your best stories

To all of the veterans out there how about laying down some of your best stories from playing over the years...I've read many throughout various books, forums, and conversations, and have always enjoyed them. Eddie Robin had a great set of stories in the back of "Shots, Moves, and Strategies", stories from the days where winning five large meant much more than it does today...I know Keith's got a ton, and look forward to his book, but until then...

jack said:

To all of the veterans out there how about laying down some of your best stories from playing over the years...I've read many throughout various books, forums, and conversations, and have always enjoyed them. Eddie Robin had a great set of stories in the back of "Shots, Moves, and Strategies", stories from the days where winning five large meant much more than it does today...I know Keith's got a ton, and look forward to his book, but until then...

Click to expand...

Here is one about Keith: In the late 80's Keith played at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa, CA. His stakehorse was Charlie "The Ape" Romano & he was in action all the time & making a ton of $$. If you could beat him, you could win plenty. His one pocket was not quite up to his 9-ball then & I had him giving me 9 to 7 & 8 to 7 and had him stuck six or seven hundred playing by the game. Charlie started tushing me a little & we played a short set for whatever I was ahead & I lost. He came over to the the Golden Cue near LA where I played a little while later & gave me 9 to 7 and robbed me in my home room. His all around game was getting so good so fast you didn't have a clue how good he really played. He might have been the best 9-ball player in the country. I never saw him get beat playing even at Hard Times in those days. He played as good or better on the bar box. All the Mexican champions hung around Hard Times because it was a 24 hour room. These guys almost never missed a ball & he beat them giving them weight. They would run 3 or 4 racks, he would run 6 or 7. Tracy Joe Salazar was one of the best Mexican players & after playing Keith, he got religion & quit playing pool for a while. There are probably a hundred stories about Keith & others at Hard Times, maybe someone else can recall some of them.

thanks!

thanks!

jrhendy said:

Here is one about Keith: In the late 80's Keith played at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa, CA. His stakehorse was Charlie "The Ape" Romano & he was in action all the time & making a ton of $$. If you could beat him, you could win plenty. His one pocket was not quite up to his 9-ball then & I had him giving me 9 to 7 & 8 to 7 and had him stuck six or seven hundred playing by the game. Charlie started tushing me a little & we played a short set for whatever I was ahead & I lost. He came over to the the Golden Cue near LA where I played a little while later & gave me 9 to 7 and robbed me in my home room. His all around game was getting so good so fast you didn't have a clue how good he really played. He might have been the best 9-ball player in the country. I never saw him get beat playing even at Hard Times in those days. He played as good or better on the bar box. All the Mexican champions hung around Hard Times because it was a 24 hour room. These guys almost never missed a ball & he beat them giving them weight. They would run 3 or 4 racks, he would run 6 or 7. Tracy Joe Salazar was one of the best Mexican players & after playing Keith, he got religion & quit playing pool for a while. There are probably a hundred stories about Keith & others at Hard Times, maybe someone else can recall some of them.

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hey john,

thanks for the story...every time I hear one, it feels bittersweet...if only i could have grown up back then...not saying pool's not fun anymore, but it certainly doesn't seem like it can stack up to what it used to be....maybe they'll be a resurgence...if so, i hope it doesn't get too broad an audience and make everyone think they're the next Reyes (like what's happened with texas hold'em)...

My First Gamble with the Geese

My First Gamble with the Geese

Many moons ago, I went on the road playing pool with a player named Geese from Maryland. I was a bar shooter, 8-ball mainly on the 7-footers, and new to the pool circuit. Geese was old school and preferred pool rooms where the action was. He'd traveled cross the country several times over and could play all games, preferably one pocket.

Geese made a few scores on our way down to Florida, Hollywood to be exact, to meet one of his best friends, Big Ed, who had invited Geese to come down and make some money. One such stop en route to the Sunshine State was Baker's in Greensboro, North Carolina. "Home of the Best Hot Dog in the Carolinas" was their slogan, and they were pretty darn tasty as I recall.

