Pool Cue News and Review

I’m sorry, but I just had to post this one. Apparently there was a fight at a pool hall in Hartford (shocking, I know) and some poor bastard got rocketed in the head with a pool ball. That isn’t why I’m posting though, since this sort of thing happens pretty much all the time. The reason I had to post was because of what happened after. The perp ran from the scene (natch) and stupidly didn’t listen when the cop send his K-9 unit in pursuit.

As you might guess, Primo the police dog caught up with him and as police dogs do, and latched on. The perp started punching the dog, but he should’ve known that you can’t win a fight with a k-9 unit. As you might guess, the perp lost the fight, was arrested and then taken to the hospital to treat the bite wounds, as Primo latched on to his leg like Oprah on a baked ham. You can check out the whole story at The Journal Enquirer.

I don’t know if any of you have been following this case, but in December of last year, Michael Mumma, the owner of Bada Bing Billiards and Cigars in Hanover, PA agreed to a plea in his sex assault case. Basically, Mumma got in trouble for paying two 15 year old girls $60 in booze to put on a lesbian sex show and give them a grope. Mumma is now seeking to rescind his plea because he can’t get a job, use his computer or see his grandkids.

For those not aware, State Senator Jeffrey Piccola is pushing to make pool halls open to people of all ages in the Keystone State. Is this really the environment you want to put kids into Mr. Piccola? I dig pool, but let’s face it… most pool halls are places I wouldn’t want to go to let alone have teenagers hang out at. There’s a reason why pool halls are off limits to kids under the age of 18 (or 21 depending on your state). He claims that “Pool halls and billiard parlors are now looked at as family enterprises”. I’m guessing that the parents of these two teenage girls just might disagree with you.

Slow day for news in the billiards industry, but there’s always updates for the Billiards Blotter.  Last week, I was critical of Pennsylvania State Senator Jeffrey Piccola for trying to repeal a law that keeps kids out of pool halls.  While some are hailing this as a great move for the industry, I have a somewhat different opinion.  Here are a few reasons why:

 St. Patrick’s Day Attack Turns Deadly - 3/19/08 Long Beach Press Telegram-  Apparently some shitbag decided to use his cue as a weapon, cracked this poor bastard over the head and killed him.

Funny Money - The Barrie Examiner - 3/19/08 Ontario, CA - A woman in Cali got caught trying to pass counterfeit $100 bills in not one, but two pool halls. The 23 year old was tossing phony hundreds around at Dunlop Billiards and Masse Hall in Southern California.

Assault victim awakens five weeks after blow to head - 3/14/08 Spokane, Washington -  Good news here. After spending 5 weeks in a coma as the result of getting assaulted with a pool cue, Joe Cruz Alcala Manjarres has regained consciousness.

If anyone wants to leave a comment complaining how negative I am, please feel free (judging by the bitchy comments I got from a couple of Olhausen “fans”, I expect it).  It won’t change the fact that the industry needs a good delousing.  Hey, all I’m saying is that if Dalton can clean up the Double Deuce, why is it so difficult to upgrade our pool halls?

I thought it was a joke from The Onion until I realized that it was real. Apparently Jeffrey Piccola thinks its a good idea to have kids hanging out at pool halls in Pennsylvania. Honestly, this may be the worst idea since Greedo shooting first. Don’t get me wrong, I love pool. I’m just smart enough to know that pool halls aren’t a place for kids.

I still remember my first experience at a pool hall… I went with my girlfriend, my sister and her scumbag boyfriend. Within an hour my sister was being accosted and I was in a fight while her boyfriend was scoring some weed. Yeah, this is a great idea Jeff.

The best part about his statement though was this quote: “Times have changed. Pool halls and billiard parlors are now looked at as family enterprises”. Hmm… Disneyland or Bruno’s Pool Hall? Busch Gardens or Break Shot Billiards? Boy, that is a tough one…

Someday maybe there will be family friendly pool halls, but that day isn’t today. Maybe once the industry gets a bit of a hosedown, they’ll figure out how to do pool halls the same way the bowling industry has changed bowling alleys. Take a look at 300 Dallas and you’ll see what I mean. Pool halls don’t have to be sleazy… they just are.

All right, All right. This shit just gets funnier and funnier. Apparently Axel Buescher has been using EPO. Ok, its not really steroids… EPO is short for Erythropoietin, a drug used to stimulate red blood cell production. The idea is that the EPO increases your red blood cells, which increases the oxygen levels in your blood. Great for endurance, which is why its such a popular form of doping in cycling and track & field. The problem with EPO is that it thickens your blood which can cause little things like blood clots and strokes.

Its an interesting drug choice for a pool player. In the wide range of performance enhancing drugs, EPO is about the last thing I’d ever expect a pool player to use. Ritalin or BZP? Sure, that would make sense. Coke and meth are the more popular choices for sure. But EPO? Dude, you gotta get your drugs straight.

I’ll tell you what’s even funnier… this news got picked up by a bunch of the majors. NY Times, San Jose Mercury News, AOL, Fox, you name it. See, no one gives a crap if some nice guy wins a pool tourney in PA. The people want something sensational and exciting. Now I’m not saying that this is best the way to get press coverage, but when was the last time you can remember that every major news outlet picked up a pool story? Gentlemen, start your crack pipes!