2007-your Man In Manila

[f210]

I'd say he's already a five hit wonder.

10 - 1 over Lely, 10-2 over Chao, 11-0 over Feijen, 11-4 over Kuo, 11-4 over Boyes.

Demolishing these great players would sure seem to suggest Gomez is the real deal. This is surely among the most dominant runs in the history of our sport.

You may be right. I just found out that his win against Karl Boyes was his
15th consecutive win if you consider his wins from the qualifiers. He beat 80 to 90 players in the qualifiers with 8 straight wins, then 2 in the elimination round, plus 5 straight wins starting from the round of 64.

 

[The Milk Man]

Any talk about Gomez and Lee Van coming over for the DCC?

 

[f210]

Any talk about Gomez and Lee Van coming over for the DCC?

I have heard that Roberto Gomez tried to get a US visa but was always denied. It took Corteza and Orcullo a couple of years/tries before they eventually got their US visas.

I hope that with his excellent performance in the WPC, he will finally get one.

 

[yobagua]

What is with the Visa thing? The Phillipines are a friendly country. Its not like they are Iraq or Afghanistan. My aunties are all Ilocos and Visayan and Cebuanos. It seem like every other nurse at my local hospital is Filipina. Dont they have visitor visa's like we do. We got to get some of there guys here to play in the Derby. When I saw Gallego play and Alcano and Orcullo. It was like a one in a life experience. Lets get the Taiwanese here for the Derby too.

 

[JoeyA]

What is with the Visa thing? The Phillipines are a friendly country. Its not like they are Iraq or Afghanistan. My aunties are all Ilocos and Visayan and Cebuanos. It seem like every other nurse at my local hospital is Filipina. Dont they have visitor visa's like we do. We got to get some of there guys here to play in the Derby. When I saw Gallego play and Alcano and Orcullo. It was like a one in a life experience. Lets get the Taiwanese here for the Derby too.

Let's get the Chinese players to the DCC.
JoeyA

 

[jay helfert]

Okay, to answer some of your questions. After this performance, Gomez should be able to get his U.S. Visa. It usually takes a good result or two for the government to let their players go abroad. I expect to see many filipinos at Derby City this year. Gomez is just one more excellent player from the Island nation. He just got the hot hand at the right time. Any filipino who makes it into the WPC, has a chance to win. Next year we could see a Gabica or De Luna or even a youngster like Revo or Takayama make a big splash. That's how it is over here.

I personally handed an invitation to Yang from Taiwan to come to Derby City. It came directly from Greg Sullivan, with some nice inducements. I spoke with his translator and told him about the ACTION there. Yang asked me if they play 9-Ball or Ten Ball for money. I told him he could play big games every night in Louisville. So, he may come, and if he does I'm sure he will bring some countrymen with him. At least he knows he is welcome there.

Went to One Side last night and it was a pool circus. Like a mini Derby City, with good games to watch (and bet on) all over the place. This is a nine table room, and the following matches were going on at the same time. Shane vs. Kiamco for 140,000p (about $3,250), Francisco vs. Orcullo for 150,000p, Alcano vs. Reyes for 100,000p. These were the feature match-ups. Ronnie Wiseman was playing Lolo for 1K, and Niels Feijen was playing an unnamed filipino for $500. ALL were playing long Ten Ball races. Shane's match was to 28, Django's to 25, Efren's to 21 and the other two to 15.

SHANE LOST! Yes, it can happen. He is not invincible. And Warren played good. Even though Shane has had some success with the filipinos, they will keep on challenging him. That's how it is over here. If you are the top gun, everyone wants to play you. It is a big deal to be THE MAN! I mean look at who's playing right now. The very best players continue to challenge each other. And for some serious cash too. That is one big reason they stay on top. This is something that no school in Taiwan can duplicate. JMO of course.

