were organized. It helped to have evthat we will be close to 100 percent by has been retained to offer advice on iseryone’s contact info. It helped to orSeptember.” sues relating to getting or staying open. ganize. And it certainly made raising Perhaps then, Hunt will host a In the meantime, the 15 room ownmoney easier.”

“Welcome Back” bash! ers in pool’s history-rich epicenter are In fact, since the temporary injunc-

PHOTO BY LEO JACOB

“Lawsuits work,” Mermigis states clearly. “When you can find distinctions that are arbitrary, you can use the Constitution to your benefit. We are fighting on the same Constitution that other states are fighting on, so it really shouldn’t be different from state to state.”

Still, Mermigis marvels at the room owners’ victory and cautions that the road is not easy.

“What we won was kind of historic because we won on a rational basis theory,” Mermigis says, “which means that it is the lowest level of scrutiny for the state. It’s easier for the government

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tion, which only allows the suit’s plaintiffs to reopen, Sansouci has been fielding calls from other rooms hoping to jump on the bandwagon and be part of the permanent injunction.

“We want pool open around the state,” she says. “We’re up to 21 rooms, with seven more on tap. Competition isn’t a concern right now. Getting open is the priority.”

The group estimates that there are 65 rooms in New York State.

“Hopefully, we’ll stick together and add rooms,” Hunt adds. “Organizing is actually pretty easy. And now, when we have issues that affect all of us, it will

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CHRONICLES

BILLIARDS IN THE MOVIES HOLLYWOOD HAS FEATURED BILLIARDS FOR OVER 100 YEARS, GOING BACK TO SILENT ERA. HERE’S AN OVERVIEW THROUGH 1939, A HIGH POINT IN AMERICAN CINEMA.

By Mike Shamos

B

Y 1934, one-third of Americans went to the movies every week, and the Hollywood studios struggled to generate enough product to satisfy their fans. Billiards was then at its height of popularity in the United States – New York alone had over 3000 poolrooms, more than one for every 2500 residents. It was natural for the game to be portrayed in film, and it often was, either seriously, satirically, elegantly, as a backdrop, a recreation or a venue for gambling and violence. Each of these portrayals drew to some degree from real life, and the movies mirrored the variety of ways in which the public viewed the game.

The story of billiards in cinema is a long one, and I’ll tell it in several segments spread out over the next year.

To prepare this series I reviewed about 2000 movie stills, and had a lot of fun researching their origins. Plenty of movies have them., but I’ll concentrate on scenes you probably haven’t encountered before. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) lists 674 films that have been tagged with the keyword “pool-table” by users, and this seems to be a significant undercount because more than half the movies discussed in this article 2. Charlie Chaplin used a broom in The Pawnshop (1916). are not on the list. er ran about 10 minutes. You can easily Ziegfeld Follies of In the modern era, find Pool Sharks on YouTube. It’s kind of 1915. It was so the first film devoted 1. A slim W.C. Fields cavorted in Pool hilarious and features some shots you’ll popular that the entirely to billiards Sharks in 1915. never see elsewhere because they were Gaumont Comwas The Hustler, in created using film trickery. For exampany of Flushing, New York featured 1961. But that’s the modern era. Gople, Fields breaks a full pack, the balls Fields in a one-reel comedy that year ing back to silent days, W.C. Fields did move around endlessly, and then rearnamed Pool Sharks (Fig. 1). A one-reela pool comedy act on Broadway in the

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range themselves back into their original triangle. On another break shot, all the balls fly off the table and land perfectly in a rack mounted on a wall.

Gaumont in the oldest film company in the world. It was founded in France in 1895 and still exists today. The current owners might be surprised to learn that Flushing, where its U.S studio was located, is now a hotbed of billiards, particularly the carom games that are enjoyed in its largely Asian neighborhood.

Not to be outdone, Charlie Chaplin in 1916 appeared in The Pawnshop. He can be seen using his pawnbroker’s threeball sign as a carom target in Fig. 2. The three spheres that mark a pawnshop have nothing to do with billiards – they represent the emblem of Italian merchants in Lombardy, where pawnshop 3. Bert Lytell showed that it was Easy to Make Money in 1919. banking grew in the 1400s. Chaplin is using a broom as a cue. I don’t know whether he knew that playing with a broomstick was a popular hustle, similar to Lee Trevino’s offer to play a round of golf using only a Dr. Pepper bottle as a club. (Under Trevino’s proposition, he won all tied holes, and he was allowed to toss the golf ball in the air to hit it instead of having to drive from a tee.

