Mills Jumps for Billiards Victory

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Seminole Tribe Florida Pro Tour

Mills Jumps for Billiards Victory
Seminole Pro Tour / Holiday, FL
by Skip Maloney
Donnie Mills used his jump stick to great effect on the Seminole Pro Tour billiard stop in Holiday, FL, the weekend of May 17-18, defeating David Grossman in the finals. After being knocked to the one-loss side earlier in the day, Mills worked his way back through three opponents to capture first prize in the $8000-added event that drew 61 entrants to Hammerheads Billiards.
Mills faced Hans Berber Oglu in the final four winners’-side matches early Sunday, while his eventual opponent in the finals, Grossman, matched up with Tommy Kennedy. Oglu sent Mills westward with an 8-4 victory as Grossman moved into the hot seat match by defeating Kennedy 8-6. Grossman secured his seat in the finals with an 8-5 victory over Oglu.
On the one-loss side, Dan Lavoie moved on when Corey Deuel forfeited (his second forfeit of the tournament; he ended up in the 9-12 slot without ever having lost a match). Joining Lavoie among the final four on the left side of the bracket were Anthony Meglino, Marc Vidal, and Hunter Lombardo. Lombardo and Vidal advanced to face Mills and Kennedy, respectively, who dropped them both into the fifth-place slot and squared off against each other in the quarterfinals.
Mills defeated Kennedy in a tightly contested 8-6 quarterfinal match and renewed acquaintances with Oglu, who’d defeated him earlier, on the winners’ side of the bracket. In another 8-6 contest, Oglu dropped into third place, leaving Mills and Grossman to face each other in the finals.
Grossman jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but he only won one of the next nine games. As Mills fought his way back, Grossman hooked him on a number of occasions, leading Mills to break out his jump cue and, ultimately, make every jump shot that Grossman forced him into. It was Mills’ first win on the Seminole Pro Tour, and he was able to manage it in front of a partisan crowd that had gathered to root him on in his homeroom at Hammerheads Billiards.
Results:
1st Donnie Mills
2nd David Grossman
3rd Hans Berber Oglu
4th Tommy Kennedy
5th Marc Vidal
Hunter Lombardo
7th Dan Lavoie
Anthony Meglino
9th Butch Croft
Mike Caron
Mark Coates
Corey Deuel
13th Tony Ruberto
Elvis Rodgriguez
Adam Wheeler
Mike Hutchenson

Mark Griffin Makes the Pros an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Pool Tour News

Mark Griffin Makes the Pros an Offer They Can’t Refuse
Press Release

Billiards industry leader Mark Griffin has announced his intention of promoting new pro events. Due to the current lack of direction, and compounded by leadership that has been unable to protect pool player welfare, Griffin guarantees generating $200,000 plus in added prize money in 2009 billiard tournaments. Plus, he presented players with a plan for continued growth that provides players economic security for their future.

Troubled by lack of genuine sponsorship, players not getting paid at association sanctioned tournaments, ranking snafus, event scheduling conflicts, etc., Griffin agrees that the pros are in worse shape than ever.

When I see the state of affairs for the pro players, it makes my blood boil. I have been around this sport for 45 years. Recent setbacks have sent pro player economic opportunities back to the stone age, fumes Griffin.

Professional sports, take golf for example, have a strong amateur base. Pool is no different. Griffin, as CEO of the BCA Pool League, has 60,000 plus members. This infrastructure offers the pros an opportunity, through cross promotions, sponsorships, and membership drives, where the amateur base can help fund pro events and allow both the opportunity to grow.

As always, there are a few conditions. I will welcome player input, but no entity will tell me what I have to do. We are spending considerable time, and money, on pro player behalf. To protect our investment, and the pros, we will probably have to initiate a new association where player’s ideas and concerns can be addressed.

Mark has a spotless reputation in the industry. His success with the BCA Pool League, Diamond Billiard Products, etc., speaks for itself. He sees the offer as a stable way for pros to make a living.

This concept is, obviously, a work in progress. I had been talking with some of the more high-profile players who had expressed their concerns and, suddenly, this all came to a head and something just had to be done. We all agreed that, by working together, this plan could work.

Hey, I can see that players could even have health insurance in the coming years.
What a concept! Attention pros. So that you can be kept in the loop, please forward your contact info to markg[at]playbca.com.