Gabe vs. Efren on ESPN2

[gabesmom]

Hey Gabesmom.....a few of my friends nicknamed Gabe 'Big Country' for his resemblance to an Okla St Basketball player Bryant Reeves that also used that nickname. Gabe told me recently when I saw him that he preferred that nickname to any others that have ever been given to him. When I see your boy I always say...Big Country...and he turns to look for me. Seems like he could market that more than 'babyface' or whatever else the TV is calling him. Most of the time when I run into Gabe he isn't so clean shaven anymore probably trying to cover up that babyface. LOL. Tell Gabe I said hi and we are still looking forward to him making a trip to St Lou if he gets off the golf course.

I told him hi today for you. He said yes he knows who I was talking about, although I didn't know. And as far as the 6 shot, he watched it on tv, and said that yes, after looking at it on tv, maybe he could have made it, he wasn't really sure at the time I guess. oh well.

 

[vapoolplayer]

I told him hi today for you. He said yes he knows who I was talking about, although I didn't know. And as far as the 6 shot, he watched it on tv, and said that yes, after looking at it on tv, maybe he could have made it, he wasn't really sure at the time I guess. oh well.

i wasn't there at the table, so i could be wrong, but to me it looked like the 8 was up too high on the six to even really hit the ball. let alone make it. looked like he may have been able to spin the ball off the rail............but IMO he chose the right shot, and just had one of those times when you hit the ball bad.

again i could be wrong, but i think wych or whatever his name is was making a big deal about nothing. i'd actually prefer mitch over this guy as wych talks like he knows what the player is going to do, and they go an entirely different route. at least mitch doesn't try map the table the way this idiot does.

ok, i'm looking at the tape again...........and it still looks like the 8 has the 6 catty cornered just enough to block a good hit.

thanks

VAP

 

[Kyle Boers]

That shot on the 4 ball by duel? That was AMAZING!!!! I had to pick my jaw up as well.

that was a pretty amazing shot to pull out of gabe's hat to win the game. A lot of drama! Good thing i recorded it on my DVR!!! I watched the rest of the games in 4x speed cuz it was 2am and i couldn't go to sleep till i saw it all. I really like having digital video recordings of these matches, every once in a while i'll see a shot that i replay over and over again with different play speeds (1/15th and 1/4 of a second) to see how the players stroked that ball. There was one Cory Deuel shot in the US Open (I think) that made my Jaw Drop... Till this day, I have not been able to recreate it.. Need to work on my stroke. (I did come close to it a couple times)

 

[gabesmom]

In case anyone is interested and didn't know, the final 4 UPA Championship matches will be shown again this Friday, March 4. I believe they start at 1:00pm eastern, (check your schedules), they start here in central time at 11:00am -3:00pm. I didn't know if Mike had his TV minder going again yet.
So if you don't have them recorded, you can watch those shots and interviews again.

 

[pete lafond]

Hey Gabesmom.....a few of my friends nicknamed Gabe 'Big Country' for his resemblance to an Okla St Basketball player Bryant Reeves that also used that nickname. Gabe told me recently when I saw him that he preferred that nickname to any others that have ever been given to him. When I see your boy I always say...Big Country...and he turns to look for me. Seems like he could market that more than 'babyface' or whatever else the TV is calling him. Most of the time when I run into Gabe he isn't so clean shaven anymore probably trying to cover up that babyface. LOL. Tell Gabe I said hi and we are still looking forward to him making a trip to St Lou if he gets off the golf course.

I like that. "Big Country" or something to that effect. Your right he should shake "Baby Face".

 

[watchez]

I like that. "Big Country" or something to that effect. Your right he should shake "Baby Face".

only pic I could find...although when he was in college, the resemblance was more so.

both gabe & bryant are big ole country boys.

 

[JAM]

I just wish they would say that Gabe is originally from Wichita, Ks. where he grew up and first started playing Pool. Sure, he moved to Tulsa for awhile, came back here 2 times, and back and forth. I know the whole family, and Gabe's Dad, Bob, is a very good cuemaker and partner in Shurtz's Custom Cues....

Okay, I got it. How about "The OK Kid"?! The acronym could stand for "Oklahoma" and/or "Oklahoma/Kansas," which would please Snapshot9!

I kind of like "The Oklahoma Kid," because it exemplifies Gabe's youthful fresh-faced optimism. After seeing the cover of the recent Billiards Digest magazine, "Super Gabe" comes to mind!

