AzB sending a player to the US Open again

azhousepro

azhousepro

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OK gang, looks like we are going to try to send a player to the US Open again this year. Last year, we sent Rude Dog and the whole thing went very well. This year, we have a # of players who have been nominated to go.

As of now, the list of possible players is...

TheOne
vapoolplayer
Jimmy M.
Black balled
Jude Rosenstock
Dead-Poked
Keith McCready


This whole thing has been discussed in two different threads. Those threads can be found at ...

http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=13402
http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=13054


We will be taking donations via paypal at housepro@azbilliards.com

When you make a donation, please send me an email at that same address with your vote as to who should go. (I will keep tabs on the voting and notify the lucky winner when we have one.) Each person who donates will receive one vote as to who to send. Typical donations are $25, but feel free to donate anything you can.

Mike
 
Wow, that was cool. Never used paypal before. For others that haven't, opening an account is relatively simple on the paypal website, and you can use either your bank account or your credit card as your payment source.

I contributed the $200 I had planned on. Good luck to all on the ballot.
 
Yes indeed! My vote is for Keith, I don't know the others, but feel they are also deserving. I personally feel that with all the contributions that Keith and JAM make to this forum, it's the least I can do. :D

Good luck to all!

Eydie
 
Bob Romano said:
Yes indeed! My vote is for Keith, I don't know the others, but feel they are also deserving. I personally feel that with all the contributions that Keith and JAM make to this forum, it's the least I can do. :D

Good luck to all!

Eydie
Click to expand...

Hi, Eydie. Thanks for your vote! However, after consultation this a.m., we have decided to withdraw Keith's name from the Best Qualified List.

However, we are both going to support whichever player is voted in. I am torn between Black-Balled and VAP, since I have a little insider knowledge how each of them play and know their passion for the sport.

Let the voting begin! This is going to be fun, and I am definitely looking forward to the U.S. Open! :)

JAM
 
JAM said:
I am torn between Black-Balled and VAP, since I have a little insider knowledge how each of them play and know their passion for the sport.

JAM
Click to expand...


i'd go with black-balled JAM, he's been playing quite a while longer than i have, and deserves it more.

thanks

VAP
 
Could anyone post a brief introduction of each candidate on the list?

It is a great idea to support a player from this forum to fulfil his dream of playing in the US Open; however, without any information on any of the candidates, I really do not know whom I should vote for.

Thank you very much.

Richard
 
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Fellow AZB'ers,

I don't get a chance to post on this forum much anymore due to my recent deployment. I'd like to say thank you to Melissa Herndon who nominated me and who has also been in correspondence with me since I left for Iraq. She has even went through the trouble of sending me an actual letter with pictures from some tournaments. She is a very nice person and I wish her the best.

Since I've been nominated and the fact that I am not very well known on this board, I'll share some information about myself.

I am 22 years old and I started out playing pool as a young kid but never took it seriously until I joined the Air Force in September of 2000. I’ll be turning 23 in August and will celebrate my birthday in the Middle East for the second time. I turned 21 in the desert last time. Once I went to my tech school in Biloxi I started playing pool a lot in the recreation center. I was then stationed in Alaska for 3 years. There was not a lot do up there for someone under 21, so instead of taking college classes like I should have been doing, I played A LOT of pool.

I played in the base pool league with a good friend of mine, Tony Softa, and we won two years in a row. Unfortunately I wasn't able to play in the major poolhall in Anchorage, Hot Rods, because I was under 21 for the majority of the time I was there. I deployed with my friend Tony to Saudi Arabia and our job was to close the base down completely. We bet on every single thing imaginable to pass time, from seeing who could bench press the most (I won bench pressing 225!), to how much a pallet of material weighed, who could throw a bottle of water in a trash can, it went on and on. I was up $120 by the time we forward deployed to United Arab Emirates. This is where I got my real education about playing pool. I learned a lot from him but it wasn't free and I came out of UAE losing double what I was up in Saudi but learning invaluable information on "real" pool.

I PCS'd from Alaska to Mountain Home, Idaho which is about 40 miles from Boise. Seeing how I get all of the "great" assignments, my time on the table was not in danger to say the least. My game has improved by leaps and bounds since I left Alaska and I am the top player in Mountain Home. This is not saying much since there are only 11,000 people in the city! I play in Boise as often as I can in there weekly tournaments and have won them fairly consistently. Which I think is pretty good seeing how I don't get any practice on the tables there except for the tournaments. Unfortunately the drive is just too long to play there often and the level of people I play suffers because of it.

I recently deployed to Iraq nearly a month ago. I volunteered for this job because I wanted to do a tour of duty in Iraq before I separated from the military next year. Back at my home station I do Comm. support for the military intelligence flight on our base. Unfortunately there is no tasking for my job when Intel deploys, so I volunteered for a special duty in Iraq. I am doing Force Protection, which simply means I guard Iraqi's and Third Country Nationals that come on the base to do miscellaneous jobs. Not the most exciting job but it was the only way for me to deploy here.

