How can I even begin to write a wrap-up of my DCC trip? I mean… it’s DERBY! Almost half the stuff I saw/heard, I can’t publish online and the other half is being streamed on the internet. 😉
I guess that means this entry will be a highlights-only entry. So, with that, lets get down to it:
- Hearing Corey Dueul say to Mark Wilson “I’m just saying, the last time I was on the team, we won.”
- Earl playing a young unknown kid from Hawaii one pocket, kid is shooting at stuff you “don’t shoot at” and getting away with it. Comments included “he wouldn’t shoot that against Efren!” and “You know how LUCKY that shot was?! He never would’ve made that against Efren.”, “Man this is a funny cue-ball. Funniest damn cueball I ever seen.” But my favorite was while the kid was taking some time to find a way out of Earl’s break, Earl is squirming in his chair and finally says “What are you waiting for? Bank the 5 and run out! You take too long.” The kid banks the 5 and runs 5 more before getting out of line and has to play safe. Earl lost the match eventually.
- After Efren won a match with who I assume was a friend, the loser comes over and says something about the match. Efren says in his little voice: “What can I do? You play bad.”
- Meeting both Lou Figourea and John Barton (of JB Cases) and hearing them make comments to other people about each other’s games.
- Watching a dispute about stealing a ball from the tray nearly come to fisticuffs in the dead silence of the action room mid afternoon, to which Alex Olinger (playing on the next table) says to his opponent “NOW it’s Derby!”.
- Heard about a match with a friend of mine, where they were going to play a 6-Ahead set. Friend loses the flip, guy breaks, no shot, freezes CB against a ball for safe, opponent then RUNS THE SET out. Runs out that rack, then breaks and runs the next 5 to get to 7.
- Same friend against someone else throws up a SEVEN-pack in a 7-ahead race the next day.
- Regional players playing for BIG stakes, every night.
- Watching Earl come back from down 3-8 to win EIGHT racks in a row to advance in the 10-Ball Bigfoot Challenge against Oscar.
- Watching straight pool, banks and one pocket all at the same time, depending on what direction I turned my head while in the balcony.
- Getting to meet and play a local player finally, after years of hearing his name around town.
- Playing one pocket again.
- mmmmm Diamond tables!!
- Watching Billy Incardona match up with Scooter
- During the Earl/Oscar match Earl being Earl… also pointing at Shane in the crowd once, adding “He knows how hard that shot was!”. And Shane, sitting next to Jayson Shaw are busting up laughing.
- Listening/watching the backers and calcutta buyers squirm and complain and praise their players, the draw … and everything.
- Walking into the tournament the first time.
- Running into a friend 5 mins after walking in, he offers to “find out who’s buying who a drink” and takes out a coin … I win the flip, he buys me a drink. I’m up already after just walking in! haha
And now … some pictures:
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And finally – a shot of me after the break: