Who are the " Fan Friendly" Pro's

I have found that Alex Pagulayan and John Brumback are certainly fan friendly, as was SVB. Janet Lee is as well, and she puts on a pretty fun show.

I see that the OP is from TN. You owe it to yourself to go to the DCC this year. You'll get as much interaction with the pros as you can handle. It's a blast.
 
I have met a few pro players over 23 yrs in the military, I have yet to meet one that was not friendly, I believe timing is everything. I spent 3 years in Hawaii while there I had contact with Hawaian Bian great guy and promoter of the sport there.

Rodney Morris
Johny Archer
Jose Parica
Mark Jarvis
Dan Louie
Mike Coltrain
Kim Davenport

These players were all great to talk to but the person I was most impressed with was Danny Harriman, he came to my house to give me some lessons (wanted to see where I stood in the food chain). He showed up dressed like a professional should, very well spoken and polite after we were done he had dinner with my family at the house. After he left I called him to have him come out the following weekend to teach me some stuff on banking, he politly told me that I had not paid him all of what we had agreed to, so I checked my wallet because I had money set aside for another thing well I had gave him the wrong stash of cash, so I apologized (felt like an A$$). Danny came back to my house later that month, I got my bank lessons and he got paid the whole amount plus I gave him a little extra to help him get to the U S Open. A few months later I was playing in a tournament and saw Danny was there and I said hi I didn't want to bother him because he was practicing. I played a match on the streaming table which I lost (Sam Waltz beat me like a drum:D) I went to the both that my friend was at watching the beat down, sat down and Danny came by asked if he could join us, he sat there until his match giving me a couple of pointers on how to adjust to the table speed etc. (which helped a lot) and just B S with us, my friend was star struck which was kind of funny, Danny and I stayed in contact for a long time I would call him and leave a message and he always called me back, we talked about a lot of things, pool other players ETC but the thing that stuck with me most is even if he didn't care for another player he always gave great respect for their game but he never and I say NEVER did any player bashing, and that folks is a true professional.
 
I would say the Miz would be on any 'all time nicest' lists. And Dan Louie is also one of the nicest guys you could meet.

Most of the Arizona crew are also good guys.
 
In my experience and in no certain order ... Jennifer Barretta, Sarah Rousey, Monica Webb, Karen Corr, Angel Paglia, Alice Rim, John Schmidt, Tony Robles, Tony Crosby, Thorsten Hohmann, Stevie Moore, Shaun Wilkie, Ralf Souquet, Roger Griffis, John DiToro (my hero), and of course, TOMMY KENNEDY!!!
 
Blackjack said:
In my experience and in no certain order ... Jennifer Barretta, Sarah Rousey, Monica Webb, Karen Corr, Angel Paglia, Alice Rim, John Schmidt, Tony Robles, Tony Crosby, Thorsten Hohmann, Stevie Moore, Shaun Wilkie, Ralf Souquet, Roger Griffis, John DiToro (my hero), and of course, TOMMY KENNEDY!!!
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For sure, Tommy Kennedy is probably about the most friendly person I've ever met. He's genuinely nice, too! :smile:
 
danquixote said:
I'd like to go to a top level tourny to both see and possibly interact with the top tier players. I'd like to know which "pro's" are truely fan friendly. Those that will talk to, and offer "face time" to a real nobody in the pool world. I realize that the demands on time can sometimes be great for a pro, but the really beloved pros of other sports are the ones that consistently make time for their fans. Who falls into this category in pool??
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i will say you have to pick the right time to talk to someone - ie. not while they are being called for a match:D but the following are some of the guys i've met and they couldn't have been nicer, in no particular order:
johnny archer
john schmidt (funny as hell)
chris bartram
tommy kennedy
corey duel
gabe owen
stevie moore
adam smith (my buddy jeff crawford introduced me to him a week or two ago at mr. cues. nice guy very laid back. had a few good laughs - although most of the laughs were at my expense with me and jeff making fun of how bad i play!)
now i am not a shy person by a long shot. and i'm a drummer and used to sell gear and do tech work so i am not star struck around celebrities. but i am always shy and awkward around these guys because i meet them in middle of doing their job. like tourneys or money matches (that's when i met chris right before he played here in conyers). and i feel awkward wanting to talk to someone who is in the middle of trying to do a job, but all of these guys made it seem cool. i don't know any of them personally so any one who does may feel differently about them. from a fans ponit of view however, all of these guys offered up their time to talk to me for a minutes in some cases a little more than a few minutes. they were truly class acts all the way.
 
