Mika's Blog

News flash: I won a tournament!

2011-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

It's not really a laughing matter or maybe it is? It wasn't anything major but nevertheless, even the small victories count sometimes when you look back.

I think I can honestly say that some of my recent form is contributed to me starting to give some lessons again. It's ironic that I was kinda forced to do it in the lack of recent success. I It has simply made me re-evaluate my own form or at least just subconsciously go through the correct pre-shot, the shot itself and post-shot routine. awareness is a good thing. When it comes to analyzing a situation, there is no way we could give ourselves too much information about the shot. The brain does have an amazing capacity to process information. I think the post-shot routine, for example, is often overlooked. This is a really bad mistake.

Also, demanding the very best of yourself is important. I don't mean to say you wouldn't try your best at all times, it's just that a lot of players think they a play position into an area. Wrong. You must pinpoint your position exactly. Like a needle, if you will. This allows for so many things. I will get into that later, but first pre-shot:

You look at the situation: The questions you ask yourself: What is the right shot? What is the easiest most effortless way I can play position? (Best yet, can I play it with center of the vertical line of the cue ball?-this being always the most accurate way of delivering the shot). Visualize the different outcomes. Sometimes you do have to take a tougher shot to earn an overall easier run-out. Then it would have to be the right shot. Once decided, visualize again and PINPOINT(PP) your position(including where the the cue ball bounces of the rail(s), if any.). Of course at this point some of you may be thinking " I can't do that???". Well, It's normal. but if you don't do it, you have a very cloudy perception of the aftermath.

Benefits of PP when doing the post-shot routine:
1. How was my speed? 2.How well did I analyze the speed of the rails? 3. Did I make the ball in the center of the pocket? -because if not, it will result in a different position than intended, assuming that we generally aim for the center of the pocket A.K.A "the heart of the pocket". 4. How well am I adapting to the friction of the cloth?

The difference between good players and great players sometimes simply the ability to quickly read the table and adapt to the situation. But doing these routines will get you towards greatness quicker than the other way. Regardless of what goals you set for yourself.

It's important to understand: The cue ball does not lie. Use the information given. PP.

Quick addition: Cue ball doesn't lie=Cue ball will give you very accurate information about everything that happened. Read the cue ball feedback! Be the cue ball!

By the way, wish me luck at the ALL JAPAN CHAMPIONSHIPS!

From Osaka sincerely yours,

-ICEMAN-

Coming to life

2011-10-03T02:32:00.001-07:00

It's been a while. Way too long, in fact. I guess you could say I got tired of giving excuses why I wasn't winning or what I needed to do in order to start winning again. On the other hand part of it was just venting out. I don't really ever plan what I am going to write, I just have to sit my butt down in front of the computer and start typing away. My thoughts can be a bit scattered at first and therefore I might have to swap the order of chapters but that's pretty much it. Just wing it, right?

Good news is that I feel like I am playing good again. But it wasn't easy to get back into it. It was a lot of anxious moments and in the end just pure sweat. By this I mean just getting back on the road and the treadmill. How silly of me. My original breakthrough was really a combination of physical & mental strength combined with lots of hours on the pool table as well. This time I ran every day for two weeks straight. Lost my spare tire in the process.

Ok, I didn't win. I lost to Orcollo in the finals of the Predator International in Manila 10-8. But I had him. 5-2, then a bad position resulting to a missed ball turned the tide and he was able to come back in the match. But I am still happy I put myself in the position to win. Normally I do play better in the finals, but let's say I haven't been in the finals in a while. Well, since March when I won the Masters 10-Ball in Virginia VS Ralf Souquet.

I also want to take this moment to thank my family and friends who always believed in me and continue to do so. Without the love from them life is meaningless anyway. That sounds a bit dramatic maybe but after dominating for two years a 5-month drought can be a little much. hehehe.

Talk to you soon(er)

--
Mika Immonen
World Champion x 2
US.Open Champion x 2
+1 917 434 3324
+358 40 5882268

Brunswick ICEMAN Open

2011-07-15T23:08:00.001-07:00

The tournament in question was held Jyväskylä- it's a small quaint town about three hours north of Helsinki by car.

I had been invited to go there by Joonas Ohtonen. A Finnish 9-ball champion in his own right and one of the partners of Players- Pool Hall.

Players features 8 Tournament Edition Brunswick Metro tables and a nice bar area. It's right downtown Jyväskylä.

I have to admit it was the first time I played in a tournament named after my nickname "ICEMAN". so it was an extra incentive to win.

The feature table had live streaming the entire tournament as well as one-on-one interviews from players between matches.

I managed to play up to par and racked up an impressive winning ratio. About 40 won racks to 10 racks scored against me.

My toughest match was the first match on Saturday it went hill-hill. Well, also the semi was tough because I had to play my twin brother Kari. Its not easy to form killer instinct against your "own blood". Other than that I thought I played a dominant game. The Finalist, Salomaa showed some nervousness in the beginning of the match and I retaliated mercilessly every time. Score 7-3 and trophy goes home.

Thanks to Players again for a great tournament I'll be sure to come back.

Thanks to all the fans as well.

( Olishan sen voinut ehkä suomeksikin kirjoittaa, mutta on liikaa kansainvälistä porukkaa jotka lukee tätä blogia. Jep jep. Palataan. )

Thank you = Kiitos

;-)

-ICEMAN-

Through the rubble of the struggle

2011-06-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

- I have decided to share an image from which I will draw inpriration:

I know the slump will end sooner or later. I am dedicated to work hard at it. I really have to commit. I know is that I really have to go back to my foundation, my roots. The grassroot level of playing. Maybe even watch some old videos of myself running out. You know, like back to the times where there was no doubt.

I never thought of losing, but now that it' s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.
-Muhammad Ali

That was probably Ali's most humble moment. You cannot learn humility without actually losing. Then there is the other Ali: "If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize."

As far as he thought, humble people never get very far in life. I personally think that you have to have certain amount of it to keep yourself in check, keep working at the different elements of the game. Same applies to any other sport or life in general.

But we all have our "Ali" moments, That's something we can reach for. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to be the greatest.

Reflections of the moment

2011-04-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Reflections.

I'm tired of losing. It stinks. While I'm at it, I might as well share my thoughts with you. Ok, so what? Nobody cares? Good. The change has to come from within yourself. Like sometimes you think you have to actually perform a circus act to turn the tide. I do feel that way...but when that does happen, don't let go. Just control it. If any of you ever saw he movie "The Hustler", you'll know what I'm talking about. No, it's not about hustling, it's about passion. Fast Eddie Felson, right? RIP Paul Newman. If you knew Goerge San Souci you might have an idea too. RIP "Ginky".

Hey, it's not like I am in a slump but basically, as one of my life mantras, I tend to go back to the grassroots and ask myself: "What got you here? When were you the most happiest?". -- Then stick with it. Whether it is your job, your friends, your unique skills. Don't ever take them for granted. Specially the loved ones closest to you.

Anything you love to do, you'll eventually make it. I love pool. Like the simplicity of billiards balls colliding into each other, trying to judge their speed thereafter and guessing where they all land. OK maybe it's not always simple, but I aim to learn something everyday. If it's not about pool, it's about my own actions and how they affect people around me. I aim to live a good life, yet- win without hindering other peoples chances to do the same.

Respect all, fear none.

Like I said, I'm just rambling, but some times you can look back to something and say: "Hey, that makes sense!"

Let's all commit to ourselves in being the best that we can be. Don't ever let go of the reins.

-ICEMAN-

Happy Easter

2011-04-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

Oh, the Islands of the islands of Philippines. Read: sigh

I just back from a Beautiful one. Namely Bohol. (passed by Cebu too on the way which is great too) On Monday I had lunch on a river raft, then went to see the "Chocolate Hills". After that I saw the tiny fist-size(small fist) Tarsier monkeys. Sooo cute. I then had a great dinner fresh seafood by the beach.

Tuesday I was at an organic food lunch at a beefarm. I just stuffed my face with edible flowers of which you have a sample above- Easter colors in your face, If you will?

I am back in Manila for the rest of the public holiday. The absence of the masses of people here is Eerie. Most Filipinos plan to go their provinces specially for the Holy Week. I, on the other hand, have to get back to the drawing board so I can crank out more money in the upcoming tournament and maintain this ridiculous lifestyle. Practice, practice. And...practice. I'm not sure if I am trying to convince you or myself? Hehehe

Yours truly,

-ICEMAN-

Breakfast

2011-04-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

Toast 7-grain with Goat cheese, maple syrup, bacon and strawberry. My variation of a French toast, if you will. A real rush that jump-starts the day of travel.

I just made my way back from Montreal yesterday and off to Manila today. In and out of Manhattan.

Montreal was a real treat. I love the enthusiasm of people towards pool. Like there is a real craving for watching and learning pool. The grandmaster Alain Martel along with his Promotions right hand Danny Dagenais took good care of me. Next time I hope to stay longer.

So it was one night pit stop in Manhattan. Just in time to celebrate my buddy Tony Robles' Birthday. It was fun to see the crew at Amsterdam Billiard Club. Next time I will see most of them will be in Vegas about 5 weeks from now.

Talk about jet-setting huh.

Hey, I did put that maple syrup into use right away.

Happy Spring!

-ICEMAN-

Masters 10-ball Chesapeake.

2011-03-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Before going to the Masters I had a let-down in Fujairah, the world 8-ball championships. I had just finished two great matches VS Muratore and defending champ Boyes, running 15 racks of 8-ball in a row between the end of the 1st one and out of the gate in the next. Yet in the final 16's match against Engert I just could not get started. I felt like it ended abrubtly. I had more to prove. I wanted a title badly. So I just had to brush the defeat off and stick to my guns.

I knew I was doing something right. My break had improved. Specially in 8-ball and 10-ball the preferred break is from the "box", which is anywhere from the middle inside the first diamonds' width. Now i just had to fade the jet-lag from UAE and start preparing for VA.

I stayed focused. And I stayed on the winners side. In the later rounds of the Masters my toughest match was against Strickland. I managed to squeak away with a 8-7 win. Then I just played two dominating games back to back against Ralf Souquet and Mike Davis in the hot seat match. 8-3 and 8-1. So going into the finals (Against Ralf again) I rather just wanted to be well rested. It worked and I was able to pull away slowly. I made some tough runs and beat Ralf in the safety battles. I won the match 10-4, respectively.

There is something magical about the Chesapeake Conference Center for me. For the last 4 majors I won three and finished 3rd in the one I didn't win. I guess ever since 2008 I was able to abolish the ghosts of the loss in the 2001 US OPEN final I have been able to bring it.

It's been a while since I felt this good. Although it was only a 60-player field it was packed with strong talent. It's definitely a nice beginning of the year and good to be in form since there are so many majors coming up.

I hope to share some more good news soon,

Yours truly,

-ICEMAN-

PS. Check out my new website and let me know what you think? www.mikaimmonen.com

Also, check out the related article in NYC Grind: http://nycgrind.com/?p=14136

New Year-what's in your agenda?

2011-01-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to thank the fans for helping us as a team to win the Mosconi-cup. The atmosphere was something incomparable. It was literally like a football game. The songs, chants -some customized for a particular player- were awesome.
It goes to show how important the home-court was there at York Hall. Again, I can't thank you fans enough. You
get a lot of credit for our victory. I am sorry if I failed to address that in my earlier blog.

Also, I would like to express how special it was to have all of my siblings(5) there to witness it all. Thank you all so much.

So what's next? Ok, let's hold the horses a bit. I am still on holiday. But it certainly doesn't hurt to make goals.

Ok, how about getting back on the number 1 spot in the world? It's funny, I was really dominating for a couple of seasons but then due to a bad first part of 2010 and the fact that WPA decided to erase all history except last years points put my somewhere in the 30's. So instead of their traditional style of counting the last 8 majors they went down to 3. I have no idea why. Someone shed some light here?

Anyways, I think the Billiards Digest power index is a much better way of showing the players the position they deserve. WPA points events are partial. They do not even give points for the US.OPEN which is the biggest event of the year.

Ok so regardless, I am going to fight my way to the top. It's a matter of hard work and strong heart. Heart I have. How about work ethics? Well, it's useless to convince you or myself now. Actions speak louder than words.

So let's all make some New Years resolutions and go kick some butt. Start from within.

-ICEMAN-

Big Day

2010-12-13T17:40:00.001-08:00

Dear all,

I know you are probably expecting a picture with the trophies and all the hoopla from the

York Hall right after the victory was secured, but I decided to start with something that

gives you an idea of our morning of the final day. This, like all the other mornings that week

was a casual gathering of a group of individuals with a lot of heart -- getting ready for battle.

I am amazed yet again how Johan was able to bring us together in this precious event that

has become a career-must for any serious pool player. He is practical, sensible, a good listener.

But he also has strong conviction in the things that he believes in. It is easy to follow

him. Everybody has tremendous respect for him for his charismatic leadership. Again, thank

you so much for bringing down the house!

In the spirit of the knights we started the Journey as a team in our beloved Italian restaurant,

La Forchetta, by the Bethnal Green road just a few steps away from York Hall. Fittingly, it was

a round table gathering.

