Volume 15 Issue 01

First off we want to welcome the players from the 2015 Fall Session back to play in the winter session. We got the regular doubles league going on the 14th of January 2016, with 14 returning players and the addition of (1) new player into the league 27 family and (1) returning player from 2014 season. The new players name is Nigel Musico and he will be playing with Walter Wnuk in this session. Scott Moritz returns to play after a couple of seasons off. Welcome both.  So if you haven’t met Nigel, take a minute to introduce yourself in week 2 and make
him feel welcome into the league. Ray is still planning to play in the league for this session but has his nephew Matt Ressler subbing for the next few weeks until he can get the neck brace off and he can resume playing.

Walter has spent a tremendous amount of time and effort to make the League 27 website better and more appealing for all. We still need your help to accurately note in the scoring box who wins the rack, balls on the breaks made and break and run outs, so we can add weekly stats for all the players. This also gives Ray some ammunition to write about in the weekly newsletters. So if you see some fantastic shots, great banks and long runs, note them on the sheet and they will be published in the newsletter each week. So good luck to all and enjoy the game.

Table 1:Team: Zenith (Walter & Nigel) vs Team: Double D (Doug & Dave)

Things got off to a great start for Double D in the 8-Ball Set as Doug & Dave nailed wins in the first three 3 games to get a good lead on Walter & Nigel of Zenith!! The first game seemed to find both teams a bit on the defensive more than offensive as each team had their problems making balls. Double D did notch game one and then seemed to settle in and play a bit more relaxed in the set. Dave notched the first game winner, but Doug seemed to get back to his great ability to make something out of nothing. He put together back to back victories in games 2 and 3 to help Double D take a 3-0 lead in the set. Nigel made some key shots to help get he and Walter started on the right track in the next game. Nigel cleared off several balls and then partner Walter took over to finished off game 4 with the win and put them on the score sheet. This seemed to spark Zenith’s shooting in game 5. With some decent shot making by both Walter and Nigel and some key defensive play, they held off Double D for the second game in a row. Nigel finished off the game as he seemed to start to play a bit more relaxed. Nigel made some nice shots in the game on the way to their second win in a row. Double D got back into the winning mode in game 6. Dave kept Zenith a bit off balance with some very nice defensive play as Doug sharpened his eye even more. Double D nailed game 6 and took a two game lead in the set. It was Zenith again slowing down the shooting of Dave & Doug as they found some key defensive plays that opened up the game even more for them. It was Nigel dropping the eight ball into the pocket to secure game 7 and again, Zenith only trailed by a game in the set. That win and chance to catch up changed in game 8 as Dave got his shooting stroke on target. With some nice shooting, Dave finished off the set posting the final win in game 8 as Double D takes the first set, 5-3.

Double D got started where they left off in the previous set as they opened the 9-Ball Set with the first two wins. Dave started the set posting a win in game 1 and Doug followed with a 4-9 combo to give them a 2-0 start in the set against Zenith. Walter stopped the run at 2 games as he found a 4-9 combo himself and made good on the shot. This gave them the win in game 3 and a cut the lead to 1 in the set to. Doug continued to shoot well and with Dave’s help, notched another win for Double D in game 4. Walter again got the chance to end a game early with the chance to nail a 3-9 combo. He handily made the shot and Zenith again cut the lead to one game now trailing 3-2. Game 6 turned out to be a very quick win for Double D as Dave got the opportunity to nail a 1-9 combo after the break. He made good on the shot to put Double D up by 2 games.  Zenith continued to fight back, and after losing a quick one in game 6, Nigel and Walter put together another nice win, with Walter dropping a game winner in game 7  to close within a game. It was Dave again getting a chance to end game 8 early as he had his second chance at a 1-9 combo. He didn’t let his partner down as he nailed the shot to close out the set with a 5-3 set win. This gave Double D a 4 point match lead.      

