Billiards
The crack of the balls sent a chill up my spine. My brother, Amos, let out a great sigh as balls flew all over the table. None went in a pocket. His disappointment was evident as he hung his head. Sitting on that green felt, I knew I would have to move because my father was up next. He can play pool better than anyone I know. Those hazel eyes of his gleamed as he eyed the eight ball. His 21-ounce pool stick became a part of him as he lined up a shot. He called the corner pocket. I thought the shot was impossible, but I knew that if anyone could sink the shot, he was the guy. The pool stick moved back slowly and my father tapped the cue ball. The cue ball's backwards motion mesmerized me as the white blur went sailing towards the ball and drove it straight into the corner pocket; my father had won again. Billiards has been a part of my life since I was young. My grandma had a pool table in her basement. She used the table for her laundry, but she would always clean it off when she knew her grandkids were coming over. I've always wondered about the origin of billiards and its background. I consulted one book, Sports and Pastimes Through the Ages, that told me that billiards " . . . belonged to the out-o
Many different versions of billiards exist. The most popular version in the United States is pool, or pocket billiards. Twenty-four different kinds of pool games exist, the most popular being eight ball. Eight ball is played in homes, clubs, and taverns. Straight pool was the version used in tournament play during the first half of the twentieth century. Nine ball began to take over because of its wider appeal to a large audience. Brandy Liebeknecht, an aficionado of pool, said, "Pool provides me with an outlet that combines good times and competition." According to Funk & Wagnalls, " . . . billiards is second only to bowling as a competitive sport." The game has one cue ball and fifteen balls of varying colors that are classified as solids (one through seven), the eight ball, or stripes (nine through fifteen). Carom is another popular variation of billiards. This adaptation was popular in the United States pre-World War 1. The game is still popular in Europe, Latin American, and Asia. Two cue balls, one for each player, and one or two red object balls are used. According to Funk & Wagnalls, " . . . Raymond Ceulemans of Belgium, who has won the world title seventeen times since 1962 is considered the best player of all time." Snooker is another form of billiards. According to Sports and Pastimes Through the Ages, "In 1875 a young army officer in India suggested adding more colored balls with different values to one of the 'pool' games played on a billiard table, more or less as a joke, . . ." Since the men playing were all beginning players at the new sport someone suggested the name snooker. At that time, snooker was a slang term for a young cadet in the military. Snooker caught on and is most popular in Great Britain. Twenty-two balls are used: fifteen red balls, six balls with numbers two t
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1228
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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