The Year in Reflection

JesPiddlin

JesPiddlin

Designed by Mother Nature
Silver Member
Okay, everyone. This is the time of year, when we all look back and take stock in things we shared... good or bad. Here is a thread to do just that.

But, first of all, I'd like to pass along a little thanks...

Thank you, AZers for being there... All of us as a group make this place a great family to share our joys, questions, fears and tears with.

Thank you AZBilliards for allowing all of us to be so close and so supportive of each other. If AZBilliards didn't exist... Well, it's an unfathomable situation.

To AZHousePro and Mr. Wilson,.. Thank you for helping us keep this forum fairly "clean" and "family-friendly". I know you guys are sometimes on the bad side of some people, but this place would NOT be what it is without your dedication and care. So, thank you, very much!

Now, what events do you guys remember from this year?
 
Here are some things I remember about this year...

Live streaming became a very important part of the pool / billiards activities. We are very thankful for this, so we can stay home and enjoy watching our long-distance friends compete and we feel almost as if we are really there to watch. There are pay-per-view streams and sponsored free streams. There are streamers who stay local and streamers who travel to the events. Everyone knows we strongly support the free streams, but we are thankful for ALL of these different types of streams and those who bring the streams to us. If it weren't for their efforts and funding, many of us would never see some of the events or get to know the people who stream them and play in them. Monster Kudos to ALL the streamers for their hard work! :thumbup:

Artistic Pool and 3 Cushion FINALLY joined the rest of the pool world in the live streaming arena. (Yea!!) We now have so many choices of what to watch and I fully believe that within 2010, live streaming will take on a completely new design, overall. :grin:

Looking forward, let's all work together and pray that the changes in live streaming will be good ones and that there will continue to be free streams that allow many to watch from their homes on their limited budgets. There are so many people, who - for whatever reasons, will never be able to leave their homes for such enjoyment and this gives them friendships and fun they might not ever have, otherwise.

In other news of 2009 - The Swine or H1N1 Flu pandemic. What a huge, horrible scare. So many lives lost to this awful illness and so much controversy over whether it is to be feared, or the vaccine should be feared. :frown:

Barak Obama. Yes, he has been all about change. I can say that much for the man. :confused: :scratchhead:

The Southern Cue and Case Show in Georgia. What a great show! Can't wait until next year's event! :thumbup:

The economy crashed like a freight train into an mountainside. :mad: Many businesses made drastic cuts and/or closed their doors. Let's all hope 2010 brings some wealth back to the people and businesses of the world.

Okay. Enough from me. What events do you remember from 2009?
 
this year, oohh boy where to start.

pool, it was a losing year for me, only the second losing year out of 24. 08 was a loser as well. Back to back losers. That wont happen in 2010

I learned more playing this year than ever before.

Being part of Team USA for the Mosconi Cup was a honor that I will never forget-Thanks Nick for asking me to help. I didnt playDUH!!! ;), but I put my heart and soul into that team-ask any one of them, I was exhausted at the end of each day. That will most likely be the biggest honor I will ever have in pool. Ernesto was there with me, Kelly helped out with JA's kids, it was just great-I love the kids, Ernesto, the team. I didnt say much about it here until now. Losing wasnt possible-It was never discussed, the vibe was perfect, the chemistry between all of us was great. The couple losses we had went un noticed. We couldnt lose-PERIOD.


I lost millions in equity on my realestate, I have had a couple biz failures(there goes another $300,000), But the good news is we have a biz plan now that will make so much $$$ it will enable me to do something for pool as I promised a couple years ago(when I was making $$$). Soon as I make $$$ pool wins. I dont mind spending a million on pool-who else is going to do that? I am doing that for the love of the game, not $$$. I will be making $$$ from other stuff. I will do alot for pool when I can. I just have to get whole again-and I have the fix,were working on it now.

My back got better, but along way from good. I'm still not in the gym. Should be very soon. I might try before the Derby or just after.

I wish everyone here a better 2010, and hope your 09 wasnt as bad as mine, 09 was among the worst years of my life, it was the first and only year I didnt make $$$, not that life is $$$, but I take pride in being succesful and not making anything brusises my ego. I have the best girl ever Kelly and I am the provider and I didnt do worht a chit this year, at least in the first few months of 08 I made a few million. I take pride in being able to do things for people I care about and when I'm not doing good, I cant do good for others. I'm not greedy or tight, I was back in the day and that was the worst thing ever. When I losened up life opened up.