Zenith needed to make something happen in the 10 Ball Set to try to climb back into the match. Trailing by 4 points, Zenith struck first in the set with some nice shooting by both Nigel and Walter. Walter finished off game one with a nice shot to pocket the 10. Dave’s combination game seemed to carry over into the final set as he posted a 4-10 combo, giving him three straight combo wins and evened up the set with the win in game 2. It just seemed like he was now on a roll and nailed the next win as he and Doug took a 2-1 lead. Dave’s good shooting momentum continued to stay with him as he nailed the 10 ball on the break in game 4. He was on a roll and finished up the rack in game 5 to give Double D a 4-1 lead on the hill of the set. Doug finally contributed in the final set with some nice shooting to close out  game 6.  With the win, Doug & Dave take a 15 to 7 match win. Nice effort and shooting by Walter & Nigel. Good shooting by Dave & Doug.                   

Table 2: Team:Reckless (Matt & Jim B) vs Team: The Johns (John Sr & John Jr)

Jim Barkatt & Matt Dessert (Reckless) got back together as partners after a session of playing in the Rotating Doubles league that left them playing with a variety of partners in the fall 2015 season. Jim was celebrating his birthday on our first time back after being off for the holidays. Matt and Jim B were going up against another team that was separated during the Rotating Doubles league, John Killett Sr & John Killett Jr, alias ‘The Johns’ and were also happy to get back together as well. This team has improved tremendously and gave Reckless a battle throughout the match. Things got off to a shaky start in the 8-Ball Set as Reckless nailed back to back wins, Jim notching game 1 and Matt nailing game 2.  John Sr got his team on the score sheet as he played some very nice shots and dropped the 8 ball in for the win in game 3. Too many mistakes plagued The Johns though as Matt got started with a nice run and capped it off with a win in game 4. Jim appeared to be on his game as well as he methodically picked apart the rack with nice shots and finished off game 5 to take a 4-1 lead in the set. Jim continued his fine shooting and closed out the set with the final win in game 6. This gave Reckless a 5-1 lead in the match.

The 9-Ball Set  saw Reckless increase their lead in the match as Matt put together a nice run to close out game one. John Sr continued to shoot well and he and son John Jr went back and forth, making shots and safeties. This slowed down the shooting of Reckless as The Johns closed out game 2 with John Sr dropping in a game winner. It looked like the tide may  have changed a bit in favor of The Johns as missed shots by Matt & Jim kept the door open giving them more chances to win. John Jr sharpened his aim and with 3 balls left to close the door on Reckless in game 3. This now gave The Johns a lead in the set. Reckless now seemed to be a bit more conscious of the shooting abilities of their opponents and started to turn an offensive game into a defensive battle. A couple of miscues by Sr & Jr, supported by some nice shot making by Jim gave Reckless a win in game 4. Jim and Matt backed up that win with another win in game 5, this one finished off by Matt. Reckless again regained the lead in the set. Game six looked like a defensive battle back and forth by both teams. Some timely misses by Reckless and some consistent shooting by The Johns found the set all tied at 3 games each as John Jr nailed a game winner to even up the set. It was Reckless again getting their shot making down as Matt closed out game 7 with some great shots and tough leaves on his misses. That seemed to spark partner Jim in game 8 as he too sharpened his eye making a final run of 4 balls to close out the set with a 5-3 win. This increased their match lead to 6 points.

The 10-Ball Set  found the teams splitting the first two games of the set. Jim from Reckless notching game 1 and John Sr nailing a game winner in game 2. The Johns seemed to make huge mistakes at the wrong times and Reckless was quick to jump on any open opportunity. That being said, that is what happens. Jim and Matt took control of the set looking to shut down any offensive charge by The Johns. Jim finished off game 3 and Matt followed up with some nice shooting to take game 4. It was like taking turns on closing out racks as Jim got Reckless to the hill with a win in game 5. Reckless was only a game away from sweeping all three sets, posting a 4-1 lead at this point in the set. Then, Reckless seemed to go blind, either from too much Tequila Sunrises or need for more sleep. The Johns seemed to get energized and charged back into the set. With great incredible shooting by John Sr, he and John Jr started on the comeback train by taking game 6. Then with the misses by Reckless the momentum in the set changed and John Sr seemed to make the shots needed to finish off games. He nailed game winners in the next three games. John Jr seemed to be off in his shot making, but he made up for it with some timely defensive leaves to keep the curtain from dropping on his team. John Sr again found shot after shot dropping and he John Jr make a great comeback to take the final set away from Reckless. The Johns win 5-4 to avoid a sweep of all three sets. Nice comeback and shooting by John Sr & John Jr. Very nice shooting by Jim B & Matt as they take the match by 5 points and are tied for 2nd after week 1.                