I had just arrived slightly late because the highway M4 had decided to become a parking lot for 2 1/2

hours. Good thing I had a great book with me that I was able to finish while waiting. Johan made us all

commit to an agreement which we all signed. He had a European flag made for us which also carried

our country flags. A version of Code of Arms, if you will. Our first goal was to win the first game, the

team play 5 on 5. Europe had never won it since the intro of the format 4 or 5 years ago. Done.

Another goal in our search for the Holy Grail was pursuit of perfection. To get better every day. Done

To stay committed and united in the ups and downs of it all. Done

We all played strong as a team. Even the matches we lost we pretty much went hill-hill most of the time.

We had to make sure they had to work hard for the points. Done

To win the damn thing. Done

Nick showed all of us the spirit of a real team player. He came with some amazing shots all week. Karl showed the Americans he was ready in spite of being a rookie. Darren played amazing, deserved the MVP, no doubt about it. He got us on the hill by sheer heart and will in the face of so many tough shots. Then Ralf did his usual thing: Sealed the deal.

I am so proud to have been working with you guys on this endeavor, what an honour.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to go on a holiday. Seasons Greetings to all and may all your dreams

come true. Don't stop believing!

Sincerely Yours,

-ICEMAN-

Goals

2010-10-27T02:11:00.001-07:00

I had big plans of writing this great story after winning the 3rd
straight US Open. Actually it was something that was on my agenda for
a year. I simply could not avoid the subject. It became like a mantra
to me. Everybody kept encouraging me and asking questions like: "Are
you going to do it?". As if I could just decide. Well I gave it all I
had. 256 players and I was one of 3 left. It pains me to think about
how close I came to actually pulling it off. Right now I don't even
know how to feel about it. It's always just one or two shots that
alters the run of the match and the momentum. Speaking of which, the
hot seat match against Appleton was huge. Despite the delays with
referee having trouble racking I made a great come-back and was on my
way of running a really tough rack when I missed a cut on a 7-ball. It
changed everything. I Gift-wrapped Darren the match. Otherwise it
would have been 10-10 with me breaking.

After so much trouble making a proper rack they put a new spot on the
table which made things only worse. Now I had to fade gaps everywhere
which made the break very inconsistent and unpredictable. So the semi
against Corey Deuel was a joke. To his credit he did play great, but
the break was so random he had to get a few rolls to get shape so many
times on it. I was pretty much part of the audience there watching him
run out one rack after the other.

I am not sure why they can't have the same standard all the way
through the tournament. It went from "rack your own" to referees doing
it in final four. It's just frustrating to play a great tournament
only to see it slip away because of things out of your control.

I know it was a great run, but I'm still sick when I think about it.

I guess it's time to look at the positive aspects. All in all,
including last year's 14 and this year I did win 22 consecutive games
in a row in the toughest field of the sport. It's going to be very
hard to duplicate. I did also start the month by winning the Challenge
of Champions(repeat) followed by a 2nd place finish at the world 14.1
Championships.(repeat)
I'm into repeats, I guess. LOL

Another positive thing is that they just confirmed me for the
Mosconi-Cup so I have something exciting to look forward to. It is my
14th appearance which ties the record with Johnny Archer and Ralf
Souquet. I'm in good company.

Yours Truly,

-ICEMAN-

150 and out

2010-10-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

How sweet it is. I was on a mission to avenge a controversial loss to Mike Sigel earlier on. He had beat me in the earlier stage of the tournament with a questionable hit mid-way during the 102 and out he ran on me. I asked him: "how do you not call a foul on yourself?" ...to which he replied: "oh, that debate has been going on for a 100 years."
After the match I was thinking: "Please let me play him again."
My wish was granted. I played Sigel to advance in the top 16.

I broke, he missed a long shot from the backrail and I ran a 150 and out.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Poetic justice. I rest my case.

Thrilla in Manila

2010-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

I settled in Manila once more ready for some high-caliber pool action. I am sure the pool rooms like Star Paper and One Side had their fair share of the unofficial part of high stakes, but more so it was the atmosphere at Robinson's mall, particularly the "midtown wing". The Matchroom World Cup of Pool was about to take place.

There wasn't too many upsets early on and Team Finland (me and Markus Juva) went along those notes. In fact, we played quite well. The first match we only gave Singapore two real openings from which only one of them they capitalized. The first game started with me making a table-length jump-draw shot with perfect position. It ended good too: From 2-2 we ran again 4 racks and eventually got two more to end it 8-2.

The next round we faced Holland. Known quite well for their talent, they were not a team to take lightly. I have to mention that we got lucky in the first rack as I fluked a 9 two rails in the opposite corner. We redeemed ourselves by running two more racks from the break and playing perfect pool. 3-0. The fourth rack we played a safety shot. It turned out wise because they were unable to contend. We got an open shot an proceeded to run out a couple more racks to 6-0. The 7th rack was anybody's game really but again we got out of a safety battle ahead and made it 7-0. Then they finally got on the board 7-1. Another safety battle in the 9th rack and Niels missing a safety gave us all we needed to finish the Dutchmen of with an 8-1 carnage.

Meanwhile big upsets took place like Indonesia beating Philippines A, France beating UK and Poland got the best of USA.

In the quarterfinals we went up against Philippine B who had just beat Spain. This was quite a frustrating game as they were on a good roll. They even got a couple of lucky breaks. We really had a first open shot when it was 0-7. Then I actually dogged an 8-balll. I am still not sure what happened but I had to just witness the 8-ball hanging in the jaws of a pocket that apparently had caused a lot of headaches during this tournament. It could have been 1-7, but it was 0-8. I was upset and kind of losing hope. Markus was trying to keep a positive attitude but we both knew deep down it was a mountain to climb. We did finally managed to get on the board 9th rack but again our break failed us like in the first rack. 1-9 was the score. It felt like a public execution on a market square. So intense is the Filipino crowd. I wanted to disappear, but resorted in giving hundreds of autographs and taking another 100 photos with fans. I have to say, the fans made me feel better. They were very sympathetic.

Philippines progressed and beat Taiwan in a 9-8 nail-biter while China took care of Germans hopes for the final.

In the finals both team showed early nervousness but China got in their mojo quicker and jumped up to a 9-1 lead race to 10. Philippines had a little surge and closed the gap 9-5 but I guess the semi kind of took most of their energy and they had to hand it to China. So after beating team Finland in 07 China is once again victorious.

The long-awaited Challenge match!!!

2010-08-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like to forward Press Releases to the blog but this one is special! READ:

For Immediate Release:

"The Action Report is proud to announce another blockbuster challenge match featuring two of the elite players in the world. On October 12 thru 14 at Amsterdam Billiards in New York City, Mezz USA presents TAR 19 Mika Immonen vs Shane Van Boening in a $10,000 entry, winner take all match. The match will be Ten Ball, Race to 100 over three days. Two of the biggest players on the biggest stage.

Between them these players have won the U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship the last three years in a row with Mika Immonen sweeping the last two in a row. Shane Van Boening has a reputation as a stone killer in one on one match ups and Mika Immonen was voted Player of the Decade for his unheard of record of major tournament victories all over the world. Can the Iceman overcome SVB's big break and proven track record in long heads up matches ? Can SVB deal with the Iceman's mental toughness that has been proven countless times in sudden death tournament situations? This match is sure to answer all those questions and more.

It is only fitting for a match of this stature to take place in one of the most famous rooms in the United States. Amsterdam Billiards in New York City, New York has long been a benchmark for high end pool rooms not only in America but across the world. Home to numerous pro players over the years and renowned for a class atmosphere and playing conditions this is the perfect location for a clash of two champions. The New York City area is also home to a thriving pool community who we hope will come out and enjoy this rare treat of a match in their hometown.

Mezz USA is the the presenting sponsor of TAR 19 and a fitting one considering it is a Mezz cue that Mika Immonen has won many of his titles and championships with. The President of Mezz USA Caroline Pao, herself a WPBA Pro, was instrumental in producing this match. Thanks to her and Mezz USA's support pool fans everywhere will get to see a match people will talk about for years to come. Mezz Cues are of the highest quality and construction. The list of players using them is a who's who of international stars. Mika Immonen, Alex Pagulayan, Sarah Rousey, Caroline Pao, Jason Klatt and Marcus Chamat to name a few. MezzUSA.com has all the information on these excellent cues.

The Action Report will continue its industry leading live streaming coverage by broadcasting this epic match up LIVE via streaming Pay Per View on www.theactionreport.com. The price structure for the coverage is as follows: Entire three day event is $25, final two days is $20 and the final day is $15. Pay Per View will go on sale October 11th. The match format is: Day one play until someone has won 35 games total at which time the days play is concluded. The players return on day two and battle until one of them has racked up 70 total wins. The final day will see the players return and play until one of them reaches 100 total victories and takes the $20,000 winner take all prize fund.

This is a match that people have been talking about for over a year and one that many said would never happen. With the help of the players and some key individuals we are all going to finally get to see this heads up battle take place. There is limited seating to watch this historic match at Amsterdam Billiards in New York City. Single day tickets and Three Day Packages for VIP and General Admission will be sold online only at theactionreport.com beginning September 1st.

The Action Report would like to thank the match sponsors who are making this event possible. They are Kamui Tips (www.kamuitips.com), AZ Billiards .com (www.azbilliards.com) and CueSports International (www.playcsipool.com) . We are very proud to be associated with these companies. They each represent the best in their field in the pool world and we thank them for their support and help in producing this match.

There are several individuals who without their help and extra efforts this match would not have been possible. We would like to thank John Mars, Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, Foster Stevenson, and Caroline Pao of Mezz USA for all the help and support they have provided to see that this match happens. Needless to say without the cooperation and help of two of the greatest players in the world, Mika Immonen and Shane Van Boening , none of this would be taking place. We are all thankful to these two champions for having the guts to get in the box and compete.

Join us October 12 thru 14 in person at Amsterdam Billiards or online at www.theactionreport.com to witness this historic match. "

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity

2010-08-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

It has been a strange season. Strange, meaning pretty fruitless. I’m not sure exactly why but there could be a few reasons.

I guess for one, I took a conscious break from practicing. I was playing so many tournaments and winning so many last year that I almost got immune to it. I guess as crazy as it sounds, I might have taken winning for granted as it was happening. It’s almost as if I needed to loose a few times again to be able to appreciate the winning ways. Awful, isn’t it? Hell yeah it is because I took quite a few beatings. I’m tired of it.
Secondly, I was a bit discouraged to play because I didn’t even get paid yet from my World 10-ball Championships in Manila last December. Can you imagine all the hardship you have to go through to win? Just to have them play strange delay-tactics on me?
It kind of took the wind out of my sails. I am still wondering where the money is. 9 months and counting.

I have a plan. As I would like to see myself as a honorable man, I hereby promise to do the following things to improve my chances to win tournaments in general:

1. Practice (a lot)
2. No partying, if any, before the tournament is over. (why would I? LOL)
3. Make favorable travel plans. For example, don’t show up one day before the tourney specially if it’s on the other side of the world.
4. Stop giving myself excuses why and if I would be playing bad.
5. Exercise moderately on the day of tournament, hard on the day off. (or “hard” after the match that day)
6. blog more
7. Suggestions?

I did already do some of these things here and ended up victorious in Louisiana! Me and Rodney “The Rocket” Morris won the doubles event and I ended winning the singles as well by beating none other than Shane Van Boening 10-3 in the finals! Pretty sweet…

Ok, its time for me to go to work.

-ICEMAN-

I miss Istanbul

2010-07-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Below is the view from nightclub Reina(which we reached by speedboat from the Restaurant 360@GS Island).
The bridge looks stunning with Asian side in the background.

Little did I know, I now realize not only the magical beauty of
Istanbul, but it's people as well. I was treated to some of the most
funnest nights out, original dinners, brunches-literally by the water.

Istanbul stole my heart. I didn't have chance to think twice. Just the
first sight of Bosphorus river up from the hills of the European side
took my breath away. I knew I was in for something special. It still
exceeded all my expectations with it's history and all aspects of
Istanbul as a trading port between Europe and Asia.

I had only five days to get to know some of the city and it's people,
but I did manage to go to most of the must-go places and learned some
of the convenient frases in Turkish. Can you imagine me going through
the Grand Bazaar? One of the shopkeepers tries to grab me speaking his
English luring sentenses- to which I responded in Turkish: "What are
you talking about big brother?" hahaa.

Thank you, my friends, for making my trip so memorable.

-Mika-

9-ball World Championships

2010-06-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since anyone has lifted the coveted World 9-ball Trophy. It had a sabbatical for a couple years and now it's Qatar's responsibility to revive the tournament. Let's see if we can bring back the old glory that Matchroom Sports had done for the event. Those shoes are tough to fill.

In the meantime, I am back in Finland now balancing between seeing old friends, practicing and working out. Somewhere in between I need to go to the countryside to relax. Thats what the midsummer in Finland is all about. Some sauna, some swimming, good food and good friends. The nature is at its peak beauty in midsummer, so green and vibrant. I love the aroma of a finnish forest. It's my sanctuary. I can't think of any other place that would have such an effect over me. I can just completely zone out.

what is your sanctuary? Try to think of one. Then, in times of trouble or perhaps a tight match, you can just visualize this place. Imagine yourself there, breathing the air, seeing and feeling it. I'm confident that this will have a positive effect over yourself.

