2014 Derby City Classic Diamond "Big Foot" Challenge

Once again the Derby City Classic held the "Big Foot" Challenge.  This is 10-ball on a 10 foot Diamond table with, I believe, 4.25" pockets.  It was an all-star lineup featuring players such as Ralph Souquet, Efren Reyes, Rodney Morris, Corey Deuel, Neils Feijen, Shane Van Boening, Dennis Orcollo, Earl Strickland, Francisco Bustamante, Darren Appleton, and more.

Each player put up $1,000 with $16,000 added.  The winner got $16,000 and 2nd place $8,000.  I did not get to watch all these matches, but I did watch online via Accu-Stats live stream Sunday night and Monday night (Semi-finals and Finals).

Neils Feijen is a beast.  He handily sent Corey Deuel packing with an opening round defeat 11-2.  He then took down Efren Reyes by a score of 11-8.  In his 3rd round match, he trounced his Mosconi Cup teammate, Ralph Souquet 11-4 to face Shane Van Boening in the Finals.

Shane Van Boening had an opening round match against Dennis Orcollo and beat him 11-8.  He then faced John Morra in a close, hill-hill match that I watched on Sunday night.  It looked like Shane would easily take him down, but with a large lead (6-1, I believe), John Morra came fighting back to eventually make it hill-hill.  Shane managed to get the win.  I also watched the Earl Strickland vs. Francisco Bustamante match.  I really had no favorite between these two, but I figured Earl would have the advantage since he likes these big 10 foot tables with tight pockets and he practices on a 10 foot table.  It wasn't meant to be for Earl.  He was playing good, but Bustamante got a few rolls and defeated him 11-7.  Surprisingly, Earl didn't have a meltdown, although he had the crowd laughing about the bad rolls he was getting.

Shane then faced Bustamante Monday night, which again looked like it was going to be all Shane as he got ahead early 7-3.  Bustamante got the score to 10-8 after Shane missed the 10-ball for the match.  Shane got the win in the next rack.  Final score was 11-8.

The Final was Neils Feijen vs. Shane Van Boening.  Yet again it looked like SVB was going to dominate the match.  Neils won the first 2 games, but SVB took over from there.  Shane won the next 6 games, breaking and running 2, 2 packs and took a comfortable lead 6-2.  Neils capitalized on a Shane miss, but in rack 10, Neils rattled the 10 leaving a tough, table-length bank for Shane.  Shane thought about playing safe, but fired the bank 10 feet down into the corner.  SVB took a 7-3 lead.  The next rack showed just how tough this Diamond 10 foot table was.  Shane got on the 10, but rattled it in the corner pocket.  He left Neils a long, but makeable shot on the 10.  Neils also rattled it, leaving a straight in shot to give Shane an 8-3 lead.

Shane got on the hill with the score 10-3, but Neils wasn't going to go down without a fight.  Shane broke dry in rack 14 and Neils ran out to make it 10-4.  Neils eventually fought to 10-7, but in rack 18 and the final rack of the match, Neils accidentally went off the 8-ball and scratched in the side pocket.  It was over then.  Shane ran out the rest of the rack to take the win 11-7.

I love watching these top players play on this big 10 foot table.  As the commentators said at one point, it really separates the men from the boys.  Banks, One Pocket, and 9-ball is still to be determined at the 2014 Derby City Classic, but after it was all said and done on the "Big Foot", Shane Van Boening is your winner.

Here is the final bracket if you would like to see how your favorite player fared.

http://www.azbilliards.com/tours_and_events/124-derby-city-classic/6069-derby-city-classic-2014-bigfoot-10-ball-challenge/brackets/59-main-event/

Book Review: Pool Wars: On the Road to Hell and Back with the World's Greatest Money Players

While watching Darren Appleton and Dennis Orcollo battled it out on TAR 38, one of the commentators, Jay Helfert, mentioned he had a book about life as a pool player on the road back in the heyday of pool hustling in the 60's, 70's and 80's.  I enjoy hearing and reading about exciting pool stories, so I bought the book to check it out.

I found Jay's book on Amazon, but you can also find it on Jay's website.

