Mike Bohanon

What are the prevailing opinions about going to a no-playoff schedule in the coming fall season? We never used to have a playoff in the fall. The reason is

Listen up, league players! The Fort Bragg Pool League starts Aug. 4, 2026. The captains' meeting is at 6 p.m. July 28, 2026, at the Noyo River Grill. Leo Bowers played for Welcome Inn Team 1 in the spring session of the league. Now, he is the new captain of Golden West Team 3. Golden West Team 4 doesn't have a full team or a captain, but both Casey and Sean signed up and are ready to play. Oh, by the way, are you a league player who is not playing enough and has no hope for much change in the near future?

The movement of players from one team to another has been happening at a near-frenetic level. Noyo River Grill Team 2 was the league champion last season. Time to relax as a team, pat each other on the back and enjoy the moment? No way. They revamped the entire team from the captain position down to the subs, and now half the team is gone! Well, not all of them; two went to Welcome Inn Team 1, the green table. Raphael Briseno left Golden West Team 1, and Cali and Oakland Sam left Welcome Inn Team 4. The news is where those players went. Well, I'll tell ya, they went to Milano Hotel and Bar Team 1 with captain Gabe Krienhop. Milano Team 1 barely missed the playoffs last season, and one of their players, Willie Williams, was the player who knocked Golden West Saloon out of the playoffs. But Willie, reading the writing on the wall, left the team for Golden West's new Team 3. Steven Gonzaga left Welcome Inn Team 3 for Golden West's new Team 4. That's not all, but until they put in the new game camera, I give up.

When you read this, you only have a few days to be ready for pool league. The fall season of the Fort Bragg Pool League starts Tuesday, Aug. 4. We have enough positions for nearly everyone to play. Yes, it will be crowded at the GW, but we've done this before. Remember when the Welcome Inn was closed? We played there. The only delay to our game was when someone's butt was hanging over a table. The upside is obvious: More people will get to play every week with 12 new positions. It is supposed to be fun, and it will be. We only need to be understanding because seeing any of our butts, especially hanging over anything, is not going to be on any to-do list, but watching players laughing and playing pool will be.

Rack 'em up: We are, one and all, standing in the waiting line for the 2026 fall pool league season to begin.

Rack ‘em up: One of the new captains, Leonardo Bowers, was smiling despite being in the midst of a raucous scene.

At the captain's meeting, it was proposed we reduce the number of team players. It was due to paper costs exacerbated by adding teams and those pesky 8-ball breaks. When he heard that, Smart Mark replied, ”Well, pull on the fit-to-page horn, you silly person.” Well, no, actually he didn't, because he wasn't there; listeners are not allowed. Okay, but sometimes, it seems, we need as many people with good questions and answers around us as possible. If someone forgets about an idea? We must wait 5 months to address it.

The Crutcher family's support for the Fort Bragg Pool League runs deep; it is generational. You see, the old man lives in Ukiah next to a small stream and has a chauffeured car to drive his dog, Utah, around.

Rick Merlin, playing for Welcome Inn Team 1 against Golden West Saloon Team 1, ran out a full table for the win. When you have a table with 13 or 14 balls on it, it likely means 5 or more balls are the opponent's. Making all your balls while navigating a full table of other balls is by far the most difficult task on a pool table; it is easier when your opponent clears the table of his balls and misses the 8-ball. If there are 9 balls left on the table, and 7 are yours, it may be easier than if there are 9 balls on the table and 7 are the opponent's. Bumping and moving balls is hard to avoid when they are everywhere. Still, Rick remained focused; he is old as dirt, and nothing is easy when you get that old. What's it worth to run a full table in a League game? Priceless.

Rack ‘em up: My teammates saw the shot I needed to play. I may have lost by not taking that shot, but I didn't see it.