1968

[Ross Keith Thompson]

It was 1968, I would find myself getting off the elevator and walking thru glass doors any Friday night entering LeCue Club in downtown Houston.

the parking lot was full of classic cars, most of them probably in Jay Leno’s garage now days, bahahaha.

I watched and learned every weekend. GregStevens was the main draw and usually would be in action with somebody, usually giving up a ton of weight!

Ronnie Allen came thru, I learned, Larry Liscotti came thru I learned and got beat, Johnny Vivas came thru, Fatts came thru, Eddie Burtton, Incardona, Rempe, Cole Dickson and I almost got beat bahaha and so many more I can’t remember them all.

But what a great year 1968 was back in the day. LeCue hosted a classic invitational 9 ball tournament. Jersey Red, Greg Stevens, Jimmy Moore, Ronnie Allen, handsome Danny Jones, U J Puckett, and a few more great players.

It was a good time to be a fast Eddie wanna be. I was in hog heaven, money was everywhere! It was like Johnston City every weekend!

Tall Jeff, James Christopher, John “DUKE” Dowell, Rodney Stevens and many more would be there looking for action.

When the action slowed someone like Grady Mathews or Jersey Red would take the floor and tell some B S story and have everybody laughing at the bar.

Some of the circles I sat in on were priceless, greatest B S I’ve ever heard. When all these predators weren’t Trying to bust you it sure was fun listening to them B S.

If I could go back in time to any moment I would walk thru that glass door into the LeCue Club on a Friday night in the summer of 68 and would be in heaven, best of memories.
Life was fun back in the day!

 

[vapros]

Good on you, and thanks for the memories!

 

[12squared]

Thank you!

 

[lll]

wish i was there
thanks for the memories.....

 

[Jeff sparks]

The elevator was part of that adventure... Never knew if the heisters were gonna be in it when the door opened!
remember when they robbed little Lovita and locked him in his trunk, so they could get another one before they left!
Hell, we were so young then it wouldn’t have even bothered us much, I was almost always financially challenged back then...
amazing action at Le Cue in ‘68 and you’re right Keith, when it was quiet, the old warriors would tell the tales of their lives
on the road... Red was probably the best, cause he could really get into the stories and build the punchline...
Red would have been a great vaudevillian, his timing was perfect... Remember when he said, “ I once beat a guy outta $200.00 at $20.00 a game so fast that the time was only $.45...

Thanks for the walk...

 

[Island Drive]

I always remembered Jersey Reds wife at Janscos.....taking his cue stick outta the case before his matches in the pit. She would hold and rub it to get it warm. Most all the men back then left em in the car trunk....it was chilly & damp that time of year in So. IL. I also remember Boston Shorty jumping into a ring game in the back room, ahhhhhhh the Springfield Rifle, Cuban Joe?, Devallaie?....Beanies partner in the pool room??? on the E. Coast, but he was the best in the group and ran a 3 pack before giving up his turn. He would jokingly complain after going 5 rails for shape, that his shape came up short 2 inches, but it was purely ''in the moment laughter''. After 5 racks of nine ball had been paid out by shorty at $50 a game, he Finally got his first shot....he was hooked and had too kick....first words outta his mouth....''this is the Shits''.

 

[androd]

The elevator was part of that adventure... Never knew if the heisters were gonna be in it when the door opened!
remember when they robbed little Lovita and locked him in his trunk, so they could get another one before they left!
Hell, we were so young then it wouldn’t have even bothered us much, I was almost always financially challenged back then...
amazing action at Le Cue in ‘68 and you’re right Keith, when it was quiet, the old warriors would tell the tales of their lives
on the road... Red was probably the best, cause he could really get into the stories and build the punchline...
Red would have been a great vaudevillian, his timing was perfect... Remember when he said, “ I once beat a guy outta $200.00 at $20.00 a game so fast that the time was only $.45...

Thanks for the walk...

As a matter of fact I always took the stairs.