Sixty-eight players showed up at Snooker's pool room to compete for the $5,000-added Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour event, which began promptly at 1:00 p.m. yesterday. This is a banner tournament, and it is the 17th annual Ocean State Championship. Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich is the defending champion, having won it last year.
I have been to Snookers on the Joss tournament trail before and had always considered this one of the premier pool rooms on the East Coast, if not in the country. So, when I walked up the stairs of the historic building in downtown Providence and saw the renovations, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new and improved state-of-the-start pool room, complete with outdoor smoking deck, a dancing music hall, 25 HD TVs, and comfortable seating which filled up by nightfall. Providence is surrounded by 50 or more colleges and universities, and this may be one factor which contributes to its huge success.
Some of the players in attendance are: Allen Hopkins, Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich, Joe Tucker (resident pro), George "Ginky" Sansouci, Al "Jalapena" Pena, Joey Korsiak,Tony Ruberto, Bristol Bob, Ryan McCreesh, and Keith McCready. Michael Webb was on hand for cue maintenance and repairs. He donated a $1,400 beautiful cue to Steve Gould, the owner of Snookers, for hosting this magnificant event. It was absolutely stunning, and you can see that the owner was digging the custom-made Webb cue.
There were quite a few major battles early on, one of them being Joss TD Mike Zuglan versus Keith McCready. Every single time Keith faces Mike on a field of green, it's always a nail-biting tension-filled battle, and this time, it was no different. As luck would have it, Keith pulled Zuglan the very first round. I'm not sure if Mike brings the best out in Keith or if Keith brings the best out in Mike, but the two of them didn't miss many shots in the match. Neck and neck, fighting all the way to the finish line, it came down to the infamous hill-hill, with Keith breaking. He was running out and came to the 8-ball. It was about a 110-degree cut, which looked like a routine shot, but when he choked, Zuglan couldn't get to the table fast enough, and he knocked McCready to the B side of the charts on the very first round.
I met two Maine players, Ivaylo Petrov (originally from Bulgaria) and 18-year-old Mike Dechaine. Ivaylo a/k/a "Ivo" knocked Genie Man to the losers' side first round, but the most thrilling match had to have been Mike Dechaine versus Allen Hopkins. Racing to 9, the youngster had Allen stuck 8 to 2 and looked to be on a roll. Veteran Hopkins never gave up and utilized his expertise, executing perfect safeties and running out like a well-oiled machine. I thought Hopkins was doomed, but he patiently sat tableside and took advantage of every opportunity that came his way. Before long, the score was 8-8. The youngster from Maine broke and ran out to the 9, but came up short, maybe from the pressure, handing Hopkins the win. After the match, Allen Hopkins, always the gentleman, commented, "He plays a very nice game," referring to Dechaine.
Another feature match, which there were many, was when Ginky, a previous Ocean State winner, faced the current title-holder, Kid Delicious. BTW, Danny was dressed up in a three-piece suit when he came to Providence. I asked him why he was dressed up, and he said that ever since the IPT event in Orlando, he came to the conclusion that he really likes the way he looks and feels in a suit, but most importantly to him, he's hoping it will contribute to a better image for the sport. He looked mighty dapper, played well in the event, but he just couldn't get over the hump when it came down to Ginky. Danny is on the B side of the chart today, when the play resumes at 12:00 noon.
I met a few AzB-ers who were in attendance, one of them being Mike Keith a/k/a "MBKPool." BTW, MBK finds himself as one of the FOUR players in the winners' bracket this fine morning and will face a determined Joe Tucker. Ginky versus Allen Hopkins on the A side of the charts will be another excellent match-up. On the losers' bracket side is: Keith McCready versus Dominic Souza, Gary Abood (the guy who doesn't like to have his picture taken) versus Ray McNamara, Marc Vidal versus Danny Basavich, and Mike Zuglan versus Al "Jalapena" Pena. There are three beautiful trophies just waiting to be won today, and the payout goes like this: 1st, $2,500; 2nd, $1,800; 3rd, $1,400; 4th, $1,000; 5th and 6th, $800; 7th and 8th, $600; and 9th through 12th, $200.
BTW, the upcoming $25,000-added Turning Stone Casino tournament (February 16-19) is almost filled to the brim, 115 players are paid in, and the field will be cut off at 128.
