News

In case you haven't heard, just a reminder for you that this weekend at the Oasis is the Scotch Doubles tournament benefitting the oncology massage fund. Cash prizes are available, as well as raffle prizes. Even the food and drinks ordered will help the cause - 20% of those sales will be donated, so bring some friends that don't play pool but like to eat and drink! Entry fees are $10 per person ($20 per team). It is open to everybody, so maybe go crazy and play with a girl! 

Here's the flier. Thanks to Miles for getting it to me, Jackie for running it, and Stacy for hosting it. It's a great cause, as if you even needed a reason or excuse to play.

-Scott-

Hey everyone. The schedule is now posted. (Click on 'Game Schedule' button on left-side menu buttons). I'll have a paper copy posted at the Oasis soon, and the team binders with player and captain copies (plus score sheets and copies of the rules) will be available soon (I'll let the captains know by phone or email).

As you've probably seen, there will be 2 conferences - Solids and Stripes. These each have 7 teams serpentine-seeded from last year's final regular season standings, and adding Cal's Oasis/Oroville team (the 'Ball Busters') at the end. (Stripes got #1 seed, Solid got #2 and #3 seeds, Stripes then got #4 and # 5 seeds, solids #6 and #7, stripes #8 and #9, and so on). Click on 'Teams & Standings' to see all the teams in both conferences. Note that the Oasis Rack Pack has moved to Shenanigan's Bar & Grill on the north Esplanade (across from Basque Norte, inside (actually underneath) the old 'Albatross' and 'Gooney Bird' restaurants). Teams will play teams in their conference twice, once at home and once on the road. They will play all the teams in the other conference once in 'interleague' matchups. The first 7 nights of the season will include 6 conference games and one interleague game per night. Scattered through the season will be 6 nights of interleague-only games. In the second-half of the season the conference nights will include one bye week for each team, one from each conference each night. 

This will make the regular season end on April 7th. Conference championships and the eventual Solid versus Stripe A- and B-Trophy championship will run from April 14th thru May 5th. Charles Lintz Top Shooter Tournament on May 12th. The Pool Party (at the Tackle Box) will be on May 21st or 28th. The old-way schedule would have ended the season on July 9th or 16th. So we shaved a good chunk off the season, especially with Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and St. Patrick's Day all on Thursdays this season.

It is a different format with the conferences, and it may not be perfect or preferred for everyone, but we're going to give this a shot and modify it (or scrap it) for next year depending on player input. So be patient, have fun, and give it a try.

There could be small changes, but I think it's pretty solid and fair. Each team should have an even amount of home and away matches, and not too many of each in a row. Also consider that the 6 Oasis teams will actually have a bunch more 'home' games when they are actually 'visitors' when they play their other barmate teams. A LOT of time and effort went into making this bear of a schedule, so if it's not perfect - sorry. I'm not paid by the hour - I'd be rich if I was. It is what it is, but let me know if you see any glaring issues before I put it to print.

-Scott-

Hey, hope everyone had a great Summer! But it's just about October - time for baseball playoffs, football, and... Chico Mens Pool League Thursday nights!

Captain's Meeting: Just like always, first Thursday in October, at the Oasis Down Lo, one team representative (only). So that's:

Captain's Meeting

Thursday, October 1st, 7:00pm, Oasis Bar & Grill Down Lo

Games should be starting the third week in October if everything goes to plan. So:

First Games

Thursday, October 15 29th, 7:00pm, Locations TBD

More information to follow. Captains - check your email for a separate email regarding the captain's meeting.

-Scott-

Congratulations to the 2014-2015 Campion of the Inaugural Charles Lintz Top Shooter Tournament

Keith Whitworth

Keith fought his way through some tough competition to take home the $100 prize and the first ever congratulatory hand shake from the man himself, Charles Lintz. As the brackets below show, he had to first beat Gregg Taylor in round 1. Keith had Gregg shaking his head as he left after losing 3 games to 1. Next up for Keith was Cal Helton. Keith also dealt Cal a 3-1 defeat and was now on to the finals to take on either Kenny Duff or Kevin Cibart. Kenny had beaten Joel in the first round, 3-1. Kevin had beaten Ty, 3-0. Kenny and Kevin went the full 5 games, Kenny came out on top. That set up the final match, which would be a race to 5, between Kenny and Keith. It was back and forth the whole way. At one point Kenny was up 3-1, but Keith battled back. It then ultimately came down to a hill-hill match - both players tied at 4 wins. Keith took control of the that final game and earned himself the title of 2014-2015 Top Shooter. Thanks to the man of honor, Charles Lintz, for coming down and checking out the games to the final end. Keith earned $100 and a troohy for his efforts. He was sure to thank Mike Karol after the match as he attributed most of his good shots to the tip Mike put on Keith's stick.

