Quote o' the Day: John Schmidt (OT)(Update)

"People ask me if I have groupies. Oh, I've got 'em. They're all sixty-year-old men with chili stains on their shirts, but I've got 'em."

—Pool player John Schmidt, the Roger Maris of pool, who in 2019 broke Willie Mosconi's longstanding record from 1954 for the highest run of all time in straight pool

Thought that was funny. That's pool for you.

Speaking of pool, the carpet/rug is in:

It's a remnant of commercial carpet but it has variegated greens and browns and is quite handsome. And according to Billy the carpet guy "wears like iron."

And this doesn't look like much, but we (the seller and I) successfully dismantled half the pool table yesterday and got it moved here!

To me it's a sight for sore eyes.

What a Christmas!

Mike

UPDATE the day after Christmas:

The rest of the table successfully moved! All thanks to clan Gordon, from whom I was lucky enough to buy this.

That's the frame leaning up against the wall, and the lined slates stacked behind Butters. Now I wait for the mechanic to arrive to set it all up.

P.S. If you're not a pool fan but you're feeling deprived of sports and would like to watch something new over the holidays, here's a choice pool match, newly uploaded. It's a fun one. Between Ko Pin-Yi of Taiwan (ROC) and Jayson Shaw of Scotland. Avoid reading any comments before you watch it.

...And by the way, my pool teacher is sitting behind the McDermott sign in this video—the older gentleman with the jacket and bright pool-themed tie.

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Book of interest this week:

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St Clair
(clicking on the links above takes you to Amazon)

From The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Malcolm Leader: "Since I live fairly remotely and my wife has no interest in pool, I practice a lot by myself. I put in a nice sound system and I find playing and listening make for a very relaxing experience. Talk to the installer about things like re-leveling. It really isn't that hard and you really only need to do it about a month after setting that table on the carpet and then about once a year. If you notice straight shots going awry, time to re-level. I keep a pristine four-foot level nearby. Have fun!"

Mike replies: It's the same for me. I suspect it's like what some people do when they "vegg out" in front of the TV or get lost in video games—"contented distraction," we might call it. It's a way to turn my mind off and relax.

And the experience is just as good when it's shared—when I play with friends.

Comments

[Robert Roaldi]

Is it ok to place a pool table on a rug? No chance of unevenness?

[Well, you might not want to put it on a thick rug with a heavy pad, because it might settle over a few days or weeks and you'd have to call the mechanic back to re-level it which could be a pain. Unless you can do it yourself. But generally, rugs are fine. This carpet is so thin there's unlikely to be any problem. My problem will more likely be the structure itself. It's possible that will settle and I'll have to adjust the level. But the legs on my table are adjustable so it's possible I could adjust it myself if any problem develops. --Mike]

[Jim Freeman]

Will you have a mechanic reassemble the table?

[Yes. They're coming on January 11th. Can't wait! --Mike]

[Dan]

Is it a one piece slate table? When I was working at the Montgomery Ward in Iowa City, IA in the late '70s while attending the U there, I sold the Wards pool tables with a three piece slate and then made some extra money on the side assembling the pool tables. The three piece slate gave people a home table advantage for sure.

[Gavin Paterson]

The most impressive full sized billiards/snooker room and table I ever saw was in a Victorian-era (pre 1900) holiday house in Leura, a mountain village in the Blue Mountains, two hours west of Sydney, Australia. Six table legs each rested upon a tier of bricks that protruded through the wooden floor, each capped with a slab of marble! Whoever set it up really enjoyed the game. The room itself was vast, no problem with awkward, cramped strokes.