The paperback version is about 160 pages of Jay's experiences travelling the country and beyond, playing for money on the road, owning a pool hall, and being a consultant on movies.  I enjoyed the stories Jay had to tell, although I didn't know many of the pool players he mentioned until he got further into the book.  I did know some of the players, though.  Legends like Minnesota Fats, Willie Mosconi, Luther Lassiter, and Cornbread Red.

Overall, I liked the book and the stories Jay had to tell.  During the commentary at TAR 38, he mentioned he might write another book of more stories from his experiences.  I hope he does, because this era of pool he lived is gone.  The internet, video, and smartphones have killed those days.

If you are a fan of pool hustling or want to know what life was like back in those days, pick up this book.  You won't regret it.

TAR 38 Darren Appleton vs. Dennis Orcollo

The Action Report continues to put together some nice match-ups between some of the world's best pool players.  This match-up was a race to 7 One Pocket, race to 30 8-ball, and a race to 30 10-ball.  I had a hard time deciding who would win the event overall.  Both players shoot really strong.

Friday, January 17, One Pocket race to 7

The commentators, Jay Helfert and Robert Leblanc, both seemed to agree that the slight edge in this match would go to Dennis Orcollo.  That was not the case, however.  The first 2 or 3 games went fairly quickly with some mistakes by both players early on.  Dennis scratched at least twice in the first couple of games and Darren left Dennis an out.

Dennis looked strong in the first game, winning 8-0, but Darren came right back in game 2 and won by a score of 8-3.  Both players traded games and it seemed the player breaking was a favorite to win the match.  Neither player went ahead by more than one game until late in the match when Darren Appleton started heating up and took the win 7-5.

The One Pocket match lasted right at 5 hours, but it looked like it would last much longer.  In game 4, both players started off the game going -3, before Darren finally pulled out the win.  Game 6 was extremely long with Darren winning 8-3 after lots of safeties back and forth.

Darren won by a score of 7-5.

Saturday, January 18, 8-ball race to 30

This was a pretty close match the entire time.  Neither player got ahead by more than about 6 games.  There weren't any significant packs put together, 2 here, 3 there.  Toward the end of the match both players looked fatigued.  The commentators mentioned Dennis Orcollo said he was tired toward the end, stating he didn't get much sleep the night before.

Overall, it was a pretty decent match.  Darren was breaking from the side, hitting the 2nd ball square, which usually tied some balls together, making the outs tough, compared to Dennis who was breaking near the middle of the table, hitting the head ball square.  Darren ,throughout the match, consistently ran out the tougher racks.  Even though it was apparent Darren was making the tougher outs and playing better than Dennis, he never could catch back up to Dennis after he got ahead 9-1 early.

The highlight of the match came when Dennis was hooked on the 8-ball and made an extremely difficult 2 rail kick for the win.  I hope that makes it to YouTube for those that didn't get to see.

Dennis won the 8-ball event 30-22.

Sunday, January 19, 10-ball race to 30

Both players were playing much better than the previous night.  The commentators noted that 8-ball is a lot more mentally challenging than 10-ball and I would have to agree.  The 8-ball event seemed like it lasted forever, starting at 5 pm Pacific and ending around 12 am.  The 10-ball match also started at 5 pm Pacific and ended just after 11:30 pm.

It was a close match with neither player taking a large lead.  It looked like Darren was going to get out to a big lead, breaking and running the first 3 racks.  They tied at 15, 17, 20, 21, and 22, but from then on, it was pretty much all Darren.  Darren's break was consistently better than Orcollo's pocketing balls and allowing the break and runs.  Orcollo just couldn't seem to make a ball on the break and several times making a ball, but leaving himself no shot on the first ball.

Just as we thought Darren would take the match, Dennis pulls out the last 5 games when the score was 29-25 to win 30-29.  An exciting last day to the 3 day event sees the match go hill-hill for all the money.  What a great match-up of these two top players.

Earl Strickland The Story

I recently found a video on YouTube while searching for pool videos of Earl Strickland.  It's called Earl Strickland The Story The greatest ever.  The video is about 45 minutes long and it's a documentary on probably one of the greatest pool players ever and also probably one of the most misunderstood pool players ever.