Time to go now...

Happy Summer!

-Mika-

Back in the groove

2010-05-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

Well, it's that time of the year again when everything is looking sunny in life. I've had a couple fruitless months to begin the year but it's time to take the bull by the horns and start focusing on the present.

Also I intend to post more often because I owe you gratitude in keeping me in the fight. Thank you for your patience.

Ok, so here is what I'm going to do: Win tournaments. It means that I am going to commit more time to practice, working out and eating right. Even thinking right. Positive.

It's not like I'm trying to say I have all the answers. In fact, I could even take suggestions. I'd love to hear what works for you when you hit the funk.
Who knows, maybe I'm just trying to get you involved. Make some goals for yourself, let's just kick it up together!

Alright, it's good to be back. I'm going to hit the gym now.

By the way, we are playing the Hard Times-Mezz 10ball Open. Check out live stream at theactionreport.com

You might have missed it yesterday, Efren Reyes kicked my butt, lol.
Well, I've made it before from the losers side.

Happy New Beginnings!

-ICEMAN-

Mezz-Hard Times Production in association with TAR

2010-04-13T03:43:00.001-07:00

How to deal with pressure?

2010-03-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

Many people keep asking me how I deal with pressure situations.

Tip number one: Breathe? haha... Ok, that's a given but seriously, sometimes you get really tight and simply forget to have proper breathing. You should try to breathe from your lower belly, this will calm you down and the practice itself can take your mind of thinking too much about the pressure. It is called sink the breathe down to the "Dan Tian" of lower abdomen. It calms the Body and centers the Mind and strengthens the Shen(Spirit). There is a saying that "if you can control your breath, you can control your life".

You all heard about adrenaline? It's is a free drug, but you can't really get it over the counter. You have to use it when it comes to you uninvited. Just make sure you are ready for it. Invite it. After that its all about paying attention to your fundamentals and you will find the zone. break it down to the simple steps:

Pre-shot routine: phase 1 ( analyse, determine, visualize ) phase 2 (approach-make sure you are a couple of steps away from the table so that your perception of the shot is correct as you approach the stance. Lining up to the shot properly is the most over looked aspect in the fundamentals. Being lazy will kill you, eat you up inside. You'll be kicking yourself in the chair. Electric chair.

Stance: be as relaxed as possible: for right-handed players the right foot is the foundation. you can lean into the left leg a little, but most weight is on the right. At least this works for me.

It's important to find balance, and certainly you don't want to lean to far over the table too far and put pressure on bridge hand. I see a lot of people balancing on one foot when there is absolutely no need for it. Avoid this mistake. First and foremost, see if you can keep both feet on the ground. If not, then try your foundation foot. Right hand,right foot. Left hand,left foot.

Grip: both bridge hand grip and back-hand are relaxed. Use the weight and balance of the cue to make the shot. Trust your instincts and fundamentals that you are on target. If not, its easier to correct a shot gone wrong with proper technique than the shot that went in with bad technique. It's all about giving yourself feedback when it does go wrong, and avoiding the same pitfalls in the future.

Shoot; AND STAY DOWN! Unless you have to move out of the way due to ball returning towards the bridge-hand, there is no reason to get up instantly. Follow through the ball as long as you can and stay down. Always follow through in a straight line, regardless of spin or center-ball.

You might get shakes if the pressure is intense, but use it to focus. Think of it as a gift. Because it is. Shoot mostly center-ball and rely on smart patterns to do this. It's all about getting right angles which makes the position to next ball easy. I can't say it enough: Pay attention to the fundamentals. This way, when and if you make a mistake, you might have an idea why. If there is many flaws in your technique, it's hard to tell which one went wrong that time.

In practice, use your left hand if you are right handed and vice versa, not only does it feel great to go back to the usual hand but also opens a new avenue-Because your technique will be limited, you will be forced to use the most effortless pattern. This is one of many reasons why it improves your game. On top of that it stimulates the right side of the brain.

Do you find this blog post useful? Please pass on the message, preferably by copy/pasting the link to my blog: www.icemanmika.blogspot.com

Also, I have got a lot of positive feedback from the Mastering Pool DVD's. Feel free to check out www.mezzusa.com for those.

Yours Truly,

Mika the "ICEMAN" Immonen

First man to officially be on the roster for Partypoker.com Mosconi Cup

2010-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

8^th March

Mosconi Cup Goes Back to Its Roots

December Return to Pool's Most 'Intimidating' Venue

MATCHROOM SPORT can announce that the 2010 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup will be taking place at the fabled York Hall, Bethnal Green, London from Thursday 9^th to Sunday 12^th December.

Home to the event for a six year period, the Mosconi Cup was last played in the famous East London boxing venue in 2002, when Europe won the trophy following six years of total domination by the USA.

Following a multi-million pound refurbishment of the York Hall, the PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup returns for its first UK appearance in eight years.

One man delighted by the event's return to London is Finland's Mika Immonen. A five-time York Hall loser in previous years, Immonen has now established himself as the world's leading player and will be a front-runner for a berth on the 2010 Euro team.

'I love the fact that we are going back to the York Hall. What could be a more perfect setting for the Mosconi?' said Immonen.

'No memories in my pool career compare to the York Hall. The atmosphere was electric, and I can't wait to see how it is now. It has been my dream to go back there...bring it on..!

Matchroom Sport chairman and Mosconi Cup promoter, Barry Hearn, is looking forward to recreating the wild atmosphere that made the East London venue so charismatic.

'The York Hall has a special place in the history of the Mosconi Cup and it's fair to say that at times, it was the game's most intimidating arena,' commented Hearn.

'It certainly got rough and rowdy in there and it said something about the American teams of the late '90's and early 2000's that they were able to shrug all of that off and triumph five times out of six.

'That said, it is home to one the great Mosconi Cup moments when Steve Davis stole what was the final rack off Earl Strickland in 2002 to bring the Cup home for Europe for the first time in seven years.

'I think Mosconi Cup fans from Europe and America will be very excited at the prospect of coming to the York Hall for what could be the greatest Mosconi Cup of them all!'

Triumphant 2009 USA captain Nick Varner has plenty of experience of the York Hall, having played there four times.

'I will never forget playing two matches against Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1997. Every time he potted a ball, the crowd went wild; it was like Europe won the Cup every time he made a shot. He was so popular with the fans.

'One of the other American players was supposed to play him but didn't want to fade the heat from the crowd. So I took the match and found it exhilarating. I loved it.



'The York Hall brings back fond memories of winning except for 2002. In one year we went from winning 12 in a row and winning the Cup 12-1 to losing it the next year.



'The European fans get a little rowdy and boisterous which can test your composure, especially the later it gets at night. As the fans have a few pints, the atmosphere can get real noisy.



'After the great response of the American fans in Las Vegas last year, going back to the York Hall will be a shocker for the players who haven't played there before. In fact going back to the York Hall seems a little scary to me!' added Varner

Live in its entirety on Sky Sports in the UK, the PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup features two five-man teams representing Europe and the USA doing battle in a series of singles and doubles matches. Now in its 17^th year, the Americans hold an 11-4 lead following their victory in Las Vegas last December.

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com, +44 7785 395688

www.matchroompool.com

I love New York!

2010-02-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

There is a little bit of Spring in the air, weather is getting warmer and the days are getting brighter. It's time to enjoy home and recharge the batteries that were completely depleted after a hectic last season. It's actually nice to stay home for a while. Not eager to travel again right away.
It's time to get back in shape. practice, work-outs and rest. Maybe even enjoy some of the excellent cuisine that New York has to offer in such a wide range.
I think I have to re-define setting goals to myself. Last season was so amazing, I don't know what to expect this year. One thing is clear: I will continue to be one of the hardest working guys in pool. It's not an accident I did so well, though even on the paper it looked like domination, there was a lot of close calls. Thanks to the mental strength I was able to pull away from those tricky situations.

I was honored by Billiard Digest in the current issue as the Player of The Decade. Wow, I can't even describe in words what a feeling that is. It certainly is the biggest recognition I have ever received. I actually think I have to work even harder now because players will be gearing up against me more than ever. I have to be ready.

So this is cheers to all you out there getting ready for a new season, don't forget to relax, recharge and restore.

See you on the road,

-ICEMAN-

Mezz Tour launch!

2010-02-10T19:24:00.001-08:00

Press Release:

Mezz Pro Am Tour

Mezz Pro-Am Tour Announced

Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues are proud to announce the Mezz Pro-Am Tour. The Mezz Tour is a 1-day Open Tournament with staggered entry fees and additional cash prizes for the top 2 finishers in the A/B and C/D division. Events will take place in the North East region.

"We are happy to work with Jose Burgos, who runs the best 1-day tournaments in this region. We hope to offer a highly competitive tournament and great prizes for pros and amateurs alike. We will also give each player a free raffle ticket for a Mezz Cue and Mezz Case at the Grand Finale Tournament along with prizes for the Top 10 point leaders of the year," says Mika.

Jose describes, "I am honored to join forces with Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues. I believe having the best player in the world along with one of the leading cue companies in the industry as sponsors will make the Mezz Pro-Am Tour one of the premier tours in the region."

Along with the Mezz Open Tour, we are also proud to announce a Mezz Women's Tour overseen by WPBA Pro and Mezz USA President, Caroline Pao.

"With so many great female players in the Northeast region, this is a great opportunity to provide a competitive tour for them to participate in. We will feature great prizes at each stop as well as hold a Grand Finale tournament with added monies. Prizes will also be awarded for the Top 3 female players of the year with the Top Female receiving paid entry to the prestigious Turning Stone Tournament in Syracuse, NY. I am very excited be able to provide an opportunity for our local female players to sharpen their competitive edge. Once we complete the 8 event schedule, it will be on our official Mezz Tour website, www.mezztour.com," explains Caroline.

As a prelude to our official launch of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, we had a great event at Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA on January 31st with an attendance of 53 players. Joey Testa andIgnacio Chavez were co-champions of this event with Victor Nauin 3rd and Josh Brothers in 4th place.

Our next stop will be at on February 21st at :

Atlantic City Billiards
6701 Blackhorse Pike
Egg Habor, NJ 08234
(609) 645-7576

Visit the official Mezz Pro-Am Tour website, www.mezztour.com, for more information.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@mezztour.com.

By Press Release - 2010-02-09

Leaving Japan...

2010-01-27T02:27:00.000-08:00

Arriving Finland...

It was amazing to land today in Finland. From miles above it looked like everything was still. The land completely covered in snow. Trees, buildings, frozen lakes, farmland. A small haze of clouds here and there. The sun reflected almost horizontally of all of it, making the view even more spectacular. The flight was so smooth I forgot I was flying.
In all it's arcticness, it is still a place I call home. It's been too long since I've seen proper winter...
...I'm just bracing myself for the sub-zero temperatures.

-ICEMAN-

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

It's been a great pleasure "working with you" and now that we have entered a new Decade, it's certainly exciting to aim at keeping up the enthusiasm and diligence that have earned me two "Player of the Year" titles in a row. Last year might be a hard act to follow, but at the very least I have a clear goal: Stay number one. As a paradox to that, commonly I like to set goals that I can totally disregard in the future. Just like when I go run, I might set up a a time and distance goal that would require rigorous effort to achieve. Then, while running, try to hit another gear even if it is painful. It's all about reaching further than the goal itself. Because before you can go to battle, know this: Your ability to defeat your own doubts and limitations is your path to success.

This actually brings me to an example. -How to apply this in pool? Ok, I just recently had a chat with an avid player and he asked me how deal with the "if I make this ball, I will win"-mistake. Because that's certainly not the way I mean when looking beyond. It's like this: when you have your final ball on the table, just don't think of it as your final ball. That's the common mistake. Because of it, not only do you put more pressure on yourself, you also might lose sight of an ingredient required for any standard shot: PLAY POSITION! What I mean is: Don't give too much respect to that last ball but play position for an invisible ball that could be the most natural and easy to do from there. Keeping that Cue-ball in mind only improves your whole pre-shot routine. Because you treat that ball with the same respect as all the other balls. Why change that pattern that got you there? Just like when you get to the finals of any tournament, don't treat it as a final. It's just a game between this tournament and the 1st round of the next one. Certainly you like to keep a good record. Some players just get too happy reaching the finals. I, for sure in my past did this mistake.

On a lighter note, I am now in the Beautiful City of Barcelona. Or so I heard. I just got here yesterday and it was late and raining, so I haven't seen the sights yet. I just hope it doesn't rain today. Or maybe if it does, I might have a chance to watch FC Barcelona later. They are playing tonight, I just might have to go scout for the tickets.

The real reason I am here though, is the Predator 10-ball tour. So let's not get too distracted. But it's important to to relax, I'd say.

