Pool Blogs of stronger (but not pro) players?

Russ Chewning

Russ Chewning

Short Bus Russ - C player
Silver Member
Can anyone point me to the blogs of a few stronger (B+ to Open speed) players?

I am not being snobbish, but most of the blogs I have seen out there are written by mid-level league types, and I am more interested in reading the blogs of players that have some acquaintance with playing and doing at least okay against stronger competition.

I was hoping to find some blogs written by players that tend to go into every match thinking they have at least a decent chance. Too many of the blogs I've been reading have a hint of the self defeatism common to a lot of lower level players.

OMGWTF actually is pretty much along the lines of what I am talking about, but she aims more at entertainment than a realistic blogging about tournament pressures.

So... Any favorites? I do remember one guy who had a site with video of him banking 8-9 balls in a row, and blogging his preparation for DCC, and him getting drilled in the Banks division, and he seemed like a pretty decent player, but I can't find his site any more.

Before anyone tells me to use the search function, I already did, and the indicated blogs were not really what I was looking for.

The reason I don't really want pro blogs is that generally, the don't have time to post very often, and when they do, a lot of the time they are detailing their trip to the beach during tournament breaks..lol..

Russ
 
Russ:

You should start one!

Do you know it is really easy to add a shot layout to a blog once the template has been set up? We have published some helpful tips here:

http://cuetable.blogspot.com/

Also, you will see some interesting blogs utilizing CueTable software if you scroll down the page :)

Please feel free to contact us if anyone would like help on starting a blog!
 
Cuebuddy said:
http://www.barenada.com/index2.html http://www.sammspocket.com/The first link maybe the one you lost, I don't know how good he really is but the site is interesting to me. The second you may have seen before she could break into the pro seen at any time. She is a friend of mine and a cool kid. She also go's into many high level tournaments thinking she will win.:)
Click to expand...
Just seeing the name "barenada" in the URL makes me think of Dave (I think) Barenada who used to post to several billiard sites. He had a great website at one time.

I think he was the first guy to actually post the APA handicap secret...lol.

He was definitely a guy that had a high quality website for higher (and lower) level players.
 
cuetable said:
Russ:

You should start one!
Click to expand...

Wei, you played me a little at DCC, so you know I am a hack, heh heh... I was looking for someone above my "C" level.. wink wink...

Russ
 
Russ?

So was it the barenda site you were thinking of?

If not, I can dig up, and PM you some web sites in a day or so.

They are stored on a CD which I do not have access to at the moment.
 
I worked with Fast Mikey a couple of days ago, at his house in Del Mar, CA, and I can tell you, he can play! Russ, you might enjoy reading about his quest to become the oldest person to win the U.S. Amateur Nationals.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
whitey2 said:
So was it the barenda site you were thinking of?

If not, I can dig up, and PM you some web sites in a day or so.

They are stored on a CD which I do not have access to at the moment.
Click to expand...

Yah, barenada was it. Now that I am reading his stuff all over again, I am starting to see he is a very good banks player who has some thought process problems.

Mainly, he is thinking too much. and when it comes to competition, he needs to WANT to win more.

I am thinking he had some personal issues in his life (broke up with a GF?) and it was affecting his game. He wasn't feeling good about what was going on in his life, and that translated to his game.

Seems he hasn't posted anything pool related in the last year. That sucks. Hopefully, he'll get back in the swing of things..

Russ
 
Looking for that special pool blog?

Allow me to introduce you to the blog I have been writing for the last 4 years.
There are 460 posts so far, with even more comments,
containing lots of details on practice routines and videos,
as well as my tournament and matchup performances, and all sorts of product,
book and gear reviews (only the stuff I actually buy and use...
no paid advertising whatsoever).
On the rare occasion that I might sell something, the profit goes to this worthy cause.

I figure I'm at that "stronger (but not pro)" level that you mentioned.
I don't want to do the pro thing, too much travel.
In APA 8-ball terms, I'm a 7, which is the highest,
and I have had several undefeated seasons,
and play as an "A" in local tournaments.

In February of 2007, Billiards Blogger did a poll to find the best pool blog.
Mine won, by a wide margin.
Here's their review.

Overall, it's a dead-serious look at what I do to get as good as possible.
But I also have my lighter moments...