How about the stroke Danny has ... amazing he can shoot so well with that side stroke of his...

Do you really think Basavich has a "side stroke"?

As far as nicknames, I kind of like "Super Gabe" the best.

JAM

 

[FLICKit]

Do you really think Basavich has a "side stroke"?

JAM

He has the ugliest stroke I've seen from any high rated player. Would've never guessed that he could deliver that stroke with any repeatability and accuracy. Add in all the funny ticks and gestures along with the amount of time he takes - that's just totally over the top.

With a stroke like that, I bet he could make alotta money in a pool hall, and wouldn't even have to hustle.

 

[vapoolplayer]

He has the ugliest stroke I've seen from any high rated player. Would've never guessed that he could deliver that stroke with any repeatability and accuracy. Add in all the funny ticks and gestures along with the amount of time he takes - that's just totally over the top.

With a stroke like that, I bet he could make alotta money in a pool hall, and wouldn't even have to hustle.

you think his stroke looks worse than mike davis????

 

[buddha162]

you think his stroke looks worse than mike davis????

No way. Mike Davis has just about the worst stroke I've seen in recent memory, and combined with his permanently-locked bridge arm I find it hard to watch him play.

But...he sure makes it work for him.

-Roger

 

[vapoolplayer]

No way. Mike Davis has just about the worst stroke I've seen in recent memory, and combined with his permanently-locked bridge arm I find it hard to watch him play.

But...he sure makes it work for him.

-Roger

its painful to watch that stroke......LOL.....it actually looks like it would hurt if i tried it.

and yes....he definitely makes it work

 

[Koop]

Can't say that it hasn't worked for him but I always hated Allen Hopkins stroke. That real short punch stroke. Obviously I have no business dissecting his game but that stroke always made me cringe.

Dave

 

[JAM]

You guys. Nick Varner has THE UGLIEST STROKE EVER. At least Basavich and Davis draw the cue back in a straight line. I watch Nick play and wonder how he ever makes a ball, seriously. Especially in the Mosconi Cup, all that pressure, and he is shaking like a leaf. I had to cringe in my chair as his hand hit the end of the backstroke, twisted and twitched, settled down, and followed through with perfection. Beyond me. I think it is his pause LOL. Poor guy, my hat is off to him though succeeding as he has - plus I love his BD articles. He has the mind for pool - a tough cookie.

I like to watch the faces on the pros as they play Mike Davis. You can just see it in their eyes: how can someone with this log chopping stroke beat me? I watched Earthquake get so disgusted that he blurted out to Davis that if had his break he could give Davis the 7 ball all day long. McCready was a trip to watch during the match. He actually propped his legs up and turned away from the table, not watching Mike run rack after rack. This is how I know what he must have been thinking LOL.

I played Mike in the Planet Pool thing and he didn't miss. Lester (remember from the CCB/RichR's friend, who has beat McCready BTW in one of these tournaments), the next day played Mike and Lester got off to a blazing start. You could see where he was all fired up, ready to pounce. Then he missed and didn't get to shoot the rest of the match. He packed his stick away, walked by me, and went :whew! We both picked Mike to beat McCready he was shooting so well. I believe McCready won on the hill in a terrific matchup.

Are you talking about this past weekend at Bill and Billie's in Arnold, Maryland, when Keith beat Mike on the hill-hill? I watched THAT match in its entirety, and I counted the errors from each players. They both made FIVE mistakes. One error that Keith made cost him two games, racing to 7. It was an exciting match and could have gone either way (IMO). I'm kind of satisfied with the end result, though!

About Nick Varner, he's the best safety man on the planet. I wish Keith had more patience like Nick, using a little more defense as opposed to offense.

I don't remember a time when Keith propped his legs up and turned away as Mike Davis was running out, and if I ever did see Keith doing so, I would have seen RED. Not saying it didn't happen, but I usually don't miss any match between these two, as it always is a battle to the end!

Player to watch in this area currently: Young Gun Brandon Shuff. The 21-year-old is shooting balls in with authority, and he's finishing in the semi-finals in many events as of late. Mike Davis said he used to give lessons to Brandon when he was only 13 years of age. Ever since he got back from the Derby City Classic in Louisville, he's exhibiting a new sense of confidence. Brandon is going to be one to watch in the future (IMO). His trademark is wearing that baseball cap of his backwards!

JAM

 

[bruin70]

man,,,,,,the interviews to get players' insights sucked in a major way.