Well, Day One of the 2009 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship is now in the history books. I am really enjoying the coverage by AzBilliards, of course, and Accu-Stats. What would pool be like without these two entities?! 
I am reminded of how close the competition can be sometimes in tournaments of this caliber when I read this morning's front-page article.
Though I was extremely pleased to see Robb Saez on the AzBilliard's Main Page this morning, I do realize how tough it must have been for John Schmidt to lose his first round.
On any given day, John could have defeated Robb Saez; and vice versa, not taking anything away from Robb. Both of these tournament soldiers are fully capable of coming out on top, no matter who they play. In fact, as we all know, John Schmidt already has an U.S. Open championship under his belt. :wink:
The usual players advanced, the likes of Thorsten, Earl, Raj, Mika, Stevie Moore, and Tony Crosby. We gotta get one-word nicknames for Stevie Moore and Tony Crosby. :grin-square:
It's a tough row to hoe on the B side of the charts at the Open, but, in a way, it keeps one from getting cold. They're shooting more matches and staying in stroke, getting comfortable with the equipment.
I wonder how many players have won the U.S. Open from the B side of the charts. Now, that would be a good factoid to find out if being on the A side is stastistically significant. :scratchhead:
I have to give a small shout-out to Robb Saez. It seemed like just yesterday, I was chatting with this youngster about his future. I think we were in Philly at the Capital City Classic. He was living somewhere in New England at that time, and he told me that, more than anything, he wanted to play pool professionally, make pool his career, and rise to the top. He was full of confidence, and he definitely had that look in his eyes, one that I see in other pool champs. Congratulations to Robb. By golly, I think his pool dreams have been a reality for sometime.
Good luck to Robb Saez and all the other Americans. [USA, all the way!] :wink:
Here's a cute snapshot of Robb Saez at the 2005 U.S. Open. I love the colors.
I am reminded of how close the competition can be sometimes in tournaments of this caliber when I read this morning's front-page article.
Though I was extremely pleased to see Robb Saez on the AzBilliard's Main Page this morning, I do realize how tough it must have been for John Schmidt to lose his first round.
On any given day, John could have defeated Robb Saez; and vice versa, not taking anything away from Robb. Both of these tournament soldiers are fully capable of coming out on top, no matter who they play. In fact, as we all know, John Schmidt already has an U.S. Open championship under his belt. :wink:
The usual players advanced, the likes of Thorsten, Earl, Raj, Mika, Stevie Moore, and Tony Crosby. We gotta get one-word nicknames for Stevie Moore and Tony Crosby. :grin-square:
It's a tough row to hoe on the B side of the charts at the Open, but, in a way, it keeps one from getting cold. They're shooting more matches and staying in stroke, getting comfortable with the equipment.
I wonder how many players have won the U.S. Open from the B side of the charts. Now, that would be a good factoid to find out if being on the A side is stastistically significant. :scratchhead:
I have to give a small shout-out to Robb Saez. It seemed like just yesterday, I was chatting with this youngster about his future. I think we were in Philly at the Capital City Classic. He was living somewhere in New England at that time, and he told me that, more than anything, he wanted to play pool professionally, make pool his career, and rise to the top. He was full of confidence, and he definitely had that look in his eyes, one that I see in other pool champs. Congratulations to Robb. By golly, I think his pool dreams have been a reality for sometime.
Good luck to Robb Saez and all the other Americans. [USA, all the way!] :wink:
Here's a cute snapshot of Robb Saez at the 2005 U.S. Open. I love the colors.