I'm going to play pool.

best
eric:)
 
Not to look back ....keep on keeping on

Learning to forget about the loses or mistakes.Playing a little better and making daily practice a part of my schedule.Watch who I call a friend or give my attention to more closely .Never move a 35 inch picture tube type tv 3 days before leaving to stream the Mizerak :sorry: STOP telling people what I am going to do and just let em set back and watch.Pray for people who I would like to strangle.Be even MORE grateful for what I have and find contentment with a cracker until I get the peanut butter to put on it .Love people from a distance that I can't find the grace to like up close.At the table and in life I think this year I have learned to Let Go and Let God on a much deeper level.Also the movie of the year and the reason not many have anything to complain about is The Blind Side .If you have not seen it ,that is the one to see.Also I have come to appreciate that Jes /Renee has the best avatar on the site !!
 
Last edited:
JesPiddlin said:
I love that, Eric. I totally agree.
Click to expand...


Thanks, When I came back into the pool world in 06, I looked at it and saw the old thing and had the means to fix it, problem is 18 montrhs later I lost 95% of my income, then this past year 70-80% of my net worth. So I cant do what I want to do. I'm still posting up $5,000 for the FatBoy 10 Ball Challenge at the Derby. Even the $5,000 hurts now, but I gave my word.


I will be back in the chips again and I been around pool now for a few years-my second pool carreier.

I watched a movie last night about how 3 microsoft guys bought the PBA for $5 Million and turned it around and they are kicking ass now, they bought it in 03. That was insptirational. I figure a million would do it for pool, hell I have spent that much on a car, or a couple watches a couple years ago. So Soon as I'm back in action(and I will be), I want to create something in pool without a profit motive and am willing to lose $$$, nobody in pool right now will be able to fade that'm not knocking the current promoters I respect them and wish them success, I will need them to accomplish what I want to, I'm going to give them the ammo they never had.

I'm doing it for the players and I'm going to create a bridge between pros/amatures that are interested in pros. Some amatures dont care about pro pool, my interest is pro's. So the amatures that dont care about pros I'm going to leave alone.

It awalys bothered me that the pro's in out sport make nothing for what they give their lives to. I want to be the guy who turns that around. thats all.
 
I'm glad it's almost over!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm thankful for all the lessons it has, is, and will teach us all.


td
 
2009 was a tough year for most of us financially. It's no fun to see investments (in our case real estate) lose so much value so quickly. In the pool world (in the USA), the trend continued with more rooms closing than new ones opening. And U.S. retail outlets were barely hanging on with pool table sales slipping to all time lows. Interestingly this was not the case worldwide where large new rooms are opening all over Asia.

A strange thing was happening on the professional front though. At a time when most pro sports tours were losing events, pool seemed to be gaining a few. There was Shanghai with big events for the men (40K 1st) and the women (20K 1st). Qatar put on another another big one (40K 1st). Galveston was an ambitious effort with some nice money paid out and the Seminole Tribe contributed a $40,000 Added event to their schedule. Then there was the World Cup (60K First) and Mosconi Cup (125K to 10 players plus 2 coaches). The World Ten Ball paid Mika another 60K + nearly 200K more to the other players. Even the Philippine Ten Ball Championship paid 25K to the winner. And the U.S. Open had 40K on top (and a total of 200K). There were several other nice pay days for the top players in small field events.

What is happening is that as pool grows as an International sport, more events are popping up with some good money going to the winners. In 2010 there is a brand new World Team Championship with 400K in prize money and another new event hosted by the country of Nigeria with a 300K purse (75K to the winner). The top players are beginning to make decent incomes and are playing 30+ weeks a year. They are traveling all over the globe to display their skills. I foresee this trend continuing as pool becomes a more popular sport worldwide.

It is happening so slowly that not everyone notices, especially in the USA where pool remains on life support. But rest assured that professional pool is growing worldwide and the players are beginning to reap some rewards for their efforts. No one is making millions yet, but a top player can earn six figures a year with prize money and endorsements. Mika made well over 250K this year. Television ratings are high almost everywhere but in the USA, and that is a good thing. I suspect we will continue to see new events popping up with equally decent purses. It's not a bad time to be a pool player if you're good enough.
 
Last edited:
I've only been in the industry for 2 years now...both of which I almost lost my shirt. However even through the hard times, I've learned to love the game even more. The old saying "blood sweat and tears" isn't too far off in this case. :p

As for the past...it's the past. I now look to the future, eager to see where my efforts will lead me this upcoming year, and hope very much that the sport recovers and is embraced by the world in the true fashion that it deserves.

