Who's doing more for pool right now?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
Although I don't believe I've ever met Mike Janis. I believe he has/is doing more for pool than anyone else right now. Running tounaments all over the country for JR's, Amatures, Women, Pro's, and Senoirs(I think too). Even though most are small pool touraments pool would be MUCH worse off W/O him. I know that it's his business and he's making a small profit on it, but if he chose to put his hard work into something else he would probably make a lot more money. Johnnyt
 
Dragon Promotions and Matchroom Sport. Pool is treated like a real sport in asia. America is night and day compared to what pool is at in countries like Taiwan, Korea, Philippines. Cindy Lee and Barry Hearn's companies impact cultures and mass audiences and are both only companies to secure major corporate sponsors
 
Here on the West Coast..

I say that Jay Helfert is doing the most for pool here on the West Coast and in the Phillipines as of late. Right now he's probably freezing his cue ball forehead off in Reno. I hope the snow doesn't hold thing up.

Have a great tourney Jay.
 
I think the guys and gals who are running the regional tournies. They are giving guys like me a chance to get my feet wet against stronger competition than what is seen in weekly tournies.
 
Johnnyt said:
Although I don't believe I've ever met Mike Janis. I believe he has/is doing more for pool than anyone else right now. Running tounaments all over the country for JR's, Amatures, Women, Pro's, and Senoirs(I think too). Even though most are small pool touraments pool would be MUCH worse off W/O him. I know that it's his business and he's making a small profit on it, but if he chose to put his hard work into something else he would probably make a lot more money. Johnnyt
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Johnny, thank you for your vote of confidence.

I would also like to mention that so far all of the names mentioned in this thread qualify for who is doing a lot for pool. There are also many more not mentioned.

For those not mentioned you still get my vote. You know who you are.

Respectfully,

Mike Janis
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Um, that would be The American Poolplayers Association (aka, The APA).


Like it or not folks, they do more for pool than anybody.
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Give me a moment while I pull my jaw up off of the floor.... ????

You have to be kidding me. The APA has singlehandedly put more pool halls out of business than anything else I can think of. They had a major influence on the decision RJ Reynolds made to drop professional pool in favor of amateur pool. 85% of the APA league players wouldn't know what country Efren Reyes was from nor would they know if he was a pool player. trapeze artist, or a bullfighter. I would like for you to point out anything they have done for pool, the industry, or the players that has had any effect on the advancement of pool - when I say pool - I don't mean bar tables - and I don't want to hear about their league system. I want to hear how they are contributing to the advancement of the game.

People such as Greg Sullivan, Mark Griffin, Mike Janis, Eydie Romano, Lewis Jones, Barry Hearn, Barry Behrman, Heather Barkley, Bonnie Coats, Peg Ledman, Linda Carter, Charlie Williams, Cindy Lee, Frank Alvarez, Randy Goldwater, and many others bust their behinds to put on events - some of them put themsleves into debt while doing so in the face of unfair criticism from those that don't appreciate what they do. Very few of these events are supported in any way by the APA.

Case in point - in 2005 at the WPBA Cuetec Clasic - the Hard Rock Casino also had an APA event going on at the same time. When I walked over there (with a few of the lady pros) nobody knew who they were and one of them was the current world 9 ball champion. They knew who Jeanette Lee was and that was about it. Very few of them attended the pro event despite the fact that Steve Mizerak and Jean Balukas were in attendence. It boggles the mind.

Our country falls way behind Taiwan, Korea, Germany, Japan, China, and other countries where pool is widely popular and supported by sponsors. I find it funny that our downfall in that area has coincided with the growth of the APA. Like it or not - that's true.
 
Johnnyt said:
Although I don't believe I've ever met Mike Janis. I believe he has/is doing more for pool than anyone else right now. Running tounaments all over the country for JR's, Amatures, Women, Pro's, and Senoirs(I think too). Even though most are small pool touraments pool would be MUCH worse off W/O him. I know that it's his business and he's making a small profit on it, but if he chose to put his hard work into something else he would probably make a lot more money. Johnnyt
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Mike Janis is certainly one of pool's greatest assets. Charlie Williams (Dragon Promotions), Greg Sullivan (Derby City), and Barry Hearn (WPC) easily do as much, and Mike Zuglan (Joss Tour), John DiToro (Florida Men's tour), Matt Braun (men's and women's Challenge of Champions) and Allen/Dawn Hopkins (Super Billiards expo) aren't far behind. Why pick and choose? Rather than singling one of them out over the others, let's just say thank you to all of them. I'm sure I'm forgetting some others that make a special contribution, but those are the names that came immeidately to mind given the thread topic.
 
