Just wanted to give a write-up for those who couldn't make it, so here goes...
Danny Barouty and I showed up on Friday at about noon. We quickly found the 14.1 booth and we immediately saw the work that was put into the event. Two huge TVs were displaying the action, there was a big banner advertising the event, and the two full-sized diamond tables were like a beacon calling out to the serious player in the midst of a sea of barboxes.
There were three people there who were responsible for everything. Charlie, Heather, and Steve. Two months ago or so, the whole event had barely been conceived. And in such a short time, they had the best booth in the whole show. They were responsible for the setup, the video, the money collection/security, the scorekeeping of the qualifiers, the sign-up/waiting list, the ball cleaning, rules questions, and the prize distribution, tournament direction, and emceeing. They were there from morning til... well, morning. They did a simply heroic job, they did it professionally, and they deserve some serious props from all of us.
Thanks also to those who contributed to the booth costs, most notably Bob Jewett. He apparently couldn't make the trip, but his graciousness helped create an event which I have a strong feeling is going to continue for a long time.
So Danny and I immediately get on the waiting list, and give it our best. We had been struggling a bit with this in preparation for the event, not really putting up any numbers in practice. It was a bit better, but not much, during our first attempt at the show; I put up a 96 and Danny a 78. We each tried a few times more, and although Danny improved to a 91, we were both still shy of the triple digits. In my last attempt, I got to 132, with the help of two 40+ runs. If I had made just 7 more balls, I would have been much more comfortable, as I'd have skipped ahead of two players. As it was, when I left on Friday night, I was in 5th, and quite certain it wouldn't hold.
So all of Saturday, when I was back home, was spent following the text messages that Steve and Charlie were sending. And I really do mean ALL of Saturday (and even Sunday). The last text I received ("You're safe in 8th, congrats!") was at 4:45am. I had to sweat some of the best players in the world taking their shot to knock me out of 8th, but alas, none of them made it. An intoxicated Mika came 4 balls short in the last attempt of the night. I heard there was a lot of support for me during those waning hours and I want to let everyone know that meant a lot to me.
So I had to wake up early yesterday to make the trip back. This time, my partner was my wife, not Danny. She's prettier, and makes better jokes, but doesn't wear a hat quite so well and hasn't run a 287 (yet). Anyway, want to thank everyone for making her feel so welcome.
My first match in the tournament was against Bob Maidhof, with whom I probably have about an even record over the years. Whoever wins, usually wins by a lot. The last time we played, Bob beat me 125-0. I was thinking that on these tough tables, I might want to break, rather than receive, but decided against it at the last minute. I guess it was a good decision, because Bob left just a bit too much on the break, and I kind of caught a gear. In the race to 100, I ran a really clean 85 (I think it's on video), missing a long hanger after I made the 6th break ball. I actually left him really tough, and he came with a sick combination to get going. Bob is such a good player; it didn't matter what my lead was, I wasn't comfortable at all. I got lucky and he scratched towards the end of his 2nd rack, allowing me to run 10 more before I gave the table back again. We engaged in a safe battle, where he slightly mis-hit another combination and scratched. He conceded the wide-open table and I was on to my next match.
At this time, on the other table, Bobby Chamberlain lost a close one to Mike Davis, a game I'm sure they'd both like to forget. Both of these guys are monsters (Bobby ran over a hundred during the qualifiers, and I can't tell you how tough the tables were playing) but neither player could get it going in this one game. It happens. It's weird, the 14.1 crowd is still a bit small and all the guys are really getting to know each other well. Because of this, you don't want any of your friends to lose, or especially to have a subpar match. I was doing most of the scoring for this match before I had to get ready for my game with Maidhof, and it sucked to watch my friends struggling a bit, especially when you know what they're capable of.
In the other first round game, John Schmidt beat Dave Daya in a truly exciting match. Dave, one of the smoothest 14.1 players I've ever had the privilege to watch, played a wonderful game. He was up 70-something to about 37 when John took what was probably his final opportunity and ran out. Very exciting game, with some good defense as well (lots of intentional fouls).
The final match of the first round was Charlie Williams vs. Corey Deuel, which, due to scheduling conflicts with the 10-ball tournament, had started late. That match was being played at the same time as my 2nd round match with Schmidt. I couldn't watch much of the match, as I was playing, but it seemed that both players were trading 30s. Very close match, which Charlie eventually won. I know Charlie says in a self-deprecating manner that he doesn't really know the game, but he has some very strong results. He's a better player than he thinks he is.