Well, that's about it here in Providence, Rhode Island. Whoever snatches this title is anybody's guess, but each of the 12 players remaining played damn good. It's going to be a battle to the finish, and I can't wait!
JAM
I have been to Snookers on the Joss tournament trail before and had always considered this one of the premier pool rooms on the East Coast, if not in the country. So, when I walked up the stairs of the historic building in downtown Providence and saw the renovations, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new and improved state-of-the-start pool room, complete with outdoor smoking deck, a dancing music hall, 25 HD TVs, and comfortable seating which filled up by nightfall. Providence is surrounded by 50 or more colleges and universities, and this may be one factor which contributes to its huge success.
Some of the players in attendance are: Allen Hopkins, Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich, Joe Tucker (resident pro), George "Ginky" Sansouci, Al "Jalapena" Pena, Joey Korsiak,Tony Ruberto, Bristol Bob, Ryan McCreesh, and Keith McCready. Michael Webb was on hand for cue maintenance and repairs. He donated a $1,400 beautiful cue to Steve Gould, the owner of Snookers, for hosting this magnificant event. It was absolutely stunning, and you can see that the owner was digging the custom-made Webb cue.
There were quite a few major battles early on, one of them being Joss TD Mike Zuglan versus Keith McCready. Every single time Keith faces Mike on a field of green, it's always a nail-biting tension-filled battle, and this time, it was no different. As luck would have it, Keith pulled Zuglan the very first round. I'm not sure if Mike brings the best out in Keith or if Keith brings the best out in Mike, but the two of them didn't miss many shots in the match. Neck and neck, fighting all the way to the finish line, it came down to the infamous hill-hill, with Keith breaking. He was running out and came to the 8-ball. It was about a 110-degree cut, which looked like a routine shot, but when he choked, Zuglan couldn't get to the table fast enough, and he knocked McCready to the B side of the charts on the very first round.
I met two Maine players, Ivaylo Petrov (originally from Bulgaria) and 18-year-old Mike Dechaine. Ivaylo a/k/a "Ivo" knocked Genie Man to the losers' side first round, but the most thrilling match had to have been Mike Dechaine versus Allen Hopkins. Racing to 9, the youngster had Allen stuck 8 to 2 and looked to be on a roll. Veteran Hopkins never gave up and utilized his expertise, executing perfect safeties and running out like a well-oiled machine. I thought Hopkins was doomed, but he patiently sat tableside and took advantage of every opportunity that came his way. Before long, the score was 8-8. The youngster from Maine broke and ran out to the 9, but came up short, maybe from the pressure, handing Hopkins the win. After the match, Allen Hopkins, always the gentleman, commented, "He plays a very nice game," referring to Dechaine.
Another feature match, which there were many, was when Ginky, a previous Ocean State winner, faced the current title-holder, Kid Delicious. BTW, Danny was dressed up in a three-piece suit when he came to Providence. I asked him why he was dressed up, and he said that ever since the IPT event in Orlando, he came to the conclusion that he really likes the way he looks and feels in a suit, but most importantly to him, he's hoping it will contribute to a better image for the sport. He looked mighty dapper, played well in the event, but he just couldn't get over the hump when it came down to Ginky. Danny is on the B side of the chart today, when the play resumes at 12:00 noon.
I met a few AzB-ers who were in attendance, one of them being Mike Keith a/k/a "MBKPool." BTW, MBK finds himself as one of the FOUR players in the winners' bracket this fine morning and will face a determined Joe Tucker. Ginky versus Allen Hopkins on the A side of the charts will be another excellent match-up. On the losers' bracket side is: Keith McCready versus Dominic Souza, Gary Abood (the guy who doesn't like to have his picture taken) versus Ray McNamara, Marc Vidal versus Danny Basavich, and Mike Zuglan versus Al "Jalapena" Pena. There are three beautiful trophies just waiting to be won today, and the payout goes like this: 1st, $2,500; 2nd, $1,800; 3rd, $1,400; 4th, $1,000; 5th and 6th, $800; 7th and 8th, $600; and 9th through 12th, $200.
BTW, the upcoming $25,000-added Turning Stone Casino tournament (February 16-19) is almost filled to the brim, 115 players are paid in, and the field will be cut off at 128.
Well, that's about it here in Providence, Rhode Island. Whoever snatches this title is anybody's guess, but each of the 12 players remaining played damn good. It's going to be a battle to the finish, and I can't wait!
JAM
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