jrt30004 said:
i will say you have to pick the right time to talk to someone - ie. not while they are being called for a match:D but the following are some of the guys i've met and they couldn't have been nicer, in no particular order:
johnny archer
john schmidt (funny as hell)
chris bartram
tommy kennedy
corey duel
gabe owen
stevie moore
adam smith (my buddy jeff crawford introduced me to him a week or two ago at mr. cues. nice guy very laid back. had a few good laughs - although most of the laughs were at my expense with me and jeff making fun of how bad i play!)
now i am not a shy person by a long shot. and i'm a drummer and used to sell gear and do tech work so i am not star struck around celebrities. but i am always shy and awkward around these guys because i meet them in middle of doing their job. like tourneys or money matches (that's when i met chris right before he played here in conyers). and i feel awkward wanting to talk to someone who is in the middle of trying to do a job, but all of these guys made it seem cool. i don't know any of them personally so any one who does may feel differently about them. from a fans ponit of view however, all of these guys offered up their time to talk to me for a minutes in some cases a little more than a few minutes. they were truly class acts all the way.
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You are so right about Adam we met him at the Gem City last year for the first time and he is a really nice guy we spent quite a bit of time talking with him. My wife thought he was just so cute and nice that she wanted to take him home, no way I'd never win another set on my own table and thts just not going to happen :) We also spent a lot of time with Stevie Moore and my wife just thought he was awesome when he even remembered her name and made a point of saying hello the next day.
 
hang-the-9 said:
The only one I have met that was very friendly and chatty, if you did know know them before, was Grady. I met him at a Joss tour stop many years ago, said Hi, and the whole day when he saw me he treated me like I knew him since he was 15 hustling pool during the great depression. Archer and Kennedy are very friendly and polite, I think it has to do with the fact that they are both religious as any priest you will meet, must have gotten some manners there for sure.
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I was just about to hit the green rep button when you ended that sentence about Grady and the great depression.
:indecisive:
 
I have never met Danny Diliberto, Jay Helfert or Billy Incardona but I would love to hang with these guys for a week! After listening to all of their comentary over the years and Jays expert post on here and reading his and Dannys books I think that would be awsome.
 
As you can see from the responses, practically every pro has given a good impression to their fans.

When a pro player is playing in a tournament, most of the time, he is either preparing mentally for his match (quieting his mind), resting, playing, or just finished playing. If he has just finished playing, his mind is racing and they are probably more interested in texting his significant other or pals than interacting with fans.

Also, sometimes, a pro player is besieged with chit chat from fans everywhere they go and sometimes they just need some quiet time and it is those times when they might seem aloof. Just give them some space and don't judge them for being "distant" at the moment.

I try not to constantly be in any pro's face when I am at the tournament, UNLESS I am trying to pry some special information out of them for the commentary booth, then I am walking a tight rope but most of the time, they understand that I'm working too. If I'm not doing commentary I give the pros all the space they need. If they feel like talking, they know the door is always open but for the most part in just passing them through the facility, a simple nod or smile is enough.

You have to put yourself in their shoes. It's not easy being a professional pool player and playing well, when practically everywhere you go, a fan is right there on your one yard line, even if you're one of the nicest guys/gals around (and most are).
 
SFC9ball said:
I have never met Danny Diliberto, Jay Helfert or Billy Incardona but I would love to hang with these guys for a week! After listening to all of their comentary over the years and Jays expert post on here and reading his and Dannys books I think that would be awsome.
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Speaking of Jay Helfert:

Yeah, he is great guy to talk with, writes great pool books, has more stories than grandpa, BUT have any of you seen Jay's collection of DVD's of the pool matches between Ronnie Allen and Danny Diliberto? I was visiting my barber this past week (who is a pool nut like us) and he had one of those matches playing while he was cutting my hair. DannyD and RonnieA had microphones hooked up to them and you would have thought you were right next to the table listening to their banter and banter they could......... Anyway Jay doesn't do hardly any advertising on the forum, but he does sell these DVDs if I am not mistaken.
 
JoeyA said:
Speaking of Jay Helfert:

Yeah, he is great guy to talk with, writes great pool books, has more stories than grandpa, BUT have any of you seen Jay's collection of DVD's of the pool matches between Ronnie Allen and Danny Diliberto? I was visiting my barber this past week (who is a pool nut like us) and he had one of those matches playing while he was cutting my hair. DannyD and RonnieA had microphones hooked up to them and you would have thought you were right next to the table listening to their banter and banter they could......... Anyway Jay doesn't do hardly any advertising on the forum, but he does sell these DVDs if I am not mistaken.
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It's hard to think of many people that have done more positive things for the game of pool than Jay Helfert.
 
I have interacted with many pros. I don't think I have talked to anyone who was rude. They all seem friendly. If you go to a convention like Valley Forge(now oaks) you will get the opportunity to interact with quite a few of them. Some are working booths, some are playing at the money tables.
I have never seen a pro try to run away from the fans. Most are available for lessons or exhibitions. If you ask one a question I believe most would give you a straight answer.
 
Well, since I see him across the room reading the forum at the time of this writing, I must say Keith McCready! He's got personality plus! :cool:

Hi, Keith!
 
JAM said:
Well, since I see him across the room reading the forum at the time of this writing, I must say Keith McCready! He's got personality plus! :cool:

Hi, Keith!
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Keith is one of the few I have never met. Though I would like to.
I would like to just hear him tell road stories
Maybe some day I hope
 
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