Brian parks back to back and 3 times overall....WOW!!!

Brian

Congrats Buddy on making it through another year. I really thought there was some tough competition there with Brett S and Jeff A.

Been a while sine I seen you but next time I do you have a beer coming.

Frank "alabama"
 
Congrats to Brian for winning. It's definitely a tough event to win.

I was surprised at the lack of action in the surrounding pool halls. In years past some of the bigger names in the event would venture out and gamble but I actually saw none of that this year.
 
Brian,

First of all, I would like to wish a hearty congratulation for your accomplishment at the APA US Ams this year. Winning this event one time is a worthy fete in itself. But to win it twice and make back-to-back wins is truly unbelievable!! There’s no doubt that everybody that knows you back in Bakersfield is proud of you. Well, all but one and who cares about Choakland anyhow. LOL.

I cannot believe the negativity/jealousy that is being generated in this thread. It is totally uncalled for. I’m just going to leave it at that.

Again, congratulations on your victory at this years’ US Ams and best of luck in your upcoming tournaments.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I'll be a bit more polite. I watched the stream for several hours and can say with all sincerity, this tournament isn't representative of top amateur pool. I say this but you must understand, I agree with the concept of this tournament but perhaps have issue with its execution and I'm happy to elaborate.

If they hold this event in NYC (where I live), I'll play every time. As it stands, I really need an excuse to want to visit Tampa. I have relatives there so perhaps I'll do it one day. Like I said, I'm not entirely against this. But, make no mistake of it, there are plenty of "amateurs" who are disgusted by the payout and more disgusted by the constant references about it being a "top amateur field" when there are matches routinely displayed on the TV table of intermediate-level play.

The only thing I say in the APA's defense is, they don't lie about it. They're clear about what is covered by them and what isn't and what they're awarding. However, until there's proper monetary incentive, you can never say this is a true amateur championship. Those that are "in the know" will always reference the BCA Nationals and rightfully so.
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Jude you make good points here but I wanted to add in one thing that was noticed by the people there at the tourny that wasnt so clear to the folks watching the stream. There were a number of times that the APA for some reason chose to put players on the stream that the players were saying HUH? as to who they chose. Sometimes it was strange....they would have the stream table playing guys who were at best middle of the pack there of 128 and right next to the table you would have two guys that could probably give both of them the 8 comfortably. I know the APA wanted to put a variety of players up and they dont know everyone so what they have is a tough job of deciding who is who.

I will also acknowledge the obvious truth which you saw, that many of the amateurs dont do well under the lights of the "big show" with the tv table. I myself dogged my brains out and played mostly terrible on the stream. Me and Travis Gunn both looked helpless most of our match. Meanwhile, when we played just next to the Tv table earlier the previous day, it was run out city and we had a spot where 6 games were played in two innings, and there was a much higher level of play. I didnt see alot of tremendous play on the tv table, and i totally agree with you that it was at times painful to watch two guys who look like apa 5s or 6s beating the balls around, each taking 6 or 7 shots a game. It wasnt like that all across the room though, especially after the field was whittled down to 48 and less and the softer action was sent to the rail.
 
Not sure what you mean by back to back APA 9 ball titles but Parks didn't win the APA national tourney in 9 ball this year. Gabe Appollos from Gallatin, Tennessee won the APA 9 ball tourney in Vegas this year. He beat another skill 9.....75-12 in the finals. Gabe plays as an amature but does very well in some tourneys where a lot of pro's play in. Brain Parks plays very well and has accomplished what most amatures will never see but anytime he wants to play Gabe he can bust me!
Congrats Brian Parks on a great accomplishment.....
 
uwate said:
Jude you make good points here but I wanted to add in one thing that was noticed by the people there at the tourny that wasnt so clear to the folks watching the stream. There were a number of times that the APA for some reason chose to put players on the stream that the players were saying HUH? as to who they chose. Sometimes it was strange....they would have the stream table playing guys who were at best middle of the pack there of 128 and right next to the table you would have two guys that could probably give both of them the 8 comfortably. I know the APA wanted to put a variety of players up and they dont know everyone so what they have is a tough job of deciding who is who.
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This is not hard to understand at all.. APA holds this tournament as a marketing tool, nothing more. It "pays" to have lower skilled players on stream, which makes sure that lots of dead money keeps attempting to go to the USAM, thinking they have a chance.

This is not to directly profit off the tournament, as the APA might just break even on it... It's to keep the field large enough to garner decent attention in the pool world. This "legitimizes" the APA's place as the main amateur pool focal point in the U.S.

Putting weaker players on stream when possible is marketing, pure and simple. The USAM is not about pool excellence... It is about APA business goals.

Russ
 
Rjmoncrief said:
Not sure what you mean by back to back APA 9 ball titles but Parks didn't win the APA national tourney in 9 ball this year. Gabe Appollos from Gallatin, Tennessee won the APA 9 ball tourney in Vegas this year. He beat another skill 9.....75-12 in the finals. Gabe plays as an amature but does very well in some tourneys where a lot of pro's play in. Brain Parks plays very well and has accomplished what most amatures will never see but anytime he wants to play Gabe he can bust me!
Congrats Brian Parks on a great accomplishment.....
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Who mentioned back to back APA 9 ball titles? This thread has been about the APA U.S. Amateur Championship title, a non game-specific title.

Russ
 
alstl said:
I watched the stream Parks plays good. I was wondering the same thing. Maybe he doesn't play in pro events and thus retains his amateur status. I would put his speed at regional pro level.

Either way congratulations to him for winning.
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ShortBusRuss said:
Who mentioned back to back APA 9 ball titles? This thread has been about the APA U.S. Amateur Championship title, a non game-specific title.

