No busy signal for Verizon in Open League

Verizon won the 2004 Fall Season of the CNMI Open Billiards League behind a school of pool sharks led by Roger Espiritu and Jerry Soriano.

The team wiped the floor with second-place Man Fotten Gaga to capture the season championship. They were awarded their trophies during the league’s awards ceremony held at a Garapan venue last Wednesday.

The final score (69-41) was laughable with Verizon virtually wrapping up the title weeks before the final match.

The CNMI Open Billiards League only had two teams, in part because other teams pulled out at the start of the competition because of the strength of the Verizon squad.

Their fears proved well founded, as Verizon lost only once against Man Fotten Gaga in the nine-week long tournament.

Verizon got off to a shaky start, nipping Man Fotten Gaga (7-6) on Oct. 12. In Week 2, however, the team gave a preview of things to come when it dominated its rival (9-4). The Oct. 26 encounter was also a no-contest (8-4). Man Fotten Gaga caught Verizon napping but was only able to come up with a tie (7-7) on Week 4. They finally got Verizon’s number on Nov. 9 (9-4). But went back to losing mode, dropping the last four matches—8-2 on Week 6, 9-4 on Week 7, 8-3 on Week 8, and 9-2 on Week 9 that concluded the competition on Dec. 7.

Aside from Espiritu and Soriano, the Verizon team is also made up of notable cue artists Rommel Crisotomo, Santi Sablan, Senen Pangilinan, and Erick Santos.

Espiritu is a local pool legend dubbed by many as “The Ghost” for the way he tingles the spine of opponents. He also won the $1K Top Pool Bar 9-Ball Tournament at the Garapan sports bar last Dec. 20.

Soriano, for his part, is nearing Espirituesque status because of his recent string of victories, which included four straight weeks of topping the Corner Pocket 9-Ball Tournament.

Crisostomo has also proven his mettle in past pool tournaments and is slowly making a name for himself on Saipan. Sablan is an up-and-coming player, who admits he still has a lot to learn, while Pangilinan and Santos are at par with Espiritu and Soriano.

It was a tighter contest in the CNMI Billiard League with Hyatt Troops holding back the late charge of Hazmat to win the championship of the B division.

Hyatt Troops finished the 2004 fall season with 71 points with their six-point output on the final week proving enough to spoil the comeback hopes of Hazmat, which came up three points short (68 points) despite scoring a solid 10 last Dec. 7.

Making up the Hyatt Troops are Larry Briones, Cezar Poblete, Ed Manucdoc, Brendyl Roma, Toto Silvestre, and Frank Codog. Players for Hazmat, meanwhile, are Russell Powell, Roman Rodriguez, Richard Celestine, Rodel Dela Cruz, Rick Elefante, and Romy “Colonel” Sotto.

Coming in third behind Hyatt Troops and Hazmat was Subsea Shooters, which wound up with a 66. Its players are Eric Montano, Alexander Ayeras, Rex Reyes, Ganover, Rettin, Robert Sanciangco, and Willie Roman.

The rest of the B division standings, with their scores, in parenthesis, are as follows: Da X Terminators (63), Marines I (56), Fotten Gaga (54), Team Cat (52), Marines II (39), Sang & The Gang II (36) and Sang & The Gang I (31).

CNMI Open Billiards League and CNMI Billiards League organizers Fred and Kim Prinze also handed out the MVP of the B division last Wednesday at Club Taboo. Taking home the coveted plum was Roman Rodriguez of Hazmat.