Speaking of trophies, and cash, and Mike Karol - don't forget! Pool party and awards banquet THIS SATURDAY, 1:00pm at the Oasis. As usual - tons of food, tons of free beer, tons of free pool, tons of trophies, and best of all - TONS of prizes for our reffle! I have spent the most ever on prizes this year, so make sure you buy plenty of tickets. Meredith and her CWPL will be there as well with their prizes, food, and trophies. Again, the action starts at 1:00pm - Oasis - THIS Saturday, June 20th! See you there!

-Scott-

It's official - the Oasis Outlaws defeated Duffy's Tavern last Thursday night to claim the top spot - 2014-2015 CMPL Champions in back-to-back seasons.

Kenny started things off with a 3-spot against Baback. Ice Cream got the first win for Duffy's in the second match against Gregg Taylor. Gregg got the other two. Woot tried to get things going for Ed's squad as he got 2 out of 3 against Ricky Martin, making the score 6-3 Outlaws - still in reach for the Duffers. But Bulldog came up fourth and simply went lights-out shooting, beating Prana 3-0 quickly and cleanly. Izzy shot fifth and needed two wins for the trophy - he got them in quick succession against Kevin K. Final score: 11-3 Outlaws.

Congratulations to this year's Champs! 

Captain: Mike Karol

Paul Airth

Shawn Bell

Ken 'Bulldog' Bolin

Mike Brandt

Kenny Duff

Matt Fields

Ricky Martin

Jimmy Scott

Izzy Taylor

Gregg Taylor

In the week prior, we had the 3rd/4th place match between the Oasis O-Team and the Down Lo Damned. I don't have the details, but I have been told that the Damned won the match 11-10. UPDATE: The details - It was a back and forth match in the first half. Philo beat Stacy 2-1 to start things off. In the next match, James won 2-1 against Tony. Then the Damned struck back as Goran got 2 against Brian V. To round out the first half, the momentum swung back to Oasis as Chuck beat Stephen 2-1. So at the half it was tied 6-6. The teams declined a beer frame, and shot on. Mike Clarke kept things rolling with the Oasis as he beat Steve McGrill 3-0 to make it 9-6 Oasis O-Team. Joel got the first win in the 6th matchup to get the O-Team on the hill at 10-6. Only problem was Jason Jones got the next two to make it a closer 10-8 Oasis lead. It was down to Oasis Carlos and his opponent, Pat Altenberg. Pat needed all 3, Carlos needed 1. Pat came out clutch and got all 3 to bring the Down Lo Damned back from behind and on top in the end, 11-10. Congratulations to the Down Lo Damned - they earned the 3rd place trophy.

We also had the B-Trophy Championship between the Eagles and the Last Call Oasis Rack Pack, held at the Eagles 2 weeks ago. In another 11-3 victory, the Eagles were all over the Rack Pack. Robin beat Kevin L. 2-1 to start it off. David Napier beat Gary 3-0. Then Bobbo beat Matt Altenberg 2-1. Donny was up 4th and beat Pat all 3 games to get his team to the hill, up 10-2. The two teams decided to play a beer frame - Jon Cox and Bobby teamed up against Curtis and Kevin Nickas. The Eagles tandem won 2-0. In the fifth frame, Mike Daniels got the deciding game off of Brian Aguilar, making the final score 11-3 Eagles. Congratulations on your B-Trophy!

That leaves just 3 things between now and next season:

1. The Charles Lintz Top Shooter Tournament - June 11th, 7:00pm at the Oasis

• Leland
• Kenny 
• Kevin
• Gregg
• Ty
• Keith
• Joel
• Cal

Cele and David Napier will be the first and second alternates.

2. The end of the year Pool Party and Awards banquet - June 20th, 1:00pm at the Oasis

3. Kevin Cibart will be hosting a Thursday night 8-ball league starting June 25th on the newly renovated tables of the Down Lo. It will be co-ed, teams of 4 (plus alternates), handicapped. It will be limited to just 8 teams, and 16 weeks. It will end the week before CMPL starts up again in October. The kicker? ALL of the entry fees/league dues will go into the prize pot - ALL OF IT! Crazy talk, I know, but it's true! The format will be similar to Thursday night league, but smaller. It will be the same 3-game format. The first 2 players play their matches, then a scotch doubles match, then the other 2 matches are played. More details will be coming soon. Contact Kevin as soon as possible if you want to play, especially if you have a team of four ready to go.

Congratulations again, and good luck to those top shooters. Don't forget about the party - June 20th, 1:00pm. Be sure to pass the word on to your teammates.

-Scott-

 Here's what happened in week #2 of the playoffs.

For the A-Trophy Playoffs:

Over at the Oasis the Outlaws took on the Oasis O-Team. The Outlaws won big 11-3. Russ got the first 2 for the O-Team, but it was all Outlaws the rest of the way. Izzy shot second and got all 3 against Brian V. Mike Brandt got 2 out of 3 against James V. Shawn Bell got all 3 against his boss, Stacy, in the 4th match. That made the score 9-3 at the break. In the 5th and final match, Ricky beat Joel 2-0 to get the Outlaws to 11 points and boost them further into the playoffs.

The other match took place at the Down Lo between the Damned and Duffy's Tavern. This match was pretty one-sided after the first four matches. Tony beat Baback 2-1. Then David Larabee got all 3 against Iced Cream. In the third match, Jason Jones got 2 out of 3 against Woot. At this point it was 7-2 Down Lo. In the 4th spot, Kevin Kinell came up big and started the momentum shift with a 2-1 win against Philo. That made it 8-4 Damned at the break. In the 5th spot, Prana kept the Duffy's pedal to the metal as he got all 3 against Rob C. Now it was 8-7. Steve Swim got 2 out of 3 against Satyr to tie the match at 9-9. It all came down to the final match - first one to two wins punches their team's ticket to the finals. We had a classic matchup of each team’s heroes from last week. Steve McGrill vs. Ed Theis. Ed got the first one, then Steve got the 2nd one. Now it was 10-10. In the last game Ed won to make the final score 11-10 Duffy's.

Those two teams (Outlaws and Duffy's) now go on to play each other in the Finals for all the marbles - June 4th, 7:00pm at the Oasis - table #1.

The losers of those two matches (O-Team and Damned) meat at the Oasis for the 3rd/4th place match on May 28th, 7:00pm.

 For the B-Trophy Playoff:

The #9 seed Eagles beat the Bankers 11-5 over at the Eagles Hall. David Napier got all 3 of his games, a bunch of others kicked in 2-1 victories.

The #11 seed Rack Pack beat the Empire pretty soundly, 11-6. Matt A. got all 3 of his games against Matt Vernoga, and Mike D. finished it off with 3 of his own against Empire Zach. 

Now the winners, The Eagles and The Rack Pack, move on to the championship to see who takes home the B-Trophy. That will happen at the Eagles on Thursday May 28th at 7:00pm.

The Charles Lintz Top Shooter Tournament is still on for June 11th at the Oasis, starting at 7:00pm.

The Pool Party is still on for June 20th at the Oasis, at 1:00pm, for all players and their significant others. NOT 3:00pm like some schedules erroneously state.

Good luck this week. It's time for Bar Playoff Crawl 2.0 for those not participating. Come join us!

-Scott-

Playoff Results - Week #1

Wow, what a crazy start to the playoffs! We had 3 of the 5 matches of the night end up in upsets, at least if you go by the final seedings.

The #1 Seed Oasis Outlaws were taking on their bar-brothers, the #8 seed Oasis Dragons. It was actually pretty back and forth in the first half. Kenny Duff got all 3 games against Krad, but then Kenny Smith came back and got 2 out of 3 from Gregg. Ricky then got all 3 for the Outlaws against Micah, but then Aaron Smith got 2 out of 3 against Bulldog. That made the score 8-4 at the break. These teams decided to do a beer frame and Mike and Kenny beat Jeff and Steve. In the fifth frame, Izzy kept the pattern intact by getting all 3 games off of Steve Hambeck to get his Outlaws to a victorious 11 points.

