Special 10-Ball Helmet

This is my little friend Ezekiel! (Zeke for short):

Ezekiel is the beautiful boy of Nicole and Joseph, who was born Jan 10, 2018. 

I asked Joseph about Zeke's cool 10-ball helmet.  No, no, he's not getting ready to ride his bike into the sunset with a new girlfriend, haha!

Joseph shared that basically nowadays they recommend babies sleep on their back.  At 3 months, they noticed the back of Zeke's head was really flat.  They moved him from rocker to basinet and from 3 to 6 months, no matter what they did, he would always sleep on his left side.  Joseph shared, "Move him, he would move back. lol"

The result was a flat head on the back and left side, and they also noticed his ears were uneven "by a lot."  Zeke was diagnosed with Plagiocephaly.  It's actually a very common problem, and some fix on their own, some do not.  Nicole and Joseph decided (rather than hoping it would correct itself), and "knowing how mean kids are, we didn't want him getting teased about his head shape," to look into options.

So, they got 3D images and a custom DOC band made.

For those like me who don't have kids nor around kids:

"The DOC Band is the only custom cranial helmet with nearly 35 years of documented outcomes. It’s been used to safely and successfully treat more than 175,000 babies with moderate to severe plagiocephaly.  Each DOC Band is custom made using our state-of-the-art technology and one-of-a-kind manufacturing process to ensure it delivers the best possible outcome for your baby."

He will wear his helmet 4 to 6 months, 23 hours a day.  And Zeke will have head band adjustments done every 2 weeks to evaluate his progress.

Then one day they were eating out for Nicole's birthday dinner and having an awesome conversation about billiards with their server.  Turned out their server (Brandon) also loves pool and Joseph shared information about the tournament scene in and around Houston during their dinner.  Joseph used to play on the Omega Tour here in Dallas / Fort Worth and he's still on the pool scene down in Houston and many other places when he travels.

Joseph and Brandon would soon become friends on Facebook and that's when Brandon also started to ask questions about the DOC band.  Then he asked if he could decorate it, as he is an artist.  Because it has to be worn 23 hours a day, doing awesome detailed art work was not an option, but Nicole and Joseph had already agreed what they wanted.  Because he is a pooloholic and Zeke was born on Jan 10th, "Logically a 10-ball was the design we wanted."

Well, logically to us pool players, right?!  :)

Turns out Brandon's family runs a sign and wrap company, so he hooked them up!  They got two decals created based off dimensions, and when the decals were ready, Brandon went over to do the install.

"With a blow dryer, a lot of patience, and business cards, we installed it together which was a really cool experience."

And they still have the other decal if this one gets too messed up.

"Brandon offered to do it for us, no charge, just looking forward to having a friend he can shoot pool with.  I believe everything happens for a reason, and divine meetings like this take place all the time."

Rather than spend hundreds of dollars to get it done at a place elsewhere, they had a chance meeting, talked about billiards, became friends, which set in motion for how Ezekiel got his 10 ball design.  "And Nicole and I gained a friend that likes billiards."

You can see in the photo above Zeke already likes billiards!  And, he watches tournaments streamed all the time with Dad, too.

Here is Zeke and his parents:

Thank you for sharing your story, Zeke, Nicole, Joseph, and Brandon!

Puppy Love at ACS Nationals

Grace Nakamura has her best furry friend, "Eightball," with her all the times, even selling raffle tickets AND playing in tournaments!  She placed 3rd in her last event with Eightball literally by her side!

Here they are at the ACS Nationals selling raffle tickets for Jacoby Custom Cues.

Eightball was a huge it with the fans! 

Grandson Got His Own Cue

I wrote before how I had run across 3 generations of pool players back in December.  Here is the photo of Grandpa, son and grandson:

When I gave a lesson back in February, I saw them again.  I went up to them (they were on the non-smoking side of the pool room) and said my hello's.  I told them I had indeed posted their photo on my blog and they were excited.

Then the grandson exclaims to me, "And since that photo, I got my own cue!"

"Oh, did you!?" I asked.

In December, he borrowed one of his Dad's cues for the photo op.

I asked what kind he got and he proudly shared, "Gator."  I asked, "Gator?"  "Yep, Gator by Champion," he said smiling.

Nice selections and good looking cue:  check them out for yourself.

We all remember our first cue!  How cool for him :)

Tighter Pool Family

Charlie Smith, who I interviewed for the March edition of Billiard Buzz posted this on social media:

"I want to thank Melinda Bailey for the article she did on me in Billiard Buzz. To be considered was an honor for me as an average pool player and individual. Melinda Bailey did a great job in asking the questions and the whole writing of the article. If you ever have the privilege of being ask to let her interview you, do it. The more we learn about our friends and their struggles in life and playing pool make the pool world a tighter family, IMHO. I think Melinda Bailey missed her calling by not being an Professional Interviewer.

