What happened to Min Wai Chin?

Chip Roberson said:
Ball did not kiss off the one,, and he came with the shot that was needed
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Billy Incardona was right this time, because the 2 ball was deflected by the 1 ball towards the pocket after they all came apart.

I had to watch it more closely 2-3 times.
 
Way I saw it , the 7 hit the 1 and the 2 about the same time , cutting the 1 ball out at about the same line as the 2 headed..I watched it about the same as you,,just my take
 
lfigueroa said:
Sure, why not.

#####
Saturday morning it was a croissant and cappuccino at the corner deli. I feel like a New Yorker shouting out my order to the counterman. Back at Roseland I am again drawn to match involving Dallas West, this time against young gun, John Schmidt. Schmidt shoots fast, smooth, and accurate. He's young and good looking and nattily dressed. I hate him. But though he gets at least three golden opportunities, Schmidt can't close and old age and cunning again triumph over youth and idealism, 150-148.

Robles gets hot, in total dead punch, and puts Archer in a comma with a 148, missing a long straight in that he should have made but puts a bravado gonna-rifle-it-in stroke on it that goes ka-blu-ee. I think he was already thinking about the applause for the 152 and out. He wins anyway, 150-24.

Walter has a chance to beat The Magician. He's on a 140 with a perfect break ball on the two ball and over cuts it. On the women's side, I've fallen in love with the Swede with the wild red hair, Ulrika Andersson. I've decided that, if asked, I will allow her to do what she will with me. Gerda is also very cute, as is Aileen Pippin. But frankly, their play is, at best, a decaf version of 14.1. I'm all for equal opportunity, but the matching prize fund for this level of play is out of line, IMO.

At a break I'm determined to eat a real meal and traipse over to Ruby Foo's off Times Square for some delicious lobster and shrimp spring rolls and pork and shitake mushroom shu mai.

Back at the tournament, Reyes keeps West in the chair with 140. During an intentional safety battle against the side of the stack Reyes touches the cue ball with his ferrule and West calls a deliberate foul. The rule books are brought out and West is found to be correct. Reyes must break and looks pissed. He wins anyway.

Watching Dick Lane shoot, I conclude there is not a one of us that should ever complain about any physical difficulty playing pool. The man’s grip arm has the serious shakes and he must take his warm up strokes by rolling his cue tip in a circle from the bottom of the cue ball up to the top and back down again, over and over. After a few of these — I suppose when he finally passes over the spot on the cue ball he wants to hit — he quickly pulls the trigger.

I spot Fred Agnir, whom I met at the DCC, stroll over and whisper, "Computer geeks must die." With him are Jimbo (think a just slightly shorter Goldberg who doesn't train quite as hard); Jeff Weiss, a quiet fellow who always seems to have a somewhat worried look on his face, but is very quick with the witty comment; and Gideon. Gideon doesn't say much, but when he does, he makes it count.

Me: "What do you think Bob has in the briefcase?”
Gideon: "The master copy of the Jacksonville Project.”

At some point several of us break for dinner at a steak house across the street. We are joined by Mark Griffin and his wife, of Anchorage Billiards. We enjoy general pool camaraderie, hand-cut aged steaks, and $5 baked potatoes. We generally cut up, gossip about all of you and, fortunately, are not tossed out on our collective ear. With more good grace than we deserve, Mark picks up the tab.

Back at Roseland, Wei, of Wei Table fame, stops by to say hello. I learn I've just missed meeting Tom Simpson. Afterwards several of us head to Chelsea's to shoot some but lose Jeff along the way. They get carded, I get waived in.

Chelsea's is a two story affair with very, very loud music. We go to the lower level where conversation is all but impossible and the lighting terrible, with just two industrial style lamps over each table -- the ends of the table are in total darkness. Saturday night in NY: $25 an hour table time. So Fred, Jimbo, Gideon and I play some 9ball and I learn that, after several years of 1pocket, I've forgotten how to shoot balls in rotation but all hands present are more than happy to demonstrate how it's done. I get to bed around 3 am.
#####

Lou Figueroa
I'll post the last day
tonight or tomorrow
Click to expand...

much appreciated. ulrika still plays by the way and hair is still wild, but more grey than red now i think.
 
skogstokig said:
much appreciated. ulrika still plays by the way and hair is still wild, but more grey than red now i think.
Click to expand...

Wild but grey is good : -)

OK, so here's the final installment. For me, it's hard to believe this all happened over 20 years ago -- seems like just yesterday. I guess the only thing I'd want to say about it is that I'm glad I went and if any of youze get a chance to do something cool, pool related, you should goferit while ye can.

#####
Sunday, I awake at 11am and decide to stroll the city. I go to Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, 42nd St, Park Avenue, the Public Library, and Central Park. When I arrive at the tournament site Bob is still carrying the briefcase around.

Karen Corr is actually quite attractive. Her photos don't do her justice. Monica Webb reminds me of an old girlfriend. And, after watching her play, I can honestly say I don't like the Texas Tornado's approach to the game. A little too fast and loose for my taste.

Of course I bought all the requisite US Open paraphernalia: official T-shirt, windbreaker, Henley, ball cap, and official program. Inside the program there's a photo of Jeanette sitting on a table in a black leather halter-top with a martini on the table in an ad for Amsterdam Billiards.

The finals are great. Chin shoots a behind the back combo and what I think was the shot of the tournament: a combination double carom that goes (I think it might have gotten a little bit of help on the way in from another ball, but it was still a fabulous shot. Accu-Stats has it.

