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It occurred to me since I’ve been publishing “The Break” for 4 years
and knew that there was a publication out before I started called “Cue
Ball Gazette”, were there any publications out before that? I asked a
lot of people on my deliveries if they had known of any such
publications. No one seemed to remember but most thought
there was something. I found out about different pool
publications in Montana when a gentleman named
Dale Caldwell was making his rounds selling
his cue cases. He had copies and said he would send them to me
and that he did. After reviewing them, I was
amazed and humbled to be a part of a long tradition, at least 25
years and maybe more.
I can’t help but to wonder what it would
have been like 15, 20 or 25 years ago, to have to put together a
publication by typewriter, word processor or even
a computer that would have a memory of 40 MB
(our first Macintosh was 40MB). There is
typesetting, cut and paste, centering each article
on graph paper, using a light table but most of all
breaking you back while doing that. Photos were
a problem within themselves, halftones had to
be made and then placed on the layout sheets.
In today’s standards, a CD holds 700+ MB.
When we burn our camera-ready copy of “The
Break” to a CD it is over 500MB. One of our color
pages is sometimes over 40MB but it doesn’t
stop there. My hat goes off to these publishers,
editors and layout personnel, because if it wasn’t
for them carving out a market in the billiard
industry as well as communication with
tournament directors, league operators, pool
halls, taverns, bars and everywhere pool was
being played, my job would be a lot more difficult.
My staff and I have the luxury of email, digital
photography, better access to faxes, and
overnight deliveries. The print industry has
computerized presses that can burn a negative
to a plate that prints, coallates, and folds all in
one step. I just want everybody to know what came
before me, that worked in the production of all
pool publications one thing – Thank you for your
creativity.
I found such publications as “The Billiard Bulletin” (8 ½” x 11” Black &
White) out of Lynnwood , Washington published in 1985, edited by Jean
Gilstrap, associate editor James Schulke, secretary Colleen McElrath. The front page
headline from January 16, 1985, Volume I, Number 5 read,
“Seattle Wins Ringo’s Extravaganza” by John Stribich. They were playing 8-Ball and
9-Ball at Ringo’s Hunt & Fish Tavern in Beaverton, Oregon, a challenge match. The
original brainchild of this event was Brian Katz and he
started it in November of ’83. Representing
Seattle was Rich Geiler and Dan Louie, Portland
was represented by Leo Newberry and David
Rhodes. In the previous two years Fritz Johnson
and David Rhodes had represented Portland.
Other pool players mentioned were “Lake City
Red” winning a singles title; Ray Tricheler, Mike
Stephens and Bob Olson, in the Men’s Greater
Seattle 8-Ball League; Dave Reavis winning the
Red Invitational; Sandy Watson, Brian Gilham and Harold Hendrickson.
The next publication I came across was “Cue Times”
(Tabloid newspaper Black & White). I
have Volume I, Issue I for May 1980 published out of Olympia ,
Washington, editor Rick Jones, business and managing editor Edward Musser. It
was published by the Shelton-Mason County Journal.
“Cue Times” was previously known as the “Northwest Billiard News”. The “Cue Times”
covered a wide area and reported from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Their front page
profiled Sue Warnes of Renton, Washington. In 1979 Sue was 5th in the U S Women’s
Open in New Jersey and 3rd in the National 8-Ball
Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. She placed 2nd in ’79 at the Washington State
Invitational and won singles and doubles in Portland at Sam’s Billiards. Other pool
players mentioned were Vince Frayne of Seattle, Ken Dodd, Brad Gowin, Sandy Watson and
Jo Connell. A full page ad featured the 2nd BCA All- American 8-Ball League
Championships. That’s when the BCA’s home office was in Chicago. Do
you remember the 5th Annual Sacramento 9- Ball Championships
sponsored by the Jointed Cue? Or the Clark County Women’s Pool
League in Vancouver, Washington? Or Casey’s Tavern in Lacey,
Washington boasting of the best burgers in town? Or the Grandstrom’s
Washington State Invitational Billiard
Tournament? The Everett’s Women’s 8-Ball, Toni Gallagher, President of the EWPL.
Schooner’s in Everett was the 1st place team, followed by Hitching Post
in Lake Stevens, King’s Billiards in Snohomish and Ms Cues in
Bellingham. The Lewis & Clark League officers were: Bill Neary (Chairman), Ardelle
Mellstrom (Secretary) and Brian Siler (Co-Chairman). They
also had the Bellingham City/Pool League
standings from February 1980, Everett Women’s
Pool League February 1980, Jack and Jill Pool
League, the Kelso/Longview Men’s Pool League
North Whidbey Women’s Pool League and the
Walla Walla Men’s & Women’s Pool Leagues.
Most prominently featured players throughout the
two publications have been Dan Louie and Rich
Geiler (Olympia Rich). Tournaments also from
Moses Lake, Washington with Larry Domingo of
Spokane, Washington winning a tournament and
1st place on the ladies side was Mary Robledo
beating Betty Abbott of Clarkston, Idaho there
were 49 women in the field.
“National Tavern News” (Newspaper Tabloid, Spot Color, 28 pages) out of
Bellflower , California, publisher Bill Pierce, Chief
Editor Jay Helfert and the editor was Daryl Gloudeman.
