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Brooklyn's own "Smitty" Dan Smith grinds out a gritty win at Skyline

Dan Smith and Mike Fingers

31 players prepared for battle at the Blaze Tour stop this weekend, which was hosted by Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

Skyline Billiards is a pool player friendly friendly pool room, that serves as a breeding ground of emerging top talent coming out of NY. The pool room is owned by pool players Rob Pole Jr and Sammy Wu who roll out the red carpet for brooklyn players as well as road players alike. On this day it wasn't recently sponsored WPBA Liz Ford or house pro "Spain" Marc Vidal who snapped of the tourney, but rather Brooklyn's own "Smitty" Dan Smith.

"Smitty" has been a strong short stop in the NY landscape for quite some time, and has been playing this game for 20 years. Dan Smith is a self described "Pool Googan" or "Pool Freak", and who has pool coursing through his veins.

"Smitty" Dan Smith has come up playing in many pool "action" packed pool rooms in NY, most notably the historic Chelsea Billiards in New York. He has been a gritty player since the days of matching up with "Kid Delicious" Danny Basavich, "Billy the Kid", Skeeter Hawk, New Jersey "Blood", "Neptune Joe" and the late "Johnny B".

While "Smitty" hasn't been on his A- game for quite some time since his decision to allow his pool game to take a back seat to building a career and family, he certainly can get the cash. He has always been one of the most impressive players that I have seen come up in NY, with his ability to bring the heat and put packages together vs his opponents.

"Smitty" would have to awaken the spirit of the dormant warrior within to win against a strong field such as... Eddie Abraham, Rob Pole, Mike Fingers, Eddie Vasuqez, Scott Evans,"Twiz" Derek Eakins, Jorge Rodrigez, all looking for a win at Skyline.

In a clear sign that pool is drawing back players to the game, Smitty has stepped up efforts to begin to focus on pool again, as he has taken his game to the next level. In Sunday's tournament action, he ran through the field unscathed as he marched to the finals undefeated and was poised to make a dominant statement that the "Pool Googan" has his groove back.

In the finals it was a battle between "Mike Fingers" and "Smitty" for top honors. "Mike Fingers" has been a dominant force on the Blaze tour as well as the NY landscape for several years and was determined to come back from the "One Loss" side to earn the win. The first match was a gritty battle as "Mike Fingers" showed a lot of heart for bouncing back from an earlier loss to "Smitty" to grind out a 7-6 win. This set up a final match for who would earn bragging rights as well as top honors.

In the finals "Smitty" Dan Smith was dead set on putting the fear in the local touring up and coming player in the NY area with his focused intent to bring his A-game on this night. "Mike Fingers" although an always tough opponent, couldn't contain the break out performance from the "Pool Googan" for the latest Blaze stop as he goes on to roll over Mike 7-3. "Smitty" has been putting in the time as he has been playing out of Skyline Billiards regularly and earns the respect from the knowledgeable brooklyn players and fans with a dominant home win.

Here is a quick break down the tournament in the final stretch:

Winners Side:
"Smitty" Dan Smith defeats "Mike Fingers" for the hot seat after Mike just came off of a strong 7-5 win over Tim Clark. Dan had just caught a gear after a dominant 7-2 win over home player Ray Lee.

"One Loss Side"
"The Russian" Steve Astashin was also having a stand out tournament as he was wowing the rail-birds with a demon stroke and amazing position play. Steve had an impressive 6-4 win over "Twiz" Derek Eakins, moving him over on the bracket to play Ray Lee. Ray has just come off of a 6-4 win over Alex Gilvary. "The Russian" Steve Astashin then rolled over Ray Lee 6-2 setting up a match between him and Mike Fingers for the Hot seat.

- by Jerry Tarantola - NYC Grind
NYCGrind.com

Complete Results:

1st "Smitty" Dan Smith
2nd Mike Fingers
3rd "The Russian" Steve Astashin
4th Ray Lee
5th Alex Gilvary
6th Tim Clark

Blackmore and Vidal co-champions at Raxx

Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Raxx Bar & Grill on Sunday April 20th, a strong field of 30 players came out to play.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins over Janie Gerber 7-1, Dave Shlemperis 7-3, Pete Tascarella Jr. 7-5, and Pete Tascarella Sr. 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Bobby Blackmore with wins over Duane Tony 7-4, Joe Pierce 7-3, Mhet Vergara 7-5, Anthony Pizaro 7-1.

