Lessons of league play
When speaking to visitors from out of town we might be reminded of how lucky we are to have the league that we are part of. People are generally surprised and maybe even a bit incredulous that we have the number of league players in such a small town. They express surprise about the number of players but almost always include positive comments about how well maintained our tables seem.
When was the last time you played on an out of town bar table? It is disappointing when you try to bank a ball with dead or loose rails, and it can take the fun right out of playing. I was invited recently to play on a table that is out of town. The table was so poorly maintained I didn’t finish playing even one rack. Spoiled? You can bet I probably am because our equipment is so much better than the average bar table. It just may be a fact that we are spoiled by them, and therefore, it isn’t really our fault … is it?
There is a table at Litlle River Inn that is starting to gain some interest from the locals, I haven’t played it but am told it is a full-sized table in decent shape. Gualala also has a regulation size table that is supposed to be a pretty good table to play. It would seem to be a long trek to play either, most of us probably would decline to go that far for a pool game. But decades ago league players of Fort Bragg would drive up and down the coast, and driving to Cloverdale, Willits, Ukiah and beyond to meet and play other people in pool leagues of those towns. They would load up a couple of cars and off they would go taking up most of the day and night traveling town to town to play pool. That doesn’t happen anymore, and not just because none of the towns have leagues to compete with anymore, it just seems like a bridge too far. But still, I marvel when talking with someone that used to be part of those crazy car caravans from Fort Bragg traveling town to town to play pool. It must have been great fun because I never heard one bad memory recalled about those trips out of town.
Angelina’s Grill and Bar teams tied each other in the first match of the season. Angus Vorse and Jacob Tupper played the tiebreaker match … Angus won giving Captain Mike Casey and the rest of team # 2 reason to smile as they were heading home. Tip Top Saloon team # 2 surprised even themselves when they played against the last season champions team # 1. Team # 2 won the match! That was despite having Sean Wristen playing on their team. You never know in a game of 8-ball who will win a particular game. The name that is sometimes used to describe 8-ball is “the great equalizer game.” For Tuesday, 01/28/2020: Team standings: Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team # 1: 0 wins; Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team # 2: 1 win; Golden West Saloon Team # 1: 0 wins; Golden West Saloon Team # 2: 1 win; Tip Top Team # 1: 0 wins; Tip Top Lounge Team # 2: 1 win; Welcome Inn Team # 1: 1 win; Welcome Inn Team # 2: 0 wins.
8 ball on the break: Linda Long, Congratulations
Tournament Winners: 8-ball, Gabe Medina, John Borba. 9-ball Rebecca Reynolds. Congratulations!
Visit Angelina’s Grille & Bar, Golden West Saloon, Tip Top Lounge, or Welcome Inn: all maintain a calendar of play. Look to the list for someone you know and find where they play. You might join a team, meet new people, or just watch the 8-ball games as they are played. League play starts at 7 pm and over by 10 pm. Tournaments, however, usually take a couple of hours to complete, and anyone can enter. If visiting Fort Bragg, test out 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 Grill
and Bar also features Karaoke Thursday evenings. If you like a quieter venue with an outdoor Patio, try Malano’s bar, friendly patrons a full bar, and a patio to have a quiet drink while enjoying the outside air. Come out and enjoy Fort Bragg!
Cue Tip: Be patient, when you are about to win a match, it is easy to become hurried. Jesse Hackett used to advise people, “walk around the table to give yourself a moment to settle down.” It was and is great advice, it is a relatively common mistake to rush a play when the end of the match is at hand. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail. com Have a good game … and I’ll see you at the table.