SJM at the BCAPL/CSI Events: Trip Report

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Thursday, July 17: Shane Van Boening vs. Ko Pin Yi, Race to 21
Things began with a couple of pleasant surprises: a) Bill Incardona, chatted with me for over half an hour about pool's good old days and many of our mutual friends, and b) it turned out that AZB poster Vagabond purchased the seat next to me. He's a good friend of many years. He was classy and exquisitely dressed, as always.

Before the match, it seemed that almost everybody who would sweat the match wanted a side bet on Shane and the Ko stake-horse obliged. Shane himself had a large side bet on the match. Much money was bet by many in this one, certainly at least $20,000 in total.

In the marathon race to 21, Van Boening led early but Ko kept it close. Ko appeared to be about to take the lead but miscued on a combo on the ten ball at 14-14. The difference in the match was surely defense. Shane rarely prevailed in racks he had to fight for with defense or kicking. Ko didn't play even close to his best in this one, but was clearly the better player and the deserving winner, 21-17.

Friday, July 18 - Sunday, July 20: CSI Invitational 10-ball
This event had one of the strongest fields ever assembled in America, for Ko Pin-Yi, Dennis Orcullo, Shane Van Boening, Darren Appleton, JL Chang, Thorsten Hohmann and Francisco Bustamante must surely be counted among the world's top ten players. I remember thinking that these were the guys that Shane hasn't been able to beat in WPA events, and perhaps this would be his turn to best them all. It would not prove so.

In this sixteen man event, four round robin groups of four were put together and the groups were not, I feel, comparable in difficulty. For example, one group had, three of the giants of pool in Orcullo, Appleton and JL Chang. The fourth player, Mike Dechaine, had a very tall order drawing these three guys but beat Appleton, had a near miss in a good one against Chang, but was beaten decisively by Orcullo. Shane failed to win his group, with it coming down to having to beat Ko Pin Yi in the last match. As was the case in their challenge match, Ko Pin Yi took it down The third group was decided when Jayson Shaw bested Bustamante with the top spot on the line. The final group was won by Ko Ping-Chung, younger brother of Ko Pin-Yi.

The group winners advanced to the semis. In the semis, Ko Pin-Yi was brilliant, winning quite easily against Orcullo, but Jayson Shaw vs. Ko Ping Chung was a thriller. At 7-7, Shaw made a ball on the break but was snookered on the one ball and had no good push available. At 8-7, Ko Ping-Chung failed to break and run and soon came within an eyelash of a scratch, leaving Shaw deep in the top corner with a difficult kick, which Jayson missed, effectively ending the match. From my vantage point, Shaw outplayed "Baby Ko," but pool can be a cruel game and it would be a Ko vs. Ko final. Ko Pin-Yi won the very competitive final.

My good friend, and AZB poster and pool commentator extraordinaire, Jay Helfert and I had a chat after the final and we were both very impressed with Ko Ping-Chung's composure at the table. This emerging star is for real and will threaten for some WPA titles soon enough. Jay mentioned that "Baby Ko" had played for close to three years in WPA events, and that this, in part , explained why this teenager's competitive pedigree is so strong. I was very surprised by this, but, as we have discussed so often on this forum, that's how it is done if you want to be counted among the world's truly elite.

Monday, July 21: Scotch Doubles 8-ball - Deuel/Dechaine vs. Bustamante/Reyes, Race to 21
This match was good fun, and the players kept it light. Though it's common in the BCAPL amateur events, I'd never seen pros play scotch doubles eight ball before. There was good camaraderie in the match and Mike and Corey enjoyed each other's company and meshed well as teammates. Their play was solid but not stellar, with a few position errors along the way, but most of the time, they made their shots and Mike came with a tough bank of the eight ball to close out the match, Watching the legends Bustamante and Reyes was a great treat, too.

Tuesday, July 22: 9-ball challenge, JL Chang vs Dennis Orcullo
This match had great potential going in. Orcullo had finished third in the ten ball, and Chang was an impressive 2-1 in his ten ball matches despite being eliminated in the round robin. Both guys were playing well and it figured to be a good one. Chang dominated early, but Orcullo fought back well, and the match stood at 18-15 in favor of Orcullo when Dennis faltered on a safety on the one ball. Chang calmly, although a bit slowly, ran six racks and out in a breathtaking performance to win the match. Taiwan's excellence remained the theme of the week.

