DVD Review- CJ Wiley's Million Dollars Challenge
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Thank you, CJ. Good luck with your DVD sales and may this new year be a good one for you and for our sport. I think that you are very wise in constantly reminding us how critical it is to study pool's past before making decisions about its future.
Well my DVD is sitting on my desk while I am away. After reading these reviews I am chomping at the bit to get home and watch it.
C J & Mary, thanks for all your hard work on this, and may your New Year find you two happy, healthy, and wealthy.
Happy New Year.
C J & Mary, thanks for all your hard work on this, and may your New Year find you two happy, healthy, and wealthy.
Happy New Year.
.......................
2014 is going to be a great year for pool and pool players.
Thanks, Bud, Happy New Year to You and Your Family as well. I'm looking forward to you seeing the documentary as well.
Let me know when you get back in Texas and we'll get your Game to the next level.....2014 is going to be a great year for pool and pool players. 'The Game is Our Teacher'
Aloha
Thanks, Bud, Happy New Year to You and Your Family as well. I'm looking forward to you seeing the documentary as well.
Let me know when you get back in Texas and we'll get your Game to the next level.....2014 is going to be a great year for pool and pool players. 'The Game is Our Teacher'
Aloha
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.".
Thanks, and Best Wishes to Yourself - you made a prudent observation. It is written:
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."..*.....it's ok to make mistakes, we all do - it's not ok to keep repeating them, especially when there's clear signs that changes must be made.
Pocket Billiards is one of the best games/sports/art forms/ ever invented, however, we must go back to the original rules to bring out the greatest potential. imho
'The Game is the Teacher'
*
The commonly used expression, "Those who ignore history are bound (or doomed) to repeat it" is actually a mis-quotation of the original text written by George Santayana, who, in his Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason, Vol.1, wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Rooted in the philosophies of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many others to follow, his biography (1863-1952) and more contemporary interpretations and observations about man and life can be found at Wikipedia by searching for George Santayana. Stanford University online also provides an outstanding and much more detailed background on this important and profound philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
Santayana's quotation, in turn, was a slight modification of an Edmund Burke (1729-1797) statement, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Burke was a British Statesman and Philosopher who is generally viewed as the philosophical founder of modern political conservatism.
Thanks, and Best Wishes to Yourself - you made a prudent observation. It is written:
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."..*.....it's ok to make mistakes, we all do - it's not ok to keep repeating them, especially when there's clear signs that changes must be made.
Pocket Billiards is one of the best games/sports/art forms/ ever invented, however, we must go back to the original rules to bring out the greatest potential. imho
'The Game is the Teacher'
*
The commonly used expression, "Those who ignore history are bound (or doomed) to repeat it" is actually a mis-quotation of the original text written by George Santayana, who, in his Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason, Vol.1, wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Rooted in the philosophies of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many others to follow, his biography (1863-1952) and more contemporary interpretations and observations about man and life can be found at Wikipedia by searching for George Santayana. Stanford University online also provides an outstanding and much more detailed background on this important and profound philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
Santayana's quotation, in turn, was a slight modification of an Edmund Burke (1729-1797) statement, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Burke was a British Statesman and Philosopher who is generally viewed as the philosophical founder of modern political conservatism.
Mark, glad you appreciate my work!
Thank you, feeling much better today, Mark, glad you appreciate my work.
Few know how challenging it is to turn this much footage and information
into an engaging, yet informative story.
Directors are always searching for amazing stories like 'Billiard's Perfect Miss', who
would have dreamed it could take me on a year and a half creative journey.
Happy New Year to Everyone.....hugs!
Thank you, feeling much better today, Mark, glad you appreciate my work.
Few know how challenging it is to turn this much footage and information
into an engaging, yet informative story.
Directors are always searching for amazing stories like 'Billiard's Perfect Miss', who
would have dreamed it could take me on a year and a half creative journey.
Happy New Year to Everyone.....hugs!
Barometric pressure also has more effect than most folks might think.
