Congratulations to stop # 7 winners Ray McNamara ($1,000 – main event), Bob Darigis ($300 – second chance) & $1,900 Joss Cue raffle winner Gene Carey.
Stop # 8 of our 2022/2023 (26th) season will be held at Diamond Billiards Bar & Grill in Rochester NY on Sat. & Sun. Nov. 5 & 6. Diamond Billiards boasts all Diamond tables that will be used for our event, leagues and open play. There is also a full bar and kitchen to take care of all of our needs. Our generous host, Fran Imburgia deserves much thanks for hosting our event once again. So lets give Fran and Diamond Billiards Bar & Grill a warm Joss Tour welcome by coming out to play in or just watch another great 9-ball tournament. While you are there, you could even win a gorgeous, custom engraved, Joss Cue, valued at $1,900 in their raffle. Anyone can participate in the raffle and you do not have to be present to win!
For more info about Diamond Billiards, look them up at diamondbilliardsbarngrill.com or on Facebook or call them at 585-491-6261.
For those of you needing motel info, please call Diamond Billiards at 585-491-6261
This event at Diamond Billiards will consist of a $1,500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added second chance event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro level players eliminated from the main event on Saturday. All of our events are open to players of all skill levels. Our main event format remains true double elimination with races to 9 on the winners side and races to 7 on the one loss side.
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday November 5 Before 11:00 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-SHIRTS, TANKS, SHORTS OR SWEATS. Complete tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com
Please note that our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXXVI 9-Ball Open on January 5-8, 2023 is Full at 128 Paid players. If you would like to be put on the waiting list, please contact Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163. FYI, I am currently in negotiations for our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXXVII in the Summer of 2023. I will let everyone know when it is finalized and I will begin taking entries for that event at the January 2023 event and not before.
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize and promote the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support now more than ever!!
Thanks and I hope to see you all at Diamond Billiards.
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
It’s been a couple of years since the Western New York Pool Tour (WNYPT) has been in what could be described as full swing, or ‘stroke,’ if you prefer the pool analogy. Tour director Nick Brucato hasn’t been idle, but with children entering and proceeding through elementary school, his time was restricted somewhat, and what time he did have, he spent playing instead of organizing and directing tournaments. There have been a few here and there, unreported, over the past couple of years, but with a tournament held this past weekend, February 29, at Diamond Billiards Bar & Grill in Rochester, NY, Brucato is announcing the return, hopefully, the robust return of the Western New York Pool Tour.
“We’re going to start having two stops a month,” he said, literally still working on the precise schedule and sponsorships for the tour. “We’ll be back at Diamonds in Rochester in a couple of weeks.”
It’s perhaps fitting that this ‘return’ of the Western New York Tour was won by one of its strongest competitors, Dave Grau, who’s won a number of its stops over the year, while also competing and winning on the Joss Tour and a number of New England-based events. He won a Joss Tour stop in February last year and finished 9th at the 10th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open. His last recorded cash finish on the Western New York Tour came three years ago, when he finished as runner-up to Nick Brucato. They almost met in the finals at this most recent event; almost, as in . . . Brucato came from the loss side and was defeated by Grau in the semifinals. Grau and hot seat occupant, Jake Miosi, played a single deciding-game final, won by Grau.
The worked their way through the short field, facing two opponents to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal. Grau downed Dan Miosi 6-1 and survived a double hill fight against Geoff Montgomery to draw Qais Kolee in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Miosi opened with a double hill win over Fran Imburgia and then, shut out Brucato to pick up Sourith Thammavong in the other winners’ side semifinal.
With something of a pattern emerging, Miosi followed his double hill win and shutout with a second double hill win, over Thammavong. Grau sent Kolee to the loss side 6-3. Miosi broke the pattern with a 6-4 win over Grau to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Thammavong picked up Montgomery, who, following his defeat at the hands of Grau, chalked up loss side wins over Fran Imburgia 4-1 and a double hill win over Sean Zen. Kolee got Brucato, who was working on a modest two-match, loss-side streak in which he’d given up only a single rack; giving up none to Cory Welfare and the one, to Nick Cappolla.
Thammavong downed Montgomery 4-1, as Brucato gave up more racks in his third loss-side match than he’d given up against his previous two opponents combined. Kolee battled him to double hill, but Brucato prevailed, advancing to the quarterfinals and then, downing Thammavong 4-2.
Grau and Brucato battled to a somewhat predictable double hill juncture before Grau prevailed for a second shot at Miosi in the hot seat. It was decided that their second meetup would be a single game for the title. Grau won it to claim the first WNYPT pool title in quite a while.
Brucato thanked Diamond Billiard owners Fran and Jeremiah Imburgia and Cinder Ziegler and the staff for their hospitality. Stay tuned to these spaces for information about upcoming events on the tour and its sponsors.
A Special Added Event ,Stop # 6.5 of our 2019/2020 season will be held at Diamond Billiards Bar & Grill in Rochester. This event was added after our schedules were printed but all info can be found at joss9balltour.com Diamond Billiards boasts all Diamond tables by way of 8 nine footers and 12 seven footers. There is also a full bar and kitchen to take care of all of our needs. Our generous host, Fran Imburgia deserves much thanks for hosting our event. So lets give Diamomd Billiards Bar & Grill a warm Joss Tour welcome by coming out to play in or just watch another great 9-ball tournament. While you are there, you could even win a gorgeous, custom engraved, Joss Cue, valued at $1,600 in the raffle. Anyone can participate in the raffle and you do not have to be present to win! This beautiful cue can be viewed here: https://josscues.com/product/joss-northeast-9-ball-tour-cue-model-2019-20/
There will be a free live stream on Facebook of this event provided my Mike Pool of Billiard Net TV. There will also be an upgrade option on billiardnet.tv
For more info about Diamond Billiards, look them up on Facebook or call them at 585-491-6261.
