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2007 / BDAWARDS / ELEVENTH ANNUAL BDAWARDS RECOGNIZING THE PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT SHAPE THE GAME WE PLAY

PLAYER OF THE YEAR, MEN: ond at the Enjoypool.com 9- but his game never had this ALLISON . Nice guys finish ball Championship, the FISHER much bite. first. The “Surgeon” stayed sharp through- toughest women’s event of out the year, snapping off the Derby City the year. Their record MOST IMPROVED 9-ball title in against each other this sea- PLAYER, WOMEN: RALF SOUQUET January and anchor- son was 1-1. But by the end ALICE RIM. Rim became a ing Team of the year, Fisher’s fight in WPBA touring pro in 2000 with a 5-1 record at the face of a cancer diagno- and briefly flirted with the the in sis, as well as her superior top 20 in 2001. Since then, December. Titles at showings in International she has hovered around the the European Pool Tour events, put her 50-mark — that is, until Championships, over the top. 2006, when she emerged EnjoyPool.com 9- from what she calls “a five- Ball Championships MOST IMPROVED PLAYER, year slump” and earned two back-to-back and World Pool MEN: RONNIE ALCANO. Alcano fifth-place finishes at the Great Lakes Masters, plus strong once so revered that he report- Classic and San Diego Classic, eventually showings at the edly had all of his teeth removed so he jumping to World Pool could better resemble his hero. 25th in the Championship (2nd) (Apparently, he didn’t have many teeth to Classic Tour and both IPT events begin with.) Alcano, 34, emerged from rankings. “I’ve (5th, 10th), Reyes’ oversized learned a lot gave him the shadow in a big about myself edge over Efren “Don’t Cry for Me, way in 2006, recently, and I ” Reyes, who cleared besting “Bata” at feel that some- $800,000 in winnings between Dec. the World Pool how it’s been 1, 2005, and Dec. 1, 2006. Championship incorporated in Manila on his into my game,” ALICE RIM PLAYER OF THE YEAR, way to the she said. WOMEN: . $100,000 title. Once again, Allison Fisher edged out That win came COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE for POY by the slimmest after his strong YEAR, MEN: . After of margins. Corr won three titles; showings on the Nick underwent aorta femoral bypass Fisher won three titles. Corr won the IPT (ranked No. surgery in 2004, we were content just to RONNIE Tournament of Champions invita- ALCANO 14). We’d seen see him up walking around and enjoying tional for $25,000; Fisher took sec- Ronnie before, infant son Nicholas. But the 58-year-old

“NOT EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN ” AWARD: To the 2006 Billiard Congress of America International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo. The indus- try’s favorite debate — whether to hold the BCA Expo in spring or summer — became a lot less academic when buyers basically abandoned the April show in Houston (registered buyer atten- dance down 32 percent from 2005 in Las Vegas). The business- to-business bonanza felt more like a social experiment to see what happens when a convention center full of competing sales- people are stuck together with no customers. (Not surprisingly, traffic at the bar was brisk.) BCA brass reacted quickly, resched- uling the 2007 Expo from April 12-14 to June 21-23. Rumor has it that new BCA honcho Rob Johnson will offer to carpool with buyers for the show this year.

