a legend in his own mind maybe
I think Danny is a colorful personality in the sport. I have spent time with him at numerous events, and he is always personable. When he speaks with you, he gives you his undivided attention, which is rare in this day and age.
He's taken some bad beats with sponsors and movie people.
Danny's peak, I guess you'd say, was in 2004, I think it was, when he won the Joss Tour finale in Maine, came in second at the Glass City Open, and several others, which my memory doesn't seem to want to remember at the time of this writing, but I can find them if anybody is interested. In fact, I may have to do a Wikipedia page on Danny Basavich when times allows. He's worthy, IMHO!
Danny did the on-the-road thingie, but, unfortunately, he was born a decade too late to enjoy being a road warrior. With Internet technology and cell phones, going on the road and playing pool isn't as lucrative as it once was.
So Danny joined the UPA and became a tournament soldier. He got screwed there when the UPA omitted his name from the BCA Open list, claiming they couldn't get a hold of him, even though Danny had a working e-mail address and a cell phone number.
I remember at the Skins Billiards Tournament, he went to the finals with Santos for all the cheese. It was a big nugget, like $80,000 or more, if memory serves me right. Before the match, Santos' backers approached Danny and asked if he wanted to do a saver, meaning that Santos and Danny would still fight it out to the finish and may the best man win, but that whoever lost would get a 10-percent saver.
It was kind of an all-or-nothing situation as far as the money payout in the Skins event.
Danny said he had a backers committee for that event and couldn't make a saver. Santos won and pocketed $80,000 plus. Danny got a bone with not much meat on it, a whopping four figures.
I like Danny a lot, and his father, in particular, is a gem of a man.
