I know this has been discussed in the past, but does anybody know for sure what happened to Evgeny Stalev? I've heard all kinds of stories about expired visa's and trouble with the Russian mob. Could somebody please separate the fact from fiction?
Whatever Happened To Evgeny Stalev?
- Thread starter ToughRowToHoe
- Start date
I wish he would come back to the states, His mechanics are perfect, It was a real pleasure watching him play.
I have a couple of his Accu-Stats matches, and his facial expression never changes. He shows absolutely no emotion. It's like he's in some kind of Persistent Vegitative State. I love it! That guy's as tough as nails.Michael Webb said:
ToughRowToHoe said:
You have to be in Russia, don't you?
I could never pronounce his name, "Evgeny Stalev," and we always called him "The Russian." 
He toured over here in the States in 2002 for a spell on the East Coast as well as the West Coast.
The first time I ran into him was up at a Joss tournament in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in 2002. He told me that he was the Russian champion for 5 years in a row, and at that time, if memory serves me correct, he was only in his early twenties, married with two kids.
He mentioned that $1,000 goes much further in his home country than it does in the U.S., and he was a very action friendly player, never afraid to step up to the plate.
So, when he propositioned Keith in Chelmsford in 2002 to play an ahead-set of banks EVEN for a couple dimes, I was shaking in my boots. The pool room in Chelmsford is huge with two rooms. So, while the Joss tournament was in progress in one room, Keith and The Russian played this action match in the other playing area. The 5-ahead set seesawed back and forth, and this kid can bank balls with precision. Keith ended up beating him, but it took several hours, as I recall. I remember Earl Strickland came over to watch them play after he finished his tournament match and made himself comfortable on a stool in the back area unnoticed. A few times when Keith made a good bank, Earl would chant in the background, "Eeeeeether," which made Keith grin from ear to ear hearing his moniker from yesteryear.
The late Larry Lisciotti was there, too. He ended up playing The Russian a little one-hole, but came up a little short that day. Larry was cutting up with Evgeny during the match, but it didn't phase this kid because he couldn't understand English very well at that time. He did understand ACTION, though, and I was impresssed with his shooting capabilities at such a very young age.
For the young'ns or those who may not know Evgeny Stalev, here's a picture I took of him at the 2002 U.S. Open in Virginia.
JAM
He toured over here in the States in 2002 for a spell on the East Coast as well as the West Coast.
The first time I ran into him was up at a Joss tournament in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in 2002. He told me that he was the Russian champion for 5 years in a row, and at that time, if memory serves me correct, he was only in his early twenties, married with two kids.
He mentioned that $1,000 goes much further in his home country than it does in the U.S., and he was a very action friendly player, never afraid to step up to the plate.
So, when he propositioned Keith in Chelmsford in 2002 to play an ahead-set of banks EVEN for a couple dimes, I was shaking in my boots. The pool room in Chelmsford is huge with two rooms. So, while the Joss tournament was in progress in one room, Keith and The Russian played this action match in the other playing area. The 5-ahead set seesawed back and forth, and this kid can bank balls with precision. Keith ended up beating him, but it took several hours, as I recall. I remember Earl Strickland came over to watch them play after he finished his tournament match and made himself comfortable on a stool in the back area unnoticed. A few times when Keith made a good bank, Earl would chant in the background, "Eeeeeether," which made Keith grin from ear to ear hearing his moniker from yesteryear.
The late Larry Lisciotti was there, too. He ended up playing The Russian a little one-hole, but came up a little short that day. Larry was cutting up with Evgeny during the match, but it didn't phase this kid because he couldn't understand English very well at that time. He did understand ACTION, though, and I was impresssed with his shooting capabilities at such a very young age.
For the young'ns or those who may not know Evgeny Stalev, here's a picture I took of him at the 2002 U.S. Open in Virginia.
JAM
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I was also wondering where The Russian was. I remember heading down to the US Open and watching him play Tony Chohan a little one pocket... Win or Lose I never saw any emotion from him. At the end I think The Russian came up ahead. He then proceeded to play Amar Kang some 9 ball and beat him as well.
On a side note, I also got to watch Keith McCready beat Cliff Joyner that same night.... I wish there were more of those days around here...
On a side note, I also got to watch Keith McCready beat Cliff Joyner that same night.... I wish there were more of those days around here...
Didn't Liscotti call Stalev "Boris" during his matchup with him?
Seriously, though, this kid plays phenomenal pool and looked good to be taking down titles like Mika and Corey have been but it hasn't worked that way yet.
If he has problems with the Russian mob, he is in a world of trouble. Those guys simply don't play around.
p.s. Anyone interested in Russian mob stories should check out "Red Mafiya" or Claire Sterlings' "Octopus"
Seriously, though, this kid plays phenomenal pool and looked good to be taking down titles like Mika and Corey have been but it hasn't worked that way yet.
If he has problems with the Russian mob, he is in a world of trouble. Those guys simply don't play around.
p.s. Anyone interested in Russian mob stories should check out "Red Mafiya" or Claire Sterlings' "Octopus"
I can't confirm this but I heard on another forum that he landed a pretty decent gig over in Dubai as a house pro for a big pool room but like I said I'm not 100% sure, this was also several months ago and for all we know he could be back home in Russia with his family which is also a very likely possibility. It would be nice to see him back on the tournament scene though as he is simply an incredible natural talent on the pool table.
Stalev is definitely the top money player from Russia but when it comes to playing tournaments I like Konstantin Stepanov alot as well, he took Pagulayan hill-hill in the L64 at the WPC last year and is no slouch himself.
Stalev is definitely the top money player from Russia but when it comes to playing tournaments I like Konstantin Stepanov alot as well, he took Pagulayan hill-hill in the L64 at the WPC last year and is no slouch himself.