Wednesday, July 23 - Friday July 25: CSI Invitational 8-ball
Great stuff. One group was dominated by Hohmann, whose strong 8-ball pedigree is well known from his $350,000 score at IPT LAs Vegas in 2006. Hohmann cruised into the semifinal. In another group, Ko Ping-Chung and Mike Dechaine each won their first two and squared off for the group title. Mike jumped out to a 5-3 lead, but a scratch on the break by Mike turned the momentum of the match, and Baby Ko completed the comeback, advancing to the semifinal. In a third group, Ko Pin Yi and Darren Appleton both went 2-1, but Ko Pin Yi won their head-to-head match, thereby reaching the semifinal. In the fourth group, Shane Van Boening and Ralf Souquet both went 2-1, but Ralf had won their head-to-head match to advance to the semifinal. Shane would, controversially, replace Ralf in the semis when Ralf left for the airport, but that's not the subject of this thread.

The Story of the Week: Taiwanese Excellence
Ko Pin-Yi beat Shane Van Boening in their challenge match, the brothers Ko both reached the 10-ball final, JL Chang beat Orcullo in their challenge match, and the brothers Ko came first and third in the 8-ball. Simply incredible! It was a joy to watch these superstars who are so rarely found on American soil. Well played, Taiwan and to Ko Ping Chung, welcome to the big time.

What About Mike Dechaine?
I kept an eye on Mike because of his public commitment on this very forum to self-improvement. Mike played seven matches during the week, winning four of them, and leaving little doubt that he belongs in the most elite company as a competitor. Still, that's not what I was looking for. I watched how Mike conducted himself at and away from the table. Two of the players in the event mentioned to me that Mike appeared to have made some progress in his behavior, and I agreed. Mike was gracious in both victory and defeat, and interacted appropriately with his fellow pros, giving them the courtesy and respect they deserve at and away from the table.

Perhaps the only exception came in his 8-ball match with Jayson Shaw. As the two best players on the Joss tour, Mike and Jayson are fierce rivals and they've had an argument or two in competition in recent years. Mike took exception when Jayson began to soft break, but was mistaken in believing that it was not permitted in 8-ball. I have to admit that I've never seen soft-breaking in pro 8-ball before. The tactic, meant to make the racks more tactical, worked for Jayson but Mike had built up a big enough lead that Jayson's comeback fell short.

Overall, Mike did himself proud and made CSI look smart for inviting him. Mike is still a work in progress but it's nice to see that he is in the process of making good on his promise to conduct himself with greater professionalism.

Socially
I was socially pretty busy during the event, but the highlight for me was, without question, the dinner I had with AZB poster Vagabond and 2012 World 9-ball Champion Darren Appleton. Vagabond generously picked up the dinner tab. To the many friends and acquaintances I saw, it was great catching up.

Gambling
Well, I was up $550 in the casino through the first nine days of my trip, but squandered most of the profits on the final day, winning only about $100 in the end. Actually, I don't spend much time in the casino. Also, I don't bet on pool matches.

The Enduring Excellence of CSI
What a show CSI put together! The fields were phenomenal, the play was exceptional, and the competitors behaved with a high level of professionalism. The three challenge matches, Ko Pin Yi vs. Shane, Dechaine/Deuel vs. Reyes/Bustamante, and JL Chang vs. Dennis Orcullo, were all a pleasure to watch. The 10-ball and 8-ball events featured outstanding play throughout and, as already noted, the presence of the Taiwanese contingent added greatly to the occasion. . The matches remained consistently on schedule, testament to the exceptional planning of CSI. As I've noted in another thread, I disagreed with the handling of one situation that arose, but this in no way detracts from what a fine ten days of pool it truly was nor is it the subject of this thread.

To all at CSI, take a deep bow, for you have all distinguished yourselves. Thanks for all you do for pool.
 
