Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Familiar Foes Battle For Game Seven
Three matches all at 7 tonight, one of them went all the way down to the wire.
PL_darkinc87 - LS_luckyshots.pool - Two stripes and a solid off the break for ls.pool., he would take the solids and try to combo home one of dark's stripes... Unsuccessful. On the other side, dark would combo one of the solids in to even it up at 2-2 in the game. Let the safeties begin. Dark would give up ball in hand, resulting in 3 straight solids being made... But he couldn't finish, and he had to go back to playing slow, which he admittedly doesn't like. Lucky would be the first to the 8, but dark seemed to have him at his mercy. Until dark made a terrible shot giving up ball in hand, and leading luckyshots with a chance to pot that 8. He JUST missed though, was tough to hit the 8 first where it was in the bottom right part of the table. Ensuing run, dark ALMOST made the 8 early, but he finishes out and gives PL a 1-0 lead.
PL_d413stillsmokin - LS_simon.kitto - d4 making his MLP debut against an old face in a new place, Simon laying his first match for LuckyShots. Much quicker game this time around. Simon got down to his final solid but couldn't finish right off. d4 went on a little run of his own, getting to HIS final stripe and making a couple good long shots on the way. He'd be forced to try and safety. Simon would respond by banking off the top rail, and hitting his 4-ball to leave the 8 in between the cue and d's 11 ball. D4 banks left rail and gets the 11 in between the cue and 4, and Simon touches just enough to freeze both balls on the bottom rail. Simon went 2 rails and ALMOST pulled off a perfect counter, but came up short leaving ball in hand. D4 pushes the 4 down the bottom rail towards the right-hand pocket, and simon's desperation bank leaves the easy shot on the 11 for d4. That goes BUT he leaves the cue halfway in the bottom middle pocket with no line! Tried a shot, failed, Simon steals the W away to tie this match back up at 1.
PL_dj.legere - LS_tonzmaniac - After getting ball in hand midway through the rack, it looked like DJ could just go for a break-out and run. He was too late on the break attempt though and ended up having to safety again. Later in the game, DJ has a chance to make the 11 top right, but misses off the right rail, tonz can finish... Or not. Safeties himself between 2 stripes, with the 4-ball in the lower middle part of the table. Bank attempt fails to produce anything, but DJ makes a terrible, TERRIBLE shot putting way too much power on his last stripe, and kicks the 8 around a bit. That leaves only one option - a long shot coming down towards the 8, reversing it top left. Well underpowered that shot. Chris doesn't mess the gimme finish up this time, and gives Lucky Shots their first lead of the night.
PL_jerthespy - LS_RACHEL69508 - Game 4, safety break from jer. It's clear who the better safety player was in this game. Jer kept Rachel shorthanded and in trouble almost all game long. Jer did have trouble finishing her off though. She did a good job hanging on to her position and avoiding a critical ball in hand. She almost forced jer into making a couple mistakes, but he played everything the right way. Tried to go on a 7-ball run (counting 8,) but came up a little short there. Rachel's 2 stripes near the top right pocket, jer could simply safety on the left side of the table. Instead he would take the risky long shot, making the 7 bottom right, but leaving the cue in almost the same spot he shot from. He'd try the 5 anwyays aaaaaaaaaaand GOT IT! Still a semi-long shot on the 8 bottom right, that goes as well. Tied at 2.
PL_B_E_A_V_E - LS_llvllr_l3ig_t - 4:07 used on a timer to get Beave signed back up... A flash from the past! Last played back in the Season 6 World Series, making a return to MLP here in Season 11. Simple game. First 2 balls potted were Tony's solids, and Beave made 7 in a row, but left a dangerous cut on the 8, trying to reverse it down to the bottom right pocket. Noooo problem, no table rust for the Beave. 3-2 PL reclaims the lead, they're on the hill.
