Scorpion Tops Dragon in D.C.
Johnny Archer registered a come-from-behind 9-8 victory in the 9-ball final of the Capital City Classic on Jan. 27 to win $6,500 for first place. The inaugural event marked the third straight major tournament of the 2002 season, following the Derby City Classic (Jan. 4-12) and Music City 9-Ball Open (Jan. 19-20).
Derby City one-pocket runner-up Jose Parica captured the one-pocket division at the Capital City Classic, topping Pete Fusco, 5-3, in the final to claim $6,000.
Charlie Williams led for most of the final against Johnny Archer, but Archer rallied to claim the victory. Williams settled for the $4,000 second-place check. Allen Hopkins finished third, worth $3,000.
Who Would You Pick, Jeanette Lee or Anna Kournikov
Jeanette Lee is used to facing tough seeded players, just usually not in the first round. But in ESPN’s World’s Sexiest Athletes poll, which is being conducted using a 32-athlete March Madness-style bracket, Lee has the misfortune of going head-to-head against one of the Internet’s most-searched celebrities, Anna Kournikova. The Russian tennis star, who is reportedly married to Detroit Red Wings perennial National Hockey League All-Star Sergei Federov, has been consistently named Lycos’ Most Searched Athlete, ahead of legends like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.
Lee is the billiard community’s most recognizable face, with numerous television and print appearances. Despite multiple surgeries last year, Lee has hardly missed a step, closing out the 2001 season with a runner-up finish behind No. 1-ranked Karen Corr at the Cuetec Cues National 9-Ball Championship.
To vote for Lee in the poll, log on to http://espn.go.com/sexiestathletes/. ESPN will televise the results during a two-hour special, The World’s Sexiest Athletes presented by US Magazine, on Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. EST.
Team USA Captures Sixth Sraight Mosconi Cup
After Team Europe drew first blood in the 2001 Mosconi Cup, Team USA won the next 12 matches to claim its sixth straight Mosconi Cup title at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England, Dec. 20-23. The 12-1 victory for Team USA is the most decisive win in the eight-year history of the annual Ryder Cup-style event, which Team USA has now won seven times.
Only the pairing of Niels Feijen and Mika Immonen was able to scratch the scoreboard with a 5-3 triumph over veteran U.S. duo Johnny Archer and Nick Varner. But from then on, Team USA dominated play. The young American pair of Charlie Williams and Cory Deuel built Team USA’s lead with two convincing victories over Steve Knight and Marcus Chamat by a combined score of 10-3. Archer and Varner then closed out the event by redeeming themselves from the Day 1 loss with a 5-1 win over Immonen and Team Europe captain Ralf Souquet.
Jimmy Caras placed in nursing home
Story by: Melinda Bailey – AzBilliards.com
Jimmy Caras, World Pool Champion, oldest living Hall-Of-Famer and #10 on Billiards Digest’s 50 Greatest Players of the Century, had a stroke last week in Jacksonville, FL.
Jimmy was placed in a Nursing Home over the weekend and the first thing he asked the nurses was, Is there a pool table in here? Although Jimmy cannot walk or get out of bed now, he is still talking, joking and has all of his faculties.
Jimmy went to the poolroom in Jacksonville every afternoon that he could – even though his arthritis in his legs slowed him down. Jimmy turns 93 on December 17th.
Jimmy, who still loves pool but will now miss going to the poolroom everyday, would love to hear from fans and friends. Cards may be sent to his daughter’s house at:
Jimmy Caras
3619 Bridgewood Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32277
Morris returns in Reno
After a long hiatus, Rodney Morris returned to his old form at the Sands Regency Reno Open, Dec. 4-9, topping Nick Varner in the final to claim $12,000.
Morris had been away from the game to serve a prison sentence for a narcotics-related conviction. Morris, who also competed in the Tokyo 9-Ball International Billiard Tournament the previous month, earned his last major victory by capturing the 1996 U.S. Open.
Varner collected $5,600 for second place, while Johnny Archer earned $3,700 for third.
