Observations from a far place.

Jay,
Could you give us an update on Ronato (Easy Money) Alcano? Is he still playing in tournaments? The reason I ask is that he has been missing on the radar screen for a while. Besides, I know he wants a rematch and want to make sure he stays in stroke.

If the opportunity presents itself, please personally express AZ Billiard's sincerest condolences to Edwin Reyes's family.

Thanks for all you do.

JoeyA
 
Congratulations Big Daddy.

jay helfert said:
About my girl Bunny. A few of you know it is more about her that I come now. She is due in three weeks. I was totally surprised because I thought I was done with all that fatherhood stuff. But one lucky guy got though. :)

A daddy again after all these years. Her name will be Jalo. We made it up.
Click to expand...

Congratulations Big Daddy!

Finally someone caught up with you. :)
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
Congratulations Big Daddy!

Finally someone caught up with you. :)
JoeyA
Click to expand...

:D:D:D:D:D: Oh Joey!.....


Jay,
Great reporting as per usual. And even more importantly, congratulations on the good news! When I read this, I was really happy for you. You might as well hold off on buying a nice rocking chair...retirement will have to be pushed back a wee bit!

I have a couple questions for you from your book "Pool Wars". When you get home & settled, I'll post a thread with the questions. Concerns Lisciotti & Massey & crew.

Have a safe trip home buddy!
Terry
 
Ronnie Alcano is alive and well and still a feared money player over here. First Tier, the highest ranking.

A few more bits and pieces about the PI. You walk and walk and then you walk some more. EVERYONE walks, miles a day. I'm losing weight fast. :)

There are many modes of public transport for longer trips. Bicycle trikes for short trips, motor trikes for a bit longer hike. Charges are from 10 to 50 pesos, depending on number of passengers. I've seen six on one motor trike. 50p is just over one dollar. There are zillions of taxis and jeepneys. The jeepney is the best deal for a long commute, only 7p if you know the route to take. I take one daily from my hotel to the Mall where the tourney is being played, over three miles for 7p. Taxi rides are usually 100p and up, the most expensive.

There is also a rail system in Manila, the MRT and the LRT. About 10-20p for any trip. It is fast (no traffic) but super crowded! I took it daily to the Philippine Open. Yes, I am the thrifty one.

Everyone carries a pack, men and women, boys and girls. Some sort of back pack or carrying bag to hold things. Every guy has one around his neck or shoulder. There are little kids everywhere, some seemingly unattended. No population control over here, just multiply all you want. Families of eight to ten are normal. The people love the kids though, it's all about family over here. All my filipino friends are happy for me.

Forget about driving here. You will be totally freaked out. It is every man for himself with no rigid traffic rules in force. You will NEVER see a traffic cop. Driving well is about being fearless and having a loud horn. You fight for every inch of advantage and a bumper in front can mean a trike pulls ahead of a bus. Suicidal and insane to an outsider. Surprisingly there are no fights or arguments. Drivers cut each other off with a wave and a honk and then go on their way. The other driver simply continues his battle for position.

The Women's Ten Ball Championship is a grand event here. Front page news every day and on every television station. Women's pool is new here and the people and the media are embracing it. The crowds were packed to the rafters yesterday in the SM Mall for the TV matches. And in the brand new Sky Dome, which is a huge amphitheater, there were more crowds watching the non televised matches. We are on live TV all over Asia for 4-6 hous a day, great coverage!

Say what you will about Dragon, they are putting women's pool on the map in a big way! Cindy Lee is a marketing genius. She knows how to get things done and make things happen. Prize money is $75,000 with 20K on top. Not a bad payout for a women's event by any means. On the first day, I am impressed with the Taiwan players who don't come over to the USA for the WPBA. They are not initimidated by anyone. Time to go to work.
 
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Upcoming birth of your daughter

Jay,

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your daughter. I'm convinced your daughter will be born with the best "pool genes" on the planet.

Billiardly yours,
Yukon Ed


jay helfert said:
To answer a few questions. A good price for RT from the USA to Manila is around $900. How do the young players get so good? They are in action daily number one. And they get to watch the best money players on the planet every night. Ronnie, Warren, Alex and Francisco were on One Side last night. PLAYING, not watching. The room was FULL of players, and smelled of money and action. I love this room, so old school. All about action and making games and matching up. Bartram would love it here.

One Side is my favorite room here. Small with only eight tables, packed to the gills every night. When a table opens up it is a mad dash to make a game and grab it.

The tourney is winding down, final four play tomorrow. Single elim. from there for the last three matches. Double elim. up till then. I really like the refs on every table. Good ones too for the most part. All are filipino pool players who have ref'd many money matches at One Side. The tables are Brunswick Metro knock off's. Something was lost in the translation though. I think it's cheap slate. They don't play like the original Metros and the pockets are nearly four and three quarters. Too forgiving for these top players.

Still a good tourney. Ted Lerner and a fellow named Jonas from Europe are doing commentary. Both good IMO. Naturally good coverage every day. Two full matches daily on live TV, three tomorrow.