The #2 seed Oasis Bulldogs claimed the biggest upset of the week, or even in recent history. They were defeated by a very determined and unflappable #7 seed Duffy's Tavern in a super close and tense match. Chris Urbach got the Bulldogs started on the right foot with a 3-0 win over Ice Cream. The Bulldogs were feeling good, but it didn't last too long. In probably the most pivotal game of the night, the second match, Duffy's Evan Schuman (33% shooter) came out and won the first 2 of 3 matches against #6 ranked 74% Top Shooter Keith Whitworth. Dennis Bruch straightened things out with 2 wins against Woot. But Duffy's kept coming as Steve Swim got the first 2 out of 3 against the #5 Top Shooter Ty Kaye (52% vs. 74%). At the break it was a close 7-5 Bulldog lead. The two teams decided against a beer frame and continued the dramatic game. Prana shot 5th and got 2 out of 3 against captain Steve Smith to make it a slim 8-7 'Dogs lead. Paul Lampright was up next and he, too, won 2-1 against the highly ranked Brenon Williams (33% vs 63%). This made the score 9-8 in favor of the Oasis with one match-up to go. That final match-up was a battle of the Ed's, Bower vs. Theis - whoever got 2 out of 3 would win it for their club and knock the other out completely. Bowers got the first win to put the Bulldogs on the proverbial hill, 10-9. But Theis didn't quit and got the next one to tie it all up at 10-10. Ed, with the final break of the night, was able to pull it out and get the needed 2-1 win to put his team over the hill and an 11-10 'underdog' win, knocking the Bulldogs out and propelling Duffy's deeper into the playoffs. This was the third full-length, rare and exciting, 11-10 playoff match this post season.  

The #3 seed Playa's were also knocked out prematurely at the hands of their bar-mates, the #6 seed Down Lo Damned. Identical to the Outlaws/Dragons match, the teams traded punches in the first half. The Down Lo had more power punches, but the Damned stayed on their feet and fought back. Charles got all 3 from Tony, but Dave Larabee came back in the 2nd spot and beat Leland 2-1. Kevin Cibart was 3rd up and beat Goran 3-0 (one via an 8-ball break-and-run), but Philo came back and beat the Playa's Larry Hiller 2-1. So at the break, it was 8-4 Playa's. The teams decided against a beer frame and kept going. Stephen Wells started the comeback parade with a 2-1 win against Rusty, making the score 9-6 Playa's. Jason Jones followed suit and beat Jason Colabove 2-1, making the score 10-8 Playa's. It all came down to the final match of Damned's Steve McGrill vs. Playa's Dave Kaplan. Dave needed one, Steve needed all 3. Dave had the benefit of the 2 breaks, but Steve McGrill overcame the odds and swept the final match-up bringing the Damned a come-from-behind 11-10 victory and sending them on in the playoffs. It must have been an exciting match to watch - unfortunately everyone else was at the Oasis!

The final 'A' Trophy match-up was between the #4 seed Oasis O-Team and the #5 seed Down Lo Stickmen. The Stickmen were in search of another upset as they were up 5-4 after the first 3 matches. Cele beat Russ 2-1, Cal beat James 2-1, and Stacy beat Brian N. 2-1. But Scott said "Whoa, we can't have that!" and decided to lose all 3 games to Brian Vignon. Then Joel came up and shot lights-out against Brandon F. and got all 3 himself. This made it 10-5 going into the 6th frame. Mike Clarke needed one, Keith and the next shooter needed all 3 of their matches. Mike Clarke put the Stickmen out of their misery, very humanely, with a quick 1-0 win versus Keith. This ended the Stickmen's season officially after having their best regular season ever. They are still in search of their first 'A' Trophy playoff win. Rumor has it Scott's head is on the proverbial chopping block.

Over in the back corner at the Oasis, the #12 and #13 seeds were having their 'Wild Card' match to see who would continue on in the playoffs as the #12 seed and face the Eagles on May 21st. In an extremely close match, the two teams were tied at 6-6 after the first four matches. Charlie beat Jim W. 2-1 and Bob Cody (I presume) beat Richie 2-1. Then the Bankers came back and reversed the trend. Ken Fordis got 2 out 3 against Pops, and Mark Edwards beat Samoan Joe 2-1. Teams decided against a beer frame and battled on. Banker George beat Kent 2-1, and Russ A. beat Jonny 2-1 making the score 10-8 Bankers. Alligator Humper Kaz Singh needed to get all 3 for the Tackle Box to win, Barney needed one to have his team move on. Kaz went ahead, even with Barney having the break advantage, and got all 3 on the road to bring his team to a final score of 11-10. Only one problem - Kaz has only played in 3 or 4 nights during the season, and the minimum required to compete post-season is 6 nights (any combination of beer frame nights and/or match nights). This nullifies Kaz's match (and technically the whole team score) and results in a Banker's win.