I started out sitting just in front of Bob and finally figure out what Bob has in the brief case: it'a wireless transmitter to the Accu-Stats booth. I say this because he kept up a soto voced steady running nonstop commentary. After a couple of racks, I'd had enough. Fortuitously, there was a seat available in another section right next to Gerda, Jean Balukas, and a rather striking latin girl, so I resigned myself to the poorer seating arrangement forced upon me (thanks Bob :).

I wondered if I was the only one to notice the little woven bracelet Chin was wearing on his grip arm? It had two very small fuzzy balls that hung down just an inch or so below his wrist line. I believe it might be some sort of training aid that helps him to either feel his stroke and/or tell him when his wrist/arm are lined up properly.

The tournament was a great opportunity to watch a wide variety of styles. Besides the actual play, I was checking out stances, grips, bridges, arm and wrist alignments, etc. I think that after a certain point, if you're really paying attention, you begin to absorb things on a subconscious level too. I have several new theories that I can't quite articulate yet, but am looking forward to working out on the pool table this week. Also, FWIW, the whole elbow dropping thing now seems to me to be a function of how high your head is. More upright stance: your elbow drops. Way down with your chin on the cue: elbow doesn't drop. One is not right or wrong. Elbow drop just happens.

After the tournament, Gideon, Jimbo, the two Marks and I go to Amsterdam Billiards. It's a walkup, the music is slightly less loud than at Chelsea's, the lighting is better, but the tables are way too close together. I still can't remember how to shoot the balls in rotation, but once again, all others are happy to put on a clinic for my benefit. Jimbo and I hold the first RSB one pocket invitational. I squeak out a win 2-1. We're done by 3 am and I find an all-night deli and have a cappuccino and bagel and watch a fight break out between two girls across the street as the "ladies" exit a Latin nightclub. After a few minutes, New York's finest arrive to break it all up.

At 5 am it's back on the bus, back past the cemeteries, back to JFK.
I've survived NYC, but just barely.
#####

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Wild but grey is good : -)

OK, so here's the final installment. For me, it's hard to believe this all happened over 20 years ago -- seems like just yesterday. I guess the only thing I'd want to say about it is that I'm glad I went and if any of youze get a chance to do something cool, pool related, you should goferit while ye can.

#####
Sunday, I awake at 11am and decide to stroll the city. I go to Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, 42nd St, Park Avenue, the Public Library, and Central Park. When I arrive at the tournament site Bob is still carrying the briefcase around.

Karen Corr is actually quite attractive. Her photos don't do her justice. Monica Webb reminds me of an old girlfriend. And, after watching her play, I can honestly say I don't like the Texas Tornado's approach to the game. A little too fast and loose for my taste.

Of course I bought all the requisite US Open paraphernalia: official T-shirt, windbreaker, Henley, ball cap, and official program. Inside the program there's a photo of Jeanette sitting on a table in a black leather halter-top with a martini on the table in an ad for Amsterdam Billiards.

The finals are great. Chin shoots a behind the back combo and what I think was the shot of the tournament: a combination double carom that goes (I think it might have gotten a little bit of help on the way in from another ball, but it was still a fabulous shot. Accu-Stats has it.

I started out sitting just in front of Bob and finally figure out what Bob has in the brief case: it'a wireless transmitter to the Accu-Stats booth. I say this because he kept up a soto voced steady running nonstop commentary. After a couple of racks, I'd had enough. Fortuitously, there was a seat available in another section right next to Gerda, Jean Balukas, and a rather striking latin girl, so I resigned myself to the poorer seating arrangement forced upon me (thanks Bob :).

I wondered if I was the only one to notice the little woven bracelet Chin was wearing on his grip arm? It had two very small fuzzy balls that hung down just an inch or so below his wrist line. I believe it might be some sort of training aid that helps him to either feel his stroke and/or tell him when his wrist/arm are lined up properly.

The tournament was a great opportunity to watch a wide variety of styles. Besides the actual play, I was checking out stances, grips, bridges, arm and wrist alignments, etc. I think that after a certain point, if you're really paying attention, you begin to absorb things on a subconscious level too. I have several new theories that I can't quite articulate yet, but am looking forward to working out on the pool table this week. Also, FWIW, the whole elbow dropping thing now seems to me to be a function of how high your head is. More upright stance: your elbow drops. Way down with your chin on the cue: elbow doesn't drop. One is not right or wrong. Elbow drop just happens.

After the tournament, Gideon, Jimbo, the two Marks and I go to Amsterdam Billiards. It's a walkup, the music is slightly less loud than at Chelsea's, the lighting is better, but the tables are way too close together. I still can't remember how to shoot the balls in rotation, but once again, all others are happy to put on a clinic for my benefit. Jimbo and I hold the first RSB one pocket invitational. I squeak out a win 2-1. We're done by 3 am and I find an all-night deli and have a cappuccino and bagel and watch a fight break out between two girls across the street as the "ladies" exit a Latin nightclub. After a few minutes, New York's finest arrive to break it all up.

At 5 am it's back on the bus, back past the cemeteries, back to JFK.
I've survived NYC, but just barely.
#####

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

great read. i liked the bob's suitcase reveal, lol

i watched the efren - souquet match from this tournament, souquet played textbook straight pool and was very much in the zone.
 
skogstokig said:
great read. i liked the bob's suitcase reveal, lol

i watched the efren - souquet match from this tournament, souquet played textbook straight pool and was very much in the zone
Click to expand...

lol, thanks, skogstokig.

Funny thing: I mentioned this recap from a tournament long ago and Gail, my wife, said, " "You know, when I met him at the DCC (circa 10 years ago), Bob was still carrying the briefcase."

Lou Figueroa
 
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