Arizona Pool Scene www.azpoolscene.com
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Spotlight!
| Arizona Players "SPOTLIGHT" |
| March 2007 ~ Brandon Butler |
Question: Ok, let's get started. How long have you been in Arizona?
I have been living in Arizona since the fall of 2001. I originally moved here from Washington (state)
to go to school and hope to return to one of the colleges here this year.
Question: How old are you now and how long have you been playing pool?
I am currently 23... though by the time people read this I will likely be 24. I have been playing pool
for about 7 years now. I had fiddled around with it in years prior, but I had no idea what I was doing.
Question: Married, single, close, or what?
When I talk to my mother and she asks me if I am seeing anyone, I always tell her, with a smile, that
"I see everyone I look at..." In short, I'm single.
Question: What do you do for a living?
I recently changed jobs and am currently working full time in a warehouse for a DirectTV
installation company. Previous to that, I spent a couple years doing low-voltage electrical work.
Question: When did you first take an interest in pool?
I took a serious interest in pool when I was 18 starting my Senior year in highschool. Some buddies
of mine told me that they had 'discovered' the pool hall (unfortunately now closed) in downtown
Vancouver and that they were going to start going there every Friday after they got off of work. It
just sort of took off from there.
Question: What is your current rating?
I am currently an eight.
Question: Do you practice?
I don't get to practice in the way that I would like to, nor do I get much time to practice in any other
manner. I guess I sort of make up for that by thinking about pool throughout my day. It's not terribly
uncommon for my friends to point out to me that when I set my hand down it forms a bridge. I try to
get out at least once per week and shoot on a nine foot table; though that doesn't always happen.
So most of my practice ends up being primarily mental unless you count tournament and league
play as practice.
Question: How many tournaments do you play in a week?
If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said 4 or 5. I played the weekend evening
tournaments at Alexanders consistently and I usually went to Metro Sports to play the eight and
under tournament on the nine foot tables on Wednesday nights. If I had a night off of league on
Mondays, I would probably go and play the open tournament on the nine foot tables at Metro
Sports as well. We'll see how many tournaments I am able to play in given the schedule of my new
job.
Question: What's your thoughts on Arizona pool in general?
I like the availability of pool in Arizona. Back in the part of Washington that I am from, you pretty
much had to drive twenty-plus miles to play people you didn't know. I have heard great stories
from the years before I moved here and I hope that I'll have just as many stories of my own from
the years to come.
Question: What is the strongest part of your game?
Since I really seem to spend a lot of time playing in my head, I suppose my mental game would be
the strongest part of my game. More than anything else, I would consider the ability to keep my
'composure' while I wait for things to turn around in a match just isn't going my way.
Question: What about your most obvious weakness?
Safety Play. I used to be pretty good at it... and even now, I still have my moments.
Question: If you could pick anyone in the Valley to play with you in a high dollar scotch doubles
tournament, and the max rating was (18), who would you pick, and why?
That's a tough question. I have met a lot of great players and I feel I would be doing them all a
disservice if I only chose one or even a small handful. That said, I would probably choose one of
the few players who purposefully taught me a great deal when I still didn't really know what I was
doing. Dan de la Cruz, Brent Swanger, Kenny Zamora, or most recently Mitch Ellerman.
Question: What is your favorite pool game?
Even though I am not very good at it, I really enjoy one-pocket. I like that you can, and in some
instances have to, be creative with what shots you play and how you have to sometimes maneuver
entire portions of the table to gain advantages.
Question: What is your idea of the perfect tournament format?
I don't think I am qualified to answer this question. I've only been able to get out and play
tournaments for about three years now and I just don't think that I have seen enough to choose
(or even make up) an ideal tournament format. Let me put a few more years of pool under my belt
and I'll feel more confident to answer that one.
Question: What do you think is the hardest shot in pool?
I'm going to go with: The cue ball frozen to the front the nine ball with the eight ball straight in to a
pocket down table; in a hill-hill match.