So here's the schedule for the Playoffs this week (May 21st):

'A' Trophy: Week #2

#1 Seed Oasis Outlaws vs. #4 Seed Oasis O-Team, at the Oasis, Table 1, 7:00pm

#6 Seed Down Lo Damned vs. #7 Seed Duffy's Tavern, at the Down Lo, Table 10, 7:00pm

'B' Trophy: Week #2

#9 Seed Eagles vs. #12 Seed Oasis Bankers, at the Eagles, Table 1, 7:00pm

#10 Seed Empire Club vs #11 Seed Oasis Rack Pack, at the Empire, usual table, 7:00pm

Four matches, four different venues. Find the closest one and go down and cheer on your favorite team or player. The winners of each match will compete against each other (in their own trophy division) for the Championships on June 4th. The losers of the 'A' Trophy matches will play each other to determine 3rd and 4th place on May 28th. The losers in the 'B' Trophy matches will not play anymore, they are done of the season.

-Scott-

Okay, all the stats are in. I haven't heard any protests or reports of errors, so it is now considered final, for better or for worse. The team standings posted here on the website and posted at the Oasis (on Saturday) are up to the minute and final, as well as the top shooter list, both printed and posted here online. That leads us to the playoff schedule which starts this Thursday, May 14th. Here it is:

"A-Trophy" - Top 8 Seeds

#1 Seed Oasis Outlaws vs. #8 Seed Oasis Dragons, at the Oasis - Table #1, 5/14, 7:00pm

#2 Seed Oasis Bulldogs vs. #7 Seed Duffy's Tavern, at the Oasis - Table #2, 5/14, 7:00pm

#3 Seed Down Lo Playa's vs. #6 Seed Down Lo Damned, at the Down Lo - Table #10, 5/14, 7:00pm

#4 Seed Oasis O-Team vs, #5 Seed Down Lo Stickmen, at the Oasis - Table #3 or #4, 5/14, 7:00pm

"B-Trophy" - Seeds 9-13

"Wild Card" Match

#12 Seed Oasis Bankers vs. #13 Seed Tackle Box Alligator Humpers, at the Oasis - Table "0" (isolated table back in corner), 5/14, 7:00pm

Winner of the "Wild Card" Match will play the following week:

#9 Seed Eagles vs. #12 Seed Bankers/Tackle Box, at the Eagles, May 21st, 7:00pm

#10 Seed Empire vs. #11 Seed Oasis Rack Pack, at the Empire Club - 'usual' table, May 21st, 7:00pm

Because of the majority of the top seeded teams are from the Oasis, they have home field advantage, which leads to a very busy Oasis Bar & Grill on Thursday. Because the A-Trophy teams, in fairness, need to play on the normal tables (1,2, and 3 or 4), the B-Trophy match will happen on the secluded table in the back corner, table 'zero'. This means there will be very little practice tables available throughout the night. I highly recommend coming way early and practice on the table you are assigned that night.

The playoffs are a straight race to 11 points. No need to play past 11. As we discussed and agreed on back in October, the home team captain only needs to put one player up at a time, not the standard first four. The visitor captain follows suit with providing his match up player one at a time. Beer frames are optional - up to the captains and of course the paying (losing) bar owner. Might be a good idea to play a beer frame: you get to use more of your players, making a more fun night for everyone. Plus the players after the beer frame can get some practice. Captains need to decide this before the match starts, before 7:00pm. If it is not decided/discussed, then the default is no beer frame. Playoff beer frames do not apply towards the season's beer frame tracker and associated trophy. Yes, there will be a winner and a trophy for that...

Captains - please be more observant and diligent regarding rules and/or called infractions during the playoffs. Teams will be looking for any chance to get an advantage, and not knowing the rules, or not watching the procedings carefully, could result in valuable points and wins lost. Not knowing the rules does not count as an excuse, and is only doing your team disservice. That being said, we expect all in attendance (shooters, non-shooters, teammates, non-teammates, spectators) to be professional and sportsmanlike. Any infractions or disciplinary measures I need to take as the president will be enforced and penalized heavier during playoff matches - whether the penalty is handed out this year or next.

Oh yeah, have fun. It's the playoffs!

The Charles Lintz Top Shooter Tournament is around the corner in a few weeks and should be very exciting as well. Congrats to Kenny Duff and Leland as they ended in a tie for the #1 shooter during the season - a mesmerizing 83.3%. They will join the other 6 top shooters for the tournament on June 11th. Those 8 shooters and their position in the bracket will be decided by a blind draw, so their final standing will inevitably not necessarily matter. 

And regarding Wheeze's cue and the Craigslist ad (see the last post below), it was just a gag we (his teammates) played on him. His cue is safe and sound. I've had a few responses to help with the fundraising to get it back, as well as talking to the district attorney about it, but no need. Again, we were just messing with him. Thank you for your interest in helping this poor guy out, though! 

Good luck this week - I'll be at the Oasis this Thursday with everyone else, so if you have a question or concern, you know where to find me.

-Scott-