When we first arrived in Greensboro, Geese drove up to the spot, not having been there in a few years, and when we walked in, it was just like that scene in TCOM with Fast Eddie. The pool room must have moved because the building now housed a furniture store. This was the summer of 1978, and the town was dead since it was mainly a college town back then, and the one employee in the furniture store had never heard of Baker's and didn't know where any pool room was.

We drove to the nearest phone booth, and I hopped out and tore a page out of the Greensboro Yellow Pages that had the "Billiards" section, never "Pool," always "Billiards." Luckily, we were only a couple miles up the road from the new Bakers. We walked in and I saw Seattle Sam, John Henry, and a few other faces I recognized from back home in Maryland. Seattle Sam was glad to see Geese and immediately pulled him aside to give him the Who's Who of Baker's, working on the proverbial "bone." Always the chow hound, I got me one of those famous hot dogs and made myself comfortable.

Seattle Sam steered Geese to a local fellow, and they immediately got down to business. Back then, the players usually played one pocket, and they used to crawl up on the table on all fours instead of using a rake, the makings of good rail-side entertainment for a green gal like me. A young girl came up to me, maybe about 19 or 20 years old, no make-up and very neatly dressed, and asked me if I wanted to play on the back table. Baker's had about seven or eight tables, as I recall, and my thinking was what the heck, beats sitting here eating hot dogs.

I picked out a good house stick and knew enough that I should roll it on the table to see if it was warped. She had her own cue, a plain Sneaky Pete. When I asked her if she wanted to break, she responds with, "Want to play for $20?" Geese was taking the heat over there on the action table and lost the first game. I didn't want to interrupt him at that moment in time, and anybody who knows Geese knows why.

So I agreed to play the gal if we could play 8-ball, the game of my choice. This was the most money I had ever played for, never having been on the road, but there was something about playing a person who didn't know me and who I didn't know that was intriguing and somehow allowed me to bring my best game to the table. I had been watching Geese for a couple of years and had acquired his stroke, a one-two-three stroke with a long followthrough, as well as dropping my lower jaw, kind of spooky-looking and a character trait of Geese's. I won five games in a row, and the girl never beat me. And I got paid after every game.

She decides to call it quits, and just about that time, Geese was unscrewing his stick and I could see the steam coming out of his ears. He barrels over to me and demands, "Let's go." I realized he lost and wasn't looking forward to the drive up ahead.

We got in the car, and he was hot as a firecracker, having lost a few C-notes to the local guy, and began to blow up. I whipped out my winnings and threw it in his lap and said, "I beat the girl, Geese, for money. Check it out." The transformation of his facial expression is one I will never forget, and he started cackling and laughing, patting me on the back, and I got my first taste of that old saying, "Money won is sweeter than money earned."

Pulling out of the parking lot, we noticed Seattle Sam standing there getting reamed out by the same girl I played, and she was loud and didn't look too happy. I'll never know to this day whether Sam steered that girl over to me, but my self-confidence on the table went up a notch that day, playing for the cash. And it's also where I first got bit by the pool bug.

BTW, Geese, born in Maryland, was the best one-handed player I have ever personally seen, and his game was one pocket. He passed away recently at the age of 53 from cancer in Florida, living with his mom. He was a great player, one of the unsung heroes of pool. My memories of playing pool on the road with Geese still bring a smile to my face today!

JAM

JAM said:

Many moons ago, I went on the road playing pool with a player named Geese from Maryland. I was a bar shooter, 8-ball mainly on the 7-footers, and new to the pool circuit. Geese was old school and preferred pool rooms where the action was. He'd traveled cross the country several times over and could play all games, preferably one pocket.

Geese made a few scores on our way down to Florida, Hollywood to be exact, to meet one of his best friends, Big Ed, who had invited Geese to come down and make some money. One such stop en route to the Sunshine State was Baker's in Greensboro, North Carolina. "Home of the Best Hot Dog in the Carolinas" was their slogan, and they were pretty darn tasty as I recall.

When we first arrived in Greensboro, Geese drove up to the spot, not having been there in a few years, and when we walked in, it was just like that scene in TCOM with Fast Eddie. The pool room must have moved because the building now housed a furniture store. This was the summer of 1978, and the town was dead since it was mainly a college town back then, and the one employee in the furniture store had never heard of Baker's and didn't know where any pool room was.

