North Carolina is near and dear to my heart, and I enjoy going there any chance I can get away. The Carolinas Open is a favorite of professional players, American champions, roadsters, aspiring amateurs, and local champions. I believe Earl Strickland, Cliff Joyner, and Wade Crane all began their pool-playing careers in the Tarheel State.
Last year, North Carolinean Tony Watson came to the DCC to play pool. He seemed to be in action 24/7, ready, willing, and able, welcoming all takers. Tony has always had the reputation of stacking it high as the Georgia pine, but due to a personal conflict with his backer, he had to resort to learning how to reach in his own pockets to keep it going, even though they still remain friends. On two different nights, I know Tony Watson was up all night long, entertaining the railbirds trying to grind out the cheese. As you know, nobody sleeps at the Derby until they get home. It took me a week to recover! As far as remembering who and how much, I'm unable to recall a year later all of the nitty gritty details. However, Tony was a pool-playing machine at last year's Derby, no question about it, and because of it, he was awarded the St. Louis Louie Roberts Award for being the most ENTERTAINING player at the 2004 DCC.
Two years ago, Alex the Lion defeated Keith on a bar box, spotting him the 7 in 10-ball, a race to 9. Alex might as well have spotted Keith the 3 and out because the match was over in what seemed like minutes. The barking which transpired before the match was the real entertainment. Throughout the yelling back and forth, Amar Kang kept interjecting, "I'll play anybody here some 9-ball," recognizing the potential to win big at this moment in time. Shannon Daulton proposed, "Why don't we all just post up 3 large, and then we'll see who the best 9-ball player in the land is," which fell on deaf ears.
At that time, Keith was originally supposed to play Eric Durbin, and not Alex. After a 2-hour barkfest, which must have drawn a crowd of 100 people in the front hallway, Eric Durbin agreed to the conditions set forth. Everybody was gunning for Durbin, as he pocketed quite a few jellybeans at the 2003 DCC. Some folks were saying they should have called it the "Durbin City Classic" because Eric Durbin stayed in action, and rumor has it that he was the BIGGEST winner of all.
Eric said he had to go to his room for a minute and then sent a comrade down to the hallway where Keith and the backers committees were waiting, only to let folks know that he changed his mind and wasn't coming. I found out later from Eric that he actually wired some money home to his family. Smart move (IMO) because everybody wanted a piece of Eric Durbin and his deep pockets. Alex Papulayan then stepped right on up to the plate with his backers committee, defeated Keith fairly quickly, and we all went to bed about 7:30 a.m. in the morning. That year, I don't think I got more than 5 hours of sleep the entire 8 days of the DCC.
Something about the DCC brings out the action in certain players, whether it's for a few jellybeans or games of high stake. Keith is like a trapped animal now, not being able to attend this year, but his older brother Don who lives in Vegas had been ill for several years and took a turn for the worse right before we were getting ready to depart for Louisville last week.
Sparky is a really good friend of Keith's. Keith has taken Sparky under his wing when times were tough on the road, and definitely vice versa. I think he considers him like a brother and would help Sparky out at any time Sparky needed it. Last time I saw Sparky was at the Carolinas Open, and he was very happy to have gotten a new job which was quite lucrative for him. I heard he beat Pookie even-up on a bar table at the recent JOB's Music City Open. Most folks know that Sparky can play all games, but on a bar table, he's quite capable of beating anyone when he's got his head right.
Sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words. This is my favorite DCC photo, taken the last night of the 2003 Derby City Classic. It is the stuff that pool players dream about!
JAM
