Fatal for accuracy
Rack ‘em up!
Using a fast backstroke and quick reverse forward to hit a cue ball is a recipe to miss, and is fatal for accuracy. The simple rule to follow is a slow backstroke with a slight hesitation before your final forward stroke as you switch the focus of your eyes from the target on your cue ball to the target on the object ball. That is not to say banging balls randomly doesn’t result in winning games, a fact that I wish was not true, but is. A pool player that is proficient can make a pool game look like a dance, smooth and with rhythm. I play with other people that, like me, love the sound of a ball going down a pocket. Ok, but if you are Nicholas Yanez or someone like him, you love Billiards, which is a pool table without any pockets. What? Well, Mike White, the infamous owner of Shooters, will tell you and your cousin that Shooters Billiard tables never stopped playing and literally paid for everything else. When the sea urchin business left Fort Bragg, the men that enjoyed Billiards followed the work. Shooters closed, but Nicholas Yanez got one of those Billiard tables and enjoys it every day. How do I know? Because in one League match recently while saying hello I asked, “so Nick, playing any pool,?” “Nope,” said Nick. Nick is not a man of many words. “Well then,” I asked, “you been playing any Billiards?” “Every day,” he answered smiling and making my day in so many ways. If you get the chance, play a Billiard table, it is a great game to learn.
FOR TUESDAY, 5/3/22 »
TEAM POSITIONS: ANGELIA’S GRILL AND BAR TEAM #1 » 7 wins; Angelina’s Grill and Bar Team # 2: 7 wins; Golden West Saloon Team # 1: 7 wins; Golden West Saloon Team # 2: 2 wins; Milano Hotel and Bar Team # 1: 13 wins; Milano Hotel and Bar Team # 2: 2 wins; Tip
Top Lounge Team # 1: 14 wins; Tip Top Lounge Team # 2: 7 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 1: 9 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 2: 2 wins.
TOP PLAYERS OF THEIR TEAMS: ANGELINA’S
GRILLE & BAR TEAM # 1 » Donny Applegate, Hugh Miller, James Thomason, with 16 wins; Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team # 2: Rosendo Padilla, Tomas Venegas, with 15 wins; Golden West Saloon Team # 1: Luke Pedersen has 22 wins; Golden West Team # 2: Mikael Haye has 13 wins; Milano Hotel and Bar Team # 1: Flaco Pat has 19 wins; Milano Hotel and Bar Team # 2: Mark Wright has 15 wins; Tip Top Lounge Team # 1: Dan Casteel has 24 wins; Tip Top Lounge team # 2: Jason Hawk has 18 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 1: Sam Banker has 19 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 2: Schelagh Fredsen has 12 wins.
TOP TEN PLAYERS IN LEAGUE » Dan Casteel, 24 wins; Luke Pedersen, 22 wins; Sam Banker, Victor Munoz, and Flaco
Pat have 19 wins; Jason Hawk, Gabe Medina, Bruce Silveria, and Joel Vidal have 18 wins.
Visit the following Fort Bragg Pool League sponsors: Angelina’s Grille & Bar, Golden West Saloon, Milano Hotel and Bar,
Tip Top Lounge, or Welcome Inn: all maintain a schedule of Fort Bragg Pool League players and teams. Look to the list for someone you know and find where they are playing. You might join a team, make new friends, or just watch 8-ball games as they unfold. The League plays Tuesdays at 7 pm ending before 10
pm. Tournaments, if held, are after League play, or as likely on a different night. Tournament schedules are usually posted on bulletin boards near pool tables and anyone can enter to play.
9-ball; Flaco Pat; 8-ball John Borba.
If visiting Fort Bragg, you can test your game against local players! Enjoy the good company, food, music, and fullservice bars. With shuffleboard, dice, dart, or corn-hole in addition to billiards for your entertainment. Angelina’s Grill and Bar features Karaoke Friday evenings. If you like being outside, try Milano Hotel and Bar, with a patio and tables for enjoying the fresh air. Come, and spend time in Fort Bragg.
CUE TIP » Control of the cue ball can be the difference between having another play or not. When breaking the rack it is very important to control the cue ball. On the break, the pro player plays it straight on for 8-ball and hits the exact center of the cue ball. That almost always will result in the cue ball staying in the middle of the table, with the most likely chance for a follow-up shot. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail. com.