My Southern California Fun Trip

Well I went to visit a good friend of mine Jay Smith, sounds like a made up name considering it is one of the most popular names in the country but I assure you its real, haha. I needed a break from the Arizona heat so I packed a bag and hit the road headed for Long Beach.

It was an uneventful journey along the I-10 West, the scenery is just wide open desert until you see the wind power generators in Palm Springs along with the mountains there. I did enjoy the time along just driving listening to The Doors and some Nine Inch Nails along the way.

I make it to my friend Jays place which is the guest house at his aunt's home in Long Beach, a fairly big place close to the ocean. We went out for some cook your own Korean BBQ which was interesting, I ate some octopus for the first time and it was a good albeit a bit chewy.

We went out later that night for some pool and brews on 1st street hitting up some pubs and ended up at a place called the Reno Room. To our surprise there was two Diamond bar tables in there with quarters lined up and people having good times. We got our quarters down and could not be beat the whole night, playing for drinks and having a blast. We won a few drinks at the previous bar but this place was bigger and more people so usually that is more fun too. We left that night being owed drinks so we might go back and collect one day.

I realized pool is more than gambling and the pressure of tournaments, the social fun aspect is great in the game. For myself this is what drew me into pool in the first place, the friendly social competition with strangers who you make fast friends with. Its really what the game has been for so long and will be for as long as we are alive, a game we all can enjoy.

We went the next day to Huntington Beach and just relaxed, a good day in the sun. My dream is to one day live by the ocean with a big pool table and a nice view. Imagine hitting the balls around and watching the waves roll in, that is a pool players paradise.

I am heading out on a road trip cross country soon, and no its not the road trip your thinking of with pool gambling, its the see the country type road trip. I think it will be fun to just head out and drive, seeing places I have heard, read about or saw on TV. I will try and keep people informed on my times in these places and hopefully I can find some hidden treasures like the Reno Room. Here is a picture of me and my good friend Jay at the Reno Room from that night. Later and be well my friends.

Latest Updates - Lenny Has Been Busy

Well it has been a bit as usual and I have been slacking on the blog. So for the past few months what is there to say, its been busy. I have been streaming twice a month doing the one pocket and a little over a week ago I did a 5 day stream from California Billiard Club in Mountain View with many top players such as Bustamante, Sambajon, Ulrich, Deuel, Frost, Parica and many others for the $4000 Added one pocket and $10,000 Added 10 ball events.

I am glad the owner Chris Swart had me out once again and hope to return again next year. It really kicked my butt though streaming 12 plus hours a day for 5 days but it was worth it and the viewership was around 30,000 people for the days I streamed total. I have been working on making some improvements on the stream, going to get a new laptop soon and try to stream going through and HDMI box, hopefully it works because the cost is going to be a bit pricey. I know people enjoy the streams so I soldier on with it, seeing where it may lead. I have no delusions though, its a hobby and I love the game, its my way of giving back. I am lucky to have fan support because that is what really keeps the ball rolling is the contributions I have gotten to help with cost and equipment upgrades, if I had to dig into my pocket for it all it would be a tough deal.

I was thinking of going to Vegas for the US Open One Pocket like I did last year but its not in the cards or budget so I will just take the days and get some good practice. I have been hitting the balls well in practice but for some reason my competition game is not so hot, just been so busy with everything else so maybe just keep practicing and take a break from tournaments and gambling for a bit. One thing I realized is a good couple weeks out of the hot seat can be helpful and I always come back better than ever. As of late I have been practicing at Skip and Jans which is closer to me as opposed to Kolbys, a month pass at Skips is only $50 to play until you drop so that is the best bargain for playing pool in Arizona I think along with the good equipment and staff there.

Scott Frost and I have been talking about doing a second DVD, Power One Pocket Part 2 or something. Might be worthwhile, the last one was pretty successful and well received so its possible that we will give it a go. I know this time it will be much better than the first one since I have better equipment and knowledge now to create a better product. At the moment I am working on some match DVDs from the CBC events where I recorded some stuff, they are so time consuming though, taking a good full day for one DVD. The funny thing is the match DVDs do not sell well so they are almost pointless to an extent but people do enjoy them and its good to just get things out there.

On another note my daughter Alexis just turned 3 years old, how the time has flown by, I remember her just being born and how great of an experience that was. I thank the Lord that I have her in my life along with my son, sometime I lose sight of things and my children put it all into perspective. I love pool but in reality family is more important and if its not for you then you got some problems, haha. Well time for me get back to working on some stuff. Will try and keep this updated as I can with different things. Here is a link to Angelina Paglia's recent appearance on Road Warriors from CNN, she did a great job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U6dDH6uI-E

It Has Been Awhile Since Posting in the Blog

It has been a bit since I have posted in here but figured I would take a few minutes to post some updates on the past 6-7 months, time flies when your busy with life and pool. I have been playing regularly and pretty well, finished 1st twice and 2nd once in the past 4-5 months in the monthly one pocket tournaments and was one out of the money this past weekend.

I also cashed in my first two 9 ball tournaments of 2012, trying to play a bit more 9 ball as its a game that I have really not dedicated myself too. It does not really hold my attention like one pocket does and I just do not stay focused and that game sure does take a good deal of it. I did buy a break jump cue, all purple heart wood which is great for break cues, even the shaft is purple heart and its all dyed black, Samsara tip and G-10 pin, it breaks well and that is one thing I need to keep working on to play better 9 ball.

