Great stuff, Dave. Wild things happen in our game.
Stick around the game long enough, Dave, and you get to see it all. I'm familiar with all of these happenings, some of them within the game, others on the game's periphery.
1. Larry Lisciotti loses control of the nine ball break and the cue ball hits a waitress, who promptly drops her tray of drinks. Perhaps 1996 at an All About Pool tour event.
2. Fred the Beard is about to shoot the winning shot in one pocket when a ceiling tile above the table comes loose, causing a live rat to land on the table. Don't know the year.
3. At the 1982 PPPA World Straight pool championships, Mizerak shot at a five ball that was not much more than an inch from the pocket. for position reasons, he chose to play it rail first and missed the five ball completely. Easiest shot I've ever seen a pro miss.
4. At the 1983 PPPA World Straight Pool Championships, a shot clock was in use (60 seconds, I think). After Sigel missed a shot, selling out an open table, he reckoned he had plenty of time for a bathroom break while his opponent shot (a timeout can only be taken on one's own inning). Remarkably, his opponent ran about six balls, and someone who saw Mike in the hall on his way back into the arena told Mike that it was his turn and that he didn't have much time left to shoot. I'll never forget seeing Sigel run back into the arena, grab his cue, and take his shot, barely beating the shot clock.
5. A player lost a local tournament in New York in about 1995 when they played the balls out of order four balls from the finish line. (I think it may have been Mike Lebron, but I'm not sure).
6. More than once, I've seen a player forget to switch back to their playing cue after the nine ball break. I recall this happening once with Rodolfo Luat, perhaps 1999, who ran a rack with his break cue and had a good laugh after realizing he had done so.
7. Jose Parica was playing Lee Van Corteza at the US Open 8-ball circa 2013. Parica broke wet and proceeded to run a few solids before realizing that the eight wasn't even on the table. Neither he nor Lee had noticed that the eight went in on Paricas' break. The rule in use was that the eight would spot if it went in on the break. The mass confusion that followed was hilarious to watch..
8. At what I believe was the 1997 PBT tour championship event in Providence, Kim Davenport was about to shoot a key shot and his pants got caught on the metal edge of the Brunswick Gold Crown 2 in use. This ripped his pants wide open along the pant leg. Kim, arguably the most fashion conscious player of his era, was visibly upset, and his game went to pieces after this.
9. The late George "Ginky" SanSouci road with Marc Pantovic (known as the "Gypsy" in NYC pool circles) and was among the last six at an event at Pete Fusco's room in Pennsylvania after the completion of Saturday's play. When Ginky woke up Sunday morning, "Gypsy" had left him a note indicating that he had an emergency situation at home and had left. Fair enough, Ginky had no trouble getting a ride to the poolroom. The problem was that his cue was in Gypsy's car, which was now in New York. Watching "Ginky" trying to borrow a cue just before his winner's bracket semifinal was sad but hilarious.
Crazy mistakes, improbable happenings, mental blackouts, you get it all in pool.
