Running a pool tournament/party in Bangkok is a fascinating experience.  You plan, prepare, coordinate, schedule, and organize.  You know in the back of your mind that it will all go tits-up, but you feel compelled try anyway.  The truly amazing thing about Bangkok is that tits-up really seems to work well here.  The unexpected happens here far more frequently than in any place I have ever been, and I suspect that it is one of the reasons so many of us choose to live and play here.  When bringing together a large number of people here, the unexpected is just about the only real guarantee you have.   People who you expect to show up don't, and people you do not expect do.  Nothing ever goes quite as planned, but the end result is more than likely something you are glad to have been a part of.  In my case, I'll even say proud.   The people in the Bangkok Pool League really do not need me or anyone else "organizing" them into a good time.  It only gets in their way, and a good time is going to break out anyway.  With that preamble, the Spring 2008 9-Ball Singles Tournament held true to form.  The day proved to be a great ending to the 2008 spring season.

157 people showed up for what was to be a long, enjoyable, and entertaining day.  106 made it in to the draw.   As always, a large number of people showed up late, though well on time if you consider "Bangkok time."   Both the level and spirit of play was excellent and, the sometimes highly competitive individual matches were spiced with some lightheartedness and even the occasional levity.  I am still not sure if a crutch can legally be used as a bridge, but nobody objected.

The trophy presentation took place around 7:00 PM before another packed house.  Trophies were awarded to ROADHOUSE, COCKTAIL CLUB, SALUTE (Stripes), and MEOW BAR for winning the plate in their respective divisions.  Trophies were awarded to HAPPINESS, FLAMING MOE'S, and ABSOLUTE for winning the playoffs in their divisions, and to COCKTAIL CLUB, MOONSHINE, and SALUTE (Stripes) for taking first place in their divisions.  The highest honors went to The PLAYERS, POPEYES, and SALUTE (Spots) for winning both their divisions and also the playoffs.

The trophies for Alcohol consumption, for both 8-Ball and 9-Ball, were so obvious that I did not need to pull out my breathalyzer.  PEDER from Moonshine and NICK from Popeyes likely would only have broken it.  I can only congratulate each of them and offer my best wishes for a speedy recovery.  Jack's antibiotics and John's jetlag kept them out of the running, but I will expect a full fledged effort from them next season.

The singles tournament wound down to a final four consisting of players who never won it before, so the tradition of never having anyone repeat was guaranteed.  Boy (Sports Academy) and John (Corner Bar) ended up going head to head for 3^rd place.  This match-up has been happening for years, though John continues to insist that the romantic rumors are exaggerated.  This time he was able to come out on top, and walked away with 3^rd place.  The final consisted of Tao from Hillary Bar against Pom from Oasis 1.  A newcomer always seems to emerge every season, and yesterday it was Pom's turn.  It proved to be a great match, and a small but spirited crowd was still around at midnight to see it end.  Up 6-5 in a race to 7, Tao was able to run 5 balls to come away with a great win.

The door prizes were a record for the league.  People were coming in with donations faster than I could record them, and we were into 3 figures. Virtually everyone who was there walked out with a door prize.  GingerAsia came by once again, and donated 50 hats and 50 Tee shirts as giveaways.   New sponsor Chefs XP also came bearing gifts.  They donated 20 discount coupons ranging from 100 to 1,200 Baht to the prize pool.  The top prize was a teeth-whitening, valued at 12,000 Baht, donated by Thai Smile Dentistry in Times Square.  The vast majority of the donations, as usual, were both potable and drinkable.

I would like to thank everyone who gave me a hand putting the event together.  Special thanks go to Neil for handling the microphone for me (in a failed attempt to keep me from losing my voice), and P' Long, who seemed even more tired than me by the end of the evening.  Thanks also to Ball In Hand for another great event, and for the confidence to once again re-up as sponsor for the next season.  Both GingerAsia and Chefs XP offered great support for the event, and I look forward to having them aboard as sponsors as well.

The next season--  The next season of the league is TENTATIVELY scheduled for August.  I honestly have no idea if the league will re-emerge smaller or larger....only that it will re-emerge.  There are 10 prospective new bars, and neither I nor they have any firm idea of how many teams they might field.  A number of existing bars/teams are on the fence, and in a City where change is such an integral part of the landscape, even they cannot be sure what might happen by the next league start-up.  As of this writing, deposits have been returned to Rack-Em-Up (Now called Shooters, and the owner is doubtful of having players who want to travel outside of RCA), Minogues ( The Bar is closed, and Tony is back in Koh Samui managing Tropical Murphy's), and Tokyo Joe's (most or all of the players will be playing out of a different bar).  At least 1 participating bar has been sold, and a few others might be sold before we start up again.  The new owners will more than likely want to opt in, but as in the case of many of the existing bars, the decision to play or not will be predicated to a large degree on having enough reliable players.  Most bars owners in Bangkok have already learned that this is a Tits-up kind of town.