Trying to shift gears

Between the holidays and some business travel, I had a nice long break from pool. Sure I played some, but I had a solid 5 weeks away from league pool, which is the most time I've have since I started 3 years ago.....ah, it was fabulous. I've made up my mind that unless I qualify to play in an event at the APA National Team Championships, which would mean I have to be on a team continuously through August, I'm taking a break this summer. (I just hope that doesn't unconsciously give me an incentive to not qualify). Just knowing that, somehow makes league seem less onerous...

So, a quick recap on recent matches:

Match #1: Jetlagged. My team anxiously awaits to see which pool minnow will show up after my break. Will it be "Vegas Minnow", determined to beat all comers, or "I'm not sure I want to play league anymore" Minnow who loses the match after losing interest about half way through. Verdict: after an hour and 55 minutes, the race to 3 (yes, almost two hours for a race to three), I lost hill-hill to a guy whose volume is stuck on 11. It was much easier to play him before I knew him and found him to be a sweetheart in spite of the pre-shot routine that incorporates air guitar and the "why me" dramatics following every miss. My lesson: sometimes, if there isn't that much on the line, its worth it to just bust up the clusters. Even if it means you risk selling out without increasing your chances to win. I had no idea the match was actually taking that long, but by the end, my teammates were almost on suicide watch. At this point, I'm uncertain whether the time off did much good. This sucks.

Match #2: Asleep on the couch. My match started after midnight. A race to three. My opponent was drunk and loose, I had just taken a nap on the couch, and was not used to the big cue ball. It took me about a game to make a ball, and then I figured it out, and was playing good-enough safes, and making some small runs. She was shooting well, but getting sloppy at the end of her runs and letting me back in. In the hill-hill match, she ran down to the eight and then had no shot. I got ball in hand, and felt pretty confident about making my last 5 balls, when I bumped one of my balls and almost froze it to the eight. I set up to have the choice to either break it out, or position myself to play safe. In the end, I didn't really choose, and kind of went for the break out, but didn't stroke through it, and froze the cue ball to the 8, with my last ball just on the other side. Sweet. I missed the kick, and lost. Lesson: If you're going to go for it, just go for it.

Despite losing, and despite having to play so late and not being thrilled with how I played, I left this night excited about playing again. I wanted a rematch. I wanted to kick ass. I actually.....cared? Really? Yes, I actually cared.... Wow, maybe there's hope for me yet....

To be continued....