The place is packed. Last night, there wasn't a seat in the house, and it was standing room only, and today, the tension is growing with everybody contemplating who's going to capture the U.S. Open championship title.
As has been previously posted, Earl Strickland came to play, and he gave The Magician a run for his money. Both players have had previous matches on the TV table and were comfortable with the environment. The Diamond table which is being used for broadcast is a beautiful piece of equipment, adorned with the Simonis Tour Blue cloth. The pockets, though, are 3/16ths of an inch bigger than the rest of the tables in the room, and with the bright hot lights, it most definitely rolls differently. For the younger players, it may be a little intimidating at first. Right now, Sylver Ochoa and Charlie Williams are duking it out. Charlie is a veteran in front of the camera, and it will be interesting to see if Sylver can continue his mission to the top.
While Earl and Efren were in combat, I was hanging out front with Jose Parica and Alex Pagulayan, both players on deck for their 3:00 p.m. matches. Jose was relaxed and comfortable, and he's got his eyes on this title, a dream for the 56-year-old. For Alex, it was business as usual, and he was his usual jovial self, cracking jokes and keeping everybody entertained with his gift of gab.
California's Tang Hoa has been practicing as often as he is able to between matches. He's focused and very determined to win. He has a permanent smile on his face, and he most definitely is having a great tournament this year.
There has been quite a bit of action reports coming from those who made the trek to Q-Masters. We visited the pool room the first night we were here, but haven't been back since while Keith was still in the tournament. However, tonight is the last night for the action players. So I have a feeling Keith and I will be paying a visit. Last evening, I heard Tony Watson and Chris Bartrum locked horns for an undisclosed sum. I think Tony was spotting him the 8, but at the time of this writing, I'm not sure who came out on top.
Though I would have liked Keith to have risen further in the charts, I am still pleased with his performance this year. He played 3 of his 5 matches on that TV table, and I have mixed feelings about the advantages and disadvantages compared to the other tight-pocketed Diamonds in the room. As far as who I'm pulling for to win, I've got to say I hope Jose Parica pulls this one off, but in this tough field, it's anybody's guess as to who will be the next champion.
Jose is playing Nick Vandenberg now. I'm going to head back on over and see how he's doing.
JAM
As has been previously posted, Earl Strickland came to play, and he gave The Magician a run for his money. Both players have had previous matches on the TV table and were comfortable with the environment. The Diamond table which is being used for broadcast is a beautiful piece of equipment, adorned with the Simonis Tour Blue cloth. The pockets, though, are 3/16ths of an inch bigger than the rest of the tables in the room, and with the bright hot lights, it most definitely rolls differently. For the younger players, it may be a little intimidating at first. Right now, Sylver Ochoa and Charlie Williams are duking it out. Charlie is a veteran in front of the camera, and it will be interesting to see if Sylver can continue his mission to the top.
While Earl and Efren were in combat, I was hanging out front with Jose Parica and Alex Pagulayan, both players on deck for their 3:00 p.m. matches. Jose was relaxed and comfortable, and he's got his eyes on this title, a dream for the 56-year-old. For Alex, it was business as usual, and he was his usual jovial self, cracking jokes and keeping everybody entertained with his gift of gab.
California's Tang Hoa has been practicing as often as he is able to between matches. He's focused and very determined to win. He has a permanent smile on his face, and he most definitely is having a great tournament this year.
There has been quite a bit of action reports coming from those who made the trek to Q-Masters. We visited the pool room the first night we were here, but haven't been back since while Keith was still in the tournament. However, tonight is the last night for the action players. So I have a feeling Keith and I will be paying a visit. Last evening, I heard Tony Watson and Chris Bartrum locked horns for an undisclosed sum. I think Tony was spotting him the 8, but at the time of this writing, I'm not sure who came out on top.
Though I would have liked Keith to have risen further in the charts, I am still pleased with his performance this year. He played 3 of his 5 matches on that TV table, and I have mixed feelings about the advantages and disadvantages compared to the other tight-pocketed Diamonds in the room. As far as who I'm pulling for to win, I've got to say I hope Jose Parica pulls this one off, but in this tough field, it's anybody's guess as to who will be the next champion.
Jose is playing Nick Vandenberg now. I'm going to head back on over and see how he's doing.
JAM