SBE underwhelming..

0ne9marine

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i was at the expo today with my son, we both felt underwhelmed. Did not have the vendors as in the past. No pro men action at all until 7PM. I did enjoy watching some of the women shoot, but only a few of what i class as big names. I bought a London Bridgehead a few years ago, now nobody seems to even know what i'm talking about in my quest to buy another.:( just my perception, hope yours was better.
 

Chi2dxa

Lost over C&D Triangle
Silver Member
i was at the expo today with my son, we both felt underwhelmed. Did not have the vendors as in the past. No pro men action at all until 7PM. I did enjoy watching some of the women shoot, but only a few of what i class as big names. I bought a London Bridgehead a few years ago, now nobody seems to even know what i'm talking about in my quest to buy another.:( just my perception, hope yours was better.
Sorry to here that.
It is my first time here and I am really enjoying myself. It feel like Derby City 16 years ago when it was at the Executive West.
 

Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i was at the expo today with my son, we both felt underwhelmed. Did not have the vendors as in the past. No pro men action at all until 7PM. I did enjoy watching some of the women shoot, but only a few of what i class as big names. I bought a London Bridgehead a few years ago, now nobody seems to even know what i'm talking about in my quest to buy another.:( just my perception, hope yours was better.

I went to the expo a couple of years ago and left depressed.
Professional pool seemed like an after thought as it was pushed off to the side with much to be desired for in presentation.
The amateur tournament was clearly the center of attention and the reason for many to be there which is fine. But if a sport doesn't treat the pros as the mountain top for which they are on after their dedication to that very sport, what does the future hold?

I understand Mr Hopkins wants to do the pros justice with the expo but after seeing it myself with the lack of media, hand written brackets on a small easel, bracket times missing, and match times falling out of schedule, I felt bad for the state of pro pool.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
I'm here with a couple of newbies and whole crap load of veterans. The newbies have been pretty excited going booth to booth.


Freddie <~~~ but a goodie
 

9andout

Gunnin' for a 3 pack!!
Silver Member
Definitely less vendors.
No Mueller. First time in as long as I can remember.
Btw.
What time do doors open?
8?
Exibits 10?
I know Pro's are 11am start.
Got there late Fri.
Back tomorrow.
 

one stroke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well if your a Am player its the crem dela crem ,, I've never seen so many show up for the warm up the lines were crazy ,, every event sold out ,, can cause constant action in the action room ,, crazy Erica leading the way , ran a winner take all event wed night 10 ball 10 players 200 entry winner take all , . DO Sky Warren , headed the list Sky split with I can't remember who ,,

Of course you got Kirkwood who I told him they should name the the Kirkwood action room after him ,, making a living at a 10-20 dollar clip every yrs while others beat thier brains out in sets he plugs along never ever goes home loser goes to every big event he's so personable people line up to play him , people lose and like it he will even get them to fetch him a beer he buys
Talk about a business model no one bar none has worked the room like he has

I left early but tonight is historically the best night ,, pro's into final 16 lose and your out by matches going on all the hard hitters were left ,,

Then the action room heats up historically tonigh , the big game has been last pocket 8 ball with team Puerto Rico &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56823; in full force against who ever Crazy Erica is bringing to the table ,, not been a fan before but I've changed my mind she gets shit happening girl has skills to work a pool room scooter step aside she's got it going on and trusted by players hats off to her never thought I'd ever say that , but I'm one to call it like it is ,, she's got skills to work and control the game ,,

It's pool heaven for many for Am's especially since it's a open Am don't have to be a league player to get in any event ,, not so much as the DCC might be to watch top pro's play if that's what your looking for ,,

It can't be overstated how much Alan has put into this brainchild of his if it was easy anyone could do it ,, fact is there is humm let me think -/--/--/ one and only one , lose this and I'm not to sharp but I think ,,,, that leaves zero ,,


1
 

wrickyb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The bride head you are looking for is also called the Power Bridge head. I know Omega has them. Lots of new vendors this year. And over the last few years Muller has been on and off with being here.

Just my thoughts.