I did also play 2 challenge matches for the King of 8s and won both without losing a set which was nice but I really do not have the desire to play these challenges anymore. IMO I would rather just play tournaments, gamble or practice, the challenges were a fun thing to do but recently a guy I was supposed to play got a little too serious about it and I am not interested in playing big ego people. I am playing pretty good as of now but I am still not satisfied with where my game is, but then again most people are not, we all are trying to reach that high place and have the respect of the other guys we are playing out there.

As of late my daughter has not been well and we were in and out of the hospital around the holidays but thankfully at the moment things are better but boy can it be scary and put things into perspective also. I have been trying to give my family a bit more attention and have that healthy balance between, pool, family, life and work, its better that way. I also have been working out more and believe its helping my pool game, it cannot hurt IMO to be in good shape.

Well let me get going and get back to work, thanks for stopping by my friends and hope to see you at www.ontherailtv.com during our live stream on the 28th from Kolby's in Tempe AZ.

My AZ One Pocket State Championship Experience

Well its been 2 weeks since that great tournament went off at Kolby's but figured while I am on vacation right now I would take the time to do a little write up on it. It was a good run and a good deal of fun too.

I went out the night before the tournament with my girlfriend and a buddy of mine named Mike. We went out and had drinks and a good time on Mill Ave. in Tempe. It was a blast of a night and we were about to leave when we were walking down the street just laughing and hooting/hollering a bit when all of a sudden I am attacked!, yes I said attacked. The guy pushes and swings at me and I am kind of in awe because this is totally out of of left field.

I am with my girl and a buddy of mine who is not a fighter but I myself boxed for a couple years when I was younger but as you get older you move on to different things along with a bad car accident that really cooled my jets around 10 years back. I just felt I had to protect myself and my girl and friend so I fought back, the guys girlfriend or some girl tries to stop this lunatic and she ends up getting hit by him so all hell breaks loose.

The guy gets jumped by numerous other drunks who are not liking this women beater and his antics but then the cops arrive just in time and spray some pepper to disperse the crowd which they do except for me. The horse, yes I said a horse with a policeman on it falls slipping on the pepper spray that has drenched the sidewalk. I am stunned as the horse came out of nowhere and is like 2 feet from me and scrambling to get up but the lunatic is on his feet and I am unsure why but I go at the guy.

Here I am having a great night until this guy comes along, he hits a girl after coming after me and causes all this trouble along with the horse falling and I just had enough so I proceed to give him some combinations and down he falls out cold. How stupid can I be though to do this in front of the police, I should have just let them handle it. I get a good dose of pepper spray and a few hits with a baton as a toll for my poor judgement and my girl and friend lead me away.

I must have taken a half dozen showers and rubbed my face like a moron so the pepper spray got deep into my skins and over 2 weeks later I still have some chemical burns on my face. Well now lets get to the good stuff, the one pocket tournament.

It was 32 players who showed up at Kolbys for the One Pocket State Championships and this is the place to prove yourself, to step up and play the best guys in the state and some of the best in the world with Scott Frost and Jose Parica also playing in it. My goal is to beat one good player in the tournament, that is always my goal in open play where your playing even with top guys.

My first match is against AZ State Champion One Pocket player Mike Pankoff who I believe won it the year before. I am thinking I am toast especially after he is up 2-0 in a race to 3 but I have a good break and keep control winning my first game. Great for me as I wont be getting a donut to eat, I then grind hard for moving and moving trying to frustrate Mike, not leaving too much. I win another game and its hill-hill and I am breaking so I have a real chance now and the room is watching.

Me and Mike really have a great game with Mike needing 1 ball and myself needing 2 and he leaves me as diagrammed below. I shoot the striped ball and end up on the 1 ball for a bank, not near perfect but bankable with a touch of inside and a firm hit. I win the game and everyone is clapping and congratulating me on a great shot and match. Mission accomplished and it was great to beat someone like Mike, he is a great guy and shakes my hand saying great match. I really look up to guys like Mike who are gentleman and play so well, I was a huge underdog but got there after digging deep.




My next match was another very tough opponent who plays with Mike quite regularly and I also get to spar with him getting some weight, his name is Bernie Pettipiece who I really respect and enjoy playing against. We have a very good match and I played well winning 3-1, I also finished that match with a very nice two ball out. I am on cloud nine at this point because my great play is not a fluke, I am just digging deep and playing my best and boy is that a great feeling and confidence booster also.

I end up having to face Bobby Emmons as my 3rd opponent, he is a very good young player and has a good deal of confidence, almost comes off as cocky but you need to be positive thinking to win and bring your best game. Bobby chats it up that the window is open to the rail and why not, he is the big favorite as were the other players I had just played before him. I win the first game and am running out in the 2nd game where the old me pops in to say hello and I miss a simple shot which causes me to lose that game and ultimately the match as Bobby comes with the firepower and wins 3-1. I am not out of it yet as its double elimination.

I end up facing Pete Lohtka on the losers side and its the end of the night, a long day of one pocket, me and Pete go the distance in a hill to hill match, I think we were down to the last couple of balls also so it was a true sweaters delight. Pete is a very good player who shows up at the state tournaments but other then that is not around Phoenix too often. I was lucky to beat him, but you need a little luck and not always skill in this game.

So I end up beating 3 very good players who were big favorites over me, in day 2 I have to play Scott Frost and its no fairy tale match, I get beat 3 to donut I do believe. Bobby who beat me goes on to face Jose Parica in the finals of the event and loses but still played very well in that tough tournament. I hope next year to do well and beat some good players, I think this performance has given me some confidence to step it up and with some hard work, table time and drills a ball or 2 improvement before next year should not be out of the question.

