Tom Acciavatti is probably the most dominant local pool player in the Capital Region. His successes in the APA and other leagues and tournaments are (almost) countless.

Tom has recently taken a trip down memory lane while renovating his downstairs family room and organized all of his pool trophies (and one horse racing trophy) into a beautiful display of his accomplishments. It is quite a testament to his ability and competitiveness. The awards go back over 25 years. We sat down with Tom and asked him a few questions. Click the link to read the interview and see more photos of Tom’s collection.

D8: What is your favorite trophy?

Tom: The 2000 National U.S. Amateur, fifth place finish. I came so close to winning it all. Ended up losing to the eventual winner on two very unlucky scratches after pocketing winning 8-ball shots.

D8: The most rare trophy?

Tom: The 2007 Northeast Challenge Cup. This was the inaugural APA Rhode Island event for teams in the Northeast. We put together a spur-of-the-moment team from Diamond Eight and won it
all while having a great time doing it.

D8: Do you have any advice for the player who wants to amass a collection such as yours?

Tom: Begin by putting away (or displaying) awards of any kind that represent a special meaning of accomplishment for you. Trophies, plaques, certificates, patches, pocket markers, etc., it doesn’t matter. They most certainly will not all represent first place finishes, which are so hard to come by. Before it know you will have a foundation to build on. The point of such displays should not be to brag how great you are, but rather to assemble great pool memories to be shared with family and friends. Because of quantity, it made sense to group my display into categories: Team trophies, individual trophies, MVP trophies and plaques (Albany, Greene County, Hudson Valley), specialty trophies and plaques, patches (break & run, on break, national, unique).

D8: What inspired you to organize your awards?

Tom: This all came together for me with a three-month-self-renovation of my downstairs family room. Us retired folk have the luxury of working at our own pace. But I am very pleased with the results. The final phase is adding a 7′ table. Having been an educator/teacher most of my professional
career and given my 50+ years of pool experience, I plan on offering lessons to players of all levels who would like to improve their performance on the felt.

D8: Thanks, Tom for your time and congratulations again on a long history of accomplishments!

After a grueling week-long business trip, our good friend Jackie Ford couldn’t wait to go home. So he went straight home…to Diamond Eight! “I was away for a week and didn’t play any pool. I was at the airport, and I had to pass Diamond Eight anyway…,” said Jackie. We love you, Jackie!

Jackie has been a Diamond Eight regular for many years and you can usually find him shooting 9-Ball or Straight Pool. “Straight Pool is my favorite but I don’t get to play it enough.”

Jackie is president of Adirondack Area Network, a not-for-profit telecommunications company, involved in distance learning, telemedicine and videoconferencing.

Diamond Eight Billiards was again voted #1 Pool Hall in the Capital District by Metroland Readers. Thanks to everyone who voted!

We have lots of new and exciting changes at Diamond Eight, including our new 7-foot tables, updated menu, new web site, and more changes to come! Stay tuned as we work to be your #1 again in 2008 and beyond!

Congratulations Danielle! Longtime Diamond Eight bartender Danielle had her “Fruit Roll-up” drink accepted by Bartender Magazine and the recipe will be printed in an upcoming issue. Danielle’s drink (now on the Diamond Eight menu as “Danielle’s Fruit Roll-up”) is an original concoction containing Barcardi Razz, Limon, Ohranj, Grand Melon, Big Apple and then some sour mix and cranberry juice. Delicious! A scan of the magazine will be added once the issue is delivered! Awesome!