Vincent C.: “I’ll play anyone in town 9-ball on the second table, upstairs.”
This Canal Street boast was recalled by the father of one of my closest girlfriends. When he learned of my interest in pool, he shared a couple of memories of his somewhat dissipated New Orleans college days in the 60s.
He neglected his studies to spend some considerable time with the demimonde of that particular late night pool scene -- Al W., Freddy S., Johnny Irish and other local notables. (I’m not totally certain of these names.)
Vincent, as he remembers him, was ‘the left-handed arm wrestling champion of New Orleans.’ In addition to being a fairly decent pool player. But … on that one particular 4 x 8 table, Vincent’s game purportedly went up several notches.
In my little corner of the consulting business -- with its attention on food and wine -- the word ‘terroir’ went from an insider buzzword to an overhyped cliché in the usual New York nanosecond.
As I’m sure all of you know, terroir means -- more or less -- a sense of place. The natural intersection of soil, climate, geography, and the like. Certain Argentinian Malbecs prosper at extremely high elevations. There are Australian dry whites, whose names I can’t remember, that flourish in amazingly hot climes.
The same applies to everything from heirloom veggies to cheese to aquacultural products.
Pool.
I’ll suppose, in the interests of harmonious discussion, that a top player will be able to adjust to any playing conditions. Given ample time. Correct? No?
But ... for most mortal cue boys, can a certain room, a specific table, delineate the difference between striding home with a full pocket and slinking out the door, poorer for the encounter?
Is there comfort in a certain comfort zone strong enough to make a consistent difference in a player’s skill and confidence levels?
Precise, scientific, inquiry is my life,
Sunny
P. S. My girlfriend’s dad met, a few years ago, with a forum member who had some knowledge of that New Orleans pool scene at the time. (Because of concerns that numerous felony warrants may still be outstanding, I shall not mention his name. You’re welcome!)
This Canal Street boast was recalled by the father of one of my closest girlfriends. When he learned of my interest in pool, he shared a couple of memories of his somewhat dissipated New Orleans college days in the 60s.
He neglected his studies to spend some considerable time with the demimonde of that particular late night pool scene -- Al W., Freddy S., Johnny Irish and other local notables. (I’m not totally certain of these names.)
Vincent, as he remembers him, was ‘the left-handed arm wrestling champion of New Orleans.’ In addition to being a fairly decent pool player. But … on that one particular 4 x 8 table, Vincent’s game purportedly went up several notches.
In my little corner of the consulting business -- with its attention on food and wine -- the word ‘terroir’ went from an insider buzzword to an overhyped cliché in the usual New York nanosecond.
As I’m sure all of you know, terroir means -- more or less -- a sense of place. The natural intersection of soil, climate, geography, and the like. Certain Argentinian Malbecs prosper at extremely high elevations. There are Australian dry whites, whose names I can’t remember, that flourish in amazingly hot climes.
The same applies to everything from heirloom veggies to cheese to aquacultural products.
Pool.
I’ll suppose, in the interests of harmonious discussion, that a top player will be able to adjust to any playing conditions. Given ample time. Correct? No?
But ... for most mortal cue boys, can a certain room, a specific table, delineate the difference between striding home with a full pocket and slinking out the door, poorer for the encounter?
Is there comfort in a certain comfort zone strong enough to make a consistent difference in a player’s skill and confidence levels?
Precise, scientific, inquiry is my life,
Sunny
P. S. My girlfriend’s dad met, a few years ago, with a forum member who had some knowledge of that New Orleans pool scene at the time. (Because of concerns that numerous felony warrants may still be outstanding, I shall not mention his name. You’re welcome!)