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Oops, forgot to mention that a couple of New Yorkers, Travis McKinney and Caroline Pao came 2nd in the Masters Scotch Doubles. Well done!
 
I thought I might have seen you there Stu. Was that you in the front row? :thumbup:
 
Great coverage. I was there only for the Ko/SVB match and the 10 ball event. There were some great pool being played! For someone for rarely attends these events, this was definitely a treat.
 
2014 BCAPL National Championship

One of the best ran tournaments, I have participated in. Congratulations BADBOYS!
 
Thursday, July 17: Shane Van Boening vs. Ko Pin Yi, Race to 21
Things began with a couple of pleasant surprises: a) Bill Incardona, chatted with me for over half an hour about pool's good old days and many of our mutual friends, and b) it turned out that AZB poster Vagabond purchased the seat next to me. He's a good friend of many years. He was classy and exquisitely dressed, as always.

Before the match, it seemed that almost everybody who would sweat the match wanted a side bet on Shane and the Ko stake-horse obliged. Shane himself had a large side bet on the match. Much money was bet by many in this one, certainly at least $20,000 in total.

In the marathon race to 21, Van Boening led early but Ko kept it close. Ko appeared to be about to take the lead but miscued on a combo on the ten ball at 14-14. The difference in the match was surely defense. Shane rarely prevailed in racks he had to fight for with defense or kicking. Ko didn't play even close to his best in this one, but was clearly the better player and the deserving winner, 21-17.

Friday, July 18 - Sunday, July 20: CSI Invitational 10-ball
This event had one of the strongest fields ever assembled in America, for Ko Pin-Yi, Dennis Orcullo, Shane Van Boening, Darren Appleton, JL Chang, Thorsten Hohmann and Francisco Bustamante must surely be counted among the world's top ten players. I remember thinking that these were the guys that Shane hasn't been able to beat in WPA events, and perhaps this would be his turn to best them all. It would not prove so.

In this sixteen man event, four round robin groups of four were put together and the groups were not, I feel, comparable in difficulty. For example, one group had, three of the giants of pool in Orcullo, Appleton and JL Chang. The fourth player, Mike Dechaine, had a very tall order drawing these three guys but beat Appleton, had a near miss in a good one against Chang, but was beaten decisively by Orcullo. Shane failed to win his group, with it coming down to having to beat Ko Pin Yi in the last match. As was the case in their challenge match, Ko Pin Yi took it down The third group was decided when Jayson Shaw bested Bustamante with the top spot on the line. The final group was won by Ko Ping-Chung, younger brother of Ko Pin-Yi.

The group winners advanced to the semis. In the semis, Ko Pin-Yi was brilliant, winning quite easily against Orcullo, but Jayson Shaw vs. Ko Ping Chung was a thriller. At 7-7, Shaw made a ball on the break but was snookered on the one ball and had no good push available. At 8-7, Ko Ping-Chung failed to break and run and soon came within an eyelash of a scratch, leaving Shaw deep in the top corner with a difficult kick, which Jayson missed, effectively ending the match. From my vantage point, Shaw outplayed "Baby Ko," but pool can be a cruel game and it would be a Ko vs. Ko final. Ko Pin-Yi won the very competitive final.

My good friend, and AZB poster and pool commentator extraordinaire, Jay Helfert and I had a chat after the final and we were both very impressed with Ko Ping-Chung's composure at the table. This emerging star is for real and will threaten for some WPA titles soon enough. Jay mentioned that "Baby Ko" had played for close to three years in WPA events, and that this, in part , explained why this teenager's competitive pedigree is so strong. I was very surprised by this, but, as we have discussed so often on this forum, that's how it is done if you want to be counted among the world's truly elite.

Monday, July 21: Scotch Doubles 8-ball - Deuel/Dechaine vs. Bustamante/Reyes, Race to 21
This match was good fun, and the players kept it light. Though it's common in the BCAPL amateur events, I'd never seen pros play scotch doubles eight ball before. There was good camaraderie in the match and Mike and Corey enjoyed each other's company and meshed well as teammates. Their play was solid but not stellar, with a few position errors along the way, but most of the time, they made their shots and Mike came with a tough bank of the eight ball to close out the match, Watching the legends Bustamante and Reyes was a great treat, too.