The issue I have is from July 15th, 1983 (published for a
year). Feature article was about a Women’s National Amateur
Champion Janet McKee. One of the stories is from “Out of the Past” about Fred Whalen, a
legend. Remember when Caesar’s Tahoe last held a Billiard Classic? The advertisement
here reads October 26-30, the entry fee was $1,000
and $20,000 was added. It was sponsored by
Corner Pockets of America and presented by the
U S Professional Billiards Association. It was held
at the Southshore. The paper also had results
from the Southern California Pool Leagues and
the Phoenix Metro Pool League. Some of the
players were: Howard Ikeda 1st, Dan Louie taking
2nd, Jay Swanson taking 3rd, and Kim Davenport
taking 7th. There was also W.P.A. that was the
Western States Pool Association that was being
formed and organized for the Western United
States. Suellen Warnes was also featured in
“Women in Billiards” winning numerous titles
throughout the Northwest, the 1979 BCA Trick
Shot Championship and the 1980 8-Ball World
Classic Championship. This issue also
announced qualifiers from the World Series of
Tavern Pool – under “The Stars of Tomorrow”
were two pictures, one of Richard “Dickie” Renk
and “Tracy” Joe Salazar. The International Pocket
Billiard Federation has an article by Ruth Meucci
of Meucci Cues. Their first IPBF tournament was
to be held July 12th through 17th in Memphis,
Tennessee. The “Poolpourri” section had a Billiard quiz and cartoons for your
enjoyment. Also mentioned was the Busch Pool League National
Championships now APA.
“Eight Ball News” (Newspaper Tabloid Black & White) started in the Spring of 1979 (as
close as I can tell). The publishing company was
Bayside from Everett, Washington. I’m looking at Volume 2 Number 12, January 15, 1982.
It would appear that it is a bi-monthly publication.
Front page has Ron Callaghan winning top
honors at Thumpers in Hoquiam, a tournament
held at the 211 Club in Seattle and a picture of
Rich Geiler winning Juanita Driscoll’s. Dale Caldwell was the coordinator. There was a
column called “James Dog” that was written by James Allen. “Games People Play” for the
tournament calendar, had some of the tournaments being a Broomstick; Three Woman
Team at the Maltese Tavern in Kelso, Washington; a Singles tournament in Kirkland at
the Central Tavern; South Hills Saloon in Puyallup, Washington, Legends Tavern in
Ocean Shores, Washington ($100 entry). There was a photo of
the winners of the Thumper Tournament with Scott Smith, Gordy Scott, Ron Callahan and
Dave Peterson and the Halftime final scores of the Greater Seattle Leagues dated
December 14, 1981.
“Pool Tournament Magazine” (Magazine, 8 ½” x 11”, color cover) started
in 1992 and was an annual publication. Published for 10 years that covered
the Northern Rockies and upper Plain States. It had over 150
tournaments throughout the year and over $100,000
in added money.
Most of the locations and tournaments can be found in “The Break” today. We also
published a “Pool League Magazine” with VNEA results.
The “9-Ball Reporter” (Tabloid Newspaper Black & White)
came out in the summer of 1983. The front cover has a picture of Dan Louie, Washington
State NPCA 9-Ball Champion. The tournament was held at the South Hills Saloon, below
that was “NWPTA Holds Doubles Tournament” hosted by Vivian and Dennis Early
at the Welcome Inn in Walla Walla, Washington. The publisher is Eight Ball News,
the editor Jean Gilstrap. The production staff included: Sue
Warnes, Renton, Washington, Shirley Griffin, Kennewick, Washington, Dino Kisterson,
Roseberg, Oregon, Gerald Lilje, Palouse, Washington, Dick Duff, Port Orchard,
Washington, Nalean Clinton, Salem, Oregon and Lisa Clayton, Mesa, Arizona. Lorraine
Krom, pictured, was the Women’s Singles Winner from
the Schooner and Fireside Inn Taverns in Everett.
There was also a column about the California Chatter; a picture of Janet McKee winning a
qualifier for the Caesar’s Tahoe Tournament at the White Spot Tavern in Fife (now called Right
Spot); also winning qualifiers were Rich Geiler and Tom Lyons. Winning The Grove tournament
in Everett, Washington, August 13, 1983 was Lincoln Peters.
“Billiards By-Line” (Magazine 8 ½” x 11” Spot Color) boasted of being
the final word in pool for San Diego and Southern California. I’m looking at
Volume 2 Issue 6, August 15, 1986. The publishing editor was Kathleen
F Kline. The staff consisted of Rex Bergstom, Carla Cooper, Fish, Steve Fox, Pat
Gordon, Bill Gosnell, Brian Henderson, Debbie Teagarden, Mike Weber and Ashley Woodbury
with a circulation of 2,000. The front page pictured the winners of the 2nd Annual
Mid Summer Couples Classic won by Ismael Paez and Sabrina Peterson. Coming in 2nd was
Dick Megiveron and Pat Gordon. This was played at College Billiards
Center. Some of the headlines read, “Darby’s to Host Series of
Ladies Pool Tournaments” and “Debbie Haver Winner at Billiard Tavern”. There were
results of weekly tournaments in the “Tourney Tattler”, and the “B B
Dictionary” by Ashley Woodburn, “L A News”, “Panama Bill Shot of
the Month”; local league news about an Advanced Men’s League
that was forming in the San Diego area, coordinator Bill Gosnell. This
publication had 12 pages.
