I watched the classic race to 100 with Alex and Shane and you could see how the outcome affected Shane. I think Shane has the best of anyone at those race to 100 or more in multiple day events. When the time is right...Shane will play Alex and I think the outcome will be different. That match up they had in the race to 100 is the best match I had ever seen, and I saw quite a few. Many people thought Mika would beat Shane in Mikas' home place at Amsterdam...but Shane destroyed Mika by 20 games and made Mika squirm in his chair the whole time...even creating some sharking moves while he was in his chair, Mika was never a factor in that match up. Earl has always been my favorite player, and I do think Earl has more natural talent then most anyone else. If he could control his mind and stay focused, I still think he's right up there with the best and could have given so much more to the Pool World. Shane has the same effect on me as Earl and I can't wait for the Match up in March. If Earl can control himself, this could very well be a top shelf match to remember. Like someone else mentioned in this post, I would like all of these multiple match up be a win by maybe 5-10 games, even though it's really exciting to watch a hill-hill match, playing that long could very well be won on a fluke shot or a miss cue or scratch on a break...but by making it a win by a certain number would really be the way to go..for the players and the fans. I have been playing for around 45 years and never had anyone to teach me or dvds to learn from, I made it a point to play against the top players like Earl..Johnny Archer, and so forth. I knew I could not win, but I learned so much from the top players, especially Earl. When my match was over, I would take my cue back to my room and made a point to go back to the tournament area and watch the top players. The one thing I regret is that I did not set my goals very high, I was happy just to cash in the tournament and I did so quite often, when you had to qualify and win points at a lower level, and then you went from semi Pro to Touring Pro and compete with the top players. So to the younger players of today...set high goals for yourself, don't settle just for cashing in....make goals for yourself. I did all of this while working 2 full time jobs and raised a family with 3 kids, I used all of my vacation time traveling around the country playing in the best tournaments I could. Also 1 of my jobs, I got laid off a lot and the other job I was a manager at a private club, so I could set my own hours without neglecting my family and we took many of vacations in the middle of the week, that gave more time to learn the game. The last 2 tournaments I played was Music City open and the Pro 8-Ball event at Allen Hopkins trade show back in 2002. I finished 17th at JOBS and tied for 9th at the Hopkins expo. I suffer from uncontrollable migraines, but I am hoping I can come back to competing again this year...I really miss the game. I also give lessons, and that drives me more then ever to come back and compete. I never intended to write all of this, but my heart aches to play again and talking of this, my mind just rambled on....................Duke from Pa................
