Efren, the Magician for the Hill

[Cornerman]

In a what can only be described as bizarre excitement, Bustamante, Reyes, and Manalo went into the final match at 3-1. If Bustamante won his match, then it would go to some tie break between him and the winner of the Reyes/Manalo match.

As a cynic, I thought Busta would lay down due to the mishap during the Manalo match. Unfortunately, whatever the case, Busta made three terrible snafus that cost him his match, as Mika rolled over him 7-4.

So, it was down to the winner of the Manalo/Reyes match for the seat into the finals.

At 4-3, with Reyes down but ready to runout, he played bad shape on the 8-ball. He stepped away from the shot, and the referee inexplicably raked the balls!!!! Action stopped, and video had to be replayed for about 15 minutes until they could get back to the action. Given Manalo's last referee escapade, I couldn't see how he could continue.

After the balls were reset, Reyes easily made the 8-ball to tie the match.

He then showed us why he is the Magician. He broke and ran the next couple of games, and took a commanding lead 6-4. He broke dry on the next rack, giving Manalo his first shot in over 30 minutes. At a wide open rack, Manalo fired at half a hole and was nowhere near it. Easily, his worst shot of the entire week.

Reyes runs out to go 7-4. Yet another bizzaro incident ensued, as several IPT players (Owens, Deuel, Cardone) were used to raise "quiet please" signs. While the crowd was still laughing, Efren breaks dry. Manalo completely shaken misses a combo, and Reyes is back at the table. It's a difficult layout, and Reyes misses the 7th ball. Manalo, who now hasn't made a ball in about 45 minutes sees a tough runout, and immediately tanks the shot.


Efren with the Efren magic short kick back cuts three rails around the world, for the easy out!!!!
START(
%Cb1R7%DR6E7%EZ5G0%Fg6S5%GS4X3%HG4K2%Iq4X5%PX9P8%Qs3[3%Ui6D9
%Vr4N4%Wj1Z6%XZ0Q9%Yp1X3%Zj9[1%[r6O8%\p5V8%]L7Y2%^i1D1
)END

And tomorrow's seat and Michael "Captain Hook" awaits.


Fred <~~~ Manalo got robbed

 

[gabesmom]

Awesome! Thanks for that news!

 

[Crispy Fish]

With the way Manolo has been shafted in the finals, IPT is going to have to do some serious damage control if they want to be seen as the PGA of pool.

 

[TorranceChris]

Wow! Thanks for the summary. Did they replace the referee who raked in the balls ?!! That is really whack!

Awesome for Reyes! This matchup between him and his "favorite player" should be really interesting!!

Regardless of Manalo's losses to his countrymen, I think he had a phenomonal run through the tournament and will be a force for a long time to come.

 

[kep2]

And tomorrow's seat and Michael "Captain Hook" awaits.


Fred <~~~ Manalo got robbed

YES!!!

On a side note, what's up with those referees anyway!!! They coudn't be that nervous!?

 

[MFB]

At 4-3, with Reyes down but ready to runout, he played bad shape on the 8-ball. He stepped away from the shot, and the referee inexplicably raked the balls!!!! Action stopped, and video had to be replayed for about 15 minutes until they could get back to the action. Given Manalo's last referee escapade, I couldn't see how he could continue.
Fred <~~~ Manalo got robbed

Wow.

I know one of the refs there. I'll have to ask him what happened. I should see him on Monday.

Fred, did you see this happen? What did the ref look like?

 

[kep2]

Mika happy for Efren!

That's is some serious stare Mika had on Efren. Check out IPT homepage.

 

[bandido]

mixed emotions

In a what can only be described as bizarre excitement, Bustamante, Reyes, and Manalo went into the final match at 3-1. If Bustamante won his match, then it would go to some tie break between him and the winner of the Reyes/Manalo match.

As a cynic, I thought Busta would lay down due to the mishap during the Manalo match. Unfortunately, whatever the case, Busta made three terrible snafus that cost him his match, as Mika rolled over him 7-4.

So, it was down to the winner of the Manalo/Reyes match for the seat into the finals.

At 4-3, with Reyes down but ready to runout, he played bad shape on the 8-ball. He stepped away from the shot, and the referee inexplicably raked the balls!!!! Action stopped, and video had to be replayed for about 15 minutes until they could get back to the action. Given Manalo's last referee escapade, I couldn't see how he could continue.

After the balls were reset, Reyes easily made the 8-ball to tie the match.

He then showed us why he is the Magician. He broke and ran the next couple of games, and took a commanding lead 6-4. He broke dry on the next rack, giving Manalo his first shot in over 30 minutes. At a wide open rack, Manalo fired at half a hole and was nowhere near it. Easily, his worst shot of the entire week.

Reyes runs out to go 7-4. Yet another bizzaro incident ensued, as several IPT players (Owens, Deuel, Cardone) were used to raise "quiet please" signs. While the crowd was still laughing, Efren breaks dry. Manalo completely shaken misses a combo, and Reyes is back at the table. It's a difficult layout, and Reyes misses the 7th ball. Manalo, who now hasn't made a ball in about 45 minutes sees a tough runout, and immediately tanks the shot.