I'll be here for 4 months total and should be returning around the beginning of September. I have been giving a lot of thought to devoting myself to becoming a professional player and I think an opportunity to go to the US Open would help open my eyes as to whether it is the path for me.

I appreciate being considering for this opportunity and wish all of you the best. Sorry if this was too lengthy but I finally had a chance to sit down and relax at a computer and I felt like typing.

Take care,

Roy Payton
 
vapoolplayer said:
i'd go with black-balled JAM, he's been playing quite a while longer than i have, and deserves it more.
Click to expand...

VAP, Black-Balled is more seasoned because he is older than you! :p

I would like to provide some helpful info for those considering WHO to vote for to send to the U.S. Open representing AzBilliards.

VAPoolPlayer is a nice-looking young man who has a deep passion for the game. I think when he got bit by the pool bug, he endeavored at that time to receive instruction from some of the best in the industry. He has traveled to Goodlettsville, TN, New York City, and Laurel, MD, just to name a few, seeking guidance to improve his game.

A working man, he lives within his means, but whatever is left over after the bills are paid goes to pool. He attends MANY tournaments on the East Coast. I'm never surprised when I see VAP walk in the front door, and he sweats the action matches as much as he does the tournament play.

He recently purchased a pool table to save on table time, so that he could begin practicing and developing his game at home. When VAP isn't working, he is playing pool. He participates in regional tours from Maryland to North Carolina and is constantly striving to improve his game and be the best that he can be.

Running into VAP on the tournament trail is always a pleasure. He is a nice person, a clean-cut kid with no bad habits, and make no mistake about it, he's here to stay and is part of the new generation of pool players.

JAM
 
Hay ,JAM! Where's my commercial?!? :D

J/K- Are we typing at the same time (You are gonna win the typing contest fer sher!)?

I am Walter Koch. I live about 30 mi outside of Washington, DC. I Started playing approx 15 years ago and took a break for about 6-7yrs, returned about 2 or 3yrs ago. Upon returning, I think I am better than ever coz I have been able to combine accurate shooting with a realistic view of my strengths and weaknesses. I have finally gotten comfortable in the tournament format where you have to come with it right away.

I have been playing some really good pool for the last year or so. Some of my highights are a 3rd in the State Championships behind McCready and Chris Loar (one awesome pool dude, soon to be one one awesome pool DAD!). I was also #1 in the Tiger/ Planet Pool Tour points list, but played a couple of events with a borrowed stick and couldn't make a ball. I am now #4 and hoping to improve on that by year's end. And I have sticks that feel right too :p !

And, my outside pool life? I am an HR Manager for a nationwide Consulting/ Human Services firm. We have 150 offices across the US and Australia/ Canada/ Israel and I am in the Corporate HR Division.

The biggest thing to happen to me EVER is my 14 month old daughter. Those of you who have children will know what I mean,, but it is incredible to see her and to love her. I am married and am fortunate to have a spouse who is tolerating my devotion to pool in 2005.

I would be honored to receive the support of AZB in attending this year's USOpen...and I don't need airfare!
 
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Black-Balled is one of those guys who got into pool at a very young age. Living in Northern Virginia, he used to frequent a pool room on Columbia Pike and Glebe Road, if memory serves me correctly, in the '80s era when he was a young'n.

I remember being in this pool room one time with a road player who was looking for action. The late Seattle Sam was running the joint, and it was a very action-friendly kind of place, and the games of high stake were abundant. Young Black-Balled was full of vigor and enthusiasm and approached the road agent, stating, "How will you play me?," showing no fear and hoping to get played.

Black-Balled was a regular player on the Camel Tour, I have been told, and was a very tough competitor in his younger years. Whenever he attends tournaments in Virginia, the railbirds always like to bet their dough on him. They have seen him play and like to bet on one of their own, knowing Black-Balled is a formidable opponent in any venue.

Walter Kochs a/k/a Black-Balled came in third last year at the Virginia State 9-Ball Championship in Richmond, VA, and he attends regional tournaments and independently promoted events as often as he is able. As a married man, he is devoted to his family and adores his beautiful baby girl. As a working man, he is only able to play as much as his resources and time will allow. He's definitely one of the good guys on the tournament trail, now a seasoned veteran looking to tweak his game and rise to the top whenever he is given the chance.

JAM
 
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Black-Balled said:
Hay ,JAM! Where's my commercial?!? :D

J/K- Are we typing at the same time (You are gonna win the typing contest fer sher!)?
Click to expand...

You beat me to the punch, Black-Balled, by 3 minutes! :p

JAM
 
Jimmy M. is a player whose name is quite familiar to Keith McCready. He told me that Jimmy is a topnotch player from California, whom he's had the opportunity to see play on many occasions, stating that at the time when Keith lived in California that Jimmy M. played about a ball beneath Keith's speed.