I thought the DVD was great, my only (hopefully helpful) feedback would be to work on the volume levels if you guys decide to spin off a new batch. I had to keep my fingers on the volume control since there were some sections that were barely audible, and some that were loud. Other than that the DVD is a worthwhile addition to any serious pool player's library.
Review
I watched the documentary that CJ put together and have to say I couldn't be more impressed with something done by somebody with not much experience in this type of thing. However, knowing CJ personally, I have to say I'm not surprised because he seems to be good at whatever he decides he wants to do.
The most enjoyable part of the documentary was none other than the Earl The Pearl! I was entertained as always by how he described the entire situation. It is amazing to hear how meticulously he practiced to accomplish this feat, and how he calculated that he was "due" since it had been approximately 8 million games of 9 ball since he ran 8 or so in 1980. The documentary had a very "real" and "raw" type of vibe running through it, especially in Earl's interview. At one point he even reassures CJ that he did not hold him accountable for any wrongdoings and thanked him for the biggest score of his life (eventually.)
This documentary should be viewed by all pool fans. It is almost something that if the evidence wasn't there you would not believe it and I'm not just talking about Earl's feat of running the 11 possibly the most believable part of the whole story.
It is so amazing how something so good could end up so wrong!
Interesting enough I talked to Earl shortly after he conquered this feat maybe in 1997 or 1998. I was young (15/16) and at a sports convention in Atlanta with my Mother and Step-father who owned a racket sports retail store (still do Lawler Sports any raquetball or tennis players should check it out online) and the very first day I see a pool table and there is Earl in a booth for Cuetec. I knew where I would be spending the rest of the weekend after seeing him. I quickly got some autographs (Sugar Ray Lenoard, Lou Brock, Andre Agassi, and a few others) and then went right back to Earl. I had a hell of a weekend listening to him and admiring his ability. The point of the story (it could go on for quite sometime) is that Earl said a lot of the things in this documentary that he did to me some 16 years ago.
'The Stars Not Being Aligned Was The Teacher'
I watched the documentary that CJ put together and have to say I couldn't be more impressed with something done by somebody with not much experience in this type of thing. However, knowing CJ personally, I have to say I'm not surprised because he seems to be good at whatever he decides he wants to do.
The most enjoyable part of the documentary was none other than the Earl The Pearl! I was entertained as always by how he described the entire situation. It is amazing to hear how meticulously he practiced to accomplish this feat, and how he calculated that he was "due" since it had been approximately 8 million games of 9 ball since he ran 8 or so in 1980. The documentary had a very "real" and "raw" type of vibe running through it, especially in Earl's interview. At one point he even reassures CJ that he did not hold him accountable for any wrongdoings and thanked him for the biggest score of his life (eventually.)
This documentary should be viewed by all pool fans. It is almost something that if the evidence wasn't there you would not believe it and I'm not just talking about Earl's feat of running the 11 possibly the most believable part of the whole story.
It is so amazing how something so good could end up so wrong! Interesting enough I talked to Earl shortly after he conquered this feat maybe in 1997 or 1998. I was young (15/16) and at a sports convention in Atlanta with my Mother and Step-father who owned a racket sports retail store (still do Lawler Sports any raquetball or tennis players should check it out online) and the very first day I see a pool table and there is Earl in a booth for Cuetec. I knew where I would be spending the rest of the weekend after seeing him. I quickly got some autographs (Sugar Ray Lenoard, Lou Brock, Andre Agassi, and a few others) and then went right back to Earl. I had a hell of a weekend listening to him and admiring his ability. The point of the story (it could go on for quite sometime) is that Earl said a lot of the things in this documentary that he did to me some 16 years ago.
'The Stars Not Being Aligned Was The Teacher'
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"Earl's a pool genius, mad genius, but genius none the less"
Yes, as Jay Helfert puts it "Earl's a pool genius, mad genius, but genius none the less"
Here's a clip from 'Billiard's Perfect Miss' with Jay elaborating about Earl's depth of pool knowledge, and the Million Dollar Challenge - LINK TO JAY HELFERT'$ INTERVIEW
I watched the documentary that CJ put together and have to say I couldn't be more impressed with something done by somebody with not much experience in this type of thing. However, knowing CJ personally, I have to say I'm not surprised because he seems to be good at whatever he decides he wants to do.