My US Open One Pocket Road Trip

My Road Trip to the US Open One Pocket

Well I have to say I did not know what to expect as this was the first one for me as this past year was my first Derby. Lucky for me I was in good company on this trip with the legendary San Jose Dick McMorran. I met up with Dick at his place
early in the morning so we could beat any traffic, we loaded up the car with a bunch of his pool cases and cues he wanted to unload in Vegas but its funny because that is where they stayed since we were too busy to ever move them when we got there.
I might list them online for him so look out for them.

Dick took the wheel of his big Buick and drove us up, we wanted to stop off for breakfast at an old road stop where he used to go on one of his 100 trips towards Vegas but it was 7am or so and they were closed, we would have to wait until Kingman. We got to Kingman and hit up a good spot called the Road Runner Cafe that served a good home style breakfast. I discovered some books at our table for us to preview and purchase if we liked, I could think of a few people on the forums and in real life who could have used those books as the titles were classic. The books were by
Ben Goode and titled, "How to Make People Think your Normal", "The Joys of Being Broke" and "How to Stay Humble when Your Smarter than Everybody Else".

On the road to Vegas, its about a 5 hour drive and Dick is good company with many stories from his old road days. I have to say that you fellas here on the net are missing out on these gems and I tried to get him to do some on camera for your enjoyment but to no avail, he is just too humble. Maybe if enough of you get on him he will write them or let me swing by and have him tell you them, its just pricesless stuff or a time that is long gone. I would love to tell the stories myself but I am not the best storyteller and do not want to ruin them.

We end up in Vegas and head to the Riviera where there are thousands of pool players who love the game as we do, if you have not been there then your missing out on something special. Whether you like bar table or big table games you will have stuff to watch or play, its all there, one pocket, 14.1 challenge, 10 ball, and so many bar table events I cannot name them all. I have only ever been to Vegas for pool, not really into the other things Vegas has to offer for the most part.

Dick and I get ready for our dinner at Kristoffer's with some of the members of the www.onepocket.org website, we are in good company as John Brumback, John Henderson, Steve Booth, Lou Figeroua, Roy Steffensen, Bernie Pettipiece and his friend Ramses. We have some pre dinner drinks (i love drinks)and BS a little bit, Mark Griffin swings by and its always a pleasure to talk to him and let him speak of his new ideas and ways of improving things in the industry and his events. We almost get our dinner crashed by Earl, a part of me would have been happy for him to join us but then we all might have ate our dinners a little quicker and not been able to have some good conversation amongst one another that we did. I enjoyed the dinner and hope we can do it again next year, its a shame though that there are not better places to eat in the Riv, Kristoffer's is way overrated but still convenient for what we were doing. Thanks Lou for putting it all together though, for a minute me and Lou
thought half the people might not show but they all did which was very cool.

I have to say my days were a bit of a blur as I had barely any sleep, from the morning at 9 am til around midnight or so I did the live scoring for the first day, I was spent and decided I could only do the first shift of the live scoring from 9am to 4pm from then on for the rest of the one pocket event. I was either half in the bag most of the time and sleep was not on the agenda. I did get to meet some forum members though and that is always a joy to me and pretty cool to shoot the shit with them, its too bad I am bad with names but never forget a face so if we met dont be bashful and jump in this thread.

I did not get to play much, a 3-4 hour practice session with Bernie Pettipiece before the first day of matches. I felt I played well especially since Bernie is a much better player than I, I held my own a bit and was pleased with how I played trading games back and forth. I think the warm up was good for Bernie too as he did well in the tournament and even beat Gabe Owen 3-0 and nearly beat Rafael Martinez also. Well done Bernie and I look forward to more practice sessions. My only action on the table was $50 sets of 8 ball and banks, I am not a banks player and never really have gambled on it but put together two 4's back to back which was cool, winning all four sets we played, I will leave the victims name out of it.

Lots of sidebetting for me though which was fun and after all the days of one pocket I think I finished a couple dollars down, the one that set me back was the match with Alex and Frost, Alex I felt was lucky to win that match when Scott needed 1 and he needed 3, Scott would have been up 2-0. I have never seen Scott miss as many off angle combinations which he is usually great at making as he has in the past 2 one pocket tournaments, it really cost him matches and possibly winning the tournies. He made a ball on his break hill-hill and has an off angle combo with not much distance but misses it and sells out, he did the same thing at California Billiard Club against Alex and it cost him the rack and possibly the match there too. I feel he is playing a ball under his speed a year ago which really shows up among the other top guys.

I was really impressed by a Canadian player named Brian Butler, he beat some top guys such as Jeremy Jones, Rafael Martinez and was running out hill-hill on Frost when he got tied up in the balls with them all open and he needing only 3 for the win. He was a dark horse for sure and does not miss too many shots, I would watch out for him in the future for sure.

I have a had some players who are into the gambling aspect make reference that the internet does not benefit the players, I have to differ and thinks its a very naive statement. Perhaps you cant sneek up and hustle anymore but these big events work on numbers especially for sponsors and promoters, the internet brings in big numbers and is obviously the way to spread the word for events and other happenings. Hopefully someone will let them know this and one of the reasons why tournaments and other events are successful is because of the internet and its something we all need to embrace because there is no going back.

Me and Dick were on a funky drinking, food and sleep schedule. Room service seemed to be the best bet, we would pitch quarters for it at around 5-6am, I think we were pretty even on them for the most part. If your ever at The Riv, my advice is to skip the buffet there as its not very good and no selection at all, I heard Circus-Circus across the way has a good buffet though. Sorry if I take a strong position about food but I love to eat and drink. Dick rented a scooter as he was not in for those long walks around the event especially being 2 1/2 times my age, he did not get pulled over or any tickets for scootering while intoxicated. I did tell him a funny story of a guy being drunk and riding one of them down the stairs one year.