So I begin my match with John, and his lag fell about 4 feet too short
. It was kind of funny. Maybe he wanted to break, lol. He left a really tough choice of shots (page 2 or page 3, below), and my bridge hand was in an awkward spot near the corner pocket. I deliberated for a few moments before finally choosing the shot in page 2:
I hit it perfect, and broke with the 2. I felt really good during this match, and my only goal for the match was to not hand it to Mr. Schmidt. He's such a tremendous player, and I wanted to make him earn a victory over me. So I was happy that I made the shot and that I wasn't feeling nervous at all. My arm felt great.
That said, I don't remember how I turned the table over, but I didn't run too many. Play continued, and with a score of about 30-30 I broke free with about a 45 or so. I think I was up 76-37 at one point, and then it was John's turn to run some balls. I got lucky and he turned the table over to me one final time when he was up 91-76 after jarring a break shot. Even though I was cold, I still felt so good. There was a nice crowd there too (even Nick Varner had stopped to watch!), and it just spurred me on. I got out of a nice rack to almost knot the score at 90-91. I left myself with an ideal break shot:
On the new cloth, the top right just didn't bite enough. The arc came too late (page 2) and put it right in the opposite side pocket. It was brutal, as it would be tough to imagine a scenario where I didn't run out from there (balls were everywhere). I calmly picked up the cueball, spotted the ball, and turned the table over. Not surprisingly, John ran out, ending my tournament.
I just want to say a few things about John. First, in my opinion one of the definitions of a champion is figuring out a way to win without your best stuff. By his own admission, John was not at top form during his match with me, but yet, he still finds a way to win. This is a skill that can't be taught, and it's more impressive than his fine executional talents. Anyone can make shots; John knows how to win. I'd take the latter any day. John, of course, has both.
The other thing about John is how encouraging he is. He said some things to me during this tournament that I'll never forget, stuff about my game. I'll keep them between him and me but let me tell you - there are some very, very arrogant players in this game. Arrogant to the point that players like me, clearly below them in skill but not bad players in our own right, still mean nothing to them. We might as well be APA 3s in their eyes. John's not like that. That means a lot to all of us who look up to him.
I can't talk about what happened after these matches, because we had to leave. But the memories of this event will last a long time. I know it was only a few matches I played, but everything went so well. From catching up with guys like Marop, Bobby Chamberlain, and Mike Davis (not to mention the organizers), to playing some good matches (and putting up a good fight against John in front of Corey and Charlie, both of whom almost certainly thought I stunk based on past performances against them hahaha), everything just was so sweet.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, but this is already way too long. So... thanks again to all involved. It was a great weekend!
- Steve
Danny Barouty and I showed up on Friday at about noon. We quickly found the 14.1 booth and we immediately saw the work that was put into the event. Two huge TVs were displaying the action, there was a big banner advertising the event, and the two full-sized diamond tables were like a beacon calling out to the serious player in the midst of a sea of barboxes.
There were three people there who were responsible for everything. Charlie, Heather, and Steve. Two months ago or so, the whole event had barely been conceived. And in such a short time, they had the best booth in the whole show. They were responsible for the setup, the video, the money collection/security, the scorekeeping of the qualifiers, the sign-up/waiting list, the ball cleaning, rules questions, and the prize distribution, tournament direction, and emceeing. They were there from morning til... well, morning. They did a simply heroic job, they did it professionally, and they deserve some serious props from all of us.
Thanks also to those who contributed to the booth costs, most notably Bob Jewett. He apparently couldn't make the trip, but his graciousness helped create an event which I have a strong feeling is going to continue for a long time.
So Danny and I immediately get on the waiting list, and give it our best. We had been struggling a bit with this in preparation for the event, not really putting up any numbers in practice. It was a bit better, but not much, during our first attempt at the show; I put up a 96 and Danny a 78. We each tried a few times more, and although Danny improved to a 91, we were both still shy of the triple digits. In my last attempt, I got to 132, with the help of two 40+ runs. If I had made just 7 more balls, I would have been much more comfortable, as I'd have skipped ahead of two players. As it was, when I left on Friday night, I was in 5th, and quite certain it wouldn't hold.
So all of Saturday, when I was back home, was spent following the text messages that Steve and Charlie were sending. And I really do mean ALL of Saturday (and even Sunday). The last text I received ("You're safe in 8th, congrats!") was at 4:45am. I had to sweat some of the best players in the world taking their shot to knock me out of 8th, but alas, none of them made it. An intoxicated Mika came 4 balls short in the last attempt of the night. I heard there was a lot of support for me during those waning hours and I want to let everyone know that meant a lot to me.
So I had to wake up early yesterday to make the trip back. This time, my partner was my wife, not Danny. She's prettier, and makes better jokes, but doesn't wear a hat quite so well and hasn't run a 287 (yet). Anyway, want to thank everyone for making her feel so welcome.