Speaking of which, I am going back to bed. Been up since 7am, way too early for a pool player. *wink*

"I'll be back"

-ICEMAN-

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

I went on the holidays sooner than I could sneeze. I did win one game on the winners side in something of a very lop-sided draw the the Turning Stone Casino Championships usually presents because none of us are seeded. Then lost two straight games. But it's all good. I was looking maybe even too much forward to the end of the season on top of struggling with a tenacious lingering flu. Now I am still spending most of my time in bed catching up on perhaps well deserved rest. This fall has been quite hectic in many ways. You win, you lose. You're healthy, you're sick. You are happy, you are sad. lives have begun, some others ended.

These times have taught me an invaluable lesson. Don't forget where you came from, treat your loved ones and friends with respect. I have taken some of these for granted and I have hurt some people down the road. I am sorry for that. I realize now more than ever it's important to show who are the people that mean something special to you. In other words, I am defined by what I am surrounded by. I am what I eat, breathe and think. Having good people around me has brought me success. I won't ever forget that. You know who you are. I can't thank you enough.

You know when you have character, you also have people who hate you no matter what. Like the great Paul Newman said: "I'd rather have Character even if it meant some people hating me." So it sums up like this; You simply can't please everybody. I choose not to spread myself so thin.
Rest in peace, my friend. Paul Newman was a great inspiration to me, I wish I had a chance to thank him in person.

I think I am generally a pretty happy person and I hope people take me for more than just a stone-cold killer. There is a different person under that tough skin of mine.

Now it's time to go one a well over-due Holidays and perhaps some Partay!

I wish all the blessing and more happiness to you all for the New Year!

Yours Sincerely,

Mika

Leaving Las Vegas

2009-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

The Mosconi-Cup has yet again been completed and this time in the
favor of the Americans.

I have to say they really earned capitalizing in nearly every opportunity they got. Specially the first two days were a killer for us. Ended 7-2. It looked like it was going be better a couple of time but Johnny, for instance made a great come-back from trailing 1-5 against Darren Appleton. We just could not get the roll of the ball those two days.

The third day was looking a lot better as we nabbed the fist two games.Thorsten won an epic battle with Deuel and me and Ralf won our doubles against Dominguez/Deuel. then the fourth game with double Archer/Deuel VS Appleton/Hohmann was one of the most critical matches. It went hill-hill. Thorsten played a good safe, Deuel kicked at the ball, hit the wrong side and double-kissed to a safety. Appleton could see just a part of the ball, played for another safety but left Archer a window. Archer capitalized and Deuel just barely went along. So instead of 5-8 overall score it was 4-9. Shit happens. I managed to win the final game of the night beating Oscar Dominguez 6-4. Total score:5-9.

It looked pretty good as we were staying positive and making a bit of a comeback early Sunday by Ralf Souquet winning over Shane Van Boening. it was just 6-9 for USA. Then Dennis Hatch came out strong against Niels Feijen beating him 6-0 to get on the "hill". Thorsten Hohmann kept us alive playing great to beat Johnny Archer 6-1. So with scoreline 7-10, we had a re-match with Shane and Ralf. This time Shane was more fluent and took it home.

Congrats to team USA.

It would have been nice to win the Mosconi and add that title to an already outstanding season I have had. I do still have a chance to improve the year as the Turning Stone Classic is starting day after tomorrow. That's my birthday! 17th of December.

Vegas Baby!

2009-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Morning walk with the team...action starts tomorrow at MGM

World 10-ball Champion

2009-12-04T23:02:00.000-08:00

It is only in the equations of an attempt at True Form that you can definitely find out when things get screwed up. Because if it's just nearly perfect you know you are not doing the right thing. and you can probably tell what is the fault. Not to say it will ever be perfect. But oh these aspirations that I have. Call me stubborn.

These kind of things can happen in a tournament. Thank God for Double elimination. Due to the format, I have been able to bounce back in tournaments.

US OPEN was an extreme version of a come-back. The 10-ball World Championships that just finished a few days ago was another type of come-back. I actually wasn't playing all that great the first few rounds. But as the tournament progressed, I did identify some things that needed work. One was the break. Another was choosing the right kind of tip that would benefit me the best under these conditions. Luckily I have a couple of spare shafts. In the end I chose Kamui black Medium. The combination of that and my Mezz WD700 is a killer. I did have a Kamui black on the other shaft as well, but this one was slightly softer. Another thing was for me to not take the loss in group stages lightly. Hijigata out-broke me. I went to the gym and ran 10K. I wanted to have a hard run, yet time to meditate on what's really going on.

After my match with Manalo, which I narrowly won, I went to hit some balls on one of the side tables. I found the perfect match. shaft and tip. Also, decided to use a longer butt for the break cue instead of the Power Break 2 by Mezz. For some reason, the break from the "box" is easier with standard length.

Sometimes it's just very little things that makes you have the right kind of confidence to win a championship like that.

Of course another key of winning to to find that driving force to close out matches. almost everyone of my last three games I ran two or three final racks without looking back.

Yet it's crazy that its actually happening. There is a certain amount of things you can never control, it just seems It's not happening to me at crucial situations.

Go figure.

I guess the main thing is to stay humble and accept that there is no substitute for hard work. Keep playing, keep loving the game. I am blessed to have a talent, won't ever take it for granted.

Now it's time to celebrate with some friends. At least one night. Then it'll be time to start focusing on the Mosconi-Cup.

Yours Truly,

-ICEMAN-

World TenBall Semi's baby!

2009-11-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm in it! Today I just beat Marlon Manalo, then Nick Van Den Berg to be followed by Ruslan Chinahov. Check it out:

www.worldtenball.com

livestream:http://www.clubcapo.tv/

More updates to follow.

The Best

2009-11-20T23:11:00.001-08:00

Nuff Said.

Web

Options

Tsukiji Fish Market

27 reviews
5-2-1 TsukijiTokyo PrefectureChuo, Japan

3-3542-1111

Get Directions

The TSUKIJI MARKET.HOME

Some images to follow. Depends on how much hate-mail I get from hungry viewers.

My favorite in Tokyo

2009-11-20T23:07:00.001-08:00

Maybe not the best, but athmosphere is just right. You can park your
car in front, you soon have five guys handwashing it and waxing while
you gulp down some extraordinary bites of sushi. I call it; Car-Wash
Sushi

Japan

2009-11-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

When sometimes you don't find words how describe how you feel, it's better to resort to pictures.
All I can say is that I am still recovering from Japan with it's delicacies and people that I can call true friends. I had some special people to share this trip with. The All Japan Championship ended abtrubtly for me, "that's all she wrote". The aftermath of happenings in life is unknown as of yet. It's not exactly how I feel, but in some of these images I find refuge.

This...

2009-11-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

My mouth is already watering.

...Turns into this.

2009-11-20T22:39:00.001-08:00

Oh-Toro sushi

Table is set

2009-11-20T22:37:00.001-08:00

It's all good.

Top the meat with some veggies.

2009-11-20T22:34:00.001-08:00

Yummy! And good for the tummy.(if in moderation)

You know when people say you are so full and your belly starts to
show? Yeah it's called the food-baby. I know.

After this meal however, I had food twins. I named them Shabu and Shabu

Is that how they originated the name?

Shabu-Shabu

2009-11-20T22:29:00.001-08:00

Meat does not get better than this:

Images...

2009-11-20T22:26:00.001-08:00

This is from the best Shabu-Shabu restaurant in Tokyo: as you can see
the name on the napkin. It really pops out, doesn't it?

Picture is more than a thousand words

2009-11-20T22:23:00.001-08:00

Shampagne bottle cork art by Yuka: Five Kings

Time to focus on the essential.

2009-11-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

It's been quite good for me since the US.OPEN. I have enjoyed life immensely. parties, great food, great places to visit.

And great new friends as well. I am blessed for the people around me. They are the one's who define me-Bring me up when I need and put my feet right back on the ground when I am floating too high. It takes a complete package to compete at the higher levels. It also takes sacrifices. You just can't be with your loved one's always when you want to. You can't always bring them with you either. Every athlete knows this going in. But few find the real balance between passion and private life. I can honestly say, I'm living it. The good times always beat the bad times yeah. but without bad times you wouldn't even know how good the good one's are, right?

Of course the sponsors are needed to maintain the ability to uphold this lifestyle. Travelling, keeping New York as a base etc.
I am grateful for the part they play. They let me play stress-free: Mezz Cues, Cafe Puro, OTA Enterprises, Brunswick, Kamui Tips: Thank You.

Anyways, It's time now again focus on the essential. What do I need to do to keep winning? Well, for sure I won't change the pattern that got me there. This includes working out, eating right, sleeping well. And Practicing hard with quality.

I am now in Osaka and it's time for the games to start tomorrow. It's the All Japan Championships. I will be defending my title from last year. The next time I update will be after the tournament. I find it hard to do updates in between. Its a distraction.

I wish you all the best, may the Pool Gods smile upon all of us.

-ICEMAN-

Chillin' in Japan

2009-11-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

At my friend Mikki and Yuka's house. Right now having a drink called
Orange Blossom. This is after playing 6 hours straight at the pool
room "God Dragon". I think I could use a drink. In a couple hours we
will head to the fish market for the best sushi in the world. It's
1.28 am and I can't complain. Life doesn't suck.
Ginji cat is posing on the 4,20m long bar counter, showing me who is
the boss. Let it be so.

Winning...

2009-10-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

.. .its a weird and an addicting habit. I have to say, it won't come automatically. There will be a point where you really have to earn it. Through perseverance, you just have to see: There is no turning back! Screw that! I am too deep into to this thing. I refuse. I have trained too hard to go quietly into the night. Its like this: If you train for a marathon, you know it won't be easy to run the actual damn thing. For freaking sure there will be some serious self-doubt, some amazing fighting between the angels and demons.

Been there done that. Bought the t-shirt. (I did run the Dublin Marathon back in 1988)

How much does that really sound like a common story between fellow hard-shippers?

Well, you'll know if you can relate to me. I am not trying to say I am better than anybody else but I do know that there is a point where you reach your limits. You just know you did all you can to achieve your dreams. It's not like I played perfect. I played at a level that was way worse than perfect. but as you know, true talent can only be measured by how well you play when you play your worst.

I found that out this week. I didn't feel that I was playing all that well but I managed to stay in the fight because of my mental strength- And I knew that I did all that I could do to get to that point.

No doubt- therefore, no regret. The more your body is in-tuned with your actions the more you you can learn each time you make a mistake, each time you need to replenish, each time you need to sleep.

Don't be afraid to trust your first instincts. Those are always the best. Just give them a chance.

I am sorry, this is starting to be too scientific, but I felt compelled to share.

Yours Truly,

-ICEMAN_

Simply amazing!

2009-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hello???!!!

2009-10-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

...I mean seriously, what just happened?

I'm sitting in a car driving back to New York.
My head hurts. Call it hangover. I think it might
have something to do with the fact that I WON
THE US.OPEN yesterday.

again! Wow.

I'm still in disbelief that it really happened. I lost
my second game in the tournament and went on
a crazy mission to win 14 games in a row to snap
it off from the B-side of the double elimination flow-
chart.

Honestly, I'll write more when it has sunken in.

I'm speechless...

US.Open under way

2009-10-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

I just stopped by the Q-Master Billiards in Virginia today for some
tuning up. Noticed something on drink menu:

Galveston 10-ball Champion

2009-09-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

I did win it. Barely. It wasn't pretty. I was literally overwhelmed when I finally sank the winning 10-ball. I just had to lay on my back there for a moment. It was past midnight Sunday 20th of September.

I Noticed a missed call from my friend and avid pool player/promoter/commentator-friend Jay Helfert. So I called him back: He said "you know Mika, the true champions find a way to win even when they are playing bad."
That actually made me feel better. I know what some of you are thinking. Mika must be nuts to even worry about stuff like this. He just won the freakin' Championship! I wish it was uncomplicated like that. But I have to take precaution and analyze what happened. I don't want to be in that situation again. I know I might be, but the goal is always not to be.

I have to admit it was a really tough mental battle within myself. Warren Kiamco seemed more poised than I have ever seen him.
He was running out well, kicking balls with a very high percentage. I wasn't able to capitalize on my overall 2 to 1 safety percentage. Meaning I was successfully hooking him 2 out his 1 time average.

The first set was a total nightmare. I could not get a hold of the speed of the rails. the cue-ball was erratic, it didn't even seem to grab the "throw" of the balls in the manner it was to. I lost 11-5.

It took a a couple of tough runs and methodical work to start gaining my confidence back. Even then I felt like I was fighting the windmills. It was a total uphill battle the whole way. But I just stuck in there, thinking positive. I had to force myself to think positive.