Playing for the hot seat was Marc Vidal vs Bobby Blackmore this was a great match that went back and forth with Bobby Blackmore pulling it off at the end 7-5, sending Mack Vidal to the one loss side. Waiting for Marc Vidal on the one loss side was Anthony Pizaro. This was a good match with Marc Vidal winning 7-4 to get to the finals.

In the finals it was a rematch with Marc Vidal and Bobby Blackmore but both players decided to share the championship.

Complete Results:

1st Bobby Blackmore $600
1st Marc Vidal $600
3rd Anothy Pizaro $200
4th Mike Fingers $150
5th Sean Morgan $100
6th Pete Tascarella Sr. $100

Testa and Hopkins co-champions at Rockaway

Blaze 9 Ball Tour was hosted by Rockaway Billiards on Sunday April 6, 2008. A strong field of 34 players came out to play.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Scott Simonetti with wins over Bob Geurra 7-1, Wali Muhammad 7-2, John Alicia 7-2, and Carmen Lombardo 7-2. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Joey Testa with wins over Shaun Dobson 7-5, Frankie Ramos 7-0, Jose Cruz 7-5, Eddie Abraham 7-5, and Twiz 7-1.

Play for the hot seat it was Scott Simonetti vs Joey Testa This was a good match with Joey Testa taking control from the start to with the hot seat 7-3 sending Scott Simonetti to the one loss side. Waiting for Scott Simonetti on the one lost side was Allen Hopkins, this was all Hopkins winning the match easily 7-0 to get to the finals.

In the finals it was Joey Testa vs Allen Hopkins, Hopkins had to beat Testa twice to win the tournament. The first match was great going hill with Hopkins winning 7-6, with that said the two players decided to be co-champions of the tournament.

Complete Results:

1st Joey Testa $525
1st Allen Hopkins $525
3rd Scott Sinonetti $200
4th Carmen Lombardo $150
5th/6th Twiz, Wali Muhammad $100
7th/8th Rob Pole, Eddie Abraham $70

Abraham over Spain at Riley's Concord Billiards

Eddie Abraham

Blaze 9 Ball Tour was hosted by Riley’s Concord Billiards Sunday March 30th. A field of 38 players came out to play.

Leading to top have of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins over Williams McWilliams 7-3, Matt Douglas 7-4, Lew Morris 7-1, and Joe Pierce 7-4. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins over Joe Hong 7-3, Jeremy Sossie 7-3, Bill McCoy 7-6, and Scott Freeman 7-2.

Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham vs Marc Vidal this was a great match with Eddie Abraham pulling off the win late into the match by a score of 7-5, sending Marc Vidal to the one lost side. Waiting for Marc Vidal on the one lost side was Jeremy Sossie but this was a one side match with Marc Vidal winning the match 7-1 to get to the finals.

In the finals it was Eddie Abraham vs Marc Vidal this was a great match that went hill, hill with Eddie Abraham coming out on top winning the tournament 7-6.

Complete Results:

1st Eddie Abraham $750
2nd Marc Vidal $350
3rd Jeremy Sossie $200
4th Matt Krah $150
5th/6th Scott Freeman, Joe Pierce $100
7th/8th Tom Bow, Charles Marshall $70

Owner Jose Garcia with winner Manny Chau

Manny Chau controls Q-Ball

Blaze 9 Ball Tour made it way to Vineland NJ to Jose Garcia’s place Q-Ball Billiards. A strong field of 29 Players came out to play.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Matt Douglas with wins over Nicholas Jankowski 7-3, Robert Kay 7-2, Mario Sahatjian 7-2, and David Abraham 7-5. Leading the bottom have of the bracket was Manny Chau, with wins over Wali Muhammad 7-1, Mike Praseutsy 7-0, Eddie Abraham 7-6, and Tracy Vega 7-4.

Playing for the hot set was Matt Douglas Vs Many Chau, this was a one way match with Many Chau running away with it from the start winning the match easily 7-1, sending Matt Douglas to the one lost side. Waiting Matt Douglas on the one lost was Shaun Wilkie, Shaun Wilkie took control of the match from the start never looking back winning 7-0.

