A Shark Out of Water

Donnie "Waterdog" Edwards story. Just found it again, and linked it to my site.
Great, long story about the "Doggie," and his final years.
http://bankingwiththebeard.com/?p=76

Beard

Don Waterdog Edwards passed August 2006

...sorry to hear...

...sorry to hear...

...so sorry to hear of WaterDogs passing and of the addictions and hardships he faced...during his career (but, for the grace of God, there went I)....I remember him well from the 60's in the Billiard Palace (Bellflower, CA)....He was a regular at the Palace on weekends (open all night) and Vern (Peterson) would keep it open 24/7 if there was action going on...I remember a "Payball" game that lasted for better than a week on the 5x10 snooker table...."they" came from all over the country...to "pump up" or "tap out"......Water was there for a little while, but He had short stop for a backer...and alas!!! there were to many that never missed a ball (even on a snooker table)...but, only a few were "gettin' the rolls"....I remember Ritchie lost at least 5 large (a lot back then)...he sold me his Genia for $300 .. to stay in the game....he wanted $500 and no one in the game wanted him back in, I was the only one sitting there at 4am that had any cash....but, I was firm....lol....cost me my marriage...showin' up at home with that stick....lol......now don't any of you have a heart attack...but, my ex-wife threw it away while I was at work....lol...it was only Ivory inlay on Ebony....(just thinking of that stick calls for a cigarette).....

I knew waterdog fairly well. He stayed in the Anderson, Greenville, SC area for a good while in the mid 80s. I met him at drug dealers spots a couple of times without knowing he even played pool. Then a friend named Bob Carter who was a decent shortstop told me he was staying with HIM. They started calling him waterpuppy. I don't know why. I thought Waterdog was better. Don't anyone believe that stuff about once a junkie, always a junkie. Also that ten year stuff is a crock too. I was a junkie for 15 years and then went to the methadone clinic and dosed every day for 8 years there. Of course I picked up two week supplies on each visit after some time with clean UAs. After that Buprenorphin (suboxone) for two years and now I dont take anything but vitamins. I ran businesses and did well through it all. The only trouble with methadone is that your stamina goes way way down. Also you can play pool fine for a bit and then you get a heat rush of some kind and sweat just starts pouring out of you. You can't wipe it off fast enough. You can even leave wet marks on the table. The sweat drips off your face on the table too. I won't even get into the constipation it causes. It is last resort stuff believe me. I remember the first year on it at tax time. I called a bookkeeper to ask them if my $3500 that year was a legit deduction off my income. He said what? Are you on that Shit. He said nobody ever asked him that before in all his years. He put me on hold and looked in some books and finally came back on and said yep. Go ahead and deduct the clinic payments cause its a medical deduction. I said Its some strong medicine bubba....................