We drove to the nearest phone booth, and I hopped out and tore a page out of the Greensboro Yellow Pages that had the "Billiards" section, never "Pool," always "Billiards." Luckily, we were only a couple miles up the road from the new Bakers. We walked in and I saw Seattle Sam, John Henry, and a few other faces I recognized from back home in Maryland. Seattle Sam was glad to see Geese and immediately pulled him aside to give him the Who's Who of Baker's, working on the proverbial "bone." Always the chow hound, I got me one of those famous hot dogs and made myself comfortable.

Seattle Sam steered Geese to a local fellow, and they immediately got down to business. Back then, the players usually played one pocket, and they used to crawl up on the table on all fours instead of using a rake, the makings of good rail-side entertainment for a green gal like me. A young girl came up to me, maybe about 19 or 20 years old, no make-up and very neatly dressed, and asked me if I wanted to play on the back table. Baker's had about seven or eight tables, as I recall, and my thinking was what the heck, beats sitting here eating hot dogs.

I picked out a good house stick and knew enough that I should roll it on the table to see if it was warped. She had her own cue, a plain Sneaky Pete. When I asked her if she wanted to break, she responds with, "Want to play for $20?" Geese was taking the heat over there on the action table and lost the first game. I didn't want to interrupt him at that moment in time, and anybody who knows Geese knows why.

So I agreed to play the gal if we could play 8-ball, the game of my choice. This was the most money I had ever played for, never having been on the road, but there was something about playing a person who didn't know me and who I didn't know that was intriguing and somehow allowed me to bring my best game to the table. I had been watching Geese for a couple of years and had acquired his stroke, a one-two-three stroke with a long followthrough, as well as dropping my lower jaw, kind of spooky-looking and a character trait of Geese's. I won five games in a row, and the girl never beat me. And I got paid after every game.

She decides to call it quits, and just about that time, Geese was unscrewing his stick and I could see the steam coming out of his ears. He barrels over to me and demands, "Let's go." I realized he lost and wasn't looking forward to the drive up ahead.

We got in the car, and he was hot as a firecracker, having lost a few C-notes to the local guy, and began to blow up. I whipped out my winnings and threw it in his lap and said, "I beat the girl, Geese, for money. Check it out." The transformation of his facial expression is one I will never forget, and he started cackling and laughing, patting me on the back, and I got my first taste of that old saying, "Money won is sweeter than money earned."

Pulling out of the parking lot, we noticed Seattle Sam standing there getting reamed out by the same girl I played, and she was loud and didn't look too happy. I'll never know to this day whether Sam steered that girl over to me, but my self-confidence on the table went up a notch that day, playing for the cash. And it's also where I first got bit by the pool bug.

BTW, Geese, born in Maryland, was the best one-handed player I have ever personally seen, and his game was one pocket. He passed away recently at the age of 53 from cancer in Florida, living with his mom. He was a great player, one of the unsung heroes of pool. My memories of playing pool on the road with Geese still bring a smile to my face today!

JAM

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Geese came to CA & showed up at the Golden Cue looking for a little action. He had a guy with him they said was his brother & he never let up on the poor guy. We played a couple of sets of one pocket and he beat me and I pulled up, but the thing I will never forget was the constant berating & bullying of his brother. I don't think it was a shark, they were just at it all the time. I didn't find out who he was until later when he went to a couple of other spots & word got back to me. It wouldn't have mattered, I played just about anybody for a little $$ and he wasn't the best player they sent down to take me off. I had an Insurance Agency a few miles down the road, and when they came in looking for action, they got played. After Billy Ray Suden beat me playing 9 ball one time, he showed me his road book: Play the big guy with the glasses. The owner goes in with him & he's good for 6 or $800. A few days after that I went off to a guy playing 9 ball (getting the 8) and one pocket. The next day they had a big article in the sports section of the LA Times that champion pool player Louie Roberts was in town to give an exhibition at the LA Elks Lodge. If it would have come out a day earlier we would have saved a thousand. It slowed me down for a while but not long.