Ditto that Blackjack for the BCA

The BCA 8 Ball Bartable tournaments draw thousands of players from around the world but few poke their heads into the Enjoy Pool 9 Ball Championship next door - even to see Jasmine - who?

If professional pool could find a way to get a lift from the Bartable Orgs with their thousands of players - that would be a boon.
 
Although I agree that all those mentioned above are doing a lot for pool, I believe that the APA does more for the entire pool community not just the top 2% who play at a high level on many of your local tours. Leagues bring revenue into your business every 50 weeks out of the year. eg.Tonite I host 20 APA eight ball teams and 4 masters teams. They play on gc4s with 860. They will spend approximately 2 grand tonite and every Wednesday night. I have leagues Mon. thru Thurs. and 4 womens teams on Sundays. The players comprise all skill levels. New players buy cues, cases and accessories in addition to there weekly alcohol and food purchases. Some people say leagues are for bangers and low skill level players. For the most part they are. But remember 98% of all people that play pool do it for recreation. I'm after that 98%.

Don't get me wrong, i've hosted many tournaments and will be hosting a Viking Open, Womens, and Juniors tournament in June. I've hosted Fury, Jacoby, and several independent events for high skill level players. I host the APA National Amateur Championship qualifying round and my own in-house US Open Qualifier. Last year we sent three to the US Open.

Again all those mentioned above do an outstanding job in promoting pool and they don't get rewarded financially. Do not belittle leagues and specifically APA because most of their 300,000 players do not recognize or care about a particular pro. Amateur players are truly the ones that play for the pure enjoyment and love of the game and at the same time are as loyal as your family dog. I wish I could count the lifelong friendships I have found catering to those players who enjoy pool league play.

Yes as you would think there is not one penny being gambled in my house tonite (Maybe a small ring game later after league play). But I have found that in general big money players don't drink, and spend very little of their own money.

Just as an aside. I sceduled a 16 team all around team tournament for St. Patricks Day Weekend. Filled in in four days 16 teams 8 players per team. You do the math. Won't find much action in here that weekend but I'll be packed.
 
sigh*

nineballpaul said:
Although I agree that all those mentioned above are doing a lot for pool, I believe that the APA does more for the entire pool community not just the top 2% who play at a high level on many of your local tours. Leagues bring revenue into your business every 50 weeks out of the year. eg.Tonite I host 20 APA eight ball teams and 4 masters teams. They play on gc4s with 860. They will spend approximately 2 grand tonite and every Wednesday night. I have leagues Mon. thru Thurs. and 4 womens teams on Sundays. The players comprise all skill levels. New players buy cues, cases and accessories in addition to there weekly alcohol and food purchases. Some people say leagues are for bangers and low skill level players. For the most part they are. But remember 98% of all people that play pool do it for recreation. I'm after that 98%.

Don't get me wrong, i've hosted many tournaments and will be hosting a Viking Open, Womens, and Juniors tournament in June. I've hosted Fury, Jacoby, and several independent events for high skill level players. I host the APA National Amateur Championship qualifying round and my own in-house US Open Qualifier. Last year we sent three to the US Open.

Again all those mentioned above do an outstanding job in promoting pool and they don't get rewarded financially. Do not belittle leagues and specifically APA because most of their 300,000 players do not recognize or care about a particular pro. Amateur players are truly the ones that play for the pure enjoyment and love of the game and at the same time are as loyal as your family dog. I wish I could count the lifelong friendships I have found catering to those players who enjoy pool league play.

Yes as you would think there is not one penny being gambled in my house tonite (Maybe a small ring game later after league play). But I have found that in general big money players don't drink, and spend very little of their own money.

Just as an aside. I sceduled a 16 team all around team tournament for St. Patricks Day Weekend. Filled in in four days 16 teams 8 players per team. You do the math. Won't find much action in here that weekend but I'll be packed.
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It's by elevating the top 2% that the rest benefit. If the top 2% weren't having to scramble to survive, there could be more clinics and exhibitions, etc. If there was a valid fan base the interest in pool would grow and you would see a greater benefit to the game as a whole. All little tiddly wink leagues do is promote sandbagging and drinking so the bars who host them can make a greater profit.