The live scoring is a complete bore fest but the good things is I get to sweat a good deal of one pocket, more hours than mostly anyone I think. I saw some upsets and great outs, Earl raking the balls when Frost needed 5. If you guys missed out on Efren and Deuel, that was a nail biter especially for me giving up 2-1 on the money taking Efren when he was up 3-2 and then all of a sudden Corey is hill-hill needing 1 ball. I hope TAR gets that one out quick because its just an epic match. TAR has an awesome set up and it was just excellent being able to watch in the room, casino or on one of the huge projection screens in the tournament arena, one of these days I hope to get in the booth for Justin.

The Riv has to be on borrowed time I felt, its an aging casino that has seen better days. When I was there I guess they shut the doors on the Sahara too, with the overbuilding of Vegas and plenty of newer places to blow your dough its just a matter of time before the old horses get put down. I am not sure where the tournament goes if the Riv closes down, perhaps South Point would be a good place, nice clean affordable rooms and plenty of space nut the only downside is when your walk out of the casino there is not much around being on the far south end of the strip. I did enjoy seeing the Crazy Girls preview by the blackjack tables, its a nice touch when your playing some cards to have a nice view, probably the best thing about The Riviera. Here is a little video someone took to give you an idea of what you were missing out on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTQp3iePNQ8

I did finally get to meet the great Artie Bodendorfer and really enjoyed speaking with him, very cool guy and sharp too. I watched him watching one pocket and my thought was this, he does not sweat one pocket like you and I do. Your probably thinking what does that mean?, well he seems to watch every little subtle thing and analyzing the play for mistakes, he probably knows how many mistakes are made each match and where it all went wrong or right. It was a pleasure to meet Artie and I look forward to the next time I see him.

The 6 days in Vegas went by fast and it was time for me and Dick to take off, I had next to no sleep as usual. We hit the road and take a detour to Laughlin which is my first time there, was glad we did too because I needed the rest. Dick played some blackjack and I got a room and slept for about 14 hours or so. The place is pretty cool at the Riverside Casino and the story of Don Laughlin is impressive to say the least. We got some good food at the buffet there and Dick was not lying that it gave most places in Vegas the orange crush. I guess Laughlin is like how Vegas used to be, if that is the case then its too bad Vegas is not like that any longer because its on a smaller scale, not all Disney like and overbuilt with too much to take in.

In closing I would just like to say that we are lucky to have people in the industry like Mark Griffin, he is really doing something special for pool and we are all in debt to him, I hope each year it grows and gets even better. If I had to choose between the events I have been too such as Derby, BCA or Valley Forge then I would be in Vegas with no question at all. Perhaps next year I might even play in it but I have much practice to do if I want to make a run like Henderson did in it, good job John, you earned it! Thanks to Steve Booth with www.onepocket.org also for all he has done for one pocket and I really hope more people get signed up on his site, if you love one pocket then its a great place to be.

My Trip to California Billiard Club

Well I am home and trying to get caught up on stuff, I figured I would drop a few lines here to all of you out there who supported the stream and I want to say thanks for chipping in to the cause. I hope the next stream I do will be even better, sorry for the poor audio.

I dogged it as I was using a new set up and thought nothing of using some old mics I had laying around instead of the usual Shure mics I use. I appreciate Kentucky Bill and Alex Bradley for helping me out in the booth, it is rough being in the box for 12-16 hours a day I assure you of that. With the players being right in front of us and the mic set up it made it tough for them to give it their best but I still was happy to have them help me out. See you guys down the road I hope, both are good guys.

Without Chris at California Billiard Club it would have never happened as he got me out there and put me up so those who enjoyed the stream owe him a big thanks. I really love that room, I have been to quite a few and its one of the best in many ways, no complaints besides cutting me off at 2am, haha. People do not realize what it takes to do what Chris did, to get everyone in place to make the whole event what it was, a packed house and full fields, a success.

The place has lots of tables, snooker, billiard table, lots of tvs and space around the table, great staff, sweet menu, and the list goes on and on. If your ever close to Mountain View then check it out, some good action there too. I hope this becomes an annual event and I get out there to do it again and bring all of you some great one pocket, it will be even better next time!


P.S. I will be listing the matches I recorded later and others might be available that were recorded to my hard drive with no commentary, just great one pocket. Will take some time though, really busy right now after being away for a week. If you have an order with me then its going out tomorrow? If I owe you any money for betting then send me a PM if you were not paid yet and I will get it out right away, if you owe me money then ship it , haha , thanks.

An After Derby Update

Well its been over a month since my last blog. I forgot how much I enjoy writing on here but I have been super busy. Things have been going fairly well besides my pool game at the moment which is kind of in a slump.

Power One Pocket has been doing well and I deem it a success. We sold out the 125 copies we brought to the Derby City Classic. We promoted it well with posters all over the place and it being announced on the TV table by Ken Shuman. The next big venue for the DVD will be the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge which I have not been to in many years, it was about 5 or more years ago since I went there with my friend who passed, Joe Sabia. I have about 100 DVDs in the hands of some vendors who will be there as I am not sure if I will make it in person but if I do then I will bring another 100 because this is the place where people are buying. The Derby is good but there was not a good deal of vendors, around 20 maybe, SBE has hundreds.

So my pool game and gambling have not been doing so hot, been in a bit of slump and have been losing some games I should win or have a shot at. I also have not been doing too hot on my side betting, already losing about the same amount I since the beginning of the year as I have in the whole year of 2010! The past 2 years I have been about 80%+ winner gambling which is great, I am okay with being even but right now I am couple hundred short of being even gambling so that is not good but the plus side is the year is early so we shall see.

