My first U.S. Open was an experience that I will never forget. I was new to the tournament trail; thus, the beginning of my pool journey with Keith McCready. 
Entering the grand ballroom of the Chesapeake Conference Center in Virginia, I was totally awestruck as I watched a parade of American pool phenoms arrive one by one for the players meeting. Keith enjoyed chatting it up with his fellow brethren of pool, and me, I was like the proverbial tourist, snapping pictures left and right with my disposable $10 camera.
A friendly spectator came up to Keith this one evening and asked him if he would like to comment about an article which contained a mention of him. As he perused the article, I watched the permanent grin on Keith's face immediately disappear as he pored through the disparaging words.
Fast forward to the year 2005. The other night, we attended a local weekly tournament, and a friendly spectator once more approached Keith and asked him about a recent article written by a free-lancer named Paul Berg which stated that Keith "crashed and burned" at the recent Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge at, of all places, the so-called "action table."
I do not know what action table the free-lance writer Paul Berg was watching, but his accounting of the events were totally untrue. With a picture depicting Danny Basavich in the pit, those who were in attendance know that the charismatic Kid Delicious made a one-time very brief cameo appearance, not pocketing a quarter and only stepping up to the plate two or three games. It is hard to believe, as an example, that there was no mention of Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh, who was in the pit 24/7. Ryan didn't even compete in any tournament. He chose to keep himself planted at the action tables throughout the event.
Worse, the article's rendition of what happened is not accurate. This year, Keith won big time at the action table, enjoying three 11-game-runs the first night, even though the article states he "crashed and burned." He actually busted the action table the first night, and the second night, he enjoyed several more lengthy runs until the wee hours of the morning, when I had to drag him away to get some rest for the next day's tournament match. And best of all, JAM brought home that bacon, the BIGGEST score we have had all year long.
Crash and burn? The only one who has crashed and burned is me as it pertains to the political quagmire of pool, especially with a recent turn of events. The "comprehensive coverage" of the action peaks in pits of Valley Forge is misleading and false in some instances, and my attempts to contact the source have unbelievably fallen on deaf ears.
My writing engine now overhauled, due to frustration and now anger, I will just let my fingers do the talking in tandem with Keith. Unlike the current pool "third estate" representation, it is my intention to publish a no-bars-hold accounting of pool in the United States, to include accurate detail-oriented experiences on the road and tournament trail beginning in the late '60s to the year 2005. Stay tuned because this fat lady is getting ready to sing!
JAM
Entering the grand ballroom of the Chesapeake Conference Center in Virginia, I was totally awestruck as I watched a parade of American pool phenoms arrive one by one for the players meeting. Keith enjoyed chatting it up with his fellow brethren of pool, and me, I was like the proverbial tourist, snapping pictures left and right with my disposable $10 camera.
A friendly spectator came up to Keith this one evening and asked him if he would like to comment about an article which contained a mention of him. As he perused the article, I watched the permanent grin on Keith's face immediately disappear as he pored through the disparaging words.
Fast forward to the year 2005. The other night, we attended a local weekly tournament, and a friendly spectator once more approached Keith and asked him about a recent article written by a free-lancer named Paul Berg which stated that Keith "crashed and burned" at the recent Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge at, of all places, the so-called "action table."
I do not know what action table the free-lance writer Paul Berg was watching, but his accounting of the events were totally untrue. With a picture depicting Danny Basavich in the pit, those who were in attendance know that the charismatic Kid Delicious made a one-time very brief cameo appearance, not pocketing a quarter and only stepping up to the plate two or three games. It is hard to believe, as an example, that there was no mention of Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh, who was in the pit 24/7. Ryan didn't even compete in any tournament. He chose to keep himself planted at the action tables throughout the event.
Worse, the article's rendition of what happened is not accurate. This year, Keith won big time at the action table, enjoying three 11-game-runs the first night, even though the article states he "crashed and burned." He actually busted the action table the first night, and the second night, he enjoyed several more lengthy runs until the wee hours of the morning, when I had to drag him away to get some rest for the next day's tournament match. And best of all, JAM brought home that bacon, the BIGGEST score we have had all year long.
Crash and burn? The only one who has crashed and burned is me as it pertains to the political quagmire of pool, especially with a recent turn of events. The "comprehensive coverage" of the action peaks in pits of Valley Forge is misleading and false in some instances, and my attempts to contact the source have unbelievably fallen on deaf ears.
My writing engine now overhauled, due to frustration and now anger, I will just let my fingers do the talking in tandem with Keith. Unlike the current pool "third estate" representation, it is my intention to publish a no-bars-hold accounting of pool in the United States, to include accurate detail-oriented experiences on the road and tournament trail beginning in the late '60s to the year 2005. Stay tuned because this fat lady is getting ready to sing!
JAM
