Approximately 112 miles North of LAX
Estimated population: 328,000
Destination: The Pool Table Co.
Temperature outside: High of 98 degrees F
Temperature inside: High of 128 degrees F with 100% humidity (ugh)
The good people of The Pool Table Co. in Bakersfield, California were nice enough to invite me to their store Friday and Saturday in an effort to drum up some business for a big sale they were having. Little did I know that there were spots running all week, flyers and newspaper ads promoting the event. OMG! They treated me like a total celebrity when I arrived!
Imagine my surprise as I roll into town (after picking up some food) to hear a radio spot mentioning my name!!! Holy Cow! I’ve finally made it… 
After driving around for 45 minutes, I finally found a place to stay. Apparently, there was a huge Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in town just a few blocks from the store, so I had to stay a mile and a half away instead of a block and a half away.
There were two “appearances” scheduled: Friday from 4-6p.m. and Saturday from 11a.m.-3p.m. I arrived Friday afternoon and met several of the players from the local Eagles Lodge. Friday was scheduled to be more of a clinic. I had practiced up a couple trick shots (courtesy of Trick Shot Tim’s Tutorials) just for this event, but that’s not really my thing. I did, however, have a much greater respect for trick shots afterwards though.
The Pool Table Co.
The Friday gang:
After we were done on Friday, my gracious host Dan Jones, Jr. took me to a local Basque restaurant called Wool Growers. Talk about a feast! They bring you about 15 courses before your main entree comes out. My favorite was the pickled cow tongue. Sorry, but I really liked it…
Saturday was the big day and when I arrived, the radio station was parked in front and a couple people were there already. It was a fun day of challenge matches and meeting and greeting. I hate to admit that I lost a few more games than I would’ve liked to due to my cue sticking to my fingers so badly. It was so hot and humid in the place, the pool table felt like a barbecue grill. I almost needed to wear a glove!….. almost…
After everything was over Saturday afternoon, I decided to stop by the Eagles Lodge to spend a little more time with my new friends. That was a complete blast! I threw on some shorts on and tank top and had a much more intimate experience. Now, that’s more my style!
Everyone was super sweet and respectful of everything I had to contribute and all the nice runs I made.
Myron single-handedly maintains the pool room and runs all the leagues and tournaments out of there. He also teaches lessons and does a fine job of keeping the entire pool room going. They’ve got some pretty sweet equipment there, too. On the side of one table, they put the names of the league champions from the previous seasons. Nice touch!
As soon as I got there, I was shooting MUCH better with the nice cool breeze of the air conditioning. I stayed for a couple hours and was very tempted to accept Myron’s invite for grilling-out with his family, but I had to head back to LA for my weekend with Max. We hadn’t seen each other in over a year and I was looking forward to having some QT together.
I would LOVE to come back to visit Bakersfield again sometime!
I think that’s the first time in recorded history that those words were written, especially in August!
(“I would love to come back to visit Bakersfield…”)