I plan on practicing hard and coming back stronger which I usually do after a slump. I have been making breakthroughs and playing fairly well. At the Derby I finished higher then any Arizona player besides Scott Frost obviously, I made it to the 4th round but had a chance to make it to the 5th but I was leaving the next morning and I was just not into it knowing I was leaving even if I won but then I heard 5th round was money so I felt a little stupid.

I found a great cue to play with, nothing wrong with my Crown but its wrapless and I prefer a leather wrap. I got a cue from Joel Dadivas and its a bad mofo, anyone who has hit with it thinks its one of the best they have hit with and are amazed by it. I had to ship it back though as Joel is replacing the shafts due to some issues and I cannot wait for it to get back. I am playing with my Crown as of now and booked a good winner the other night with it playing some one pocket and did well in a 9 ball tournament so I will be just fine.

We did release another DVD recently, Scott Frost vs Cliff Joyner, it is 15 of the best racks from there match in Mobile Alabama last year. It really is some good one pocket and people have been enjoying it.

I plan on getting into shape also, been putting it off for a while, healthy body and mind will improve anyone's game, just a free tip. I might get back into the boxing gym because its great for conditioning and stamina. I am going to check out one tonight that is not too far from me.

Well time to get off of here and do some work, thanks for all the support fans of OTR, by the way the newsletter is back up so sign up for it if you have not at , its in the top right corner. Enjoy this pic of my Joel Dadivas JD cue.

It Has Been Awhile

Well let me ramble for a bit as I cant sleep and much has been going on. Power One Pocket is done and my big shipment will be here in a few days. We did a pre-order sale with a free tee shirt for the first 50 people and it filled up in less than 2 days! I am heading to Derby with a 100 of them and look for them to sell out. I really hope it all goes well and we sell them out and then I will consider it successful, the goal is to sell 300 in the next couple of months and I think we will.

This is my first year at the Derby City Classic so it should be a fun experience especially with Scott Frost playing Efren Reyes for $10,000 racing to 11 over 2 days. I am really excited about it and have got some bets in also so I am sweating it which is always fun. I look forward to seeing my buddy George from Mobile who is a heck of a nice guy. My friend Jimmy is coming along, he is the one who beat Grady Mathews, not sure if they will play again but it should be interesting to see how they are around one another.

I am not sure if I am bringing my cue or not since I will be sweating and betting and doubt I will play anyone but it might not hurt. I am already going to be loaded with my clothes, DVD's and shirts to sell for POP. I am also going to bring a camera with me so I can record some stuff and do a little documentary of sorts for me going to Derby.

I finished off 2010 with over $10,000 in pool related wins and about $1,400 in losses which was nice. I am unsure if I will top it or not this year but it all depends on how it starts, I am a couple hundred up and hope to make a couple thousand at Derby. Well time to get off here and get some rest. Happy New Year everyone!

Doing Well in Tournament Play

Well as of late I have been playing okay and doing well in tournaments, getting to the finals in 5 out the last 7 tournaments I have played in. I really feel like my game is become a bit more consistent and solid but I still have a way to go to get where I would like to be but regardless the progress is showing which is why I think most of diehards play pool. I think I would not enjoy the game as much if I were not making progress, I know in pool learning never stops either.

I still am working on Power One Pocket so hopefully that will be done soon like before the year is over. I just want it to be done well and for the one pocket players out there to get the most for there money. I am excited because I know there is just so much knowledge in it for people to learn from.

Update on My Return

Well it has been interesting to get back in the game with a fresh outlook on it all. I am streaming again and its pretty enjoyable even though the following is not what it was primarily because people might not know I am back and streaming but still getting a few hundred viewers is cool. I do have some plans to make improvements on the stream if I can find the funding, perhaps an HD camera would help a bit but mainly the connection for the net at Kolbys needs to be improved, it is terrible.

As for playing pool it has been going okay, some wins and losses, as of late I am a slight winner including my last 3 tournaments getting into the finals besides one yesterday where I stunk it up playing terribly. I have realized I need to get physically in better shape and raise my stamina. With my infant daughter it is tough to be rested because I am up early and also in the middle of the night so good sleep is tough to come by and your mind and body needs that. I am looking to see how I come together with some rest and getting fit, I think my game will go up and I can avenge my losses because Lenny the Lock does not like to lose.

One thing that I really need to get going is Power One Pocket. We have hit some hurdles in trying to get it finished unfortunately. We did all the shooting which was half the battle and the other half of it is to have it edited. I had an editor but he had some issues and had to leave the country, the editing was unfinished, I do not have the time line I gave him which is used for the editing so the editor knows what to use and where everything goes. I have to do the time line which is time consuming but I should have it done soon and hopefully the new editor can put it together and get it out to the masses who are looking forward to it. Well gotta run. Watch, play and support pool my friends.

I'm Back!

Well it was a short break but it was much needed. I took some time with my family and to get caught back up with things. I still am a bit unsure of what my plans are and if I will be streaming on Tuesday nights but I will be playing when I want and streaming the one pocket the last Saturday of the month also. I do have plans on streaming the $6000 added BCAPL Sept.1st-5th that is taken place at Ft. McDowell Hotel and Casino here in AZ. I do hope many players come out for this also.

I got my cue back from Richard Hsu and he did a great job on the engraving in the butt of my Jerry Rauenzahn and it sparked me to want to play some more too. Here are some pics of it, enjoy and see you on the stream this Saturday.

