BUSTAMANTE TO BE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 31 Jul 2010
Francisco ?Django? Bustamante, one of the genuine legends of pool alongside his bosom buddy Efren ?Bata? Reyes has been elected for induction into the prestigious Billiard Congress of America ?Hall of Fame? in recognition of a career of remarkable achievements and more importantly gentlemanly behavior at the table or away from it.
Bustamante will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on October 21 during ceremonies that will be held in conjunction with the U.S Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, Virginia.
2010 is certain to go down in the life of Bustamante as a memorable year for it was this year when he overcame the tragic death of his little baby girl while preparing to face Earl Strickland in the 2002 World Pool Championships finals in Cardiff in which he played through the anguish and wiped away the tears only to fade in the final racks and lose to the American, that he won the title he coveted the most.
Bustamante never gave up hope that someday he would win the title he wanted the most and in a week of scintillating pool Bustamante achieved his dream in Doha, Qatar.
Bustamante who hails from Tarlac, the home province of President Noynoy Aquino began playing pool at the age of 10 and started his quest to make a name for himself in the United States in the early 1990?s when he was sponsored by the man who came to be known as the ?Godfather? of Philippine pool, businessman-sportsman Aristeo ?Putch? Puyat.
Bustamante soon began to show his skill which was anchored around an awesome break, winning two Camel Pro Tour events in 1997 and with an amazing run was chosen 1998 ?Player of the Year? by the Billiard?s Digest and Pool and Billiards Magazine.
Despite losing in the finals of the World Pool Championship in 2002, Bustamante racked up wins in five major events abroad.
Proficient in 9-Ball and every variation of pool Bustamante showed his skill by winning the All-Around Master of the Table title at the 2008 Derby City Classic.
When Bustamante called us to give us the good news on Thursday we could sense the joy deep within him not just for himself and his wife Mila who has always kept faith with him as well as his family but perhaps even more for his country and people who have supported him and ?Bata? Reyes all through the years, both through their ups and downs.
Whenever Bustamante and Reyes play abroad, whether it be in the US, Europe or the Middle-East Filipino overseas workers carrying little flaglets and placards hailing their heroes flock to the venues to give them support. When Reyes and Bustamante routed the US pair of Strickland and Rodney ?The Rocket? Morris in the inaugural staging of the World Cup of Pool there was joy written all over the faces of their countrymen whose exuberance upset the temperamental Strickland. When they repeated the feat in Manila last year beating the ace German duo of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann in an amazing comeback, it lighted up the life of a nation.
There were two things that Bustamante always dreamed of and that was to be world champion and to be inducted, like his lifelong friend ?The Magician? Efren Reyes, into the Hall of Fame.
Bustamante couldn?t hide his happiness at being named into the Hall of Fame. Acknowledging that he and Reyes are heroes in the Philippines Bustamante said ?to be recognized by the American people makes me doubly proud. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart and my gratitude to the members of the Billiard Congress of America.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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