They were supposed to play the next day. Efren was ready to play, Red Walling had staked Buddy and wanted him to put up his end, buddyI subscribed to Pat Fleming's Accustats newsletter and devoured the numbers as they came out. Buddy Hall always stood head and shoulders above the pack; people knew his game was superior and the numbers showed it. When I read about the antics of Efren's backers( "Where's the beef?"), especially in Texas, I was amazed that they made it out of there alive.
Buddy was wired and inspired, he would play for days, maybe why he weights 400#s now? Finally got his apatite back.
Keith stayed up for the whole tourney in Baton Rouge, about 5days. I played him for 2 days, he the played Jerry Brock in the champs match
I played Brock in Colorado Springs a week or so before he ''paid his dues'' jail time at Jimmy Gravels Place on E. Platte.
Jerry had a great pool stroke, which never left him. He spent the last years of his life in Mobile, so I got to know him a little bit. We tried to get him a gig as house man at a former member's poolroom in TX, but it never materialized. He was an interesting guy, and had lots of good stories.
Jimmy Gravel was my favorite all time room owner and a good friend. Rough place at night when all the illegals came in so we usually broke up the golf game before dark. . Got real rough the last 6 months with all the fights and shootings out front. 3 or 4 years before i left i asked him to stake me a couple K so i could start a construction business. Needed it live on and to pay my help until the first job was done and the check came in. Gave me 800 extra because he knew i would need more. Refused the interest on the loan when i payed him back. Loved that guy and playing in the golf game there. Some of my best pool memories in that place.
Never thought of this till now. When I first got to Colorado Springs there was a pool room on Nevada Ave downtown, that had no liquor and was run by Herman, who also sold guns to augment his biz. The first person I ever played/gamble with was Jimmy Gravel. There also was a 24 hr joint/bar tables only underneath the pool room, Herman was not part of the biz. Allot of bar table action then, and go a little further south was the pool room that was across the street from the titty bars, and that was where Wade Crane found his future wife, he dad built owned and raised his family because pool was Big back then, then Grady showed up from OK with Red, who was the den mother for a titty bar just 3 blocks east.