“Cue Ball Gazette” (Newspaper Tabloid Black & White) Now most recently pool
players are familiar with the Cue Ball Gazette that started production in the early
90’s. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any early copies and was
unable to locate Les and Patti Walden or Morris the Cat. This was a tabloid
newspaper with 28 pages, no color. Coverage was extensive in the Washington, Oregon
areas covering league results from APA, BCA and independent leagues. It covered the
ACW that was run by Linda Carter; “Sensei Side” by Roy Yamane; results from The
Lucky Star now Eli’s Roadhouse in Kent, Washington; Cue’s Billiards, Portland,
Oregon; Java in Auburn, Washington and a tournament held at Cross Keys in
Longview , Washington, won by Paul “The Brat” Marquez; with listings of weekly
and major tournaments. The issue I’m looking at is July
1998 Volume 6 Number 7. “Clark Custom Cues Opens In Tacoma, Washington” reads the
headlines also having a feature location called
“Places People Play”, a Western Regional
Women’s 1998 tour schedule coordinator Julie
Hunter. Annual membership is $40 and all entry
fees are $30 with each location or sponsor
donating $600. “The Cue Ball Gazette” was
published near as I can tell for around 8 years.
Pocket billiards seemed to be the theme of all
the publications of the 80’s. As I remember from
the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s there was very much a
distinction in the game. Organizations as well
as locations that promoted pocket billiards used
that term to distinguish between different games
as well as tables. In the old days or should I say
in “my” old days pool halls had drop pockets,
most bars and taverns didn’t. They had coin
operated tables. On some side drop pockets you
may remember that you could run a ball down
the rail slow enough to stop at the
side pocket and drop. There is a term, name or distinction for that and
I can’t for the life of me remember it.
In reviewing all the different publications for the past 25 years,
makes me wonder how many others may have started up. If anybody
knows and has copies of or was a part of a publication for pocket
billiards email me at otbnews@aol.com.
If there is more information about other publications we will do a follow
up article.
Now that the dog days of summer will soon be past, I look forward to
the baseball playoffs, the starting of football, but most passionately I look
for the beginning of pool leagues. Tournaments returning on a regular
basis without the heat of summer.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the blue skies, the warm weather, the
mountains, fishing and if you haven’t traveled the route that I go each
month you can only imagine mother nature’s beauty.
Now it’s time for leagues to begin. I have heard some comments that
league players don’t really count. Unfortunately, in my opinion,
perhaps the individual(s) making that comment shouldn’t count.
Organized league play is one of the main reasons why pool has taken
off. When you think about what league players contribute to the
industry it is overwhelming. APA, BCA, VNEA, ACS, TAP and other
independent leagues that I know of personally, brings hundreds of
thousands. When you think each one of these league players buys a
cue, a case and accessories, it all adds up. So with all that money
being spent, you would think they deserve better than a Rodney
Dangerfield. He didn’t get any respect either.
Since we broke the story of the BCA being sold in the April issue of “The
Break”, there has been a bitter feud, with a lot of emotion, anger and
frustration on all sides. But the people who got hurt the most were
the league players. These players in some cases have been asked to
pledge their allegiance. I too have been asked “What side am I on?”
As a publisher of a billiard newspaper, I will not take a side. I
will remain unbiased and keep my objectivity when reporting news,
events and tournaments. On a personal note, I tend to look on the
positive side of things. There are more leagues to play, more local
tournaments, more regional tournaments and more national
tournaments. Can that all be bad for pool? Perhaps not. If all this works
out, it should benefit the players because without them and the hard
work of all the league operators, none of us would enjoy the success
and recognition that we have grown accustomed to.
So my advice is very simple, go join a league, or 2 or 3 or more. Play
different rules in different leagues, different races, different events. The
bottom line – most pool players that I’ve talked to just want to play.
Pool On TV
For the first seven months of 2004 there has been a significant increase in
the airing of pool on television. In 2003 there was a moderate increase.
We started listing in “The Break” from the first issue (October 2000) “Pool
On TV”. In that issue there were only eight times that you could watch pool
on TV in the month of October. And for the next two years there were
moderate increases and fluctuations of three to four each month until 2003.
I have talked to many players and heard many comments on how much
the players like to see pool on TV. They’ve told me that they’ve cut the TV
listings out of the paper and put it with their remote, even downloading the
listings from our site www.onthebreaknews.com. In August again, there
are thirty-two listings to watch. The irony of all this is that, it is pretty much
what was on last month and the month before that, etc., etc. They would
air tapings of Trick Shot Magic’s from 2003 and 2002 over and over again,
the first two semis and finals of the WPBA Championships and tapings
from Las Vegas with the BCA Open. Now please don’t misunderstand me,
I think the airing of pool is a huge step for players and fans alike and we
promote it in “The Break” every month, but the repetition and even the
monotony of the same event being shown week in and week out become
tiring, watching the same people do the same thing time after time.
I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining without a solution or at least
without a scenario that may work. Perhaps the filming of other events like
the Reno Open, the Bar Table Championships, the Derby City Classic and
other long time events. We are coming to the part of the year that we will
see new airings of the same events from last year and the year before.
The Trick Shots, Challenge of Champions, new WPBA events and what
they’ve added now is the US Open 9-Ball Championships. Something new
to look forward to, to see different faces playing familiar faces in this
publishers opinion would enhance our sport with productivity and growth.