Question: What is the biggest match you have ever been in?
I'm pretty sure my biggest match was this year at the Dust-off playing against Billy Palmer. I feel like
I could have won that match... I know I had opportunities to. But I know what I did wrong and I'll
learn what I need to do differently.
Question: Other than Scott Frost, who are the two best players in Arizona?
Once again, I don't know that with my current frame of reference I can really answer this question...
So be forewarned that I am probably going to 'sell short' a lot of phenominal players. Of the players
I have spent time around, I have been most impressed by Mitch Ellerman and Dan de la Cruz. I
could list off ten or so other players whos' games are nothing short of spectacular (by my
standards), but these two come to mind first.
Question: What is your favorite pool related memory?
I have a few that I could choose from, but the one that stuck out when this question came up
would have to be of the first tournament I played in at 'The Break' on Northern. I was rated a six at
the time and it was the first time that I let Stryder convince me to get into the side pot action. I
think I learned a lot about 'tournament etiquette' during that time. Especially when Stryder pointed
out that it is customary to compensate the director of the tournament, especially when they
convince you to risk a little money to nearly double what you otherwise would have won. I only
won around $80 but it was the first tournament I ever won. I've come a long way since then.
Question: What would be your one piece of advice, in regards to playing pool, to other players.
Relinquish feelings of disgust as quickly as they arise and take responsibility for the things that
happen when you are at the table. Only you can control what happens on the table when you are
shooting. (That's more like three things but I see them being more related than others might.)
Question: What is your favorite sport, excluding pool of course?
Golf and tennis are close runners behind pool for me. I play golf a little and have an appreciation
for the game (make no mistake, I don't claim to play well). With tennis I am mearly a spectator... but I
am amazed by what some of the players are able to do with the tennis ball (very much like pool).
Question: Do you have a message you would like to pass along to the pool world?
If you can realistically imagine something happening, you are probably capable of making it
happen. So don't sell your imagination short... just figure out how to make it work.
End .................... Thanks Brandon
I have been living in Arizona since the fall of 2001. I originally moved here from Washington (state)
to go to school and hope to return to one of the colleges here this year.
Question: How old are you now and how long have you been playing pool?
I am currently 23... though by the time people read this I will likely be 24. I have been playing pool
for about 7 years now. I had fiddled around with it in years prior, but I had no idea what I was doing.
Question: Married, single, close, or what?
When I talk to my mother and she asks me if I am seeing anyone, I always tell her, with a smile, that
"I see everyone I look at..." In short, I'm single.
Question: What do you do for a living?
I recently changed jobs and am currently working full time in a warehouse for a DirectTV
installation company. Previous to that, I spent a couple years doing low-voltage electrical work.
Question: When did you first take an interest in pool?
I took a serious interest in pool when I was 18 starting my Senior year in highschool. Some buddies
of mine told me that they had 'discovered' the pool hall (unfortunately now closed) in downtown
Vancouver and that they were going to start going there every Friday after they got off of work. It
just sort of took off from there.
Question: What is your current rating?
I am currently an eight.
Question: Do you practice?
I don't get to practice in the way that I would like to, nor do I get much time to practice in any other
manner. I guess I sort of make up for that by thinking about pool throughout my day. It's not terribly
uncommon for my friends to point out to me that when I set my hand down it forms a bridge. I try to
get out at least once per week and shoot on a nine foot table; though that doesn't always happen.
So most of my practice ends up being primarily mental unless you count tournament and league
play as practice.
Question: How many tournaments do you play in a week?
If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said 4 or 5. I played the weekend evening
tournaments at Alexanders consistently and I usually went to Metro Sports to play the eight and
under tournament on the nine foot tables on Wednesday nights. If I had a night off of league on
Mondays, I would probably go and play the open tournament on the nine foot tables at Metro
Sports as well. We'll see how many tournaments I am able to play in given the schedule of my new
job.
