Seminole Pro Tour / Cape Coral, FL by Raymond Linares With 50 players in the field, Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, FL, has turned out the largest Seminole Pro Tour event to date this season. Not only is the tournament heavy in size, but the talent level in the field is stunning, including such names as 2008 [...]

It will be another talented field of straight pool masters at this year’s 69th Annual Predator World 14.1 Championship. The Dragon Promotions revived event is in its 4th consecutive year alive with help of industry giants such as Predator, Ozone Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Master Chalk, Aramith Balls, Accu-Stats and the Laser Rack. [...]

To Sponsor KF Cue Tours FL State Championships and 2009-2010 Season Florida (August 11, 2009) The KF Cue Tour is excited to announce our newest sponsor, The Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a huge contributor to the Billiards industry with their support of the Seminole Pro tour, the ladies WPBA and many [...]

The name Predator carries big clout in the world of billiards and their newest line, Poison will be the new official cue sponsor of the Lone Star Billiards Tour. Tour Operator Kim White says “I am very proud to have Poison Cues on board. The Predator Group carries with it the integrity we [...]

Low Pre-Registration Cancels Event CueSports International Due to low pre-registration, CSI regrettably announces the Shootout at the Sands, which was scheduled August 14-23, 2009, has been cancelled. These dates were the only dates available at the Sands in 2009. Both CSI and the management at the Sands are working together to reschedule the event for next year. [...]

Brand new GMC trucks are displayed at Hilltop Buick Pontiac-GMC in Richmond. Hundreds of General Motors California dealers have started to auction off new GM vehicles on eBay as part of a trial program with the online auction site and GM.

General Motors today will join legions of mom and pop entrepreneurs by peddling its new wares online on eBay.

Starting today, consumers can bid for new GM cars from California dealerships online at eBay Motors. It's a novel strategy for the nation's largest automaker. eBay, the San Jose-based online marketplace, runs a brisk business in used cars, but this is the first time sizable quantities of new cars have been offered on the site.

The trial program, announced Monday, is exclusive to California and will run through Sept. 8. Most of the state's 250 GM dealers will be posting new-vehicle inventory for offers on gm.ebay.com. Program organizers characterize it as a potential gold mine, coming on the heels of the sales-boosting federal "cash for clunkers" program.

While eBay Motors has long been a popular stop for used car shoppers, opening up haggling for new vehicles is new ground.

"We don't currently sell a lot of cars on eBay, but if eBay does a good job of promoting it, it's potentially an opportunity to generate a lot of sales," said David A. Rodgers, senior vice president and general manager of the Sullivan Automotive Group, which includes John L. Sullivan Chevrolet in the Roseville Automall. "eBay's brand recognition goes a long way. It's pretty strong."

Rodgers said the entire John L. Sullivan inventory will be posted at the site today.

Officials of eBay said the site will enable consumers to "browse hundreds of California dealer online showrooms, ask questions, negotiate prices and arrange financing and payment to purchase a new 2008, 2009 or select 2010 car."

They said the goal is to simplify the new car-purchasing process to a "click and buy" procedure on new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac products. Brand-specific sites also are offered: chevrolet.ebay.com, buick.ebay.com, gmc.ebay.com and pontiac.ebay.com.

GM said vehicles bought online must still be picked up at dealerships, and customers will still have to pay California sales tax. Cadillac is not part of the program.

GM touted the program as part of its ongoing rejuvenation effort and a chance to boost its market share in California, the nation's No. 1 car market.

"It's one way that we're reaching consumers where they are," said Diedra Wylie, a spokeswoman in GM's Western region office in Thousand Oaks. "I think that it's great that we're on the Internet. We're teaming up with a great program."

GM's announcement Monday reflects the growing use of the Internet by consumers shopping not just for smaller items but big ticket purchases such as cars and houses.

The automaker noted that increasing numbers of car buyers already are doing their homework online before heading to dealerships to haggle.

A recent study by Westlake Village-based J.D. Power and Associates said more than 75 percent of new-vehicle buyers in 2008 used the Internet during their shopping and research process, up from 70 percent in 2007.

According to eBay, prospective car buyers will have up to 20,000 new vehicles to choose from once the GM program is up to capacity.

Rodgers said he wished John L. Sullivan had more new-car inventory to post on the eBay Motors site, noting that inventory has been reduced because of the popularity of the cash for clunkers program.

Those familiar with conventional eBay bidding can expect to see some familiar procedures at the GM-eBay site.

For example, some vehicles will be offered through the "buy it now" option, where shoppers agree to pay the advertised price. But shoppers can also exercise the "best offer" option, where buyers indicate the price they are willing to pay and can negotiate online with the dealer for a particular vehicle.

The site also allows shoppers to compare pricing offered by participating dealerships, determine the value of a trade-in vehicle and even get information on whether their current vehicle qualifies for the cash for clunkers program.

Industry reaction to Monday's announcement was mostly positive.

"While not groundbreaking, GM aggressively facilitating the placement of dealer inventory on eBay can only help sell more vehicles," said Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, the Santa Monica-based auto information site. "The most intriguing aspect is the 'buy it now' pricing. It will be interesting to see how this feature is used by dealers."

Thweib, Gurel, & Torres Win 8-Ball Titles at Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open Zaid Thweib (TX), Neslihan Gurel (NY), and Carlos Torres (FL) all captured the 8-Ball division titles at the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open. The 4th Annual Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open 8-Ball was presented by Mezz Cues and drew over 60 players for [...]

White Diamond Billiards Annual Summer 9-Ball Extravaganza / Lafayette, LA by Lea Andrews On the weekend of August 8-9, the bar box action was at White Diamond Billiards, where Jeremy “Double J” Jones zipped through a 128-man field to clinch first. The much-anticipated $1,000-added White Diamond Billiards Annual Summer 9-Ball Extravaganza, run by husband and wife [...]

Carolina Billiards Tour / Monroe, NC by Lea Andrews Despite a brief setback which came courtesy of Kelly “Kwikfire” Fisher, “The Duchess of Doom” Allison Fisher came back in the finals to earn her revenge and become the first winner on the Carolina Billiards Tour, a WPBA-sanctioned regional tour founded by Kristi Carter and WPBA player Kim [...]