PL_s.aints31 - LS_ll_eskimo_ownage_ll - Well, a rather quick game with saints trying to run... 8ball is blocked among Pete's solids. Desperation bank fails, no suspense here... Pete runs all the solids, and the 8 with ease, and we will have a 3-3 Game 7.
PL_sexxxy_luckydog17 - LS_jmunoz3rd - So it all comes down to this to kick off Season 11 for Pool Legends and Lucky Shots. You had to expect a tap fest, going forever until someone potted a ball. Jesse would finally try to break it up and go for it with 5 balls (combined) potted. Made the 6 top right, the 7-ball same pocket while dropping Sova's 15-ball in the lower right pocket... Runs the 1-ball cross-table for the bottom left pocket, but it misses! BUT, Jesse spun the cueball around a few rails, and gets the lucky leave behind the 8ball, leaving Luckydog with nothing. He would need perfect power to counter, off the top rail, around the 8 and above the 11-ball... And he ALMOST got it. Did leave Jesse the option of trying to combo the 5, reversing it into the 1-ball, bottom middle... HAD it going but the 1 got de-railed en route, giving Sova the easy finish and after a loooooong, but familiar game 7, Sova knocks off his former teammate Jesse and secures a 4-3 thriller in Week 1.
Other matches tonight, Cue Keepers break a 2-2 tie with 3 straight wins to knock off NHP 5-2, fhm_benny withdrew after his loss, and whenever he rejoins will get a 2-match suspension for doing so.
Similar situation in the match between United Pool and True Pool Legends. TPL's s0uthern_pooler withdrawing following a loss, that also results in a 2-match box upon rejoining. Keeping in mind if it happens a 2nd time to either of these two... Season-long vacation. That kind of adds insult to injury, as UP took that match 5-2 to kick off their season on the right note.
UNY and 8BR, match of the week tomorrow night at 7, schedule permitting may be a Youtube Special, unless I have better things to do, which... I very well may. Also starting 1 hour later, Breakers Alley @ DreamPool, a much different DP team from their PRO Finale team, we'll see how a couple leagues with question marks all around them do at the start of their season.
PL_darkinc87 - LS_luckyshots.pool - Two stripes and a solid off the break for ls.pool., he would take the solids and try to combo home one of dark's stripes... Unsuccessful. On the other side, dark would combo one of the solids in to even it up at 2-2 in the game. Let the safeties begin. Dark would give up ball in hand, resulting in 3 straight solids being made... But he couldn't finish, and he had to go back to playing slow, which he admittedly doesn't like. Lucky would be the first to the 8, but dark seemed to have him at his mercy. Until dark made a terrible shot giving up ball in hand, and leading luckyshots with a chance to pot that 8. He JUST missed though, was tough to hit the 8 first where it was in the bottom right part of the table. Ensuing run, dark ALMOST made the 8 early, but he finishes out and gives PL a 1-0 lead.
PL_d413stillsmokin - LS_simon.kitto - d4 making his MLP debut against an old face in a new place, Simon laying his first match for LuckyShots. Much quicker game this time around. Simon got down to his final solid but couldn't finish right off. d4 went on a little run of his own, getting to HIS final stripe and making a couple good long shots on the way. He'd be forced to try and safety. Simon would respond by banking off the top rail, and hitting his 4-ball to leave the 8 in between the cue and d's 11 ball. D4 banks left rail and gets the 11 in between the cue and 4, and Simon touches just enough to freeze both balls on the bottom rail. Simon went 2 rails and ALMOST pulled off a perfect counter, but came up short leaving ball in hand. D4 pushes the 4 down the bottom rail towards the right-hand pocket, and simon's desperation bank leaves the easy shot on the 11 for d4. That goes BUT he leaves the cue halfway in the bottom middle pocket with no line! Tried a shot, failed, Simon steals the W away to tie this match back up at 1.
