Where can I begin in relating my experience at the 14.1 event just held at Steinway Billiards?
The Host Room
If I am to begin at the beginning, I must start by commenting on Steinway Billiards. This was the first time I had ever been there and I was impressed. It's a great room with solid equipment, great food and the owner, Manny, is a generous, hospitable, host who is doing great things for pool in the NY area. Before I get to the event itself, let me heap praise on others.
Our Event Producer
Dragon Promotions did a wonderful job putting this event together, and continues to be one of the driving forces in the growing interest in 14.1 nationally. The event ran very smoothly and Charlie and Cindy should take a bow.
Our Primary Sponsor
Dr. Michael Fedak was not just the main sponsor to whom we all owe our gratitude, but was the guy sitting next to me all week. He's a close friend and I valued his companionship all week. He is a credit to our sport, not to mention that he was always the best dressed guy in the room.
The Director
Tournament director John Leyman did an exceptional job, which was no surprise to this attendee. John is one of the best in the business.
Hall of Fame Banquet
The Hall of Fame Banquet was good fun, especially a) the love-fest between Johnny Archer and Barry Behrman that resulted from the recent escrowing of all the added money for the upcoming US Open 9-ball event, and b) Ralph Eckert's hilarious comments in his introduction of Oliver Ortmann. Among his funnier comments was that after watching Ortmann warm up at one of the tournaments in Germany, he wondered whether it was too late to approach the tournament director to get his entry fee back. Oliver was clearly delighted to be inducted into the 14.1 Hall of Fame in the presence of Eckert and Hohmann, two of those he inspired. Bob Watson spoke well about the other inductee, Gene Nagy, and the theme of Bob's comments was that the many players who Gene influenced think about him often. Gene is, indeed, gone but not forgotten.
Finally, I think it was classy of Charlie Williams to take note of Dan Barouty's impending departure from the New York pool scene. I count myself among the many who Danny inspired to play 14.1 and was happy to lead the applause as Danny took the microphone and vowed he'd be back in the event.
NYC Grind
The guys at NYC Grind put together videos for Wednesday's Hall of Fame Banquet about the inductees and they were fantastic. Of course, we've come to expect big things of Jerry Tarantola and his staff, so nobody was surprised. The tournament write-ups on the NYC Grind site were superb, and I read them even though they generally pertained to matches I'd seen.
The Tournament
OK, on to the event itself. The field was super-strong, with former champions Thorsten Hohmann, John Schmidt, Stefan Cohen, and Oliver Ortmann in the mix. These established world beaters were joined by two time silver medalist Mika Immonen, last year's bronze medalist Darren Appleton, Derby City 14.1 Champion Max Eberle, 300+ ball runner Dennis Hatch, and very capable straight poolers Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer and Earl Strckland. Emerging stars Wang Can and Jayson Shaw added an interesting element to the event. Hometown legends Dan Barouty and Tony Robles, to the delight of the local fans, were also in the mix. Bustamante's presence was noteworthy, as Francisco came second in this event few years ago. The presence of Shane Van Boening was wonderful. The field surely had anything and everything a fan could ask for.
By the end of the round robin, it was already clear that Mika, Schmidt, Thorsten, Hatch, and Darren were the ones to beat, but several others were clearly there to be reckoned with. Local player Michael Yednak distinguished himself by advancing to Stage 2 for the first time keyed by a win over Earl Strickland.
When the smoke settled in Stage 3, the event had produced one of the strongest final fours imaginable. Schmidt didn't get much airtime against Hohmann. When the referee announced that Hohmann was playing for two balls, Schmidt comically stated "yeah, and I'm playing for 182," providing a light moment in the closing moments of a disappointing match. Still, I though Schmidt's good humor in defeat was admirable.
....... and then came the impossible. Stepping up to the table trailing Bustamante by a score of 1-0, Darren Appleton ran 200 and out, becoming the first to ever do so in competition. Those of us who were there, and I'm sure those who saw it on stream, will never forget it. How much mental energy he expended in doing so will be a debate for the ages, but Darren's level of play proved unsustainable in the final.
In the end, it was Thorsten's turn to win the title. There's little doubt that Thorsten must be now counted among the greatest ever in the 14.1 discipline. I feel strongly that he and his good friend Oliver Ortmann will join their countryman Ralf Souquet in the BCA Hall of Fame one day.
A Few Words About Darren Appleton
Darren appeared devastated by his loss, and was definitely in no mood to consider the fact that he has become one of the greatest all around players I've ever seen. Darren came to the United States as an established legend of English 8-ball. He has won the World 10-ball Championship, the World 9-ball Championship, two US Open 9-ball events, two Challenge of Champions events and is the reigning World Games gold medalist. Last May, he came second to Van Boening in the US Open One Pocket and now he has a silver and a bronze medal in major 14.1 competition. Is there anything this man cannot accomplish over the glorious green felt? We are lucky to have the opportunity to watch the continuing maturation of this giant of our sport.
Finally
I'm proud to say that I attended all twelve sessions of the event. It was great catching up with all my friends, whether they were pro players, AZB members, friends from the NY pool scene, or fans I've met in my 37 year journey along the professional tournament trail.
