Monday Morning Thoughts...

[JAM]

Wendy Jans wins the ladies BCA Open qualifier, Tony Roberto takes off a Joss tournament on Mike Zuglan's home turf, Dave Hemmah is the Hot Shot this week on the Pechaeur Tour, Niels Feijan of The Netherlands makes a cameo appearance and snatches the PP 9-Ball tourney, and three times is a charm for John Schmidt who seemingly cannot be beat in Kenner, Louisiana!

Valley Forge begins in 3 days, and it will be packed with players from all over the world: world-class champions, Hall of Famers, road agents, young guns, league players, pool enthusiasts, and railbirds. In my opinion, this venue has the LARGEST selection of pool-related items from a multitude of vendors. Great way to shop, seeing the items up front and close, when contemplating a purchase of a new cue, a case, tables, books, or any pool paraphernalia.

When I hear the words "Valley Forge," it brings a smile to my face. As a baby, my parents used to plant me in a high chair in the living room in front of the TV. TV's were a new entertainment phenomenon to families, especially kids. Not every family owned a TV, and back in 1954, there were only black-and-white ones.

Advertisements for beer were prevalent back then. Black Label had Mabel, a curvaceous bar maid, and their slogan was: "Hey, Mabel, Black Label," and Mabel would serve Black Label with a smile. Hamm's Beer had a cute little bear as their mascot, another cool commercial, but it was Valley Forge beer commercials that I remember most.

When I hear the words "Valley Forge," it conjures up a lot of memories. To most pool folk, it represents the Super Billiards Expo, but to me, life seems to have come full circle when I think of Valley Forge. The first words out of my mouth as a baby, according to my parents, were "Valley Forge." Most babies struggle with "Ma" or "Da," but I bellowed out "Valley Forge," all three syllables. My parents used to love to tell that story to EVERYONE when I was growing up.

I am looking forward to the Saturday 7:00 p.m. AzBilliards Meet and Greet. Although the "action table" is quite popular in my household, I am hoping that I will be sitting in the Pro event on the second floor as opposed to that infamous "pit" on the lower level. If I can hook up my laptop at the hotel, I'll definitely proide some SBE tidbits to the inquiring folks back home.

I have a good feeling about the upcoming Valley Forge. The Super Billiards Expo captures the very essence of pool in America (IMO), with each facet represented in full force. It's a place where amateurs can test their skills in a variety of venues. The women and seniors tournaments are economical and fun, and for the pros, it's a bloody war to the finish. Rodney Morris will be looking to maintain his title from last year, defeating Jose Parica in the finals. Relatively unknowns will be making their mark, and the roadsters may come out of the woodwork to make a score in the off hours. And then there's those vendors. I always like checking out the wares, and you can take your pick of which cue mechanic to repair or make adjustments to your stick.

I have received numerous e-mails from quite a few folk, and I'm looking forward to seeing old friends as well as meeting some new ones. Looks like the family of AzBilliards frequent posters will be represented quite well at Valley Forge! If I can provide any info or answer any questions while I'm there, please post 'em up. I'll be checking out the forum. To the rest of yous [in my Pennsylvania accent], I'll see y'all there!

JAM

 

[Railbird]

Wendy Jans wins the ladies BCA Open qualifier, Tony Roberto takes off a Joss tournament on Mike Zuglan's home turf, Dave Hemmah is the Hot Shot this week on the Pechaeur Tour, Niels Feijan of The Netherlands makes a cameo appearance and snatches the PP 9-Ball tourney, and three times is a charm for John Schmidt who seemingly cannot be beat in Kenner, Louisiana!

Valley Forge begins in 3 days, and it will be packed with players from all over the world: world-class champions, Hall of Famers, road agents, young guns, league players, pool enthusiasts, and railbirds. In my opinion, this venue has the LARGEST selection of pool-related items from a multitude of vendors. Great way to shop, seeing the items up front and close, when contemplating a purchase of a new cue, a case, tables, books, or any pool paraphernalia.

When I hear the words "Valley Forge," it brings a smile to my face. As a baby, my parents used to plant me in a high chair in the living room in front of the TV. TV's were a new entertainment phenomenon to families, especially kids. Not every family owned a TV, and back in 1954, there were only black-and-white ones.

Advertisements for beer were prevalent back then. Black Label had Mabel, a curvaceous bar maid, and their slogan was: "Hey, Mabel, Black Label," and Mabel would serve Black Label with a smile. Hamm's Beer had a cute little bear as their mascot, another cool commercial, but it was Valley Forge beer commercials that I remember most.