It came down to the very last game. Second set, 8-8. Now race to 9. I made a ball on the break but could not see the 1, except for a rail-first shot. I tried to play a sort of a one-pocket safety shot because the 1-ball was near the corner but I could just catch the inside of it. I hit it in the right direction, but again the rails bounced like crazy and it came all the way down to the same end of the table it started from. It ended up being a kick-double-bank. SO it went in. Now I was snookered again. Had to kick at the 2. I caught it too thin, leaving Warren a shot. Even worse, he had the angle to make the 2 and break the only cluster on the table while maintaining position on the 3. I waited anxiously in my seat to see the outcome. The tricky part about breaking the cluster was that it was near the side-pocket. So the danger of a scratch loomed over Warren. And it wasn't an easy shot to begin with.... He missed! I think he might have rushed it. Unfortunately he missed the cluster too. So I still had work to do. Nothing seemed easy as the weight of the situation had me really nervous. I had to take extra time for each shot just to make sure it was the best possible solution every time. I was able to create a perfect angle on the 4 to break the cluster to open up the 5. Then I cut the 5 in the corner diagonally across the table. left a good angle for the 6 to go behind the 8 too rails and make it in the corner. I under-hit the 8 landing too straight on the 9. This would mean I'd have to shoot the 10 in off the rail, or near it. I cheated the pocket ever so slightly on the 9, but not too much. That particular pocket was the one that players seemed to have missed the most balls with. Then time to shoot the 10. After a few deep breaths I was ready to pull the trigger...just then, a fly landed on my bridge hand-forearm! WOw! I almost shot. Could have missed. SO I waited for the fly to get lost, preparing again mentally. I jacked up the butt of the cue and pounded the 10 in with confidence. Then I simply let my body just fall on the floor like jelly.

It's over, I thought. phew! What a scare. I am the G.W.C. Champion.

I'm now back home in New York preparing for the U.S. Open. It's actually nice not having to fly around the world before it.

Happy Fall,

-ICEMAN-

In it to win it.

2009-09-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's the Galveston World Classic final day. I was actually thinking of not posting anything yet, as if it could affect the outcome of today's match. Then I figured, I'm way beyond that kind of thinking. After all, I am not superstitious.

So what do we have here? -I am in the so called "hot seat", meaning I am awaiting for the outcome of the only semi-final between Warren Kiamco and Mike Dechaine. Furthermore, due to the true double-elimination format, the winner of that match would have to beat me twice in the finals to earn the title.

So I guess I consider myself a favorite without even bragging about it. If I just play solid, I have two shots at the win. Of course I'd like to close it out ASAP, not leaving any lingering thoughts of a double-dipper for the other guy.

I have had a crazy tournament so far. a couple of really close calls. One of the matches was against Rodolfo Luat. I was up 7-5, then he ran a couple racks, went up 8-7. He was still running the balls to make it 9-7, but then he rattled the 10-ball deep in the corner. So I made it 8-8 and from there broke and ran 2 more racks. I could see he was still a little shaken of missing the 10 ball earlier, so in the next rack he missed an opportunity after my dry break. I closed the door on him 11-8.

The more dramatic match wass against Shane, of course. I had two hill-hill battles with him preceding this event, and it looked like this one was not going to be any different. Actually, let me take that back. Van Boening did look like he was going to run away with it. He fluked a 2-ball in four rails and broke a cluster to run out for a 3-2 lead. on top of that he continued to break and run two more. 5-2. I tried to hang in there, but my break was off. I scratched twice of my break. Honestly, I still have to work on my 10-ball break to get it up to speed with him. So he was all the way up to an 8-4 lead when I had another chance. I ran out, but again left him a table for him to make a commanding 9-5 lead.-Not so fast though. he made a position error on the 7. left it straight in along to long rail. 8 was on the other side, He tried a back-and-forth table lenght draw with english but hit it bad and nrealy scratched in the corner. From the jaws of the pocket long cut-shot on the 8....missed! He over-cut it. I had a relatively easy shot to the side for the 8 and then shape for the 10 the other side. Then I finally found the sweet spot for breaking, and ran out two racks to even the score at 8-8. Next rack I missed a long to in the corner because I was trying to get too perfect for the 3. He ran out. I think then he then scratched on the break. I had a tough out, tricky position from the 1 to the 2, to get to the 3 etc. I treid to billiard the 9 in the side of the 3 but instead of it going in, it hung there. Luckily he was snookered. 3 was clustered with two other balls near the corner. He then made an intentional foul hitting the 9-ball away from the side. He probably forgot that he had a scratch of the break. So now he was on 2 fouls. I clipped the 3 really thin and soft and buried both the cue-ball and object ball. When I told him he was on two fouls, he eyes widened in surprise, then his body language told me that he was already kicking himself for making the intentional foul earlier. He missed the masse shot I got the rack: 9-9. I'm not sure what happened the next rack but I know he got to the hill first. He broke, but the 1 and the cue-ball got kissed around. he had to play safe. I safed him back. Then he came with a really nice thin cut-shot on the one, but didn't have position on the 3. He plays safe drawing the cueball all the way to the other side near back rail. 3-ball near middle opposite rail. I took a really long hard look at the situation. Decided to go for a long back-cut bank. Had to even swerve around the 8 to make it. It went in! I narrowly missed the scratch in the side of the 8, and went down for a position on the 4. I proceeded with the out.
Hill-hill again, I broke, made a ball. Had a shot on the 1, made it. Got short on the two. had to hit it a little fuller with english to avoid the scratch. I am nervous. I rattled it but it bounced back from the opposite rail to the original corner. wow, what a roll. It wasn't over yet though. I had a tricky position on almost every ball(or was it because I was nervous?). I kind of hooked myself of the perfect angle on the 7 to the 9, but managed again to swerve around the 9 to make the 7 pocket speed. Then just cut the 9 in the side and rolled the 10 gently in to the corner for the win! Phew.

Next was Mike Dechaine for the hot seat.

Mike got of to a good start going ahead 2-0. I managed to retaliate, and after I was up 7-3, it didn't look like Mike was going to get back in the game. He contantly missed key positions, then having to play safety-battles. I seemed come out ahead most of the time creating a commanding lead. I even 3-fouled Mike as well. I had some fortune of the breaks too. When I didn't make a ball, he had to play safe or push. It really went my way most of the time. I didn't commit the unforced errors that he did and went on the win the match 11-3.
I think Mike needs a little more experience on TV, He'll be fine. He has a lot of fire-power, just needs to get used to the cameras. I guess.

Finals will start 9PM Eastern time. Local Houston time 8pm.

Check out the action at www.theworldclassic.com for live stream on the web.

MI-3

2009-09-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

Here is my new Cue.

www.mezzusa.com (917)-324-9911 office
www.miki-mezz.com
mastering-pool.com

Philippines are the World Cup Champs!

2009-09-09T03:02:00.000-07:00

After a great opening round against Sweded (8-3) its dissapointing to tell you that we lost to China in the 2nd round. They simply managed to capitalize on every opportunity they had, running out most of the time. When they didn't run the whole rack, they either pushed to a safety or left us hooked.
Me and Markus Juva weren't able to retaliate even when we did have a slight chance to get back in the game. A dry break would really do that to you.

Not surprisingly, the Philippines managed to crawl past the finnish line ahead of the rest of the pack. They had a fairly good draw and by the time they got to the tougher matches they were able to show their true skills. The Semifinal against China was the first scare for them. They looked like they were going to run away with it first but then China produced a great come-back. It was 8-8 when Fu Djanbo decided to go for a seemingly low-percentage carom shot. He missed and left Efren and Django the out. It wasn't easy, but it was certainly nice to start with 1-ball straight in the side instead of a safety(had Fu taken the right shot on)

They ran out and the stage was set for a great final against the German Icons Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann.

The final was full of drama. Lots of fantastic run-outs, and a bit of dogging it too. I am assuming the conditions were getting tougher too because the heavy rain outside and 2000 thousand fans breathing in their neck.
Efren must have escaped 5-6 safeties with his superb kicking and Bustamante would offer the much needed firepower.
The Germans looked like heavy favorites at 9-7 and breaking but somehow the tide would turn again as if it was written in the stars.
Efren and Django indeed shone the light and proved that Philippines is the nr.1 Pool country in the world.

If you have a chance to see the finals re-run, great. Highly recommended.

World Cup of Pool in Manila

2009-08-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

On a lighter note, I'm about to to play the world team event WCOP here in Manila, the "Mecca" of pool.

I'm sure the local fans have heavy expectations on their countrymen's performance since they got so close in Holland last year, then losing to USA's Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening. As a host country, the Filipinos have increased odds to make it since they can have two teams to represent them. As if they needed an edge. ha ha ha. It'll be Efren Reyes/Fransisco Bustamante & Ronnie Alcano/Dennis Orcollo.
While all eyes are on them, I will be paired up with Markus Juva, naturally also Finnish. who knows, we might just sneak up on a few heavy hitters here. The first job is to beat Sweden. It's ironic to travel all this way to play a neighboring country of Scandinavia. Their team is Marcus Chamat and Tom Storm. Not an easy task by any means.

We play tomorrow 2nd of September, high noon. Remember, it's a sudden death format. One loss and you're out.

For any locals who didn't already know it's happening here: It's at the SM City North Mall. Action starts today. Finals are on the 6th.
-It's also live on Solar Sports.

-ICEMAN-

Heart breaking.

2009-08-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

I Lost the final Stefan Cohen. 200-181

Speechless.

Sent from my iPhone

World 14.1 Championships Semifinals

2009-08-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a long road and it's come to the final day to decide who is the best this week. Ortmann has played superb so far, but honestly I think he hasn't really been tested. He has put some consisten runs out there so He is the man to beat so far.

I will play him in the Semi, so I hope to get off to a good start.

Cohen will play either Archer or Williams in the other Semifinal.

THe tournament feature matches are filmed live on www.accu-stats.com so be sure to check it out online.

All the best,

ICEMAN

Seminole Tribe 10-ball drama

2009-08-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

It came right down to the wire this time. Shane Van Boening had an outstanding tournament, beating most of his opponents with a clear margin. He beat me for the hot seat 8-5.

I had to play Larry Nevel to get back in the battle for the title. He had just beat Archer and Stevie Moore. Seemed like he was hitting the ball well.
It was a nail-biter, went hill-hill. I was abel to come back from a 5-7 deficit. Break and run to finish it off!

Finals wasn't any let-down either. Shane was leading most of the match. His break is hard to fade. Damn that guy breaks the balls well. also he seemes to have come to his own with the stick he is playing with. He had me 8-5 but then he missed a 6-ball. I cleared it and but broke dry. Also there was a miss on the 8 this rack by Shane. It was a tight position, and it just barely hung in the pocket. I cleared it and then broke and ran out. 8-8!
The final break I may have taken a little speed of. I may have been wary of loosing control of the cueball. This was a bad decision as the break was dry again. Shane only really had to play position from 1 to 2 and the rest was routine. Of course I thought it should have been some pressure there but it didn't seem to bother him.

So I lost 9-8.

I was a good match. I just wish I had broken better.

Hats off to Shane. He was a better player this weekend.

If you like, you can watch the matches at www.cuestream.tv

Thats all for now...

-ICEMAN-

Getting ready for Seminole Pro 10-ball

2009-08-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Seminole Tribe 10-ball event starts today in Cape Corral, FL

Check it out! Lot's of great players are coming there....

Should be a blast!

Mezz Classic 10-ball Victory!

2009-08-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had two events in Orlando, FL. Sponsored by Mezz Cues of course.

I'd have to say I am pretty happy with the turn-out in my own view. Though I did loose to Johnny Archer in the 14.1 finals, I was able to redeem myself in the 10-ball event. The 10-ball was indeed a much bigger tournament in both the amount of participants and the depth of the field. Oh yeah, more prize-money as well.

I was really happy to beat all three players that I have tremendous amount of respect for: Thorsten Hohmann, Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris. Also I beat Shawn Putnam on the way in the 4th round of the winners side.

The table was incredibly tight, it didn't allow for much error. For that reason I thought it was a lot of fun to play on it, you could really feel rewarded for your efforts since it was that challenging.

So I am looking forward to more 10-ball this season and I know that my wish will be granted many times. So many things to look forward to.

OK, I am tired now, going to sleep.

Take care,

Mika

PartyCasino.net Mosconi Cup Tickets on Sale

2009-07-30T08:55:00.001-07:00

Finnish Open

2009-07-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

It was a sobering effect to go to my home country and get my ass handed to me. But all in all, it'll pretty much tell you how hard it is to be consistent in a game like 9-ball. I had a semi-holiday before the tournament started as I was fully devouring the scene at the Finnish countryside. It had little to do with my performance, good or bad. The tournament itself was organized at a shopping centre/hotel/restaurant complex called Flamingo. The venue called BowlCircus is an avant-garde version of a bowling-pool room combination. Its state- of-the-art look doesn't leave anybody cold. Everything from floor to ceiling is sleek details of granite, dark woods and proper chrome. Ultraviolet lights along the bowling alley and partially in the bar sets the mood just right for some chill time. Brunswick Metro tables with blue Simonis-cloth fit the bill as well.
Players were mostly from Finland though we had Niels Feijen from Holland and Dennis Grabe from Estonia among the favorites to win. I managed to win the 8-man 10-ball ring game on Friday that preceded the main event on Saturday. So I thought I was in good form. I made it through Saturday for the final 16 on Sunday. Then I played Marko Lohtander, one of the top players from Finland for 10 years or so. I played a pretty solid game but at 8-7 in my favor Marko fluked the 9. I then managed to scratch the next rack by clipping of a ball into the side. This left Marko an easy chance to take the lead for the first time in the race to 11 game. Then at 9-8 he broke and ran out. 10-8. I made a ball in the next break then played safe. Marko jumped but left me a shot. I ran out. Then at 10-9 in his favor, he broke, made a tricky shot on the two but fell short on a position, but was able to make a random 3-6 combo straight in. The rest of the table was formality. I am glad he eventually won; it makes me look better. lol. Against him in the finals was one of the future promises, Kim Laaksonen. Only 17 years of age. He actually beat Niels in the quarterfinals to advance.
The brainchild of this event was Kimmo Lehtonen and Tommi Lamminaho as a wingman. Kimmo being a veteran pro bowler despite his youthfulness happens to be the owner of the establishment. He even has the World's largest solid bowling ball element in the room by the entrance. Made of solid spectrolite. Weighs about 30 000 lb. It tells you something about his ambitions. When he does something, it's done with style. On top of all this, he is just a really funny guy. Nothing seems to bother him. That's the kind of people we need in our industry. As they are planning to have another tournament next year even bigger and better, rest assured, I am there.