Dennis was close to winning when I left (21-18) and Efren-Alcano was still early. Shane lost 28-17, and Ronnie W. lost 15-13. Niels fell also 15-11. Filipinos rule! Shane and I talked briefly after his match. He will be going back for one more match tonite, before flying out in the morning. He said he would like to come back in February for an extended stay. I told him a month over here and he would come home a better player. There is no shortage of competition for him here, and no one asks for a spot!

Yes, I had a piece of Shane and Wiseman. I made a 10,000p donation to the filipino pool economy. And that's why they love me. They know I will be betting when I show up. One young guy hustled me to play some Ten Ball. I told him we could play some One Pocket or all Banks. They only want to play 9-Ball, Ten Ball or Rotation here. Kind of amazing since the best One Pocket player in the world is Efren. And Busti, Dennis and Parica play great as well. It just hasn't caught on over here yet. Or anywhere else in Asia. But it will some day I'm sure.

But that's how it is, and my only chance for action may come from foreign players. Vincent Fauquet from France asked me to play One Hole and he offered that he had played Efren 10-5. I told him I played Efren 11-5, so we are close. I'll keep you posted.

 

[crosseyedjoe]

What is with the Visa thing? The Phillipines are a friendly country. Its not like they are Iraq or Afghanistan. My aunties are all Ilocos and Visayan and Cebuanos. It seem like every other nurse at my local hospital is Filipina. Dont they have visitor visa's like we do. We got to get some of there guys here to play in the Derby. When I saw Gallego play and Alcano and Orcullo. It was like a one in a life experience. Lets get the Taiwanese here for the Derby too.

Although Philippines is a friendly country, it's still a third world country. So the USA is wary on accepting too many visitors from the country. Thus Visa is needed to visit United Staes.

There is this criteria to get a Visa, "Strong ties to the country of origin," which is a euphamism for "someone who is not likely to go illegal." Mostly, you'll get it if you are well-known or has the money to support your visit in the USA.

As for your aunties, they are most likely Greencard(permanent immigrant) or US citizenship holders, so a Visa is no longer needed.

 

[jay helfert]

Man that was ugly! Four and a half hours long also (altho probably an hour was for commercial breaks). Both players struggled throughout the match, with Gomez totally freezing up at the end. He got a case of lockjaw of the arm. It's happened to all of us. I guess it made for dramatic TV, but it was the poorest played final I've seen in any tournament in years. They had one stretch in the middle where they both played okay, but that was it.

The table was changed for the final match from the other television arena. Turned out to be a bad decision. Usually is when an attempt is made to affect a match in some way. Probably will head down to One Side later. Should be a packed house tonite. I feel bad for Roberto Gomez. He will take this one hard. A very bad case of nerves.

 

[Kyo]

Man that was ugly! Four and a half hours long also (altho probably an hour was for commercial breaks). Both players struggled throughout the match, with Gomez totally freezing up at the end. He got a case of lockjaw of the arm. It's happened to all of us. I guess it made for dramatic TV, but it was the poorest played final I've seen in any tournament in years. They had one stretch in the middle where they both played okay, but that was it.

The table was changed for the final match from the other television arena. Turned out to be a bad decision. Usually is when an attempt is made to affect a match in some way. Probably will head down to One Side later. Should be a packed house tonite. I feel bad for Roberto Gomez. He will take this one hard. A very bad case of nerves.

-----------------------------------------
Oh i see they actually changed the tables? That explains why no soft breaks. Jim Wych suggested that the tournament people had a word with the players or perhaps a gentlemens agreement between the 2 to not play soft.

I wouldn't say that was the poorest final ever. There was a lot of tension and pressure out there. Remember your in the final of the world pool championship. *dream come ture* It easy on the side lines to be critical without actually being behind every shot. imo it was pefectly understandable. Final was a lot better than i expected tbh imagine every rack played with the soft break?! At least the hard break was much more in the lap of the pool gods. Which imo and perhaps most would agree would have been and has been much more enjoyable.!

Congratulations to Daryl Peach - NEW world 9ball Pool Champion 2007.

Not only did he have to hold himself, his game together but also dealt with the atmosphere and crowd to overcome the odds. !!