I enjoy hearing from everyone so if you have any comments regarding the
editorial, feel free to send them to: otbnews@aol.com or
mail to: P O Box 100, Three Forks, MT 59752.
Avlon Elected President
June 16, 2004: An Interview with Mark Avlon, newly
elected President of the Western BCA
D”C”A: What happened at the meeting of the Western
BCA at Pied Piper Pizza in Vancouver, Washington, Sunday June 13th?
Mark: It was actually the largest meeting I’ve ever
attended with that association. There were a lot of people that
cared very emotionally about the issues.
D”C”A: Are you going to be issuing a press release?
Mark: Yes, there should be one coming out today. This
is an extremely emotional issue. It divided the pool community
nationwide and it’s sad. I don’t personally have a grudge against
anyone or organization. I’m going to welcome anyone back to the
Western BCA. We need to just work together and continue to have great
tournaments.
D”C”A: I agree one hundred percent.
Mark: I’m looking forward to making the association better than it has
been and the tournaments better than they have been. That’s where
my focus is and I’m going to try and pull the players back together. I’m
concerned that what is circulating out there is negative and reflects
poorly on the association.
D”C”A: I don’t want to put anything out there that’s going to make the
pool players have any misconceptions about anything
because I’m a player myself and it pains me not to be able to play when
I go out there to cover the event. Still, I don’t get a chance to embarrass
myself either. That was my first question, which you more or less
went into. The biggest question for the players is are you going to be
holding the regionals at Lincoln City?
Mark: We have a contract with Chinook Winds through 2007. Gary
Benson contacted Chinook Winds to confirm that and asked for a
proposal to extend that through 2010. We also talked to Gary
Benson, he is committed to running our tournaments. The look and feel
of the tournaments will be the same for the players. I hope that things
will be better. Instead of saying things will be the same, I’m hoping
they’ll be even better.
D”C”A: Are they going to be at the same time during the year?
Mark: Yes. Our next November tournament is the 3rd through the 7th,
our 9-Ball tournament. Our 8-Ball is scheduled for March 1st through
the 6th. Those are on track, there are no changes there.
D”C”A: Will you have the same events?
Mark: Yes, nothing has changed. The same divisions will be available.
Everything is the same. We don’t know what the entry level will be.
We expect it to be less because of the division. We’re going to be
working hard over the summer to recruit those players back.
D”C”A: Then some players have gone over to the ACS?
Mark: They have. My understanding is there is a group
that is forming a new association, planning to put on a tournament. And
I wish them luck. It will give players an additional choice, but again if that
occurs both tournaments will be smaller than what they have been
in the past. That might be unfortunate.
D”C”A: I tend to agree with that too, as long as they don’t try to hold
the tournaments in close proximity of each other.
Mark: That’s going to be their choice. The members that may be
doing that are well aware of our dates. It’s their choice to pick their
dates. I think that we have a proven track record for producing a good
tournament. I’m sure we will have a fairly sizeable field at the tournament
and I think that players when they leave are going to be happy and
reassured that Western BCA is still on track.
D”C”A: That’s good because I know the players are concerned
about it and it’s important to them. I know the players that I’ve talked to,
the majority of them would rather go to regionals than even to Vegas.
And to the credit of the Western BCA, I’ve been to a lot of big
tournaments whether its VNEA or BCA, it’s the best that I’ve seen. I’ve
seen them as large, maybe a little larger and the Western BCA is
excellent.
Mark: Thank you. I appreciate that compliment. The previous board of
directors has had a lot to do with making that happen. We are hoping
to continue that on.
D”C”A: Are there going to be any changes in the organization?
Mark: There are no plans. We have a new vice president and
president. The secretary is a bit divided, she basically aligned with
the ACS players but felt a responsibility not to walk away at
this point. Other than that, we have a meeting scheduled July 11th, a
board meeting to get things rolling where we’ll be planning our
tournament, thinking of the fall. All board members and player
members are welcome to attend the meeting and voice their
concerns but there are no fundamental changes to rules,
requirements or anything. We’re going to keep as much the same
as we can for one reason, to assure the players that nothing is changing.
We are going to try and improve the races that people were complaining
about, short races, scheduling. We’re going to try and improve
those things, try to make it a better experience for the players but
fundamentally the events will be the same, the same tournament
director.
D”C”A: What about the referees. I think they are the heart and soul of
keeping the tournament going and keeping the arguments controlled –
you know everybody looks at a shot differently, even though it’s the
same shot and sees it differently.
Mark: The referees have decided to explore their own organization
that they can hire out to the BCA, APA, the ACS, TAP, whoever and
be independent of any league system. Hopefully that will keep the
referee program alive and healthy. I’m not sure where that will be over
the summer but I think once the referees feel dedicated to the sport,
they’ll want to avoid the politics. I will be recruiting referees for this
tournament and trying to have a larger staff than in the past.
D”C”A: Are you at liberty to tell me percentage wise who may be
aligning which way?
Mark: That is really difficult at this point to tell you. I don’t have a list of
which league voted which way, because there are multiple votes
per league. As an example, there is a league in Salem, Oregon, who has
a league meeting tonight and they are mostly interested in regional
tournaments. They were ACS at the Sunday meeting and now they are
reconsidering what the future holds and maybe they should align with
the BCA to insure that they can go to the 9-Ball tournament in the fall.
