Little Al Romero

I have told this story before, but with all the new members, it is a good pool room story that bears repeating. I see Al a time or two a week at Hard Times in Sacramento so it does stay fresh in my mind, unlike many other things these days. Remembering all the funny and weird things I have witnessed in pool rooms over the past 65 years is a way I test my memory which is going the wrong way too quickly.

This was at Hard Times Bellflower around 1990. They had an open nine ball tournament every Weds that drew a nice field. Two black strangers came in while the tournament was going on and started barking about playing some high dollar one pocket. Little Al steps up and says I will play some for $500 a game. The big guy takes out his cue, they flip and he wins the break. He lays down a break that takes Al two or three intentional fouls to get out of. The stranger finally wins the game and Al quits.

We soon find out the stranger is Bugs Rucker from Chicago. After this I asked Al why he played an unknown player for $500. Here is his classic response. ‘I was only going to fire $500 at him anyway John, and if he was a sucker, I had him down for $500 a game’. They matched up again with Al getting 9/7 for a smaller bet and Bugs won a couple more games.

Al is still making cues in his shop next to Hard Times. They are nice cues at a fair price and he is as busy as he wants to be.

great story john
i have been around here a while and i dont remember it.......
should i be worried ???
i guess not
it means i will fit right in in the seniors tourney.....
(whenever i make it to one )

Great story, John. I too have not read this before...that I can remember.

The long term memories last the longest, it’s when you can’t remember today’s, uh what?

Scrzbill said:

The long term memories last the longest, it’s when you can’t remember today’s, uh what?

Click to expand...

That's the truth.. Trouble is, both the short term and long, start to diminish.. I was having a trivia talk with a friend over at my place about 'Urban Cowboy, Drugstore Cowboy, and Midnight Cowboy' and I could even remember Charlie Daniels name,at the time, and I knew it as well as my own..(I thought. gulp))

Just about the last time I walked into hard times, little al came up to me and said “if you can’t find a game I’ll play you” (which I’ve always remembered as a very stylish and suave way to ask me to play). There’s not a more solid guy.

John, you, the Barber and Al Romero are three of my heroes. I have been pounded on by you three for 55 years and have loved every minute of it. Occasionally you guys let me win a match just to let me keep my interest level up. Don't worry, I am willing to keep donating.