Santos Sambajon wins Swanson Memorial
Santos Sambajon Jr. made his way through a record field of 192 players to win the 8th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial in San Diego, California.
Sambajon bounced back from an early loss to make his way through the one-loss side and defeat Ian Costello 13-5 in the finals.
Sambojon scored $3000 for first place, with Costello settling for $1800. Marshall Jung and Aaron Aragon filled out the top four positions.
Laurance, Balabushka Picked for Hall of Fame
Ewa Laurance, 9-ball goddess and the public face of the billiard industry in the 1990s, and legendary cuemaker George Balabushka will be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame on April 1 during the BCA International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo in Las Vegas, Nev.
For the Hall of Fame’s 2004 class, BCA voters chose Laurance over fiery pool superstar Earl Strickland and longtime pro and promoter Allen Hopkins in the Greatest Player category. Balabushka, who died in 1975, won the nod in the Meritorious Service category over American Poolplayers Association founders Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, and 19th century player-author Maurice Daley.
Laurance is a former world 9-ball champion and current president of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association. Her appearance on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 1992 triggered a media blitz for pool, and the native Swede then split her time between stumping for the sport and playing championship-level pool.
Balabushka was considered the Stradivarius of cuemakers – an innovator in cue construction, designs and finishes. Already a member of the American Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame, he also was credited with elevating widespread demand for custom cues.
Varner Okay, But Mulling Surgery
No, Nick Varner did not have a heart attack in Louisville during the Derby City Open, and no, the 55-year-old Kentuckian is not on his death bed.
So says Varner’s brother, Steve. According to Steve Varner, Nick is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday, Jan. 29, at Caritas Surgical Center in Louisville. Varner was diagnosed with a pair of blood clots that have affected both legs, and, according to Steve, efforts to dissolve the clots and free up the affected arteries through angioplasty and blood thinners have not produced positive results.
“Right now, Nick is schedule to have surgery, during which doctors want to use synthetic materials to bypass the clotted areas,” said Steve Varner from Owensboro. “He’s also considering going to a doctor in Cincinnati who wants to take another try at clearing the arteries without surgery. Surgery would put Nick out of action for eight weeks, plus there are obvious risks involved.”
According to Steve, Nick experienced numbness in his legs during a match last Tuesday evening in Louisville. After failing to reach his hotel room without assistance, paramedics were called in. First indications were that Varner was dehydrated, but when it became apparent that his condition was deteriorating, he was rushed to a local hospital for tests.
“He’s fine right now,” said Steve. “His life isn’t in danger. We just need to get this taken care of.”
Reyes Shines at Derby City
Reyes like what he saw on the table at Derby City.
A 24-hour, 9-day pool orgy for both gamblers and serious tournament players, the Classic kicked off on Jan. 16 with a $30,000 ring game between Cory Deuel, Jimmy Wetch, Alex Pagulayan, Earl Strickland, Rodney Morris and Charlie Williams. Deuel eventually outlasted Pagulayan for the $30,000 prize in a match that went well past five hours. The event proved so popular that Derby City organizers hastily assembled a six-man cast for the next night for another $30,000. In that six-hour tilt, BD Player of the Year Johnny Archer bested Pagulayan, Reyes, Ralf Souquet, John Schmidt and Jose Parica.
More than 300 players entered each of the three main events at Derby City this year. Jason Miller of Dayton, Ohio, took the 9-ball bank pool crown and its $8,000 first prize after besting undefeated John Brumback twice in the true double-elimination final (Derby City players with one loss can buy back into the tournament once in each division). Reyes mopped up Chicagoan Marco Marquez in the one-pocket final, 3-0, after his foe failed to take advantage of a commanding lead in the first game.
Pocketing the $9,000 one-pocket prize, Reyes then plowed through the 9-ball field, only to meet the similarly undefeated Souquet in the final. Souquet took the first match, 7-2, and after Reyes bought back in, “The Kaiser” toppled Reyes again by an identical score. The win brought a $13,000 payday for the German, who entered all three events this year without ever having played bank pool or one-pocket in a serious tournament setting.
Mika Immonen Crowned UPA Champion
Mika Immonen scored a 13-2 win over Charlie Williams and won the UPA Pro Tour Championship held at The Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens, Ca.
Immonen survived two hill-hill matches on his way to the finals, one with Jose Parica and another with Ralf Souquet for the point.
Immonen earned $10,000 for the win, the first major event of the new year. Williams won $5000 for second.
