Like Butter ...

... on a roll. Lost a hill-hill heartbreaker in league last night. I got a little hesitant with a long draw shot and came up too short for position on the 8 ball that would have clinched it. My opponent came up with a great cut shot though to seal the match.

One of my memorable shots was in the second rack where he pinned me behind a couple of his balls. He had all seven of his balls scattered about, but I'm only showing the two pertinent ones. The cue ball - 8 ball had the slightest of angles to it, but I managed to nail the jump shot for the win.

2nd Place in PotShot Pool Tournament

I got second place in the PotShot Pool Tournament today at Big City in Allston. It's a slight improvement from the fourth place I got last time, but the field was a little smaller. There were a couple good shooters there though (especially since I dragged a couple friends along), so it might have been slightly more difficult overall. Nothing too dramatic to report, but the first two rounds ended up going to a spot shot shootout. So with an object ball on one spot and the cue ball on the other, you had to sink the object ball without scratching. There are two primary ways to play the shot, as a cut into one of the corners by the object ball or as a long bank to one of the corners by the cue ball. Cutting it is tricky because there's a tendency to scratch unless you can get enough draw or follow to get the cue ball on a different line. I saw a couple players scratch on another table since they couldn't compensate. I chose to bank. I got a little lucky in the first round as everyone missed their initial attempt. For the second attempt, the cue ball could be placed anywhere in the kitchen, but I elected to go right back to the spot and bank again. I thought I made an adjustment, but it wasn't big enough. Luckily I hit hard enough to give myself a chance at the up and down and it managed to fall. In the second round, I went first and fired the bank right in, putting the pressure on everyone else. Even my friend who I told the shot to and who made it in his first round match missed. To the victory goes the spoils.

Dr Cue Tom Rossman at the Osage Prairie YMCA in Nevada, Missouri

Pool trick shot champion Tom 'Dr. Cue' Rossman will put on a exhibition at the Osage Prairie YMCA in Nevada, Missouri on March 2, 2010. Tom Rossman won the 2002 Trick Shot Magic, 2008 Trick Shot Magic, as well as the 2006, 2008, and 2009 World Cup of Trick Shots. Cheaper tickets are available if you buy them in advance so make your plans now!

Mike Massey and Ewa Laurance Appearances

Mike Massey will be performing in Vancleave, MS on Fri Feb 19th. He will also be holding a 3 hour clinic on Thursday.

Ewa Laurance, the Striking Viking, will be talking and giving an exhibition at the Business Club of the Triangle meeting also on Fri Feb 19th in Raleigh, NC.

Check them out if you're in the area!

Five and counting

My loss streak in league has hit five games now. This one was a little better with some flashed of brilliance. I fell behind early, but at some point, ran out after my opponent scratched on the break and then broke and ran to the 8 ball in the next game. I couldn't avoid the traffic and ended up getting in a bad spot for the 8, but my opponent let me back to the table. I had a nice straight back bank which rattled out of the pocket. Inexplicably, my opponent ended up missing the 8 too, leaving me a hanger. It was a bit downhill after that though, but it got to hill-hill before he won.

In Stroke Magazine

Check out the article that Crown Cues put together on Jamey Gray and me. It's in Stroke Magazine!

Four on the floor

Well, my losing streak in league has hit four games, but I'm getting closer. At least the last match went hill-hill. The last two matches have been against higher ranked opponents, but I still felt like I matched up well. Mentally, it doesn't feel like I'm there though and I end up dogging it and giving away games.