1 Pocket Ghost said:
I agree with the consensus...it was close, but looked like a foul to me as well....But what I also believe that I saw, was the reason for the foul ( and it wasn't mis-execution by Manalo )....Just after Manalo struck the cueball I saw the cueball roll off very slightly to the left/toward the bottom rail, resulting in it not grazing the object ball before hitting the rail.....Anybody else see this ? Ghost
The bottom line is the ref called it a foul; thus, it is a foul.
However, I was there, and though I did not see it up front and close as the referee did, when seeing it again last night on TV, I did not think it was a foul. Marlon grazed the 6-ball ever so slightly before it hit the rail, and you are right, 1 Pocket Ghost, it did roll out slightly after it hit the rail.
After the match, Marlon was stating it was not a foul, and the audience members were mixed in their feelings whether it was or was not. Deno, et al., looked at the shot via videotape in slow motion, but it was after the fact. Again, it is a foul because the bottom line is what the referee says.
I spoke to Francisco Bustamante outside on a smoke break, and I asked him what he thought about that so-called foul. He said he didn't see it when it happened. I like all of the Filipino players, but Francisco is my favorite, mainly because he's got such a great personality.
Poor Marlon had another mishap during this tournament. He was playing somebody after this match. I can't remember who. It might have been Efren Reyes. Marlon's opponent comes up with a miss and returned to his designated tableside chair. Marlon doesn't advance to the table right away. The referee went over to the table and gathered the balls to rack them. Unbeknownst to the referee, the game was still in progress. Poor Marlon walked out of the tournament room to get a hold of his composure.
Marlon really took some tough beats, IMHO, and he was the only undefeated player for the majority of the event. After the IPT KOTH, though, he went on to compete in Allen Hopkins/Matt Braun's Texas Hold'em Billiard Championship at Mohegan Sun, I think, and won the whole shebang. Marlon enjoyed a very good year in 2005.
BTW, one characteristic of a top player is the ability to let go of the negative and keep on trucking. Marlon displayed an excellent tableside demeanor, never letting his anger or being upset get in the way of his play. Some players are unable to do this. That's what separates the lions from the lambs, and Marlon is a true champion.
Picture taken at last year's 2005 U.S. Open of Marlon and Keith McCready.
JAM
and in his very next breath starts saying how he doesn't know what's going to happen if they play because Efren's been playing for days and he hasn't. Excuses in advance???
