One afternoon in Philadelphia at the Capital City Classic, we ran into Rob Saez in the hallway of the Adams Mark Hotel. He wanted to show us a new stick he was using, and so we followed him to his room to check it out.
During the visit, I got to see another side of Rob Saez, a young man with a strong vision. Previously, I'd seen him competing in many venues, especially the Joss Tour, as he used to live in Connecticut, and I knew he was a serious player. He spoke about his desires to advance his game to a professional level, that this was his dream and he wanted to follow it through.
His game has advanced to another level in the last 2 years (IMO) because he ventured outside of the box and boldly took his show on the road. I admire him for reaching his goal. He's definitely got game.
I saw him last year at Valley Forge, though, and Rob was a changed man. He had won a few very nice tournaments in Florida, competing with the toughest players in the States. He's graduated from the ranks of young guns, and currently, he's capable of beating anyone at any given time.
Rob Saez and one of my favorite tournament trail railbirds!
Picture taken last year at Mica Immonen's home pool room, Planet Pool, a 10-minute drive from the Valley Forge Conference Center. They had just opened up for business last year, and I recently heard a rumor that it has closed. It was a really cool pool room, excellent equipment, nice atmosphere, a real pool player's paradise!
JAM