I posted it on another thread, but this seems to be the main SJM thread so I just want to pass on my congratulations once again!
I am honored that one of his victims was me
I am honored that one of his victims was me
Congratulations SJM!!
- Thread starter Steve Lipsky
- Start date
hobokenapa said:I posted it on another thread, but this seems to be the main SJM thread so I just want to pass on my congratulations once again!
I am honored that one of his victims was me
LOL, I had the honorable distinction of having lost to both persons who qualified! Congrats to both SJM and Joey Kong!
Jude Rosenstock said:
Snap, me too!
Stu, I have some coaching for you, since I'm such a great 14.1 player.
When you're laying in bed at night, just before you go to sleep, say the following over and over like you're counting sheep. 50 and duck, 50 and duck, 50 and duck. Got it?
I promise you this will work wonders. You may win the whole thing.
When you're laying in bed at night, just before you go to sleep, say the following over and over like you're counting sheep. 50 and duck, 50 and duck, 50 and duck. Got it?
I promise you this will work wonders. You may win the whole thing.
Way to go, SJM! Great to hear you're competing again, and not surprisingly, schooling the opposition.
WOW! I am so happy for you. Enjoy and savor every moment!
BTW, does this mean AZB can add you to the "Pro" section of our time honored forums
BTW, does this mean AZB can add you to the "Pro" section of our time honored forums
Nice going...
SJM
Congratulations and good luck in the Worlds...
Mike
SJM
Congratulations and good luck in the Worlds...
Mike
First of all, thanks to Steve Lipsky for this generous thread and to all who offered congratulatory remarks.
This most improbable victory was very exciting for me, but before I share the details, I'd like to note that while health issues have led to a 75% reduction in my hours over the table (I'm sure many of my fellow New Yorkers remember the SJM that played six days a week as recently as 2003), any good feelings I still had about my game were due to the continuous encouragement of several of New York's very best players, especially Jennifer Barretta, Steve Lipsky, Jon Smith (Lockwood in these AZB parts), and Jude Rosenstock. All of them share in this achievement.
2007 was to be the year I'd get back into straight pool, and I actually had managed five different 50+ ball runs by the end of February. Unfortunately, I played just two games of straight pool in March, april and May combined, and got rusty again. I managed to sneak in a few games of straight in the past two weeks, though, and was starting to get the bug again. Still, I reckoned my game probably wasn't ready for the test that would be presented by the qualifier, but changed my mind on the morning of the qualifier, and figured that getting to play in my home poolroom would prove an edge.
Here's how it went in the races to 125. In my first match against a fellow named Hiram, I played poorly to fall behind about 78-50, but a nice run put me back in the game. Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain it, and at 118-114, Hiram made a sweet one-five combo and ran seven and out. Ouch, but he deserved to win. Next up was a fellow named Jim and I played great aganst him, winning by about 125-65.
Then came a great match between me and my good friend Hoboken APA, who got the straight pool bug just a couple of years ago and has become very proficient. He tested me, running 32 and 24 along the way, and playing some great safeties, but I played fairly well to score a 125-114 win. I'm really proud of him and all AZBers should be, too.
I then played a fellow named Don, a fine player and nice guy, but I took charge quickly, running a 25 and a 23 early and hanging on for the win. Next up was a fellow named Victor, with whom I occasionally practice, and, after a tight match in the early stages, I beat him fairly easily, about 125-80. Now I was just two wins away from securing the qualifier spot, but it was already past midnight, and I'd already played five races to 125. I was exhausted and wondered whether I'd hold up.
Tournament director and friend Chris Lynch then made a comment that confirmed what I already realized. He said I was getting stronger each match, and it was simply because I'd hit enough balls to be feeling good about my game. I waited quite a while to learn that I'd play good friend and well-known sharpshooter, Jude Rosenstock, and I got a much needed rest waiting for the end of his match.
Against Jude, I proceeded to play my best 75 balls of the event in jumping out to a 75-19 lead, as three runs in the twenties right off the bat paved the way to a surprisingly easy victory of about 125-64.
Next up, with the qualifying spot riding on it, was none other than Amsterdam House Pro Rolando Aravena, a good friend and a great pool instructor, the mentor to the 16 year old Mike Tosado, who is already an "A" speed player. Rolando is one of New York pool's greatest treasures, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable at first having to play him, especially at 3:00 AM. He hadn't hit a ball in about five hours, losing the hot-seat match to Joey Kong at about 10:00, and I figured this might prove a big advantage for me. I knew I'd need to get off to a good start, for he's clearly a better player than me. And I did so, jumping out to a lead of 59-27, before Rolando executed one of the prettiest 44-ball runs you could imagine, and suddenly I trailed. His run finsihed with a safety, and he left me a very tough combo, and I feel at this point that this was the most important ball I shot in the entire event. I rose to the occasion and regained the lead, and I would never relinquish it. The final score was about 125-105, and the miracle had been completed. I must note that at a key moment in the match, I got a favorable bounce of the cue ball off the spot that helped keep a run going, getting a key roll at just the right moment.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! My high run for the day was a very modest 48. but I ran lots and lots of 25's and had a great day in my safety play, and that was my formula for success. In all, I pocketed 864 balls and played for 17 hours (between match breaks included). It was my first competitive event of any kind since 2003, making it seem all the more improbable.