Tuesday, July 22: 9-ball challenge, JL Chang vs Dennis Orcullo
This match had great potential going in. Orcullo had finished third in the ten ball, and Chang was an impressive 2-1 in his ten ball matches despite being eliminated in the round robin. Both guys were playing well and it figured to be a good one. Chang dominated early, but Orcullo fought back well, and the match stood at 18-15 in favor of Orcullo when Dennis faltered on a safety on the one ball. Chang calmly, although a bit slowly, ran six racks and out in a breathtaking performance to win the match. Taiwan's excellence remained the theme of the week.

Wednesday, July 23 - Friday July 25: CSI Invitational 8-ball
Great stuff. One group was dominated by Hohmann, whose strong 8-ball pedigree is well known from his $350,000 score at IPT LAs Vegas in 2006. Hohmann cruised into the semifinal. In another group, Ko Ping-Chung and Mike Dechaine each won their first two and squared off for the group title. Mike jumped out to a 5-3 lead, but a scratch on the break by Mike turned the momentum of the match, and Baby Ko completed the comeback, advancing to the semifinal. In a third group, Ko Pin Yi and Darren Appleton both went 2-1, but Ko Pin Yi won their head-to-head match, thereby reaching the semifinal. In the fourth group, Shane Van Boening and Ralf Souquet both went 2-1, but Ralf had won their head-to-head match to advance to the semifinal. Shane would, controversially, replace Ralf in the semis when Ralf left for the airport, but that's not the subject of this thread.

The Story of the Week: Taiwanese Excellence
Ko Pin-Yi beat Shane Van Boening in their challenge match, the brothers Ko both reached the 10-ball final, JL Chang beat Orcullo in their challenge match, and the brothers Ko came first and third in the 8-ball. Simply incredible! It was a joy to watch these superstars who are so rarely found on American soil. Well played, Taiwan and to Ko Ping Chung, welcome to the big time.

What About Mike Dechaine?
I kept an eye on Mike because of his public commitment on this very forum to self-improvement. Mike played seven matches during the week, winning four of them, and leaving little doubt that he belongs in the most elite company as a competitor. Still, that's not what I was looking for. I watched how Mike conducted himself at and away from the table. Two of the players in the event mentioned to me that Mike appeared to have made some progress in his behavior, and I agreed. Mike was gracious in both victory and defeat, and interacted appropriately with his fellow pros, giving them the courtesy and respect they deserve at and away from the table.

Perhaps the only exception came in his 8-ball match with Jayson Shaw. As the two best players on the Joss tour, Mike and Jayson are fierce rivals and they've had an argument or two in competition in recent years. Mike took exception when Jayson began to soft break, but was mistaken in believing that it was not permitted in 8-ball. I have to admit that I've never seen soft-breaking in pro 8-ball before. The tactic, meant to make the racks more tactical, worked for Jayson but Mike had built up a big enough lead that Jayson's comeback fell short.

Overall, Mike did himself proud and made CSI look smart for inviting him. Mike is still a work in progress but it's nice to see that he is in the process of making good on his promise to conduct himself with greater professionalism.

Socially
I was socially pretty busy during the event, but the highlight for me was, without question, the dinner I had with AZB poster Vagabond and 2012 World 9-ball Champion Darren Appleton. Vagabond generously picked up the dinner tab. To the many friends and acquaintances I saw, it was great catching up.

Gambling
Well, I was up $550 in the casino through the first nine days of my trip, but squandered most of the profits on the final day, winning only about $100 in the end. Actually, I don't spend much time in the casino. Also, I don't bet on pool matches.