Ricky Bryant
 

9andout

Gunnin' for a 3 pack!!
Silver Member
Heading down 422 ......again! Wife driving :thumbup:
Staying 'till last ball drops in finals. VIP tix in hand.
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well if your a Am player its the crem dela crem ,, I've never seen so many show up for the warm up the lines were crazy ,, every event sold out ,, can cause constant action in the action room ,, crazy Erica leading the way , ran a winner take all event wed night 10 ball 10 players 200 entry winner take all , . DO Sky Warren , headed the list Sky split with I can't remember who ,,

Of course you got Kirkwood who I told him they should name the the Kirkwood action room after him ,, making a living at a 10-20 dollar clip every yrs while others beat thier brains out in sets he plugs along never ever goes home loser goes to every big event he's so personable people line up to play him , people lose and like it he will even get them to fetch him a beer he buys
Talk about a business model no one bar none has worked the room like he has

I left early but tonight is historically the best night ,, pro's into final 16 lose and your out by matches going on all the hard hitters were left ,,

Then the action room heats up historically tonigh , the big game has been last pocket 8 ball with team Puerto Rico ���� in full force against who ever Crazy Erica is bringing to the table ,, not been a fan before but I've changed my mind she gets shit happening girl has skills to work a pool room scooter step aside she's got it going on and trusted by players hats off to her never thought I'd ever say that , but I'm one to call it like it is ,, she's got skills to work and control the game ,,

It's pool heaven for many for Am's especially since it's a open Am don't have to be a league player to get in any event ,, not so much as the DCC might be to watch top pro's play if that's what your looking for ,,

It can't be overstated how much Alan has put into this brainchild of his if it was easy anyone could do it ,, fact is there is humm let me think -/--/--/ one and only one , lose this and I'm not to sharp but I think ,,,, that leaves zero ,,


1

I have to agree about Erica Walker. She's been providing the behind-the-scenes happenings. I'd love to see a feature article by Erica in some of the pool mags, maybe The Buzz, giving her a platform to share the pool news from her vantage point. I think it would complement the other pool news by having her share the pool world news on the rail.
 

trinacria

in efren we trust
Silver Member
ive been to a few, maybe 5 or six times. first tima i went it was a great experince, there was a trick shot competition, vendors all over, fury had an enormous booth and being a newbie the cues were gorgeus to me, they had a one minute challenge to run out a rack as fast as possible to try and win a cue. etc... great experince. second time was good too. than the vendors became less, than less after that. last time i went it was basically predator/poison booths. no challenges, no nothing. so boring. sure the pros are always a treat to watch, but after that? as a customer, sure, ill find a case or cue. but the fun atmosphere as gone. more than half the floor space was taken up by some league tournament, league players are thw worst. the pettiness around them to win is shitty. not a fan of that. the cue repair guys charge too much, at least more than they normally would. i was gonna go to get a wrap, decided nott to bc id sit there for 6 hours and be completly bored out of my mind. i still get excided about it every year, and its still fun if youre in the tournammt though. over all its still good to have it, but i agree with the OP, its underwhelming. the fun challenges arent there, the cue makers get less and less, and there isnt much fun to be had except to look at some items. ofcourse its all cost based, the vendors donr make enough and get charged too much, the expo center costs too much, and on and on.
 

Icon of Sin

I can't fold, I need gold. I re-up and reload...
Silver Member
Im there to shoot and hang with friends (like Fred). The booths are just a bonus for me. Was only in the market for a case this year and I ordered a JB today before I left to come home. I do agree though that there are not as many booths there anymore. I'm afraid the good old days when it was at Valley Forge are long gone.

But yeah, I'm mainly there to play and between the tournaments and the action room its a great time

A bonus though this year, I believe the tournament attendance was at a high so hopefully that brings more business next year.
 

Type79

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had a great time.

I visited with old friends everyday, met new ones, connected with people I only knew online, and watched some great players.

Dealers and cuemakers with whom I spoke reported an increase in sales, so that is a good thing. If things improve in the sales arena and the economy gets a bump, maybe we will see more vendors and dealers with booths.

I went for three days and am happy I attended.
 