He claimed never to have lost a round this way.) The hustling aspect of pool was played up in Easy to Make Money, a 1919 5-reeler that ran almost an hour.

You can see actor Bert Lytell proposing a wager in Fig 3.

In the 1920s, Hal Roach began the Little Rascals series, which started with silents but extended well into the sound era with 220 shorts through 1944. It portrayed children who were poor and often made fun of the rich and pompous. There were no scripts, as most of 4. The Little Rascals (Our Gang) improvised both their acting and equipment. the actors had not yet learned to read.

Instead, the director would explain each scene to them in advance and ask them to improvise (though he probably did not use that word). In the silent era, at least, he could shout directions at them during filming. Fig. 4 is a typical Rascals still. The pockets look pretty stingy, and note that 5. Laurel and Hardy in Any Old Port (1932).

6. Alice Brady tried shooting in Should Ladies Behave (1933).

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CHRONICLES one of the cues is just a stick of bamboo.

Poolroom sets were often built on the Hal Roach backlot because they were needed frequently in many of his films, including one called Ten Nights in a Poolroom. (That would be a nightmare for many, but heaven for me.) Hal Roach went on to make the Laurel and Hardy series, and the duo filmed a number of billiard scenes. An early effort was Any Old Port, made in 1932. Fig. 5 shows (L-R), Hardy, Walter Long, Laurel and Julie Bishop. You can see that disagreements over a woman in a pool hall can lead to violence. The storyline of the film is pretty funny, but billiards plays only a minor role.

In that era, women were not portrayed in movies as being particularly skillful at billiards. Fig. 6 shows Lionel Barrymore and Alice Brady in Should Ladies Behave (1933). She doesn’t seem to have any idea how to make a bridge, and the scowl on Barrymore’s face says as much.

Things got a little better the next year in The Richest Girl in the World (1934, Fig. 7), in which Miriam Hopkins makes a decent open-hand bridge when lagging with Joel McCrea. I find Madeline Carroll 8. A bewitching Madeline Carroll in The General Died at haunting in The Dawn (1938).

General Died at apparently illuminated by the table fixDawn (1936, Fig. 8). She is elegant and ture, disguising the fact that she was somewhat androgynous in the manner spotlighted perfectly from the right. of Marlene Dietrich. In a dark suit, she Sometimes directors provided pool shoots behind her back with her face

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7. Miriam Hopkins portrayed The Richest Girl in the World in 1934.

tables on the set to allow actors to relax when they weren’t on camera. Many photos survive of performers playing even if the movie they were in contained no billiard scenes. See if you can identify the people in Fig. 9. I won’t tell you who they are, but you can find out in the figure caption.

Some famous actors appeared in billiard scenes early in their careers. (As you’ll see in a later installment, Paul Newman shot pool in films before The Hustler.) Fig. 10 shows child star Jackie Cooper in Boy of the Streets (1938). Cooper was accomplished in pool games by this time, having appeared with Deanna Durbin in That Certain Age earlier the same year (Fig. 11).

Billiards was universal in the Wild West and was often played in saloons, where the mixture of alcohol and ready weapons such as cues, balls and guns often led to trouble. It was inevitable that pool found its way into westerns. Fig. 12, from The Arizona Kid (1939), shows Roy Rogers, David Kerwin and Gabby Hayes at a game of pool during the Civil War. The balls are not authentic. At that time, balls had no stripes. Each was a solid color with an engraved number.

Striped balls appeared in the 1880s.

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9. (L-R) Chico, Groucho and Harpo Marx on the set of Room Service (1938).