Hi JAM,

Hi JAM,

Seattle Sam was glad to see Geese and immediately pulled him aside to give him the Who'

Seattle Sam steered Geese to a local fellow, and they immediately got down to business.
Geese was taking the heat over there on the action table and lost the fi

Pulling out of the parking lot, we noticed Seattle Sam standing there getting reamed out by the same girl I played, and she was loud and didn't look too happy. I'll never know to this day whether Sam steered that girl over to me, but my

JAM[/QUOTE]



Hi JAM,
It is obvious that seatle Sam betrayed the trust of Geese.Did Geese talk to sam again?
Vagabond

Fat Mike and Geese

Fat Mike and Geese

jrhendy said:

Geese came to CA & showed up at the Golden Cue looking for a little action. He had a guy with him they said was his brother & he never let up on the poor guy. We played a couple of sets of one pocket and he beat me and I pulled up, but the thing I will never forget was the constant berating & bullying of his brother. I don't think it was a shark, they were just at it all the time.

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It definitely wasn't Geese's brother, but it may have been a then-young Fat Mike, a young blond robust player who went cross country with him.

Fat Mike told me this story about his road trip to California with Geese. They were traveling in Geese's white Ford Granada and wound up in a bar somewhere near L.A., as Fat Mike tells it. They bought a couple of brewskies from the bartender, trying to quench their thirst from the hot weather and long drive. The weatherman on the TV said it was 110 degrees in the shade.

Within seconds, Fat Mike hears some chanting coming from a dark room in the back of the bar. He looks over to the entrance and sees a trail of smoke swirling its way out of the abyss and again hears the same Gregorian chant, but he couldn't make out the words. He got a cold chill and became a little frightened, being a stranger in town, but his curiosity got the best of him and so he decided to sneak up a little closer and get a peak.

He placed himself adjacent to the doorway, not yet getting enough nerve to poke his head in to see, and then he heard the words loud and clear in a resounding monotone chant: "Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil." He had a vision of the last rites being performed on some unsuspecting road player and immediately wanted to get the heck out of there, but he couldn't stop himself from looking.

He eyes landed on a young skinny kid playing pool on a bar box, and it was at this time that Fat Mike and Geese met Keith McCready of California for the first time!

Geese and Keith ended up becoming friends, and Earthquake took him to all of the local spots and they made a small fortune. Michael "Geese" Gerace had a heart of gold. If you were with him and he won a little chunk of change, he'd share it with you just for being there. I had never met Keith until 3 or 4 years ago, but had heard of him through Geese and others. Keith says the BEST laugh he ever had in his life was with Geese on the road in California. Just one look at Geese wearing his fisherman's hat with the brim pulled up in the front was enough to bring the house down. They laughed their way up and down the California coast and stuffed their pockets. Those really were the good old days....

JAM

vagabond said:

Hi, JAM. It is obvious that Seattle Sam betrayed the trust of Geese. Did Geese talk to Sam again?

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Yep, there seems to be some strange comradery with road players, and I think Sam was playing both ends trying to earn his "bone." It's a win-win situation for Sam, whoever gets the cash.

Seattle Sam was from Bristol, Virginia (or Tennessee), as I recall, but used to live in Northern Virgina and was a main fixture in the old Weenie Beanie's Jack and Jill's pool room. He passed away not too long after this time we saw him at Baker's in Greensboro. I've got a lot of good Seattle Sam stories, but some of them are best left unpublished (LOL).

JAM

Charlie the Ape

Charlie the Ape

jrhendy said:

Here is one about Keith: In the late 80's Keith played at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa, CA. His stakehorse was Charlie "The Ape" Romano...There are probably a hundred stories about Keith & others at Hard Times, maybe someone else can recall some of them

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Here's an old post by Keith when he was asked if he ever matched up with the fat man in which he mentioned Charlie the Ape:

"Matter of fact, I did play Minnesota Fats. Actually, I was the last guy that he played for money before he passed.

"I was in St. Louis competing in a pool tournament when I was about 19 or 20. Many of the best pool players of that era were in attendance, including Ronnie Allen who was good friends with the fat man. I was the up-and-coming star at this time, my game not even at its peak, and Fats, I believe out of curiosity, wanted to see how good I played. He had been hearing about this young kid from California, and Ronnie, with his usual gift of gab, got the game going.