About my girl Bunny. A few of you know it is more about her that I come now. She is due in three weeks. I was totally surprised because I thought I was done with all that fatherhood stuff. But one lucky guy got though. :)

A daddy again after all these years. Her name will be Jalo. We made it up.
Click to expand...
 
nice post jay, LOL at the traffic scene, it's very true, a foreign friend once told me that if you can drive on Metro Manila's road, you can drive anywhere in the world.

any update on the women's world 10? i might drop by at the venue this weekend.
 
Another excellent post Jay. I always like reading your reports. Keep em coming!
 
Thanks for the updates Jay and congrats on the daddy news. I have a three year old and I am old and he keeps me young.
 
jay helfert said:
SNIP

Everyone carries a pack, men and women, boys and girls. Some sort of back pack or carrying bag to hold things. Every guy has one around his neck or shoulder. There are little kids everywhere, some seemingly unattended. No population control over here, just multiply all you want. Families of eight to ten are normal. The people love the kids though, it's all about family over here. All my filipino friends are happy for me.

Forget about driving here. You will be totally freaked out. It is every man for himself with no rigid traffic rules in force. You will NEVER see a traffic cop. Driving well is about being fearless and having a loud horn. You fight for every inch of advantage and a bumper in front can mean a trike pulls ahead of a bus. Suicidal and insane to an outsider. Surprisingly there are no fights or arguments. Drivers cut each other off with a wave and a honk and then go on their way. The other driver simply continues his battle for position.

SNIP
Click to expand...

Jay,

I have to say, there aren't many better at being able write and make people feel like they are there. I never thought much about it before but it truly is a gift that you have.

Thanks,
Koop
 
Every day is a monsoon here and yesterday it even rained INSIDE! One of our tourney tables got wet and we had to put it out of commission. I finally rounded some Mall staff people and discussed how we could handle it. In the PI, there is no rush to do anything. "Filipino time" can mean anytime in the next few hours... or days!

I suggested that they put some wood framework on the trusses holding the lights and hang plastic to catch the dripping water. They quickly agreed this was a good solution. That was the easy part, getting a couple of guys to do it took over an hour. I was a pest (just part of my job :)) until it got handled. We really needed that table, we have no extras.

It really feels like two tourneys. The first is getting thru the Round Robin stages and the second is the Knockout stage for the final 24 players. The top eight are seeded and get a bye the first round of Knockout. Today the Round Robin ends and the final 24 will be decided. The usual suspects are looking good; Allison, Ga Young, Jasmin, Kelly, Karen and Jeanette. Yu Ram is struggling to get thru and the Taiwan contingent all look strong.

More observations - It's a well armed country with gun toting men everywhere. Security guards, police, soldiers and other assorted uniformed men all carry high powered sidearms, rifles and shotguns. A guard holds the foor and lets you into the 7/11, gun on his hip. Same at the fast food joints like MacDonalds and Jollibee. To enter the mall, you must be frisked by two armed guards. For me, a quick pat seems to suffice. I look harmless I guess. In front of banks and Western Union offices you will see at least a couple of heavily armed guards. M-16's are the weapon of coice but 12 gauge shotguns with short stocks are abundant as well.

On that happy note, I adjourn to the pool tables. I did commentary on the match between Yu Ram and Gillian Go, the 11 year old phenom. She reminds me of another 11 year old named Jean Balukas (yes I'm that old). Gillian could be just as great if she sticks with it. We had an estimated audience of 20-25 million homes on Solar Sports and ESPN Asia. Kind of makes coverage in the USA seem miniscule by comparison.
 
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jay helfert said:
Every day is a monsoon here and yesterday it even rained INSIDE! One of our tourney tables got wet and we had to put it out of commission. I finally rounded some Mall staff people and discussed how we could handle it. In the PI, there is no rush to do anything. "Filipino time" can mean anytime in the next few hours... or days!

I suggested that they put some wood framework on the trusses holding the lights and hang plastic to catch the dripping water. They quickly agreed this was a good solution. That was the easy part, getting a couple of guys to do it took over an hour. I was a pest (just part of my job :)) until it got handled. We really needed that table, we have no extras.

It really feels like two tourneys. The first is getting thru the Round Robin stages and the second is the Knockout stage for the final 24 players. The top eight are seeded and get a bye the first round of Knockout. Today the Round Robin ends and the final 24 will be decided. The usual suspects are looking good; Allison, Ga Young, Jasmin, Kelly, Karen and Jeanette. Yu Ram is struggling to get thru and the Taiwan contingent all look strong.

More observations - It's a well armed country with gun toting men everywhere. Security guards, police, soldiers and other assorted uniformed men all carry high powered sidearms, rifles and shotguns. A guard holds the foor and lets you into the 7/11, gun on his hip. Same at the fast food joints like MacDonalds and Jollibee. To enter the mall, you must be frisked by two armed guards. For me, a quick pat seems to suffice. I look harmless I guess. In front of banks and Western Union offices you will see at least a couple of heavily armed guards. M-16's are the weapon of coice but 12 gauge shotguns with short stocks are abundant as well.

