Jimmy Wetch

[Tin Man]

OK, so the MPA event at Jimmy's was a split between Brian Brekke and Jimmy Wetch. Jimmy would've liked to have played it but the semifinals didn't start until around 2:30 and the prospect of being double dipped and playing until 8AM wasn't appealing to BB so he asked the remaining players if a chop was acceptable and it was agreed upon. So great shooting Brian! I can tell you all that he is hitting the balls very well and this was a great tournament win.

But even though Jimmy lost a set to Brian, I must say Jimmy really amazed me with his level of play. I have seen Jimmy play for many years, but it never ceases to astonish me. In this tournament he got about the toughest draw you could get- he had to play Jesse E, Lee H, Dave W giving up 3 to 8, then Brekke. After losing to Brekke he had wins over Lee H again, Scott T, and Me (Demi J). That's a heck of a day of pool!

And he played incredible. I mean, I didn't see all of the sets he played, but it seems like the more time he spent on the table the better he got. So early in the day it was a bit patchy, but by the time he played Scott it was near perfect, and by the time I got to the table, well, forget about it! I struggled with my break a bit and he got the first shot in 6 of first 7 racks, and he ran all of them out perfect. At 3AM on a tight pocketed diamond with the balls clustered up that is a remarkable display of knowledge, execution, and focus.

Jimmy doesn't compete in the pro events with any kind of regularity, and because of this he feels he is off his game. Maybe so, I'm sure in the past he could achieve that gear quicker, under more pressure, on different equipment, etc. But he still has the gear. And if he gets settled in for a long session of pool it is a sight to behold. He is a truly gifted player and I am grateful to get to play against him somewhat regularly.

So great shooting Jimmy! Keep hitting balls, it may not pay financially but when you can play like that it would be a huge loss for MN pool to see you hang it up all together.

[Josh]

Great post Demi!! Thanks for the write-up. It's great to hear people with so much appreciation for the game. Even though I do hear some griping about the Handicap, it seems like an 8 wins it more times than not (theoretically the edge is still to the better player), having these events almost every weekend is quite a blessing for Minnesota pool players.

[Tin Man]

I was talking with Brekke about this and we were in complete agreement, the handicaps don't make nearly as big of an impact on the 9' diamonds.

I'm not saying the handicaps are unfair on a bar table because top players do get there a lot. But I do know first hand that giving players like Dave W or Tyler S 3 games to 8 is not the correct spot if we were matching up. Neither worked out too well for me. But handicaps will never be perfect, and I am appreciative that I have a chance to compete. I just look at it like I'm playing a better player and try not to hook myself! But on tighter 9's it is no surprise that the top five finishers were all 8s.