Thanks again Melinda Bailey!"

While the thanks should really go to HIM for allowing us into his personal life, he makes a really cool point that the more we learn from our friends and their struggles in life, make the pool world a tighter family.

I couldn't have said it better myself, so wanted to share it here.

I hadn't thought of this aspect and I love it!  I share the interviews so we can learn from each other, but hadn't realized the additional benefit of it propelling the pool community into a tighter family.  He is spot on.

Thank YOU, Charlie!

The Feel of Family at Certain Pool Rooms

Sometimes we have no idea what people go through and how tough things are.  I think a lot of people (including myself) haven't truly sat down and thought about some of the things some players go through or are having to deal with when they are playing/gambling.

I recently interviewed someone for Billiard Buzz (for the March edition) and to read about how he tries to handle the pain in his only leg for as long as he can, makes you wince.  Knowing some people might be dealing with cancer and still trying to play (like I wrote about recently) or maybe struggling to keep their emotions in-check while they are going through a bad breakup or recent death.

We really don't know what people are going through sometimes and trying to deal with all that while trying to play the game they love??  How do players focus and play their best with so many life distractions?  Crazy.

One of my friends who gambles all the time prefers to only play at a certain pool room.  He brings his loving wife along and she loves to watch him play and she is his biggest fan. 

I've actually never even seen him play unless she's around.  What's interesting about this is his wife has Huntington's Disease (HD).  What is HD?  Well, HD is a brutal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. This means her body is failing and her movements aren't smooth. The best way to describe what it looks like is a person with HD can't really walk straight or talk normal.  However, if you know him and you know her you don't think anything about it.  They are two great people in love who are great friends to many of us.

He constantly professes on Facebook, "I'll play you at my home pool room." And he will play just about anyone.  The only catch is, you gotta go to him.  So, being the nosey person I am, I asked him why he only likes to play pool at that certain pool room.  But, I already knew the answer. I knew he was going to say it was a certain table he liked to gamble on or the smoking wasn't as bad there or that it was close to his house.  But the reason was actually really shocking to me.  I had no idea.  And I don't think many people have any idea.

He shared with me at this certain pool room he goes to most often, everyone there (patrons and people who work there), treat him and his wife as family.  He said, "They know us and they care about her.  It feels like family." 

And because his wife has HD, that's more important than I can even put into words in this blog.  While he's gambling, she can sometimes spill a drink or drop a cigarette.  His and her friends (the patrons and workers) will help her if something comes up he happens not to see first.  He is the one who normally helps her right away, but sometimes he might be down on a shot or someone might be in his line of sight of her when he's playing, and he may not see something as fast as someone else who is closer by. 

Other times, his wife is in the bathroom too long and he would need to find someone to go check on her.  At this pool room, when she's MIA for too long, the waitresses and female bartenders check on her even before he asks them to.  Everyone there cares for him and his wife and because of that, THAT's the reason he plays out of that pool room most often.  And that's also why there's an open invitation for anyone to come to him to gamble - because it's not comfortable for him and his wife at other places.

When he goes to other pool rooms, the caring atmosphere isn't there because they don't know them well. 

At other pool rooms (don't get upset, peeps), drunk people will actually make fun of her (thinking she's really drunk) or no one helps her right away if she needs help.  As you can imagine, anyone who makes fun of his wife is quite a distraction and it also hurts her feelings deeply. 

If you don't know either one of them, one does wonder what's going on with his wife. That is natural, right?  But sometimes people don't ask, and instead assume.  And sometimes these assumptions are rude and occur when the husband is trying to concentrate and gamble.

So, in order to be in a more peaceful, calm and caring atmosphere among good friends, he goes to this certain pool room where they both feel most comfortable and cared for.

I don't know why I'm so surprised, as I thought humans had more decency and were kinder to others.  But I guess when you get around a bunch of drunk young friends, people aren't thinking clearly and say stupid things not realizing the situation.  I know no one is deliberately mean, but sometimes hurtful, rude things are said.  And in the home room they go to, NO ONE would tolerate anyone treating her badly or making fun of her.  The friends would jump in before the husband could lol!

So I was completely wrong.  It's not the comfort of the atmosphere, the comfort of the pool table, or the closeness to home.  Not at all.  THE reason is because he and his wife are treated like family.  And that provides a sense of relief, support, and comfort for them.  Let's be honest.  He's already distracted and always on the look out to see if she's doing okay or needs anything.  But to be able to be in a setting where people help him by watching out for her, that allows him to be able to focus a little bit better knowing there are good, thoughtful people around that cherish her.

Three Generations

Back in December when I was sparring with my friend Tina, I noticed two guys come into the pool room, and then a kid with them.  They got a rack of balls and went to the non-smoking side.  I saw a couple of pool cases they were carrying, too.