Taking a Hiatus

Well after months of thinking about it I have done it, I am taking a break from pool for a bit, perhaps a couple of weeks or who knows. I have realized I am burnt out and need to get my mind and body in better shape along with spending more time with my family. I have lost the desire and stamina mentally and physically to win and am just kind of tapping balls around which is no good. I recently have been on a bit of a losing streak also as I said with no real desire to win and no focus but I hate to lose also, the games are tougher with tougher players too. I am doing good money wise this year playing pool because I keep tabs on it, I am up more then last year too which I did not think would happen.

My plans are to mountain bike, swim, and try to get in shape along with some meditation. I plan on spending quality time with my family and getting things in order that have kind of gotten out of order with my time being taken up so much by pool and streaming. I was becoming a bit overwhelmed really with it all. I would like to continue streaming perhaps a bit less and also would like to upgrade to HD but right now the camera is not in the budget. Perhaps when Power One Pocket is released and makes some money I can put it into OTR and make some upgrades.

Well just wanted to sign off for now but I will be back my friends, later.

Lots of Action to Report

Well guys I have been in and around action, the blog post below was from when I went to Alabama and Vegas, well I went back to Vegas again. I played Jude though before I left giving 9-7 playing one pocket for $2,000 in the middle.

Me and Jude did our usual barking, we decided to play couple weeks back for $1000 each with me giving 9-7 in a 5 ahead one pocket battle. He won the first 2 games and when I got settled in I won 7 in a row to take it down. After that I went to Vegas to watch Scott playing Dippy Dave aka Viffer aka David Peat who is a pro poker player some high dollar 9 ball. I also wanted to bet a bit on the side.

I went to Vegas with my mentor as I call him, Jimmy Langston who owns Kolby's Corner Pocket in Tempe AZ. He has taught me a good deal about one pocket and I enjoy his company and life stories. We went on the road to Vegas and got up there with Scott and Dippy already in the pit at Pool Sharks ready to get it on. The first set I believe was for $30,000, Scott giving up the 5 ball, the breaks and ball in hand after the break, 15 ahead, Dippy also got 2 games on the wire.

Scott wins that set and then it goes to about $50,000 a set which Scott wins, then I think $55,000 is in the middle for the 3rd set. Scott gets there again but with some drama that only a writer for a Hollywood movie could have composed, it was unreal and one of the craziest things I have ever seen. I got to get together and have dinner after being trapped up in the poolroom for about 18 hours or so for the 3 sets. It was a memorable dinner with me, Jimmy, Scott, Billy Incadona, Ed Kelly, Ronnie Wiseman, Jack Cooney and a few others at the table breaking bread, I will never forget it. It was me and these legends chopping up some cash and having a good time.

I got back and got more action with a guy from Ohio, he offers 9-8 for $40 a game with Jimmy betting $20 a game on the side, I end up playing even eventually at a $100 a game and win about $600 and Jimmy wins $200. The guy was not the nicest guy, perhaps it was the alcohol but I did not care for it and refused to play him again even though we were going to play the next night for $5000. He stalled on me as I waited to play so I just said to hell with it and did not bother, I am not waiting 3 hours to play anyone when they say 1 hour. I am sure we will play again down the road as long as he is a gentleman.

I am almost done with Power One Pocket, got delayed with all the action and being out of town along with recently moving. Life is funny like that but I will be relieved when its done, lots of people have been asking me when it will be done. I would say late in July just to be safe. Well gotta run and get some rest. Hope you guys enjoy this.

My Little Streaming Adventure from Phoenix to Alabama and Vegas w/ the Freezer

Phoenix

Well it was a fun past couple weeks of streaming at www.ontherailtv.com and I got to meet quite a few people on the way from here at AZB. I will start off on May 1st with Preacher Ronn and Scott Frost playing the 7 ahead for $2,000, Scott gave up 11-4 and got all the breaks. It took 30 hours and some encouragement but Scott got there and played some great pool towards the end and Ronn played well to hold him off and get to +5 at one point.

Scott came over to me at one point when they were even and Ronn offered for them to quit about 25 hours, he asked if he should or not, I said no because Ronn asked to quit which showed weakness plus he said his feet were hurting. Scott got fired up and played some great one pocket to take it off running 8s, 9s, 10s, and 11s like most people run 2-3 balls. I included a video of some of the stuff, got so much footage to go through from that and will post up more of his runs.

After a couple days I had recouped and later on in the week on Thursday Scott calls me and says he wants me to go to Alabama because he is going to play Cliff. I have like 2 hours to make up my mind, I am not one who likes to make plans like that last minute because I would be streaming and have other obligations too. I decide to go to the Billiard Club in Mobile and bring all the action to everyone and go on the road with Scott for the first time. I am glad I did.

Alabama

So now its the 8th, a week after playing Ronn, Scott is playing Cliff 8 ahead one pocket for $6,000 a man. The room owner Bear is staking Cliff. I am there until Tuesday because who knows how long 8 ahead will take, I mean last time I sweated for 30 hours straight. This was the first time Scott has ever spotted Cliff so he was a little nervous but confident. Cliff played decent but could not fend off Scott who was pocketing much better and would make Cliff pay for mistakes. Scott wins in around 8 hours and takes it down. I have the videos of the match and will post up the links to it also.

For those who were saying Cliff was dumping are just wrong plain and simple. Cliff thought he could win as he was playing better including coming off a win the night before in a one pocket tournament. Me and Scott wanted to get action online and iusedtoberich posted a line of 6-4 and would take $1000 worth of action, I thought that was too much and offered 6-5 for the whole thing but he got his fill so I made a line of 7-5. Now use your head dump theorist, if there was business I would have known and gave the several people who wanted action the 7-4 that they asked me for and could have won a couple thousand but 7-4 is too close to 2-1 so I declined along with Scott.