Efren with the Efren magic short kick back cuts three rails around the world, for the easy out!!!!
START(
%Cb1R7%DR6E7%EZ5G0%Fg6S5%GS4X3%HG4K2%Iq4X5%PX9P8%Qs3[3%Ui6D9
%Vr4N4%Wj1Z6%XZ0Q9%Yp1X3%Zj9[1%[r6O8%\p5V8%]L7Y2%^i1D1
)END

And tomorrow's seat and Michael "Captain Hook" awaits.


Fred <~~~ Manalo got robbed

Thanks Fred. I'm happy that Efren won, glad that he's doing a lot better after the surgery, and the "Filipino 3 Kings" figured in the tournament homestretch. I'm sad that the decisions made contaminated the result.

But I'm extremely sad that there aren't enough action shots or play-by-play reported. I, being an aficionado like a lot of others here, would have liked to have had the feeling of being on center court in the thick of the battle even though I'm physically away from it for some reason. Even tragic to know that these certain officials failed miserably with the responsibility that they were entrusted with. It pains to think that they were mentally detached yet physically present! Argghhhh!

 

[sjm]

With the way Manolo has been shafted in the finals, IPT is going to have to do some serious damage control if they want to be seen as the PGA of pool.

Let's not put the PGA too high on the pedestal here. Fan opinions are admissible evidence from time to time.

On numerous occasions, PGA officials ask fans where a golf ball crossed a hazard line to determine where the drop should be. The PGA will, on occasion, allow fans tro help locate a ball that may or may not be lost, even though it can affect the outcome of a golf tournament. Finally, on numerous occasions, the PGA has acted on a letter from a fan alleging an undetected rules infraction, and on a couple of occasions, it has led to the disqualification of the player that committed the infraction.

A fan's opinion should never carry any weight when it comes to the interpretation of a rule, but there are times when a fan is well-placed to help with a call. The PGA understands this, and in my opinion, does a great job of determining when the fans voices should be heard.

I'm not saying that the call made was right or wrong, just rejecting the notion that a fan should never have a say in sports.

 

[rackmsuckr]

The ref is a friend of mine that is an excellent ref. I don't know what he was thinking, but obviously, he screwed up. Apparently, he thought the game was over and started racking, I don't know why. He was replaced by the only female ref there. Knowing that Kevin gave Trump the idea for The Apprentice, I am sure that he said, "You're fired". I feel so bad for him. We had just talked about what he got paid and that he would have spent his own money to come and do it free.

Also, it seemed to give Efren new life - the balls were actually replaced a little easier for the 8 ball shot.

 

[Cornerman]

Also, it seemed to give Efren new life - the balls were actually replaced a little easier for the 8 ball shot.

Yes, another bizzaro thing. People not here don't realize the video equipment they have here. They have cameras and plasma screens like crazy. They showed on the screens what the shot looked like before the raked balls, and they showed the position when they tried to reposition them. The production folks had the ability to toggle back and forth from video to live and back so that they could acurately replace the balls.

Instead, they looked at the video, and then replaced the balls. All they had to do was to look at the live shot (on any plasma screen) and compare it to the video (which they could switch to on the same screen, toggle toggle toggle, back and forth for a 100% acurate replay-to-live comparison) to see that they didn't have it right. But, they didn't do that. This was the approximate shot before and after...

Before:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%PR1P6

)END

After:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%PQ8O9

)END

I cannot begin to explain how easily they could have toggled back and forth. In fact, they did toggle from live to a still shot of the layout, and it was obvious that the cueball "jumped" when they toggled it the video, but nobody did anything about it. They just sort of said, "it was about here," and didn't look again at the video still. Argh!!!

Fred

 

[bandido]

Yes, another bizzaro thing. People not here don't realize the video equipment they have here. They have cameras and plasma screens like crazy. They showed on the screens what the shot looked like before the raked balls, and they showed the position when they tried to reposition them. The production folks had the ability to toggle back and forth from video to live and back so that they could acurately replace the balls.

Instead, they looked at the video, and then replaced the balls. All they had to do was to look at the live shot (on any plasma screen) and compare it to the video (which they could switch to on the same screen, toggle toggle toggle, back and forth for a 100% acurate replay-to-live comparison) to see that they didn't have it right. But, they didn't do that. This was the approximate shot before and after...

Before:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%OJ5M0%PR1P6

)END

After:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%OJ5M0%PQ8O9

)END

I cannot begin to explain how easily they could have toggled back and forth. In fact, they did toggle from live to a still shot of the layout, and it was obvious that the cueball "jumped" when they toggled it the video, but nobody did anything about it. They just sort of said, "it was about here," and didn't look again at the video still. Argh!!!

Fred

Would be nice to see the before and after video clip from when Efren started his inning. Fred, check your PM box.

 

[branpureza]

That's is some serious stare Mika had on Efren. Check out IPT homepage.

that's jimmy wetch, not mika...

 

[Colin Colenso]

The ref was very tired after a long day it seemed.

It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.

