last sunday's tournament was one for the books-- 12 eager players! friends! friends of friends! and of course, our favorite bartender, jeff! incredible games, upsets, jump shots, you name it, it happened. and who won? this guy joel, who just showed up at the tournament for the first time last month and came back for more. per my new routine, i asked him a few questions upon his victory. here's how it went:

K: Hey Joel, congratulations! Where are you from and what do you do?
J: I'm originally from Hibbing, MN, a small mining town close to the Canadian border which burped out the likes of Bob Dylan and Kevin McHale. I'd been chasing acting gigs for a number of years, but am a temporary sellout because the economy sucks and I needed some benefits. I work in the legal department of Viacom, 51 stories above Times Square.

K: Where's your favorite place to shoot pool and why?
J: I like Amsterdam Billiards in the city. It's a nice size, and I just feel comfortable there. I've shot at R Bar in Greenpoint but increasingly I can be found at The Levee, shooting at balls while trying to mentally erase the sundial-like shadows that are coming off of them.

K: When did you start playing? Who are your mentors?
J: My dad bought a used full-size Brunswick table with about 900 lbs of slate in it when a local pool hall went out of business, so I started shooting with my older brothers as soon as I could see over the bumpers. I was a lot better at long shots and rail shots then, and held the cue over my head as I lined up the shot by looking down the under side of the cue.

K: Know any trick shots?
J: Trick shots? Like Dave's jumper in today's tournament? Nah. I like to break hard, and breathe a little sigh of relief every time I keep the cueball on the table.

K: Why do you love the Billiardsburg tournament?
J: The Billiardsburg tournament is my first real organized activity since moving to Brooklyn, I think. It's just a few stops down from where I live, happens at a convenient time, and gives me something to look forward to every third Sunday or so during those long months between football seasons.

K: Thanks, Joel. You're awesome!