The most enjoyable part of the documentary was none other than the Earl The Pearl! I was entertained as always by how he described the entire situation. It is amazing to hear how meticulously he practiced to accomplish this feat, and how he calculated that he was "due" since it had been approximately 8 million games of 9 ball since he ran 8 or so in 1980. The documentary had a very "real" and "raw" type of vibe running through it, especially in Earl's interview. At one point he even reassures CJ that he did not hold him accountable for any wrongdoings and thanked him for the biggest score of his life (eventually.)
This documentary should be viewed by all pool fans. It is almost something that if the evidence wasn't there you would not believe it and I'm not just talking about Earl's feat of running the 11 possibly the most believable part of the whole story.
Interesting enough I talked to Earl shortly after he conquered this feat maybe in 1997 or 1998. I was young (15/16) and at a sports convention in Atlanta with my Mother and Step-father who owned a racket sports retail store (still do Lawler Sports any raquetball or tennis players should check it out online) and the very first day I see a pool table and there is Earl in a booth for Cuetec. I knew where I would be spending the rest of the weekend after seeing him. I quickly got some autographs (Sugar Ray Lenoard, Lou Brock, Andre Agassi, and a few others) and then went right back to Earl. I had a hell of a weekend listening to him and admiring his ability. The point of the story (it could go on for quite sometime) is that Earl said a lot of the things in this documentary that he did to me some 16 years ago.
'The Stars Not Being Aligned Was The Teacher'
Yes, as Jay Helfert puts it "Earl's a pool genius, mad genius, but genius none the less"
Here's a clip from 'Billiard's Perfect Miss' with Jay elaborating about Earl's depth of pool knowledge, and the Million Dollar Challenge - LINK TO JAY HELFERT'$ INTERVIEW
It really irritates me when I hear people talking about how insurance companies try every way they can to screw people. The truth is that they try to pay for exactly what you and they agreed that they should pay for in writing--nothing more, and nothing less.
When you buy an insurance policy, it is extremely specific, and is in writing in black and white. It says that in exchange for you paying them X amount of dollars, they will agree to cover either (depending on the type of policy) the replacement cost or the actual cash value (essentially the cost to buy a new one verses what your used one was worth) for certain things or items A, B, and C, but only if they are damaged by certain things or in certain ways 1, 2, or 3.
You pay them an agreed amount to cover specific things damaged in specific ways. 99.9999999999% of the time that people b!tch about how an insurance company "screwed" them, the reality is that they were actually trying to get the insurance to cover something extra that was never agreed to in your contract (the policy), and for which you never paid any premiums for.
Essentially you are trying to get something for nothing, a service you never paid for. My guess here is that you are upset that your AUTO insurance did not cover your CD's, even though they are not an AUTO, and are not a part of an AUTO. Does that sound about right? CD's are personal property, and you get your personal property covered by homeowners or renters insurance policies (subject to your deductible of course). Auto policies cover autos.
If that wasn't why they denied your claim on the CD's then please elaborate, and my apologies in advance if this was one of the .0000000001% where they actually attempted to not pay for something that they clearly should have per your policy (which they rarely, rarely, rarely, rarely do because it is called "bad faith" in the legal world and comes with massively SEVERE punitive monetary damages were you to take them to court--it is far, far cheaper for them to just pay all the claims they owe). And to tie this whole thing into the thread, it is no different than if Earl had only run 5 racks and then missed, and said "well I ran half the amount I was supposed to so I am entitled to get paid half the money by the insurance company." No, you're not, because that wasn't the coverage you agreed to or paid for.
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..here's more about prize imdemdivication for anyone interested:
Everyone calls "hole in one" contests "insured," but technically they are prize imdemdivication*......here's more for anyone interested:
*
An indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor (A) may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee (B). Forms of indemnity include cash payments, repairs, replacement, and reinstatement.
