Deanoc said it best....boasting....bragging....pulling someone's leg 'bout their pool cues, well, that's what guys do......anyone that's been in the service understands that ranking on each other is a game men play but the problem is sometimes it can and does get out of hand and unintentionally becomes a little too personal.
Jamie does a great thing with the Cue of the Year Contest....be there should be sub-categories, like the best such & such cue design. The pitfall to be avoided is it could get out of hand and you wind up with a dozen different cue awards....that would be a disaster. But it would be fun to have a contest on the most "authentic" looking Balabushka design, or the most :handsome" design, etc.
I've posted about this cue design I sketched and blah, blah, blah....I realize other Azers aren't really interested or curious in reading my posts and that it's really more like I have the cart before the horse. People want to see photographic evidence your cue exists and then they'll be the judge. Nonetheless, when you're excited or hopeful about a pool cue you'll be getting, it's understandable and normal to express excitement and exuberance over your cue.....but it has to be reasonably expressed and not go over the top.
Pete Tascarella is a cue-maker that ranks among the top 20 cue-makers in history in my opinion and the cues I'm having made aren't from a top 20 cue-maker but I'm satisfied dealing with the top 50 ranking which I consider the cue-makers I'm using to fall within. Nonetheless, anyone can hit a grand slam as long as they have a chance to bat. There's this new cue-maker named Eddie Cohen....don't know him, never held one of his cues, haven't heard much about him from others....but based upon the photos I've seen of his cues, sometimes tells me that guy could make a monster Bushka design cue.
My point is if there was a contest for the most handsome, I'd be willing to place a bet Cohen would be a strong contender, if not win it. My cue from Mr. Owen, there's really nothings epic about it other than it's what I drew.......the cue Mr. Rauenzahn has started for me, it's just a Bushka style I admire and it's a little different that's all......but neither cue has any assurance of being a top shelf cue....it's all a matter of trust and hope until any cue reaches you regardless of the cue-maker.
Pete Tascarella is a master cue-maker and the bar height set by this Balabushka design cue he made is very high and it should be since it's a Tascarella cue.....one of the experts on authenticating cues. So he should know what a great Balanushka cue design resembles and he obviously does....just look at the photos of this cue.
Nonetheless, I am still hopeful that the cue being made for me will become a hands down winner, as least for my tastes in Bushka designs. Mr. Rauenzahn showed me the wood he's selected for my cue's forearm and it's a great selection with lots of burls that will become accentuated through staining. And we worked hard picking the right veneer combination and changing the rings....so it's nothing more than my sheer enthusiasm over what's being attempted........I root for the A's all season long, even thought I know the chances of them winning in post season seems jinxed......but all season long it's more interesting when you follow and root for a team.
It's the same way with pool cues......you hope, you cheer and root for your cue but in the end, there can only be one winner.....one Cue of the Year Winner.....and only one can claim the title of the best Bushka design cue.......yeah, I think a contest would be fun but .....Messrs. Tascarella & Rauenzahn had better be careful because I think this youngster "Eddie Cohen" is a sleeper and very well could the cue-maker of the future to be reckoned with when it comes to winning any titles.
But I'm still stubborn and ballsy enuf to still believe my cue would win the Bushka crown if it existed. As for my custom that's due any time now, I got a hunch I may have gone over the top with the design and I hope I don't regret it. I stopped receiving progress photos at my request and the only photos I did receive....well, I'll put it this way, I felt a little nauseous.......it looked too colorful....almost like a clown's make-up which isn't Mr. Owen's fault at all......he made the cue as I specified the design......let's face it, you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.....in a couple of weeks I will know for sure.
I was only ranking in jest with the owner of the Tascarella cue because let's face it, has Pete ever made a cue that wasn't a honey and this cue is more than a jarful.....It's absolutely a gorgeous Balabushka design pool cue.......which will be fun to try and dethrone even though the title "King of the Bushka Cues" isn't a official title.......Jamie, you out there......got room for another contest?
Matt B.