Qatar Open Champion!!!!

2009-07-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

I played a terrific tournament with a bit of a scare in the first round of 32.

I have to admit that my dreams of of winning were almost made empty by
Mariusz Skoneczny of Poland. In the round of last 32 he was in the lead 10-8
but I managed to hang in by the skin of my teeth. I ran three consecutive racks
(he had a dry break at 10-9) to advance to the final 16. Phew!

In the last 16 and all the way through to the finals I played better and was able to
win games with a pretty clear margin. 11-4 against Israel Rota of Philippines,
11-5 with Niels Feijen and 11-3 VS Antonio Cabica. I beat Pin Yi Ko 13-9 in the finals.

It was all in all a wonderfully organized event. The conditions were so good. Tables Brunswick
Glod Crown 5, Aramith Super Pro balls etc.

It still has not quite sunken in yet that I won. Maybe I am tired of all the travelling I have
done the last 3 weeks. It really is time now to go to the Finnish countryside lake, kick back and have
a nice frosty beer while watching the sun set in the horizon.

-ICEMAN-

Qatar Open

2009-06-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

I made it to QATAR in one peace after a total of four flights: Las Vegas-New York-Amsterdam-Damman-Doha.

Door to door it took me about 31 hours. I did have time to swing by my New York apartment, which was nice.

Anyways, I will be starting the games day after tomorrow so there is some time to recoup from the flight ordeal.

I'll keep you posted.

as soon as I figure out which URL does the online updates I will share it with you as well.

Have a nice midsummer!

ICEMAN

A breath of fresh air

2009-06-24T17:35:00.001-07:00

Many of you may not know the nature side of Hong Kong. On a recent
visit to the Island of multicultural business entities I discovered a
peaceful side of it.
-With a little help of some friends-

Mika desktop wallpaper

2009-06-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hello people. Just by chance if you wanted to see my merry face a
little more often:

> http://www.mastering-pool.com/wallpaper.html

Yes it's a Mika-wallpaper.

In any other case, do continue to have a nice summer.

-ICEMAN-

Pool hangover

2009-05-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is my consolation prize for not doing so well at the
international 10-ball championships: In & Out burger.

"Close, but no Cigar"

2009-05-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

I had a decent run at the WPM. I played a great quarterfinal against Dennis Orcollo. Beat him 8-4. Then I lost in a bit of a scrappy match against the eventual winner, Darren Appleton.

I placed 3rd.

Semi:

I started out strong out of the gate, up 3-0 but then missed a long rail bank to have a chance to go up 4-0. Then at 3-1 I had a another shot but hooked myself on the 5. I attempted a jump, but missed and sold out. Then I didn't really see the table until it was 6-3 in Darren's favor. I closed the gap 5-6, but then after a push-out in the 12th rack Darren locked me up behind a ball at the other end of the table. I kicked two rail but left him a shot and he ran out. At 5-7 Darren missed a fairly easy 2ball and I ran the rack. at 6-7 I had a good break, made the two ball, I potted the 1ball and the 3, but after shooting the 4 left-handed I ran short on the position for the 5. I had a thin cut in the side but just hit the knuckle. Darren the banked the 5 and ran out.
Final score 8-6 in his favor.

Today starts the 112 players strong 10ball international. I was seeded so I play tomorrow.

ICEMAN

BCA ballroom + WPM

2009-05-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

World Pool Masters-

Hey, good news: I won my first round in a nail-biter against Fu Jian-
Bo from China. It went all the way down to hill-hill. Today I will
play Dennis Orcollo in the quarterfinals.

In the meantime, if you are in Vegas or perhaps on your way, please
come check out our beautiful cues at Mezz USA. We are located in the
main ballroom at the center of the back wall.
If you don't have a chance to see us in person, visit mezzusa.com

Cheers,

ICEMAN

Vegas baby!

2009-05-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to shoot some serious pool in Vegas:

First I have the World Pool Masters organized by the famous promoter, Matchroom.

The the International 10-ball Championships by Dragon Promotions.

It should be a very exciting week and a half. I have had a very good season already
so the preparation has been adequate. Now I'm just itching to get out there.

On top of these Events I have another angle covered. Mezz USA will have a booth
with a table in the Main BCA floor. Players will be able to test the quality Mezz Products
and find out why so many Mezz players are doing so good.
I will also promote the internationally praised "Mastering Pool" -instructional DVD's
We will have them available for purchase at a "show special" rate.

Also the Mezz products are available for purchase. Take your game to the next level.
It's cue-evolution! Even shafts to match whatever cue you have now!

Hope to see you there!

ICEMAN

Interpool Open

2009-05-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

I did pretty good in Sweden:

I won the shoot-out jackpot thing on Friday, then on Saturday I won the invitational 8 man 10-ball event.
I beat Niels in the finals of that 8-7. I thought I was on my way to get the 9-ball title as well but the little
big man Marcus stood in the way. I had him at 7-3 in the Semi's but then he started his relentless come-back. He
eventually beat me 11-8. Raj Hundal won the finals 11-10!

I guess I can't win all three?

Anyways, it was a great tune-up for Vegas.

See some of you there! We have a Mezz USA booth there.

Thanks

ICEMAN

Interpool Open

2009-04-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been more or less two weeks since my last blog, embarrassing. My apologies.

Anyways, here I am and I'm about to play the Interpool Open here in the city of Gavle, Sweden.

One of the owners of Interpool Bar&Billiard is my good friend, Marcus Chamat. It's definitely one
of the nicest rooms I have ever been to. Great ambience, nice bar, good location in the
heart of the city. The city itself is a quick 1 hour train ride from Stockholm's Arlanda
airport. Oh, I forgot to mention, the food at Interpool is amazing!

The tournament itself is the Swedish version of the Blackpool Open that I reported about
in my last blog. Over a hundred players have signed up, and among them are also some
Pro's like me, Marcus, Niels Feijen and Raj Hundal. I expect the best players from Sweden
will show up as well as some from Norway and Finland, as they are the neighboring countries.

After this I will head back to USA, namely the west coast. The Las Vegas pool extravaganza is
just around the corner.

I hope you all had a nice spring time, it's about time we get some nice weather in!

ICEMAN

I hope this doesn't get old for you... but I just won another tournament!!!

2009-04-13T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hehee... Well it was about time. meaning I finally beat Niels Feijen after God knows how many times?

Last year in this exact tournament he bageled me 7-0. Now I beat him 7-3. I think I am scaring the crap out
of all the ghosts if there was any left. It is nice to settle some old scores, eh?

Ok, so here is the dirty details:

Name of the Tournament: HCP Blackpool Open

Where: Jarvenpaa, FInland. a suburb of Helsinki about 45 min away by car. Train take s half hour.

Format: Handicapped (from 0 up to 4) races to 7 all the way.

This time we were 2-3 players shy of a 100.

Naturally all the best players in Finland showed up. International flavor was added by Niels and Marcus Chamat.

The final 32 route was following: Marcus Chamat, Marko Makkonen, Markus juva, Marko Lohtander, Niels Feijen.

I gotta say... I didn't play that great preliminary rounds but towards the end I shaped up. By the time it was finals, I was in dead punch.

I know it sounds kocky, but it is what it is. Well its a bit biased, you know.

Anyways, thats it for now. I got lazy, At least I am honest.

PS. don't be surprised if I wake up and read this and make some editions. I think I need a second opinion, but must sleep on it first. lol ( hate saying lol too but what the heck, sometimes it works)

ICEMAN

I won the Joss tournament at Raxx

2009-04-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

Holden Chin hosted this event at his room, the Raxx in Long Island.

I had tough matches earlier including Tom McGonagle (9-8) 4th round
and Joey Korsiak (9-7) for the "hot seat".

In the finals I faced Dave Grau who had just eliminated Dennis Hatch
and Joey Korsiak.

I ran out the first rack, and after winning the safety battle in the
second rack I broke and ran 4 more. So it was 6-0 very quickly.

I was pretty smooth all the way in the finals with 0 unforced errors.

Final score: 9-3

by the way, check out www.mezzusa.com for more news about Mezz cues. Join the winners circle and get a mezz:

mezzusa.com press release:

Mezz cues are showing their strength-

While Mika snapped off yet another Joss Tour victory, Joey Testa on the other hand has not dropped a set after starting to to use the Mezz ACE series. Testa snapped off the second consecutive Blaze win over Sunday. Combined with a PowerBreak cue with “DI” shaft Both Mika and Joey went undefeated to claim their respective titles.

Valley Forge + Joey Testa wins first tournament with Mezz Cue

2009-04-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

Valley Forge was a bit of disappointment for me personally, I didn't do as great in the 10-ball tournament
as anticipated.

On a another level, We did great with the Mezz booth. Certainly We caught a lot of attention.

Sarah Rousey, the #3 ranked player in the womens along with my business partner and touring pro
Caroline Pao were there working the booth. Thanks to their efforts it was possible. Also our friends Jay and Linda
Offered a big helping hand.

Everybody loved the product. Hopefully next time we'll get a bigger table, so you can really let your stroke "loose".

Some of the notable visitors was Jennifer Barretta. (www.jenniferbarretta.com)
We actually ended up signing with her for a year contract. Happy to have her.

Another one was Joey Testa who ended up a happy camper with brand new tools.
Joey went ahead and won the Blaze tour the following weekend with Mezz cues, the very first tournament
he ever played with the cue. (I remember doing the same when I got my Mezz)

So things are looking up on many levels.

I will be heading to Finland for a couple of weeks and then to Sweden to play Marcus Chamats Poolroom
Tournament "Interpool open 10-ball". After that heading back to USA first week of May. Las Vegas, baby!

I hope you are having a great Spring.

ICEMAN

West Coast this week

2009-03-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, I am in LA for a few days to visit Play Billiards Room in Oxnard. I am am actually one of the business partners of it.
I will be holding an exhibition there tom Friday for Boys & Girls club. For anyone interested, the Address is downtown Oxnard 7th St. & Ave A.

I know it's late notice, but do stop by if possible.

Here is the info from Play Billiards:

2008 Player of the Year according to our industry media, Billiards Digest, Pool & Billiards, and Inside Pool magazines.
Current #1 player in the US according to the BCA (Billiards Congress of America). www.azbilliards.com.
Many appearances on ESPN over the past decade.
Sponsored by Mezz Cues, Japan. www.mezzcues.com and www.mastering-pool.com.

He will be here through Sunday and will be performing on Thurs and Fri nights at 7 pm.

Thurs he will take challenge matches from our customers, league members and general public. $5 per game - all proceeds to benefit the local Boys & Girls Clubs.

Fri, he will perform an exhibition and challenge matches with children from the Port Hueneme Boys & Girls Club at 7pm.

To date, Play Billiards and its league members have donated over 100 pool cues to local organizations which include the local Boys & Girls Clubs, Mika's charity of choice, and hopes to donate some pool tables as well in the near future.

I won the Predator Tour Stop at Comet Billiards

2009-03-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

I came through the losers bracket to make it this time around.

I beat Frankie Hernandez 9-0 earlier. That gave me a feeling I might
go all the way.

I was breaking well also. So when it came down to the match against
Tony Robles in the semi's, I was ready. I beat him 9-3.

In the finals I was up against the winner of the last stop, Ignacio
Chavez.
I was strong out of the "gate", running a couple of racks and even
winning on his break. Chavez struggled to rack well fir himself anyways.
I ended up keeping my lead with steady stream of runs, and ended with
a scoreline of 11-4.

Jihuu!

Pool&Billiard Cover shot

2009-03-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters Back at the Riv!

2009-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters Back at the Riv!

Mika Immonen
World Champion
US.Open Champion

1-917-324-9911

For the World's finest pool-billiard cues, contact info@mezzusa.com

Team Mezz Usa

www.mikaimmonen.com
www.mezzusa.com
www.mastering-pool.com
www.miki-mezz.com/world

Matchroom Sport Presents:

Press Release

27^th February 2009

2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters Back at the Riv!

FOLLOWING on from the success of the 2008 event, the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will be returning to the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino as pool's most prestigious invitational event gets underway from 8^th to 10^th May.

