fred bentivegna said:
Freddy, First off let me explain something, I like you. I like your stories, your books & DVD's and most of all I like when you talk at the HOF Banquet at the Derby each year. I also really like your commentaries. You have a very amusing way of telling
stories and one-liners that make listening to you a lot of fun. I feel if we lived close and frequented the same poolrooms we'd probably be good friends. But I gotta stick up for my old road partner when I think he's taking the worse of a situation. I'm not
stalking you or trying to knock you, just sticking up for the guy who was besides being my road partner, he was my best friend. When he found out he had leukemia, it was me he came to and we both cried. I can still remember him saying "I'm too young
to die" and me telling him" don't worry about it, you've been in worse traps in the pool room and got away from it", but I was wrong. In the years after that tournament Gary and I went through a lot together and I can honestly say I've never had a better
friend. He matured a lot after that tournament and as I said in an earlier post his game matured a lot also. He was getting better all the time and playing smarter all the time. His cueball control was phenomenal, maybe even better than his banking ability.
That's why I think you could be wrong about that "death trap" as you put it. He put Shannon Daulton in a couple of those when he beat him 7-1 in the 9-ball at the Derby, 1999, his last year there. He had a winning record playing Buddy hall in both banks
and 9-ball tournaments. Bugs quit trying to play him banks and made a one pocket game with him spotting him a ball but never won at it even though he tried 3 different times. Bugs learned a lot of his one pocket game from Joey and Gary learned more
from Bugs than he did from Joey. I do remember you bar-b-cueing Donnie at that tournament. I didn't remember the score but I'll take your word for it. Frankly we expected it to be Gary and Donnie in the finals but you stopped that. The night before Gary
played Piggy and robbed him, giving him 8-7 and winning 9 straight games. Piggy told his stake horse when he pulled up "He can't beat me at this game, he's spell banking" His stake horse said " you know what, I believe you, problem is we don't know how
long this spell is going to last"! Didn't mean to get you stirred up Freddy, just wanted to stick up for my buddy!
As you are inclined to stick up for your buddy Gary, I am forced to stick up for the Chicago side of things and of course, myself. Firstly, why should Gary or anybody else be immune from me putting them in death traps? I did that all my career to every human. That particular death trap was that I opened the balls on the foot rail, put Gary on the back gum where he had no avenue to return the cue ball to the back rail and so was forced to shoot. It was just a lucky break that the cue ball wound up dead safe.
Secondly, the year was 1991, eight years before he played Shannon at DCC. Eight years for him to learn the game a little better. In 1991 his game was certainly not complete. He was mostly a shooter, and had no chance trying to move with me.
Thirdly, no one is trying to demean or defame Gary. I really liked the kid. He was always very respectful to me, since I knew him from when he was a little kid hanging with his dad. He also never hustled me to play. I thought that was very gracious of him, since I couldnt beat him at that time and if he tried heating me up, ego would have forced me to play. That year was 1991 wasnt it? For sure?
Beard
Keep in mind, all of us old timers speak selectively. You mentioned Piggy getting trimmed at the Cafe, and Bugs quit trying to play him banks, but you did neglect to mention that Bugs and Gary played after that tourn. I promise not to bring up Howard the Coward also.
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OK, when you're right, you're right. But, it wasn't 1991, it was more like 1988 or 89. I know this for sure because I closed my Oakley poolroom in Sept 1989 and started work on my new poolroom, Beechmont Billiards in Sept 1989 and I know it was when I
still had Oakley open because I couldn't get away once I started working on the new room. And yes, Gary did play Bugs after that tournament. I remember that like it was yesterday. Bugs came into the room with his entourage just before the tournament
was finished up. You could have heard a pin drop in the room when he walked in. It was one of those "pregnant pauses" you hear about. Everyone in the room I think knew that before long Gary and Bugs would be in action even before a word was spoken
about them matching up. Greg Sullivan came up to me and said if Gary and Bugs play, Can I have a piece of the action. I was reluctant, but because as usual Gary had already locked up all of his winnings and would not risk any of his money. We'd left
town on short money but with the meager tournament winnings and my end of what we'd won from Piggy the night before I only had about a Grand left over and above what I needed to pay the motel bill and travel home. So Greg kicked up another Grand
and they agreed to a race to 4 for a Grand. Gary won the first set easily 4-1 and only the one that Bugs won was even close. Bugs' stakehorse opened up one of those satchels like the old country doctors used to carry which was FULL of money and told
Bugs not to worry about it that they may be able to out bank you now but they can't out-bet you. He told Bugs to make us double the bet! I said no immediately knowing that if we raised it then we only had one barrel. Greg said "are you kidding, did you
see all the money he had. We can turn a toothpick into a forest! I against tried to explain that we should play another one for a thousand. That way win or lose we could still play! We could jack it if we won the next set because we'd at least have 2
barrels and if we lost we'd keep it at a grand because we'd just have the one barrel left! Greg was livid and insisted that we take a shot at that big bankroll. I finally gave in and let him play the next set for 2 grand. That one came down to hill-hill and to
the last ball on the table! They played end rail to end rail safeties back and forth for about 4 innings each, both of them playing perfect safeties, freezing whitey on the end rail each shot. (Which is one reason why I say that Gary's safety game was
better than you gave him credit for, even back then). Finally Bugs took a chance and shot a straight back with the cueball frozen on the Hudson and the 15 ball just about a half inch off the other end rail to win the set. Bugs ended up winning a grand
but was actually behind in games and balls total for the two sets they played and as I tried to warn Greg we were out of business. We couldn't ask them to lower the bet, you know the ridicule that would have brought on and they would have never gone
for it.
And yes Howard the Coward caught us arriving at Kalamazoo for the US Open One Pocket Tournament one year. He immediately asked Gary to play $200 full rack banks. He played like Eddie Taylor for 4 games and drilled Gary taking most of the money I
had on me for the tournament. After 4 games I had to pull Gary up. I'll bet that Howard never played a better 4 game stretch in his life! He made everything he shot at! I can still remember him in those eyeglasses with the pimped out gold adorned frames
just drilling balls straight back! He played great that day. We made a few small scores and when the tournament was about over Gary asked him to play some more. He refused and every time Gary saw him after that he continued to refuse to play. But for
four games he played lights out!