So even though they voted one way some of these leagues and players
may have a change of heart and decide to change their alignment.
It’s really hard to predict. If I had to make a wild guess I’d say it’s
somewhere around 50/50. The vote at the meeting was fairly close. I’m
not sure that the vote really represents the entire membership
though.
D”C”A: I understand that. It’s probably like a proxy system where
for however many players you get so many votes?
Mark: Yes, for each 30 players you get 1 player representative and I’m
sure many of the league operators chose to bring player reps that are
sympathetic to them or their position – not all of them did
because many of them were split. I’m not sure it really represents the
full membership.
D”C”A: Basically what do you want to say that can assure the
players, besides what you’ve said, how the association’s going to
prosper. How it’s going to remain the same in a lot of different areas
that has already been successful?
Mark: The main thing I want the players to know is that there are no
real changes to the Western BCA. The tournaments are still planned
as scheduled in the past. The proof will be in the pudding, when they
come to the tournament I believe they will walk away with a much
better experience than they’ve had in the past with better races, better
scheduling, better personal service by the tournament directors and
association staff that is there for the tournaments. We are there to serve
the players and our goal is to make it the best experience we can for
them.
D”C”A: You said there’s a meeting July 11th?
Mark: July 11th at the Pied Piper Pizza as always.
D”C”A: Are there going to be more decisions made? You’ll know about
whether the other leagues will be aligning with the BCA?
Mark: The items on the agenda for the meeting are basically going to
be addressing the short races in the past, making sure they are
adequate for the players. We need to purchase some equipment. Much
of the equipment from the association belonged to board
members of the association and unfortunately many of those are with
the ACS. So we have things to pick up and to arrange for. We have the
bylaws in the works (in the past that were never completed), changes
that govern rules for the tournament. How the association should operate.
Those were never finished so those will be on the
agenda to get those moving again, to get those completed. There are
changes to the tournament as far as who’s renting tables, what kind of
tables, not any major fundamental things the players really care about. It’s
more like who’s going to produce our program guide and things like that.
D”C”A: Is Jean Bartholomew still going to produce the program guide?
Mark: I have sent an offer to her. I have asked her to submit a proposal for
continuing to do that. In my opinion, she’s welcome to do that. I do not
intend to exclude anyone from the association. She produces a very good
player program. She benefited from that work she did. If she’d like to continue
that, she can submit a proposal. There are other interested parties and I
have suggested they also submit a proposal and we’ll discuss those
proposals in one of our meetings.
D”C”A: Thank you Mark for taking your time.
Mark: You’re welcome, I appreciate the interview so that we can explain
to the players what’s going on.
In an exclusive interview with Mark Griffin of Diamond Tables, he confirmed
the rumor that he had made an agreement with the Billiard Congress of
America to purchase the BCA League System. The deal is not official until
the board approves it next week. Mark said that the leagues will remain the
same. There will be no changes for the players. It will not become a
franchise league and the fees will remain the same. The BCA Nationals in
Las Vegas will also remain the same. They will still be run by Gary Benson
for the next two years, at least.
Mark does have a lot of ideas on how to enhance the league and create
more events for the players. He’s thinking of reviving the National 9-Ball
Tournament that used to be held in Red Wing, Minnesota and maybe even
bring back the All American Tour. Mark is player oriented and wants to have
an advisory board comprised of industry leaders and league officials to
help staff the new league. He is moving his offices to Las Vegas, which
seems like a more appropriate place for them.
Mark would like to work together so that the players get a better deal. He
wants to work in conjunction with the other leagues and tours so that there
are not conflicts in scheduling. He is very enthusiastic about what can and
should happen to make the league stronger and promote pool. He has big
plans in the works that he hopes to make a reality. The new website should
be up and running by April 1st and will be changing daily so check it out at
www.bcapoolleague.com. You can keep apprised of the changes going
on by checking online.
Although Mark didn’t want the BCA to sell the leagues, when it became
apparent that the leagues were going to be offered for sale, he stepped up
to take charge.
Dr Cues CANCELS Two in a Row
Matt Jacoby and Jeff Robertson owners of Dr Cue Billiards in
Shoreline, Washington north of Seattle, cancelled another pool
tournament. We were unaware at press time for the January issue,
that the tournament had been cancelled.
We at the MCDermott Northwest tour would like to apologize to the
pool players for any misinformation on our part.
We know that there were players planning on signing up and
attending the tournament and to those players we would again like
to apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused them.
We regret that the owners of Dr Cue Billiards chose to do this. It is not
the policy of the McDermott Tour to advertise a tournament for months
in advance and then cancel without notice.
The news of the cancellation was a surprise to us and when our offices
contacted Dr Cues about the cancellation, we were told, “It was
an oversight that you were not contacted. We had a lot of things
going on.” Their first tournament cancellation was due to the
remodeling of their kitchen and rescheduled for the January 10-11
date.
Since we have had dozens of phone calls and emails about the
cancellation, we feel that it was irresponsible of Dr Cues, not to give
the pool players proper notice. Many players expressed to us that they
had planned on signing up for the tournament after the holidays, only
to find out that it had already been cancelled. There are no further
plans to have a McDermott Tour stop at Dr Cues, to avoid this
happening in the future.
