I just told a story about the first "Rack-Em-Up Classic" tournament in the thread about "Where are they now" and it brought back several memories from that tournament. One of them was when I met Billy Incardona for the first time. Billy if you read this I hope you'll comment about if you even remember this little story.
Gary Spaeth and I got to Columbia a day early to try to scare up a little action. Kim Davenport was there and didn't know Gary well or really have any idea how he played 9-ball. I think he thought Gary was just a bank pool players
and offered him the 8 playing $500 sets of 9-ball. Kim had been drinking a bit also and really wasn't playing at top speed and Gary beat him a couple of sets Thursday night and he came back for a rematch Friday night. These were
late night match-ups, after all the tournaments action was over. Billy I came in and was sitting at the tournament directors table sort of "holding court". It was about 3:00AM and there were no restaurants still open in the hotel,
so Bob Opsahl sent his teenage son over to the Waffle House to get some coffee for the players still around. He came back with a beer case flat with about 20 cups of coffee on it. A few minutes later a good friend of Gary and I,
Vic, from Cincinnati, who owned a couple of bars there, had flown in to watch the rest of the tournament. He saw the flat with all the coffee on the tournament directors table and helped himself to one. Bob's son was sitting
there and was young and kind of square, stood up and said "That coffee isn't free, it's for the players". Well Vic was never what you could call a freeloader reached into his pocket and threw a $50 bill down and said I'll buy. With
perfect timing, Billy Incardona said to Vic, "Sir, I think you have another cup coming!" Everyone in earshot about busted a gut laughing at Billy's comment and I knew then that when Billy had something to say, I wanted to listen.
Man what a tournament! I have several fond memories from that one.
Gary Spaeth and I got to Columbia a day early to try to scare up a little action. Kim Davenport was there and didn't know Gary well or really have any idea how he played 9-ball. I think he thought Gary was just a bank pool players
and offered him the 8 playing $500 sets of 9-ball. Kim had been drinking a bit also and really wasn't playing at top speed and Gary beat him a couple of sets Thursday night and he came back for a rematch Friday night. These were
late night match-ups, after all the tournaments action was over. Billy I came in and was sitting at the tournament directors table sort of "holding court". It was about 3:00AM and there were no restaurants still open in the hotel,
so Bob Opsahl sent his teenage son over to the Waffle House to get some coffee for the players still around. He came back with a beer case flat with about 20 cups of coffee on it. A few minutes later a good friend of Gary and I,
Vic, from Cincinnati, who owned a couple of bars there, had flown in to watch the rest of the tournament. He saw the flat with all the coffee on the tournament directors table and helped himself to one. Bob's son was sitting
there and was young and kind of square, stood up and said "That coffee isn't free, it's for the players". Well Vic was never what you could call a freeloader reached into his pocket and threw a $50 bill down and said I'll buy. With
perfect timing, Billy Incardona said to Vic, "Sir, I think you have another cup coming!" Everyone in earshot about busted a gut laughing at Billy's comment and I knew then that when Billy had something to say, I wanted to listen.
Man what a tournament! I have several fond memories from that one.