Appleton plays Snooker? I thought his background was English 8 ball?
KMRUNOUT
Most players today succeed in one game in the wonderful world of pocket billiards. I remember Niels Feijen touring the East Coast, and he got into action at a local pool room. He had no idea how to play one-pocket, as an example. Interestingly, this is the game he chose to gamble on, which I thought was kind of cool. It was a cheap set for $100, I think, but I admired him wanting to play a game other than what he excelled in. At the next table to where he was gambling, his then-girlfriend (now wife) Katrina was in action with a local playing straight pool for a cheap sets. It was a cool night in the pool room to see these games unfold. I enjoyed it.
When action was prevalent, before the advent of the Internet, road players would travel from coast to coast looking for a game. They'd usually walk into a pool room blind, not knowing who the local pro was that would be their mark. Because of the diversity of pool games at that time, a good road man played ALL GAMES, so he could get in action. I like the fact that Darren Appleton can play more than one game; in other words, he's *not* a one-trick pony. :wink:
The first time Keith and I were in a pool room with a snooker table, he was trying to get in action, but nobody wanted to play him. A local said he'd play him some snooker for $100 a game. Keith couldn't get to the table fast enough and replied, "Let's get down."
I had never seen a "real" snooker game played, much less see Keith play snooker. I asked him had he ever played it before, and he said, "It's been a while." Unbeknowst to me, Keith grew up with a snooker table in California, where all the action men would get in ring games, so he knew the equipment, but did he know the game? I sure as heck didn't.
Well, I soon learned the difference between the traditional 8-ball and the black ball with the most points in snooker. :grin-square: Team McCready won a few C-notes before his opponent pulled up. I still can't get over how good Keith plays snooker.
In pool these days, it is essential to have a collection of different shots in your pool-shooting arsenal, to know them well, but in years gone by, it was essential to have a collection of different games in your pool repertoire if you wanted to survive. Let's not forget that Corey may be young in age, but he is a seasoned pro. :wink:
