Sharing some ring game details
I would have posted this earlier however the tournament hotel has no internet access and since I watched the Reyes-Joyner $30,000 match most of the night I did not want to go across the highway and post. Fred did a great job with his reporting and am wondering where he did it from. He was right on with what Efren did, it was a disection.
As for the ring game I see there are not details so I will offer my two cents worth.
First about Cory Duel not participating. He ended up sitting next to me and I asked him about it and evidently the people putting him in did not get the money in or backed out but no one told Cory so he found out at the last minute but by then it was to late and Alex played. He said if he had known he would have got someone else to put nim in. He really wanted to play.
How ironic that Alex would then win. He played great. The difference betweem him and the rest on this night was his break. He was breaking from just off the center of the table whereas most other players were putting the cue ball on the left or right edge of the rail. John Schmidt used the center also and it showed in his early success. John started off hot and ran a couple of racks and got way up. If you can call it that, imo, they started the betting too low and that is why the game took over 3 1/2 hours. Way too long to sit there. It seems Johnny Archer had no chance from the beginning as after eating about five games to finally get a shot, although difficult but makeable he missed and that was the alst shot he got as he got knocked out first. Of his next 5 shots he was hooked on every one and never got lucky.
In the middle of the match Alex strung together 5 straight games which all but one were runouts when he made a 10 on the break. That turned the tide in his favor although John made one last run along with Efren but to no avall. Rob, Shannon went out without much of a fight nor did they get any rolls. John Schmidt was doing realy well until a couple of jump shots rattled the pockets and hung and that was the turning point for him as he exited leaving it up to the two Phillipine reps to battle it out. There was ongoing banter about John having to save Americas face in light of his oppoents recent sucesses and although he gave it his best bowed out. The crowd, prompted by T.D. and Announcer and ref Scott Smith, shouted "Goodnight Johnny". That left two men and the format changed to you having to bet alll your money if you were the low man. Effrent had 8100 left and Alex 9900 so the bet was 8100 and if Efren lost it was over. Alex broke and made a ball and had a decent runout but lost shape on the 7 ball, so he had a choice try a safe, or bank the ball long way and since he had the eight and near the pocket for a possible carom off the eight in case he hit the bank bad he went for it and he was shooting so good the 7 never toched the 8 and the crowd erupted and it was obvious it was over. As he sank the final 10 ball I snapped his picture as he leaped in the air and I will post and frame it in my pool room
So there you have it, hope to get back to post some more action. Have not found any az'ers yet but probably will. Later
P.s. Mike this site is still slower than molasses. I am sure you know. Am not ragging, but this took so long I missed a good match. lol.