Check it out, and let me know what you think. I can take it.
Help me make it better.

Diary of a Pool Shooter - The Adventures of Fast Mikie

http://poolshooter.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!
 
FastMikie,

I've looked at your blog, and I am sure there is a lot of good content on there, but I have never been able to get past the writing style. It almost looks like someone is attempting to write non-rhyming poetry. I think that is because of center justifying all the text, within only the center third of the screen.

I just can't read a lot of content when it is formatted like that. Because of the formatting, you are forced to write a fairly short sentence on three to four lines, and then put in a blank line. It is very disconcerting to read one sentence at a time like this.

The best way to describe it would be the polar opposite of what some of the people on here do. They write 10-20 sentences in the same paragraph. With the way your site is formatted, it looks like one short sentence to each paragraph. It introduces discontinuity in the reader's mind with a line break before reading what should be the second sentence in a paragraph. Imagine talking to someone who pauses after every 5 words. That's kinda what it sounded like in my head as I was reading your blog. Very disconcerting.

I think you might have one of the best blogs out there, if the format was more readable. It's just my opinion though, and I'd be interested in what other's think.

Respectfully,

Russ
 
Russ Chewning said:
FastMikie,

I've looked at your blog, and I am sure there is a lot of good content on there, but I have never been able to get past the writing style. It almost looks like someone is attempting to write non-rhyming poetry. I think that is because of center justifying all the text, within only the center third of the screen.

I just can't read a lot of content when it is formatted like that. Because of the formatting, you are forced to write a fairly short sentence on three to four lines, and then put in a blank line. It is very disconcerting to read one sentence at a time like this.

The best way to describe it would be the polar opposite of what some of the people on here do. They write 10-20 sentences in the same paragraph. With the way your site is formatted, it looks like one short sentence to each paragraph. It introduces discontinuity in the reader's mind with a line break before reading what should be the second sentence in a paragraph. Imagine talking to someone who pauses after every 5 words. That's kinda what it sounded like in my head as I was reading your blog. Very disconcerting.

I think you might have one of the best blogs out there, if the format was more readable. It's just my opinion though, and I'd be interested in what other's think.

Respectfully,

Russ
Click to expand...

Russ...

Thanks for the feedback. Here's what I have done for you:
I have reformatted the last 3 posts (2 babes and a lesson with Scott Lee) so
that the text is left-justified (like most books).
Check it out and let me know if this is better on the eyes.
The photos are still centered, which seems to be the proper way to do it, but you tell me.

I have left the other posts in the old style so you can compare.

I really appreciate the feedback. I started that centered style back in 2004
and just stuck with it. You and only one other person have mentioned it
as being a challenge to read, but maybe there are lots more who have
not mentioned it.

What I found is that writing in that style helps me to keep the sentences short, and to the point.
But if reading it is difficult, then the change is warranted.
One of my favorite quotes is: "The danger of communication is the illusion it has been achieved."

Honest feedback like yours is helpful. Thanks again.

Mike
 
Mikie,

Thanks for being positive about the feedback!

I checked it out, and the formatting seems to be the same as it was before.. I don't know if it takes a while before the change is applied, but it still seems center justified..

An idea to play around with. Instead of all that blank space to the left, expand the text/pic area all the way over to within an inch or so from the left edge of the screen. And as far as "keeping things short", I don't know about others, but I LIKE a lot of content in a blog, especially if the writer is very good. I have personally read OMGWTF's ENTIRE back log of posts, and she goes on quite a while with some of her entries.

Just an idea.. Thanks for listening. :D

Russ
 
Russ Chewning said:
Mikie,

Thanks for being positive about the feedback!

I checked it out, and the formatting seems to be the same as it was before.. I don't know if it takes a while before the change is applied, but it still seems center justified..

An idea to play around with. Instead of all that blank space to the left, expand the text/pic area all the way over to within an inch or so from the left edge of the screen. And as far as "keeping things short", I don't know about others, but I LIKE a lot of content in a blog, especially if the writer is very good. I have personally read OMGWTF's ENTIRE back log of posts, and she goes on quite a while with some of her entries.

Just an idea.. Thanks for listening. :D

Russ
Click to expand...


Russ... click the reload/refresh button (F5?) to get the updated version.

M.
 
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