Who The Hell Is Bucky Bell!!

cuesmith

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
Silver Member
im2fast4u2catch said:
you can have you 3 or four people that will back you up but i absolutly certian that bucky will have 1000 supporters. yeah he is a woofer but arnt we all. and when you have met, played, and known as many people as somebody like bucky has your not going to be liked by everybody. i mean comon. ghandi had people try to kill him same as m.l.k. jr. and they were loved by all. everybody has off days. you remember more of the negative than the positive. and i will go on record that you are the first person that i have ever heard publicly bash bucky bell.
just my piece
b

I agree! I've known Bucky for about 25 years and I won't say I've never seen him, "act up", everyone gets pissed off once in a while, especially when they compete! But the good things that's Bucky's done have far outweighed the few times he's "gone on tilt"! He really is generous with his knowlege and is happy to talk to you and answer any questions he can. Yeah he has a lot of pool stories, and he remembers the times he's won better than the losses, like most of us, but he is the "real deal" and has spent a life time playing pool at a very high level. At one time or another he probably beat all the top players of his time! I'm not claiming he's another Efren, but there was a time when it took a player like Efren to beat old Bucky! He also plays pretty sporty 3C billiards, for a pool player! As someone else mentioned, Bucky likes to teach women to play and used to give free lessons to Ewa Mataya, when he was living in Michigan many years ago. He and Jimmy M were good friends then.
Don't think that Bucky's stories are just "hot air"! I witnessed some of them and have reliable knowlege of many more! Bucky's lived the hard life of a pool player who's talents are seldom appreciated! He's won a lot and lost a lot over the years, but he's had the courage to get up and play a lot of the greatest players in the world, which is more than most of us here can claim!


just more hot air!


Sherm
 
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jnav447

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Lawman888 - we hope you had a pleasant stay at AZ Billiards...next time you are in the area, or next time someone tries to honor a pool player's memory, feel free to stop in and grace us with your presence again.
 

xianmacx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My point is, you are talking negatively through a computer about a man who is not here to defend himself. If your negative passion is so strong that it has brought you outta 5 years lurking id imagine you have told bucky face to face that you do not like him. Therefor you should have no problem telling us who you are.

Ian
________
 
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El-ahrairah

Banned
Bucky Bell is alive and well. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but some of the posts seem unsure about that fact.
He strolled into our pool room a couple weeks back and had a pretty good laugh on me. He's just getting around after a car accident that banged him up pretty good, but he's played in a few of our tournaments and won at least two of them that I can think of off the top of my head. He beat some of the best players in the city in one of them and some of the best players from other nearby cities in another.
I've also witnessed him lose from the chair to a fish (master angle shooter fish tho) in a match where he should have mopped the floor with the guy. In his defense, it was really late, he'd been playing for hours, the fish was sharking him in every conceivable way, and he'd mentioned being really sore hours earlier when he was in dead stroke and mowing people down. He didn't offer a word of complaint or excuse while eventually losing to the fish. He just shook his hand and congratulated him. He did attempt to get himself revved up by offering the guy a hundred on the side in the second set, but the fish turned it down.
Like many people, I heard story after story of Bucky Bell before meeting him. I expected someone much bigger. =) I'll say this, he is one of the most interesting people I've ever ran into in a pool room. His tricks and stories, I could watch for hours. He's getting some things on video since he's over 70 now. Possibly working on a book with a guy, I'm not positive. He still has the "Who the Hell is Bucky Bell?" cue and moves his ball impressively, especially his draw stroke. It's outrageous for a guy his age. His break is pretty sporty too for a little guy of his age and weight.
I should be seeing him tomorrow for our Thursday nighter, he's been playing the Thurs-Sat schedule here. Maybe he wouldn't mind if I snap a pic or two of him and his cue to post in here. I'll ask.
 

BHQ

we'll miss you
Silver Member
glad someone dug up this 7 year old thread
i never saw this one

i first met bucky or clarence, his real name,
right around '06 at golden tee in cincinnati
that's when i started playing pool
bucky being bucky, eventually made his way over to me banging balls around
and showed me some things and we ended up talking for hours

but my favorite bucky story was a a few years later.
i was at michaels, shooting with a friend,
for our regular saturday special , $6 from noon till 6pm
bucky stopped by to shoot the breeze

as we were talking bucky just couldnt keep his eyes off the 3 young kids a few tables away.
they were all about 10? 12 maybe
they were just slamming balls around like an out control pinball machine on speed
you get the picture

bucky just loves to teach
he made his way over to the kids and did what bucky does, began teaching
the boys looked like they were in trance as bucky spoke and demonstrated technique, etc. to them

he must have spent 2 or 3 hours with those kids.
when he was done, the boys kept playing,
practicing what bucky showed them
completely different demeanor from B.B. (before bucky)
i'd like to think those kids went on to develop a real interest in pool and are out there somewhere playing, the RIGHT WAY
he did a nice thing there and i'll always remember it
 

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
I like to hear that kind of story BHQ. Seems like all the ones before went like: "I saw bucky play some local and lose"... good advertisement if you're looking to hustle but not exactly uplifting. Those kids probably still have the pool bug.
 

The Saw

Juicy Pop in 2016!
Silver Member
A couple of great Bucky quotes....

"You're firing a toothpick at a sawmill son!!!"