Keith said Jimmy M. not only has the skills set needed to play pool on a professional level, but that he most definitely is capable of rising to the top at the U.S. Open! ;)

I just wanted to throw that into the mix for those voting! :)

JAM
 
JAM said:
VAPoolPlayer is a nice-looking young man
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I think all contenders should post up pictures of themselves....um so we can see their form at the table....yeah that's it. :D Heck, if it is a beach picture we can cut the head off so that we aren't "ruining anyone's action" LMAO!!! :p
 
JAM said:
I'm never surprised when I see VAP walk in the front door, and he sweats the action matches as much as he does the tournament play.


JAM
Click to expand...

thanks for the write up JAM, i'm definitely gonna have to print that out and hang it on the fridge....... :D

you forgot to mention that i'm also a victim of the action......LOL. speaking of which, sorry i didn't make it to sterling yesterday, i had planned to, but i had to choose over action a half hour away from home, and spectating two hours away.....and i was feeling lazy........and lucky..... :p

either way this poll goes, i'll be at the open, i'm pondering playing.....but we'll see.

thanks again for the write up, and i'll see you guys soon. in fact, i'll probably give kieth a call later in the week.....when is the best time?

thanks

VAP
 
vapoolplayer said:
thanks for the write up JAM, i'm definitely gonna have to print that out and hang it on the fridge....... :D

you forgot to mention that i'm also a victim of the action......LOL. speaking of which, sorry i didn't make it to sterling yesterday, i had planned to, but i had to choose over action a half hour away from home, and spectating two hours away.....and i was feeling lazy........and lucky..... :p

either way this poll goes, i'll be at the open, i'm pondering playing.....but we'll see.

thanks again for the write up, and i'll see you guys soon. in fact, i'll probably give kieth a call later in the week.....when is the best time?
Click to expand...

Hi, VAP! We'll be at the home front for all of next week.

Check out some upcoming Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour season qualifier events. The Joss tournaments are great, and Snookers is one of the best pool rooms I've had the pleasure of experiencing on the tournament trail.

Season Finale Qualifier
Snookers Billiards
Providence, RI
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Limited to 16 players.
Top 2 finishers earn spot in finale.

Season Finale Qualifier
Hippos Billiards
Utica, NY
Sunday, June 15th AND 22nd, 2005
Limited to 16 players.
Top 2 finishers earn spot in finale.

JAM
 
Roy, Walter, VAP (in no particular order :p ):

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with the wonderful introductions. I would like to wish you all the best of luck.

JAM: What are we going to do without you? ;) Thank you.

Richard
 
JAM said:
Jimmy M. is a player whose name is quite familiar to Keith McCready. He told me that Jimmy is a topnotch player from California, whom he's had the opportunity to see play on many occasions, stating that at the time when Keith lived in California that Jimmy M. played about a ball beneath Keith's speed.

Keith said Jimmy M. not only has the skills set needed to play pool on a professional level, but that he most definitely is capable of rising to the top at the U.S. Open! ;)

I just wanted to throw that into the mix for those voting! :)

JAM
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Hey Jam. Tell Keith I said hi and thanks for the compliments. By the way, are we ever going to see Keith on this side of the country again? There isn't as much action in LA as there used to be, but I'm sure he'd create some if he came out for a visit.
 
Jimmy M. said:
Hey Jam. Tell Keith I said hi and thanks for the compliments. By the way, are we ever going to see Keith on this side of the country again? There isn't as much action in LA as there used to be, but I'm sure he'd create some if he came out for a visit.
Click to expand...

California is on the McCready travel schedule, and I'm hoping we can venture on out there and enjoy some West Coast pool action someday soon.

It would be GREAT to see you make the trek to the U.S. Open, Jimmy! It warms my heart at each U.S. Open when the California players come to play. Last year, a young man from Oklahoma battled his way through a tough field and won the championship title. It's the stuff that pool dreams are made of.

I heard you were just recently married, and it just so happens that the slogan for the Commonwealth State is: "Virginia is for lovers." :)

Come to the U.S. Open and be all that you can be! Win or lose, you and yours will have a grand old time! :cool:

JAM
 
BludWorth for sale

Hi, I'm a new member here but I noticed that you collect Bludworths. Please send me your e-mail address and I will be glad to send you some pictures and details. Thanks for your time.
Michael poolplayerrm :) :)



AzHousePro said:
OK gang, looks like we are going to try to send a player to the US Open again this year. Last year, we sent Rude Dog and the whole thing went very well. This year, we have a # of players who have been nominated to go.

As of now, the list of possible players is...

TheOne
vapoolplayer
Jimmy M.
Black balled
Jude Rosenstock
Dead-Poked
Keith McCready


This whole thing has been discussed in two different threads. Those threads can be found at ...

http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=13402
http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=13054


We will be taking donations via paypal at housepro@azbilliards.com

When you make a donation, please send me an email at that same address with your vote as to who should go. (I will keep tabs on the voting and notify the lucky winner when we have one.) Each person who donates will receive one vote as to who to send. Typical donations are $25, but feel free to donate anything you can.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
Here is where we are as of Monday afternoon...

$300 donated.
Donations received from SJM, JDB, Scott Roberson, Blackballed.

Mike
 
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