While everyone in the room was intensely watching Efren as he is anayzing his tricky 8-ball, the ref had somehow thought his next to last shot was the frame winner. He mosied over to the score board and flipped the score and then strolled to the table and scooped up the CB and 8-ball.

Just then he heard a deathly silence and looked up to see Efren and a room fall of jaw dropped stares.

The realization of what he'd done washed though him like sulfuric acid through a sponge. It's like that bad rush you get when you pot out and then realize you forgot you last ball....but 10 times more intense.

Also, next door started playing loud elevator music that just ruined the atmosphere in the last few games. I think that contributed to Marlon's mental tiring at the end.

Back to the refs:
Next time I think they'd better go to having proper refs on every table all the time. The refs played a background role in this tourney and I think that contributed to their unpreparedness toward the end.

 

[Gabber]

Yes, another bizzaro thing. People not here don't realize the video equipment they have here. They have cameras and plasma screens like crazy. They showed on the screens what the shot looked like before the raked balls, and they showed the position when they tried to reposition them. The production folks had the ability to toggle back and forth from video to live and back so that they could acurately replace the balls.

Instead, they looked at the video, and then replaced the balls. All they had to do was to look at the live shot (on any plasma screen) and compare it to the video (which they could switch to on the same screen, toggle toggle toggle, back and forth for a 100% acurate replay-to-live comparison) to see that they didn't have it right. But, they didn't do that. This was the approximate shot before and after...

Before:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%PR1P6

)END

After:

START(
%HM0P7%KD3D7%PQ8O9

)END

I cannot begin to explain how easily they could have toggled back and forth. In fact, they did toggle from live to a still shot of the layout, and it was obvious that the cueball "jumped" when they toggled it the video, but nobody did anything about it. They just sort of said, "it was about here," and didn't look again at the video still. Argh!!!

Fred

Where was Deno?

Gabber

 

[Colin Colenso]

Where was Deno?

Gabber

I believe Deno was occupied in the power generation room, where he's been working tirelessly on a treadmill providing all the electrical needs for the event.

He'll be tested tomorrow when he has to simultaneously produce the smoke for the big King of The Hill finale grand entrance.

Colin>~ needs sleep!

 

[mjantti]

I believe Deno was occupied in the power generation room, where he's been working tirelessly on a treadmill providing all the electrical needs for the event.

He'll be tested tomorrow when he has to simultaneously produce the smoke for the big King of The Hill finale grand entrance.

Colin>~ needs sleep!

LOL !!!!!!!!

 

[Cornerman]

Just then he heard a deathly silence and looked up to see Efren and a room fall of jaw dropped stares.

The realization of what he'd done washed though him like sulfuric acid through a sponge. It's like that bad rush you get when you pot out and then realize you forgot you last ball....but 10 times more intense.

For those that see the commercials for SouthWest Airlines, their slogan rang so true: "Want to get away?"

I feel so sorry for the ref. Unfortunately, every major open event I've seen that had referees, I didn't feel there was a qualification process. That's not intended to be a slam on the referees so much as the process. I don't know the answer, but there are obvious problems.

In this case however, "brain fart" comes to mind, point of some process might be moot.

Fred

 

[jjinfla]

When you consider the refs were there for 12 hours every day I can understand how they can have a mental lapse. I was sitting and I was completely drained by that time.

In the first incident Manalo tried to play safe by skimming the ball and putting the CB on the rail. I was about twenty feet away and when he made the shot my mind said that didn't look right. Then the ref called foul. Then he looked at the spectators and a few said foul. I didn't say anything because I was twenty feet away and was really not sure what happened. No way I am getting involved. Later I asked another ref what happened and he said they checked it on slow motion replay and the call was right. It would have been much better had the ref positioned himself close to the table where he could look straight down at the balls but instead he was about 8 feet away. But the call was right.

The "Preacher" said "BS" - "Do you think a player with Manalo's experience is going to miss that skim shot?".

What can I say? It was late. The man was tired. I don't care how much money his family has I'm sure the pressure was getting to him. He was playing for $100,000 guaranteed. And Sh** happens.

But the man is a pool playing genius.

In the second incident after they reset the balls Manalo said "that's good" so nothing else matters.

What a great production put on by Kevin. And Deno really worked his ass off and put his heart into it. But a really great job.

Plasma screens were super. Score card on one and table on the next one. And for people who love statistics, and scores there sure were plenty of them posted. And on time. Unbelieveable. The logistics of this event is mind boggling.

I heard a number mentioned. Four million dollars. To put on this event. And I believe it.

But it sure is an endurance test. How the players can play for 12 hours straight is beyond me. And then come back and do it again the next day. And the next. And the next.

People who were not there will never, ever, understand how great it was. I never expected it to be so great and I didn't expect to really stay for every day, but I did. Unfortunately, I didn't buy tickets for the finals. What a tragic mistake on my part.

Sigel is a trip. Get him started talking and he is non-stop. Mike - the Mouth - Sigel. He sure is great for the future of pool.

JJJ

 

[Colin Colenso]

Did I meet you jjinfla?