Let's do it again soon.
Yours truly, Stu
The Host Room
If I am to begin at the beginning, I must start by commenting on Steinway Billiards. This was the first time I had ever been there and I was impressed. It's a great room with solid equipment, great food and the owner, Manny, is a generous, hospitable, host who is doing great things for pool in the NY area. Before I get to the event itself, let me heap praise on others.
Our Event Producer
Dragon Promotions did a wonderful job putting this event together, and continues to be one of the driving forces in the growing interest in 14.1 nationally. The event ran very smoothly and Charlie and Cindy should take a bow.
Our Primary Sponsor
Dr. Michael Fedak was not just the main sponsor to whom we all owe our gratitude, but was the guy sitting next to me all week. He's a close friend and I valued his companionship all week. He is a credit to our sport, not to mention that he was always the best dressed guy in the room.
The Director
Tournament director John Leyman did an exceptional job, which was no surprise to this attendee. John is one of the best in the business.
Hall of Fame Banquet
The Hall of Fame Banquet was good fun, especially a) the love-fest between Johnny Archer and Barry Behrman that resulted from the recent escrowing of all the added money for the upcoming US Open 9-ball event, and b) Ralph Eckert's hilarious comments in his introduction of Oliver Ortmann. Among his funnier comments was that after watching Ortmann warm up at one of the tournaments in Germany, he wondered whether it was too late to approach the tournament director to get his entry fee back. Oliver was clearly delighted to be inducted into the 14.1 Hall of Fame in the presence of Eckert and Hohmann, two of those he inspired. Bob Watson spoke well about the other inductee, Gene Nagy, and the theme of Bob's comments was that the many players who Gene influenced think about him often. Gene is, indeed, gone but not forgotten.
Finally, I think it was classy of Charlie Williams to take note of Dan Barouty's impending departure from the New York pool scene. I count myself among the many who Danny inspired to play 14.1 and was happy to lead the applause as Danny took the microphone and vowed he'd be back in the event.
NYC Grind
The guys at NYC Grind put together videos for Wednesday's Hall of Fame Banquet about the inductees and they were fantastic. Of course, we've come to expect big things of Jerry Tarantola and his staff, so nobody was surprised. The tournament write-ups on the NYC Grind site were superb, and I read them even though they generally pertained to matches I'd seen.
The Tournament
OK, on to the event itself. The field was super-strong, with former champions Thorsten Hohmann, John Schmidt, Stefan Cohen, and Oliver Ortmann in the mix. These established world beaters were joined by two time silver medalist Mika Immonen, last year's bronze medalist Darren Appleton, Derby City 14.1 Champion Max Eberle, 300+ ball runner Dennis Hatch, and very capable straight poolers Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer and Earl Strckland. Emerging stars Wang Can and Jayson Shaw added an interesting element to the event. Hometown legends Dan Barouty and Tony Robles, to the delight of the local fans, were also in the mix. Bustamante's presence was noteworthy, as Francisco came second in this event few years ago. The presence of Shane Van Boening was wonderful. The field surely had anything and everything a fan could ask for.
By the end of the round robin, it was already clear that Mika, Schmidt, Thorsten, Hatch, and Darren were the ones to beat, but several others were clearly there to be reckoned with. Local player Michael Yednak distinguished himself by advancing to Stage 2 for the first time keyed by a win over Earl Strickland.
When the smoke settled in Stage 3, the event had produced one of the strongest final fours imaginable. Schmidt didn't get much airtime against Hohmann. When the referee announced that Hohmann was playing for two balls, Schmidt comically stated "yeah, and I'm playing for 182," providing a light moment in the closing moments of a disappointing match. Still, I though Schmidt's good humor in defeat was admirable.
....... and then came the impossible. Stepping up to the table trailing Bustamante by a score of 1-0, Darren Appleton ran 200 and out, becoming the first to ever do so in competition. Those of us who were there, and I'm sure those who saw it on stream, will never forget it. How much mental energy he expended in doing so will be a debate for the ages, but Darren's level of play proved unsustainable in the final.
In the end, it was Thorsten's turn to win the title. There's little doubt that Thorsten must be now counted among the greatest ever in the 14.1 discipline. I feel strongly that he and his good friend Oliver Ortmann will join their countryman Ralf Souquet in the BCA Hall of Fame one day.
A Few Words About Darren Appleton
Darren appeared devastated by his loss, and was definitely in no mood to consider the fact that he has become one of the greatest all around players I've ever seen. Darren came to the United States as an established legend of English 8-ball. He has won the World 10-ball Championship, the World 9-ball Championship, two US Open 9-ball events, two Challenge of Champions events and is the reigning World Games gold medalist. Last May, he came second to Van Boening in the US Open One Pocket and now he has a silver and a bronze medal in major 14.1 competition. Is there anything this man cannot accomplish over the glorious green felt? We are lucky to have the opportunity to watch the continuing maturation of this giant of our sport.
Finally
I'm proud to say that I attended all twelve sessions of the event. It was great catching up with all my friends, whether they were pro players, AZB members, friends from the NY pool scene, or fans I've met in my 37 year journey along the professional tournament trail.
Let's do it again soon.
Yours truly, Stu
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