My first match in the tournament was against Bob Maidhof, with whom I probably have about an even record over the years. Whoever wins, usually wins by a lot. The last time we played, Bob beat me 125-0. I was thinking that on these tough tables, I might want to break, rather than receive, but decided against it at the last minute. I guess it was a good decision, because Bob left just a bit too much on the break, and I kind of caught a gear. In the race to 100, I ran a really clean 85 (I think it's on video), missing a long hanger after I made the 6th break ball. I actually left him really tough, and he came with a sick combination to get going. Bob is such a good player; it didn't matter what my lead was, I wasn't comfortable at all. I got lucky and he scratched towards the end of his 2nd rack, allowing me to run 10 more before I gave the table back again. We engaged in a safe battle, where he slightly mis-hit another combination and scratched. He conceded the wide-open table and I was on to my next match.
At this time, on the other table, Bobby Chamberlain lost a close one to Mike Davis, a game I'm sure they'd both like to forget. Both of these guys are monsters (Bobby ran over a hundred during the qualifiers, and I can't tell you how tough the tables were playing) but neither player could get it going in this one game. It happens. It's weird, the 14.1 crowd is still a bit small and all the guys are really getting to know each other well. Because of this, you don't want any of your friends to lose, or especially to have a subpar match. I was doing most of the scoring for this match before I had to get ready for my game with Maidhof, and it sucked to watch my friends struggling a bit, especially when you know what they're capable of.
In the other first round game, John Schmidt beat Dave Daya in a truly exciting match. Dave, one of the smoothest 14.1 players I've ever had the privilege to watch, played a wonderful game. He was up 70-something to about 37 when John took what was probably his final opportunity and ran out. Very exciting game, with some good defense as well (lots of intentional fouls).
The final match of the first round was Charlie Williams vs. Corey Deuel, which, due to scheduling conflicts with the 10-ball tournament, had started late. That match was being played at the same time as my 2nd round match with Schmidt. I couldn't watch much of the match, as I was playing, but it seemed that both players were trading 30s. Very close match, which Charlie eventually won. I know Charlie says in a self-deprecating manner that he doesn't really know the game, but he has some very strong results. He's a better player than he thinks he is.
So I begin my match with John, and his lag fell about 4 feet too short
. It was kind of funny. Maybe he wanted to break, lol. He left a really tough choice of shots (page 2 or page 3, below), and my bridge hand was in an awkward spot near the corner pocket. I deliberated for a few moments before finally choosing the shot in page 2:I hit it perfect, and broke with the 2. I felt really good during this match, and my only goal for the match was to not hand it to Mr. Schmidt. He's such a tremendous player, and I wanted to make him earn a victory over me. So I was happy that I made the shot and that I wasn't feeling nervous at all. My arm felt great.
That said, I don't remember how I turned the table over, but I didn't run too many. Play continued, and with a score of about 30-30 I broke free with about a 45 or so. I think I was up 76-37 at one point, and then it was John's turn to run some balls. I got lucky and he turned the table over to me one final time when he was up 91-76 after jarring a break shot. Even though I was cold, I still felt so good. There was a nice crowd there too (even Nick Varner had stopped to watch!), and it just spurred me on. I got out of a nice rack to almost knot the score at 90-91. I left myself with an ideal break shot:
On the new cloth, the top right just didn't bite enough. The arc came too late (page 2) and put it right in the opposite side pocket. It was brutal, as it would be tough to imagine a scenario where I didn't run out from there (balls were everywhere). I calmly picked up the cueball, spotted the ball, and turned the table over. Not surprisingly, John ran out, ending my tournament.
I just want to say a few things about John. First, in my opinion one of the definitions of a champion is figuring out a way to win without your best stuff. By his own admission, John was not at top form during his match with me, but yet, he still finds a way to win. This is a skill that can't be taught, and it's more impressive than his fine executional talents. Anyone can make shots; John knows how to win. I'd take the latter any day. John, of course, has both.
The other thing about John is how encouraging he is. He said some things to me during this tournament that I'll never forget, stuff about my game. I'll keep them between him and me but let me tell you - there are some very, very arrogant players in this game. Arrogant to the point that players like me, clearly below them in skill but not bad players in our own right, still mean nothing to them. We might as well be APA 3s in their eyes. John's not like that. That means a lot to all of us who look up to him.
I can't talk about what happened after these matches, because we had to leave. But the memories of this event will last a long time. I know it was only a few matches I played, but everything went so well. From catching up with guys like Marop, Bobby Chamberlain, and Mike Davis (not to mention the organizers), to playing some good matches (and putting up a good fight against John in front of Corey and Charlie, both of whom almost certainly thought I stunk based on past performances against them hahaha), everything just was so sweet.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, but this is already way too long. So... thanks again to all involved. It was a great weekend!
- Steve