PL_dj.legere - LS_tonzmaniac - After getting ball in hand midway through the rack, it looked like DJ could just go for a break-out and run. He was too late on the break attempt though and ended up having to safety again. Later in the game, DJ has a chance to make the 11 top right, but misses off the right rail, tonz can finish... Or not. Safeties himself between 2 stripes, with the 4-ball in the lower middle part of the table. Bank attempt fails to produce anything, but DJ makes a terrible, TERRIBLE shot putting way too much power on his last stripe, and kicks the 8 around a bit. That leaves only one option - a long shot coming down towards the 8, reversing it top left. Well underpowered that shot. Chris doesn't mess the gimme finish up this time, and gives Lucky Shots their first lead of the night.
PL_jerthespy - LS_RACHEL69508 - Game 4, safety break from jer. It's clear who the better safety player was in this game. Jer kept Rachel shorthanded and in trouble almost all game long. Jer did have trouble finishing her off though. She did a good job hanging on to her position and avoiding a critical ball in hand. She almost forced jer into making a couple mistakes, but he played everything the right way. Tried to go on a 7-ball run (counting 8,) but came up a little short there. Rachel's 2 stripes near the top right pocket, jer could simply safety on the left side of the table. Instead he would take the risky long shot, making the 7 bottom right, but leaving the cue in almost the same spot he shot from. He'd try the 5 anwyays aaaaaaaaaaand GOT IT! Still a semi-long shot on the 8 bottom right, that goes as well. Tied at 2.
PL_B_E_A_V_E - LS_llvllr_l3ig_t - 4:07 used on a timer to get Beave signed back up... A flash from the past! Last played back in the Season 6 World Series, making a return to MLP here in Season 11. Simple game. First 2 balls potted were Tony's solids, and Beave made 7 in a row, but left a dangerous cut on the 8, trying to reverse it down to the bottom right pocket. Noooo problem, no table rust for the Beave. 3-2 PL reclaims the lead, they're on the hill.
PL_s.aints31 - LS_ll_eskimo_ownage_ll - Well, a rather quick game with saints trying to run... 8ball is blocked among Pete's solids. Desperation bank fails, no suspense here... Pete runs all the solids, and the 8 with ease, and we will have a 3-3 Game 7.
PL_sexxxy_luckydog17 - LS_jmunoz3rd - So it all comes down to this to kick off Season 11 for Pool Legends and Lucky Shots. You had to expect a tap fest, going forever until someone potted a ball. Jesse would finally try to break it up and go for it with 5 balls (combined) potted. Made the 6 top right, the 7-ball same pocket while dropping Sova's 15-ball in the lower right pocket... Runs the 1-ball cross-table for the bottom left pocket, but it misses! BUT, Jesse spun the cueball around a few rails, and gets the lucky leave behind the 8ball, leaving Luckydog with nothing. He would need perfect power to counter, off the top rail, around the 8 and above the 11-ball... And he ALMOST got it. Did leave Jesse the option of trying to combo the 5, reversing it into the 1-ball, bottom middle... HAD it going but the 1 got de-railed en route, giving Sova the easy finish and after a loooooong, but familiar game 7, Sova knocks off his former teammate Jesse and secures a 4-3 thriller in Week 1.
Other matches tonight, Cue Keepers break a 2-2 tie with 3 straight wins to knock off NHP 5-2, fhm_benny withdrew after his loss, and whenever he rejoins will get a 2-match suspension for doing so.
Similar situation in the match between United Pool and True Pool Legends. TPL's s0uthern_pooler withdrawing following a loss, that also results in a 2-match box upon rejoining. Keeping in mind if it happens a 2nd time to either of these two... Season-long vacation. That kind of adds insult to injury, as UP took that match 5-2 to kick off their season on the right note.
UNY and 8BR, match of the week tomorrow night at 7, schedule permitting may be a Youtube Special, unless I have better things to do, which... I very well may. Also starting 1 hour later, Breakers Alley @ DreamPool, a much different DP team from their PRO Finale team, we'll see how a couple leagues with question marks all around them do at the start of their season.