Indemnity is often used as a synonym for compensation or reparation. All three can be construed as obligations to act on an injured party's behalf given the occurrence of a contractually-specified event. However, indemnity as a legal concept has a much broader meaning than the other two terms; namely, an indemnity is to make a party to a contract "whole" again should that contractually-specified event occur.
While the event may be specified by the contract, the actions that must be taken to compensate the injured party are largely unpredictable, and the maximum compensation is often expressly limited.
Car insurance is an example of indemnification. A car owner may purchase different kinds of insurance to indemnify him for various kinds of loss arising from operation of the car, such as damage repairs to his own car, or medical expenses of others for which he is liable due to being at fault for an accident.
It is in the breadth of the insurance carrier's obligations that we see the application of an indemnity; in other words, an indemnity is a "generalized promise of protection against a specific type of event by way of making the injured party whole again."
An indemnity should also be differentiated from a guarantee. A guarantee is the promise of a third party to honor the obligation of a party to a contract should that party be unable or unwilling to do so (usually a guarantee is limited to an obligation to pay a debt). This distinction between indemnity and guarantee was discussed as early as the eighteenth century in Birkmya v Darnell.[1] In that case, concerned with a guarantee of payment for goods rather than payment of rent, the presiding judge explained that a guarantee effectively says "Let him have the goods; if he does not pay you, I will." [2]
Everyone calls "hole in one" contests "insured," but technically they are prize imdemdivication*......here's more for anyone interested:
*
An indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor (A) may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee (B). Forms of indemnity include cash payments, repairs, replacement, and reinstatement.
Indemnity is often used as a synonym for compensation or reparation. All three can be construed as obligations to act on an injured party's behalf given the occurrence of a contractually-specified event. However, indemnity as a legal concept has a much broader meaning than the other two terms; namely, an indemnity is to make a party to a contract "whole" again should that contractually-specified event occur.
While the event may be specified by the contract, the actions that must be taken to compensate the injured party are largely unpredictable, and the maximum compensation is often expressly limited.
Car insurance is an example of indemnification. A car owner may purchase different kinds of insurance to indemnify him for various kinds of loss arising from operation of the car, such as damage repairs to his own car, or medical expenses of others for which he is liable due to being at fault for an accident.
It is in the breadth of the insurance carrier's obligations that we see the application of an indemnity; in other words, an indemnity is a "generalized promise of protection against a specific type of event by way of making the injured party whole again."
An indemnity should also be differentiated from a guarantee. A guarantee is the promise of a third party to honor the obligation of a party to a contract should that party be unable or unwilling to do so (usually a guarantee is limited to an obligation to pay a debt). This distinction between indemnity and guarantee was discussed as early as the eighteenth century in Birkmya v Darnell.[1] In that case, concerned with a guarantee of payment for goods rather than payment of rent, the presiding judge explained that a guarantee effectively says "Let him have the goods; if he does not pay you, I will." [2]
I must be one of the unlucky 0.0000000001% (I wonder where that number came from, the same guys who calculated the chances of running 10 racks at 7.8 million to 1?), but I have been on the bad end of four auto claims where they attempted to screw me, so I must have one of those clouds of misfortune that follow me around everywhere I go.
The first time was after a car slid down a snowy hill and hit me at high speed, almost killing me and my family. The car was a piece of junk, but it was my only transportation. The insurance for the woman who hit me offered $333 for my car and sent me a check for that amount. I was livid, but they wouldn't budge, saying if I didn't cash the check they would put a hold on it and I would get nothing. I called my sister who worked for a lawyer, who referred me to another guy. They sent a guy out to take pics (my wife's face was pretty cut up and my infant son had some facial contusions).
I showed him the check and he said not to cash it, but to give it to him and wait to hear from them. Three days later I got a check for $1200 - more than the car was worth. All I wanted was another car to replace the one that got wrecked, but the case developed a life of its own and we ended up settling for $25,000 in total damages. My end after lawyer fees was $16,500... which was just enough to buy the stock to start my musical instrument repair business, which I run to this day. They did duck out of further compensation for my damaged knee (which still hurts to this day, 30 years later), but all in all it was a pretty nice score..