Russ
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Post #23. Said.......Back to Back APA 9 ball titles........I thought they were speaking of the APA National Championships since they just finished the U.S. Amature that Brian won is not just 9 ball. Sorry if I mis understood that post.
 
Great job Brian. I enjoyed watching your matches! I'm glad you can fade off the blow hards that never seem to have anything positive to say.

Your win is quite an accomplishment, going back to back is triple nuts tough no matter what the haters say.

Best of luck to you in the future as well.
 
Scott Lee said:
RFranklin...tap, tap, tap! It is a legitimate national title, with a load of very talented players, from all over the country. To win it at all is amazing...to win three times, and back to back, is nothing short of fantastic! I had the pleasure to commentate Brian's match with Ray Linares, and saw some great play. Congratulations to Brian Park! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
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It's a shame there is no prize though... after expenses and all are accounted for.

Congrats to Brian. That's a tough format and a tough field. I think I'm going to give it a whirl next year. Ive heard of lesser players winning the qualifiers, Id be happy just winning one of them and advancing.
 
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uwate said:
Jude you make good points here but I wanted to add in one thing that was noticed by the people there at the tourny that wasnt so clear to the folks watching the stream. There were a number of times that the APA for some reason chose to put players on the stream that the players were saying HUH? as to who they chose. Sometimes it was strange....they would have the stream table playing guys who were at best middle of the pack there of 128 and right next to the table you would have two guys that could probably give both of them the 8 comfortably. I know the APA wanted to put a variety of players up and they dont know everyone so what they have is a tough job of deciding who is who.

I will also acknowledge the obvious truth which you saw, that many of the amateurs dont do well under the lights of the "big show" with the tv table. I myself dogged my brains out and played mostly terrible on the stream. Me and Travis Gunn both looked helpless most of our match. Meanwhile, when we played just next to the Tv table earlier the previous day, it was run out city and we had a spot where 6 games were played in two innings, and there was a much higher level of play. I didnt see alot of tremendous play on the tv table, and i totally agree with you that it was at times painful to watch two guys who look like apa 5s or 6s beating the balls around, each taking 6 or 7 shots a game. It wasnt like that all across the room though, especially after the field was whittled down to 48 and less and the softer action was sent to the rail.
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I also want to be clear about a few things. I'm actually very happy that so many players show-up for this. This should serve as proof that competitive amateur pool isn't always about cash. With that said, The APA could send the top 8 to the US Open and the winner to Hawaii for two weeks and still walk away with a nice chunk of change. They're just greedy.
 
Congratulations Brian! Great shooting and winning this tournament 3 times is awesome. I've played in the tournament in the past and it was a great experience.

Everyone plays the game/sport for different reasons, competition, camaraderie, money, action, etc. This tournament is strictly for the love of the game and desire to become the national champion. I give kudos to everyone that played. I would love to win the title and trophy. The money you win will be gone quickly but the prestige and "trophy" last a lifetime.

APA is a business. It's not a charity and having the US Amateur is a good marketing tool by creating a stage for the advanced players. I personally think they could payout a prize fund in addition to the trophies (just like their national events) and it would make the tournament even better. But guess what? They don't have to because the event is still successful just as are their leagues.

If you looked at pool in only a financial sense, then it wouldn't be worth playing. By the time you pay for expenses, it wouldn't bottom line very well. The reason most people play? It's fun (or supposed to be anyway).
 
dardusm said:
Congratulations Brian! Great shooting and winning this tournament 3 times is awesome. I've played in the tournament in the past and it was a great experience.

Everyone plays the game/sport for different reasons, competition, camaraderie, money, action, etc. This tournament is strictly for the love of the game and desire to become the national champion. I give kudos to everyone that played. I would love to win the title and trophy. The money you win will be gone quickly but the prestige and "trophy" last a lifetime.

APA is a business. It's not a charity and having the US Amateur is a good marketing tool by creating a stage for the advanced players. I personally think they could payout a prize fund in addition to the trophies (just like their national events) and it would make the tournament even better. But guess what? They don't have to because the event is still successful just as are their leagues.

If you looked at pool in only a financial sense, then it wouldn't be worth playing. By the time you pay for expenses, it wouldn't bottom line very well. The reason most people play? It's fun (or supposed to be anyway).
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Everything you say is true but then I don't want to hear about how it's a national title every two minutes. It's a good tournament and many of the players that show are excellent but you're not looking at the top 128 amateurs of the United States.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Everything you say is true but then I don't want to hear about how it's a national title every two minutes. It's a good tournament and many of the players that show are excellent but you're not looking at the top 128 amateurs of the United States.
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I understand and agree with what you are saying but we are arguing semantics a bit. Are they the best 128 amateurs? Probably not, but don't fault the players that played themselves. It's not their fault that the "best" players didn't play because of the structure of the tournament. The "best" could have played if they wanted. Is Shane any less deserving of winning this years US Open because many of the top players didn't play? And it is the APA National Amateur title, I'm not sure why the terminology is an issue.
 
dardusm said:
I understand and agree with what you are saying but we are arguing semantics a bit. Are they the best 128 amateurs? Probably not, but don't fault the players that played themselves. It's not their fault that the "best" players didn't play because of the structure of the tournament. The "best" could have played if they wanted. Is Shane any less deserving of winning this years US Open because many of the top players didn't play? And it is the APA National Amateur title, I'm not sure why the terminology is an issue.
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That is precisely it. We're arguing semantics and no, it's not the "APA National Amateur Title". If it were, I'd have less of a gripe. It's the "US Amateur National Championships". What's more, the stream makes constant reference to how these players are the very best amateurs in the country. The truth is, some may be but not all.

In regards to the US Open, you're right. If players fail to show-up, it detracts from the title but then, they're not billing the US Open winner as America's best pool player, are they? They just say he's the US Open winner.
 
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