Re: Deno ????

"Frank Howe" <frankhowe@@vvzavenue.net> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Is there a place that will give me some specs to have a billiard
> shaft made? What are your thoughts for the taper and size?

Depends what your joint size is.  My favorite shaft is about .845 at the
joint and 12mm tip.  However, depending on who makes the cue shaft- if the
wood has been aged well, I would order it to be about 12.15, whereas if the
wood is not aged well, order it at 12.25.  The taper should be a straight
line from the joint to the tip.  That's pretty much a standard carom shaft.
It should not be more than 28-29"  Whomever it was that made your cue will
probably be able to make a shaft.  If not, let me know where you are and I
will send you the name of a cue maker near you.

> The place I play 3C at cleans the tables and balls alot. Is this good?

Very good.

> Can you over clean a table or balls?

No.  But anything less than after each match is undercleaning!

>  They have this thing that they use to
> wipe down the cloth with.

Yes, a board with cloth on it.  It actually doesn't do as good a job as they
think, but it makes the table look nice.  If they dampen the cloth, it will
grab a lot of chalk, but they should really vaccum first to avoid making
"mud" and rubbing it into the table cloth.

> They vacuum the tables at least 2 times per day and wipe them with that
> thing alot.

Tell them to bump it up to four times a day :)  seriously.

>  During the tournaments they clean the balls every round
> in a polishing/cleaning machine.  The tables are vacuumed before each
> tournament
> and after each one as well.
> Is this normal?

Unfortunately, it is not "normal..." I wish everyone would do that!  It is
the very best for playing conditions.

 Will it wear the cloth faster?

No, slower.  Less chalk=less sand=less abrasive=less wear.

> I saw you doing the commentary on a tape I watched and
> saw you calling the shots for a Rojas exhibition.  you must have been
> into the "carombola" scene pretty deep. What happened for you to lose
> interest?

I am still into the carambola scene, especially with Rojas and my south
american friends, just not as a player.  But billiards in this country is a
joke now, so I basically quit wasting my time with the whole thing except
for one small tournament a year I host in Chicago.  I will be playing in an
international event annually as I do like to play abroad...probably Mexico
or Colombia, and/or Europe somewhere.  Tournaments are way more fun out
there as they are not in smoke infested pool rooms...and they actually have
more than ten people in the stands who are not players in the tournament.
Basically, the game is promoted elsewhere, and inbred here.

> I lost interest in all pool games when I got a little more serious about
> working and life.

That's part of it too.

> Now I cant seem to concentrate consistently and even winning and
> making money don't get me going as much as they used to.  I am having a
> resurgent in liking cue sports for the past year and a half or so and
> am really liking three cushion.

Well, it's a great game.  Keep ut the practice and tournament play and your
average will rise quickly.  Tell me where you play; I probably know a few of
the players pretty well.  There are plenty of good books on concentration
that can help you out.  You can also look up some of my old posts on the
subject in deja.com

Best of luck in your 3C, and let me know if there is anything else I can
help you with.

Best regards,
Deno