dmyroncox said:
steve
thanks for the memories,
dennis cox
Speaking of thanks, I owe a bunch of you guys big time!
I'd like to take a moment to thank some of the people that made the first
One Pocket Hall of Fame dinner such a success.
First of all, I'd like to thank
Grady Mathews for doing such an outstanding job as Master of Ceremonies -- without any formal notes or even a formal event agenda! Grady just came up with one great story after another in introducing each of the inductees.
I'd like to thank Greg Sullivan and Mark Griffin from Diamond Billiards, and all the staff of the Derby City Classic for their role in hosting the event -- I know you guys already had your hands full with 1000 or so tournament entrants and you don't need anything extra on your plate! Greg, I'm sorry your health didn't permit you to attend, and I wish you the very best in a rapid and complete recovery!
Thanks to the inductees and their families/entourage for coming -- although receiving the induction might be a big honor, I understand your health comes first, and I appreciate the sacrifice some of you made to come -- especially Bugs and Beenie, who were not planning the trip to Louisville otherwise. For all of you, the class you all showed in accepting the awards plays no small role in elevating the stature of the
One Pocket Hall of Fame itself.
Thanks to Diana Hoppe for providing photos for the inductees to sign, and for taking great photos of the event as well! Also thanks to Dennis Cox, for your excellent photos, and your quick and professional job of getting copies to me. Paul Berg -- you too, as soon as I see them
Ed, thanks for taping the event!
Thanks to Freddy Bentivegna for entertaining the crowd with your great story telling!
Thanks to Steve Lomako for spearheading the cue raffle that balanced the banquet bills, and raised a real nice chunk of change for Bugs' travel and medical expenses. Randi, thanks for your help with the raffle, and of course with a whole lot of other things before the big night.
Although the
One Pocket Hall of Fame is about a six month old idea, the Banquet itself was pulled together on very short notice -- based on Grady's suggestion at his Gulfport event just a month earlier. It's a miracle it came together the way it did, but here's why it was such a good thing to do even on such short notice:
Some of these guys are getting older real fast, and there is just no guarantee that they would be able to come at all if we waited for some future time when we might have been able to better organize and prepare.
For any of you there at the banquet, it was so clear that it's a really good thing that this took place when it did, so especially guys like Bugs and Beenie could enjoy it as much as they did, and that's what it's all about! The past year has been really tough on
One Pocket, with legends like
Steve Cook, Earl Heisler and
Larry Lisciotti all passing...
Finally, thanks to everyone who came and supported the event -- and extra thanks to those of you who chipped in significantly extra -- you know who you are!
See you all next year!