I wondered if they were Grandpa, Dad, and Son.

After Tina and I were finished, I told her to hold on and then I went up to them and asked if they were related.  And sure enough they were three generations!  I noticed Tina behind me, watching proudly as I took their photo.

Here they are, Dad, son, and Grandpa: three generations of pool players!

Pool Family

One thing that is really cool about playing pool is how the pool community is really family.

I love it how when a player is in need, the pool family comes to the rescue.  I've seen raffles to raise money for players in the hospital, pool tournaments put on to raise money for players who need help (houses burned down, tornado damage, health issues, etc), and even donations simply for players who need assistance with a crisis.

The other part of the pool family aspect I appreciate is when we need help with industry or service-type things, the pool world is there for us.

Sure, there are some bad apples, but there are also a lot of good, decent pool players who own their own business or have a specialty that can help when we need expert advice or things fixed that we may not be able to do on our own.

Here are just a few examples:

• My roof was damaged by hail from severe storms last Spring and was re-done by a pool player who owns his own roofing company.
• I had some issues with several areas in my house that needed the expertise of an electrician.  I called one of my league friends who does that type of work and he came over and resolved the electrical concerns.
• I recently had some rain damage to my back door and found out one of the players on the tour works for a home inspection company and he was able to come over and inspect the areas that were damaged (saved me a lot of money). 
• One of my friends was in a car accident and was hit by a semi truck.  I overheard him getting advice from a guy who drives semi trucks for a living.
• Another pool player friend needed help with their fence and sprinkler system and one of the guys on the tour owns their own fence and sprinkler company and was able to help them out.
• Another pool player works for an A/C company and he's been able to make side money by helping some of the players with the broken A/C systems.
• Several pool players also own their own plumbing company and have been able to save many friends in time of need (saving time and money).
• And not just physical things, but emotional support, as well:  Sometimes pool players become great friends who introduce us to faith or provide us help/resources with addiction.  

The list goes on and on.  

I think it's actually really cool to be able to have a group of friends (pool family) that can help us in many areas of our lives.  Instead of flipping through the yellow pages (or asking Siri or Google), we prolly know many experts already among the pool community.

Pretty awesome pool family we have when we can depend on them for help, support, and comfort in times of need.

When You Beat Your Kids

I have mentioned a couple of times that the Omega Tour is now using the Fargo Ratings to rank player's handicaps, instead of going by just known ability.  We implemented this change with the first stop of the year (in Jan).  This takes out any "opinions" and is based on stats.

This meant that some players ' handicaps moved up and some moved down.

A father and son are frequent players on the Tour and the Dad moved down from a 6 to a 5.  The son remained a 6 handicap.

(btw, your handicap number is what you race to in the matches).

For the first or second time in 5 years on the Tour, they ran into each other on the bracket.  Come Sunday morning, father and son had to battle it out!

So, the race was 5 for Dad and 6 for the son.

I see them playing and playing, battling it out, and finally the Dad comes over and tells me that he won and what the score was.  As I'm writing down his name on the bracket, he leans in and confides to me, "When I was on 4 games and won the last game of the match, he tried to rack for the next game because he didn't know I had won already.  I told him, "Daddy goes to 5...."" in his sarcastic, funny, proud voice!

LMAO!

It was hysterical!

Trying to Play Pool During Tough Times

I don't know why I get so surprised still with things....

My biological Dad passed away on February 16th.  I found out on Feb 17th.

We were short players for league on Feb 19th and there I was, standing at the pool table during my first match, with a look of confusion on my face.

I had NO IDEA what I was doing.  I didn't know what to shoot first, or how to get rid of my opponent's balls in the pocket, nothing.  I finally banked a ball in and was pretty happy with my shape, when I then saw my shape led to NOWHERE.  My ball had no pocket to go in.  That's when I really knew I was not doing well.

I lost that game and was extremely pissed.

I was mad I had to play pool so close to my Dad's passing, mad we didn't have an extra player to play for me, mad I was confused surveying the pool table.

I could not believe I had to play pool with what I was going through.

I recognized that my upsetness was affecting the other players, so I just shut my mouth and kept to myself.  But I can tell you with all honesty I did not want to be playing pool.  I couldn't even think straight.

Luckily, the entire other team each hugged me and offered their condolences.  It meant a lot they cared and acknowledged my Dad.  It went a long way for a very tough night.

I honestly thought I would be okay at league.  But, I wasn't.  And I had no business being there at all.

I was able to compose myself enough to win my other 4 games, but I would rather have been home curled up in bed.

Life throws us curves balls sometimes and we need to take care of life before pool.  But there are times a team needs us, or an organization depends on you, and some things cannot just stop because you want to take a time out.

Yes, you are suppose to put yourself first, especially in tough times.  But sometimes, it's just not that easy.

3 months old, with my Dad, Rudy Duncan.