"He said he was going to punch me out if I didn't learn how to rack the balls," said Parica. "He said that I wasn't a man because I couldn't rack my own balls."

Before the match started, Parica requested that a referee rack his balls for him to avoid any confrontation that may occur during the match. Strickland never mentioned the procedure until he confronted Parica after the match.

"Every time we play he does that to me," said Parica. "He always complains about my rack. I do my best to rack the balls but sometimes it's not perfect."

Strickland lost pace with Parica after the fifth game. Down 3-2, Parica ran 4 racks before Strickland picked up one more game. Two games later, Parica sealed the victory. After their handshake, Strickland stuck his finger in Parica's face while he spoke t o him. Parica slapped Strickland's finger away before the two exchanged obscenities. Strickland then picked up his cue and stormed off.

Lost in the fracas was Parica's briliant play. Parica escaped Strickland's safeties with tremendous kick shots and excellent position play.

Following the incident, the Camel Pro Billiards Series advisory committee fined Strickland $300 plus forfeiture of his 35 Camel points that he earned at the Denver Open. Parica was fined $200 but did not lose any points. Strickland could not be reached for comment.