NastyNate13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Action at SBE is always great. Always get to see pros play $100 a rack against amateurs and pros alike. From what I saw/heard the Puerto Rican contingent were making junk games with Justin Whitehead and had him stuck $15,000. They played by their own rules more or less. Every time something happened 30 people got up around the table and argued with Justin.

Other than that, some young kid (I think he won the BCA juniors a bunch) was in the box 24/7 with top pros. He played his heart out. Him and his father would seek out every pro from Roberto Gomez to Jorge Rodriguez and make solid games. I was there about until 5am every day this year and he was making games all the time.

Tim Heath (boy is he a character) was constantly in banks action all weekend.

My one gripe this year is how poorly the pro events are ran. Never are the matches on schedule. I showed up at 4pm to get my VIP ticket to watch the finals match and they didn't play until 6:30pm because Jennifer Baretta's match took 5 HOURS (!!!). Finally people like me started chirping up and said they have to be at work tomorrow and they started. I only got to see half of SVB vs. Chua because I had to be on the road for my 2 hour trip home.

All in all, it's a good experience that I look forward to every year.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 

gregnice37

Bar Banger, Cue Collector
Silver Member
I had a great time and I didn't watch any event or bit any balls. Was great chatting, catching up & hanging out with everyone.
 

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
I'm sorry to hear that you did not have a good time at SBX this year. You can vote with your feet and choose to attend another event.

For me, I'm planning to be back.
1. You can finally get quarters on site now.
2. Kudos to the SBX security staff for detaining an assailant from leaving the pit until the police arrived.
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
... Jennifer Baretta's match took 5 HOURS (!!!).
...

You must be kidding or exaggerating. 20 games, right? That would be an average of 15 minutes per game. For 9-Ball! :eek: Tell me you're kidding.

And in case he is not kidding, can someone who watched give some details on why it was so long? Were there several games with e...x...t...e...n...d...e...d safety battles? Was there a lengthy time out for some reason?
 
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Danimal

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I can concour; the match started approx. 2:30 PM and concluded at 7:30 PM. Flores jumped out to a 9-2 lead, and Barretta grinded back 9 straight in an alternate break format to win the match 11-9.

There were two short bathroom breaks, each of which took about 3 minutes apiece. No other breaks in the matchplay.

To describe the pace of the match as methodical and cautious would be like describing the pace of the movement of the tectonic plates to have celerity and haste. The atmosphere was further exacerbated since SVB and Chua were warming up on the tv table for what seemed like more than an hour, in desperate hopes that the match would eventually be completed and both finals could be started concurrently.

With the crowd at wit's end, the presiding TD mercifully commenced the men's final, with Shane jumping out to a 4-0 lead and playing like his car was double-parked outside. I'd like to say that by the time Jennifer had sunk the final ball, the men had completed at least 7 or 8 racks.
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the trip reports. It sounds like most have a great time

About the pro events not starting on time, don't they use a shot clock for slow play?

Those who saw Kid Delicious, did he play slow or fast? Just curioos. I have seen him in both modes, and he plays strong in both modes.

I would think of a match was holding up the charts that they would institute a shot clock.
 

9andout

Gunnin' for a 3 pack!!
Silver Member
I can concour; the match started approx. 2:30 PM and concluded at 7:30 PM. Flores jumped out to a 9-2 lead, and Barretta grinded back 9 straight in an alternate break format to win the match 11-9.

There were two short bathroom breaks, each of which took about 3 minutes apiece. No other breaks in the matchplay.

To describe the pace of the match as methodical and cautious would be like describing the pace of the movement of the tectonic plates to have celerity and haste. The atmosphere was further exacerbated since SVB and Chua were warming up on the tv table for what seemed like more than an hour, in desperate hopes that the match would eventually be completed and both finals could be started concurrently.

With the crowd at wit's end, the presiding TD mercifully commenced the men's final, with Shane jumping out to a 4-0 lead and playing like his car was double-parked outside. I'd like to say that by the time Jennifer had sunk the final ball, the men had completed at least 7 or 8 racks.

It was bad. Good synopsis.
 

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anyone stick around to. See who won the women's event ? It's not on the web site.

Jennifer should be imbarrased to take 5 hours to play a race to 11. Rediculous...
 
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