Bowlliards
Old Dog Learns New Trick
I usually find myself on Sundays traveling to the Hub Bar in Belgrade for a
weekly pool tournament. Steve Plant, usually runs the tournament which
is a $5 entry, $2 green fee, alternating 8 and 9 Ball and straight pool. One
Sunday last month, there were about ten of us who found ourselves wanting
to shoot something relatively new to us, called Bowlliards.
The game is played with scoring like bowling, the difference and uniqueness
that I find in this game is you are not playing a game against another
opponent. If you miss you shoot again (see rules below), only your total
score determines a winner. You rack ten balls and break. If you scratch on
the break, no penalty, but if you make any balls on the break, they are
spotted. Now the game begins, you get two chances to make all ten balls.
If you do it in one turn it’s a strike. If you do it in two turns it’s a spare. If you
make four balls in your first turn and three balls in your second turn, you
total seven and so on. You are not playing against anyone just yourself and
the rest of the field at the end for total score.
This would be a great game for practice instead of racking and banging
balls around by yourself. It can be harder than it appears to be, to score
over 200.
RULES (taken from the BCA Official Rules and Records Book)
Except when clearly contradicted by these additional rules, the General
Rules of Pocket Billiards apply.
TYPE OF GAME: Bowlliards is a game that applies the scoring concepts
of bowling to pocket billiards. It is one of the few games that can be quite
interesting as a solitary exercise since, like bowling, there is a perfect
game score to strive for, and a player can measure his improvement quite
easily over the course of time playing Bowlliards.
PLAYERS: Any number.
BALLS USED: Any ten object balls, plus cue ball.
THE RACK: Standard triangle position (front apex ball on foot spot), using
a 1-2-3-4 rack configuration.
OBJECT OF THE GAME: To score a perfect score of 300 points in 10
frames (innings) in solitary play. In competition, to score a higher point
total in 10 innings than opponent(s).
SCORING: Each legally pocketed ball is scored as one point, regardless
of ball number. The points scored as per the “Rules of Play” below are
treated exactly as in the pinfall in bowling.
OPENING BREAK: At the start of player’s inning (frame), he has a free
break (no special balls-to-cushion or other requirements once break stroke
commences, and a jumped or scratched cue ball is without penalty). Any
balls pocketed on the break are spotted, and player then follows his break
by beginning scoring play with object balls in position and cue ball in hand
behind the head string. (The opening break takes place at the start of every
inning.)
RULES OF PLAY:
1. A legally pocketed ball entitles shooter to continue at the table until he
fails to pocket a called ball on a shot, or until he has scored the maximum
total per inning possible (10). Player may shoot any ball he chooses, but
before he shoots, must designate a single ball that he will pocket and the
pocket into which the ball will score; he need not indicate kisses, caroms,
combinations or cushions (none of which are illegal).
2. Player has two chances to pocket the 10 possible balls of each frame.
If player legally pockets ten consecutive balls on his first chance of a frame,
that frame is completed and player scores the frame exactly as a strike in
bowling. If player fails to pocket ten consecutive balls on his first chance,
he takes his second chance immediately. If he succeeds in legally pocketing
the remaining balls of the ten on his second chance, the frame is completed
and player scores it exactly as a spare in bowling. If player fails to legally
pocket all ten balls in two chances, the frame is then completed and is
scored just as in bowling: a “strike” in the tenth inning earns two extra
shots, a spare one extra shot.
3. If players tie for high game total in competition, additional extra innings
are played alternately by the tied players, with the first player posting a
superior score to that of his opponent(s) being the winner (“sudden death”).
ILLEGALLY POCKETED BALLS: On the break, illegally pocketed balls
are spotted prior to player beginning his scoring play (first chance of the
frame). During scoring play, illegally pocketed balls are spotted.
OBJECT BALLS JUMPED OFF THE TABLE: All spotted. The stroke is
a foul, and the penalty for fouls is followed.
CUE BALL AFTER JUMP OR SCRATCH: Only applies if occurring as
player’s first foul of a frame, player has cue ball in hand behind the head
string to begin his second chance of the frame.
PENALTY FOR FOULS: One point is deducted from offender’s score for
each foul. If foul ends player’s first chance of a frame, he has cue ball in
hand behind the head string to begin his second chance of the frame.
Who in the World is Reading “The Break”
Where the hits come from
Pool players from all over the world are viewing the pages of “The Break”
online every month. We were curious as to who was looking at our pages
and what pages were being viewed so we did some research on our site.
Onthebreaknews.com receives over 120,000 hits a month. The largest
portion of those hits coming from the United States, followed closely by
Canada. Some of the more interesting places viewing our site are: Czech
Republic, Singapore, US Educational, US Military, US Government, Austria,
Japan, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Belgium,
Netherlands, Australia, Mexico, Finland, Poland, Germany, France, Greece,
Philippines, Hong Kong, Hungary and Lebanon. Amazing the power of the
internet when pool players the world over can read about the events we
have going on in our part of the world.
The front page of “The Break” is viewed the most, followed by the
Tournament Trail (page 34), then comes the Washington weekly section
(page 32), Poolhall Junkies and the Oregon Weekly section (page 33).
Rounding out the top ten pages viewed are: Pool on TV (page 26), Favorite
Links, WPBA Program Guide, “Sarge’s” Instructional articles and the
Archives of Past articles. We average about 5300 hits per day and the
most popular viewing time is 6 PM.
