No Waiting Game
GOOD job PERDO
even tho u beat my home boy, who just simply ran out of gas at the end. In the end game Pedro played the waiting game and thus the more aggressive player lost....oh well.
Waiting game? No way, Dennis. I found Pedro's game plenty agressive and extremely exciting.
It wasn't an overall average either player would write home about, but Pedro's last 9 innings in this final were - scoring 22 points (5-1-0-4-0-4-1-0-7) to Mazin's 3 - not a trivial task. His average time spent per shot was less than 60 sec each. Although he played his last 7 points about 12 seconds slower (1:12 sec) on average, considering the critical circumstances, I would describe his runout as clean and surgical. He protected himself carefully at all times and made very few unforced errors. Mazin played "a-mazin" in the first 20 innings, but stumbled near the finish line because of the severe pressure Pedro laid down.
You might say that nine innings of a fun practice game should not ever take 30 mins, but in the heat of a close match in the finals of a national championship - it happens.
I think that if a player methodically makes 22 in 9 innings and/or runs 7 and out when the score is tied up - that we must FULLY credit their tenacity and scoring power. 22 in 9 (2.444) is plenty aggressive and is no "waiting game" in my book.
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Summary of the masterful end-game of the USBA Nationals Final between Pedro Piedrabuena and Mazin Shooni:
Based on archived stream at
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22495657
Mazin misses makeable 6 rail pattern with no hedge. Leaves table wide open.
1:26:45 Score 18-30 Mazin: Pedro makes 5 cushion position play. Takes fuller hit on OB to drive it long-long into a backup into perfect natural position. Attacks on open shots and protects self on more difficult shots throughout the run. Pedro RUNS 5 to make it 23-30. Plays safe on last shot leaving long distance, but makable double the rail shot for Mazin. Relinquishes table after 5 mins. (less than 1 min per shot)
1:32:10 30-23 Mazin: Mazin rushes (15 sec) a make-able double the rail shot, misses and leaves table wide open.
1:32:45 24-30 Mazin: Pedro takes (45 sec) a long-table drop aggressively, makes it with no safety, and plays to open up the table. Spends 31 sec and misses short angle by a hair. Leaves table open.
1:34:30 30-24 Mazin. Mazin (36 sec) misses inside short angle with unforced error leaves table unprotected.
1:35:18 24-30 Mazin: Pedro (1:11 sec) takes awkward 7 rail pattern with kiss problems and misses. leaves bank shot.
1:36:45 30-24 Mazin: Mazin (1:05 sec) splits the bank shot. Opens up the table wide for a natural. Rushes (16 secs) and misses wide open natural shot. Sells out huge natural with build in position.
1:38:30 24-31 Mazin: Pedro (36 sec) plays natural around the table 5 rails for position. Drops in a spin-shot short angle, opens the table up for a natural 5 railer. Perfect position for an inside english short-angle. Barely misses a very make-able shot. Leaves table open. RUN OF 4 takes (less than 1 min per shot)
1:43:10 31-28 Mazin: Mazin (30 sec) misses short angle. Unforced error leaves table open, but tough.
1:43:50 28-31 Mazin: Pedro (1:10 sec) gets kissed out at last second leaves table wide open
1:45:15 31-28 Mazin: Mazin (30 sec) misses make-able shot. Unforced error leaves table wide open.
1:46:00 28-31 Mazin: Pedro (38 sec) makes (hedged) natural 4 railer. Gets a natural ticky around the table with build in hedge - (45 sec) makes it and leaves balls open in the middle table, but tough. Gets down, gets up. (takes 1:42) Feathers it perfectly a natural and sets up a short angle. (37 sec) Makes the inside short angle with perfect position. (58 sec) gets kissed out. RUN OF 4 puts Pedro into the lead for the first time.
1:51:41 31-32 Pedro: Mazin (1:25 sec) miscalculates make-able bank shot. Mazin leaves Pedro wide open.
1:53:15 33-31 Pedro: Pedro (30 sec) makes easy natural. (1:04 sec) Misses tough cross table drop in - hedges with Mazin up-table but leaves a cross-table.
1:55:15 31-33 Pedro: Mazin (31 sec) nails cross table. Makes difficult (49 sec) short-short-long-short shot. (47 sec) Misses cross-table by a hair. Ties it up with run of 2. Leaves safe.
1:58:00 33-33: Pedro (44 sec) tries tough 6 railer. Misses with hedge leaves balls close for a make-able bank.
1:59:00 33-33 Mazin: Mazin (1:09 sec) misses bank shot by a hair. Leaves table wide open.
2:00:23 33-33 Mazin: Pedro (1:07) doubles the short rail leaves a natural long-table kick-ticky. (1:30 sec) makes kick ticky and leaves short angle. (1:20) Lands delicate flat short angle. (54 sec) Makes left-handed rail-first outside short angle. (1:40 sec) Avoids extremely difficult kiss with a 3-rail spin shot. (1:00 sec) Plays 5 rail natural - leaves table open. (52 sec) Makes 3 rail outside natural. Run of 7 and out. (avg time spent per shot on final run 1:12 sec)
Final score Pedro Piedrabuena vs Mazin Shooni 40-33 in 34 innings.
Gotta hand it to Pedro, he's a great champion.
-Ira
