Us Open
- Thread starter steveharn
- Start date
Of the ones I haven't heard of, a good many have foreign-sounding names, and some of the others are guys that I apparently should have heard of, like Mike Badsteubner or David Howard or Ben Zimmer. I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but to me the field is crazy strong.
glass half full!
I think it says something positive about our sport. It says new players are stepping up and playing with the big boys. Good for them
I think it says something positive about our sport. It says new players are stepping up and playing with the big boys. Good for them
Chesscat said:
I get your point but woa now...if you have never heard of Little David Howard, you've been living under a rock. He is a champion player and one of the very few to have a Meucci cue line named after him. Check out the DH series some time. He was there 2 years ago and played well. The man is a gentleman and strong opponent.
I share your dismay at some of the other names, but there was a time, not so long ago, when names like Corey Deuel were strange. People were asking me who the guy was with that soft break...
The open is the open..thank goodness it's back.
Little David Howard
I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Jointed Cue(Sacramento) many many years ago he is a great player and has been for many years. Im sure he can still make a few balls. I think its nice to see names like David Howare and CJ Wiley, it was a couple of years ago CJ gave them a run for there money and I think finished in the top 10.
Angel
I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Jointed Cue(Sacramento) many many years ago he is a great player and has been for many years. Im sure he can still make a few balls. I think its nice to see names like David Howare and CJ Wiley, it was a couple of years ago CJ gave them a run for there money and I think finished in the top 10.
Angel
Purdman
Banned
steveharn said:
It's all them people you never heard of that make the US Open what it is. I met a kid a few years ago that just started playing. Couldn't make a ball. He has played in , this is maybe his third or fourth Open, Brandon Shuff. He is playing now. I gave him a cue at the 2006 Open that belonged to a friend of his that passed. Brandon has a memorial tournament for every year. That's where I met Drawman in 2006. My man has done a lot for pool and knows everybody like a brother. Skinns, and all the Az members.
When you got something better going, let me know my friend.
Peace, Purdman
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Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is excellence and if there is anything worth praise, think about these things".
Purdman, Who said these words?
thx
steven
Purdman, Who said these words?
thx
steven
steveharn said:
Tommy Kennedy wasn't well know till he won the US Open against Johnny Archer. Now this Jose Alvarez, is this the Joe Alvaraz out of Ft. Collins, then Vegas then who knows where else?
Chesscat said:
I agree it's a strong field. That's what I like about the US Open. Take a player like Ben Zimmer who is relatively unknown. But he's a jam up player and in some city in the US, he's probably the best player. I did see him play 3 years ago in Salisbury, MD on the Planet Pool tour. He was travelling with Niels Feijen. Ben lost his first match to the local house pro and then won 7 matches before losing to Niels to finish 4th.
No doubt there's a story like this for just about every player on the chart. There might be a few lesser players that are just paying for the fun of it but most are strong players in their area.
I help run the Tiger Tour regional tour in the Virginia/Maryland area and I recognize a lot of these "lesser" known players. The field must be tough when players like Ryan McCreesh, Larry Kressel, Manuel Chau, Eric Moore and Matt Clatterbuck are struggling. I would not have been surprised to see any of these guys in the top 32 but that'll be tough from the one-loss side (Ryan out on tough draw).
I think there are just way more quality players than there were 15 years ago and it's harder to "keep up" with who's who.
Andy
Chesscat said:
Chesscat, I think I owe you a short story. I was embarrassed not to have recognized someone I should have known some years ago at the open.
At 2am I was watching Earl practice. He was running balls and preparing to descimate his next victim. Bill Incardona and Buddy were also watching.
Incardona set up a super tough shot on an ajacent table. Object ball an inch off the long rail near the first diamond. Cue ball an inch or two off the head rail at the other end aimed straight in. He was jacking up and shooting the long straight shot at the corner pocket, trying to pocket the object ball in that tight pocket AND draw the cue ball all the way back uptable for shape on the next ball. It was brutal on that equipment, just brutal.
He missed it a dozen times or so. He'd get the draw but rattle the pocket, or make the shot but come up short on shape. Earl stopped practicing and came over. He and Billy went at it shooting that shot for minutes, again without success on that tight equipment. Buddy even joined in but still no joy.
Well I wanted to try in the worst way but knew my place. I felt my invite to watch these guys was thin enough already. A man on the other side of the bench got up and walked over though. I had never seen him before. He took Billy's cue and one stroked the shot. He stuck that shot and drew the cue ball back like it was on a string, said nothing, handed the cue back and sat down again.
Not knowing what to say, I quoted a familiar line..."hey, that's Buddy, Earl and Bill Incardona out there...Who the hell are you, the end of the world?" He said I'm Bobby Hunter. Embarrassed that I failed to recognize a former world champion, I said I wouldn't forget it.
That is the thing about the open, there is extraordinary talent from everywhere. Past champions and new guys. Maybe even another Caesar Morales. Not too many, if any, know em all.
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steveharn said:
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy,the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon." -Chris Rock
Brandon is having a great Open.:thumbup:Purdman said:It's all them people you never heard of that make the US Open what it is. I met a kid a few years ago that just started playing. Couldn't make a ball. He has played in , this is maybe his third or fourth Open, Brandon Shuff. He is playing now. I gave him a cue at the 2006 Open that belonged to a friend of his that passed. Brandon has a memorial tournament for every year. That's where I met Drawman in 2006. My man has done a lot for pool and knows everybody like a brother. Skinns, and all the Az members.
When you got something better going, let me know my friend.
Peace, Purdman
David Howard will forgive all trespasses. Someday. Maybe.:grin:
Drawman623 said: