I hesitated putting this thread on here, but maybe it will be fun. Personally, not being a top player, I don't have many career highlights. Maybe my best known was my One Pocket victory over Jimmy Fusco featured in Shot, Moves and Strategy. My other most memorable win (at least for me it was) was beating Keith to win the big monthly tournament at House of Billiards in Los Angeles when all the best local players would play in it every month. I also won the San Francisco Bar Table Championship back about the same time in the 1980's.
When I owned my last pool hall (Jay's Billiards) in the early 2000's was the last time I played much pool and got into quite a few money games. My best win was over Larry Evans ('Motto') who was known locally as the King of the ghetto. I beat him a few games playing Banks and he quit. That's when one of the local guys yelled out, "Jay is the new King of the ghetto." That put a big smile on my face.
Two other memorable moments for me was the time I kicked four balls in a row (I was hooked on four consecutive shots) directly into the pocket! I did it playing 9-Ball a long time ago. But last night was another big moment for me.
I'm long since past my prime and sometimes go a week or more without hitting a ball. Two days ago, Warren and Dennis came to my house and starting banging them around on my double tough Diamond table. I just watched and hung out with them. Tang Hoa came by both days to spar with Dennis and they monopolized the table all day, which was fine with me. Late last night Dennis pipes up to me, "Are you ready to play our Bank Pool game?" He was just joking around, since we have played Banks, him giving me 5-4 on many occasions, with him usually winning about four out of five games.
He continued to rib me all in fun, until I jumped up and said okay, just one game, and I'm going to kick your ass. I hadn't hit a ball since they had been there and just grabbed my cue while Dennis racked the balls. He gave me the first break, which he always does. I broke with my playing cue and two balls went down. I had a pretty straight forward cross corner shot and lined it up, got down and banked it in. It felt good to make my first shot. Now I had a much more difficult cross corner, where I had to jack up a little to hold the cue ball and stiff the shot. I studied that one for an extra second or two and fired it in. Meanwhile all this time, Dennis is doing his best to shark me (that's how we play), counting down while I'm getting ready to shoot and stuff like that.
I had two now, with no good shot. I looked around and couldn't find anything. Tang says what about the seven? The seven ball was in a perfect place to bank it cross side but the side pocket was blocked. What I could do was try to bank it long rail down into the far corner, a pretty severe angle. I was into it now and told Dennis this one is going in, just watch. He's laughing now. I lined up the angle, took my time and banked that dirty little seven ball swish into the corner pocket. I had three! Only needed one more to win the game now.
Now everybody was razzing me. Dennis, Tang, my buddy Adrian were all making jokes at my expense. You just can't get any respect around here! This time I really had no shot. I looked and looked and was thinking about trying to cross bank the nine ball which had a slim (to none) opening to go cross corner, and I was up table from it. Tang sees how puzzled I am and says what about the two ball. The two was frozen to the far end rail, maybe a diamond and half out from the near corner pocket. It could be banked back up into the opposite far corner if hit just right. Tang was right. That was my best shot.
I took a long hard look at the two, all the time listening to all the baloney being heaped on me, with everyone doing their best to shark me. I finally got down on the ball and aimed for the left edge, got myself steady and fired away. As if guided by the Gods, that sweet little two ball was on a path toward the far corner. I watched, as the room got silent, and that damn ball went right into the middle of the pocket. I had beaten the great Dennis Orcollo 4-0 and he never came to the table!
Now, I got high fives all around and all my buddies, including my adopted son Dennis, were giving me shouts of congratulations. Maybe that's my final career highlight at age 74, but I have another memory that will last me forever. Thanks for indulging me. :smile:
When I owned my last pool hall (Jay's Billiards) in the early 2000's was the last time I played much pool and got into quite a few money games. My best win was over Larry Evans ('Motto') who was known locally as the King of the ghetto. I beat him a few games playing Banks and he quit. That's when one of the local guys yelled out, "Jay is the new King of the ghetto." That put a big smile on my face.
Two other memorable moments for me was the time I kicked four balls in a row (I was hooked on four consecutive shots) directly into the pocket! I did it playing 9-Ball a long time ago. But last night was another big moment for me.
I'm long since past my prime and sometimes go a week or more without hitting a ball. Two days ago, Warren and Dennis came to my house and starting banging them around on my double tough Diamond table. I just watched and hung out with them. Tang Hoa came by both days to spar with Dennis and they monopolized the table all day, which was fine with me. Late last night Dennis pipes up to me, "Are you ready to play our Bank Pool game?" He was just joking around, since we have played Banks, him giving me 5-4 on many occasions, with him usually winning about four out of five games.
He continued to rib me all in fun, until I jumped up and said okay, just one game, and I'm going to kick your ass. I hadn't hit a ball since they had been there and just grabbed my cue while Dennis racked the balls. He gave me the first break, which he always does. I broke with my playing cue and two balls went down. I had a pretty straight forward cross corner shot and lined it up, got down and banked it in. It felt good to make my first shot. Now I had a much more difficult cross corner, where I had to jack up a little to hold the cue ball and stiff the shot. I studied that one for an extra second or two and fired it in. Meanwhile all this time, Dennis is doing his best to shark me (that's how we play), counting down while I'm getting ready to shoot and stuff like that.
I had two now, with no good shot. I looked around and couldn't find anything. Tang says what about the seven? The seven ball was in a perfect place to bank it cross side but the side pocket was blocked. What I could do was try to bank it long rail down into the far corner, a pretty severe angle. I was into it now and told Dennis this one is going in, just watch. He's laughing now. I lined up the angle, took my time and banked that dirty little seven ball swish into the corner pocket. I had three! Only needed one more to win the game now.
Now everybody was razzing me. Dennis, Tang, my buddy Adrian were all making jokes at my expense. You just can't get any respect around here! This time I really had no shot. I looked and looked and was thinking about trying to cross bank the nine ball which had a slim (to none) opening to go cross corner, and I was up table from it. Tang sees how puzzled I am and says what about the two ball. The two was frozen to the far end rail, maybe a diamond and half out from the near corner pocket. It could be banked back up into the opposite far corner if hit just right. Tang was right. That was my best shot.
I took a long hard look at the two, all the time listening to all the baloney being heaped on me, with everyone doing their best to shark me. I finally got down on the ball and aimed for the left edge, got myself steady and fired away. As if guided by the Gods, that sweet little two ball was on a path toward the far corner. I watched, as the room got silent, and that damn ball went right into the middle of the pocket. I had beaten the great Dennis Orcollo 4-0 and he never came to the table!
Now, I got high fives all around and all my buddies, including my adopted son Dennis, were giving me shouts of congratulations. Maybe that's my final career highlight at age 74, but I have another memory that will last me forever. Thanks for indulging me. :smile:
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