When I hear the words "Valley Forge," it conjures up a lot of memories. To most pool folk, it represents the Super Billiards Expo, but to me, life seems to have come full circle when I think of Valley Forge. The first words out of my mouth as a baby, according to my parents, were "Valley Forge." Most babies struggle with "Ma" or "Da," but I bellowed out "Valley Forge," all three syllables. My parents used to love to tell that story to EVERYONE when I was growing up.

I am looking forward to the Saturday 7:00 p.m. AzBilliards Meet and Greet. Although the "action table" is quite popular in my household, I am hoping that I will be sitting in the Pro event on the second floor as opposed to that infamous "pit" on the lower level. If I can hook up my laptop at the hotel, I'll definitely proide some SBE tidbits to the inquiring folks back home.

I have a good feeling about the upcoming Valley Forge. The Super Billiards Expo captures the very essence of pool in America (IMO), with each facet represented in full force. It's a place where amateurs can test their skills in a variety of venues. The women and seniors tournaments are economical and fun, and for the pros, it's a bloody war to the finish. Rodney Morris will be looking to maintain his title from last year, defeating Jose Parica in the finals. Relatively unknowns will be making their mark, and the roadsters may come out of the woodwork to make a score in the off hours. And then there's those vendors. I always like checking out the wares, and you can take your pick of which cue mechanic to repair or make adjustments to your stick.

I have received numerous e-mails from quite a few folk, and I'm looking forward to seeing old friends as well as meeting some new ones. Looks like the family of AzBilliards frequent posters will be represented quite well at Valley Forge! If I can provide any info or answer any questions while I'm there, please post 'em up. I'll be checking out the forum. To the rest of yous [in my Pennsylvania accent], I'll see y'all there!

JAM

Good Morning Jam,

I'm already experiencing that anxious feeling counting the days to Valley Forge, I so look forward to that weekend each year, I'll be hanging at "the pit" as uaual, and with alittle luck maybe doing well in the open amatuer tournament. I hope to be able to make it to the Saturday evening get together as well, it is always nice to be able to put a face to a name, and meeting some of the AZB'ers should be quite a memorable experience.

See Ya There,
Jim

 

[JAM]

Good Morning Jam,

I'm already experiencing that anxious feeling counting the days to Valley Forge, I so look forward to that weekend each year, I'll be hanging at "the pit" as uaual, and with alittle luck maybe doing well in the open amatuer tournament. I hope to be able to make it to the Saturday evening get together as well, it is always nice to be able to put a face to a name, and meeting some of the AZB'ers should be quite a memorable experience.

See Ya There,
Jim

Top of the morning to you, Railbird, and good luck in the Open Amateur tournament! There will be plenty of goings-on throughout the week, and I'm already planning my itinerary.

Here's one of my favorite photos taken last year at the "action table" on the lower level.

I was sitting in the pit and keeping track of the list of players who signed up to test their skills on a bar-box field of green (LOL) . Tony Roberto, shown here with his hands up in the air after a win, went by the moniker of "Succa" last year. Every time he was due up at the table, I'd yell out "Succa, you're up." Everybody in the audience would crackup.

That's Phil from Drexeline Billiards putting his quarters in the slot, getting ready to challenge Succa. Phil was the Pennsylvana State 9-Ball Champion last year. This year, the honors go to Joe DiPietro who's been scoring quite a few tournament wins on the regional trail as of late!

And the guy in gray with his back to the camera is Keith McCready after losing to Succa, looking to me like he may be counting his bank roll. It was a three-ring circus and tons of fun for a railbird like me.

Young Gun Shawn Wilke from Maryland had a good run on the action table, as did Ronnie Wiseman late one night winning 8 or 9 in a row, as I was told. Corey Deuel tested out the waters and couldn't string together a few racks. Larry Nevel snuck in and out, stuffing his pockets. Kid Delicious and Rob Saez enjoyed the action table to the fullest, but Santos never seemed to get it going. Keith McCready won BIG the first night and lost it back the second night. Bobby Pickle was a hoot to watch. The spectators, though, I think had the most fun. A lot of folks came to watch the action, and there was a good time to be had by all.

JAM

 

[Railbird]

Jam,

I was there for all of the goings on for four full days & nights. Matter of fact I can be seen sitting at "the pit" in some of your other photo's.

Can't Wait!
Jim

 

[JAM]

Jam,

I was there for all of the goings on for four full days & nights. Matter of fact I can be seen sitting at "the pit" in some of your other photo's.

Can't Wait!
Jim

I notice your join date to AzBilliards coincides with the Super Billiards Expo of last year, March 2003. Are you the guy with the red hat sitting in the front row in the picture on the bottom left? http://hometown.aol.com/jamalloy/2004valleyforge.html

Or are you on page 2? http://hometown.aol.com/jamalloy/2004valleyforgepage2.html

I'm hoping to get more shots this year at the pro event.

