Fort Bragg pool league returns!
Rack ‘em up
Fort Bragg Pool league Spring Season of 2023 is here. Mr. Gibson was tired of “poor racks” and wanted to rack his dang balls. That was accepted, and the change has been made.
People may leave a rack loose, hoping you don’t make a ball. Doesn’t scattering the balls make it an easier game to play and watch? Remember, any person you ever played or will play that made a ball on the break still did not run out of the table 99.8% of the time. It may help you to remember that when the opponent is playing the ball before the 8-ball, and you haven’t shot yet. Don’t get nervous. Remain calm, and you can win after they miss simply by using your balls to block them for multiple fouls and cue ball in hand as you carefully make your balls. When you can finish and win the game, do so. First, set that scenario up by using safety play and playing the important balls to positions to make it easier on you and harder on them while making balls but playing defensively. Remember also when they make three or more balls and miss, your odds go up that you can run the table easier with fewer balls. If you make three balls and miss, your opponent can run out even easier. How many balls you shoot down or move for the position is one thing, but where you leave the cue ball becomes the most important by far.
Hippy John preaches controlling the rock. Well, “control Whitey and control the game” is how it was said at Maynard’s 50 years ago. It turns out that maybe it is that simple. A reported conversation was overheard back in the fifties when reporters went to pool exhibitions. Two men are watching a Willie Mosconi 14-1 exhibition (where you save the last ball, re-rack, then make it while simultaneously breaking the 14 balls in the re-rack). It is called 14-1 or continuous pool; you shoot until you miss. The count was in the mid-90s of balls made when they said, “let’s go, this guy makes it look too easy; he hasn’t made a shot longer than ten inches; it’s boring.” They didn’t even see the excellent cue ball control; they were watching the balls go down.
Visiting Fort Bragg for the sights and want to meet local people? Start with Karaoke at Angelina’s Grill and Bar Friday nights after 9:00 pm, a great venue with a pool table and a restaurant and bar, with tables outside for enjoying the breeze. Milano’s Hotel and Bar feature a great patio with tables and a Corn-hole lane, a friendly full-service offsale bar with a pool table, and Karaoke every other Sunday from 7:00 pm. It is as much fun to sing as it is to watch and listen. Too shy to sing? Consider playing in one of the pool tournaments. There are nearly 100 League players in Fort Bragg, and pool tournaments are open for anyone.
While Fort Bragg Pool League is on holiday until February 21st, you can still play competitive pool. We have 9-ball Tournaments every Monday night at a different venue beginning near 7:00 pm. There are 8-ball Tournaments at Welcome Inn every Thursday at 7:00 pm and Saturday afternoons starting at 4:30 pm. If you want to create a tournament at your favorite venue on another day, speak up, and players will appear.
Golden West Saloon has a great list of different music and drinks. Then with a favored beverage in hand, you can watch or play games of Corn-Hole, shoot Pool on one of two tables, or relax and take in the ambiance.
Cue Tip: If you watch the Pro player instead of the balls going down, you may learn more. Pro players share stance, grip, bridge, stroke, and follow-through fundamentals. If you ever want to improve enough to pick off the better players regularly, you must stay down in the follow-through after the shot. We all repeatedly make this error, and we want to see what is going on. Some people are surprised when they see themselves hopping up. Some say, “I know I do; I can’t stop it.” Put simply, if you are moving or starting to move your body, it is harder to be as accurate as when your body remains still, moving only your stroke arm. After the completion of the shot, hesitate a moment, moving nothing. You must become like a statue momentarily. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail.com.