This "story" is much too similar to the one where a teenage Earl took on Mike Sigel. This is plagiarised word for word from that.
Well, that's a strong claim you're making with no plausible evidence whatsoever offered to support it.
Let me say that I sat right next to Bob in the stands along side of table 9 and table 10 at Hard Times Bellflower.
He told me that firsthand story. He said he was there and witnessed it with his own eyes.
If the story is BS, Bob is the one telling tall tales. Not me.
Now, you've been part of the pool scene in SoCal. You certainly knew Cole. If you knew him around 68 - 71, for sure,
you know he was quite capable of running six racks from the break.
I only saw Richie once. It was at a tournament in Santa Rosa around '77. He sure dressed well. Nice suit. Santa Rosa gets
hot. Richie took off his jacket. I regret that I can't say I know how well he played. Like much of that period, it's kind of a blur.
Back to Cole, I really didn't know him very well at all. Back in 68-71, every 3 months or so he'd show up back in town from being on the road. I'd see him at the poolhall. I'd be there as often as I could at opening in the late morning when he'd show up. I've watched him "practice" several times. He'd run 80 balls as natural as a baby nursing. And just as sensual. Calvin, a regular at Hard Times, told me that he loved watching Cole shoot. It was like I said, Cole could simply captivated you. He had this power. At least for Calvin and me. It was euphoric and hypnotic. I never said anything to Cole because I never had anything to say. And he only spoke to me once: "I like to beat guys who use lots of english." That was it over a 4 year span. I'd see him use his slip stoke often. He had this stunt where he'd line up a long shot then turn his head like an owl almost 180 degree then shoot: straight into the pocket. I was 15 or 16. I think he showed off for the kid. Once he placed the cue ball to break about 10 inches from center to the right at the line. Then he looked at me as if to say, "You got it?" His best friend, Randy L., told me that he ran 9 racks in a row for $40 a game and busted some guy. He also told me that Cole would set up a 6-ball racks, break, then take ball in hand. He said Cole ran 96 racks like this in a row. Anyway, this is what Randy L. told me. So this is like 55+ years ago. Then just about a year ago, I hear this recording of an interview, I think it was at OnePocket.org, where a guy relates how he first met Cole, I think it was in Montana. He says this kid talked him into playing $5 9-ball and immediately runs 8 racks in a row. He says he doesn't ever quit on anybody but he did this time. So this kid tries to get him to continue to play but he tells Cole: "I can't play you. You just ran 8 racks. I can't do that." So what I'm thinking is that this could be the facts that Randy L. based his story on. You know how stories change when told repeatedly and how memories are. All I'm saying is that knowing some things about Cole from my own firsthand knowledge and his close friends and others, I can believe Bob. So Cole taking Richie to the cleaners, this once, is plausible. But your claim has given me reason to consider alternatives after having given Bob 100% credibility. Unfortunately I can't find any video of Florence playing pool.
