Match Monday #1 - Sigel vs Varner - 1990 US Open 9 Ball

Fast Lenny

Fast Lenny

Faster Than You...
Silver Member
Well I am trying to get myself back into pool and one way to do it is to watch some matches and get into a pool state of mind. Accu-Stats as we know is the best thing to get your mind right for pool.

Every Monday I am going to try and post a match I find online and welcome you to watch and discuss your thoughts on the match. Pat and company have uploaded a ton of a great matches FREE to view on YouTube. I really enjoy the older stuff and players. Of course Billy Incardona's commentary which he is joined by Jose Garcia in this match who is fantastic. Here is the link a great one between Sigel and Varner. It's a nail biter!

 
It was a great match. Spoiler alert- great comeback by Varner. I was astonished he missed the 9 in that last rack- he was very fortunate that he didn’t leave Sigel a shot. Also, the wing ball went in on every break- flaws already evident for 9 ball back then
 
I actually refereed this match in 1990. I believe this match was a semi-finals. Up to that time at this event, there had been no referees at the matches. Players typically called over the T.D. if a close call or issue. Otherwise, the players used cue ball fouls only as their method. Barry Behrman wanted a referee for these final matches and asked me to be it. I explained to Barry that I thought it inappropriate to suddenly bring refs in to call all fouls after the whole event previously had no refs, so I determined to Barry that I would sit in the arena and "passively" referee (meaning I'd only get involved for close calls and player issues arising - and Nick & Mike would still be under cue-ball-fouls-only rules). Barry agreed, so I seldom had to get up from my chair. After missing his shot on the case 9-ball, Nick left one of the most brutal leaves in pro pool history. I remember observing Mike's frustration. There was simply no good play on the 9-ball for Mike. Crazy ending. And Nick won the Championship. I seem to also recall from this event seeing Rodney Morris for the first time. I believe this was his first pro event. Word was he had been mentored by Hawaiian Brian, and he showed some semblances of his potential talent that week - having flown all the way from Hawaii to Virginia. It was also one of the few times the US Open hosted a women's division. Great memories! - John Lewis
 
fishpool said:
I actually refereed this match in 1990. I believe this match was a semi-finals. Up to that time at this event, there had been no referees at the matches. Players typically called over the T.D. if a close call or issue. Otherwise, the players used cue ball fouls only as their method. Barry Behrman wanted a referee for these final matches and asked me to be it. I explained to Barry that I thought it inappropriate to suddenly bring refs in to call all fouls after the whole event previously had no refs, so I determined to Barry that I would sit in the arena and "passively" referee (meaning I'd only get involved for close calls and player issues arising - and Nick & Mike would still be under cue-ball-fouls-only rules). Barry agreed, so I seldom had to get up from my chair. After missing his shot on the case 9-ball, Nick left one of the most brutal leaves in pro pool history. I remember observing Mike's frustration. There was simply no good play on the 9-ball for Mike. Crazy ending. And Nick won the Championship. I seem to also recall from this event seeing Rodney Morris for the first time. I believe this was his first pro event. Word was he had been mentored by Hawaiian Brian, and he showed some semblances of his potential talent that week - having flown all the way from Hawaii to Virginia. It was also one of the few times the US Open hosted a women's division. Great memories! - John Lewis
Click to expand...
Are you the John Lewis that refereed the Sigel v. Zuglan 150 and out at the '92 14.1 US Open?
 
JusticeNJ said:
Are you the John Lewis that refereed the Sigel v. Zuglan 150 and out at the '92 14.1 US Open?
Click to expand...
Yep. That too. I was Head Referee at the '92 US open 14.1 in NYC. I trained some refs there, but generally scheduled the refs on hand. When someone called in sick, I took the match. I only reffed 5 matches that week, and in two of them....a 150-out-match (I believe Johnny Archer made the other one). What made Sigel's run special was he made it in his 1st inning - a still-standing record at the defunct US Open 14.1. Interestingly, Mike Zuglan - relegated to the loser's bracket in the late round - immediately had to play another match....and Mike ran 148 in HIS first inning and missed a combo for the out! The day before the event began, I was sitting in the empty stands with Cicero Murphy (who qualified as a past 14.1 Champ, but who was no longer nearly the speed of his peak years), and he was decrying the 14.1 skill levels of the current crop of pros (they don't play patterns correctly, yada, yada, etc.). I respectfully listened, but while reffing Sigel's great run, I recalled Cicero's remarks and smiled to myself that Sigel was controlling the table in the same purist manner as the great 14.1 stars of Cicero's era!
 
fishpool said:
Yep. That too. I was Head Referee at the '92 US open 14.1 in NYC. I trained some refs there, but generally scheduled the refs on hand. When someone called in sick, I took the match. I only reffed 5 matches that week, and in two of them....a 150-out-match (I believe Johnny Archer made the other one). What made Sigel's run special was he made it in his 1st inning - a still-standing record at the defunct US Open 14.1. Interestingly, Mike Zuglan - relegated to the loser's bracket in the late round - immediately had to play another match....and Mike ran 148 in HIS first inning and missed a combo for the out! The day before the event began, I was sitting in the empty stands with Cicero Murphy (who qualified as a past 14.1 Champ, but who was no longer nearly the speed of his peak years), and he was decrying the 14.1 skill levels of the current crop of pros (they don't play patterns correctly, yada, yada, etc.). I respectfully listened, but while reffing Sigel's great run, I recalled Cicero's remarks and smiled to myself that Sigel was controlling the table in the same purist manner as the great 14.1 stars of Cicero's era!
Click to expand...
Wow - that's a great story and thanks for posting here! I'm pretty sure the Zuglan 148 was against none other than Ray Martin. I'm from NJ and the other ref in the background of the Sigel 150 - Cosmo - is a regular at Sandcastle Billiards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top