★Sandcastle - $20,000 One-Pocket Challenge★

I've been experimenting with CTE after watching the DVD a couple weeks ago and I'm not sold on it yet, but it does seem to be very accurate at times. But you're right, John's not the best representative... you have to have a straight stroke to make ANY aiming system work. John doesn't, and he knows it - he mentioned in the booth afterwards that he misses a lot of shots due to stroking errors.

It is not just "stroking errors". The way he executes shows that he doesn't align correctly for the shot. The whole foundation is the problem. The movement he does at the end of the stroke is subconscious and he can't control this. Because his brain is getting a false perception. He has a lot of work to do with his eyes, feet, bridge placement, etc.....
 
In light of people giving them respect for this match, I have to say: This is really stupid. These guys aren't wealthy and $10,000 is real money for them and for their families. Whoever loses is going to be genuinely effected in a substantive way. To turn an internet p*ssing match into an opportunity to substantively hurt your family in a misguided attempt to prove you have a big d*** - is really, really stupid.

But I guess I just defined gambling.

lol, surely they aren't getting down to the felt by betting $10K.
 
Uh huh. I know I have my share of haters, but... stooping to outright falsehoods just makes me wonder what exactly you do with your life. Misery 100% of the time must suck. Trolling is your daily highlight? Wonderful.

I'll take Pat Fleming's feedback before pretty much anyone else's in the world.

Freddie

The thing that interested me was your approach to the game and the match itself. You've always been professional and friendly and helpful. Much like Pat himself.
Juxtaposed with the past behavior of Mr Barton and Mr Figueroa I learned something. It doesn't hurt to be a good human being.
Which I hope both participants can take away from this. There seems to be a lot of animosity towards both from the fans. What started this was the worse of human behavior from the beginning. One from a Loudmouth the other a Big Bully. But both I think last night were behaving in a professional manner. I hope that they can take that away with them. Win or lose I think both have learned some humility and understanding. I hope at least.

Again Fred, you don't know me, but I thank you for your dedication to the game.
Last nite taught me to never put my foot where my mouth is and never to take pride in having an advantage over the weak
Keone
 
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I went to bed at around 11 last night. Is the match being continued today? If so, what is the current score?
 
They way the commentators were talking over each other was ridiculous.
Try letting the other finish a sentence first :)
 
Uh huh. I know I have my share of haters, but... stooping to outright falsehoods just makes me wonder what exactly you do with your life. Misery 100% of the time must suck. Trolling is your daily highlight? Wonderful.

I'll take Pat Fleming's feedback before pretty much anyone else's in the world.

Freddie

I've been away from pool for quite a while, and am just getting back into it. But I really enjoyed your commentary last night.

I used to live down your way. I used to play music in the bars in Gulfport, and used to play pool down at Planet 9-ball (Buddy Hall's joint) over in Town and Country.

Overall I'm glad I moved to Texas, but the pool scene in DFW is pretty lame. There are (or were, at least) tons of great places to play around St. Pete.
 
After watching that game yesterday, I'd say it's certainly JB's to lose.

If JB plays like he's 8 racks and 7 balls up, he might just pull this thing off. But I'd give him a whopping 2 mistakes in one rack and he's toast.
 
Uh huh. I know I have my share of haters, but... stooping to outright falsehoods just makes me wonder what exactly you do with your life. Misery 100% of the time must suck. Trolling is your daily highlight? Wonderful.

I'll take Pat Fleming's feedback before pretty much anyone else's in the world.

Freddie

I thought that ALL of the commentary yesterday was some of the best I've heard outside of high-budget productions like the ESPN stuff with Mitch Lawrence and a female pro or the US Open with Jimmy Wetch and Danny DeLiberto (or Billy Incardona or pretty much anything with Jimmy Wetch and anybody). Thank you for taking the time to do it for us.
 
The thing that interested me was your approach to the game and the match itself. You've always been professional and friendly and helpful. Much like Pat himself.
Juxtaposed with the past behavior of Mr Barton and Mr Figueroa I learned something. It doesn't hurt to be a good human being.
Which I hope both participants can take away from this. There seems to be a lot of animosity towards both from the fans. What started this was the worse of human behavior from the beginning. One from a Loudmouth the other a Big Bully. But both I think last night were behaving in a professional manner. I hope that they can take that away with them. Win or lose I think both have learned some humility and understanding. I hope at least.