Funny thing was, the stakehorse wouldn't bet what I wanted to after Buck said that... Then after a few hours of play he and Chris were even and the stakehorse for sure wouldn't bet more, so the guy that was a baseball scout for the Reds that hung around Beechmont (can't remember his name) bet 2 dimes. Chris wins the 8 ahead in 40-45 minutes from there... I knew it was a stone cold lock from the word go because Ricky Carelli asked me if I wanted to give any of the bet up.... LOL

"Let me tell you a little story about the pumper...."
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
WOW thats a name i havent heard in years, used to hear people talk about him on the rail at many pool rooms. I never met him, if I have I dont recall it. Glad this thread popped up again, good job!!!!

On the topic of old threads, imagine in 50 or 100 years from now how cool it will be for those people to see and read about whats going on now. I'd like to read about Harold Worst, etc. Things written as they unfolded, not historical recollations
 

stevelomako

Things could be worse
Silver Member
If anyone gets the chance, ask him about the 5 girls from the strip club, the bananas and the jelly donuts.


Tell him I said hello.
 

ribdoner

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Silver Member
First time i saw BB play was at MOTHERS in Charlotte at least 20 yrs ago. He was down with one of the bar table monsters (Turner or Browning) from Ga playing pretty high on a Gold Grown on the non-action side, rail was also stacked high which BB took off in short order.

He played like burnin hell.

He hung around my place in the late 90's for a while but couldn't get any action to speak of.

i enjoyed him
 

Terry Aeschliman

Terry Aeschliman
Gold Member
Silver Member
Bucky Bell

Bucky and I are the same age, but I never met him until 2 years ago at the Brickyard in Indy. He wasnt shooting but came to put some money down on one of his locals (Lansing). He and I struck up a conversation(imagine that) and he told me of the time several years ago when he went to the store to get milk for his wife and didnt return (many years). So it seems he's back in the ole hometown and his wife (still) hears he is in town and invites him over for a chat. So Bucky shows up, they talk and she asks him to stay (permanent like). He agrees. Well Bucky is a welder, carpenter and general all around handy man-type and she knows it. Poor Bucky get saddled with many years of neglect that the house had suffered in his absence. His grin and laugh let me know that he didn't mind that one bit. I hope to live long enough to cross his path again!
 

kor b

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As of a month or two ago Bucky is back in the Lansing Mi. Area. I seen him a couple times at Micky's Bar Friday night tournament near Dewitt, Mi. With very little engagement from me the story's started flowing out. I remember Bucky from Hall Of Fame and Pockets. Both now out of business. Bucky and Jimmy Matya are our hometown talents. Imo in that order.
 

poolwhiz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bucky tried to get in a handycapped tournament at Wagon Wheel Willie's in the 80's as a c-player. Got caught and kicked out of the tournament. Trick didn't work,but he tried.
 

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been watching, talking to, documenting stories and generally doing everything historically speaking, concerning almost every pool player in the last 50 years.
When Bucky Bells name comes up, you almost always get a smile from all the people who know him.
I first met Bucky in the 80s, had no idea who he was and asked him to play some 5 dollar nine ball.
We go back and forth and he keeps winning an extra game every 3 or 5 racks.
I'm stuck about 40.00 and getting ready to jack the bet, I am shooting at a 3 ball and see no way out of the rack the way the balls are laying unless you were Godzilla and I play the shot back to him .
He draws the ball zig zag across and up the table 4 or 5 rails and kinda looks out from under his glasses , like ,whatta ya think about that.
He runs out and I said mister that draw shot was the worst shot I ever seen!
He barks back "whatta ya mean , that was a great shot!"
I said " yes it was , but you lost me with it"!
He started that laugh of his, and I was almost on the floor.
I see him again a few years later when he walks into a poolroom where none of the guys ever left town, and they had no idea who the good players were.
I thought this is perfect for Bucky , they have no idea who he is.
When he walked in someone says , you must be a hustler "Their standard reverse psychology move"!
I said "he can't be a hustler , it's only 1 o clock in the afternoon".
Bucky doesn't remember me and barks out, maybe I was up all night!
He did get some cheap action, with the best 3 cushion player in town, until he made a 3 rail draw shot, on a table that was so slow, it was like playing in gravel.
I hope he's alive and well and happy, he's one of the good guys.
 

strmanglr scott

All about Focus
Silver Member
You guys are talking of him in past tense. He's still around right? We talking about same guy, old, about 5'8", southern is just written on his face, real skinny?

He's taken our three and out local tourney at Mickey's bar a couple weeks in a row.

Met him a couple years ago. Someone asked about jumping and w out hesitation he set up a jump shot and did it w a house cue like it was a gimme shot.
 

watchez

What time is it?
Silver Member
Bucky used to come to St Louis quite a bit back in the late 80s, early 90s. He was never one to shy away from action and always treated his opponent with respect. I saw him take way the worst of it a few times and lost like a gentleman. Definitely one of the good guys.
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Bucky and I are the same age, but I never met him until 2 years ago at the Brickyard in Indy. He wasnt shooting but came to put some money down on one of his locals (Lansing). He and I struck up a conversation(imagine that) and he told me of the time several years ago when he went to the store to get milk for his wife and didnt return (many years). So it seems he's back in the ole hometown and his wife (still) hears he is in town and invites him over for a chat. So Bucky shows up, they talk and she asks him to stay (permanent like). He agrees. Well Bucky is a welder, carpenter and general all around handy man-type and she knows it. Poor Bucky get saddled with many years of neglect that the house had suffered in his absence. His grin and laugh let me know that he didn't mind that one bit. I hope to live long enough to cross his path again!

This might be the best pool story I've heard with a happy ending.
 
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