Just the fact that most of the APA leagues are on barboxes says it all. What serious pool players that didn't get there start on barboxes take barboxes seriously unless they can get the nuts in gambling matches?
 
nineballpaul said:
Although I agree that all those mentioned above are doing a lot for pool, I believe that the APA does more for the entire pool community not just the top 2% who play at a high level on many of your local tours. Leagues bring revenue into your business every 50 weeks out of the year. eg.Tonite I host 20 APA eight ball teams and 4 masters teams. They play on gc4s with 860. They will spend approximately 2 grand tonite and every Wednesday night. I have leagues Mon. thru Thurs. and 4 womens teams on Sundays. The players comprise all skill levels. New players buy cues, cases and accessories in addition to there weekly alcohol and food purchases. Some people say leagues are for bangers and low skill level players. For the most part they are. But remember 98% of all people that play pool do it for recreation. I'm after that 98%.

Don't get me wrong, i've hosted many tournaments and will be hosting a Viking Open, Womens, and Juniors tournament in June. I've hosted Fury, Jacoby, and several independent events for high skill level players. I host the APA National Amateur Championship qualifying round and my own in-house US Open Qualifier. Last year we sent three to the US Open.

Again all those mentioned above do an outstanding job in promoting pool and they don't get rewarded financially. Do not belittle leagues and specifically APA because most of their 300,000 players do not recognize or care about a particular pro. Amateur players are truly the ones that play for the pure enjoyment and love of the game and at the same time are as loyal as your family dog. I wish I could count the lifelong friendships I have found catering to those players who enjoy pool league play.

Yes as you would think there is not one penny being gambled in my house tonite (Maybe a small ring game later after league play). But I have found that in general big money players don't drink, and spend very little of their own money.

Just as an aside. I sceduled a 16 team all around team tournament for St. Patricks Day Weekend. Filled in in four days 16 teams 8 players per team. You do the math. Won't find much action in here that weekend but I'll be packed.
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A very good post!
 
In todays environment if the poolroom owner cannot make money we go out of business and everybody loses. What business makes money catering exclusively to the top 2% of their clientele. Doesn't make sense.
 
Blackjack said:
Give me a moment while I pull my jaw up off of the floor.... ????

You have to be kidding me. The APA has singlehandedly put more pool halls out of business than anything else I can think of. They had a major influence on the decision RJ Reynolds made to drop professional pool in favor of amateur pool. 85% of the APA league players wouldn't know what country Efren Reyes was from nor would they know if he was a pool player. trapeze artist, or a bullfighter. I would like for you to point out anything they have done for pool, the industry, or the players that has had any effect on the advancement of pool - when I say pool - I don't mean bar tables - and I don't want to hear about their league system. I want to hear how they are contributing to the advancement of the game.
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So while most poolrooms are complaining about smoking-laws and online poker, you're telling me it's really this silly pool league that's done everyone in?

Blackjack said:
People such as Greg Sullivan, Mark Griffin, Mike Janis, Eydie Romano, Lewis Jones, Barry Hearn, Barry Behrman, Heather Barkley, Bonnie Coats, Peg Ledman, Linda Carter, Charlie Williams, Cindy Lee, Frank Alvarez, Randy Goldwater, and many others bust their behinds to put on events - some of them put themsleves into debt while doing so in the face of unfair criticism from those that don't appreciate what they do. Very few of these events are supported in any way by the APA.
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This is not a slight on any of the people you mention here. It was a simple answer to a simple question. Yes, these people have done worlds for pool but really, just professional pool. If the question were about professional pool, I'd have said something else.


Blackjack said:
Case in point - in 2005 at the WPBA Cuetec Clasic - the Hard Rock Casino also had an APA event going on at the same time. When I walked over there (with a few of the lady pros) nobody knew who they were and one of them was the current world 9 ball champion. They knew who Jeanette Lee was and that was about it. Very few of them attended the pro event despite the fact that Steve Mizerak and Jean Balukas were in attendence. It boggles the mind.
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I could probably sit in the stands of Yankee Stadium with half the Marlins and nobody would notice. What does that say?


Blackjack said:
Our country falls way behind Taiwan, Korea, Germany, Japan, China, and other countries where pool is widely popular and supported by sponsors. I find it funny that our downfall in that area has coincided with the growth of the APA. Like it or not - that's true.
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Huh? The GREAT fall in sponsors can be seen in the change in US tobacco laws. The US government has had greater influence over men's professional pool than the APA.