A total of 16 of the finest players from around the world will be competing in the event, which will be staged over three days during the annual BCAPL National 8 Ball Championships.

Promoted by Matchroom Sport, a world leader in televised pool, the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will be running for the 17th year consecutive year and its roll call of champions reads like an international who's who of 9 ball.

Defending champion Alex Pagulayan of the Philippines will be back at the Riviera as will runner-up Mika Immonen (Finland), the reigning US Open champ.

Other players confirmed include World 10 Ball Champion, England's Darren Appleton; Mosconi Cup star Tony Drago (Malta) and former World No.1 Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines.

Representing United States hopes will be the top two American ranked players on the BCA Men's Point List, Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer. Montreal's Dancing Bear, Alain Martel, will be flying the flag for Canada.

The European vanguard of five-times Masters champion Ralf Souquet (Germany) and Holland's multi-titled Niels Feijen will both be in attendance.

They will be joined by top ranked European stars Nick van den Berg of Holland, England's Imran Majid, who KO'd Van Boening in this event last year, and teenage Russian sensation Ruslan Chinakhov who will be making his Masters debut.

Challenge of Champions winner and '07 World Cup winner Fu Jianbo will be making the trip from China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India, will return to the fray at the Riviera.

There is one female in the 2009 Masters line-up and that honour this year goes to the rising star of the women's game, 21 year-old Korean Yu Ram Cha.

Once again, the Masters will be promoted in partnership with Mark Griffin's BCA Pool Leagues and the opening first round matches take place on the evening of Friday, May 8, culminating in the championship match on Sunday, May 10.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The event was a big success for us last year at the Riviera and we're looking to build on that in May.

"The crowds at the Masters were good and with the outstanding line-up we have assembled this year, I am sure that we will have bumper crowds.

'Speak to any of the players; this is the event they all want to win and looking at the field, anyone of them can emerge triumphant,' he added.

As always, the World Pool Masters will be televised throughout the world in 15 one-hour highlights programmes.

There will be a $66,000 prize fund, an increase of 6.5% on last year, with the winner collecting $20,000.

Tickets will be made available in March on the Playbca.com website,

BCAPL's Mark Griffin added: 'BCA Pool League players love professional action. They are excited the World Pool Masters will return to the Riviera for 2009, and they hope that Matchroom will continue to honor our tournament with their participation for years to come.

'The finest amateur and professional players from around the globe gather every year at the Riviera for "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World," and the tradition continues,' he added.

Turning Stone...turning page

2009-02-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, it wasn't quite a storybook ending this time for me. I thought I had a real chance to snab the title finally since the first Turning Stone event in 2000. I had a great comeback 3rd round against Shawn Putnam(6-8) and after that went on to beat Darren Appleton 9-1 and Thorsten Hohmann 9-3. also Sunday's first match I beat Mario Morra 9-5.
Ralf Souquet stood in the way of my plans this time as he did for so many other guys.
I have to say the match against him in the winner bracket finals was as one-way street as I have ever walked. On top of playing perfect he did have a fluky kick-combo to back-cut the nine in the corner. And this was after I succesfully kicked at his safety. SO whatever he touched, turned into gold. result: 9-1
That kind of took the wind out of my sales and When it came time to play Dennis Hatch I hadn't fully recovered. Dennis, on hte other hand, had just came back from 6-8 against Putnam. So he had a momentum going and he kept it.
I made an unforced error at 4-2 in my favor when I failed to make a long one into the corner. it was a key shot I would have been out to 5-2 but instead let him back in the game. So later, at 7-7 when I broke dry, I never had another glance. Dennis ran out and the next break was so effective, balls were literally laying in the holes for him to clear a routine run-out.

So it was a bit of an anti-climax for me.

Ralf Apparently beat Dennis in the Finals 13-6. Not surprising, he was in terrific form.

1. Ralf Souquet
2. Dennis Hatch
3. Mika Immonen
4. Shawn Putnam
5-6. Shane Van Boening, Mario Morra
etc..

Billiard Life

2009-02-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

Me and Darren pimped out in Billiard Life outfits. At the player
meeting. Getting ready to kick butt at Turning Stone Classic.

Other mags

2009-02-18T17:40:00.001-08:00

I will post some other mag covers asap. When I get my hands on them.

Thanks for comments.

"ICEMAN"

World Champion
US.Open Champion
Player of The Year 2008

For the World's finest pool-billiard cues, contact info@mezzusa.com

Team Mezz Usa

www.mikaimmonen.com
www.mezzusa.com
www.mastering-pool.com

Billiards Digest Player of the Year issue

2009-02-18T12:04:00.001-08:00

One of the highlights of my career:

Valentines day

2009-02-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

Just decided to get out of the city a little for a quick walk.

Trivia question

2009-02-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

The answer to this weeks trivia question is:

5'9 165 lbs. Or 175cm 75kg

Thanks for participation.

For the Worlds finest pool-billiard cues contact info@mezzcues.us

Mezz Usa

mikaimmonen.com
mezzcues.us
mastering-pool.com

Getting ready for Pool School in Chicago. This is your Chance!

2009-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

Are you interested in getting in the Pro Pool School Feb 8th&9th,2009 in Palace Billiards, Villa Park, Chicago?

My sponsors and affiliates, Mezz Cues, Brunswick and Mastering-pool.com are subsidizing 50% of your play-like-the-pro's experience for the following trivia question: How much is my height and weight?

It's first come, first serve. If you win, you will get personal attention and interaction from such world class pool players as Fransisco Bustamante, Charlie Williams and myself. The lessons start 9.30 both Sat &Sun and includes lunch with Pro's.

Two days packed with knowledge distribution like nothing you have seen before. Original Price=$1150 Winner of trivia= More than 50% off at bargain cost of $500.

If you win and can't come, give it to a friend. Good luck.

"ICEMAN"

PS. you can answer in kg/lb. and ft/cm

Derby City re-cap

2009-02-02T15:40:00.001-08:00

Alright so the annual "Hustlers Convention" is over.

My performance in my very own view was nothing great.

I did ok at the banks. Top 10 out of 400.

The one-pocket was less successful as I only reached 6th round.

9-ball was a disappointment. I had a tough match first round against
Charlie Williams. He played great. I missed one combo and I was down
5-0. Then I ran 3 racks but on the 4th I hooked myself, jumped and
cueball found its way to a pocket. He ran out and another break/run to
finish me off.
I won quite a few matches, I think I made it 8th round or so, but
again lost a morning match. This time to Lee Van Corteza, who was one
of the hottest players this week. I came back from 3-6 to make it
hill-hill, but then had a dry break. He played a poor safety, I locked
him up. Then he took a flyer at a kick-combo but missed badly. Sure
enough I was hooked. I could see the edge of the 1-ball, tried a
safety, but left him a run-out. He struggled with position to run out
and for the 6-ball ran into the 8&9 cluster but managed to have a
window to shoot the 6 in the pocket. So that was it.

I did manage to win one side event; It was the 1-pocket ghost.
Basically for $50 you get three attempts to run balls in the
designated pocket in 5 innings. Break the rack open and go from where
the cue ball lands.
I had the high of 53 and shared the 2nd high (50) with Darren
Appleton. Efren's best was 47. Deuel had a dissapointing 38.

The HorseShoe Casino turned out to be very different from The
Executive West. In good ways and bad.

You want the good ones first?

Ok.

1. Food: better. Simply more choices. Not that it was that special,
also a little pricy.

2. Rooms: slightly better, though prices for room was high.

3. Security: Way better. I guess the Casino establishment with cameras
and guards helps keep criminal minds at bay.

4. Walk from the room to arena: long. It didn't really bother me but
some players had a hard time doing that half-a-mile stretch between
games.

5. Tournament room: Nice look, just too small for that many tables.
You simply can't get into a rhythm when you have to wait for other
tables to finish their shots all the time.

6. Format: Time consuming. We all know it's a re-draw after each round
is finished and you can't really draw again until the buy-back time
has expired. There is one thing though: Why didn't they call matches
as the tables open up? Way too many times you'd be waiting on a table
when there was several free already.

All in all, I think the venue was nice. We just need some more space
and in general, players need to get a better deal on the hotel.

Happy continuance of the New Year!

Mika

For the Worlds finest pool-billiard cues contact info@mezzcues.us

Mezz Usa

mikaimmonen.com
mezzusa.com
mastering-pool.com

Final four in the "Fat Boy Challenge" at DCC

2009-01-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

I'm doing pretty good here at DCC.

I'm still in business in the bank pool. Starting to get a hang of it.
I think it's 7th round. I lost one though.

In the 16 man Challenge I won first two rounds beating Charlie Bryant
15-11 and the Stevie Moore 15-9.

That's all for this update, gotta get up early for 1-pocket.

...and more banks.

Later...

Hey! I just beat Clif Joyner in one pocket... I came back from losing 0-2 to win the game at 3-2. It was a very tough match and I managed to pull it off!

"ICEMAN"

Sent from my iPhone

For the Worlds finest pool-billiard cues contact info@mezzcues.us

Mezz Usa

mikaimmonen.com
mezzcues.us
mastering-pool.com

Heading to Derby.

2009-01-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'd say it's a pretty cold day in New York. It's in single digits(Fahrenheit), even the ICEMAN can feel cold here.

It's just like Home, Finland that is. Hey, I thought I was escaping the winter...this is not part of the deal!

Anyways, I doubt it would be much better next week so I am heading south. Not much though. In fact,
I think it's soutwest. It's called the DCC which stands for Derby City Classic, in Louisville. Well, they moved
to a Casino in the State of Indiana, but the airport and hotel is still the same-for some of us. Maybe you were
lucky enough to get a room at the Casino.

I call it "The Hustlers Convention" as it seems to attract a fair amount of them or some wanna-be's. Every year
the guys that have been hiding their speed the best they can, finally take a crack at some real dough. It's
everything from 1-pocket, bank pool, 9-ball, 10-ball, straight pool etc. Even the action rooms are filled with
guys eager to make a mark among pro's and Cons. (I had to say that, sorry). One way or the other the hustlers
are trying to rob you. Words of advice: Don't walk into the parking lot alone with a big bankroll. I am dead serious.

This year there has been another side-show added. It's a 16 man 10-ball Challenge. Although the entry fee
was high for normal standards, 1K seemed like a steal to get into this kinda action at the Derby City.

It's definitely something to see, the Derby. Not for kids though.

Bring your A-game, see you there. If not in "stroke" I am sure you will find plenty of side-betting. Or cointossing,
which never made sense to me.

See yah,

Mika

Victory!

2009-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

I started the New Year the same way I finished last year. I went
through the losers bracket like a whirlwind. I beat Mark Vidal in the
finals two back-to-back sets (9-1,9-3) to claim the title.

Yeah!

www.joss9balltour.com

Joss Tour stop at Comet Billiards

2009-01-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Firstly, let me just enjoy my moment of limelight and show what a good
shot they have on the cover of Accu-Stats 2009 catalog.

Also, I must ad that Pat Fleming has built a nice set for live streaming at Comet Billiards.

It's a tournament style pit and it really makes the room stand out as one of the best for
tournaments in East Coast. Check it out. There is two more Joss Stops at Comet this season
as well as Three Predator tour stops. Wow, I guess I will be going there more often.

About the tournament:

I am in the losers bracket right now just fighting my way to get to the finals and maybe avenge
my earlier loss to Mark Vidal.

I just beat my friend Peter Nielsen from Denmark, so he end up finishing 5th-6th. Not bad considering
I gave him a Mezz Cue to use. He also had a terrific come-back earlier in the winners bracket against
Tony Robles. He won 9-8 after being down 0-8! Did I mention he has been of the tour for 5 years?
Who knows, he might get back into it.

OK gotta go back to work...

THE ICING ON THE CAKE.

2008-12-15T01:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas came a little early for me this year. Actually everything seems to have come in not only early, but also in leaps and bounds this year.

Ok, so just to quickly get the latest off my chest:

WE WON THE MOSCONI-CUP AND I WAS THE MVP!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWH.

Sorry, got a little excited.

Anyways, as I was saying...it was a memorable finish for what has been the best year in my whole career.

To be able to win 5 out of the last 6 tournaments I played in (2nd place in Korea) was incredible.

Even before the big wins I was pretty consistent but something was missing;

I needed the US.Open to start the snowball effect. It opened me up as a player. I got rid of one of the "monkeys" on my back. I dared to dream big.

I went on the win the IPT Pro-am event. I know, it wasn't really a big deal but win is a win.

Then in Korea I got 2nd place, lost to Thorsten Hohmann in the finals. He played great.

In Japan, off came the next monkey. I had been in the finals of All Japan Championships 4 times within 10 years, which is a feat in itself. But this time I would not be deterred. I went on to beat Ronnie Alcano 11-2 in the Finals.

Then I went to Philippines as part of the World team to play one of the greatest teams compiled out of the Filipino lads. The World team beat Team Philippines 9-8 after being down 6-8.

It was a great General rehearsal to what became one of the most glorious moments in my Career.
My biggest disappointment, the 2006 fiasco turned into a golden dream as I was finally able to pot the final
9-ball and claim the Mosconi-Cup title as a proud member of Team Europe. I had won all 4 of my singles and
also a big doubles match with Mark Gray. I was chosen MVP, an honor far greater than I can put into words.