For those of you needing motel info, please call Diamond Billiards at 585-491-6261
This event Diamond Billiards will consist of a $1500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added second chance event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro level players eliminated from the main event on Saturday. All of our events are open to players of all skill levels. Please remember that all of our billiard parlor events are now races 9 on the winners side and races to 7 on the one loss side.
Those coming to play must arrive on Saturday Nov. 2, Before 11:30 AM in proper dress of No t-shirts, tanks, sweats or shorts!! Clean Jeans and sneakers and a shirt with a collar work just fine for our billiard parlor events. Complete tour info can be found on our site: www.joss9balltour.com
Also, our third "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships" will be held at Sharp Shooters on January 25, 2020. There will once again be 2 divisions. 18 & under and 12 and under. For more info, please contact Mike Zuglan immediately at 518-356-7163 for entry information. Please contact Mike if you would like to donate any items to be given away at the event.
Please note that our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXXIII 9-Ball Open on January 9 – 12, 2020 is Full at 128 Paid players. If you would like to be put on the waiting list, please contact Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize and promote the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support!!
Thanks and I hope to see you all at Diamond Billiards.
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Ron Casanzio went undefeated, while Mike Wishwanick came from the loss side, and benefited from a forfeit in the finals of a two-event stop on the Western New York Tour, held on Saturday, August 8. Casanzio's victory was in a 9-Ball Open-Pro event that drew 14 entrants, while Wishwanick competed in an 8-Ball Amateur event that drew 15, both to Eastridge Billiards in Rochester, NY.
Casanzio's five-match march to the Open-Pro 9-Ball winners' circle went through Tour Director Nick Brucato twice. They met first in the hot seat match. Casanzio had sent Dave Dreidel to the loss side 6-2, while Brucato defeated Wishwanick 6-1. Casanzio and Brucato locked up in a double hill battle that eventually sent Brucato to the loss side, leaving Casanzio in the hot seat.
On the loss side, every match played from the 9/12 slots to the semifinals finished with a 4-2 score. Dreidel joined up in the 5/6 slots and picked up Kyle Bova, recent winner over Dan Veinot and Dave Johnson. Wishwanick drew Jerry Sullivan, who'd eliminated Tracy Rothe and Ro Kam. Wishwanick took the quarterfinals over Dreidel (they would later be finalists in the 8-Ball event), but was eliminated by Brucato in the semifinals.
Fortunes were reversed somewhat in the finals. Casanzio and Brucato had fought a double hill, hot seat match, but the finals were a bit of a rout. Casanzio gave up only a single rack to complete his undefeated day and claim the 9-Ball Open-Pro title.
In the 8-Ball event, the eventual winner (Wishwanick) was sent to the loss side in the opening round by Jerry Sullivan, who advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Dreidel. Ro Kam, in the meantime, squared off against Andrew Bellimeo. Dreidel downed Sullivan 3-1 and in the hot seat match, squared off against Kam, who'd defeated Bellimeo 3-2. Dreidel's final match of the dual tournaments saw him claim the hot seat from Kam 3-1. An injury to his teenage daughter (reportedly serious, but not life threatening) forced him to leave the tournament early, which would eventually lead to Wishwanick's claiming of the event title.
On the loss side, Wishwanick was on a six-match winning streak that would eventually earn him that title. He shut out Dave Johnson and gave up just a single rack to Tom Cronin, which set him up for a re-match against Sullivan. Bellimeo drew Fran Imburgia, who'd eliminated Shane Longest and Charlie Kelly, both 3-1.
Wishwanick succesfully navigated his re-match against Sullivan, winning it 3-1, as Imburgia downed Bellimeo 3-2. Wishwanick finished Imburgia 3-1 in the quarterfinals, and in what proved to be his last hurdle, defeated Kam in the semifinals 3-1. Dreidel had left at that point, and the event title went to Wishwanick.
Dave Grau advanced to the hot seat and stopped a loss-side bid by Rick Cicottie to win the Sunday, May 12 stop on the Western New York Tour. The event, initially divided into A and B players, drew 16 entrants to Camelot Billiards in Rochester, NY.
Grau met up with Terry Bulman among the winners' side final four, as Fran Imburgia, who'd just sent Cicottie to the loss side, faced off against Jerry Sullivan. Grau defeated Bulman 8-3, as Imburgia traveled west on the heels of a 4-3 victory by Sullivan. Grau got into the hot seat, giving up only a single rack to Sullivan and waited on Cicottie's return.
Cicottie, in the meantime, started back with a 4-3 win over Sunny Kemp, and followed it with a 4-2 victory over Melissa Vsitek, which set him up for a re-match against Imburgia. Bulman drew T. Tamavoughn, who'd gotten by tour director Nick Brucato 7-2 and Marc Creamer 6-4. Cicottie successfully wreaked his vengeance on Imburgia, defeating him 4-2, and was met in the quarterfinals by Bulman, who'd eliminated Tamavoughn 6-5.
Cicottie completed his five-match, loss-side run with a 5-3 victory over Bulman in the quarterfinals and a 4-3 win over Sullivan in the semifinals. At that point, nearly 2 a.m., Grau and Cicottie opted out of a final match and split the top two prizes, with Grau, in the hot seat, declared the official winner.
Congratulations to stop # 7 winners Ray McNamara ($1,000 – main event), Bob Darigis ($300 – second chance) & $1,900 Joss Cue raffle winner Gene Carey.