We moved onto another room as The Billiard Club owner Bear kicked Cliff out thinking he had dumped him which was a bad move IMO but Cliff does have a bad rep. I thought we were not treated too good there so we went on to Breakers Billiards which is owned by Ricky Byrd. He is a real good action guy and a very nice guy to boot. Scott and him set up a game, 9-4 and the breaks for Ricky! The action was 500 a game with me and Jimmy betting 100 each on the side, Scott finished 7 games up after playing like God on him to get there.

The next day they play again but not the same way, this time Ricky gets the hit and 4 picks, pretty tough game for Scott, Scott finished up 2 games at $1000 each before they called it quits. I had to leave Scott in Mobile to get back home, he still stayed and got into some more action, I believe him and Cliff played again perhaps 8-7 and Ricky and Scott played more also. I got to see some decent one pocket with a young gun David Tress playing another young guy, those bama boys like one pocket, shoot straight and bet it. I look forward to my next trip out there.

It was fun to meet Gulfport Doc and George (gbru), both are very nice guys. George even drove me and Kolby's room owner Jimmy Langston who came with me and Scott on the trip to the airport, was very nice of him to do that considering it was over an hour drive. I also got to meet his pooch at his home and play some one pocket too. I cant forget stopping at a seafood place which was on the Mobile Bay, great stuff and thanks to George for taking us there. The only downside of the trip was we could not get a rental car anyplace, that stunk so we just got a hotel close to the poolroom.

I get home and have 3 days to get caught up with my work along with other things in life and spend sometime with my family also. My beautiful and understanding wife who I am lucky to have and lets me go overboard with my hobby, my 8 year old going on 18 son and my 1 year old princess were all happy to see me along with my dog Kolby.

Las Vegas

So early on Saturday the 15th I head to Vegas all by myself. Its a 5 hour drive that leads you over the Hoover Dam which is an okay drive but really the only highlight of the drive is the dam and bridge they are building there, otherwise its a bore. I show up to Pool Sharks and there is action going on in the pit 24-7 with some good betting. I sweated Jean-Robert Bellande playing Archie the Greek some 500 then 700 a game and got some footage of that too.

I hook up with the owner John to get myself set up, he is a very nice guy who is sharp and loves the game and action. Katie who works there who most everyone knows who has been there is awesome, she does a hell of a job there. I got to meet up with Borana and her partner Thomas right away as soon as I walked in. Dropped them off at the Riv to save them cab fare as that stuff always adds up.

I am setup and streaming at around 7pm or so, we are supposed to go off at 9pm depending on the ladies schedules but they both end up starting at around 1130 or so and it last around 8 hours for the race to 21 for $2000 9 ball.

It was a good close match with both of the girls with Borana being up 5-1 at one point I believe and then Melinda got up 17-14, she stayed at 17 as Borana got to the hill, OMGWTF could have taken it double hill but she missed a fairly easy 7 ball which sealed her fate and Borana won 21-19. Borana took down the $2000 and the Crown Cue which is pictured below along with links to the match.

OMGWTF challenged Borana right after to play in NY for $4000, so we shall see what becomes of that, I would not mind streaming that match either if the ladies will have me again. I have to say they both have a ton of heart and determination, they played their matches all day and then played until the morning with their match, kudos to both. I know they both were not happy with their play but as I said they had been playing on bar tables all day and were certainly fatigued, would like to see them both fresh.

It was a pleasure to meet many of the people in Vegas, so many I cant list them all, Eric Crisp, Eric, the KOD team, Megan Smith, Pool Addict (Chris), John Schmidt and Thorsten who jumped in the booth also and especially Tina Pawloski who spent a good deal of time in there along with Jay Helfert. The diehard who closed out the match was Bobby Dickerson, he hung in with me til the end and helped commentate the last couple hours, saved him some cab fare too.

I also did get to meet Amanda Lampert, she is a real gem and looks even prettier in person, who could not love the polish viking. Meeting the boys from Runout Media was cool, both real cool guys whose future in the industry looks bright and its refreshing too. I did not get to hook up with Fatboy or Trigger which was a little disappointing though. I did get to meet John Morra, a nice young guy who loves to play pool, saved his some cab fare too and drove him to the Riv. If I left anyone out I am sorry, I was just overloaded with people and its almost 3am now.

I picked up Scott on Monday from the airport, saved him some cab fare, so far the cab fare I saved people has to be around $100, haha. We go to the Riv where we meet up with Billy and then have dinner, meeting Billy was awesome and I was glad I had a few beers to keep myself relaxed because I was very excited to meet him.

We had dinner and then went to Pool Sharks where the action is in full swing, Jeremy Jones giving Dippy 19-5 in one pocket, I saw Ronnie Allen in the house too. It was time for me to go so I left Scott and Billy and headed back home, got about 100 miles away from home and just could not drive much more so I crashed out at a rest stop, was glad to finally get home though, might head back up there this weekend perhaps though.

Enjoy the videos and thanks again to all the people who supported me on this trip and also my sponsors who help me to bring the pool to you all. It is a great game which I love and I am sure you do too. Next for OTR is Grady Mathews vs John Henderson on June 7th at Kolby's in Tempe AZ, 4 ahead one pocket for $3000 each, hope to see you all there.

The Crown Cue awarded to Borana Andoni, what a nice cue this is, hated to part ways with it.



