Well, while most of the pool world is checking the forums awaiting the juicy details about what's going on at the Derby City Classic in Louisville, there was a battle going on in Parsippany at Comet Billiards, hosted by Bill Haley.
Now, here I'm figuring that with most of the world in Louisville, it may be slim pickings in New Jersey, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Here's a sample of the 48-player field: Allen Hopkins, Tony "The Assassin" Robles, Frankie Hernandez, Shawn "The Shirt" Wilke, Roadster Gerry Slivka, NY State Champion Mike Zuglan, Teddy Garrihan, Tom "Shorty" D'Alfonso, PA State Champ Joe D'Mietro, UPA Touring Pro Evan Broxmire, Nick Maninno, who looks absolutely great BTW, and Keith. And as luck would have it, Keith draws Allen Hopkins his very first round.
BTW, if there was ever an award that should go out to the BEST-DRESSED pool player, it's got to be Tony Robles. Every single time I see him, he looks like he just stepped out of GQ magazine ad. He brings an air of elegance to his game which is quite refreshing.
Ming made a cameo appearance, and when she saw the roster, she commented, "This tournament looks like a mini Derby City Classic.' Ming is a/k/a "The Empress," who played against Jeanette and Ewa at the $25,000 Mohegan Sun Trick Shot Championship last year. I was introduced to an old friend of Keith's named Diane Smith who used to play professionally when competition for the ladies was only straight pool, pre-Jean Balukas. Diane had played Jean before and said she is THE all-time best--then, now, and maybe EVER. Her daddy "Smitty" used to run a popular tour years ago in the NY area.
Interesting Joss rule factoid. I saw a player soft-breaking with NO balls passing the side pocket. The Joss Tour rule is that four balls must hit the rails for it to be a legal break. If no balls pass the side pocket, it is a legal break.
I've never been to Comet Billiard's before, and I was totally impressed with the layout of the room, very high ceilings and spacious, with a cool mauve and holly green color theme. The 21 Brunswick GC's were ideally spaced 7-feet or more apart, a player's dream venue. Somebody put a lot of work into the design of this pool room. The minute you walk in, it captures your attention.
Frankie Hernandez knocked Keith to the B side on a hill-hill, and Gerry Slivka beat him pretty resoundingly, although Keith battled hard when he was granted an appearance at the table. Gerry has a strong break, most likely 28 MPH (IMO), and last night, he was shooting balls in with such authority that they actually smacked the backs of the pockets.
When I left, the four remaining players were Mike Zuglan and Joe D'Mietro in the winners bracket, and Tony Robles and Frankie Hernandez on the losers side. First place is $1,500, second place is $1,040, and I forget the rest. Keith placed 9th through 12th.
At the end of this month, 1/29-30, there will be a Joss Tour $5,000-added event at Snooker's pool room in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour brings a field of 96 players to Turning Stone Resort and Casino to compete for $25,000 in the Turning Stone Classic IV Open 9-Ball Tournament, February 19-20. You can click the 9-ball logo on the Turning Stone Casino website and see a detailed description of the event.
Just a brief update about Joss in Parsippany! When I left, there were three New Yorkers and one Pennsylvanian left standing!
JAM
Now, here I'm figuring that with most of the world in Louisville, it may be slim pickings in New Jersey, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Here's a sample of the 48-player field: Allen Hopkins, Tony "The Assassin" Robles, Frankie Hernandez, Shawn "The Shirt" Wilke, Roadster Gerry Slivka, NY State Champion Mike Zuglan, Teddy Garrihan, Tom "Shorty" D'Alfonso, PA State Champ Joe D'Mietro, UPA Touring Pro Evan Broxmire, Nick Maninno, who looks absolutely great BTW, and Keith. And as luck would have it, Keith draws Allen Hopkins his very first round.
BTW, if there was ever an award that should go out to the BEST-DRESSED pool player, it's got to be Tony Robles. Every single time I see him, he looks like he just stepped out of GQ magazine ad. He brings an air of elegance to his game which is quite refreshing.
Ming made a cameo appearance, and when she saw the roster, she commented, "This tournament looks like a mini Derby City Classic.' Ming is a/k/a "The Empress," who played against Jeanette and Ewa at the $25,000 Mohegan Sun Trick Shot Championship last year. I was introduced to an old friend of Keith's named Diane Smith who used to play professionally when competition for the ladies was only straight pool, pre-Jean Balukas. Diane had played Jean before and said she is THE all-time best--then, now, and maybe EVER. Her daddy "Smitty" used to run a popular tour years ago in the NY area.
Interesting Joss rule factoid. I saw a player soft-breaking with NO balls passing the side pocket. The Joss Tour rule is that four balls must hit the rails for it to be a legal break. If no balls pass the side pocket, it is a legal break.
I've never been to Comet Billiard's before, and I was totally impressed with the layout of the room, very high ceilings and spacious, with a cool mauve and holly green color theme. The 21 Brunswick GC's were ideally spaced 7-feet or more apart, a player's dream venue. Somebody put a lot of work into the design of this pool room. The minute you walk in, it captures your attention.
Frankie Hernandez knocked Keith to the B side on a hill-hill, and Gerry Slivka beat him pretty resoundingly, although Keith battled hard when he was granted an appearance at the table. Gerry has a strong break, most likely 28 MPH (IMO), and last night, he was shooting balls in with such authority that they actually smacked the backs of the pockets.
When I left, the four remaining players were Mike Zuglan and Joe D'Mietro in the winners bracket, and Tony Robles and Frankie Hernandez on the losers side. First place is $1,500, second place is $1,040, and I forget the rest. Keith placed 9th through 12th.
At the end of this month, 1/29-30, there will be a Joss Tour $5,000-added event at Snooker's pool room in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour brings a field of 96 players to Turning Stone Resort and Casino to compete for $25,000 in the Turning Stone Classic IV Open 9-Ball Tournament, February 19-20. You can click the 9-ball logo on the Turning Stone Casino website and see a detailed description of the event.
Just a brief update about Joss in Parsippany! When I left, there were three New Yorkers and one Pennsylvanian left standing!
JAM
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