The Sands events are probably my favorite pool videos by tournament. Commentary, games, players, all were very entertaining.
Sands - results
- Thread starter Ratamon
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I believe he spends a good bit of time in japan...I think.
I was talking to Archer for a bit a few times when I ran into him at the BCA shows, he told me a little stat about the Mosconi Cup. He has never lost a lag at the Mosconi Cup.
He has won player of the decade from Billiards Digest, not sure why he is not as highly regarded as players like Stickland or Buddy Hall for the US. Maybe because he just plays too much by the book, nothing flashy, just simple position play with good consistency. I don't think he is known for anything on it's own, aside from tournament finish ranking. Strickland was known as being able to jump with full cue and make any hard shot, Buddy was the perfect pattern and position guy, Efren was the kicking and creative guy, some others were tops in some specific game like Miz with straight pool. Archer was just even in everything but not outstanding in any single thing.
Can any of you think of a specific thing that Archer was known for over others? Even in tournaments Strickland and Sigel were more feared, Archer just kinda showed up and when he won it was in some steady simple way, not just overpowering people with runs of 5 or jumping out of a safe and running out after it.
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Archer is tied with Souquet for the most Mosconi Cup appearances (17), but his record is not the best. Looking at both teams, and only at players with at least 3 appearances, quite a few players have better career records than Archer.
https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=464772
Never got a response so I thought I would ask again. Any chance at all of the Sands Tournament being resurrected?
r/DCP
Where is Tenderloin Tony when you need him? Not to mention Bumpy Pickle.
The original pro event was tied to a semi-amateur event that brought great steaming piles of league players. That organization no longer exists. I think that as the league organization started dying, the Sands saw that the revenue was no longer coming in.
I don't see any good way to get amateurs there unless some current large league decides to have a nationals or at least regionals there.
CSI had a few tournaments in Reno (at the Grand Sierra?). I don't know why they stopped. Reno is a better deal than Las Vegas depending on what you're after.
Let's not hide the facts Bob. Tony Annagoni stole the prize fund from the last Sands USPPA event, and that sank the league. The player who got first won $5000 and sued Annigoni to get it. Like was said earlier, without the amateur players there was no way to attract fans for the pro events.
Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Only if you want to fund it Mike! LOL
Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
The event in question was the final USPPA tournament and it was at the Peppermill. I believe the Sands had given up on the event a year or so earlier, but I was not paying close attention. The decline of the USPPA had been going on for some time, and I think the Peppermill event was simply the 'full stop'.
Here is the thread from 2010 about that terminal tournament, for those who want to relive the pleasure and excitement
: https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?213553&p=2767940But that has no direct bearing on the Sands' decision some time before (last pro event 2008).
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This list is a virtual who's who of the best players of that era......There is only one name I don't recognize - James Ladira. I just can't place him.
The only other info I have on this guy is that he finished 8th in the 2005 DCC One Pocket division (same year as his 4th place finish in Reno), finished 5th in Reno the year before (SRO 40) and shared 7th place with Johnny Archer at Steve Mizerak Championship in 2007. Can't put a name to a face either
The memory isn't absolutely certain but if I recall correctly he was from the southern Florida/Miami metropolitan area. Pretty decent player from what I saw. I have at least one (the 4th place match) and maybe more of his matches on tape somewhere. I did extensive taping of that tournament for a number of years in and around that time period. For the sake of pool history, one of these days I hope to get them all put up on youtube if/when time permits (going to take an absolutely eternity to find, sort, convert, and upload all the material).
Sorry to wake up such an old thread, but I did a google search for the Sands Open and found this thread. I played in this tourney in 1998, and I don't recall there being an amateur tournament running at the same time. I was just an amateur, being only a 6 rated APA 8-ball player at the time. My team captain was pretty good and wanted us to come up, it only cost $100 to enter and doing so got a room discount and the ability to watch all (4?) days worth of the tourney. It was double-elimination and I believe you only had to win 2 matches to get your money back.
I lost my first match, won my second, and went hill-hill with a guy with a chance to run out and (according to my memory, would have at least broke even) but didn't pull it off.
We stayed through the last semi-finals, but it was late Sunday night and we had to drive back down to the Bay Area that night to be at work the next morning (4-hour drive) so didn't stay for the finals but heard later that Ralf Souquet won. We both figured Efren would have won, I wish we could have stayed and watched it.
It was nice to read through this thread though... some good information. It was really cool to actually be in the same room with these guys and walk by them like you belonged there (but knew you weren't even close to their league). I remember walking by Tommy Kennedy (he won the US 9-Ball Championship a few years before, forget when) and he gave me a nice nod and "How you doing?"
I didn't know much about one-pocket at that time, but that's all the big studs were playing back in the practice room at night. I didn't even try to get at a table as there was NO practice going on, just straight hustling. Me and my buddy stood around and watched Efren play one-pocket for a few hours, trying to pick up pointers. Great times.
Also, in my first match (that I lost), my opponent had shot a safety just leaving me a kick at the 2 ball I think. It was a pretty easy kick and make contact, and all I was trying to do was not foul and ended up sending it straight down into the corner pocket. One of the nearby spectators started applauding (it did *look* like an intentional shot), but I was more embarrassed by the applause as I was trying to do nothing more than make contact, and ended up losing 11 - 5 or something.
I lost my first match, won my second, and went hill-hill with a guy with a chance to run out and (according to my memory, would have at least broke even) but didn't pull it off.
We stayed through the last semi-finals, but it was late Sunday night and we had to drive back down to the Bay Area that night to be at work the next morning (4-hour drive) so didn't stay for the finals but heard later that Ralf Souquet won. We both figured Efren would have won, I wish we could have stayed and watched it.
It was nice to read through this thread though... some good information. It was really cool to actually be in the same room with these guys and walk by them like you belonged there (but knew you weren't even close to their league). I remember walking by Tommy Kennedy (he won the US 9-Ball Championship a few years before, forget when) and he gave me a nice nod and "How you doing?"
I didn't know much about one-pocket at that time, but that's all the big studs were playing back in the practice room at night. I didn't even try to get at a table as there was NO practice going on, just straight hustling. Me and my buddy stood around and watched Efren play one-pocket for a few hours, trying to pick up pointers. Great times.
Also, in my first match (that I lost), my opponent had shot a safety just leaving me a kick at the 2 ball I think. It was a pretty easy kick and make contact, and all I was trying to do was not foul and ended up sending it straight down into the corner pocket. One of the nearby spectators started applauding (it did *look* like an intentional shot), but I was more embarrassed by the applause as I was trying to do nothing more than make contact, and ended up losing 11 - 5 or something.
They definitely ran the USPPA tournaments immediately before the pro events. I played in many of them.
Also, I don’t remember ANY events at the Peppermill as mentioned above. The USBTC was held at the Grand Sierra (formerly the Hilton).
Amar Kang in 1997...what was he, 15?!
I think he’s only a couple years older than me, so I’d guess he was 19/20?
I've heard rumors that someone is looking into this, I won't mention names as it was a rumor. To tell you the truth I would love to see a big tournament again in Reno. There are many way nicer venues than the Sands. The Sands is a dump!
Ah... those events were BEFORE the pro event? I thought one of the other posts said "during" but maybe I misread that. I only arrived the evening before the Pro event started so sounds like I just didn't realize that had been going on.
Pretty good at keeping the table clean...picking all the lint off
Yeah it was the USPPA. If memory serves, they had two tournaments that were both handicapped. 75 and under, and open. The rating system was a little different than Fargo. A 75 would probably translate to 575ish would be my guess.