JAM

 

[Eric.]

Hey Jennie,

Sounds like Valley Forge should have you as their pitchperson

I'll be there too. As usual, I'll be in the pit too. I'll play some and sweat some and most importantly, I'll be working on my smoking habit. Eventhough I quit, I think I'm still up to a half a pack a day by hanging around places like the Pit


Eric

 

[Railbird]

I notice your join date to AzBilliards coincides with the Super Billiards Expo of last year, March 2003. Are you the guy with the red hat sitting in the front row in the picture on the bottom left? http://hometown.aol.com/jamalloy/2004valleyforge.html

Or are you on page 2? http://hometown.aol.com/jamalloy/2004valleyforgepage2.html

I'm hoping to get more shots this year at the pro event.

JAM

Jam,

Page 1, bottom left picture, on Keith's right sitting with my arms crossed.
P.S., we met at the Joss Tournament at Comet Billiards in New Jersey.

Jim

 

[JAM]

Hey Jennie,

Sounds like Valley Forge should have you as their pitchperson

I'll be there too. As usual, I'll be in the pit too. I'll play some and sweat some and most importantly, I'll be working on my smoking habit. Eventhough I quit, I think I'm still up to a half a pack a day by hanging around places like the Pit

Hi, Eric! At the beginning stages of quitting smoking, it's a tough road to hoe. It's almost like if you can't beat 'em, you join 'em by continuing the habit. I tried to quit last year after my friend Geese passed away from cancer. I gained 10 pounds in a short span of time and gave in to the addiction. At least at the Super Billiards Expo, there is no smoking on the first floor, which should help keep your daily quota down if you do indulge.

See you there, and the first beverage of choice is on me!

JAM

 

[JAM]

Jam,

Page 1, bottom left picture, on Keith's right sitting with my arms crossed.
P.S., we met at the Joss Tournament at Comet Billiards in New Jersey.

Jim

Of course, I remember you now, Railbird, putting a face to the name! I see you sitting in the front row with your case, ready for battle!

Comet Billiards is a really cool pool room. The equipment is topnotch, and it's a great place to hold an event. It's hosts like the owners of Comet Billiards that make things happen for players, and I'm thankful that I got the chance to see this place. It's one of the nicest setups I've seen in a long time.

See you in a couple of days!

JAM

 

[Eric.]

Hi, Eric! At the beginning stages of quitting smoking, it's a tough road to hoe. It's almost like if you can't beat 'em, you join 'em by continuing the habit. I tried to quit last year after my friend Geese passed away from cancer. I gained 10 pounds in a short span of time and gave in to the addiction. At least at the Super Billiards Expo, there is no smoking on the first floor, which should help keep your daily quota down if you do indulge.

See you there, and the first beverage of choice is on me!

JAM

I hear ya on the quitting smoking thing, but as you remember, it's non smoking upstairs and 'some' smoking allowed downstairs. After spending a night downstairs, I can give a Texas barbeque the 6 in smoky flavor

Drinks sound good, gotta stay lubricated. See you guys in a few days.

Eric >up in smoke

 

[Vicki]

I have received numerous e-mails from quite a few folk

JAM

So many e-mails that I have tried to PM you and your mailbox is always full. Darn it, we only live a half hour from each other and the only time we see each other is out of town at tournaments!

I'll see you later this week at VF...

 

[Railbird]

Of course, I remember you now, Railbird, putting a face to the name! I see you sitting in the front row with your case, ready for battle!

Comet Billiards is a really cool pool room. The equipment is topnotch, and it's a great place to hold an event. It's hosts like the owners of Comet Billiards that make things happen for players, and I'm thankful that I got the chance to see this place. It's one of the nicest setups I've seen in a long time.

See you in a couple of days!

JAM

Yes, Comet Billiards is a nice room, with very pleasant owners and staff, and like you pointed out, top notch equipment.

I'm no longer counting the days, I'm now counting the hours to Valley Forge.

See Ya,
Jim

 

[JAM]

So many e-mails that I have tried to PM you and your mailbox is always full. Darn it, we only live a half hour from each other and the only time we see each other is out of town at tournaments!

I'll see you later this week at VF...

Hey, Vicki, you're right about that. We see each other more on the road than we do right here at home!

Can't wait for this event. I don't know why, but I'm getting pretty excited about going! Looking forward to seeing you, too, Vicki. BTW, there's going to be an AzBilliards Meet and Greet at 7:00 p.m. at the bar in the Radisson on Saturday night. Hope you can make it. It looks like it's going to be a ton of fun!

JAM