I am now speechless, as it is time to go go on a well deserved holiday.

I will speak to you, if not in words then actions some time early next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Mika Immonen a.k.a "The ICEMAN".

DVD is OUT!

2008-12-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody, I have to make sure to announce that the DVD is ready and you can go ahead and log on to
www.mastering-pool.com

Check it out. It's the best thing on the market. A real pioneering project. Feedback has been tremendous so far.

Buy it while you're at it. hehehe

Mika

Team World VS Team Philippines showdown.

2008-11-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

The long awaited team event finally happened. Philippines had compiled the best of the best and now boldly challenging the World team to a shoot-out. I can't blame them though, they had plenty of arsenal. Seriously, They could have picked any of their top 16 players and still have about the same fire-power.

Team Philippines: Efren Reyes, Fransisco Bustamante, Alex Pagulayan, Ronnie Alcano, Dennis Orcollo, Lee Van Corteza, Warren Kiamco and Roberto Gomez.

Team World: Rodney Morris, Thorsten Hohmann, Wu Chia-Ching, Yang Chin-sung, Djan Bo Fu, Charlie Williams, Raj Hundal and myself.

We started out strong, winning 3 out of first 4. On the second day, I started with a victory over Dennis Orcollo.

Then Team Philippines started pulling back. We managed to hold the lead by a narrow margin after day two, 5-4.

After trailing for the first two days, the filipinos charged to a 8-6 lead, winning four out of the first 5 games. Francisco “Django” Bustamante edged Hundal, 7-6; Reyes subdued Morris, 7-5; the foursome of Bustamante, Pagulayan, Orcollo and Gomez prevailed over the quartet of Hundal, Yang Ching-shun, Mika Immonen and Wu, 7-6; and Gomez blasted Yang, 7-3, for an 8-6 lead in a race-to-nine duel.

Then Charlie williams against Dennis Orcollo in the singles. It was a race to 9, so we could not afford to loose. Charlie fought his heart out and came trough with a 7-5 victory.

The team of Efren “Bata” Reyes, Ronnie Alcano, Warren Kiamco and Lee Van Corteza lost a 5-2 advantage and fell to the squad of Rodney Morris, Williams, Thorsten Hohmann and Fu Jianbo, 7-6, paving the way for the hill-to-hill battle.

As the draw would have it, again it was a four on four for the title. I had to sit in the sidelines, probably more nervous there. the final four for World Team consisted of Morris, Hundal, Williams and Wu. The Filipinos had the squad of Pagulayan, Gomez, Kiamco and Orcollo.

It looked as though the thought of a loss had finally creeped in the Filipinos minds and the pressure was adding up. We had a great momentum after being down. Specially Wu came with some fantastic shots to put us in the "drivers seat". It was 6-5 for Team world when Alex was breaking to make it hill-hill, but had a dry break. Then even the usually emotionless Wu was practically giggling and started wiping down his cue in excitement for the run-out. The last three shots of the tournament were by no means easy. Wu was shooting a tough 7 on the back rail bridged over the 8, Hundal speared a long 8 from the back rail, and Williams deservingly clinched the title with a 9 near the head spot, again cueball near the rail by the side.

I jumped over the railing in joy, and the whole team was jumping around in disbelief. It was a comeback to remember!

Wohhoooohohooooo!

"We are the Champions, my friend..."

2008-11-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

YES!

I finally got another monkey off my back. I Dismantled Ronnie Alcano in the Finals of the All Japan Championships..hmmmm. Was it 11-2 or 11-3? Anyways, It took the 5th try within 10 years to finally snap it off!!!! I am so happy right now.

I hope to update you soon with more details, now I gotta go party!!!

Thanks for all the support, you are the best.

Mika

Korea is history, now let's focus on All Japan Championships

2008-11-19T04:30:00.000-08:00

I ended up losing to Thorsten Hohmann in the finals of the Asian 10-ball Championships in Seoul, Korea.

My road to the finals wasn't too tough except of one hill-hill match that I playd against Kamihagi from Japan.
He had a chance to win after I came dry on the break at 8-8, but missed a tough long one-ball. He left it
semi-tough fro me and I made it. I then had to play a billiard off the two into the 10 and made it. whew!

I guess I was just a little out of focus in the finals. I missed some key positions and a few easy shots as well.
Thorsten on the other hand was playing great and also getting some good rolls on some kick-shots that I left
him. Or if he missed I was hooked. That's the way it goes sometimes. When you play good, you deserve good
rolls and visualize things you may not be conscious off.

All in all combination of bad play bad rolls-good play good rolls added to a 8-1 victory for Toasti. Good job.

PS. I think I might have been a little cocky going into the match. I really wanted to make it three in a row...I got
punished for that. As I should. It's the wrong focus.

IPT PRO-AM and off to Asian 10-ball Championships in Korea

2008-11-12T01:07:00.000-08:00

I was able to win that fluky format IPT Pro-Am thing in Chicago, and the very next day we had to fly to Seoul, Korea.
Check out www.internationalpooltour.com updates and probably they have some video clips for you.

I was travelling with Rodney "Rocket" Morris, which made it easier to kill time on that 14-hour flight.

Anyways, luckily we caught a "bye" first round, so we didn't have to play until the following day after arrival.
Even then, my first opponent had read the chart wrong so I also got a forfeit. Hey, no complains.

I managed to win my 3rd round just now. Next I will play a Japanese guy. I have to win just that to get in the final
eight. Then its a single knock-out.

The other top seeds include Thorsten Hohmann, Charlie Williams, Hayato Hijigata and there is also a few players from
Philippines. It seems like the turn-out of Korean top Pros was disappointing. There was a lot of empty slots in that 64
men Double Elimination format. Dragon Promotions had expected to fill that chart.

Good thing the tables are pretty tight and we are playing 10-ball. Nobody will run more than 2-3 racks here. More
strategy involved.

See you again soon

Yes we can...

2008-11-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the people of America for electing Barack Obama for President.

I watched and stayed up all night in awe of the new spirit that has touched this nation.
It touched me too. It will effect my life as well.

I am ever so grateful that on this same historic day I find myself a legal resident of this
country of restored hope for a better future. I really feel like I have so much more to look
forward to living in America.

Now we once again may call it a land of opportunities. Or perhaps time will tell. But I do feel
a sense of relief all over the world.

God Bless America!

US.OPEN TITLE...

2008-10-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

...and what it means to me?

It's definitely a milestone in my career. Do you think it's safe to say that this would cement my position as one of the best players in the world today? I have to say that I am proud to have come from a country like Finland as a first generation of pool players and get this far. I laugh about it. And I mean it because I didn't have all the information handy like some guys who learned from Mosconi, Lassiter, Mizerak etc. I feel blessed to have the skill of observation. And of course determination. Even before the finals I kept repeating a mantra: "I want this more than you..."

I will dedicate this particular victory to the two great people that have inspired me on my path.
They both past away recently but their contribution is never forgotten:

My Grandma Riitta Immonen and the Great Paul Newman.

I learned dignity and grace from my Grandma. I am still learning of course. She used to collect all the clippings of me from newspapers, magazines etc. In reality she was was a much bigger star than me. So humble of her. She was the epitome of style
and sense of situation. She past away as peacefully as she lived.

Paul Newman because without his roles in "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" I would have not been so fascinated about the game. He deserved an Oscar for his role in The Hustler already. I had a plan to write him a letter how he inspired me and how I became a world
Champion. Well, it's too late for that but I hope he was one of the Pool Gods smiling upon me as I was taking my last strokes at the
winning 9-ball. Rest in peace my friend.

Ok, so I guess I should post something about the match itself also?

Yeah i got off to a good start in the finals. It had been a trend in my games all week. It's kind of like the great samurai Miyamoto Mushashi said: "Hit first, hit hard." So when you get a 5-0,6-1,8-2 lead, it's really tough for the other guy to come back in the match. The pressure is really on. In a big lead like that there is a very thin line between playing conservative or trying to keep that rally going.

I have to hand it to Ronnie Alcano though. After I had a dry break at 6-0 he came with a really tough shot and ran out. Even after being down 10-2 he made a nice effort to come back in the match. I have to say that in the end my safeties were better than his and thus I was able to protect my lead.

My greatest moment in the match was the push-out at 1-0. Ronnie let me shoot again and I banked the two from the back rail in the the 9 and it went into the side as I had envisioned. I know it was a low percentage shot but more importantly I had a built-in safety. Both the nine and the safety worked and I was pumped! :

All in all I think my ability to close racks was good over the whole match. Also my arm felt a lot more relaxed than in the winner bracket finals. It might have been a blessing in disguise because I felt I needed to hit some more balls that day. Not say I wanted a nail-biter that my match with Warren Kiamco in the Semi's. It also gave me time to work on my break for the finals.

I want to thank all the people for support and response. I really felt a lot of encouragement during the whole event and it really kept me going.

All I can say now is:

"I'M BACK!"

GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL GO GO GO GO GOG GO GO GGOGOGOGOGOG GOOOAAAL

2008-10-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

I won the US.Open

4th Rnd Victory

2008-10-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Still going strong. I started again with 4 run-outs. It's always a nice way to start. Well I was all the way up to a 8-1 lead when all of a sudden Nick Varner started to make his comeback. I did have a couple unforced errors in the mid-game, but I went ahead 9-4 after Nick missed a relatively easy 9ball combo.

In the end my break wasn't going as smooth as in the beginning and Nick was making the 1ball in the side a lot. Finally at 10-6 he had a dry break and I was able to play two safeties in which the latter one he missed completely. With ball in hand I cruised passed the finish line. Phew!

Tomorrow I play Shawn Putnam at 7pm.

Cheers,

Mika

US.Open under way

2008-10-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's three rounds into the Open and so far, so good. My game has been getting pretty solid as the rounds go by. I will play the legend Nick Varner in the 4th rnd tonight at 9pm. Last night he edged out Luat in a nail-biter 11-10.

The choice of breaks seems to go down to the Cut-break. Last night I made a ball on every break. Lot of it had to do with the fact that I was racking my own. Which in fact was against the rules. They came and warned us that we can continue now since it was late into the our third round match with Donnie Mills. Next one will be rack for opponent. I beat Donnie 11-8. I had him 10-4 and he made a terrific comeback. I was fortunate he had to push-out at 10-8 because an 8-ball blocked the path to the 1-ball and consequently an easy run-out. I made him shoot again, he made the 1 but got hooked for the 2ball. Then he jumped and missed. I ran out.

I can't expect to get such solid racks in the future. But at least I can always study the racks if anything.

More updates soon...

Mika

5th in the World 10-Ball

2008-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

For those who did not follow the proceedings online, I finished in the quarterfinals of the Manila 10-Ball event.

I'd say it's not a bad finish, but it still sucks to loose. I was playing on top of my game for quite a few rounds, but in the end
the breaks can still have a mind of their own. You just can't control every single ball on the break, right? This time I lost to the
wonder-kid Chia-Ching, Wu. He had nice lay-outs after the break and he used his opportunities well.s. All in all I missed couple shots like him, but my mistakes-it seemed- ended up costing more than his.

I expected him to go on and win but Darren Appleton bounced back from a bad semi-final performance into a guy that
would deservingly call himself a World Champion. Wu was indeed chasing a title that would have added nicely into his 8-ball
and 9-ball World Championship titles. Magically Wu also won those titles both in 2005 being his first attempt. He was only 16 at the time.
We expect to see a great deal of good play from both players for years to come.

Anyways, I am now in Holland already preparing for the next event which starts tomorrow here in Rotterdam. It's the World Cup of Pool. Doubles play, representing our respective countries.

OK that's it for now. I have to go eat and rest up for tomorrow.

Yours Truly,
Mika

Made it to the last 32 at the 10-Ball WC

2008-10-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

I made it through the first single knock-out round in a match that was tighter than the score would indicate. I beat Johnny Fulcher 9-5, but I was struggling to get control of the match early on:

Johnny won the first rack due to a good safe, then broke the 10 in of the break. It went directly into the bottom corner. 2-0.
Then I managed to get a rack in. 2-1. I then played a bad shot on the 5, he ran out. 3-1.

We kinda went neck to neck for a while. I had a chance to go up 5-3 but dogged a safety. He tied 4-4 and then had an easy run-out.
5-4 him. Following rack, he missed a ball completely but hooked me. I hit it but left a shot. He should have gone up 6-4 but he played a bad position on the 9 and so could not get great on the 10. He misses the 10 in the side and I had to just roll it in.
5-5. Phew!
I started to break a little better. went up 7-5. Then dry break. He had a chance to close the gep to 6-7 but he missed the 4. He hooked me again though. I had to kick two rails. I made the ball but was automatically snookered behind the 10 to make the 5. I jumped and made the 5 into the side to finally gain control of the rack.
The final rack I felt good already and ran out to win 9-5.

I will try to post some illustrations later on. the 8-5 run out with kick and jump was interesting.

Thanks for listening...

Mika

PS. live score at: www.wpa-tour.com