In the finals it was Manny Chau Vs Shaun Wilkie, Wilkie has to beat Chau twice to win the tournament. This was a great match that went hill, hill with Manny Chau winning 7-6 to win the tournament.

Complete Results:

1st Manny Chau $650
2nd Shaun Wilkie $300
3rd Matt Douglas $200
4th Mike Lizzio $150
5th/6th David Abraham, Tracy Vega $100
7th/8th Eddie Abraham, Jim Louis

Shaun Wilkie double dips Davis for Blaze win

Shaun Wilkie

The Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Castle Billiards in East Rutherford NJ. A strong field came out to play. Players like Mike Davis, Shaun Wilkie Eddie Abraham, Scott Simonetti, Carmen Lombardo, and Matt Krah to name a few.

Leading the way on the top half of the bracket was Mike Davis with wins over Rob Pole 7-2, Scott Simonetti 7-4, Mike Miller 7-2,and Shaun Wilkie 7-2. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Carmen Lombardo with wins over Harry Foster 7-1, Mike Fingers 7-4 and Albert Lopez 7-2.

Playing for the hot seat was Carmen Lombardo Vs Mike Davis this was a great match with Mike Davis pulling away late to win the match 7-4 sending Carmen Lombardo to the one lost side. Waiting for Carmen Lombardo was Shaun Wilkie but this match was all Wilkie winning the match easily 6-2.

In the finals it was Shaun Wilkie Vs Mike Davis, Shaun Wilkie has to win twice and that he did winning the first match 7-2 and the second 7-4.

Complete Results:

1st Shaun Wilkie $750
2nd Mike Davis $450
3rd Carmen Lombardo $300
4th Gerard Soriano $100

Owner Gregg with winner Mike Davis

Mike Davis soars through Cosmos

The Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Cosmo’s Billiards in Dickson City Pa, On Sunday February 24th. A strong field of 35 Players came out to play.

Leading the top half of the bracket was David Abraham with wins over Joe Hong 7-1, Matt Krah 7-4, Rich LaRussa 7-5, and Shin Park 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Mike Davis with wins over Marcus Solt 7-3, Jorge Rodriquez 7-2, Shaun Wilkie 7-1, Lester Smulowitz 7-2.

Playing for the hot seat was David Abraham vs Mike Davis, this was a one way match with Mike Davis running away with the match 7-1 to get the hot seat and sending David Abraham to the one loss side. Waiting for David Abraham on the one loss side was Shaun Wilkie, Wilkie took control from the start and never looked back winning the match 6-3 to get to the finals.

In the finals it was Shaun Wilkie vs Mike Davis. This was a one sided match with Mike Davis again winning easily over Shaun Wilkie by a score of 7-2.

Complete Results:

1st Mike Davis $800
2nd Shaun Wilkie $400
3rd David Abraham $300
4th Lester Smulowitz $200
5th/6th Bill Ianieri, Shin Park $150
7th/8th Joe Kuligowski, Eddie Abraham $100

Mika Immonen goes undefeated at Skyline

Mika Immonen with owner Rob Pole

Sunday February 17th, the Blaze Tour rolled it’s second stop into Skyline Billiards, in Brooklyn, NY. Tour owner Jose Burgos drew 33 players to this $1,500 added event. Skyline Billiards which is on 25-15 McDonald Ave. Brooklyn, New York has rolled out the red carpet for its players. The room is owned by Rob Pole Jr and Sammy Wu, and since Rob Pole is a touring emerging professional player, he looks to make sure things are perfect, including having a hot buffet for the players.

There were several stand out players who participated in this Pro-Am (Professional/Amateur) 9 Ball event. including “The Ice Man” Mika Immonen, WPBA Pro Liz Ford, WPBA Rookie of the year “Joanne Asthon” from the world famous Ashton Twins and several other stand outs. ”Spain” Mark Videl, “Mike Fingers”, Rob Pole Jr., Hunter Lombardo, Eddie Abraham, Wali Muhammed, “Alaska” Sean Morgan and Jorge Rodrigez.

There where many tough matches throughout the event and close fought battles.Wali Muhammed, Liz Ford, Eddie Abraham and Eddie Vasquez were grinding out gritty wins from the “One Loss Side” throughout the day, which was a clinic of “playing with heart”. “Godzilla” Shin Young Park, was looking dominant in the first 3 rounds and was looking automatic as usual. “Godzilla is a battle tested tournament warrior who is very difficult to beat opponent, as the entire NY pool scene knows by now.”The Ice Man” Mika Immonen seemed as if he wanted to the let gritty Brooklyn crowd witness his poetic style and demeanor as he stood tall against the mighty “Godzilla”. Mika Immonen regained his World Champion form, as his “gear” was clearly on a different level than the rest of the field on this day.