On that happy note, I adjourn to the pool tables. I did commentary on the match between Yu Ram and Gillian Go, the 11 year old phenom. She reminds me of another 11 year old named Jean Balukas (yes I'm that old). Gillian could be just as great if she sticks with it. We had an estimated audience of 20-25 million homes on Solar Sports and ESPN Asia. Kind of makes coverage in the USA seem miniscule by comparison.
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This is exciting. I am an adrenaline junky and the most adrenaline I get pumping these days is when the doctors make me do a treadmill stress test. The heavily armed guards sounds cozy safe. That's the place for me. Bring some of your commentary DVD's back with you. I'd love to hear them especially since yours and mine got squashed.

JoeyA
 
Your the man.

jay helfert said:
Every day is a monsoon here and yesterday it even rained INSIDE! One of our tourney tables got wet and we had to put it out of commission. I finally rounded some Mall staff people and discussed how we could handle it. In the PI, there is no rush to do anything. "Filipino time" can mean anytime in the next few hours... or days!

I suggested that they put some wood framework on the trusses holding the lights and hang plastic to catch the dripping water. They quickly agreed this was a good solution. That was the easy part, getting a couple of guys to do it took over an hour. I was a pest (just part of my job :)) until it got handled. We really needed that table, we have no extras.

It really feels like two tourneys. The first is getting thru the Round Robin stages and the second is the Knockout stage for the final 24 players. The top eight are seeded and get a bye the first round of Knockout. Today the Round Robin ends and the final 24 will be decided. The usual suspects are looking good; Allison, Ga Young, Jasmin, Kelly, Karen and Jeanette. Yu Ram is struggling to get thru and the Taiwan contingent all look strong.

More observations - It's a well armed country with gun toting men everywhere. Security guards, police, soldiers and other assorted uniformed men all carry high powered sidearms, rifles and shotguns. A guard holds the foor and lets you into the 7/11, gun on his hip. Same at the fast food joints like MacDonalds and Jollibee. To enter the mall, you must be frisked by two armed guards. For me, a quick pat seems to suffice. I look harmless I guess. In front of banks and Western Union offices you will see at least a couple of heavily armed guards. M-16's are the weapon of coice but 12 gauge shotguns with short stocks are abundant as well.

On that happy note, I adjourn to the pool tables. I did commentary on the match between Yu Ram and Gillian Go, the 11 year old phenom. She reminds me of another 11 year old named Jean Balukas (yes I'm that old). Gillian could be just as great if she sticks with it. We had an estimated audience of 20-25 million homes on Solar Sports and ESPN Asia. Kind of makes coverage in the USA seem miniscule by comparison.
Click to expand...

Jay, your coverage, with reports, are excellent. Feels like I was really there, very envious of you, not only because you're there and i'm in Texas but also your surrounded by all the great players of today and i'm at Luby's eating a so so lunch. Plus you are going to be a father, and to be with a beautifull Philipino girl is great. Jay, your the man, except when you talk about onepocket.

Go for it, Bill Incardona:wink:
 
jay helfert said:
More observations - It's a well armed country with gun toting men everywhere. Security guards, police, soldiers and other assorted uniformed men all carry high powered sidearms, rifles and shotguns. A guard holds the foor and lets you into the 7/11, gun on his hip. Same at the fast food joints like MacDonalds and Jollibee. To enter the mall, you must be frisked by two armed guards. For me, a quick pat seems to suffice. I look harmless I guess. In front of banks and Western Union offices you will see at least a couple of heavily armed guards. M-16's are the weapon of coice but 12 gauge shotguns with short stocks are abundant as well.
Click to expand...

Yep- I'm always looking over my shoulder in Manila- there's a reason those guards are there.

Recent political troubles aside (no tourists were injured, just inconvenienced:wink:) give me Bangkok any day of the week (though it's tough to beat the pool scene in the Philippines).
 
it's manila for me

gobrian77 said:
Yep- I'm always looking over my shoulder in Manila- there's a reason those guards are there.

Recent political troubles aside (no tourists were injured, just inconvenienced:wink:) give me Bangkok any day of the week (though it's tough to beat the pool scene in the Philippines).
Click to expand...

I've been to both places more than once and personally I'd take Manila over Bangkok.

It was kind of off putting seeing so many guns the first time I went to Manila. They are very casual about it. I thought Americans loved thier guns! I got so used to the frisking at the malls that I unconciously missed it when I came back home and went to a mall.

I remember seeing weird sings in Manila too. At the movie theater I saw one that said: "No smoking, outside drinks, food, or chicken and gravy!"

Another one that caught my eye was when a friend of mine took us out to a music lounge and it said something like: "Please leave your firearms at the door!" I wish I had taken a picture of it.

kano
 
Great coverage Jay, been enjoying quite a bit of it myself here in Balibago.

I'm gonna try to get a bus in tomorrow to see some matches on the final day. Do you know what times play is expected?

Hope to see you there.
 
kano said:
I've been to both places more than once and personally I'd take Manila over Bangkok.
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I've spent a lot of time in both places as well- from a personal safety comparison, there is really no argument that Bangkok is a safer city.:wink:
 
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