This is regarding the big money $2,000 entry, 16 man 8 ball event being held in Beloit, WI this weekend at Dave Cole's Carom Room.
Darren had eliminated Jesse Bowman 15-14 last night to guarantee himself 4th place. He was scheduled to play Sky Woodward on the loser's side for 3rd place this morning at 10:00am. Darren failed to show for his match and at the conclusion of the SVB/Corey match, it was announced on the stream that Darren had forfeited with no further explanation given. The following post by Lee Brett (in another thread) summarizes what happened.
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"Sky won on a forfeit, Darren overslept and Sky's backers asked for him to be forfeited."
- Lee Brett
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It turns out that there were several attempts made -by the Carom Room staff- to find, wake, and notify Darren prior to his match this morning. And finally, only after stumbling across an old text that contained the name of a nearby hotel, were they able to contact the hotel and reach Darren - asleep in his room. It was 10:20am - 20 minutes after the match was supposed to begin.
Unfortunately, the people who were financially invested in Sky felt that a forfeit was the only correct call.
All I can say is Wow!
Before I proceed, I would like to make it very clear that my interest in this spectacle is not merely as a spectator or fan. I (along with another individual) had purchased Darren in the Calcutta for $4,900.
Funny as it sounds, one of the principle reasons why we chose to buy Darren (beyond his eight ball expertise, and superb pool playing skills) was the degree of professionalism Darren has always exhibited on and around a pool table. Every time I've watched Darren play (Mosconi Cup, US Open, Chinese 8 Ball, etc...) I've been very impressed with the way he has carried himself. Furthermore, when I've listened to him on American Billiards Radio, I've been equally impressed with his insights and intelligence. In Short, Darren had always personified the best of pool, and represented everything that this sport can and should aspire towards.
So when thrown into a tournament filled with absolute killers (Shane, Dennis, Corey, Sky, Justin, Kiamco, Morra, etc...) I felt lucky to place the winning bid on Darren. Why? because I felt that it would take much more than just pool skills alone to win this tournament. It would take will, drive, and most of all character to best this field. All traits that I thought Darren carried in spades.
So to find out that oversleeping was what kept Darren from playing his match this morning -a match that still carried with it the possibility of winning a 16,000 first prize- I am bewildered and disappointed.
Let me be very clear, am I upset about being out $2,450? (my half of the calcutta - No, Darren did not buy half of himself), of course I am. But, I'll be ok.
However, I will seriously reconsider what involvment -if any- I ever have again with pro pool as either a backer, spectator, or stream viewer.
Will I ever participate in another calcutta again? NEVER - FU**ING - EVER! Fool me once... To put it bluntly, I think it will be a long time before I put any of my money back into the pro pool economy.
Darren had eliminated Jesse Bowman 15-14 last night to guarantee himself 4th place. He was scheduled to play Sky Woodward on the loser's side for 3rd place this morning at 10:00am. Darren failed to show for his match and at the conclusion of the SVB/Corey match, it was announced on the stream that Darren had forfeited with no further explanation given. The following post by Lee Brett (in another thread) summarizes what happened.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sky won on a forfeit, Darren overslept and Sky's backers asked for him to be forfeited."
- Lee Brett
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It turns out that there were several attempts made -by the Carom Room staff- to find, wake, and notify Darren prior to his match this morning. And finally, only after stumbling across an old text that contained the name of a nearby hotel, were they able to contact the hotel and reach Darren - asleep in his room. It was 10:20am - 20 minutes after the match was supposed to begin.
Unfortunately, the people who were financially invested in Sky felt that a forfeit was the only correct call.
All I can say is Wow!
Before I proceed, I would like to make it very clear that my interest in this spectacle is not merely as a spectator or fan. I (along with another individual) had purchased Darren in the Calcutta for $4,900.
Funny as it sounds, one of the principle reasons why we chose to buy Darren (beyond his eight ball expertise, and superb pool playing skills) was the degree of professionalism Darren has always exhibited on and around a pool table. Every time I've watched Darren play (Mosconi Cup, US Open, Chinese 8 Ball, etc...) I've been very impressed with the way he has carried himself. Furthermore, when I've listened to him on American Billiards Radio, I've been equally impressed with his insights and intelligence. In Short, Darren had always personified the best of pool, and represented everything that this sport can and should aspire towards.
So when thrown into a tournament filled with absolute killers (Shane, Dennis, Corey, Sky, Justin, Kiamco, Morra, etc...) I felt lucky to place the winning bid on Darren. Why? because I felt that it would take much more than just pool skills alone to win this tournament. It would take will, drive, and most of all character to best this field. All traits that I thought Darren carried in spades.
So to find out that oversleeping was what kept Darren from playing his match this morning -a match that still carried with it the possibility of winning a 16,000 first prize- I am bewildered and disappointed.
Let me be very clear, am I upset about being out $2,450? (my half of the calcutta - No, Darren did not buy half of himself), of course I am. But, I'll be ok.
However, I will seriously reconsider what involvment -if any- I ever have again with pro pool as either a backer, spectator, or stream viewer.
Will I ever participate in another calcutta again? NEVER - FU**ING - EVER! Fool me once... To put it bluntly, I think it will be a long time before I put any of my money back into the pro pool economy.