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“ Colonel” hit the THE YEAR’S BIGGEST STORY: The Rules Pool. Yes, we all gym, streamlined knew that the Philippines produced more than its fair share of world-class players. his diet and made But in 2006, the “Philippine Invasion” turned into a full-on Occupation. In addition an impact on the to established names like Reyes, Bustamante and Pagulayan, players such as Dennis IPT in 2006, earn- Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, and Rodolfo Luat terrorized the men’s cir- ing $31,910 and an cuit. Consider this: impressive No. 39 There was at least one THE GANG OF SEVEN AT THE N.A. OPEN ranking in two Filipino in the final of events. The guy’s NICK VARNER the five richest events got heart. Stay of the year, and three healthy, Nick. were won by Filipinos (Efren Reyes: IPT COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE World Open, $500,000, YEAR, WOMEN: LOREE JON and of Pool, JONES. After floundering against Mike w/Francisco Sigel in the IPT’s debut event in 2005, Jones Bustamante $60,000; came back in 2006 to prove that she could Ronnie Alcano: World hang with the big boys. At the IPT World Pool Championship, Open, she provided $100,000). At the IPT LOREE JON the biggest upset of North American Open, JONES the tournament by there were seven Filipinos left in the final 18, although the country’s contingent thumping North accounted for a mere 6 percent of the 200-player field. Even more frightening, the American 8-Ball notoriously freewheeling country recently began a push to organize and train play- Open champion ers, bringing to light a whole new wave of talents who were on display at this year’s , World Pool Championship in Manila. That the WPC will likely remain on the island 8-4, after running nation for 2007 is no comfort to the rest of the globe. five racks in a row. In two IPT events, fatigue and field of 27 international players. To make the semi-retired expectations to the victory even sweeter, Rakin beat her Hall-of-Famer was bag the biggest biggest rival in the final — her teammate the third-highest prize in pool and fellow American, Anna Kostanian, 18. ranked woman on history. Too Rakin wanted revenge after Kostanian beat tour (No. 97 over- bad he didn’t her, 7-2, in the final of the BCA Junior all). walk off with Nationals earlier in the year. the money case MOST OUTSTANDING PER- EFREN when he had MARY RAKIN REYES FORMANCE, MEN: EFREN the chance. REYES, IPT WORLD OPEN 8- BALL CHAMPIONSHIP. The MOST OUTSTANDING PER- IPT’s two events in 2006 were valuable for FORMANCE, WOMEN: MARY a number of reasons, such as providing an RAKIN, 2006 WORLD JUNIOR acid test for the game’s best pressure play- 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS. ers. With a record-shattering $500,000 on Rakin, 18, made history by becoming the the line in the World Open final, and after first-ever American to win a junior world a grueling week of playing 10 to 12 hours title since the competition began in 1992. per day, 52-year-old Reyes shook off the Rakin plowed through an intimidating BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR, MEN: . WEIRDEST PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT: The “Bada Break Cue.” With a rags-to-riches story to rival coun- In another coup for the billiard industry’s image-shapers, the character of “Gay tryman Efren Reyes, 28-year-old Orcollo Vito” (Joe Gannascoli) on “The Sopranos” was skewered in May with a . positioned himself this year at the crest of So, what’s an enterprising (and suddenly unemployed) actor to do? He develops the latest wave a signature pool cue to trade on his infamy — The “Bada Break: A Cue to Die DENNIS of Filipino cue For.” We can’t make this stuff up: The portly Gannascoli also has line of cooking ORCOLLO wizards. products, including “A Sauce to Die For,” “An Olive Oil to Die For,” and a cook- Landing on the book called “A Meal to Die For.” West Coast early in the year, the for- mer fisherman proceeded to snag seemingly every major event north of Baja. After plowing

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2007 / BDAWARDS /

through an IPT tour-card qualifier at Hard Times Billiards, he recorded third- and THE CLASSIEST CROWD OF fifth-place finishes on the tour, second THE YEAR: Manila (World Pool only to Reyes for overall performance. His Championship). After Ralf Souquet 2006 riches: $202,500 in total winnings — lost to Ronnie Alcano in the final of fourth-best among pros. the WPC, the usually level-headed German couldn’t contain his disap- pointment and frustration during a tableside TV interview and broke down. The Filipino crowd, which numbered more than 1,000, sponta- neously began chanting “Sou-quet! Sou-quet!” and applauding until he lifted his head and waved. It was a genuine exchange of respect and grati- tude that no one will soon forget.

JASMIN OUSCHAN strict diet of fruits, vegetables and protein. And being 17 years old. That helps. BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR, WOMEN: JASMIN THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OUSCHAN. The 20-year-old Austrian OF GOD GO US: JENNIFER gave spectators whiplash this year, not CHEN. We folks in the pool world are only with her head-turning good looks but known to do a little bit of gambling from with her fearless playing style. She beat time to time. Maybe losing $500 in a 10- Allison Fisher in final of the ahead set or on EnjoyPool.com 9-Ball Championships, the craps table JENNIFER cracked the top 8 at the World 14.1 means you have a CHEN WU: 2005 WU: 2006 Championship, and became problem, maybe the first woman to qualify for an IPT tour derkind won the World Pool not. That’s your event. What’s next? “I want to become Championship in 2005. He was listed at 5- business. But we competitive in men’s tournaments,” she foot 8 and 187 pounds, though one sus- all should seri- said. Brace yourself, boys. pected that those figures were one growth ously ponder the spurt and a large sausage pizza out of date. fate of Taiwanese BEST IMPRESSION OF JARED And there’s nothing wrong with that. But billiard superstar FOGLE: WU CHIA-CHING. Wu shocked the international pool com- Jennifer Chen, Husky. Heavyset. Beefy. Big-boned. munity in November when he showed up who allegedly lost as much as $600,000 However you wanted to put it, there was to defend his title at the WPC a mere slip betting on Taiwanese and U.S. baseball, no denying that Taiwan’s Wu Chia-Ching of his former self — a full 60 pounds and the 2006 World Cup. Debts to gang- was a Big Kid when the 16-year-old wun- lighter. Take note, fellas: The secret was a sters reportedly forced her to flee Taiwan

DR. JEKYL & MR. SNIDE — LOVING/LOATHING

Good Earl ... Bad Earl ... We fell in love with Earl all Alas, “The Pearl” exhibited boorish behavior in 2006 above and over again in May when he beyond his established baseline. As usual, we had our pick of was inducted into the BCA outbursts to recognize, but Earl really distinguished himself at Hall of Fame and delivered the World Pool Champion- an acceptance speech for ship in November. Against the ages. By turns humble, Taiwan’s Ying-Chieh Chen, spunky and just plain Strickland repeatedly threw wacky, Strickland left the his cue to the ground after crowd gasping for air with innings, cursed in the enough quips and zingers crowd’s general direction, for a full edition of and then threatened to hit “Bartlett’s Quotations.” Chen when the Taiwanese Among the highlights: shooter refused to shake his • “I don’t know how much hand after Strickland’s 8-6 longer I got, to tell you the truth. Pool players live in dog years. win. Runner-up: Earl snap- When you’re 40, you’re like 80.” ping his cue during a snit at • “I’m going to try to wash once a day.” the Mosconi Cup in • “[Pool players] may not be scrupulous, but that doesn’t mean December (at right), and we’re not talented.” then walking out of a tele- • “Pool is the worst drug on earth, … but it’s a good drug.” vised interview.