11. Cooper was also in a pool scene in That Certain Age (1938).

10. Jackie Cooper in Boy of the Streets in 1938.

12. Roy Rogers supposedly during the Civil War in The Arizona Kid (1939).

1939 might have been a great year for film, but it wasn’t so good for billiard films. Fig. 13 shows a scene from Blondie Meets the Boss, with Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead. Observe that he is about to cue an object ball. His name is Bumstead, after all, and a premise of the plot is that he’s not too bright. I like to think that the patrolman is from the billiard police and is about to arrest him for committing a foul, but no such luck. (You can find this one on YouTube also.)

It was only the second 13. Dagwood shot with an object ball in Blondie Meets the Blondie movie, but the pool Boss (1939).

blunder did not seem to register with audiences, as 26 more films were made after that until 1950, all starring Lake and Penny Singleton.

There’s still a lot to tell. We haven’t gotten into pool-oriented films, cartoons, or historical dramas in which the equipment was intended to be authentic. If you’re interested in billiards in the movies, please check out “Eight Ball on the Silver Screen” at www.billiardsmovies.com.

More in the coming months.

Mike Shamos is Curator of The Billiard Archive, a non-profit foundation set up to preserve billiard history.

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TOURNAMENTS

McMINN SHOWS ’EM

Pros slowly returning to action with bar table events taking center stage.

IN AN event that is most remembered for what took place after the competition, Shane McMinn bested Jonathon Hennessee in back-to-back matches to earn top honors in competition at last month’s Show Me Classic at Smokin’ Aces Barbecue in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The victory was second consecutive for McMinn at Smokin’ Aces, who also defeated Hennessee at the facility’s November event last year.

McMinn opened the 36-player, double-elimination event with a 13-3 defeat of Reece Lindley, cruised past Jeremiah Tice, 13-5, then easily defeated Chris Esker, 13-3. After defeating Joey Evola, 13-5 and surviving 13-10 against Chuck Raulston, McMinn suffered his lone loss in the event to Hennessee, 13-9. Now playing on the one-loss side of the bracket, he gutted out a hill-hill match against Jesse Engel, rematched against the unbeaten Hennessee, whom he defeated 13-6. Since it was the Tennessean’s first loss in the event, the two competitors matched up again, which McMinn survived, 13-9.

Runner-up Hennessee won five consecutive matches on the winner’s side of the bracket, including a second round 13-11 defeat of Team USA Mosconi Cup team member Skyler Woodward and 13-7 decision against Johnny Archer, before falling to McMinn in back-toback matches.

Engel, who has a handful of top-10 finishes at the United States Bar Table Championships in the last decade, sustained an early defeat then made a charge through the one-loss side of the bracket to finish third. After a hill-hill victory against Tommy Greer, Engel fell to K.C. Massey, 13-11. He then rattled off six consecutive victories on the oneloss side of the bracket, including a 13-6

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PHOTO BY JP PARMENTIER

Show Me Classic Smokin’ Aces Bar & Grill Poplar Bluff, Mo.

McMinn rebounded from a loss to Hennessee to twice defeat him in the finals.

decision against BCA Hall of Famer Archer, before falling to McMinn, 13-12.

POLISH DUO CAPTURES PREDATOR ONE DOUBLES Predator One Pool Championship Online Event

Rising young Polish superstars Mieszko Fortunski and Konrad Juszczyszyn used solid breaks and even more solid pattern play to claim the doubles championship in the first Predator One Pool event of the new year, defeating Spaniards David Alcaide and Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz in the two-inning championship match.

After breezing through their firstround match against Melih Dagas and Ferdi Ozdemir and quarterfinal contest with Aloysius Yapp and Sharik Sayed undefeated, the Polish duo faced

its toughest test of the event in Filipinos Elijah Alvarez and Aivhan Maluto.

The two teams played a nip-and-tuck 10-inning first set, with Alvarez using a break-and-run in the final frame to best Juszczyszyn’s run out with ball-in-hand, 105-101. After the Polish pair failed to run out twice and broke without pocketing a ball once in the second set’s early stages, the Filipinos used two breaks and runs paired with two run outs to build a 50-26 edge. After Maluto failed to run out in the third inning and Alvarez failed to pocket a ball on back-toback breaks, Fortunski and Juszczyszyn tied the match at 67 points and played the Filipinos even down the stretch to force a sudden death deciding set.