Table 3: Team: Bull Dogs (Ray-sub Matt R & Jim P) vs Team: The Two Old Guys (Mike & Peter)                      

With Ray still in recovery mode, his nephew Matt Ressler is filling in for the next few weeks. Ray sees his Doctor on the 9th of February and hopes to have the neck brace off and a chance to get back to playing. Ray is teaming up with Jim Pellerito (Bull Dogs) in this session and they went up against two season and accomplished pool players, Mike Bates the sharpshooter and Master Hook artist, Peter (The Hook) Ramonat (The Two Old Guys). Peter can also hold his own with his shooting ability, but is better known for putting the opponents on the defensive rather than allowing them a lot of offense.  Matt comes in not playing for two sessions but seemed to get fairly comfortable in his favorite game, the 8-Ball Set.  Mike appeared to be off a bit to start the match, but with his abilities, it would only be a matter of time. Matt got he and Jim on the score sheet first as he played some nice shots to close out game one with a win. Again, Mike seemed off some and Peter seemed to pick up the slack. When Peter wasn’t making a long shot to continue shooting, he was manipulating the cue ball around the table to make his next shot, or play the safe and hold off the opponents. Peter closed out game 2, and Mike helped him finish off game 3 with some excellent shots and some nice defensive positional play. Jim seemed to be a bit off in his shot making at the start of the set, but seemed to get into focus in the fourth game. He got a few openings by The Two Old Guys and made them pay. After taking game 4,  Jim & Matt again made put together some great shots and defensive shots to hold off Mike and Peter for the second straight game to win game 5 and take a one game lead in the set. Mike has been a bit on the defense the first few games, but seemed to get himself back on the offensive shooting path. He made a nice 4 ball run to finish off game 6 and even up the set. With both teams having their ups and downs the set could go either way, it would depend on which team took control. Matt put Bull Dogs in the lead as he got an opening from the opponents and closed out the 7th game with a win. Jim came up right behind Matt and put a nice run together to finish off the set as they won game 8 and a 5-3 set win.  

The Two Old Guys seemed to rebound from the first set loss and came out in the 9-Ball Set shooting lights out every time they got to the table. If it wasn’t Mike’s sharp eye making balls, it was Peters continued leaves that made it difficult for Bull Dogs to get any kind of rhythm going. Pete nailed game one and Mike notched game 2 to get their team into a quick lead. Matt from Bull Dogs put a end to the run as he got a chance to make a few balls. He finished off the game nailing the nine ball and cut into The Two Old Guys lead. Peter seems to excel more in 9 ball and he got his stroke going in game 4. With a short run, he closed out the game to give them a 2 game lead in the set. Bull Dogs got another chance to catch up, missed shots resulting in decent leaves gave Jim and Matt a chance to get back into the set. Matt finished off game 5 for his second win of the set and now they only trailed by a game. Peter again seemed to get a few good leaves and took advantage of the chances. Peter nailed another nine ball winner in game 6 which increase their set lead back to 2 games. It was Mike now finally getting on track with his shooting abilities in game 8 making a nice run to finish off the game, and take a 1 point lead in the match.

This match after two sets was virtually even going into the 10-Ball Set. Mike appeared to find his shooting eyes in this set as he accounted for 4 of the 5 wins posted by The Two Old Guys in this final set. Mike and Peter jumped out to a very comfortable lead as Mike notched the win in game one with a very nice cut shot on the 10 ball. Peter contributed with some very admirable shooting of his own to give them a 2 game lead. The Bull Dogs were still trying to get into the scoring column as Mike again with some great shot making and position play. With the third win in The Two Old Guys scoring box, this put Bull Dogs down by 3 games. The Bull Dogs Matt finally broke through as he go a rare opening in the final set to notch a win in game 4. Again, Matt & Jim could not hold down Mike who now seemed like the scoring Mike of old as he again made a nice run to close out game 5 to put he and Peter on the hill. Well if anything was going to happen, it needed to be done soon or Bull Dogs would be squashed in the final set. It took a couple of combo shots to revive Jim and Matt and make this a match. It was Matt first, nailing a 7-10 three quarters of the way through the game to close the gap on The Two Old Guys. Jim got into the act next, with a tough 8-10 combo that he performed admirably to take game 7. Bull Dogs have now climbed one game behind Mike and Peter heading into game 8. Even with the two straight game losses, Mike did not seem to lose his shooting edge. With precision shot making and great position play, Mike cleaned up the rest of the balls in game 8 to close out the set and take the match by three games. Peter and Mike take the final set 5-3. Great shooting by all four players in a close match.