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in late July and essentially go into hiding them, it looks like the Philippines will be in the U.S. for a couple months (and in the the epicenter of international pool for the THE YEAR IN QUOTES process missing two WPBA events). She foreseeable future. since has been named as a defendant in a wider gambling scandal. Remember, THE “TEMPEST IN A HASH “I wanted to puke up a lung.” folks: Moderation is the best policy. PIPE” SCANDAL OF 2006: Aaron Goodwin, DOPING. It seemed pretty far-fetched at after a fateful scratch for his team MAN OF THE YEAR: YEN MAK- the time: A 2005 study conducted by the (Ritchie’s ) at the BCA Pool ABENTA. It’s hard to believe, but the World Anti-Doping Agency found that an League 8-Ball Nationals. Philippines has been churning out world- astonishing 9.96 percent of billiards players class pro pool players for the last two tested positive for prohibited substances (or “I promised my friend Fabio decades with no meaningful assistance “methods”). It was the highest incidence Petroni that we would go on a vaca- from government sports agencies. That rate by far of all the 64 sports tested. (Sumo tion to Hawaii with five girls.” changed this year when the Billiard and wrestling was next, with 5.88 percent of the Evgeny Stalev, Congress of the Philippines study sample testing positive.) It was easy decided to get to dismiss the findings, as WADA couldn’t on what he would do with the serious by staging provide any information about when or money if he won an IPT event. pro events, start- where the samples were provided, or which ing a national bil- drugs were detected. And whoever heard of “I started practicing maybe a liard academy to a pool player injecting himself with steroids month ago. I played maybe 10 develop new play- for a more powerful break? A closer exam- times. I used a pool cue for two ers, and creating ination of the report revealed that the study weeks, and then I used a snooker an official ranking also covered some recreational drugs. Aha. cue because I didn’t like the pool system. All this Makes more sense now. cue. And then I went back to the came under the pool cue. It’s been the worst prepa- YEN MAKABENTA watch of new BIGGEST LOSSES: Time isn’t kind to ration ever.” BSCP chairman Makabenta, who also did most pool players, and we lost several of Quinten Hahn, the heavy lifting necessary to bring the our most before tying for seventh place and World Pool Championship to the beloved figures winning $30,000 at the IPT North Philippines for the first time. His sports in 2006: Hall of American Open 8-Ball Championship. promotions firm, Raya Sports & Events, Famer Steve paid a $1.1 million site fee and spent Mizerak, 61, on “Rick Van den Berg ... Gaby Owen another $200,000 to stage the event in the May 29; Bill ... Marlon Manilow.” pool-crazy island nation. Knowing Raya “Weenie EuroSport TV announcers, would lose money on its first attempt, Beenie” Staton, having a hard time getting players’ Makabenta took a $100,000 hit but laid the 77, on Feb. 18; names straight at the IPT North groundwork for hosting the WPC in 2007 Allen Gilbert, American Open (referring to Nick as well. With nearly three generations of 77, U.S. three- Van den Berg, Gabe Owen and great Pinoy players in good stroke all at cushion champion, on July 15; and Gene Marlon Manalo). once, and the strength of an egalitarian Nagy, 59, straight-pool star, on July 13 — promoter and government agency behind to name a few. Rest in peace, guys. “Mr. Albanese emphasized that he is proposing a ‘family style’ facility BD FASHION AWARDS and wouldn’t have strippers, bach- elor parties or even billiards.” A ‘Braveheart’ Statement:To Pat Report in the Riverhead (N.Y.) Holtz. We’re not sure how these Scottish guys con- News-Review, tinually pull it off, but Holtz made the kilt work for about a proposed alley him at the World Pool Championship (he tied for project in the city. ninth). That design is from the Scottish flag, by the way. “It’s my lucky charm,” Holtz said. “You know, maybe it’s like Best Accessory: ‘American Idol’ — the one who To Thorsten Hohmann. comes in second always sells more We know it’s hard to albums, right?” think about Hohmann , without drawing com- after finishing runner-up at the IPT parisons to Paris Hilton. World Open 8-Ball Championship And “The Hitman” and missing his chance at $500,000. made it even tougher when he adopted his “I am expensive.” own Chihuahua, appro- Xiao-ting Pan, priately named “8- a native of , in her acceptance Ball.” No word on speech for winning the WPBA’s whether 8-Ball travels Rookie of the Year Award. in Thorsten’s cue case. She meant to say “excited.”

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