The Enduring Excellence of CSI
What a show CSI put together! The fields were phenomenal, the play was exceptional, and the competitors behaved with a high level of professionalism. The three challenge matches, Ko Pin Yi vs. Shane, Dechaine/Deuel vs. Reyes/Bustamante, and JL Chang vs. Dennis Orcullo, were all a pleasure to watch. The 10-ball and 8-ball events featured outstanding play throughout and, as already noted, the presence of the Taiwanese contingent added greatly to the occasion. . The matches remained consistently on schedule, testament to the exceptional planning of CSI. As I've noted in another thread, I disagreed with the handling of one situation that arose, but this in no way detracts from what a fine ten days of pool it truly was nor is it the subject of this thread.

To all at CSI, take a deep bow, for you have all distinguished yourselves. Thanks for all you do for pool.


A most excellent field report, Stu. Muchas gracias.

Lou Figueroa
 
Did you watch any of the American Rotation?

Yes, and I enjoyed it. Jerry Calderone, who won the American rotation event at Derby City reached the final against Mike Dechaine. The final was hotly contested, and it got to the point where Mike led 121-119 in the race to 140. Owning the next break, Mike would have to get all twenty available points to close Jerry out. Mike broke and, after getting the ball in hand that comes under the rules after the break, Mike ran the entire rack to win the match and first prize of, if memory serves, $3,000. I was quite impressed with the play of Jerry Calderone, too.

Efren Reyes, who absolutely loves the game of rotation, sat ringside and watched the entire match and was the first to congratulate Mike Dechaine on his solid performance.
 
Yes, and I enjoyed it. Jerry Calderone, who won the American rotation event at Derby City reached the final against Mike Dechaine. The final was hotly contested, and it got to the point where Mike led 121-119 in the race to 140. Owning the next break, Mike would have to get all twenty available points to close Jerry out. Mike broke and, after getting the ball in hand that comes under the rules after the break, Mike ran the entire rack to win the match and first prize of, if memory serves, $3,000. I was quite impressed with the play of Jerry Calderone, too.

Efren Reyes, who absolutely loves the game of rotation, sat ringside and watched the entire match and was the first to congratulate Mike Dechaine on his solid performance.

I know that Joe was trying to get a match between the winner of the final(Dechaine) and Efren. Did this match ever happen, to your knowledge? Jerry Calderone can flat out shoot and I thought he was going to beat Mike in the final. You did a great after action report btw.
 
Yes, and I enjoyed it. Jerry Calderone, who won the American rotation event at Derby City reached the final against Mike Dechaine. The final was hotly contested, and it got to the point where Mike led 121-119 in the race to 140. Owning the next break, Mike would have to get all twenty available points to close Jerry out. Mike broke and, after getting the ball in hand that comes under the rules after the break, Mike ran the entire rack to win the match and first prize of, if memory serves, $3,000. I was quite impressed with the play of Jerry Calderone, too.

Efren Reyes, who absolutely loves the game of rotation, sat ringside and watched the entire match and was the first to congratulate Mike Dechaine on his solid performance.

Thanks for the report. Way to go Mike Dechaine!
 
So there were alot of money on the line in the SVB vs KO match, that's will silence some noises like:" put more money and see who's the winner". Finally SVB and KO did put big money on that match, and Shane lost.
How about the match Chang vs Orcullo, did they have that much of money on the line ? Thanks.
 
I know that Joe was trying to get a match between the winner of the final(Dechaine) and Efren. Did this match ever happen, to your knowledge? Jerry Calderone can flat out shoot and I thought he was going to beat Mike in the final. You did a great after action report btw.

I don't think the matchup between Reyes and Dechaine ever took place.
 
So there were alot of money on the line in the SVB vs KO match, that's will silence some noises like:" put more money and see who's the winner". Finally SVB and KO did put big money on that match, and Shane lost.
How about the match Chang vs Orcullo, did they have that much of money on the line ? Thanks.

I can't say because I arrived a bit late for the Orcullo/Chang match.
 
Oops, forgot to mention that a couple of New Yorkers, Travis McKinney and Caroline Pao came 2nd in the Masters Scotch Doubles. Well done!

Caroline Pao also came second in the Women's Advanced Singles. Great going!
 
Caroline Pao also came second in the Women's Advanced Singles. Great going!

and the amazing part is outside of the BCA which she hasnt played in years, I dont believe she has played 2 hrs on a barbox or even 8B for that matter.
 
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