Keep an eye out; character shows around the tables
Rack ‘em up!
Bad News Department … Someone or you might say, some, “thing” picked up a second cue from Welcome Inn that didn’t belong to them. It is pretty unusual for anyone to “lose” property at Welcome Inn. It is likely someone from out of town, but two cues in the last couple of months are two too many. We need to keep eyes on our property…these days, a good cue and accessories can cost hundreds of dollars, and that may be why we are hearing of losses.
The league is experiencing some movement in some of our best players. Life is interfering with their pool game. While at Cafe One, having a Portabella Mushroom Quesadilla, (one of my favorites,) I saw one of our top pool players. It was Gabe Medina, who sat down and chatted. Then, of all the things to come up, we found ourselves talking billiards.
What are the chances of that? Only about 100 percent I suppose. Anyway, he was relating that, at 42 years old, life was intervening in his pool game.
I understood completely. I had quit playing pool for 41 years; work and family obligations didn’t allow time for hanging out with pool buddies. Gabe recently opened Noyo River Grill along the Noyo River in the harbor. It is a spectacular spot to have great food and cold drinks and enjoy the sights.
He can have his wife and daughter near him at work, but cannot be bringing them to a pool match at the Golden West Saloon for pool league. With family and work, there is less time every season for playing pool with your buddies. It is just a fact of life, you can’t have it all, and the priorities you have change over time.
I applaud him for always playing opponents with polite respect, even though Gabe generally would be the favorite to win the match. He is very serious about his own game, but his respect for the other player and keeping a smile and good nature appears to come easily for him. He is a credit to his parents and to his family, and lastly to the Fort Bragg Pool League and the players in it.
Kua is from the Big Island and is an electrician by trade. Kua doesn’t play much pool but he is another person with respect
for the dignity of other people that shows easily. He was explaining what Aloha means and why you can use it to say hello or goodbye. When asked what he liked about Fort Bragg, he replied, “I love Fort Bragg because it is still country.” It certainly is a nice community of people, and I am happy Kua is a part.
Welcome Inn generally has a Saturday afternoon tournament 3 p.m. or so, I mention this for the people that work early and cannot play late night tournaments. The Saturday tournaments are smaller, ten players or less, and over by 5:30 p.m., we have been having a good time and anyone can join.
There was a sea of red 49’rs apparel and one lone Minnesota hat in the crowd at Welcome Inn. He has to know he is facing good-natured kidding by the armful…right? Then in comes Les “lone hat” Pierce with his signature grin on. Well, I can tell you this, he wasn’t grinning quite as broadly after the game. Hehehe, and was seen reaching for his wallet and giving something to Gene Mertle. What he gave to Gene will be forever an unknown, but Gene seemed very happy, and Les kept nodding a lot. I wonder what it was???
Visit Angelina’s Grille & Bar, Golden West Saloon, Tip Top Lounge, or Welcome Inn: all maintain a Pool table for playing. You might meet new people, or see old friends.
Tournaments usually take a couple of hours to complete. Watch weekly competition, anyone can enter. If visiting Fort Bragg, test your game with local players! Good company, food, and music, a full bar with Shuffleboard, Dice, and/or Dart games in addition to billiards for entertainment. Angelina’s Grille and Bar also features Karaoke on Thursday evenings. Come enjoy Fort Bragg.
The Cue Tip
Repetition can lead to perfection. If you are missing a particular shot try playing the same one ten or twenty times every time you get on a table. The odds are it will become easier to make the shot. Contact me at mcbohanon@ gmail.com Have a good game, and I’ll see you at the table…