Dave’s Good Stuff

As I’ve previously stated, I’ve been playing a lot of pool lately. Thing is, while I’m winning more games than not, I’m just not happy with my game. Case in point… I got 2nd in Sunday’s house 8-ball tournament*, and won 5 out of 6 games for 55 out of 60 possible points during Monday night BCA 8-ball league. In spite of those victories, as well as the general results during random pick-up matches, I’m just not happy with my performance lately. I’ve talked with several people about it, and have come up with some possibilities.

Possibility #1: I’m playing a lot more safeties, which forces my opponents to give up ball in hand a lot more. This is good, but it doesn’t carry the vicseral pleasure that running a table does. So, though I’m winning more, it doesn’t feel quite as good as if I were winning by running-out.
Thoughts: This is possible. It’s definitely true that I’m playing a lot more safeties. Safeties are really the only defense in pool, and a the best offense is a good defense (as I’ve heard, anyway… I’m not totally convinced). It’s also true that a good safety, at least for me, just isn’t quite as satisfying as a good runout. I can play the safes, and I’m getting better at them, but running out a game of 8-ball just isn’t a guaranteed thing.
Solution: Appreciate the successful safety. A good safety is hard to play and deserves the appreciation.

Possibility #2: I’m crossing over into a new level of play, but though I can see certain possibilities I couldn’t see before, I can’t always execute them. As a consequence, I’m expecting more from my game than I’m capable of delivering at this time.
Thoughts: Again, this is possible. Moreover, I’d really like to believe that I *am* getting better, that I *am* crossing over into a new level of play. In fact, I’d like to believe that so much, that I’m just going to, and there’s nothing (or at least little) that you can do about it.
Solution: Let it be.

So there you have it. My dilemna is that the numbers say I’m playing well, but my heart & mind say I’m playing like hell, and I’m having a tough time reconciling those. Given my choice, I’d choose Possibility #2, for obvious reasons, but we’ll just have to see.

Now, about that present. I got a package in the mail today from Amazon, when I hadn’t ordered anything from Amazon. Turns out, a friend of mine I met through one of those other sites bought me a pool book from my wish list! Talk about a pleasant surprise! Thanks Jaes!

Oddly enough, losing only one match. We split the cash on the last match b/c it was very late and we were both tired. I still consider my place at 2nd though, b/c he truly is a superior player.

Today’s tournament was… odd, in a way. It was odd b/c I really didn’t have my heart in it. Sure, I would have liked to have won, but I didn’t feel a burning desire in my chest telling me I *had* to win. That said, I did better today than in any of the previous tournaments, getting all the way to the final match for 1st and 2nd place.

My first match was against a new face belonging to a guy named Ted. He is an official APA 4, but honestly plays like a 2 or 3. I don’t get the APA handicaps. I really don’t. I, and the rest of the people on my team consider me a pretty solid 4, creeping slowly up to a 5. If this guy is a 4, then I’m more like a 6, and the rest of my team needs to adjust accordingly. It’s silly, I tell you. Silly.

The second match was also something of a rout with the final score at 4-0 my favor. The thing is, I was just getting lucky. I don’t think I shot well either of these first two matches… or all day for that matter. I just got a lot of lucky rolls. I’ve been trying, but I cannot for the life of me remember who this match was against. Whoever it was, I apologize for not remembering.

The third match was a bit more difficult. This guy is probably an accurate 4. I still beat him, but again, I chalk it up to the rolls b/c my heart just wasn’t in it today. Still, I did have to focus a bit more this time, and fortunately was able to do so to come up with a 4-1 win.

The fourth match was against Jeff Taylor. Jeff got in a real bad car accident a few months ago, in which he broke his neck and recieved a compound fracture of his femur. He’s been in traction until last week, when they took it off early due to complications with the skull screws. He still walks with the aid of crutches, and wears a nice solid neck brace, but he’s doing MUCH better now. We were wondering though, those of us watching him play, just what exactly one has to do to Jeff to hurt his game. He is an amazing shot. The last time I played him in a tournament, he won 6-0. This time I got two games on him for a 6-2 final score. He started at a handicap of 5, but moved up to 6 when he won his first two matches 5-0 and 5-1.

I waited around for about two hours for my last match, and it turned out to be against the same guy I played in my third match. By this time, I was tired, full from the pizza I just ate, and was thinking that my motivation earlier in the day was fierce compared to what I felt now. I still won, 4-2, but I let him get two games while I was on the hill. I just had a hard time keeping my head in the game. All I could think about was coming home, writing this up, taking a nice warm shower and going to bed.

