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5.31.2003...This
was a great night for billiards and the lucky people of
Cambridge, Maryland. Great
Slates, at 738 Cambridge Plaza on Route 50, brought to you by
John Moody opened its doors to over one thousand people
throughout the day and night.
There were over for 400 attending the opening ceremonies
of the grandest "eatertainment" facility of
them all. Let me educate you all a little on the meaning
of what a full scale entertainment facility should be, as Great
Slates exhibits all the symptoms of the true definition. Capable
of entertaining 700, over 100 tv’s, Great Slates is a sight to
be seen.
The
day started off with Earl Strickland, unprecedented 5 time US
Open winner, current World Champion and winner of two of that coveted
title and Allen Hopkins, US Open Champion times two, and US Open
Straight Pool Champion, numerous other titles and
ambassador of the game starting out with a nice repertoire of
trick shots. The
billiard area is 6,000 sq" feet and has 14 Gabriels Vector
4 ½’ X 9’ tables and 4 Gabriels bar tables
@ 3 ½’x 7’. This area is separated into two rooms.
The back room has 6 tables, an elevated viewing area for
spectators, and booths for dining as well. For those of
you that are familiar with tables, this one is the best there
is. All I can say is that this table is an engineering
feat. It looks to me like every complaint ever brought up
by table mechanic’s has been addressed by this table
manufacturer. It is truly a great table. Next on the
agenda was Allen’s favorite game straight pool! They
played a game to a hundred points. With Earl winning
and the score at 25-20, Earl scratched, and Allen ran 80 and
out. Nice game. They went on to do challenge matches for
the Make-a-wish foundation. Attendees coughed up $10-
each to have a chance at beating these two great players,
myself included. I got pounded a few times, and that was
that. The day session brought in $400- for the charity
event. At six o'clock, we broke for a dinner break in
the "eatertainment" side of this fabulous
facility, capable of seating over 300, with 10,000 sq' feet dedicated for
dining, dancing, and live music.
The crab dishes were superb, and if your tastes vary,
there is something for everyone, from appetizers to complete
meals. You can
order anything from finger food on up to a filet mignon, and the
Bailey's Chocolate eclair was big enough to make a hungry group
happy!!! It was literally a foot long! Great Slates
also has a custom stage built for handling the sounds of
the best bands the East Coast has to offer. There are also 5
Gabriels bar tables @ 3 ½’ x 7’on the dining/lounge/live
band/dancing side.
At seven
o'clock, the focus switched back to the exhibition.
Allen and Earl played 9-ball race to 11, with the final
score being Earl 11-8 Allen. Needless to
say, there was some great shooting going on for these two
champions. When the
9-ball was over, the two champions went back to the Make-A-Wish
charity challenge matches.
The total brought in for the day and night sessions for
the Make-a-wish Foundation was $1100-. Earl and
Allen offered videos, pictures and autographs to any diehard
pool fans, and a everyone had a great time.
To top all this off,
adjoining Great Slates is the Cambridge Turf Club, a 10,000 sq'
off-track betting facility, with two 100 foot long tv’s,
featuring the Meadowlands and any other facility that is running
races. The Turf
Club also has a full service lounge, and cocktail waitresses
serving food from Great Slates.
To the Turf Club’s credit, it also has segregated
smoking areas for smoker’s and non-smokers comfort alike.
To make it convenient, the two facilities are connected
by and a convenient passageway back and forth.
When asked about the
opening ceremonies, the owner John Moody said "I was thrilled
to have Allen and Earl part of the opening. I found it
uplifting and stimulating, and it was fantastic fans showed up
by the hundreds today to support pool. I would like to
thank everyone, and am looking forward to my 10th anniversary of
my two pool room’s and having the US Open warm-up in September
here at Great Slates. This
facility is everything anyone would want to have a great
tournament and have a great time. Having the Hyatt Regency
next door, along with the 18-hole PGA golf course on the Choptank
River, only enhances your entertainment experience."
After
the exhibition/challenge matches, the play went on with
Allen Hopkins playing in a friendly game with John Moody &
Sonny Roton, with Earl Strickland and myself playing a race
to 9. Naturally, it was another pounding.
I
would like to add that after traveling coast-to-coast, Canada to
Mexico, it is this author's feeling that Great Slates is the
finest billiard establishment ever experienced!
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