I just want to start out this entry by saying that I'm extremely happy with the way I played today.

There was none of the trepidation that I felt yesterday, and my shots went in with good regularity. I had a couple of practice sessions that went very well, and I got quite a few comments from strangers about about how good I was shooting.

My first match was against some guy I never heard of, though I've since been told that he's pretty good.

I ran five and out on the first game, then failed to make a ball on the break. My opponent ran four balls, and I caught up one ball at a time until he eventually scratched when it was 4-4. This left me the spot-shot ball-in-hand shot that I practice all the time. Inspired by Tiger Nall, I fired the ball straight-back and won the second game.

My opponent then surprised me by forfeiting the last game. Said he wasn't feeling well.

My next match I finally got my wish to play a well-known player. My opponent was Truman Hogue. Maybe the best offensive banks player in the world. That Truman Hogue.

I lost the match 3-1. I can honestly say that I had good chances to win each game. The shots I missed were not that tough. I actually made the hard shots and missed the easier ones. I'm still very happy with the way I played, and since I won a game I certainly beat the spread.

Here's a pop quiz. You're playing Truman Hogue, down 1-0 in a race to three, and you need all the balls.

I won this game from here. I'll say how tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, I'm no longer on the fun side of the tournament, but I've used my buy-back and I'm feeling very good about my play. I need to win one match tomorrow to get in the money, and to equal my performance from last year.