I've been able to sweat a few of these now, and it's always a great time.
It's good take up early (but not too early), grab a coffee, and then go sweat some top shelf pool all day.
This was the Action Pool Tour, with a good sized 60+ player field in the 9-ball event at First Break in Sterling, VA.
Bullets, because who doesn't love bullets?
• First, congrats to Danny Mastermaker. He virtually ran out the set against Brett Stottlemyer,
missing only a single ball in a race to 7 shutout. Didn't lose a match all weekend.
If this guy wasn't considered a pro before, he should be now. Watch for him.
His brother plays great too and took down the 2nd chance tournament.
Despite alternate breaks, Brett had little chance, he seldom had a workable 1 ball and Danny kept
coming up with something after push or safety exchanges. Danny meanwhile kept parking the 1 ball
a foot from the corner and if he could see it, he was out.
• Nice first rack... with the 7/8 tied up he played shape on the 7 to roll up and weld the cue ball to the 8.
Brett was looking at one of those awkward kicks where you have to bridge over a ball and hit the foot rail
just to have a chance. Made a good hit but sold out anyway and Danny was off to the races.
• Thanks to Ozzy Reynolds, who runs these things so smoothly and is always a really nice guy.
With only 8 tables and 60 players doing double elimination races to 7,
he managed to keep everything on a reasonable schedule.
• Dominic Noe played the first intentional nipple kick I've ever seen live. I believe Deska had locked him up
to where all 1 rail options where closed off, even with tons of spin. So he aimed carefully at the side pocket nipple
and came off at an impossible angle to get a good hit.
• I always expect Brandon Shuff to win these things but he keeps getting knocked out in hill hill matches
even though he plays fairly perfect pool. Especially with that break... wing ball every time,
cue ball hops an inch and then sits down. I don't think I saw his cue ball go wild once
though other balls would often kick it around.
I think that actually was his downfall, he often had nothing on the 1.
I wonder if it might help to modify the pretty stop shot break in favor of trying to draw back a bit
just to avoid those random collisions. Seems like at this level controlling the 1 is essential, not just 'going the extra mile'.
• Mike Davis also has a great controlled break but when you see his practice swings you would never believe it.
His stroke needs a warning label. But he's also fully capable of winning one of these things,
I've seen him run rack after rack with perfect shape on every ball.
• Shaun Wilkie is one of my favorite players to watch. He's kind of jittery the way Kid Delicious is, lots of
nervous-looking warmup swings and false starts. But once he commits to a ball, it's in the hole.
His cue ball sometimes goes off the tracks but he'll come with some long rail cut (no hanger on these Diamonds).
He's a real jump cue scientist too, uses some fancy 3 piece jumper where you can swap out the butt
for added weight when the situations calls for it.
He'll sight, do some alignment swings, stand off to the side, do practice swings at the actual speed and angle
he wants to use, then move back into position and one-stroke a jump shot like it's a hanger.
Saw him make three of these in one match. One over a close ball with the OB a foot away, stopping the CB,
another was like a 5 foot cut, drawing to move the CB sideways across the table and back off the side rail
to fall into a window on the 2 ball.
• Realized a guy I'd met months ago in my local league and shot with is actually Andrew Manning,
whose posts I've been reading for years on AZ.
• With a name like "Mastermaker", Danny is almost morally obligated to become a famous instructor, right?
But says he doesn't give lessons. Seems like a no-brainer to parlay his win into a few hundred bucks
of lessons from awed railbirds like myself. But he said he wouldn't feel right taking money when he doesn't
really know how to teach.
• Rough to see the effect pressure has on people. Hill-hill, Larry Kressel vs. (Brandon I think?)
has a chance to seal the deal and somehow gets behind the 9 while playing shape on the 8.
Tries to kick it softly, which seems unwise, and sold out.
What's worse than getting hooked when there are only 2 balls on the table? Getting hooked when there's only 1.
Ozzy titty hooked himself nearly scratching in the corner after the 8.
Gave my buddy a win from the chair that he definitely needed (ozzy is no slouch).
Same buddy was playing great in his first match, ran two racks, and played a very intelligent combo/carom on the 9...
one of those dead ones that's harder to see than to make.
Then he misses an easy 8 a foot from the pocket, with a similarly close 9 ball.
I believe he went on to lose the next 5 in row against a guy he's supposed to bludgeon.
• You know what's sad? That people will steal magic racks, which you can order for like ten bucks
and buy used for half that. Because so many of these had walked away, Ozzy was forced to run this
without them. Fortunately the equipment at first break is well cared for and players were still slotting the wing ball
routinely (magic rack haters take note... that ball IS supposed to be automatic).
But it slowed everything down in a room that only had 8 tables available.
Also sad, one of the top finishers, a relative unknown, saved himself ten whole dollars by entering as a B player.
He clearly was not. Maybe he's just modest.
• First break has the closest thing to real food of any pool hall in the area. They'll serve you a bowl of chicken noodle
soup the size of a hubcap.
• It's sad when it's all over, everyone just packs up and goes home. I guess they're just worn out,
I was hoping some of the pros would stick around and play some sets or do lessons or something.