WPA Crowns World 9-Ball Champs
The 2001 World Pool-Billiard Association World 9-ball champions are Allison Fisher (representing Great Britain) and Brian Naithani (Germany).
Fisher, ranked No. 2 by the Women’s Professional Billiard Association, earned her fourth WPA world title by defeating WPBA No. 1-ranked Karen Corr (also representing Great Britain) 11-8 in the final held in Amagasaki City, Japan. Only one other player (Robin Dodson, with the 1990 and 1991 titles) owns multiple WPA women’s 9-ball titles. Fisher finished third last year while Corr placed second. The 2000 titlist, Julie Kelly, finished 17th, losing first to Anita Kuczma of Canada, 11-5, and then to Kyoke Sone of Japan, 11-4.
Naithani, who was the 2000 runner-up in the juniors’ contest, defeated Jung-Lin Chang of Taipei, 11-5, in the final. The defending champion, Dmitri Jungo, aged out of competition.
Also at the tournament, the WPA elected Ian Anderson of Sydney, Australia to a four-year term as its president.
Irving Crane Sr., Dead at 89
Hall of Famer Irving D. Crane Sr., died Saturday, Nov. 17, at 89. Crane, who won six 14.1 World titles across four decades, was nick-named “The Deacon” because of his imperial bearing and serious, high-minded attitude towards pool.
Crane had been in fragile health, but had lived at home with his wife of 64 years, Althea, until a short hospital stay last week. He was recuperating at a care center when he passed away. Crane is survived by Althea, son Irving Jr.; daughter Sandra DiLucia; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation is Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Crawford Funeral Home, 495 N. Winton Rd., Rochester, N.Y. Funeral service will held be Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 10:00 a.m. at Crawford Funeral Home followed by interment at Union Cemetery, Livonia, N.Y.
Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be sent to DePaul-Huther Doyle, 360 East Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14604 or Camp Good Days & Special Times, 1332 Pittsford-Mendon Rd, Mendon, N.Y. 14506.
Reyes Pockets Pool’s Biggest Payout
Efren “The Magician” Reyes pulled out the largest tournament payday in the history of the game by topping Dutch phenom Niels Feijen, 15-7, in the final of theTokyo-9-Ball ¥100,000,000 International Billiard Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 14, to collect approximately US$160,000. Reyes emerged from a mammoth field that topped 700 players to register the victory.
Feijen, who added to his breakout 2001 season by finishing in second, took home approximately $64,000 after knocking out 2000 World Pool-Billiard Association World Champion Fong-Pang Chao and Australian Johl Younger to reach the final match. Earlier in the year, Feijen notched back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the WPA World 9-Ball Championships and the U.S. Open.
Fisher crowned “Champion of Champions”
Allison Fisher captured her biggest victory of the year by beating Karen Corr in sudden death to claim the winner-takes-all International Tournament of Champions at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., on Nov. 8. The victory netted Fisher, the No. 2-ranked player on the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s Classic Tour, $25,000 for first place in the four-play star-studded event to be televised on ESPN.
Fisher, who handed over the WPBA’s top ranking to a red-hot Corr in June, has lost to Corr in the last three Classic Tour stops. At the Tournament of Champions, though, Fisher controlled the deciding sudden-death tiebreaker game to secure the win. “I feel like I just won an Olympic Gold Medal,” said Fisher, who topped Helena Thornfeldt in the semifinals. “One shot missed and you can lose $25,000! Your emotions are off the chart during the entire tournament.”
Mosconi Cup Lineup Set
Matchroom Sport released its Team USA and Team Europe rosters for the popular Mosconi Cup, held at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England, Dec. 20-23. The two six-man rosters were respectively selected in consultation with the Billiard Congress of America and European Pocket Billiard Federation.
Five-time Player of the Year Earl Strickland will return as captain of the American squad, which is rounded out by Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer, Jeremy Jones, Nick Varner and Charlie Williams. All but Varner and Williams were members of last year’s Cup-winning team.
Team Europe is comprised of captain Ralf Souquet (Germany), Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Steve Davis (England), Niels Feijen (Holland), Mika Immonen (Finland) and Steve Knight (England).