The Filipino team built a 15-6 advantage in the first inning of overtime, but Juszczyszyn had a chance to close out the match with a run out of his own but failed to pocket the game-winning

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TOURNAMENTS

PHOTOS BY JP PARMENTIER

10 ball. As the extra period progressed, Fortunski broke and ran to give the pair a 15-10 lead. Alvarez had an opportunity to reclaim the lead for the Filipinos but left the cue ball behind the 7 ball while attempting to secure position on the 2 ball, then missed a three-rail kick shot on the object ball.

Fortunski and Juszczyszyn would have a much easier time of it in the finals, using four run outs and two breaks and runs to build a 68-29 lead as they cruised to a 93-48 win in the first set. The pair then took advantage of the Spanish team’s early breaking struggles in the second set to hold on and win the title, 75-53.

VAN BOENING RETURNS TO WINNER’S CIRCLE Michael Montgomery Memorial Snookered Billiards Frisco, Texas

Shane Van Boening overcame a midtournament defeat, rallying on the oneloss side of the bracket to win the open 9-ball division of the Michael Montgomery Memorial at Snookered Billiards in Frisco, Texas.

The South Dakotan opened play with an 7-2 decision against Duanne Zimmerman, blanked Marcus Kupczynski, 7-0, and easily defeated Chris Ferguson, 7-1. After coasting past Robb Saez, 7-3, and besting James Ray Davis, 7-4, Van Boening was defeated by reigning World 9-Ball Champion Fedor Gorst of Russia, who defeated the five-time United States Open 9-Ball champion, 7-5.

Van Boening wouldn’t face an easy draw on the one-loss side of the bracket, opening play with 6-4 decisions against James Aranas and Shane Winters. Waiting for Van Boening in the one-loss finals was Gorst, who had lost to Skylar Woodward 7-4 in the hot seat match. The South Dakotan won the rematch against the young Russian, 6-4, then defeated Woodward in back-to-back matches by scores of 7-1 and 6-2 to claim the championship.

The victory was Van Boening’s first in tournament play since winning the Turning Stone Classic last January. With a second-place finish in the Memorial’s 10ball miniature event, the South Dakotan earned $11,280 for the weekend.

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As a duo, Fortunski (top) and Juszczyszyn (above) were virtually unstoppable.

Runner-up Woodward started the event by winning seven consecutive matches before sustaining the consecutive defeats at the hands of Van Boening. After breezing by Dean Williams, 7-2, in the opening round, the young man from Kentucky would survive his next four matches against Thomas Haas, Jalal Alsarisi, Jesus Antecio and Evan Lunda by the same 7-5 score. He defeated Winters 7-3 in the winner’s side semifinals then earned the right to meet his Mosconi Cup teammate in the title match and the one-loss side rematch by besting Gorst, 7-4.

Like Woodward, the young Russian opened the event with a string of victories before faltering down the stretch.

After a 7-0 blanking of Jeese Kohl, Gorst got by Ruben Flores 7-4, and survived Robert Gomez 7-5. After defeating Daniel Schneider 7-4, winning a hill-hill battle against Manny Chau and getting past Van Boening on the winner’s side, the European Mosconi Cup rookie fell to Woodward and Van Boening in the rematch.

The 128-player, double elimination 9-ball tournament was one of four events held during the five days of competition, with Filipino Dennis Orcollo taking home top honors in the 10-ball miniature and one-pocket events. Russian Kristina Tkach traveling to Texas with Gorst and earning the championship in the 32-player ladies’ tournament.

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Tips & Shafts

George Fels

BACKER! BACKER! GAS! [Reprinted from September 1998]

S

ING, HO, for the open highway,” Groucho Marx once bellowed merrily. And while the call of the open road has indeed long been considered one of the most noble and courageous quests upon which a daring young man could embark, as Marx Brothers peer W.C. Fields has pointed out, “The highways are fraught with marauders.”

Let us examine the saga of two road pool players of my acquaintance whose anonymity will be honored herein, although that is better than either deserves. Henceforth, these two will be referred to as Thing One and Thing Two. Thing One relocated to Vegas from the Midwest, and not long after, helped move Thing Two out there as well.