Scott vs Preacher Ronn, not complete but a ton of Footage!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6592732
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6597508
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6602040
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6602652
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6618645
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6623382
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6628238
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6631003

Frost Youtube Runout Video, not the best but I still have much to go through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKEfkRHXCw

Scott vs Cliff

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6780354
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6782153
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6786282
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6790329
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6791646

Jean-Robert Bellande vs Archie the Greek

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6959078

OMGWTF vs Borana

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6962258
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6963036
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6965076
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6967985

Enjoying Pool Lately and Working Hard!

I have been really enjoying pool lately. I have been playing well winning some gambling and also took 2nd to Scott Frost at Kolby's One Pocket tournament 2 weeks back and a few days later split with Ashea Erdahl in the finals of the Tuesday night 9 ball. I think things are starting to really click and come together, got 2 videos to show recently that I shot, one is a 12 & out in one pocket and a break and run in 8 ball.

The Power One Pocket with Scott Frost is coming along and hope to have it released in May sometime, cant wait but want it to be right. I also am working on some other things to in and out of pool, gotta keep moving forward and making progress. I really love this game but I do find myself spending a little too much time in it for it to be just a hobby. Here are the vids and enjoy!

Getting Started on Power One Pocket

Well finally we are getting started, we did a test shoot before Scott Frost went to Reno for the USBTC. I am looking forward to getting it done and out there for everyone, should be the best one pocket DVD ever made if I can help it. I love one pocket and want everyone who gets it to learn something from it regardless of the skill level they have. I think it should be done in a month or so and it will be something no one has ever seen before, something new and fresh. Here is the trailer, enjoy it.

It Has Been Awhile...

It certainly has been a bit since I updated this but I figured I should and I am coming off a loss tonight so I thought I might ramble a bit. As of late my game is improving and growing which means I am moving ahead of the guys I have played and matched up with and have to give more weight. These tough games are challenging me and it is good in some ways but I have to do what I need to do as far as improving and I am not sure if all this tough action is good or bad for my game.

If I am winning it builds confidence but the close/tough loss can really put me in a bad state of mind. I think the best thing I can do is practice and just play more for the love of the game and not the money because then you lose sight of why you began playing in the first place. Are you playing pool for the action or the love of the game?, I think the action has been controlling me in some aspects.

I love pool and just want to improve and I know gambling comes into play as does tournaments but practicing and enjoying it is what really matters. Well time to hit the sack, can be tough sleeping after a loss but tomorrow is a new day with a clean slate.

I Took 2nd in Preacher Ronn's One Pocket Tournament

Well the last Saturday of the month is Ronn's one pocket tournament at Kolby's. I decided to play and was lucky to have help from Mitch Ellerman, Bernie Pettipiece and Preacher Ronn in the booth to do commentary while I played my matches. I had wins over Scott Frost, Mitch Ellerman, Bret Huth, Prescott Tom, and a couple other players.

I did do well, me and Scott played 3 sets in the tournament, he knocked me to the losers side hill-hill, we met in the finals and I won the first set 2-0 and the next set I lost hill-hill so we both won 5 games that day.

Regardless I was happy and Scott did think I was going to win at one point but I fired at a combo and made it but did not get a shot unluckily, I should have played out 2 rails to the center for a shot but I had a long day of one pocket and was fried and gave it my all.

I do plan on playing again at the end of this month, it should be fun. I just hope I get some help from the players with the commentary, made things much easier. Bernie actually is a very good commentator. I have been playing much better as of late and hope to continue improving in the game I love so much.

Results from The King of AZ 8's Match!

Thanks Carlos for the good games we had, it was not an easy match and the closest and toughest I have had, boy am I spent after that. We both showcased some good pool and gave away some games too.

The final scores were 4-2 Lenny in the one pocket, 8-6 Carlos in the bar table 8 ball and 100-98 Lenny in the 14.1. It was a nail biter at the end with me getting my high run in 14.1 also.

I was down 98 to 79 and ran the remaining 5 balls in a rack setting up for a good breakshot and it was 98-84, I ran that rack to make it 98-98 with another good break shot and got the remaining 2 for 21 and out. I continued to pocket balls after we were finished and ran another rack setting up for a break shot but got too straight with no break shot, the run ended at 35, my previous was 31.

I do feel Carlos is a better player then I am and I just squeaked it out, he played one pocket very well and did not leave much, I had to make some very tough shots and many banks. In the 8 ball we both gave eachother alot of games and also played some decent games too with safes and runouts.

The 14.1 win or lose for me was interesting since neither of us really play it. 14.1 was decided by Sarah at Kolby's drawing it out of a pitcher. Carlos wrote 9 ball on one piece of paper and 10 ball on another, I wrote 14.1 and banks, wanted to pick golf instead of 14.1 but I guess its not in the BCA rule book. It was fun and I am glad to have my crown back with a 4-0 record.

Challenge Match in a Few Hours...

Well I was King of the 8's beating 3 guys to have it and when I got bumped to a 9 I had to surrender it but now the whole state has been lowered and I want it back. I am playing Carlos Avalos who is back2good1 on AZ Billiard and really am looking forward to this match. He is a very good player and will be my toughest opponent for sure. He beat Jerry Stuckart in there challenge pretty good so it should be interesting.

I picked one pocket for my game of choice, he picked bar box 8 ball, we will each pick 2 games put them in a hot if a 3rd game is needed. I hope I win the one pocket so I can take a shot in the 8 ball which I am an underdog in. I was going to live stream it but I just really want to play, no dealing with equipment and whatever else. I just want to play well win or lose, cant lie I am a bit nervous because I know I am probably the underdog.

Well in 10 hours I will find out so I will post up what happens, stay tuned.

The Lock