I should have beaten Greg.
Its been over eleven months now, but it still haunts me from time to time. I made it to the finals of the Halloween Foosball Tournament...and lost. Now, for once, I'm not going to take anything away from Greg, but I really think that I should have beaten him.
I had beaten Corey. I beat Corey Pinkham, something that Greg has never been able to accomplish at the HFT. I also beat Corey in the semi-finals, denying him a trip to the finals, something that no one else has ever done. Greg may have had the historical success on his side, but I had the momentum. What Greg did back in 1996 & '97 didn't matter on that evening. All that mattered was there, in the present. And the match began, and I held an early lead over Greg....and then I choked
I choked! I had the oppurtunity to win it all and I blew it
Once again, I don't want to take anything away from Greg, but...the reason he beat me is I went away from my strength. I try to master the mind games of foosball, undoubtedly more than anyone else. Corey "Humperdink" Pinkham is in a word, a foosball freak. His knowledge of the game and his technical skill are unbelievably advanced. He's practiced for years and for him to lose at all was surprising.(remember he only had one controversial finals loss in '99 up until my match with him.) Yet...I beat Corey. I beat him by yelling and screaming and getting the crowd into the match. I got it by being pumped up. I was like Tom Brady after a TD pass, spazzing out on every goal. I put a ton of energy into the match. Hell, this approach is very high risk, but it paid off. Corey didn't know how to react. And the truth is I beat him the same way I beat Jon Casserly back in the first round
Now some would say beating Jon Casserly in foosball is no big deal, which is probably true. But I was able to make 110% certain he didn't have a chance before the game even begun. By winning the psychological game. Or in my case, the pyschotic game, because thats how I acted, and it worked damn good!......until the finals...
In the finals, I held an early lead over Greg, but I didn't get too excited. I was into the game like I always was, but I was quiet. I was trying to be calm. I was trying hard to make sure I didn't make mistakes...
That was my mistake...
Whereas my pyschotic disruption and playing with Corey's mind took him out of his gameplan, I took myself out of my own gameplan in the finals. I was calm. I was reserved. I lost.
Was it the pressure of being in the finals? Perhaps... When I faced Corey, I felt like I had nothing to lose, I had made my 6th straight final four, and Corey had eliminated me two years in a row before then. In the finals, I felt differently. I was this close, and when I got off to an early lead, the thought of "Holy Shit I might win this friggin thing" crossed my mind. I was careful. Thats not my style. And Greg is now a three time Halloween Foosball Tournament Champion.
But its ok.... The past is the past. It is now October, 2002. The 7th annual Halloween Foosball Tournament is under 4 weeks away. Everyone be forewarned, however....Whoever I face in the finals this year better be ready. Because I am not holding anything back this time!