Question: What's your thoughts on Arizona pool in general?
I like the availability of pool in Arizona. Back in the part of Washington that I am from, you pretty
much had to drive twenty-plus miles to play people you didn't know. I have heard great stories
from the years before I moved here and I hope that I'll have just as many stories of my own from
the years to come.
Question: What is the strongest part of your game?
Since I really seem to spend a lot of time playing in my head, I suppose my mental game would be
the strongest part of my game. More than anything else, I would consider the ability to keep my
'composure' while I wait for things to turn around in a match just isn't going my way.
Question: What about your most obvious weakness?
Safety Play. I used to be pretty good at it... and even now, I still have my moments.
Question: If you could pick anyone in the Valley to play with you in a high dollar scotch doubles
tournament, and the max rating was (18), who would you pick, and why?
That's a tough question. I have met a lot of great players and I feel I would be doing them all a
disservice if I only chose one or even a small handful. That said, I would probably choose one of
the few players who purposefully taught me a great deal when I still didn't really know what I was
doing. Dan de la Cruz, Brent Swanger, Kenny Zamora, or most recently Mitch Ellerman.
Question: What is your favorite pool game?
Even though I am not very good at it, I really enjoy one-pocket. I like that you can, and in some
instances have to, be creative with what shots you play and how you have to sometimes maneuver
entire portions of the table to gain advantages.
Question: What is your idea of the perfect tournament format?
I don't think I am qualified to answer this question. I've only been able to get out and play
tournaments for about three years now and I just don't think that I have seen enough to choose
(or even make up) an ideal tournament format. Let me put a few more years of pool under my belt
and I'll feel more confident to answer that one.
Question: What do you think is the hardest shot in pool?
I'm going to go with: The cue ball frozen to the front the nine ball with the eight ball straight in to a
pocket down table; in a hill-hill match.
Question: What is the biggest match you have ever been in?
I'm pretty sure my biggest match was this year at the Dust-off playing against Billy Palmer. I feel like
I could have won that match... I know I had opportunities to. But I know what I did wrong and I'll
learn what I need to do differently.
Question: Other than Scott Frost, who are the two best players in Arizona?
Once again, I don't know that with my current frame of reference I can really answer this question...
So be forewarned that I am probably going to 'sell short' a lot of phenominal players. Of the players
I have spent time around, I have been most impressed by Mitch Ellerman and Dan de la Cruz. I
could list off ten or so other players whos' games are nothing short of spectacular (by my
standards), but these two come to mind first.
Question: What is your favorite pool related memory?
I have a few that I could choose from, but the one that stuck out when this question came up
would have to be of the first tournament I played in at 'The Break' on Northern. I was rated a six at
the time and it was the first time that I let Stryder convince me to get into the side pot action. I
think I learned a lot about 'tournament etiquette' during that time. Especially when Stryder pointed
out that it is customary to compensate the director of the tournament, especially when they
convince you to risk a little money to nearly double what you otherwise would have won. I only
won around $80 but it was the first tournament I ever won. I've come a long way since then.
Question: What would be your one piece of advice, in regards to playing pool, to other players.
Relinquish feelings of disgust as quickly as they arise and take responsibility for the things that
happen when you are at the table. Only you can control what happens on the table when you are
shooting. (That's more like three things but I see them being more related than others might.)
Question: What is your favorite sport, excluding pool of course?
Golf and tennis are close runners behind pool for me. I play golf a little and have an appreciation
for the game (make no mistake, I don't claim to play well). With tennis I am mearly a spectator... but I
am amazed by what some of the players are able to do with the tennis ball (very much like pool).
Question: Do you have a message you would like to pass along to the pool world?
If you can realistically imagine something happening, you are probably capable of making it
happen. So don't sell your imagination short... just figure out how to make it work.
End .................... Thanks Brandon
| Click Images to enlarge |