"I was one of the very few privileged individuals given this opportunity to gamble with Minnesota, as he liked to be called, and what a show it was, one of the best times I have ever had in my life and something that I will never forget. I played him a nickel a game, 8 to 7, one-pocket, and then I spotted him 10 to 8 playing banks. He was a perfect gentleman, very funny, and the games were all pretty close. We were cutting up with each other, and if you think I'm funny, you should have seen him. He was the ultimate entertainer when he was at the table, a real crowd-pleaser, and this was a very unique show between a living legend and a kid. "How, do you like me now, Junior?," he would bellow out after making a good shot, and then as he would approach his next shot, he would turn to the crowd and make gestures towards me. I ate it up, laughing just as hard, if not harder, as everybody else. The whole joint was pulling for Fatty, which I don't blame them. If I wasn't playing, I would have been rooting for him, too. I ended up beating him out of 8 dimes, and he paid me off: 4,000 in $500 bills and the rest in C-notes. He autographed every single one of those $500 bills as he handed them to me. They were priceless, and I sure do wish I still had them. I was on the road with a guy named Charlie the Ape then, and for whatever reason, Charlie went south with my winnings, stealing every single one of those signed $500 bills. But there is one thing that nobody can ever take away from me, and that is this wonderful memory, one I will always cherish, of playing Rudolph Wanderone a/k/a Minnesota Fats.

"Years later, I was living in Nashville, and word came out that Fats was very ill and in the hospital. I went to see him and he knew who I was, and even though he didn't feel good, he still maintained his sense of humor. He was talking about old times, laughing and smirking. A week later, he passed."

JAM

this is exactly what I was hoping for...as much as I love playing with friends, teaching them that "english thing", I rarely get a chance to sit around and just listen to people tell stories...thank you for taking the time to type these out....there are still those of us that appreciate "the good ol' days..."

speaking of sitting around, shooting pool and stories, are there any rooms in northern virginia area where people play somewhat regularly? I've had some chances to see players like Mike Davis, Ryan McCreesh, Keith, Shorty, and Pooky play planet pool, but I'd rather watch some one pocket, and just listen to the banter...I know there are a few of us here that live in the area...we should pick a day and meetup, have some drinks, and shoot for a while...a cold bud is always there for Keith if he ever finds the time Jenny ;-)

Stories

Stories

This doesn't exactly fit the category, but it's a story anyway ---

I was TD for a 1-Pocket tournament a few years ago in NorCal.
No, I won't mention any names, but both guys are well-known in this area.

Score was 2 games each in a race to three. Player A owed one ball, Player B had about 2-3-4 balls. After about 15 minutes of safties, Player A ran 8 balls. Player B got up from his seat with his hand outstretched. Player A said "Thanks" and raked the balls toward the head spoy. At this point Player B yells "You still owe a ball" and proceeds to jump around, etc.

As TD, I ruled that Player B had conceeded the game and therefore conceeded the match by getting out of his seat and offering congratulations.
Unfortunately, the Room owner (also my employer at the time) over-ruled my decision and told them to re-play the game.
(Yes, I was pissed...!!!)

Player A won anyway...

Troy

Keith, the Whale, Brooklyn Butch & Jay Helfert's cue

Keith, the Whale, Brooklyn Butch & Jay Helfert's cue

Keith, how about telling us this story. I heard it from Jay, but it would be better from the horses mouth.

jrhendy said:

Keith, how about telling us this story. I heard it from Jay, but it would be better from the horses mouth.

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Hey, John. It's good to see you on the board!

I remember the Whale from years ago. I was with him in New York after California, and every time we hit the highway, he was driving faster than a taxi cab. We were going so fast in between cars and in between traffic, every time I had to go play, it took me 2 hours for my heart to settle down.
Actually, he wasn't a bad guy to make money with. I made a few dollars with him.

As far as Brooklyn Butch, I saw him in California last time I was there. Butch has always been a real funny guy with me, all of those facial expressions, and he always told me, "When you get in a fight, make sure you hit the other guy first." [ha-ha] I seen him level quite a few people.

