Incredible stories - part 001 - "The strongest thing I ever saw"

My friend Tony and I headed down to Drexeline a couple of nights ago, to shoot some italian 5-pin billiards on their nice heated Chevillote 10 footers, and to try some 1-pocket on their trip-shim table.
There is a guy Steve that has been working there forever, and although he doesn't really look old enough for it, he has asstons of stories to tell, having seen Cory Deuel grow up shooting pool at this fine establishment. Drexeline Billiards has been a Philadelphia staple since 1989 and houses an impressive collection of Billiard memorabilia. I highly suggest a visit if you are in the Philadelphia area - I'm sure the guys working the counter would be happy to show you through the collection.
Anyway, after Tony and I were done shooting, Steve just started telling stories, one after the other. I caught a couple of these on video. He's a great storyteller and I have enough material for two or three posts!

This first story is about about a gaff game that Cory Deuel once got into.




Do you have a good pool story? Send me it!

The Philippines

Man, I love Efren...
In my dreams this is how every pool hall is every day in the Philippines.
Make sure to watch this till the very end. For me, Efren is the greatest player that ever lived, not only for his inhuman skill but also for his adorable attitude. Gotta love a guy that laughs when he misses - compare to Earl Strickland for example...

Pool tourism?

I recently had the idea that I would like to go to the Philippines specifically to explore the pool culture in this fascinating country.

Is this a crazy idea? Going to foreign land for the specific purpose of billiard tourism?



I figure I can start by making contacts over there through facebook and emails to any relevant bloggers I can uncover from teh innarnet. Also, http://www.couchsurfing.org/ may be of help. Anyone got any advice?

Many, many excellent pool players are from the Philippines, names such as Francisco Bustamente and Efren Reyes should be familiar to all pool players. I have heard that there have more pool tables per capita than any other country in the world. Beyond just the pool, I am also interested in the geographical and historical aspects of the country, the language, and of course the food.

Here is the wikipedia entry on the Philippines, and here is the one on Efren Reyes.

Has anyone been there? Do you have any insights or resources you could recommend?

I'm looking forward to planning this trip :D