Again Fred, you don't know me, but I thank you for your dedication to the game.
Last nite taught me to never put my foot where my mouth is and never to take pride in having an advantage over the weak
Keone

Well said. You need to hang around here more often. :)
 
Yep.

My observations from yesterday's play: I was surprised at the level of play. Call it being in front of the cameras...call it the money, whatever...I expected better play. To tell you the truth, I thought these two guys were WAY better than me. After hearing more than several posters comment that their play wasn't too bad, I now believe that I may have been underestimating my own game for all these years....because I'm not that far behind them skill-wise. Oh, they are both better than me, just that the gap isn't as wide as I had suspected.


Maniac

Are you comparing your 1P game to Lous' 1P game... there are more missed shots in 1P, because controlling the cb is far more important than making the ball so you don't sell out... just saying.

1P is like chess, it always looks easy when you are sitting on the sidelines.. but get up and play and then you find out, not so easy :)
 
I've been away from pool for quite a while, and am just getting back into it. But I really enjoyed your commentary last night.

I used to live down your way. I used to play music in the bars in Gulfport, and used to play pool down at Planet 9-ball (Buddy Hall's joint) over in Town and Country.

Overall I'm glad I moved to Texas, but the pool scene in DFW is pretty lame. There are (or were, at least) tons of great places to play around St. Pete.

Ken "The Rolling Shark" Miller was the owner of Planet 9-Ball, he sold it to Strokers and it became Strokers II this was around 2009, then it was closed by 2011.
 
Ken "The Rolling Shark" Miller was the owner of Planet 9-Ball, he sold it to Strokers and it became Strokers II this was around 2009, then it was closed by 2011.

I moved away in 2006, and was playing right up to then. Was Buddy not affiliated with that place at all? I coulda swore...

Sucks that place closed. They're dropping like flies :(

There was also a little place up on 4th st that had a carom table. Are they still around?

You mentioned last night about scaring the kids away... man I liked the old guys, but I wasn't betting my lunch money. What caused me to have to stop going to pool halls was the cigarette smoke. Between the honky tonks and pool halls I developed a pretty bad allergy to second hand smoke, and I just can't be around it at all anymore. I think the smoke environment is really hurting selling this sport to younger people.

I have a table at home now, but damn I miss playing pickup games and watching the old guys play one pocket out at a hall.
 
Semi off topic:

One of the announcers mentioned that Sandcastle has no liquor and no food?

How the !#@$ do they possibly make enough to operate?

Just curious...
 
I watched the match off and on last night. From the start it looked 1 sided. But, my hat is off to them for putting their money up and playing.
 
After watching that game yesterday, I'd say it's certainly JB's to lose.

If JB plays like he's 8 racks and 7 balls up, he might just pull this thing off. But I'd give him a whopping 2 mistakes in one rack and he's toast.

It's JBs to lose how do you come to that conclusion when Lou was ahead every step of the way ,, I didn't watch as I was watching mold grow on my counter but from what I read Lou looked like the better player ,, however he did not play great and given that with all this talk from JB how he's playing guys close to even that Lou could not even stand in the same room I'm somewhat surprised he did not play better
The fact is, one of the hardest things to do is keep your foot on the gas when a player appears not to be in your class and if you let up and that guy starts coming back the pockets seem to shrink and momentum swing the other way that's what I think happened to Lou and I give him credit for keeping it together and getting to the Hill

1
 
No, I think it is. I watched almost the whole thing yesterday, and JB had the better strategy. Lou made the balls early, can bank well and run, but if you kept looking at the layout of the table, JB was in control the vast majority of the time. The wedge was present a few time, but in almost all of the games all of the balls were over JB's side of the table.

If they got down to a few balls on the table, JB won every time. I really think that JB just let the first 2 get away from him, and after that it's incredibly even. Every other rack but one could have gone either way.

But if JB loses, it's because he lets Lou run, which is JB's mistake. That's why I say it's JB's to lose.
 
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