San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour Season Opens
The first event for the 2004 season of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is happening this weekend, at Pool Haven in the city of Clarke Quay, Singapore.
A field of 32 top Asian players, headed up by pool stars Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes, will vie for the $50,000 prize purse, as well as a chance at entry into the World Championships in Cardiff, Wales. The Tour is the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify to the World Pool Championships, and the top ten finishers will be given entries.
The rest of the stops on this five-leg tour are as follows: Ho Chi Minh City (March 13-14), Hong Kong (April 17-18), Taipei (May 7-9) and Manila (May 29-30).
Due to the outbreak of SARS, only two legs were held in the inaugural San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour last year. 2002 Busan Asian Games 9-Ball singles gold medalist Yang Ching Shun of Chinese Taipei and 1999 world champion Reyes took the two leg titles, in Singapore and Manila respectively.
For more information on the Tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com.
Cornbread Red Dies at 72
BD is saddened to report the passing of Billy Joe “Cornbread Red” Burge, 72, on Friday, Feb. 13, of natural causes. He lived in Prestonsburg, Ky.
Burge was born on Dec. 17, 1931, in Paducah, Ky. As his nickname suggests, “Red” was one of the more colorful personalities in the “hustlers era” of pocket billiards, which ran from the 1950s to 1970s and produced more than its fair share of outsized characters. He was described in R.A. Dyer’s recent tome on the era, “Hustler Days,” as “the wild-man one-pocket specialist,” and was known for his knack for showmanship.
He spent the vast majority of his time as a hustler, but his occasional forays into the tournament world included competing at the fabled 1960s hustlers’ tournaments in Johnston City, Ill.
“He was a hustler, and he did it all his life, from when he walked into a billiard hall when he was 8 or 9,” recalled friend Chris Walker, who served as a pallbearer at Burge’s funeral on Feb. 15. Burge continued to play up until his death. He also enjoyed attending tournaments as a spectator; one of his most recent appearances was at the 2003 Derby City Classic in Louisville, Ky., which itself was inspired by the Johnston City events.
Larry Lisciotti, 57, Passes
Lisciotti, nicknamed “Oil Can Larry” by cohort Jim Mataya, was a free-wheeling money player coming to prominence in the 1970s who also boasted the skills to win his share of mainstream tournaments (including the World Open Pocket Billiard Championship in 1976, pictured here). He perhaps is best remembered as one of pool’s most charismatic personalities. A prominent mention in John Grissim’s 1979 book “Billiards” summed up his allure: “Slim, smooth good looking, confident and a lover of the good life, Oil Can Larry satisfies the most demanding definition of that cherished persona that lies dormant in the psyche of millions of Americans-the riverboat gambler.” And Sports Illustrated writer Mike DelNagro wrote, “Lisciotti, who has yet to work a day of his life, does not care about games against the big names; any guy he can win a quick $50 from is his favorite opponent.”
Lisciotti continued to compete up until 2003, spending the majority of his time in later years playing on the Joss Northeast Tour. Our condolences to his family and friends.
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.