Danny 1, Ins. Co. 0
One fly-by-night company refused to pay a dime when my '78 BMW got creamed by a drunk, saying the car was too old to have an evaluation from their charts. That didn't stop them from collecting a few $K on collision payments for the previous five years, however.
Danny 1, Ins. Co. 1
The next car I got was a decent Subaru wagon that got totaled by a guy eager to spend the money he just won at the Saratoga Racetrack and ran a light. The car was worth over $3K, but the insurance company spent down every rust speck and scratch they could find, getting their valuation of the car down to $588 dollars. I had a $500 deductible, so they only had to pay me $88, but they screwed me on that as well after going under from the claims they had to pay after Hurricane Andrew struck Florida. I filed a claim with the State of New York to collect the $88 for me, but they let it sit for over a year, after which time they informed me that the one-year statute had run out (their fault, not mine) and I was due nothing.
Danny 1, Ins. Co. 2
The last time I had dealings with an insurance company was two years ago when my truck caught fire and burned up. The KBB on the truck was over $5K, but they said it was only worth $2400 because of previous damage (again, in the form of rust spots and paint fade), but this time I got them. I squawked and screamed about how they were screwing me after so many years of doing business with them (Allstate), and the claims adjuster said "she would see what she could do about it". The next day I got a call asking if $3700 would be acceptable. I was fine with this since I only paid $2200 for it from a broke college-bound student who had to get rid of it in a hurry.
Danny 2, Ins. Co. 2
Short of it is, always fight them. Their first inclination is to not pay, or to lowball you at best.
I was not aware of how important (according to Earl) the "dew point" is to running racks.....'The Game is the Teacher'
How so, I wonder?
I watched a match where Danny D. was explaining his theory of what happens when the humidity gets high. He said the cloth gets wetter, and since water makes things slide easier, the table gets faster during times of high humidity.
I wonder if this is the way Earl thinks it works?
I like this idea :smile:
Earl was very eloquent in his descriptions of how he evaluates table conditions, atmosphere and how they relate to friction on the pool table. I learned a lot interviewing Earl and incorporated some of his technical advice into my own game. At some level we're all still learning "if we're not getting better, we're probably getting worse".
I was not aware of how important (according to Earl) the "dew point" is to running racks.....'The Game is the Teacher'
As i recall, he once threatened to quit a tournament because of the 'food humidity' caused by a steam table keeping food warm. It may have been in Milwaukee, the tourny he eventually DID quit.
There's "tricks" that can be done with the air conditioner and even opening a door
The more humidity there is, the tougher the tables play, thus the less racks run. You want the dew point/humidity to drop down to the lowest level possible. States like Arizona and Nevada have the easiest playing conditions because they have less humidity on average.
There's "tricks" that can be done with the air conditioner and even opening a door that effect the table. I have given up huge handicaps that were contingent on the table being a certain way so I'm always aware of the humidity levels and can tell when they change fairly quickly.
Some Diamond tables get almost unplayable when the humidity shoots up because the rails start "boinging"........and get super fast, the cue ball comes off faster than it hits the rail. 'The Atmosphere is the Teacher'
The more humidity there is, the tougher the tables play, thus the less racks run. You want the dew point/humidity to drop down to the lowest level possible. States like Arizona and Nevada have the easiest playing conditions because they have less humidity on average.
There's "tricks" that can be done with the air conditioner and even opening a door that effect the table. I have given up huge handicaps that were contingent on the table being a certain way so I'm always aware of the humidity levels and can tell when they change fairly quickly.
Some Diamond tables get almost unplayable when the humidity shoots up because the rails start "boinging"........and get super fast, the cue ball comes off faster than it hits the rail. 'The Atmosphere is the Teacher'
I don't know if I'm reading your statement correctly, but it seems to me that you are saying balls will "hydroplane" some when it gets more humid?
I think the opposite may be more likely. It always seems to me that the tables play slower when it gets real humid.