It's good take up early (but not too early), grab a coffee, and then go sweat some top shelf pool all day.
This was the Action Pool Tour, with a good sized 60+ player field in the 9-ball event at First Break in Sterling, VA.
Bullets, because who doesn't love bullets?
• First, congrats to Danny Mastermaker. He virtually ran out the set against Brett Stottlemyer,
missing only a single ball in a race to 7 shutout. Didn't lose a match all weekend.
If this guy wasn't considered a pro before, he should be now. Watch for him.
His brother plays great too and took down the 2nd chance tournament.
Despite alternate breaks, Brett had little chance, he seldom had a workable 1 ball and Danny kept
coming up with something after push or safety exchanges. Danny meanwhile kept parking the 1 ball
a foot from the corner and if he could see it, he was out.
• Nice first rack... with the 7/8 tied up he played shape on the 7 to roll up and weld the cue ball to the 8.
Brett was looking at one of those awkward kicks where you have to bridge over a ball and hit the foot rail
just to have a chance. Made a good hit but sold out anyway and Danny was off to the races.
• Thanks to Ozzy Reynolds, who runs these things so smoothly and is always a really nice guy.
With only 8 tables and 60 players doing double elimination races to 7,
he managed to keep everything on a reasonable schedule.
• Dominic Noe played the first intentional nipple kick I've ever seen live. I believe Deska had locked him up
to where all 1 rail options where closed off, even with tons of spin. So he aimed carefully at the side pocket nipple
and came off at an impossible angle to get a good hit.
• I always expect Brandon Shuff to win these things but he keeps getting knocked out in hill hill matches
even though he plays fairly perfect pool. Especially with that break... wing ball every time,
cue ball hops an inch and then sits down. I don't think I saw his cue ball go wild once
though other balls would often kick it around.
I think that actually was his downfall, he often had nothing on the 1.
I wonder if it might help to modify the pretty stop shot break in favor of trying to draw back a bit
just to avoid those random collisions. Seems like at this level controlling the 1 is essential, not just 'going the extra mile'.
• Mike Davis also has a great controlled break but when you see his practice swings you would never believe it.
His stroke needs a warning label. But he's also fully capable of winning one of these things,
I've seen him run rack after rack with perfect shape on every ball.
• Shaun Wilkie is one of my favorite players to watch. He's kind of jittery the way Kid Delicious is, lots of
nervous-looking warmup swings and false starts. But once he commits to a ball, it's in the hole.
His cue ball sometimes goes off the tracks but he'll come with some long rail cut (no hanger on these Diamonds).
He's a real jump cue scientist too, uses some fancy 3 piece jumper where you can swap out the butt
for added weight when the situations calls for it.
He'll sight, do some alignment swings, stand off to the side, do practice swings at the actual speed and angle
he wants to use, then move back into position and one-stroke a jump shot like it's a hanger.
Saw him make three of these in one match. One over a close ball with the OB a foot away, stopping the CB,
another was like a 5 foot cut, drawing to move the CB sideways across the table and back off the side rail
to fall into a window on the 2 ball.
• Realized a guy I'd met months ago in my local league and shot with is actually Andrew Manning,
whose posts I've been reading for years on AZ.
• With a name like "Mastermaker", Danny is almost morally obligated to become a famous instructor, right?
But says he doesn't give lessons. Seems like a no-brainer to parlay his win into a few hundred bucks
of lessons from awed railbirds like myself. But he said he wouldn't feel right taking money when he doesn't
really know how to teach.
• Rough to see the effect pressure has on people. Hill-hill, Larry Kressel vs. (Brandon I think?)
has a chance to seal the deal and somehow gets behind the 9 while playing shape on the 8.
Tries to kick it softly, which seems unwise, and sold out.
What's worse than getting hooked when there are only 2 balls on the table? Getting hooked when there's only 1.
Ozzy titty hooked himself nearly scratching in the corner after the 8.
Gave my buddy a win from the chair that he definitely needed (ozzy is no slouch).
Same buddy was playing great in his first match, ran two racks, and played a very intelligent combo/carom on the 9...
one of those dead ones that's harder to see than to make.
Then he misses an easy 8 a foot from the pocket, with a similarly close 9 ball.
I believe he went on to lose the next 5 in row against a guy he's supposed to bludgeon.
• You know what's sad? That people will steal magic racks, which you can order for like ten bucks
and buy used for half that. Because so many of these had walked away, Ozzy was forced to run this
without them. Fortunately the equipment at first break is well cared for and players were still slotting the wing ball
routinely (magic rack haters take note... that ball IS supposed to be automatic).
But it slowed everything down in a room that only had 8 tables available.
Also sad, one of the top finishers, a relative unknown, saved himself ten whole dollars by entering as a B player.
He clearly was not. Maybe he's just modest.
• First break has the closest thing to real food of any pool hall in the area. They'll serve you a bowl of chicken noodle
soup the size of a hubcap.
• It's sad when it's all over, everyone just packs up and goes home. I guess they're just worn out,
I was hoping some of the pros would stick around and play some sets or do lessons or something.