 

[chilli66]

So Jay, when do you have to head back home?

To me it feels like you haven't been there that long at all! I bet the time has gone by even quicker for you though. Still, you know Fatboy will be glad to have you back!

 

[BigMalUK]

Great result for Daryl and pool in the UK. I don't think the play was poor- it did get nervy at times, but Peach's strength of character saw him through. He has proved himself a worthy champion with the scalps he has taken in their own backyard.

The balls seemed to be breaking awkwardly time after time and I really enjoyed some of the bouts of safety play from both players. For a TV audience it was a shot in the arm for the game. To a casual viewer a match like that is far better to watch than one guy dominating on an easy table running rack after rack - hopefully the viewing figures will reflect that.

Gomez's body language after the halfway point of the final was very negative and he could not seem to shake the doubt from his shoulders. You could sense the pressure getting to him more and more as he thought about the finishing line. I don't know if he will ever be the same player again after that kind of experience, but I do hope he puts it behind him and learns from it as best as he can.

 

[tgspool]

Great result for Daryl and pool in the UK. I don't think the play was poor- it did get nervy at times, but Peach's strength of character saw him through. He has proved himself a worthy champion with the scalps he has taken in their own backyard.

The balls seemed to be breaking awkwardly time after time and I really enjoyed some of the bouts of safety play from both players. For a TV audience it was a shot in the arm for the game. To a casual viewer a match like that is far better to watch than one guy dominating on an easy table running rack after rack - hopefully the viewing figures will reflect that.

Gomez's body language after the halfway point of the final was very negative and he could not seem to shake the doubt from his shoulders. You could sense the pressure getting to him more and more as he thought about the finishing line. I don't know if he will ever be the same player again after that kind of experience, but I do hope he puts it behind him and learns from it as best as he can.

Sorry sir, but it was so bad for me that i stopped watching. Congrats to Lex Luther.

Wpc08 should be more exciting. Im not going to root for busta anymore,maybe im jinxing him. Yang or svb in 08

 

[gopi-1]

I thought Superman has nerves of steel?

Congrats to Daz, England and pool in general! The finals wasn't the best of
pool per se, but it provided the drama, the excitement, and brought back the
fans back to the game! I hope the sports networks picks up from this and
realize that pool is not like watching paint dry. The human character was
exposed from both extremes as we watch someone held his nerve in check
while the other broke down in pieces. It was everything you could've asked for,
well, except for great pool from start to finish.

We've witnessed great counter safeties were everyone thought the other
guy was a goner. There were stretches of brilliance from both sides and
frailty of human emotions as the pool gods couldn't decide whom to blessed.
The finals would be devoid of drama if everybody played like a pool playing
machine, were everybody expects the players to make what they're
suppose to make, even under extreme pressure. How many easy misses
did we witnessed last night were we can even make with our eyes closed,
a lot! A comedy of errors, a sprinkling of great shots, a touch great safety
battles, and a ton of high and low emotions is great TV for me!

I wish Daryl Peach the best and hope this win will carry him to more
greater heights while I hope this loss for Roberto Gomez will serve in good
stead in his future matches!

Same time next year folks!

 

[gopi-1]

Okay, to answer some of your questions. After this performance, Gomez should be able to get his U.S. Visa. It usually takes a good result or two for the government to let their players go abroad. I expect to see many filipinos at Derby City this year. Gomez is just one more excellent player from the Island nation. He just got the hot hand at the right time. Any filipino who makes it into the WPC, has a chance to win. Next year we could see a Gabica or De Luna or even a youngster like Revo or Takayama make a big splash. That's how it is over here.

I personally handed an invitation to Yang from Taiwan to come to Derby City. It came directly from Greg Sullivan, with some nice inducements. I spoke with his translator and told him about the ACTION there. Yang asked me if they play 9-Ball or Ten Ball for money. I told him he could play big games every night in Louisville. So, he may come, and if he does I'm sure he will bring some countrymen with him. At least he knows he is welcome there.