Besides the internet viewing there are also tens of thousands of pool players
that pick up “The Break” from their favorite bars, taverns, pool halls and
billiard suppliers. And a special thanks goes to the dozens of dedicated
pool players who deliver “The Break” each month. We appreciate all the
advertisers, promoters and players that make our work so rewarding. Thank
you!!
I had the distinct honor of sitting in the press section covering two semi finals and the finals that are to be shown on
ESPN (first scheduled showing is January 4th at 4pm Pacific Standard Time on ESPN2), with a crowd nearing 1,000
onlookers. The Master of Ceremonies, Steve Tipton, entertained the crowds before and between the matches with trivia,
jokes and introduced the VIP’s as well as doing a little “hokey pokey” and sometimes even serenading while the ladies
were waiting to play. Witnessing the behind-the-scenes action at one of these events is very interesting. You don’t
have the smooth transitions as they appear on the finished broadcasts. What you do have is the players being cued
when to start their play, a low key commentating being heard in the background and a camera man following the action
going on at the table. Talk about distractions and sharking a player, this has to be the ultimate.
Next up Karen Corr, the number two ranked player in the world. Karen had lost the point match to Allison Fisher
the night before. On the microphone in the booth was Mitch Laurance and Ewa Mataya Laurance. Mitch giving expert
commentary of the matches and Ewa doing a play-by-play anaylsis of the trouble each shot may or may not present.
Play began and Jeanette jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Karen seemed to have a problem with positioning and shot making,
not her usual self. Jeanette cruised to an easy victory. |
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Pool Halls - Are They A Vanishing Breed?
In slow economic times, many things may contribute to the life or death of a pool hall. As in real estate, there are 3
very important guidelines to follow, location, location, location. The pool halls financial success may also depend upon
curfews, gang colors and the economic stability of your clientele. In some areas going smokeless whether it was
legislated or of the owner’s own volition has seen a drop in clientele. The neighborhood also may have changed around
you. With urban sprawl, the pool hall may be what now has become too far away.
In the 70’s and 80’s a chain of pool halls were started called “Corner Pocket”. With virtually the same layout in each
pool hall that favored the spectator and/or other players to view important games, but they too fell on hard times and
were sold off individually. The pool halls I grew up in 35 to 40 years ago were smoke-filled, gambling havens, whether
cards, cribbage or games on the slate. There was a code of ethics that the players respected. Many of the owners
didn’t allow cursing, which caused arguments that led to fights. Some of your owners or employees of the room ran
“book” (illegal gambling that the government didn’t take money from). Not all pool halls were that way, some were true
to the game of pool, be it 9-Ball, One Pocket or Straight. You came in, played by the hour and there was always a
sign “no gambling”. The “no gambling” meant “no money on the table”. Pool halls back then didn’t have to deal with
technology. We had pinball machines and that was pretty much it. Today if a pool hall doesn’t have video games,
digital juke box, satellite TV, alcohol, food, leagues, billiard supplies and maybe even an internet connection you’re not
keeping up with your competition. You can’t attract the players who have the money and time on their hands. There
have been closures of pool halls up and down the West Coast and some I don’t know about. Here are a few: 211
Club (WA), Q Street Billiards (OR), Kelowna Q Club (BC), Blondies Billiards (BC), Felts Club (CA), Oakdale Billiards
(CA) and Cue Ball’s Billiards (MT).
In March of 2003, a movie was released called “Poolhall Junkies”, that depicted violence and cursing as part of its
theme. Perhaps coupled with the struggling economy, this has had an effect on different pool halls around the
country. Is this a sign of the future of pool? In this new millennium, will the game of pool be relegated to seven foot
tables? By itself that would be a shame, there must be a choice – Pool halls do survive and they can survive in the
twenty first century. So if you’re lucky enough to have a pool hall close to you, relish the opportunity. If not, get in
your car, take a bus, streetcar, mule train, horse and buggy, any way you can, just get there.
Email me at: otbnews@aol.com
Karen Chalks Up First Win in 2003
Las Vegas was again a thrill for me, but this time more so. I was priviledged
with a press pass to see both the pro men's and women's events that were held by
the Billiard Congress of America at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, and also during
ESPN filming of both events. Watching these players in person was a thrill after
watching them on TV all these years.
Las Vegas Style Pro 9-Ball
Part of the allure of going down to the BCA Nationals was the Men’s and Women’s
Pro Events. I was fortunate enough to have a press pass to get into all the events,
but even so at $10 a ticket per session it was cheap enough and I would have paid that
gladly. I was in the room, all the way down at the end of the hall, past the last
tables that were to be used for the BCA players. We were fortunate enough to view
some of the earlier rounds. When it came down to the semi-finals it was Mika Immonen
against Ralf Souquet. The house was packed with between 500-600 spectators. In the
early rounds Ralf jumped out to a lead of 2-1, 3-1, 4-1 and Mika never seemed to have
been able to get on track. When he missed the crowd groaned, obviously a favorite.
Ralf Souquet won 7-1 over Mika.
I’d like to say though the staff of the BCA in the 8 and 9-ball tournaments as well
as the pro events were impeccable. They were on the job, doing it well, with Steve
Tipton as a referee.