I'm not sure if the story you're referring to about Jay's cue is the one that I'm thinking of, but I do remember that this cue came up funny with the Whale in Queens.

I'm still a track hound. I'm sure you're getting ready for the Breeder's Cup. You've always been a good handicapper. Every time we drive by an OTB, they call my name: Meadowlands, Meadows, Dover Downs, Pimlico, Laurel Raceway, Colonial Downs, Ocean Downs. But my favorite is still Santa Anita and Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows. Guess I will always be a Calfornian in my heart!

jack said:

speaking of sitting around, shooting pool and stories, are there any rooms in northern virginia area where people play somewhat regularly? I've had some chances to see players like Mike Davis, Ryan McCreesh, Keith, Shorty, and Pooky play planet pool, but I'd rather watch some one pocket, and just listen to the banter...I know there are a few of us here that live in the area...we should pick a day and meetup, have some drinks, and shoot for a while...a cold bud is always there for Keith if he ever finds the time Jenny ;-)

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Not sure of any in Northern Virginia, Jack. I heard there was some daytime action at Fast Eddies in Springfield. In Laurel, Maryland, I like USA Billiards. It is a comfortable atmosphere and many one-hole players of all caliber. Seems that's where most of my pool friends, old and new, seem to congregate these days.

This weekend, the Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour is having a U.S. Open Warm-Up tourney at Great Slates in Cambridge, Maryland. The website gives all the details about the full field of 64 topnotch players: Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour Website

Spoke to Ryan McCreesh tonight, and he's on his way there with Young Guns Sugar Shane of Pittsburgh and Tony "T-Rex" Chohan. Earl Strickland, Scott Frost, Ralph Souquet, Bustamante, Kid Delicious, Allen Hopkins, Pookie, Ronnie Wiseman will be there. I'm thinking there's going to plenty of one-pocket action. There'a also an OTC facility right there in the building, a nice one, too!

The U.S. Open is in a few days, and the players are rolling in! Before and after this major event, there will be MAJOR one-pocket action in this area. Hope to see you there!

Keith McCready said:

Hey, John. It's good to see you on the board!

I remember the Whale from years ago. I was with him in New York after California, and every time we hit the highway, he was driving faster than a taxi cab. We were going so fast in between cars and in between traffic, every time I had to go play, it took me 2 hours for my heart to settle down.
Actually, he wasn't a bad guy to make money with. I made a few dollars with him.

As far as Brooklyn Butch, I saw him in California last time I was there. Butch has always been a real funny guy with me, all of those facial expressions, and he always told me, "When you get in a fight, make sure you hit the other guy first." [ha-ha] I seen him level quite a few people.

I'm not sure if the story you're referring to about Jay's cue is the one that I'm thinking of, but I do remember that this cue came up funny with the Whale in Queens.

I'm still a track hound. I'm sure you're getting ready for the Breeder's Cup. You've always been a good handicapper. Every time we drive by an OTB, they call my name: Meadowlands, Meadows, Dover Downs, Pimlico, Laurel Raceway, Colonial Downs, Ocean Downs. But my favorite is still Santa Anita and Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows. Guess I will always be a Calfornian in my heart!

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Here is the story as I remember Jay telling it to me. Somehow, the Whale ended up with Jay's cue. Jay wanted it back and he told Brooklyn Butch about it. Butch called up the Whale and said "listen, you have a friend of mines cue and he wants it back. will you send it, or do I have to come back there and get it? " The Whale said he would Fedex it the next day and he did. Regarding the horses, Ronnie Allen comes down to Sacramento once and a while when he's in Ca & we go to CAL Expo and play the ponies. I can't remember ever winning. I just can't figure out which one of us is the black cloud. Probably both.

Wanna play some kid?

Wanna play some kid?

Keith McCready said:

Hey, John. It's good to see you on the board!

I remember the Whale from years ago. I was with him in New York after California, and every time we hit the highway, he was driving faster than a taxi cab. We were going so fast in between cars and in between traffic, every time I had to go play, it took me 2 hours for my heart to settle down.
Actually, he wasn't a bad guy to make money with. I made a few dollars with him.