Lee TV
Pool star Jeanette Lee’s appearance on Fox Sports Net’s “The Best Damn Sports Show Period,” has been postponed. Lee’s appearance on ESPN’s “Unscripted with Chris Connelly” is still scheduled for April 4 or 5. Check your local listings for exact air times.
Also look for Lee (ESPN’s third-sexiest athlete) in an upcoming issue of FHM magazine.
Fisher Breaks Corr’s Winning Streak, and Her Own Losing Streak
Allison Fisher defeated first-seed Karen Corr, 7-1, to win the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Cuetec Cues Players Championship. This is Fisher’s first classic tour win since the WPBA Nationals in December 2000; her victory snapped Corr’s winning streak of six consecutive WPBA Classic Tour titles.
The Cuetec Cues Players Championship was held March 15-17, at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pa. It was the first stop on the WPBA 2002 Classic Tour. Upcoming events on the tour include the Spring Classic on April 17-21 in Alpine, Calif. and the Midwest Classic on August 21-25 in East Peoria, Ill.
Fisher’s winning check was $10,000, while Corr settled for $7,000 and second place, followed by Helena Thornfeldt with $5,000 for third.
Patriot Games
Team Predator, consisting of the top players from the Florida Tour, defeated Team Joss of the Joss Northeast Tour in the inaugural Patriot Cup held at Planet 9-Ball in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 15-17. Charlie Williams, the event’s promoter, had a hand in several key matches that led to his team’s victory, including a win over George SanSouci in the break contest. The three-day event pitted the rival tours against one another in a series of games, including 9-ball, 10-ball, straight pool and one-pocket.
Team Predator’s roster featured Ray Martin (team captain), Buddy Hall, Nick Varner, Tommy Kennedy and Williams. Runner-up Team Joss included Mike Zuglan (team captain), Tony Robles, Frankie Hernandez, Mika Immonen and SanSouci. The event is scheduled to return next year in a location to be determined. For complete coverage of the event, check the April issue of Billiards Digest.
WPBA Explains Dismissal
In a follow-up to a Feb. 8 press release from Trifecta Management, Women’s Professional Billiard Association President Jan McWorter released an additional unsigned statement commenting on the dismissal of Board Member Dr. Diana Sorrentino. The statement cited “numerous major findings by the Board of impropriety in communications with WPBA sponsors and business partners, the pool industry, the billiards press, and numerous others with whom the WPBA interacts,” and “Dr. Sorrentino’s frequent violation of WPBA protocols for communication, and unwillingness to reform even after reprimand by the President of the organization,” as the substantial reasons for Dr. Sorrentino’s dismissal. The statement further stated, “the evidence of Dr. Sorrentino’s impropriety is, almost entirely, hard documentary evidence.”
Sorrentino had no comment on the dismissal, nor the controversy surrounding it.
In response to speculation within the billiards community that Sorrentino’s dismissal was a result of statements made on the Billiards Digest Cue Chalk Board discussion forum, the statement distributed by McWorter emphasized that “the WPBA does not object, in principle, to Dr. Sorrentino’s use of the Billiards Digest online forum,” and “the WPBA recognizes that the online forum participants are among the most enthusiastic and most knowledgeable members of the pool community, and we understand and appreciate that they tend to give pool a good name.”
The WPBA will not release any of the documentary evidence, according to the statement, out of respect for Sorrentino.
Sorrentino Voted Out
Feb. 8 press release from Trifecta Entertainment, the Women’s Professional Billiard Association announced that the Board of Directors had unanimously voted to dismiss newly elected board member Dr. Diana Sorrentino. Sorrentino, a New York business consultant, was dismissed with cause, according to the release. WPBA officials declined further comment on the dismissal, pending formal correspondence with Dr. Sorrentino. In the weeks leading up to the ouster, WPBA board members scrutinized Internet discussion forums where Sorrentino was an active participant.
WPBA bylaws provide for removal of members “with or without cause at any time, by the vote of two-thirds of the members of the board of directors present and voting at that meeting called for that purpose.” At press time it was not known how many board members voted on the issue.
“This has been an unpleasant process for the entire board but we are committed to furthering the goals and objectives of the WPBA,” said Jan McWorter, WPBA president, in the press release. “We would like to thank Dr. Sorrentino for her service and wish her well in her future endeavors.” McWorter added that the Board is in discussion about how to fill the open position, which they hope to do immediately. “In the past we’ve gone to the next-highest vote getter [in the most recent election],” said WPBA vice-president Kelly Oyama.