Black Widow Bitten in Pittsburgh

Black Widow Bitten in Pittsburgh By Mark Whiteside The way that the story is supposed to read, the female Black Widow spider lures the male of the species into her web, has her way with him, and then kills and eats him. Two players from Latrobe, PA, turned the tables on Jeannette Lee, pool’s “Black Widow” and most recognizable face, when she visited Shootz Café and Billiards on February 20, 2003, in support of Canadian Club Whisky’s annual amateur pool competition. InsidePOOL Magazine recalls an article in our May/June 2002 issue entitled “Canadian Club Sharp Shooter Challenge” that described last year’s individual 8-ball competition in Las Vegas for which Mike Davis of Watervliet, MI, received $5,000 and the chance to attempt making the 8 ball on the break for a $1,000,000 annuity that he came tantalizingly close to successfully accomplishing. It’s a year later, and again Jeannette Lee is traveling from regional site to regional site, entertaining players all over the country with her friendly rapport that has players eating out of her hand. The players who won in their local establishments were vying for prize packages that included trips to Las Vegas with air, hotel, and spending money provided for the winning two-person teams. Yes, this year the tournament will be contested in scotch doubles 8-ball. I’m very pleased to see that the tournament directors have chosen to play the event under BCA rules (WPA World Standardized Rules) this year, a positive step.
Six teams, one from each of six different regions of the country, will be participating in the national finals on April 12, 2003, at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, dubbed “The C.C. Vegas Showdown”, for some unbelievable prizes. The winning team will receive $10,000 per man and an opportunity to face Jeannette Lee in a best of three matches as scotch doubles partners playing against her as a single player. If they can beat her, and history has shown that she is beatable in these matches, the winning team will each receive a $250,000 annuity spread over 20 years. In addition, one of the two players will be given the opportunity to break one rack of 8-ball, and if he is successful, he and his partner will receive an additional $250,000 per man 20-year annuity. Between the two players, they have the potential of bringing $1,020,000 home, in addition to the thousands at which their prize package for winning the regional was valued. A crowd of several hundred crammed Shootz, waiting patiently in a long line to get Ms. Lee’s autograph and to have their picture taken with her as a keepsake. As she was doing this, the winners at the local level were competing for the trip to Las Vegas and the chance for all that money and also for the opportunity to play the WPBA star in front of their family and friends with a $1,000 bonus if they were able to beat her in a game of 8-ball. The veteran team of Don “Rainbow” Svidron and John “Red” Clopp worked their way through the bracket to win the regional prize package and trip to Vegas for the national tournament. As they caught their breath and contemplated the task before them, the effervescent Ms. Lee got the crowd rollicking with a part inspirational, part humorous, and definitely crowd-pleasing trick shot exhibition. She had the crowd roaring their approval whether her shot was successful or not, claiming that Shootz was in a known earthquake zone and therefore if one of her shots missed the pocket, it obviously must have been shifted by a tremor. Although I didn’t exactly buy that, since I’ve lived here for 26 years and haven’t felt a tremor yet, obviously most of the spectators must have believed her as they cheered wildly whether she made them or not. When the challenge match began, things quickly went against Ms. Lee. The Pennsylvanians got the high balls, leaving their opponent with several low balls that were in unfavorable positions. The guys got a little lucky in that respect, as they missed several times, giving up the table to their single opponent. Try as she might, the Black Widow was unable to dislodge her 6 ball from a spot near a rail with two stripes blocking its path to the pocket. She was able to glance off it on one attempt, but it remained tied up, keeping her from being able to clear the table. Ms. Lee missed a couple of shots in the middle portion of the game, and the veterans were finally able to secure the victory and a $1,000 cash bonus. Chalk one up for the amateurs!

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Inside Pool Magazine publishes billiard news. Definitive Synergy creates pool and billiard management software.