If you are a fan of Earl Strickland or don't know much about him, you really should watch this video.  Before watching this, I had always thought Earl was just a whiner and liked causing controversy.  I thought maybe his "game" was antagonizing the other player to throw off his opponent's game.  After watching this video, I have a little better understanding of what makes him who he is.

It's a very excellent look at the fiery Earl Strickland.  There are some really good stories that Earl tells and some of the top pros talk about him also.  It's at times funny, at times inspiring, and at times really sad.

If you have about 45 minutes, take a look.  You might change your mind about Earl too.

Can Team USA make a comeback in Mosconi Cup?

     The 2013 Mosconi Cup was hyped up in the months and weeks before the tournament started.  The United States had selected their top players, bringing back the fiery Earl Strickland, veteran team captain Johnny Archer, top US players Shane Van Boening, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris, and even the legendary, Buddy "The Rifleman" Hall as a non-playing co-Captain.  The all-star team was set...and they went down in the worst loss ever.  The previous worst loss by Team USA was 11-5 in 2008.

     So what went wrong?  You just about could not put together a more veteran team of professional pool players.  Each of the Team USA players are some of the best in the world.  Billiards Digest has an extensive article in the January 2014 issue which discusses in length the differences in Team Europe and Team USA's approach to the 2013 Mosconi Cup.  This, I feel, made the difference.

     Team Europe were a cohesive team.  The team Captain, Johan Ruijsink, didn't play.  He was there to coach.  He communicated with his team months before the tournament.  They collectively discussed the tournament.  They arrived together several days before the tournament.  They ate together.  They practiced together...get the picture here?

     Now let's look at Team USA.  Johnny Archer, arguably one of the best players in the US and a veteran of the Mosconi Cup tournament (16 consecutive appearances) was again team Captain.  But the difference being Johnny was also playing in the tournament and he's a pool player, not a coach.  Then there are the other players...Dennis Hatch, Shane Van Boening, who appears to be a pretty nice guy, but does seem to have an air of arrogance (just my opinion here, folks), and we all know the reputation of Earl Strickland.  Lastly, there is Buddy Hall.  I've watched some interviews online and he appears to be a super nice guy.  He's obviously a great pool player, probably one of the best ever.  Here's a quote from the Billiards Digest article by Buddy Hall when asked what he would tell the Team USA players, "I'm not going to say much.  I'm here if they need me."  It sounded like he wasn't even utilized.  Johnny Archer was reported to say that he, "couldn't speak to his players in any authoritative way as a captain, because they were all champions just like he is."  Team USA was doomed before the tournament even started.

     How can Team USA solve this problem?  It needs to start now and I believe the first step in the solution is a team coach.  No offense to Johnny Archer, but the team Captain needs to be a non-playing, motivational coach.  This coach needs to be determined...not a few months before the tournament...now. This coach needs to find a way to bring 5 of the top professional pool players together as a team.  The second and more difficult step is the team itself.  Who is going to play?  AZBilliards.com has a list of the all-time career money earners, since, at least in my mind, more money equals more tournament wins, so just for fun let's pick the team based on the top career money list.  We would have Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Corey Deuel, and Earl Strickland...wait, what?  Except for Corey Deuel, this was the 2013 team!!!!!

     Is this the best way to pick the team?  Who else is there?  Continuing down the career money list let's throw some more names out there.  Charlie Williams, John Schmidt, Jeremy Jones, Mike Davis, Gabe Owen, Shannon Daulton, Tony Robles, Mike Dechaine.  I skipped a few that I'm not sure how well they play and after these names the players I'm familiar with start to rapidly dwindle.  The US has a talent problem.  There are a lot of great players in the US, but at Mosconi Cup level?  Probably not.  The talent is pretty vast in Europe and Asia since they have more tournaments and a more structured pool world.

     The article from Billiards Digest quotes Barry Hearn, promoter for the Mosconi Cup tournament, as saying, "There's no leadership in American pool.  Someone has to come up to the plate and figure out how to improve the lot.  American pool is too centered on individual needs."

     Team USA needs help and needs help fast.