Bata Reyes in the eyes of his peers

[baludoy]

CLEAN LIVING
Bata Reyes in the eyes of his peers

By Manolo Iñigo
Inquirer
Last updated 01:43am (Mla time) 09/15/2006

Published on Page A30 of the September 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

SOFT-SPOKEN Efren “Bata” Reyes has persevered through adversity and now ranks as the world’s greatest billiards player.

Just recently, he won the IPT World 8-Ball Championship in Reno, Nevada by beating American Rodney Morris, 8-6, and pocketing $500,000, the biggest paycheck in the history of the sport. And barely two weeks before that, he topped the World Cup of Pool in a team-up with longtime partner and kumpadre, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, in South Wales, Britain.

Since 1985, when Reyes, then 29, won his first tournament in the United States -- the Red’s 9-Ball Open in Houston, Texas -- his impact on the world billiards scene has been tremendous. More so now when he is already 52 years old.

“I thought he was just a local kid from the ‘Little Mexico’ area of Houston,” recalled Red’s 9-Ball tournament director Scott Smith of Reyes, a skinny foreigner from Manila with a scraggly moustache and a shortage of teeth who signed up as “Carlos Morales” when he plunked down his entry fee of $75.

Then virtually unknown, Reyes was put on a table in the back of the cavernous hall, where few people would witness his opening match against American Wade Crane, who also entered the tournament using a cover: Billy Johnson. “They thought I couldn’t play,” Reyes laughed at the recollection.

By the fourth round of the 96-player tourney, the mystery man from Manila had made mincemeat of the opposition. Wrote Mike Panozzo of Billiards Digest: “Reyes’ exaggerated, roller-coaster stroke, merciless safeties, accurate jump shots and mind-bending kick shots (which earned him the moniker “The Magician”) had the aficionados and pros alike confounded. Who was this Morales? Where did he learn all those wild shots?”

Never before had the crop of American 9-ball players seen the likes of Reyes. With his cover as Cesar Morales finally blown, Reyes became the rage of the American pool scene. Crowds were always largest at the venues where Reyes played, including many US-based Filipino supporters who rooted for him.

Word of his skills preceded Reyes as far back as 1978. Book author John Grissim, a world traveler from California, wrote about the Filipino cue artist after losing a money game during a stop in Manila. Said Grissim: “He had the smooth motion and subtle touch that characterize excellent players everywhere, regardless of age or nationality. As I was leaving, I was told he was the No. 2-ranked player in the Philippines (the top player then was Jose ‘Amang’ Parica). His name was Efren Reyes.”

Back in the United States, Grissim warned leading American pros Jay Helfert and Jimmy Rempe about players in the Philippines who would beat them some day. “We just flat out and laughed at him,” replied Helfert. “Come on, John, I know the best players in the Orient are the Japanese, and we’ve seen them play. When he told us he meant the Philippines we told him he was crazy. Now we are paying the price.”

“His (Reyes’) style was so drastically different,” said the legendary Nick Varner, a two-time Billiards Digest Player of the Year. “He attracted a lot of attention. And he had a big impact on the way we Americans played the game.”

Another American player, the now retired Mike Sigel, said, “Reyes was too intimidating given his 5-foot-7 frame. You couldn’t communicate with him, because he speaks little English then. And his stroke and style were so different that they scared opponents.”

Many-time world champion Earl Strickland, the flamboyant American who is also Reyes’ arch rival, said, “I think he’s the greatest player in the world. What else can you say? He plays you and he beats you.”

Even his Puyat Sports teammates readily acknowledge this fact. “Oh, Efren, he’s really good, very good,” said Rodolfo “Boy Samson” Luat. “We all learned from him.”

“I learned so much from watching him,” added Bustamante. “And after we had played, he would show me what I did wrong. And he’d show me other things, set up other shots to teach me something new. To me, he’s the greatest player who ever lived.”

“Reyes is truly an inspiration, especially to the less fortunate Filipinos,” said sports patron Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, the godfather of Philippine billiards. “It’s nice to see a man with humble beginnings to be a source of pride and joy to the whole nation.”

As esteemed columnist Conrado de Quiros once wrote, “Elsewhere in the world, people now remember the Philippines only for two things -- EDSA and Bata. And I don’t know which one they hold in more awe. As someone told me recently, mention the word ‘Filipino’ to a taxi driver in Europe, and he will hold an imaginary billiard stick in his hand and say, “Bata.”

galing talaga :flower:

[KCboy]

He is indeed one FILIPINO we all can be proud ok.

[Isuzoom]

He is still the same Efren. Mabuhay ka Efren!!! wag ka mag pagamit sa Pera at sa mga politiko.

[Helios]

Gagayahin ko sya and I mean his demeanor and not his scraggly moustache or false teeth (not that there's anything wrong with that, no)
Efren's an icon!

[artpogi]

husay talaga si Bata, very humble pa

[Mile2]

He is one of my idol

A very nice and low profile guy who has a world class skill that beats other world class players.

One thing I like with him was his smile with a gesture of head scratching, even in very intense moments

[CVT]

You can really never tell a person's future.

Surely, no one in his right frame of mind in the past would ever imagine that the 'lowly game' of billiards would put the Philippines in the world map today. It was a past time of the tambay in the neighborhood and the students who wait for their next class (in my case, at Ernie's), and ogles at the shapely 'spotters' ....

Efren 'Bata' Reyes has carved a different landscape of billiards for our country. He made us proud! We are all proud of him!

[bunge]

yan ang dapat gayahin ni pacquio, tong-its lang na palima-limang piso ang kayang itaya.

[mikmik316]

Yeah ok talaga tong si Efren....

Si Pacquiao??? Model Pinoy??? e pinakita ngang may pang-derby e... sabi nya para daw pampusta nya... tsk tsk... promoting illegal gambling via cock fighting...

[mcbry]

galing talaga ni bata. very humble pa.

more success to "Bata".