Went to One Side last night and it was a pool circus. Like a mini Derby City, with good games to watch (and bet on) all over the place. This is a nine table room, and the following matches were going on at the same time. Shane vs. Kiamco for 140,000p (about $3,250), Francisco vs. Orcullo for 150,000p, Alcano vs. Reyes for 100,000p. These were the feature match-ups. Ronnie Wiseman was playing Lolo for 1K, and Niels Feijen was playing an unnamed filipino for $500. ALL were playing long Ten Ball races. Shane's match was to 28, Django's to 25, Efren's to 21 and the other two to 15.

SHANE LOST! Yes, it can happen. He is not invincible. And Warren played good. Even though Shane has had some success with the filipinos, they will keep on challenging him. That's how it is over here. If you are the top gun, everyone wants to play you. It is a big deal to be THE MAN! I mean look at who's playing right now. The very best players continue to challenge each other. And for some serious cash too. That is one big reason they stay on top. This is something that no school in Taiwan can duplicate. JMO of course.

Dennis was close to winning when I left (21-18) and Efren-Alcano was still early. Shane lost 28-17, and Ronnie W. lost 15-13. Niels fell also 15-11. Filipinos rule! Shane and I talked briefly after his match. He will be going back for one more match tonite, before flying out in the morning. He said he would like to come back in February for an extended stay. I told him a month over here and he would come home a better player. There is no shortage of competition for him here, and no one asks for a spot!

Yes, I had a piece of Shane and Wiseman. I made a 10,000p donation to the filipino pool economy. And that's why they love me. They know I will be betting when I show up. One young guy hustled me to play some Ten Ball. I told him we could play some One Pocket or all Banks. They only want to play 9-Ball, Ten Ball or Rotation here. Kind of amazing since the best One Pocket player in the world is Efren. And Busti, Dennis and Parica play great as well. It just hasn't caught on over here yet. Or anywhere else in Asia. But it will some day I'm sure.

But that's how it is, and my only chance for action may come from foreign players. Vincent Fauquet from France asked me to play One Hole and he offered that he had played Efren 10-5. I told him I played Efren 11-5, so we are close. I'll keep you posted.

The only way you can make the Filipinos play one pocket is if they can get to watch a match between
Efren and someone close to his speed play one pocket AND, with a lot of CHEESE on the line. The jelly
beans is the ultimate motivator for these guys!

Thnx for the heads up Jay! It's been fun!

 

[tfdr]

so it's back to normal to these pinoy stick gladiators there in the Phil..

 

[crosseyedjoe]

so it's back to normal to these pinoy stick gladiators there in the Phil..

Pretty much, just some more waiting game for the second biggest event, 8-Ball WPC.

 

[jay helfert]

So Jay, when do you have to head back home?

To me it feels like you haven't been there that long at all! I bet the time has gone by even quicker for you though. Still, you know Fatboy will be glad to have you back!

I'm here for one more week. After 9 days of talking about pool, sweating matches, discussing players, making bets and on and on, I'm ready for some R&R. So I'm off to Angeles City for a few days. It's only an hour out of Manila, but a world away from the masses of humanity you deal with daily in Metro Manila.

Naturally I get checked into my hotel, clean up and then strap on my cue and hit the streets. Am I sick or what? I just want to play someone...ANYONE! The streets are lined with bars here and every one of them has a 9' table waiting for me. No bar tables here, or anywhere else in the Philippines either for that matter. I get some games where the loser pays the 8p for the game (about 20 cents). All games are Eight Ball, so I guess that's the universal bar pool game. I'm 7-0 for the day, but no one who can play has showed up. They tell me come back tonite and the good guys will be here. Sounds like something I've heard before.....a million times!

Never made it back to One Side last night. ESPN Star Asia threw a party for the crew (about 50-60 people) at Joey's Bar. They have four tables there including one Brunswick Metro. I think I played a game with everyone on the crew. I even showed them some of my corny trick shots. You know the kind you can't miss.