I'm really surprised. I mean, you may not like the APA. I'm not the biggest fan but hey, you're blaming them for stuff that has nothing to do with them.
 
Along the lines of what sjm said, I see no importance in singling out any one individual or organization here.

I think what IS really important is that we all do our fair share to represent the game respectfully when we play, and to fully support the local and pro events that are accesible for us to attend.

Ultimately, this sports finances will be made healthy only through corporate sponsorships. Without active involvement from the fans, this will never happen.

We can all do a little part to make this sport grow. It all comes down to supporting the local pool rooms, tournaments, billiard supply manufacturers and subscriptions to the various billiard print media.

Randy
 
The year was in the early 1990s a Saturday night in Late May in Anchorage Alaska. It was 11 PM maybe midnight. I was in my early 30s had a few beers in me and feeling good.

I was at the local pool hall, The Anchorage Billiard Palace which had only been open a year or two and the upstairs was kind a makeshift sports bar until the owners got around to remodeling it.

I strolled upstairs to see what was going on, there were skee ball machines, air cannons, foozball and pool of course. I started chatting with a friend that had just returned from the BCA tournament in Vegas where he had done well and was in a mood himself. We woofed at each other for a while and then decided the way to settle the score would be over a battle of the air cannons.

I quickly dispatched him on that playing field and he pointed to the skee ball. The result was no different. His nose was getting wide open now as he steered me to the foozball table and we doubled up. Now he considered himself quite a foozball player and he thought he had a lock on the game, but it was not to be. I was now up 3 zip and the only way to finish this smack down is on the Centennial in the front of the room.

We played opposite handed 8 ball. Before long it was closing time and I had swept the battle of skill and wits. As I walked across the parking lot to my car the sun was just under the horizon and a little nip in the air. I had enough light to count my newfound wad of good fortune and I thought to my self “ He sure knows how to promote pool” that man’s name is Mark Griffin.

Just a amusing little story but seriously Just look at BCAPL, Qlympics and his involvement in DCC. Remember the BS surrounding his acquisition on the BCA league system a few years ago. For those nay sayers at the time …I told ya so.
 
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nineballpaul said:
Although I agree that all those mentioned above are doing a lot for pool, I believe that the APA does more for the entire pool community not just the top 2% who play at a high level on many of your local tours. Leagues bring revenue into your business every 50 weeks out of the year. eg.Tonite I host 20 APA eight ball teams and 4 masters teams. They play on gc4s with 860. They will spend approximately 2 grand tonite and every Wednesday night...
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Very good post nineballpaul... You stated your positions and backed it up with very solid points. Clearly as a pool hall owner, it becomes very difficult to maintain your base of business, without the boost from revenues generated from the leagues, as you mentioned.
 
nineballpaul said:
Although I agree that all those mentioned above are doing a lot for pool, I believe that the APA does more for the entire pool community not just the top 2% who play at a high level on many of your local tours. Leagues bring revenue into your business every 50 weeks out of the year. eg.Tonite I host 20 APA eight ball teams and 4 masters teams. They play on gc4s with 860. They will spend approximately 2 grand tonite and every Wednesday night. I have leagues Mon. thru Thurs. and 4 womens teams on Sundays. The players comprise all skill levels. New players buy cues, cases and accessories in addition to there weekly alcohol and food purchases. Some people say leagues are for bangers and low skill level players. For the most part they are. But remember 98% of all people that play pool do it for recreation. I'm after that 98%.

Don't get me wrong, i've hosted many tournaments and will be hosting a Viking Open, Womens, and Juniors tournament in June. I've hosted Fury, Jacoby, and several independent events for high skill level players. I host the APA National Amateur Championship qualifying round and my own in-house US Open Qualifier. Last year we sent three to the US Open.

Again all those mentioned above do an outstanding job in promoting pool and they don't get rewarded financially. Do not belittle leagues and specifically APA because most of their 300,000 players do not recognize or care about a particular pro. Amateur players are truly the ones that play for the pure enjoyment and love of the game and at the same time are as loyal as your family dog. I wish I could count the lifelong friendships I have found catering to those players who enjoy pool league play.

Yes as you would think there is not one penny being gambled in my house tonite (Maybe a small ring game later after league play). But I have found that in general big money players don't drink, and spend very little of their own money.

Just as an aside. I sceduled a 16 team all around team tournament for St. Patricks Day Weekend. Filled in in four days 16 teams 8 players per team. You do the math. Won't find much action in here that weekend but I'll be packed.
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very good point.
 
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