Allowing his chum sufficient time to make his new bed, he then escorted the lean-and-hungry stallion to a restaurant owner known to be a suckeur du jour for hustlers passing through. The mark was a tad short of cash, but that was instantly compensated for by a nearby sweator who threw in with him, so Thing Two was in action promptly, playing one-handed to the guppy’s two.

The handicap did not seem to be a problem: Thing Two jumped out in front right away. But he was fussy and petulant, too, and told his steerer/partner that something did not feel right. To begin with, he did not care for keeping track on the wire instead of paying off after each game.

The mark and his partner finally paid off on demand; stuck several thousand, the restauranteur asked if he might continue the match against a check, and as he was an established businessman, our heroes, flushed with victory, decided to accommodate him. And they won again.

Thing Two was proved prophetic within a day or two when the check was determined to be worth slightly less than toilet tissue. They still had their original cash winnings, but both men prided themselves on being good, conservative, close-to-the-vest gamblers and did not particularly relish being stung. There seemed no ready way to push for collection on bad paper; its maker was nowhere to be found, either in poolroom or at his business. But they did have the good fortune to run into the backer again, and Thing One decided upon the ploy of empathy.

“Listen,” he admonished reproachfully, “Thing Two here is on the run from The Outfit. He don’t pay off some very important money from sports bets, he gets fitted for cement overshoes. And your guy goes and writes us a bum stiff. What kinda way is that to do business?”

“I’m sorry he did that,” the backer admitted. “Your buddy here plays the greatest pool I ever saw. You guys deserve the money you won. If I had it, I’d pay you off myself.”

“Whaddya mean, ‘If you had it?’ Isn’t that your Cadillac out front? Don’t you think that’s worth more than your guy owes us? You know where to find him. Why don’t you go sell him your car, pay us, and then we can all go make

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1938-2013

some money on the road with what’s left over?”

The backer seemed to think that was a dandy idea; human nature, every now and again, is simply inexplicable.

He returned with the money the two Things were owed plus a fine surplus of a few thousand. Since his car was gone, they took Thing One’s and pointed it towards an action room in Phoenix. Thing Two, upon arrival, was too tired to play; the backer, eager for action, was instead convinced to lend moral and financial succor to Ronnie Allen in a classic one-pocket showdown against Jack Cooney.

That match ended in a standoff. The backer lay awake giggling to himself until sunrise. He had seen some of the finest one-hole that man can produce; his choice from among those two titans had certainly not been wrong; and a juicy score lay waiting on the morrow.

Except on the morrow, Ronnie Allen mysteriously could not drop a grape into the Grand Canyon and blew the cheese in under two hours. The puzzled but undaunted backer withdrew to phone Vegas to drum up another bankroll. That done, the threesome was steered to a nearby bar, whereby they encountered a notorious and plump dump artist named Mexican Johnny, whom the two Things had known almost since puberty. Thing Two used his fatigue copout once again, and Thing One, seeing the backer crestfallen at being denied a chance to get even, leaped into the breach. “Fine, then, I’ll play the guy,” he declared, and was promptly annihilated.

“God,” the backer moaned. “If that’s the best we can do, I’m just as well off playing the man myself.” And, so he did, with most predictable result.

After Things One and Two said their private goodbyes to Mexican Johnny, the three drove home. The backer, his riches reduced to a few abjectly lonely twenties, dozed fitfully in the back seat. Just before dawn, Thing One pulled into a gas station. “Whaddya doin’?” grumbled Thing Two. “We need gas.”

“Bleep that. That’s the backer’s job.”

“Two,” implored One, his voice soaked in predawn fatigue and temporary guilt. “We’ve busted him outta three separate bankrolls, plus his car. We’re the only ones here got any real money left. So, I pay for the gas; so, what?”

“You go on the road, the backer buys gas,” Two ruled, for he truly felt his code was a stern but fair one. And that is how the backer, who had actually seen Thing Two play just once, which was when he was in with the guy that Two beat, came to be awakened abruptly by his new idol’s elbow in his rib cage and the succinct communication point-blank into his ear at jet-airliner decibels, “Backer!

Backer! Gas!” Think twice before singing out for the open highway. It can be noble. But can also be Marx Brothers silly.

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