Pool Cue News and Review

Lots of intersting stuff to talk about.  On the pool side, there were a couple of first round upsets with Debbie Schjodt and Megan Minerich getting kicked to the one loss side after their first match.  Thus far in the second round, Anna Kostanian got bounced to the one loss bracket, losing 9-8 to Joanne Ashton.

In other news, it seems that the WPBA/TAR experiment is off to a rough start.  Apparently the number of people watching the event was way below what was expected.  I don’t feel much like writing about it though, so if you want the details you should check the discussion thread about the lack of viewers on the AZBilliards site.

Back tomorrow when I’m in a less craptastic mood.

Ok, half of the final draw have been set with Jeanette Lee, Line Kjorsvik, Anna Kostanian, Iris Ranola, Ga Young Kim, Gerda Hofstatter, Allison Fisher and Monica Webb all making it through on the winner’s side.  On the PCN Crush Watch, Sarah Rousey lost a heartbreaker 9-8 to Brit Brit, so she’s got Megan Minerich this morning to get through in order to reach the redraw.  Liz got drilled going two and out and new crush Heather Lloyd got knocked out 9-7 by Minerich.

There are a few names conspicuous by their abscence this weekend, most notably Jasmin Ouschan and Sarah Ellerby.  Jasmin decided to skip the WPBA event in order to play in a men’s event.  Personally, I don’t quite understand why the WPBA is letting her do this.  Its one thing to play in non-WPBA tournaments, but it is something entirely different to skip a tournament in order to play in a non-sanctioned event.  I doubt there will be any punishment for this, but I’ll peel through the handbook anyway to see if there should be… you know how I like to cause trouble.

Don’t even say it.  What do you want from me?  She’s super cute and I’m weak.  I know that I’ve griefed  her on this blog over her wardrobe in the past, but that doesn’t change the fact that little Anna K. has turned into a total fox.  Besides, I can’t help the fact that I have a serious weakness for the petite ladies.

So here’s what you need to know about Anna K.  She’s 21, so she can now legally gamble which she’s said over and over is one of her favorite pastimes (and it makes me feel slightly less lecherous about putting her on the list).  She’s really broken out this year on the WPBA Tour and has established herself as a Top 10 player and one of the most feared names on the bracket.  She has the capacity to beat anyone on the tour on any given day and recently made it to the Semifinals of the now defunct Generation Pool 9 Ball Championships.

Anna was born in Armenia, but grew up and currently lives in New Mexico.  Her WPBA profile says she’s sponsored by New Mexico Golf, but I’m guessing that’s old info, as I’ve never seen her wear a patch.  By the way, if she’s not sponsored, there are some companies that are seriously missing the boat.  She’s going to be a TV regular so I wouldn’t be surprised if a company steps up before the start of the 2009 season and coughs up some dough to be in the Anna K. business.

Oh, for all you MySpacers out there, yes she does have a profile page.  She’s got the privacy flag on her profile though, so don’t start going all freaky stalker on her.

While I’m on the topic, can someone please ask the WPBA to get a new photographer for the player profile pics?  Anna’s hot but her profile picture makes her look like she’s getting her senior year portrait.  The same can be said for a number of other players, who’s pictures simply don’t do justice to just how foxy they actually are.

Ok, there you have it.  Another beauty that once again proves that hot chicks do in fact play pool.

I don’t know if  you all noticed this, but it seems our favorite little pixie is on quite a roll.  Ms. Megaswish herself, Sarah Rousey took down Jasmin Ouschan last night to make it to the redraw completely unscathed.  Other surprises include Line drilling Xiao Ting Pan 9-5 putting her in the round of 16 and J-Thug Jeanette Lee putting Anna K. in her place to the tune of 9-1.

A few notables who have been bounced out of the tournament include Yu Ram Cha, Debbie Schjodt, The Elbow and I’m very sad to report that Ms. Liz Ford is out, losing to Maureen Seto.  Liz Lovely on the other hand continues to battle her way through the losers bracket.  Check back later for all the redraw matchups.

Alright, alright… Carolina Classic brackets are up, so naturally I’m gonna go through and yammer on about the matchups that look interesting.

First Bracket:

Debbie Schjodt vs. Liz Lovely

Now this is an interesting one.  Debbie’s been playing some pretty good pool as of late (Florida State championships not withstanding) and Liz Lovely is stepping up from the junior circuit to play with the big kids.  Real wildcard with this matchup.

Gerda Hofstatter vs. Nicole Keeney

Really tough matchup for Nicole who’s in on a qualifier.  Gerda’s probably gonna roll here, but I’m pulling for Nicole.  She’s got some decent chops and is a really sweet kid.  Nicole and Liz Lovely are going to be two names that you’ll be seeing regularly for years to come.

Second Bracket:

Jasmin Ouschan vs. Michelle Rakin

Another really tough draw for a qualifier.  Two more faces that will be the future of the WPBA though.  Assuming Jasmin is on her game, she should roll, but she’s so up and down that you never know.

Third Bracket:

Julie Kelly vs. Line Kjorsvik

Line gets a decent draw as a qualifier, matched up against Julie Kelly.  If Line’s going to make a move this year, this is her best shot to get through her first couple matches on the winner’s side.

Fourth Bracket:

Ewa Laurance vs. Anna Kostanian

By far the classiest woman in the WPBA gets matched up against… well I don’t think I really need to keep going there.  Anna seems like a nice enough kid and I’m sure at some point she’ll figure out the whole dressing like a professional thing.

See, I was able to go a whole post without crushing on Liz Ford and Sarah Rousey.  Back tomorrow with some more updates.