sneakynito
Verified Member
I never see him in any of the lineups.
He was one of my favorite players to watch.
He was one of my favorite players to watch.
I talked to Sergio Gandarilla (Big Sergio) not long ago and he told me Raphael is very ill and gone home to his home town in Mexico.
John was that down trend after his altercation down south? I heard he took a beating, or am I wrong? In his own country.
He ran into me, we had lunch during my BCA tenure at the Rivera in the early 2000's. Since he and I did go at it during 76-81 W. Coast, we became friends and had respect for one another....we both had our hands full $100 a rack 9 ball. So FF 20 years at the Rivera, he did tell me his unhappiness about his life and how it's turned out. It was a sympathy/bite....he was looking for something, he didn't know what, I didn't offer up....I just listened. Felt like he wanted a place to ''be''.
His game always reminded me of Medina, without the uppers. He couldn't beat Danny in a long haul, but he was real close to his speed when his game was at it's top. He would of needed a game on the wire going to 11 in 9 ball.
First time I ever met Rafael was in a little bar in Lawndale. He was challenging the table and all comers for $5 a game and when I got there no one else wanted to play any more. He had been robbing them all for a couple of hours when they called me. I beat him the first game and he immediately said bet $10 and I complied. Won the second game and he said bet $20 and I agreed. A $100 later I quit!
Later on we played in some tournaments (Willards) and I took a liking to him, even staking him on occasion. Rafael was one of the great shot makers of this era, capable of pulling off some circus shots when necessary. He was a great One Pocket player, as well as all Rotation games and Eight Ball. He could pretty much play anything. I did well betting on him and he was playing good players like Amar, Santos and Little John. I staked him twice in the U.S. Open and both times he made the top sixteen, so we made out okay. We stayed together and he was a good room mate, paying his share and giving me my space. During the years he stayed on the West Coast he won a lot of the regional events with all the top guys in them.
But beware if he didn't like you. He was one fearless little guy who always carried a sharp knife and knew how to use it. He cut someone (a very big tough guy) at Willards one time (he will go nameless) and let him know not to mess with him, and he didn't after that.
Rafael was a lifetime pool player, traversing the country looking for action. In his later years he mostly stayed in the Northwest and Sacramento, living out of his over-sized van. Not an easy life, even for a tremendous player like him. He never really found his home and spent his life wandering.
First time I ever met Rafael was in a little bar in Lawndale. He was challenging the table and all comers for $5 a game and when I got there no one else wanted to play any more. He had been robbing them all for a couple of hours when they called me. I beat him the first game and he immediately said bet $10 and I complied. Won the second game and he said bet $20 and I agreed. A $100 later I quit!
Later on we played in some tournaments (Willards) and I took a liking to him, even staking him on occasion. Rafael was one of the great shot makers of this era, capable of pulling off some circus shots when necessary. He was a great One Pocket player, as well as all Rotation games and Eight Ball. He could pretty much play anything. I did well betting on him and he was playing good players like Amar, Santos and Little John. I staked him twice in the U.S. Open and both times he made the top sixteen, so we made out okay. We stayed together and he was a good room mate, paying his share and giving me my space. During the years he stayed on the West Coast he won a lot of the regional events with all the top guys in them.
But beware if he didn't like you. He was one fearless little guy who always carried a sharp knife and knew how to use it. He cut someone (a very big tough guy) at Willards one time (he will go nameless) and let him know not to mess with him, and he didn't after that.
Rafael was a lifetime pool player, traversing the country looking for action. In his later years he mostly stayed in the Northwest and Sacramento, living out of his over-sized van. Not an easy life, even for a tremendous player like him. He never really found his home and spent his life wandering.
Well written Mr. Helfert, a good read indeed... I never knew him or anything about him, so the story you just told gives us all a meaningful glimpse into his life... I’m certain he had great moments along the way, but overall it sounds very sad in that he never really found a place to call home...
Hope he finds health and happiness in his later years...
I hope you find time to write some in the journal section here, I’m sure you have experienced many many wonderful moments and plenty not so wonderful moments in your journey through life, please share a few if you’re inclined..
Thanks for this one...
I also remember going into Daisy Maes in Santa Ana one night and seeing a very tall, good looking young man (red hair?) banging heads with Big Sergio and Al Nicarauga. This young guy had a powerful break and was giving the great Mexican players all they wanted on the bar table. I asked someone who this guy was and they told me it was Tall Jeff from Texas. Maybe you know him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCaKf5m-UIg
This is a hot seat match with me playing Raphael 2 1/2 years ago in one of the last big 1 pocket tournaments at Hardtimes Bellflower. He played very well but he acted very strangely throughout. The announcers commented a number of times on his paranoid behavior towards me where he would look over angrily after his shot. He said something a few times to me and I had no idea what he was talking about. Very weird behavior. I asked John Schmidt what was going on and he told me to just ignore him and not let him bother me. It seemed he was dealing with some demons (and somehow he was turning me into one). LOL.
He made a good comeback after his disappearance for a few years around 2005 when there was a whole thread on him being dead and other rumors (Morro and Francisco were stating he was dead but Oscar insisted it wasn't true).
Hopefully, he can make another comeback this time.
Did you know "The Rattlesnake"??? He's gone, I guess.. I liked him better. I don't mean to derail thread.. I'm going to watch that match of yours now.. I never had seen it..
Andam dressed like Little Al , and played lights out. Could handle any player anywhere under any conditions. Only played em once in Denver 20 yr ago. Couldn't beat em in match play, wanted no part of em, Medina stayed away from em.