It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and foggy by the beach, perfect for hanging out in the newly remodeled Fun House and watching the US Open 9-ball finals. What a great show Appleton put on, easily winning for the second time in a row.
Each shot of his match appeared so perfect that it almost seemed to require no effort at all. Some of the shots were truly extraordinary, so I had to go to my table and try them myself. What I learned from the experience (as if I hadn't already learned it many times before) is that while I can make those great shots, I just can't do it consistently. And, of course, that makes all the difference in the world. Another reason for not competing in these marathon tournaments is the enormous stress it puts on one's body. My physical conditioning is just not up to it.
While I'm on the subject of reasons (excuses?), there's the hotel food I'd have to endure (I'm a vegetarian). And don't get me started on the rigors of air travel. I'm sure the weather was awful too; I'm so spoiled by SoCal climate.
And that's why I didn't go to the Big Show...
While standing at the foot of my table (9' Brunswick Gold Crown IV, with Simonis 760 cloth) I can watch the tournament on two 65" plasma (Panasonic) screens, streaming through my MacBook Air and redirected to these external monitors. The High Definition webcast was amazingly clear on these screens.
I had the "best seat in the house"!
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