Mika defeated “Godzilla” Shin Young Park 7-4 then defeated the blazing hot Jorge Rodrigez from Brooklyn, 9-3… cementing his place in the Finals. Jorge Rodrigez has been an emerging local superstar, who has been coming up the ranks doing very well on the local NY circuit. He also placed 32nd out of 233 of the worlds best, in the 2007 US Open. After getting steamrolled by Mika, the loss would wind up being a huge test for Jorge on his quest to reach a consistent pro speed which is his main goal. Jorge now forced a feature match between him and a determined “Godzilla” Shin Young Park. Shin Young Park was hungry to have the chance to avenge his loss to Mika Immonen in the Final Match. Jorge Rodrigez came out of the gate with an early 3-0 lead, quickly making a statement that he has the ability to take control of even the toughest opponents. The next 6 games where split 3 games a piece, resulting in a 6-3 score in Jorge’s favor. Then Jorge made a couple of costly mistakes and “Godzilla” Shin Young Park, quickly regained his footing in the set. The match went “Hill-Hill”, which means in this case 6-6… with one final game resulting in the winner. Jorge broke, but didn’t have a clear shot on the one ball. Jorge then left Park a shot, and park ran until the four ball, before missing a difficult shot to have the opportunity to stay at the table. That miss proved to be costly as Jorge runs out for the win.

In the finals, it was a rematch of Jorge Rodrigez and “The Ice Man” Mika Immonen, one of the sport of pools most dominant forces. Mika was chewing on an energy bar shortly before the match as he prepared himself mentally and physically for competition. It was clear that Mika is a professional pool player, in every sense of the word. He represents a modern athlete who conditions for battle just like any other top performing athlete. ”The Ice Man” Mika Immonen came out of the gate strong and did not look back. He rolled to another 9-3 win over Jorge Rodrigez, through world class pool playing. In the end, this was a very high finish for Jorge Rodrigez with such a strong field, and serves as an invaluable learning experience for him on his journey. In the end the “The Ice Man” Mika Immonen dominates the gritty brooklyn field at the second Blaze Tour stop.

Complete Results:

1st Mika Immonen $1,000
2nd Jorge Rodrigez $600
3rd Shin Young Park $350
4th Wali Muhammed $250
5th Eddie Vasquez $200
6th Eddie Abraham $200
7th Liz Ford $125
8th Justin Muller $125

Owner Bob Maidhof and winner Rob Pole

Rob Pole scores big win at Blaze Tour opener

First stop of the Blaze 9 Ball Tour was host by Drexeline Billiards on Feb 10, 2008. Thanks to Bob Maidhof for hosting the event a strong field of 55 players came out to play.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Shaun Wilkie with wins over Adam Kielar 7-6, Randy Kay 7-1, Bill Smith jr 7-3, and Matt Krah 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was David Abraham with wins over Matt Douglas 7-4, Troy Whitfield 7-4, Josh Brothers 7-5, Raphael Saldana 7-5, and Mike Young 7-5.

Playing for the hot seat was David Abraham vs Shaun Wilkie This was a great match that went hill hill but when it was all said and done it was David Abraham winning the match and the hot seat. But the player making all the moves from the one loss side was Rob Pole with wins over Joe Hong 6-4, Rapheal Saldana 6-1, Mike Gasper 6-3, Matt Krah 6-5, Mike Young 6-5, and Shaun Wilkie 6-1, to get to the finals.

In the finals it was Rob Pole vs David Abraham, Rob Pole has to beat David Abraham twice and that he did by winning the first match 7-0 and the second match 6-2.

Complete Results:

1st Robert Pole $1333
2nd David Abraham $600
3rd Shaun Wilkie $416
4th Mike Young $200
5th/6th Shawn Dobson $150 Matt Krah $150
7th/8th Ed Matushonek $120 Mike Gasper $120
9th-12th Adam Kielar $60 Bill Smith Jr. $60 Robert Kay $60 Raphael Saldana $60

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