Wrong billiards lineup lesson to remember

BUSAN - Keeping Efren "Bata" Reyes out of some pool events where he would have had a greater chance of winning should serve as a learning experience for the local billiards officials.

"We’re not here to blame anybody but this will be something that we will all remember," said Dayrit Tuesday morning, probably looking forward to future regional competitions where he would like to see Reyes concentrating mainly on the 9-ball events along with Francisco "Django" Bustamante.

In the 14th Asian Games here, the 48-year-old Reyes was fielded only in the 8-ball singles where he won the bronze, and in the 3-cushion carom where it was like fielding Elma Muros, a long-jump specialist, in the pole vault.

"Sa kangkungan ako pupulutin sa carom," Reyes had said even before he left Manila to compete in the biggest Asian Games ever.

True enough, he failed to reach the medal round.

Last Monday, he was quoted as saying: "Sana sa susunod palaruin na nila ako sa lahat ng pool events."

Bustamante, for his part, was kept out of the 9-ball singles and played only one event here — the 9-ball doubles where he was teamed up with Antonio Lining.

Luckily, Bustamante and Lining won the gold over a Korean pair. Otherwise, it would have been a disaster for the RP billiards team which boasts two of the greatest 9-ball players in the world today.

Reyes won the world 9-ball crown in Cardiff, Wales, in 1999 while Bustamante finished second to American Earl Strickland last July.

"It’s the NSA (national sports associations) that picks their athletes. It’s also the NSA that decides on which event this athletes will be fielded. Of course, they know them better," added Dayrit.

"Of course, the others did well, too," said Dayrit, referring to Warren Kiamco who won the silver in the 9-ball singles.

But then again, how about Reyes and Bustamante teaming up in 9-ball?