Congrats Joey,
I for one want to know what you won and who you beat. When you work hard at the game good things happen and it sounds like a real good thing happened.
It ain't braggin if you did it and it's done. Just great news for all your friends.
Let'er rip there Joey A, like it sounds like you did in this here tourny.
Thanks ahead of time. geno............
You give great reports from the field and you don't hold back any punches. I like that and appreciate your candor and I will respond in kind, because its the right thing to do.
I really don't like the fanfare that some people are kind enough to think that I deserve it. Personally speaking, I am a realist and I know what my skill level is and others sometimes think it is better than what it really is.
This is an A & B players tournament. Top players like Jamie Ferrell, Eddie Brown and others are not allowed to play in it. That leaves the 15 or so players that play my speed, then a bunch of players below that group.
It's a handicapped tournament and you either give the 8, play even, or get the 8. We had players from all over the region come by BUT EVERYONE'S SPEED was identifiable and verifiable. I don't want people flying below radar to think that they can come in and steal because it just won't happen.
I played well at times and other times, I simply "dogged it". I'm embarassed to say that but it is what it is. Most of my opponents were B players and I gave up the 8 on the tough Diamond Tables at Buffalo Billiards. Believe me, the 8 is BIG WEIGHT especially when you are talking about skill levels next to one another. With the humidity we have, you have to always be on your guard as it can change with the number of people, the rain, or just opening the doors for a few minutes with a delivery.
My best match was against a great player from Houma, LA. NickA is the owner of CueSports, the home of the Louisiana 9 Ball Bar Table Championship. Racing to 5 Nick had me 4-3 and somehow I won one game to make it hill-hill, then in the last rack I held my composure and finished the set to win 5-4. Nick a better 9 ball player than myself even on a big table and I would consider myself a major underdog against him on a bar table. One pocket on a big table might be a different story.
I dogged a major, EASY 9 Ball in the match for the top spot in the winner's bracket and lost to an old road dog, who can still swing a good cue. He played solid and I didn't.
I had to settle myself afte that, so I took a sabbatical and put some eyedrops in my eyes because they were irritated because of the smoke even though Buffalo's has powerful smoke eaters.
Anyway, there were so many gamblers in the pool room for the tournament, they were woofing at one another like there was no tournament going on and acted like they were the only ones in the world that mattered. After sitting in my car a little while with the air on, I settled down and was determined to win the tournament in spite of my dogging it for the cat-bird's seat.
I was able to dispatch one of our local players with some good play then faced the winner of the winner's bracket a second time. This tournament they had decided to have ONE FINAL RACE TO 7 instead of the double elimination. I'm so glad it happened this way because I was exhausted after 10 hours. Anyway the winner of the winner's bracket has me down 2-0 before I could blink an eye and I am fuming because I know I can play better. I fight to get back to 2-2, hoping to just run away with it but I don't. I keep playing inconsistently and the score is 4-4 and I play some great safeties, get cue in hand a couple of times and win 7-4.
First place paid $1450 and second place paid about $700. I don't remember what third, fourth, fifth and sixth place paid but a good time was had by all.
I got lots of congratulations and even some hand-clapping for coming back out of the loser's bracket. The haters even remained silent after the win. It boggles my mind how people can hate so easily. It's a strange phenomena, at least for me. Instead of begrudging someone else's success, I applaud them. Why is it so difficult for some to be happy for others?
Anyway, I had a great tournament, played well at times and not so well at others and hope to improve my
PERFECT AIM. 
..Sorry, No brownie points for you, again today..
