Cigar Tom, great player from Maryland for sure. I've seen him many times, and he's always carried himself as the ultimate gentleman.
I do wonder the years he won the Maryland State tourneys, though, because I know Sigel won in '86, and before that, Geese won two or three, if my memory is right.
It would be great to find this Maryland record, if one even exists.
Tom used to shoot with a shaft that was the size of a pencil -- no kidding. Like Billy said, he was such an icon in his Dundalk pool room, especially in the '80s, that his fans also shot with cues that had a pencil width. I had never seen anything like it in my life then and since that time, a pencil-width shaft. Tom claims he gets more english on the ball with that size shaft.
Tom also has a brother who plays pretty sporty in Texas, with the same last name: Vanover.
Last time I saw Tom was at the pool room on Pulaski Highway that shut down. I think it was about 2002 or thereabouts. He had an appointment for an action game. Rumor was that Tom would play anybody that came to town, as long as they made an appointment ahead of time. I hadn't seen him in quite sometime, and so I was anxious to see him shoot again. He walked in, just as trim and dapper as ever. The only thing that changed was he had a little gray in his hair. Other than that, he hadn't aged one bit. Instead of one of those luggage-like, 4-and-4 cue cases with his name brandished on it, Tom walked in with his cue in a lightweight velvet wrap. It was beautiful. :grin-square:
He never did talk much and let his stick do all the talking for him. He had a humble, unassuming-type personality. This last time I saw him in 2002, Cigar Tom still moved around the table like a panther, and all the Baltimore "regulars" sitting on the rail bet their money on him.
There's been quite a few roadsters who came to Dundalk to try to take Tom off at his pool room in Dundalk -- "Running Out Billiards," I think it was named -- but it was really hard to beat him in his own room. They usually left town with empty pockets. :embarrassed2:
Like another player I know well, Tom's best game is on the bar box, but make no mistake about it, he can play on any equipment, any game, at any time. That's the way pool used to be *and* when pool shined the brightest. There were no rack mechanics, B players with big egos demanding handicaps to gamble, locksmiths looking to rob somebody, and players who can't run 3 balls in a row being videotaped. People used to enjoy players who could actually play some and demonstrated their skills by putting together packages on a field of green. Imagine that!
Here's a picture of Tom at the 1986 Maryland State Tournament where he was runner-up to Mike Sigel.