Happy holidays to everyone.
 
jay helfert said:
It is happening so slowly that not everyone notices, especially in the USA where pool remains on life support. But rest assured that professional pool is growing worldwide and the players are beginning to reap some rewards for their efforts. No one is making millions yet, but a top player can earn six figures a year with prize money and endorsements. Mika made well over 250K this year. Television ratings are high almost everywhere but in the USA, and that is a good thing. I suspect we will continue to see new events popping up with equally decent purses. It's not a bad time to be a pool player if you're good enough.
Click to expand...

Jay - This is good and should align well with my planned retirement next January. God knows I can't live on Social Security alone. :rolleyes:
 
Nice.. Jay!

jay helfert said:
2009 was a tough year for most of us financially. It's no fun to see investments (in our case real estate) lose so much value so quickly. In the pool world (in the USA), the trend continued with more rooms closing than new ones opening. And U.S. retail outlets were barely hanging on with pool table sales slipping to all time lows. Interestingly this was not the case worldwide where large new rooms are opening all over Asia.

A strange thing was happening on the professional front though. At a time when most pro sports tours were losing events, pool seemed to be gaining a few. There was Shanghai with big events for the men (40K 1st) and the women (20K 1st). Qatar put on another another big one (40K 1st). Galveston was an ambitious effort with some nice money paid out and the Seminole Tribe contributed a $40,000 Added event to their schedule. Then there was the World Cup (60K First) and Mosconi Cup (125K to 10 players plus 2 coaches). The World Ten Ball paid Mika another 60K + nearly 200K more to the other players. Even the Philippine Ten Ball Championship paid 25K to the winner. And the U.S. Open had 40K on top (and a total of 200K). There were several other nice pay days for the top players in small field events.

What is happening is that as pool grows as an International sport, more events are popping up with some good money going to the winners. In 2010 there is a brand new World Team Championship with 400K in prize money and another new event hosted by the country of Nigeria with a 300K purse (75K to the winner). The top players are beginning to make decent incomes and are playing 30+ weeks a year. They are traveling all over the globe to display their skills. I foresee this trend continuing as pool becomes a more popular sport worldwide.

It is happening so slowly that not everyone notices, especially in the USA where pool remains on life support. But rest assured that professional pool is growing worldwide and the players are beginning to reap some rewards for their efforts. No one is making millions yet, but a top player can earn six figures a year with prize money and endorsements. Mika made well over 250K this year. Television ratings are high almost everywhere but in the USA, and that is a good thing. I suspect we will continue to see new events popping up with equally decent purses. It's not a bad time to be a pool player if you're good enough.
Click to expand...

Living in one of Pool's 'dream towns' of metro Phx, Az ... I tend to see the game as flourishing. I know it's tough everywhere, and I can see it here too.... but with the live streams now in the main-stream, and top level pool at everyone's fingertips, I only see an explosion in the game in the next few years..... unless we shoot ourselves in both feet on purpose.

I'll take off my rose colored glasses now. :grin-square:

td
 
Tikkitavi said:
Renee'

Since you mentioned it, here are the dates in my signature.

Rik
Click to expand...

Thanks, Rik. As of right now, we're planning to be there. We'll see how the year pans out for us. We're hoping things continue on the upward swing in 2010.
 
Okay. I'm not so good with words, so I was kinda hoping someone else would come in and say it. But, I'll do it.

Smorgass Bored aka "Doug" blessed us all in so many ways, most of all with his perspective on life. The man knew how to love and laugh at all the tough stuff. He had a way of helping you get through stuff that nobody else could come close to matching. I remember times when I was suffering from severe depression and I would read one of his posts and instantly bust out laughing. I might still be depressed at that time, but his humor reminded me to look for the laughter in my life, once again. His humor, his heart, his love for the game, forum, and people in general, will live on, even though his body left us in early 2009.

Yes, the loss of our dear Smorgass Bored was a page-turning event in 2009 and in all the history of this forum, for sure!

Dont' forget to rep the rep-master!!! http://forums.azbilliards.com/member.php?u=32

Waiting for more memories of 2009....

--------------------------------------------
.
 
Well Jess, I haven't been here all that long, but am really glad I joined AZ. I have only recently come back to the game of billiards, one-pocket in particular, after a few years off, and consider these two accomplishments a highlight of the past year. I believe that if you can't learn here (at AZ) and share here, then you probably shouldn't be here. Having said that, I imagine my droll sense of humor becomes a bit trying at times for fellow AZers.
My wish for the coming year is that our countries ecomomy improves for all our sakes.
Also, that our members who have sons and daughters serving overseas see them return home safe and unharmed.
And last, but not least. That my win percentage go up at the OP table at least a percent or two. :smile:
 
In 2009, "The Action Room" section of AZ came into it's own.

I needed to be even stupider, so this was a welcome addition.

Chris
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top