Then I drank a couple of San Miguel's and I was wasted. Yes, it's true, I am a lightweight pussy who can't hold his liquor. I stumble back to the hotel, fortunate that I didn't forget my cue or my head. Slept like a baby and got up, checked out (after a major to do about a huge phone bill, which I got them to "adjust" from $600! down to $45), and took an endless journey to the bus station. The cab ride cost 200p and the one hour bus trip to Angeles City was only 115p. Go figure. Well, nothing is as it seems in the PI anyway. How much different this Angeles is from the one where I live (Los Angeles). It's the Wild, Wild West out here, kind of like Las Vegas circa 1960's. Anything goes and everybody likes it that way. If I can only get a pool game. I'm tired of betting on all these champions every day. I want a game I can really sweat, where I have to make the balls!

 

[jay helfert]

John Barton came to the WPC a few days ago, with some nice cases in tow. He hands me a couple to check out, copies of the original Fellini cases that are so coveted. They were beauties, one with brown leather wrap and one with black. It looked like real lizard skin, but John told me it was treated cowhide.

If anything these cases could give the Fellini's the eight. The way the leather cover (and the lines of the skin) matched up, above and below the opening, was remarkable to say the least. It was perfectly matched! And the latch was an improvement over the original. They both made that sweet swooshing noise when you opened them, certifying a tight fit.

Made to hold one butt and two shafts, they are a throwback to another era when economy of size and weight was a pre-requisite for a good player's case. I told him I loved the cases, and he asked me which one I loved the most. WOW, and....well let's see. I have several black cases (Whitten, It's George etc.) so I said I like the brown one. He said to take it, it's mine! Smart boy that I am, I thanked him profusely and got the hell outa there before he could change his mind. I didn't even care about hustling him to play One Pocket, which entered my mind when I saw him. He does play pretty sporty you know.

THANKS AGAIN JOHN. I LOVE MY NEW CASE!!! I may use it to ship my playing cue to Derby City because it will be well protected in this case. I can carry the accessories in my back pack. Did I say THANKS for the cool case? You do good work John!

 

[Black-Balled]

John Barton came to the WPC a few days ago, ...he asked me which one I loved the most....He said to take it, it's mine! Smart ... I didn't even care about hustling him to play One Pocket, which entered my mind when I saw him...work, John!

Discretion is the better part of valor!

 

[JoeyA]

John Barton came to the WPC a few days ago, with some nice cases in tow. He hands me a couple to check out, copies of the original Fellini cases that are so coveted. They were beauties, one with brown leather wrap and one with black. It looked like real lizard skin, but John told me it was treated cowhide.

If anything these cases could give the Fellini's the eight. The way the leather cover (and the lines of the skin) matched up, above and below the opening, was remarkable to say the least. It was perfectly matched! And the latch was an improvement over the original. They both made that sweet swooshing noise when you opened them, certifying a tight fit.

Made to hold one butt and two shafts, they are a throwback to another era when economy of size and weight was a pre-requisite for a good player's case. I told him I loved the cases, and he asked me which one I loved the most. WOW, and....well let's see. I have several black cases (Whitten, It's George etc.) so I said I like the brown one. He said to take it, it's mine! Smart boy that I am, I thanked him profusely and got the hell outa there before he could change his mind. I didn't even care about hustling him to play One Pocket, which entered my mind when I saw him. He does play pretty sporty you know.

THANKS AGAIN JOHN. I LOVE MY NEW CASE!!! I may use it to ship my playing cue to Derby City because it will be well protected in this case. I can carry the accessories in my back pack. Did I say THANKS for the cool case? You do good work John!

MORE PERSONAL ACTION REPORTS from the streets, PLEASE? What do the LOCAL PEOPLE say about the WPC results?

It is bad enough that I have to fade you playing with your personal cue, but now you're gonna have a fancy cue case by John Barton to house it in. How is it going to warp? And you're going to SHIP it to the Derby City Classic? How's it going to get lost.

JoeyA thinks Jay is getting serious about our one hole match in DCC.

JoeyA