Now to the second semi-final that I watched Friday night between Karen Corr and
Helena Thornfeldt, in the first two games Karen was uncharacteristic in missing
position and made some bad safeties. Karen also missed the 8-ball on several games.
In the fourth game that would have tied the match 2-2, Karen missed, Helena got out
and it was 3-1. The next game Karen missed what would be an apparent easy jump shot,
but got back to the table and missed the 8-ball. Helena missed the 8-ball also, so
for three to four shots they both took on the 8-ball. Karen eventually won the game.
Watching these ladies in person is a thrill, after watching them on TV all these
years. These matches seemed to be a battle of miscues. In most of the TV shows that
air on ESPN there is not a lot of spectators in the audience, here that was not the
case. Karen was able to fight back and get on the hill. She was able to secure that
game, win the match and went on to face Allison Fisher in the finals.
The Fisher-Corr match on Saturday was at 1 PM. Allison won the lag but only by a
narrow margin. Steve Tipton, tournament director had to measure it with one of the
ladies cues. Allison breaks, runs to the 5, misses, Karen runs out 1-0. Karen breaks
and runs out. Allison breaks but then has to push out giving Karen a choice. She gives
it back to Allison who misses the safety. Karen runs out. Karen seems to be focused
and in stroke, not like the semi-finals last night. Karen makes a great draw on the
4-ball, falls back and gets partially corner hooked. She masse’ makes the 5, runs
out 4-0. Karen has the next shot at the table for the title and the $15,000 but most
important the chance to regain the #1 ranking. Karen again runs out. In the sixth
game, Karen finally misses a shot, the 1-6. Allison combos the 1-6 then makes the 1
but gets hid behind the 5. She makes a good hit on the 2 but misses it. Karen gets
to the table and as in the past games runs out. Allison breaks in game seven and
makes a ball but hides herself behind the 8, pushes out and gives it back to Karen.
The tide may be changing, Karen scratches on the 1 but Allison misses the 5 in her
run. Karen misses a safety and Allison runs out. Allison is on the board 6-1. The
theme of the finals was basically, “Karen runs out”. This puts Karen on the hill
and she again runs out. Game, set and match! Karen wins 7-1.
The final for the Men’s was a little bit different battle. Ralf Souquet and
Francisco Bustamante. The first game started with safeties, Francisco missing a
long break and Ralf gets the job done 1-0. Francisco breaks and runs out 1-1. The
third game safeties again, Francisco runs out but not before he rattles the 6 in
the corner and goes on to win. Game three, Francisco is ahead 2-1. Francisco
attempts a safety but misses it, Ralf puts it back on him that ties the match 2-2.
One thing that I have noticed and probably most players have, when watching
billiards on ESPN, is that these guys never, ever hit the ball hard. They let the
running English work.
Ralf wins game five taking the lead 3-2. Francisco breaks in the sixth game, jumps
the cue ball off the table leaving a combo on the 9 for Ralf, 4-2 Ralf. Ralf breaks
and runs out 5-2. Francisco runs after Ralf misses a long bank 5-3 Souquet. Ralf
takes a two way shot and misses leaving Francisco safe. He jumps and slops in the
two and runs out 5-4. The tenth game, after safeties, Francisco missing a slice
bank, Ralf runs out. Game eleven Ralf breaks, makes the one, straight in on the
two. Ralf misses the three, Francisco comes to the table makes the three and
rattles the six and then out. Ralf leads 6-5. Francisco breaks leaving the cue
ball behind the 8, makes a good hit. Ralf misses the 2-5 combo, Francisco ties it
up at 6-6. Race to 7, one game for $15,000. Ralf makes the 2 on the break and
misses. Francisco misses an easy 2 leaving Ralf a virtually easy run for the title.
Ralf Souquet wins 7-6.
Concentration
Focus totally on your game. Everything else shouldn't matter. Play the table not
the player. Distractions, noises, loud music shouldn't affect you. It's like they are
not even there. Time will stand still while you are in total concentration.
Concentrating
totally while playing pool should be second only to dead stroke, although playing
with concentration is easier to achieve. With total concentration your game can go
to a new level with consistency and performance, then reaching dead stroke, it's
like a walk in the park.
For those of you who have not reached dead stroke, it is playing unconsciously. All
the knowledge that you have learned about pool, whether it is banks, English or
shot making, is executed correctly. You reach a new level of performance. It's one
of the best feelings that you can achieve while playing pool.
I was at a pool tournament and noticed a game a friend of mine was
playing. He was down 2-0 in a race to 4. His opponent broke, a couple of
shots, he's up 3-0. My friend walks over to me and made a statement that
I didn't think I would hear from a quality player like he is, "I can work my
way back through the losers bracket." I looked at him, with a look of
bewilderment I am sure, and said, "You're not out of this one yet. All you
need to do is win just one. Don't let him 4-zip you. Just win one." He
looked at me and said "OK!" He won the next game, now it's 3-1. He
looks in my direction, I put my index finger up and told him, "One more,
just one more." Now it's 3-2. He comes back over and says, "I can win
this." I said, "No, just win one more. That's all you want to do for now." He
wins -- hill-hill. He looks at me and I said, "Just one more." He won the
match 4-3.
In the mental game of pool it is important to keep your goals simple, just
win one. Just win the first one. Take one game at a time, one shot at a
time. Give yourself the opportunity to win or give yourself the opportunity
for another shot.
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