Billiards: Rhymes with Cool

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Lassiter bit noisily into a piece of hard candy whenever Joe tried a difficult shot. Balsis refused to rattle. First, Wimpy opened up with a run of six, and Joe ran 19. Lassiter put together a string of 47, and Balsis shot 78. Then, after Wimpy had pocketed 17 more, Joe ran 52 balls. Finally, he lined up the last ball—a shot into the corner pocket. "The kisses and caroms look tough," he said later, "but straight-on shots are the hardest." Click. Plunk. The ball dropped neatly into the pocket, and by a score of 150-70, Joe Balsis was the world champion of billiards, richer by $3,500.