As far as Brooklyn Butch, I saw him in California last time I was there. Butch has always been a real funny guy with me, all of those facial expressions, and he always told me, "When you get in a fight, make sure you hit the other guy first." [ha-ha] I seen him level quite a few people.

I'm not sure if the story you're referring to about Jay's cue is the one that I'm thinking of, but I do remember that this cue came up funny with the Whale in Queens.

I'm still a track hound. I'm sure you're getting ready for the Breeder's Cup. You've always been a good handicapper. Every time we drive by an OTB, they call my name: Meadowlands, Meadows, Dover Downs, Pimlico, Laurel Raceway, Colonial Downs, Ocean Downs. But my favorite is still Santa Anita and Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows. Guess I will always be a Calfornian in my heart!

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Hello, "Ether,"
Its your old pal Freddy the Beard. I missed you at the Derby city tourn. How you been doing? Hows your bank game? I ran into "Popcorn" in Mississippi.
Freddy the beard.

A Good Lesson!!

A Good Lesson!!

Years ago when I was just 16 I used to drive my dad around to the pool halls and SIT IN THE CAR!!! Back then women didn't go in pool halls!! Dads eyes were bad, he couldnt see to drive! He had left a player in Charleston[W.Va] to check out the action.We get back to the pool room, Pittsburg Paul was his player at the time[I think]Paul said Brier weve got the game you wanted he gave me the spot where is the bankroll BET IT ALL!!! I'm pissed I wanted to watch the game! After 4-5 hrs dad sent me home to get mom,[June], well,mom was mad as hell!!! Dad hocked ,borrowed everything they had{like most pool-players} She called Brier, he was winning.Next day called won 40,000 next day 80,000 she couldn;t stand it, off we go to get the up- money back.She ckecked us in the hotel down the street told me to go find out score, off I go lookin like a boy to get inn. Dad was in action, players all in a bunch sweattin match, Money changing hands [I loved it!!!]Guys from all over, Cleveland.Guys , BIG BOOKIES, little bookies, about 25 to 30 watching! The player unscrewed his shaft--Thats all Brier CHANGE THE DAMM SPOT!!!! Dad didn't want too BUT-----THE PLAYER PAUL SAID "OK"Even!!! They played all day after 10 hr or more Paul unscrewed Dads cue laid it on the table!!! "Yep" went flat broke!!! My dad walked over picked up the cue screwed it back payed off the bets ,walked over to the table hit a ball----Backer yelled 'Well Brier, What do you want to do now?? Dad replied Let's me & you play some?? "Ok' Brier how much?? Dad replied 25!! Backer-- 25,000,2,500 what???? dad replied "HELL" .25cents you have to start somewhere!!!! The lesson!!!!!! if you get the "NUTS" Keep'em!!! B.J.Spivey

Popcorn

Popcorn

fred bentivegna said:

I ran into "Popcorn" in Mississippi.
Freddy the beard.

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Is that the "Popcorn" who used to play around Bellflower in the late 60's? If so, I didn't realize he was still around. If it's him, he must be in his later 60's by now. I was at the GCC in Miss. in December, but never realized Popcorn was there. Might be another guy though...

Doc

Popcorn

Popcorn

gulfportdoc said:

Is that the "Popcorn" who used to play around Bellflower in the late 60's? If so, I didn't realize he was still around. If it's him, he must be in his later 60's by now. I was at the GCC in Miss. in December, but never realized Popcorn was there. Might be another guy though...

Doc

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I'm sure it's the same Popcorn. He was all over the country with players & Freddy would know him. He was around the Billiard Palace in Bellflower and Five Points Bowl in El Monte quite a bit in the 60's.

gulfportdoc said:

Is that the "Popcorn" who used to play around Bellflower in the late 60's? If so, I didn't realize he was still around. If it's him, he must be in his later 60's by now. I was at the GCC in Miss. in December, but never realized Popcorn was there. Might be another guy though...

Doc

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He was definitely there at Gulfport -- Richard Miller, aka 'Popcorn'.