Table 4: Team: Just Another Bye Week (Scott M & Scott K) vs Team: English Majors (Jim F & Victor)

 Just Another Bye Week (Scott Moritz & Scott Kroll) were paired against last sessions 1st place winner, Jimmy Francisco who is now teamed up with another excellent shooter, Victor Francisco (English Majors). Personally, I think they could have been call the Pool Cue Majors and it would have been just as appropriate.  You got it, Father and Son and a very strong doubles team.  Just Another Bye Week got things going on the positive note for them in the 8-Ball Set as they drew first blood in the set with a game one winner by Scott K. The English Majors did what they do well, which is if you can’t make the shot, don’t give one up. Jimmy got his team on the score sheet notching game 2 and came right back in game 3 with a absolute beautiful break and run out that was played perfectly, and giving Victor and Jimmy an early 2-1 lead. That ended  on the very next game as Scott M posted a very nice run to finish off the set giving Just Another Bye Week another win and tied up the set. The tie was short lived as Jimmy continued to finish off sets. When Victor wasn’t making balls, he was playing some excellent safety play to continue to give Jimmy more opportunity to close out games. Jimmy nailed down wins in games 5, 6 & 7 with some decent runs to close out games, accounting for all 5 wins in the set. When the opportunity for a run was there, Jimmy stepped up and did exactly that. English Majors completed the first set with a 5-2 win taking a 3 point lead in the match. 

Victor seemed to get on track in the 9-Ball Set as he got his shooting eye on and nailed back to back wins for English Majors. Jimmy got the next opening left by Scott M & Scott K and completed the third win in a row. A couple of errant shots left by the Majors, gave Scott K the opportunity to get he and Scott M on the score sheet with the win in game 4. Jimmy continued to pound in ball after ball with some great shot making to get he and his dad to the hill with the win in game 5.  It looked like Scott K got another opportunity to finish off a game and he stepped up with some nice shots and position to nail down game 6, but still trailed by 2 games in the set. Again, when Victor wasn’t making shots, he was keeping their opponents from getting too easy of a start, that kept the door open for Jimmy. It was Jimmy finding the final 9 ball winner in game 7 as English Majors now took a 10-06 lead in the match.

Just Another Bye Week needed to make some serious improvements in order to get back into the match. Victor continued to shoot decently and opened the 10-Ball Set with the first win of the set. Scott Moritz of Bye Week had been fairly quiet in his shooting skills but seemed to find some positive momentum in the set. He nail the game winner in the second game and them came right back to notch a 4-10 combo in game 3. Mr. Moritz wasn’t quite done as the misses by English Majors sparked his shooting even more. He posted another win in game 3 with a very nice run and Bye Week had now taken a 2 game lead in the set. Jimmy continued to shoot well when Scott and Scott gave him a chance which came in game 5 to cut the lead to a game for Bye Week. Just Another Bye Week had a chance with a carom shot, which was delicately performed by Scott Moritz which put them on the hill with a 2 game lead. Just as Scott M found a carom winner in the previous game, Victor got his chance to also make a carom shot. This was a 4-10 which was completed successfully by Victor to again close within a game. All good things come to an end, and English Majors chance for a sweep of all three sets ended when Scott M again finished off the final game and a 5-4 set win for Just Another Bye Week. This was a very good match, with all four players shining when they got the right opportunity to finish games. Good shooting by all.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks from Dr Dave:  Part III: Drag-Enhanced Sidespin” ILLUSTRATED PRINCIPLES David Alciatore, PhD (“Dr. Dave”)

As shown in Diagram 1, sometimes we need to create a very larger rebound-angle change off a cushion to achieve position. Here, we need to lengthen the angle as much as possible to go forward past all of the obstacle stripes to the 8. To read more follow the link below.

http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2015/dec15.pdf