The last match was against Jeff Taylor again. He climbed the whole way through the winners bracket, which meant he was the only obstacle in my way of 1st place. We agreed, however, that it was late, and time to go. We split the remaining $125 $65/$60 his favor, given how he beat me previously. Sounded fair to me, so we took our money, shook hands and now it’s time for that shower.
My Handicap: 4
Matches:

1. 4-0 (Opponent Rank: 4) W
2. 4-0 (Opponent Rank: 4) W
3. 4-1 (Opponent Rank: 4) W
4. 2-6 (Opponent Rank: 6) L
5. 4-2 (Opponent Rank: 4) W
6. Final Match: Draw

My Place: 2nd
My Winnings: 60

Yesterday (which would be Saturday), I went to see the middle day of the Midwest 9-ball Tour, held this time at Shooters in Olathe, KS. I didn’t enter for two reasons… 1. the $50 entry fee, and 2. I expected the competition to be stiffer than I could handle. Given that, I was just going out there to observe, and hopefully pick up some tips.

Lets just say I saw some amazing pool. David Matlock and Jimmy Wetch were the two best shooters I saw yesterday, with a younger fellow named Chad a close third. There was also a small group of 3 or 4 12-14 year olds who were far too good, and far too cocky for their age. It really made me think back on what *I* was doing at 14 years old… not the right things, apparently.

Matlock, more than anyone, showed real mastery of the table. In the two or three dozen games I saw him play, I only saw two mistakes. At one point, he kicked at a ball, hit it, and then sent the cue ball off two other balls, another rail and into the corner pocket for a scratch. Could have happened to anyone. Later on, he let the cue-ball travel about 3 inches further than he meant to… which he easily recovered from. Other than that, though, he played nearly flawless position, and didn’t miss a single ball. Watching Matlock was watching pool played the way it was meant to be played. Nearly flawless position play. No difficult shots… ever. He made it look *easy*. The word "Maestro" comes to mind.

Hehe, at one point in the day, we decided to hit some balls around on a 9′ table and passed the billiards table in the process. Matlock was in the process of pulling off a really nice point-scoring shot at the time. Right when we passed, Matlock’s opponent saw the shot complete, and exclaimed rather loudly "That’s *bullshit*, Dave!". Maybe you had to be there, but we were, and we laughed.

Mike Robinson and Dom Scrivo, two guys from my APA 9-ball team both entered, and given the level of competition, did very well. Dom won Friday night, and the lost his next two matches on Saturday. Mike lost Friday night, won his first match on Saturday and lost his second. It’s not that Dom and Mike were playing poorly, it’s just that the other guys were getting *all* the rolls. That’s OK, though… the tour is coming back around again in December. Give me a couple years playing like I am now, and I may be ready to enter… even if I’m not ready to win.

There was more than just playing going on though… as is pretty typical, there were cue-makers as well. Barnett was there with his Lathe, ready to do emergency work if someone needed it. Jim Buss, and Joe Salazar were there showing off some of their latest. There was some amazing work there. I still, however, like the more simple designs, rather than the more flashy ones.

All in all, it was a highly rewarding experience. :)

This was an interesting tournament. Given the recent tendency of some of us Lawrence folk to visit the tournaments at Terry’s in Topeka on Saturday nights, some of the Terry regulars have started showing up at our Sunday afternoon tournaments. They ain’t bad either. Additionally, my brother (Dennis) was in town this weekend from Portland, OR, and given his past interest in pool, I entered him. A new player, he came in at 3, while I continue to fluctuate between 3 and 5.

Dennis and I spent about 45 minutes warming up before the matches started, and I was feeling pretty good about my game. This played out as I beat my first opponent, handicapped at 4 soundly and solidly 4 games to zero. Dennis, on the other hand, had less luck. His very first tournament ever, his very first experience with any sort of official handicap system, he draws Mike. Mike, you may recall, is on my 9-ball team, and could go pro if he dedicated himself. Needless to say, Dennis didn’t win, though he did give Mike a bit of a run. That match ended at 8-2.

My second match didn’t go so well. I went up against a fellow named Jeff from Topeka. He started as a 6 and beat his first opponent, Tim, 6-0. The Powers that Be raised him to a 7 for our match. He beat me 7-1. The one game I did win, though, was at the very limits of my ability. None of my shots were hard, but getting to a couple of them was extremely difficult. I had one of those moments I live for though. With 4 balls left, not including the 8, one of them was tied up pretty badly. However, there was a window of about 2 inches where I could get shape on it… if I could play the other three right. Then it just clicked, and the pattern I’d have to play became as clear as day, and I knew I could do it. I proceeded, then, to to just that. After that though, I didn’t get much of a shot. The guy was just that good. I think he throttled back though, fearing his handicap would go up again, b/c he lost the next matches to someone who I can easily beat.

Meanwhile, Dennis went 2 and out. Not unexpected given that this was his first tournament. I was a little surprised though. I counseled him at one point to take a safety shot, and he looked at me blankly while asking “a what?” He’s probably played longer than I have overall, and didn’t know what a safety was. I explained it, but then he forgot about the whole ball-must-hit-a-rail-after-contact rule thinking it didn’t apply to safeties, and gave up ball-in-hand. He’s a good shot, but he has very little in the way of a defensive game, and doesn’t think about position play that much. I’d like to think, however, that he’ll continue playing when he gets back home. He could be very very good if he applied himself and studied the game.

My last game was against a guy named Brian. It was an extremely tight match, ending with both of us on the hill. We both played very conservatively, just b/c that’s how we play when we get together. All 6 games were very long, fully of safeties and very thoughtful shots. All in all, I’d say this match, even though I lost, was the best match of the day… both in terms of how I played, and how much fun it was. I would have won, but I left myself a couple inches short of a sure shot on the 8, and missed the pot by about half an inch, leaving Brian a relatively easy run-out.
My Handicap: 4
Matches:

1. 4-0 (Opponent Rank: 4) W
2. 1-7 (Opponent Rank: 7) L
3. 3-3 (Opponent Rank: 3) L

My Place: n/a
My Winnings: n/a

My Handicap: 4
Matches:

1. 4-0 (opponent rank: 4) W
2. 1-7 (opponent rank: 7) L
3. 3-3 (opponent rank: 3) L

My Place: n/a
My Winnings: n/a

Every year, over near Sandstone… er, sorry, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater they hold the local KC Renaissance Faire. I’ll likely have more thoughts available to you on the whole issue of so many time-honored things being renamed after corporations, but for now, a few thoughts on the aforementioned Renaissance Fair.

In the 12 years I’ve lived here, I’ve only missed one year going to the Fair. My first year, it was magic. As it was my second, and subsequent next few years. I remember distinctly the music of Maid in the Myddle and the wondrous sounds of the Hammered Dulcimer. I remember the fun of the jousting events, laughing at the jesters and "lepers" that populated the grounds. The angry executioners and the Royal Parade. I remember Sean O’Donnell and I prancing in, looking for the art, the crafts, and the music, while a friend (who’s name escapes me now) wanted only to find the swords, armor and blacksmiths. Now, I’m honestly more interested in the latter than the former, unless the former has some sort of utilitarian value, like the pewter mugs, or period dress.

Something has changed however. I’m not sure if it’s me, the fair, or more likely a little of both, but it seems so much less a merry gathering of like-minded folk, as it is simply a theme mall, held outside in semi-permanent wooden shacks. The crowd really got to me today… it was just as crowded as a typical mall during Christmas season, but that’s just me growing more and more like my Dad. We both hate crowds with a passion. They give us headaches. However, I couldn’t hardly find any of the little sideshows and scriptless characters that wandered around b/c of said crowd. Maybe they were there. I don’t know. The scheduled shows and events are cool enough, but it’s the people just wandering around in costume and character that give the place it’s personality. All I could see today, however, was the overwhelming tide of the mindless masses. That’s not personality, that’s tedious. Even Mel got tired of the crowd… she was the one who actually brought it up first and wanted to leave.

What I don’t think is entirely me is the sense that the fair really has become little more than a place to sell your wares. Maybe it’s always been that way. That’s actually fairly likely, no pun intended. Still… maybe it really was something "special", only to succumb in the last few years to the pressures of the almighty dollar and commercialism, while I’ve only just grown curmudgeonly enough to finally see it.

What I do know without an iota of doubt is that I didn’t get my goddamn turkey leg today b/c the line was 50+ people too damn deep every time we passed. *grumble*

I want my old, barely populated fair back. It was fun then. Now it’s just crowded.