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Dear Gentle Readers, What sort of billiards table did Mr. Tarantino include in the Cleopatra Club? I had just a glimpse of the scene (my companion was yap, yap, yap). The table seemed smallish (four feet?), had no pockets, and employed three balls. It had, I think, raised and rounded corners...

Say … Do You Boys Have A Table (Pool, Of Course) At Home? Dear Gentle Readers, I’m asking because I may move a Gabriels Imperator billiards table from a large Soho loft, where I used to live, to a smallish space in the Village, where I now reside. (I am perfectly content here, thank you very...

Dear Gentle Readers, That quote - - which could well be broadcast by a sailor when asking for assistance from a passing ship - - is courtesy of one of the more irreverent and entertaining writers on the planet, Alexander McCall Smith. Radio communique at sea … ‘ten souls.’ Not ten people...

Dear Gentle Readers, A few pals alerted me to the fact that my heartthrob, Efren, was competing on POV’s live stream. Sure enough, I had the opportunity to watch two of the games on Sunday. (Was that a new type of Magic Rack? And why was it so tough to identify the object balls? Still a great...

Dear Gentle Readers, I’m not certain who first uttered those words of wisdom, but the quote made me think of pool hustlers. As in … don’t show your true speed early in the encounter. And … like that. Is hustling pool these days a mostly bygone pastime? Or are there still nooks and crannies...

Dear Gentle Readers, That Woody Allen quote set off an inquiry process in the precisely-calibrated mechanism which is otherwise known as my personal brain. The quote reminded me of a question I’ve been wondering about re: pool players … specifically, those who gamble for a living. Is there any...

Wow! I loved that game! Strategies, safeties, shotmaking and sportsmanship. Plus scratches! Sunny

Dear Gentle Readers, That Auric Goldfinger quote reminds me, for some reason, of an action poolroom. Now, my mythic room predates iPhones, the Internet, instant photo-sharing, social media. Actually, now that I think about it, we’re seeing everything in black and white. A stranger comes into...

Dear Gentle Readers, That John Barrymore quote reminds me of a few of the classy pool players of legend … some departed, some aging gracefully, so many still dreaming the dream. By dreaming, I mean still looking for that edge, still competing, still fierce. Who comes to mind for you? For me...

Dear Gentle Readers, The subject has probably been flogged to death, but I’ve been thinking of regional differences re: one-pocket. What nudged me onto this particular tangent was a pal from Chicago who had the temerity to suggest that his city’s pizza was not only in the same league with New...

Dear Gentle Readers, Have any of you listened to Audra Mae’s haunting rendition of Forever Young? The version featured in that extraordinary, and underrated, biker soap, Sons of Anarchy? Her weathered voice, those wistful lyrics … well, for some reason they made me think of pool. Of pool...

Dear Gentle Readers, This weekend, I had the pleasure and privilege of watching some one-pocket via Lenny’s live stream from Kolby’s Corner. The segment I happened to catch featured The Freezer behind the mic. Some of Scott’s comments: > Efren: “He is Pool’s Ambassador. The greatest...

Dear Gentle Readers, How about perking up our sedate game a tad? Put a little pep in its step? Add some tazz to the razzma? We don’t need speakers and subwoofers that make your ears bleed. Just so long as the floor vibrates and you can feel the beat in your soul. Then we’re good to go-go. A...

Dear Gentle Readers, I would imagine that many of you savvy boys out there engage those two ever-so-clever girls - - Siri and Google - - to suss out many of life’s puzzlements. In my case: > does a certain fella ever pine for me? > should I worry about Zeno’s ‘Achilles and the Tortoise'...

Dear Gentle Readers, I’ve been thinking* about some three-cushion billiards matches I saw recently on POV. About how difficult that particular type of contest is. Is there another game - - involving a cue ball and some object balls - - with a higher percentage of missed shots? In my favorite...

Dear Gentle Readers, Back when I had a fella, we inherited a billiards table through the purchase of our loft. Gabriels Imperator, a pretty good one from what I’ve been told. For old time’s sake (both the pretty-good boyfriend and the pretty-good table are histoire), I caught a few POV...

Perhaps, somewhere, a few noteworthy players have regathered. The front door eases open and the table lights flicker on. You smile, recognizing that warm halo-glow. A well-conditioned brush caresses the cloth. Pool balls glisten. The rack is tight and true. A cue is screwed together here, a...

Aw. I never really knew Mr. Beard. On his recent book tour, in NYC, he reached out to me with a warm, personal conversation. He had enjoyed tweaking me in the four years I’ve been hanging around here and appreciated my ‘I am girl, hear me roar’ recent wagers. He confided, graciously, that he...

“I wish I’d drunk more champagne.” Dear Gentle Readers, That statement - - and it’s my favorite ‘last words’ testament - - was uttered by the renowned economist, John Maynard Lord Keynes. Isn’t that a splendid exit sentiment! Lord Keynes, on his deathbed, didn’t carp about un-bestowed...

Dear Gentle Readers, The last few weeks I’ve noticed several teenage prom-goers out on the town in NYC and SF. Achingly-young. So earnest, so adorable. Careful posture, careful outfit-awareness. Trying so hard for something … insouciance? If not sophistication, at least some semblance of...