Three Days in Havana

De Oro's friend-turned-competitor Otis vehemently defended his shot selection at the end of the 1918 title contest in Havana.

To practice, De Oro headed to a famous Havana room, the "Centro Gallego," which was managed by a man by the name of Jose Fernandez. De Oro performed a few trick shots with a borrowed cue. Otis, who accompanied him, also performed a few. Ever the company man, Fernandez charged both for the table time. But Fernandez also had set aside a private space in the business office where the two could practice. De Oro would occupy it for a few hours in the morning, while Otis would practice in the afternoon. "Those who see my practicing would be surprised that I have the title of champion," De Oro sheepishly told a reporter for El Mundo, who had witnessed some of his training. "I never make shots, but rather look for caroms where there should be none, to see how it comes out. Many times this limits me from making the shot. That's the simple truth."

As for Otis, he was said to have made some "truly amazing caroms" during practice. Frank Keogh, a top-rated billiard player then living in Cuba, was quoted in El Mundo as declaring that "today the only person who can challenge De Oro is Charles Otis." Keogh also said that Otis, a native of Brooklyn (and manager of the Amateur Billiard Club of New York), was in grand conditioning for the match, adding that beating Otis would be very difficult.

The venue for the competition would be the Payret Theater, a regal stone structure from 1877 facing the Capitol. Raised seats were set in the orchestra pit, and more were placed on the stage. Audience members also took seats in the front sections of the theater, as well as in the balconies. There was a canopy structure erected over a 5-by-10-foot Brunswick table, which had been sent by the company for the championship match. The table was raised three feet above the stage, up on a custom-built 15-by-20-foot wooden platform. The Associated Press, representing nearly 600 U.S. newspapers, sent a correspondent. Also among those in attendance was the president himself, Mario Garcia Menocal.

Day 1
Play began shortly after 9 p.m., a bit later than originally anticipated. The first block, as it was explained to the approximately 2,000 ladies and gentlemen in attendance, would continue until one of the competitors accumulated 50 caroms. At that point the first evening's block would end, with the contestants careful not to disturb the final position of the balls. In this way the game could be taken up the following night precisely where it had left off. The first player to make 150 caroms over the entire three-night affair would win the championship medallion, plus $1,000. The players also posted a $250 side bet. De Oro posting his own money. Otis had a backer.

De Oro shot first, shot slow and, to the horror of his countrymen ... fell behind quickly. For the first 12 innings De Oro went completely scoreless. And when he did finally manage to score, he dribbled out the caroms in series of only ones and twos. Otis, after having maintained his lead throughout, arrived on the hill after scoring two caroms in the 90th inning. De Oro was stuck at 46. "The public desperately wanted victory for their compatriot, but feared the worst seeing how good Otis played," one commentator wrote.

And it was precisely then, at the end of a night in which De Oro had not scored more than three caroms consecutively, that the old champion stepped up to the table and scored one, two, three and four. The block was over - final score 50-49, De Oro's favor. In the ensuing chaos, with crowd members rushing the stage, one man screamed "pico criollo!" translated roughly as the "got stung by the local boy." Otis and the referee found themselves shielding the table from the celebratory Cubans to ensure the balls would remain undisturbed for the following night. "Never have I felt greater happiness - I wanted to repay the warmth of my paisanos," De Oro said afterwards. "What for me was the most difficult shot? That would be the (last) one, the carom that gave me victory."

Day 2
Otis began the second night on fire, scoring three caroms in the first inning, two in the second, and another two in the fifth. But soon the Cuban champion again was pouring on the gas, connecting with a series of four in the eighth, two consecutive fours in the 13th and 14th, a two in the 15th and a three in the 18th. De Oro closed out the block with a fine massé shot, struck so hard that it looked as if the balls might fly off the table. In the end, it wasn't even close. Final score: 100-90, De Oro's favor. The second night's play was faster, with De Oro finishing in 74 innings. "Now I have a comfortable lead," he said.

Day 3
The final night did not begin well for the Brooklyn challenger. De Oro had two runs of three, a four, a five and a six - all within the first 20 innings. Otis had a couple of twos, a three and very many zeroes. By about the midway point Otis was trailing 131 to 108, a 23-point spread - the biggest yet seen in the match. And time was running out. To win now, Otis would have to score more than two caroms for each single carom by De Oro.

And it was precisely then, when Otis' needed it most, that De Oro's game abandoned him. The Cuban champion scored two caroms in the 41st, and then went scoreless for the next six innings. Otis, meanwhile, scored five points during the interval. De Oro then followed a single carom in the 48th inning with a devastating stretch of 20 innings in which he failed to score at all. The wall of zeros began in the 49th and did not end until the 68th. It was a terrifying, disheartening collapse for the champion.

And so Otis slowly mounted his comeback, scoring repeatedly, including two difficult series of threes. In the 77th Otis tied De Oro at 143. This was too much for the crowd to bear. De Oro's 23-point lead had completely evaporated. Otis said he had never witnessed such hysteria during what is ordinarily a dignified sport. He said it was bedlam after every shot.

For a few innings more the lead see-sawed. De Oro managed a one, a two and a one in quick succession. Otis managed a series of ones. During the 81st inning, after completing a series of two, De Oro arrived on the hill. But he could not finish Otis, who trailed by just three. The champion spent the next several innings firing and missing, firing and missing. De Oro apparently had lost his nerve.

And then came the 88th inning, the most fateful of the match. After a series of horrific misses, Otis approached the table. He surveyed the positions. He thought for a moment. He shot. He scored.

And then he scored again.

And again.

The crowd held its breath. Otis remained at the table cue in hand, just one carom away from the world title. The Brooklyn native pondered a bit more, mapped out a trajectory that would require a large dose of English, bent over ... and he missed.

De Oro jumped to his feet and won the championship.

Previous Page Page 2 Next Page >

Top