What this year’s Derby City Classic meant to me in 500 words or less

I’ve been working on this draft for the past two weeks now but I’m finally barely caught up enough to complete my thoughts. This was my third consecutive Derby City Classic and the best one yet for me!

2010 DCC for me meant:

• Having our own room with a king-sized bed at the Horseshoe
• Utilizing the hotel fitness center nearly every morning
• Covering the entire 10 day extravaganza for AzBilliards.com all on my own
• Creating never-before-done daily video updates
• Working with Accu-Stats!

Though attendance was down this year. I’m not worried. I have faith, especially since the Horseshoe is committed to welcoming us back two more years, that we are going to be seeing a DCC revival.

I opted not to participate in any of the main events this year since I knew I wouldn’t be able to give 100% to neither working nor competing. Instead, since they changed the way you sign up for the minis, I decided to play in the 9-ball mini. Unfortunately, by the time it started at midnight on Friday night, I had been sitting around on my butt watching 14 straight hours of straight pool. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE straight pool and I love watching it. Unfortunately, the final three hours were spent tortured by Charlie Williams dogging his brains out in the finals. Then, I had to grab my cues and run straight over to my table for my 9-ball match. Suffice to say, I didn’t hit one ball or get in stroke until I was down 4-0 in a race to 5. I finally won a few more games but was so out of it from my mentally taxing day that I couldn’t get it together. Oh well, next year.

Some favorite moments from the trip:

• Watching history be made (Efren winning his fifth all-around, John Brumback winning back-to-back bank titles, and Scott finally winning the one-pocket)
• Spending some quality time with Efren and the Filipino contingency
• Spending more quality time with my wonderful Seattle friends
• Gathering photos for my “Whose Hands?” gallery
• Getting to keep Efren’s players badge after he won everything
• Interviewing Efren for Accu-stats

Interviewing Efren, though brief as it was, was a monumental moment in my thus far brief reporting ‘career.’ I know I’ve looked in his case, but I asked him about the tournament and he gave me complete, honest answers, not just his default, “I got lucky.” He’s just so adorable! I love the guy! In fact, after I talked to him, Kenny Shuman asked him to say a few words during the awards ceremony to which he responded, “I already gave interbew.” He’s a VERY tough one to pin down for an interview so I feel incredibly honored and will never forget it.

[Some people have mentioned that they had a hard time understanding the interview so here are the transcripts.]

Me: Were you a little bit nervous?

Efren: For this match, I don’t think I have too much nervous but in the semi-finals, you know, I get nervous for that but this finals is not because, you know, I win already for the all-around.

Me: You were happy when you got the all-around

Efren: Yeah, I’m happy already but I don’t believe I can. I surprised, you know? I don’t win the one-pocket and I get lucky in the banks and in this 9-ball I lose my first match, I don’t think I’m gonna win all-around.

Me: Okay, so this week you played bank pool, one-pocket, and 9-ball, what’s your favorite?

Efren: I think before my favorite is one-pocket but the first one is rotation but you don’t have any rotation.

Me: Is it hard for you when you go from one-pocket and then 9-ball, to change games like that?

Efren: If you’re always in one day for all of that then it’s okay but if you play, like, one-pocket for many days and then you don’t play 9-ball it’s no good.

Me: And I know you’re shooting with a different cue, do you think that’s helped you?

Efren: I think this cue is helping me much. I win a lot of tournament for this cue.

Me: Last time I talked to you, you had some arthritis cream, are you still having problems?

Efren: Now it’s coming again.

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