The last victory I would need to score would be getting the time off from work, but the speed with which my boss said yes to me today when I asked really meant a lot to me.
So I guess that SJM, a classic nickle-and-dimer who relies on modest runs and outstanding safety play to grind out victories, will be trying his luck against the world's best. I'm not so foolish to think that I can do much at that level, but I'm hoping to win a match and make at least one nice run in New Jersey next week. It will be exciting to be there.
Once again, thanks to all for your kind comments.
This most improbable victory was very exciting for me, but before I share the details, I'd like to note that while health issues have led to a 75% reduction in my hours over the table (I'm sure many of my fellow New Yorkers remember the SJM that played six days a week as recently as 2003), any good feelings I still had about my game were due to the continuous encouragement of several of New York's very best players, especially Jennifer Barretta, Steve Lipsky, Jon Smith (Lockwood in these AZB parts), and Jude Rosenstock. All of them share in this achievement.
2007 was to be the year I'd get back into straight pool, and I actually had managed five different 50+ ball runs by the end of February. Unfortunately, I played just two games of straight pool in March, april and May combined, and got rusty again. I managed to sneak in a few games of straight in the past two weeks, though, and was starting to get the bug again. Still, I reckoned my game probably wasn't ready for the test that would be presented by the qualifier, but changed my mind on the morning of the qualifier, and figured that getting to play in my home poolroom would prove an edge.
Here's how it went in the races to 125. In my first match against a fellow named Hiram, I played poorly to fall behind about 78-50, but a nice run put me back in the game. Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain it, and at 118-114, Hiram made a sweet one-five combo and ran seven and out. Ouch, but he deserved to win. Next up was a fellow named Jim and I played great aganst him, winning by about 125-65.
Then came a great match between me and my good friend Hoboken APA, who got the straight pool bug just a couple of years ago and has become very proficient. He tested me, running 32 and 24 along the way, and playing some great safeties, but I played fairly well to score a 125-114 win. I'm really proud of him and all AZBers should be, too.
I then played a fellow named Don, a fine player and nice guy, but I took charge quickly, running a 25 and a 23 early and hanging on for the win. Next up was a fellow named Victor, with whom I occasionally practice, and, after a tight match in the early stages, I beat him fairly easily, about 125-80. Now I was just two wins away from securing the qualifier spot, but it was already past midnight, and I'd already played five races to 125. I was exhausted and wondered whether I'd hold up.
Tournament director and friend Chris Lynch then made a comment that confirmed what I already realized. He said I was getting stronger each match, and it was simply because I'd hit enough balls to be feeling good about my game. I waited quite a while to learn that I'd play good friend and well-known sharpshooter, Jude Rosenstock, and I got a much needed rest waiting for the end of his match.
Against Jude, I proceeded to play my best 75 balls of the event in jumping out to a 75-19 lead, as three runs in the twenties right off the bat paved the way to a surprisingly easy victory of about 125-64.
Next up, with the qualifying spot riding on it, was none other than Amsterdam House Pro Rolando Aravena, a good friend and a great pool instructor, the mentor to the 16 year old Mike Tosado, who is already an "A" speed player. Rolando is one of New York pool's greatest treasures, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable at first having to play him, especially at 3:00 AM. He hadn't hit a ball in about five hours, losing the hot-seat match to Joey Kong at about 10:00, and I figured this might prove a big advantage for me. I knew I'd need to get off to a good start, for he's clearly a better player than me. And I did so, jumping out to a lead of 59-27, before Rolando executed one of the prettiest 44-ball runs you could imagine, and suddenly I trailed. His run finsihed with a safety, and he left me a very tough combo, and I feel at this point that this was the most important ball I shot in the entire event. I rose to the occasion and regained the lead, and I would never relinquish it. The final score was about 125-105, and the miracle had been completed. I must note that at a key moment in the match, I got a favorable bounce of the cue ball off the spot that helped keep a run going, getting a key roll at just the right moment.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! My high run for the day was a very modest 48. but I ran lots and lots of 25's and had a great day in my safety play, and that was my formula for success. In all, I pocketed 864 balls and played for 17 hours (between match breaks included). It was my first competitive event of any kind since 2003, making it seem all the more improbable.
The last victory I would need to score would be getting the time off from work, but the speed with which my boss said yes to me today when I asked really meant a lot to me.
So I guess that SJM, a classic nickle-and-dimer who relies on modest runs and outstanding safety play to grind out victories, will be trying his luck against the world's best. I'm not so foolish to think that I can do much at that level, but I'm hoping to win a match and make at least one nice run in New Jersey next week. It will be exciting to be there.
Once again, thanks to all for your kind comments.
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Awesome job!
Good luck in the main event and thanks again for your posts- people here can tell you're a class act and I'm sure everyone hopes you do well.
Maybe you can do some commentary on a video if there should happen to be one later on with you playing.
Good luck in the main event and thanks again for your posts- people here can tell you're a class act and I'm sure everyone hopes you do well.
Maybe you can do some commentary on a video if there should happen to be one later on with you playing.
sjm said:
Stu,
Great accomplishment, I am lucky to make that many balls in an entire month, let alone one day.
I don't believe that I would be able to walk let alone shoot pool after 17 hours. Congrats.I know we have not yet met, but Don "Willie" speaks very highly of you.
Take care,
JBK