PPB Travel Team (left to right): Steve Searl, Phelps L’Hommedieu, Gary Barlow, Joe Giammarino, Fred Dianda, Dominic Borland, Tom Barrett, and Ron Ridge.
Willie “The Wizzard” Foster, Iron Oaks Breakers Pool League’s Travel Team Coordinator from Sun Lakes (far right), handing over the Bronze Plaque to Dominic “The Doctor” Borland PPB Travel Team Captain, while Larry “CueStick” Stadler, president of The Iron Oaks Breakers Pool League (far left), and Joe “Fast Eddie” Giammarino, president of the PPB (second from left), and Gary “One Rail” Barlow, PPB Travel team co-captain, (center) look on.
Joseph F. Giammarino
On Friday, September 6, at 10 a.m., the Pool Players of The Brooke (PPB) travel team hosted the Iron Oaks Breakers Pool League from Sun Lakes, AZ for possession of a personalized Bronze Travel Plaque. Our teams consisted of: Dominic “The Doctor” Borland and Gary “One Rail” Barlow, Fred “The Baker” Dianda and Ron “Dbl07” Ridge, Joe “Fast Eddie” Giammarino and Steve Searl, and Tom “Blind Squirrel” Barrett and Phelps “Frenchfry” L’Hommidieu. Each of our teams will play 12 games total and play each of their teams three games with each game counting as one point for a total of 48 points.
Sun Lakes defeated our team back in March of 2017 to the tune of 30-18, and we have been waiting to get that Bronze Plaque back for over two years. Our teams all played very well and had winning records with the team of Dominic Borland and Gary Barlow having the best record at nine wins and three losses. We tied the first round with a six to six score. After the second round, the score was 13 to 11 with the PPB on top. In the third round, we extended our lead to 20 to 16. The final round we really got going ,and the final score ended up being 30–18 and we get to keep that Bronze Travel Plaque here in SaddleBrooke. We now have six Bronze Travel Plaques on our wall in the Catalina Recreation Center. A special thank you to Willie “The Wizzard” Foster, Larry “Cuestick” Stadler, and the rest of the team from Iron Oaks, you gentlemen are a fun, competitive group of pool players and very talented on the pool table.
Another thank you to our Travel Team Captain Dominic Borland and Co-Captain Gary Barlow for putting this challenge match together. We will find a nice spot on our wall for the Bronze Travel Plaque and mount it with pride. We also discussed another contest in the future.
Included in the Iron Oaks Breakers Pool League Travel Team was Rodney “Babe” Thompson whose team went nine to three during this match. That is half of Iron Oaks team’s total points. Babe was just elected to the Arizona Billiards Hall of Fame in 2019. It was an honor for all of the PPB members to have the opportunity to play against this Arizona Pool Legend. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Babe. Please see Babe’s induction announcement at azbhof.com.
After the match we all gathered at the RoadRunner Grill for a delicious lunch. Even though Larry Stadler’s French Toast came right around dinner time we had a great time visiting with these gentlemen. That is a good day! Rack ‘em up!