Machine Gun Lou
- Thread starter Cdryden
- Start date
Not a story.
Lou and his family had a great friend in Bert Schager (Schrager Cues). Lou and Bert were the best of friends.
In my stays with Bert and Pat, they would always talk about how Lou and his family helped them.
I know that Pat was recording our conversations near the end. Hopefully one day Pat will release those recordings about Lou and others, Barney
Lou and his family had a great friend in Bert Schager (Schrager Cues). Lou and Bert were the best of friends.
In my stays with Bert and Pat, they would always talk about how Lou and his family helped them.
I know that Pat was recording our conversations near the end. Hopefully one day Pat will release those recordings about Lou and others, Barney
Sure I'll start. Lou was, of course, a huge tempo player, the further he got in his run the faster he would get going. and when he finally missed sometimes it was like shocking, like a shift in reality, stunning everyone, including Lou. Everybody would be like WTF just happened?
Anyway, US Open 14.1 in Chicago early 1970s (Miz hey day) and Lou is deep in the tourney, playing Rempe (I think). He has the rack wide open and is in full flight of speed maybe in his 3rd rack and with balls all over the table, choices galore, he fires a bank in cross-side, simply because he wouldn't have to walk to get to a position on the cue ball, tempo meant that much to him.
Kevin
Barney
I was just last month sitting with Russ (poolhustler here at AZ) and Dave (12squared) listening to them swap stories about Bert and Pat. Do you know these characters?
Kevin
Here's a pretty cool pool thread about Lou "Machine Gun" Butera: Lou Butera.
Here's a little Butera smut I found when I was researching him for another project: Lou Butera appeared in several films as an actor and technical advisor. He had a cameo appearance, as himself, in the pool hustling comedy film The Baltimore Bullet and as a pool player in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege. Butera was the technical advisor in the 1984 film Racing to the Moon, starring Sean Penn.
Lou Butera graciously allowed me to snap his picture in at the IPT King of the Hill tournament in Orlando, FL (December 2005).
Here's a little Butera smut I found when I was researching him for another project: Lou Butera appeared in several films as an actor and technical advisor. He had a cameo appearance, as himself, in the pool hustling comedy film The Baltimore Bullet and as a pool player in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege. Butera was the technical advisor in the 1984 film Racing to the Moon, starring Sean Penn.
Lou Butera graciously allowed me to snap his picture in at the IPT King of the Hill tournament in Orlando, FL (December 2005).
Attachments
![450px-Lou_Butera[1][1].jpg](/data/attachments/144/144016-1d113815a75d0c5b8850b5d6433486c3.jpg?hash=HRE4FaddDF)
Interesting story because if most guys had fired a bank shot like that the opponent would take it as a sign of disrespect but I doubt anyone would think that of Mr. Butera. He's just a real sweet man and every bit a gentleman.
Mitchell
There's a thing in art, going automatic, like automatic writing and automatic drawing, where you get past the conscious mind and access deeper, go "auto" Lou in full flow looked like that to me, like he was in some tranced zone. Watching him play was a thing of beauty, hypnotic.
Like Keith, only faster.
Kevin
I remember watching a exhibition match in the early 90's called the north vs south shoot out in which Lou was playing. Lou was firing in balls with no fear, and gets stuck with this odd combination shot. As he's speed walking around the table to get to his shot he stops for a split second to look at the seemingly unmake able shot and says to the crowd in a loud voice " Dont worry 'bout it!" and fires away, making both balls and getting shape to win the game.
The man was unreal!
The man was unreal!
As fast as Lou played I don't ever recall him looking hurried unlike some other players such as Luc Salvas from Canada.
At the Glass City Open one year, they had a pre-tournament the night before the big pro event. Luc Salvas and Keith McCready met each other in the charts, a race to 9.
The neck-to-neck battle ended in what seemed like minutes. Their score was 9 to 8, while the rest of the tournament match scores were 2-1, 1-zip, 1-1. :thumbup:
Picture of Luc and Keith at 2004 Skins Billiards Championship. :smile:
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![Luc_Salvas_and_Keith_McCready_at_2004_Skins[1][1].jpg](/data/attachments/144/144018-9de69a94b413b8d1f503be8076f8033d.jpg?hash=neaalLQTuN)
The grass doesn't grow under KM's feet either. 
There's that old 9 Ball match of him and Earl out there in cyberwebland and the two of them played quick together as well. They even racked quickly for each other.
There's that old 9 Ball match of him and Earl out there in cyberwebland and the two of them played quick together as well. They even racked quickly for each other. 
Speaking of Bert Schrager, Bert brought me for dinner at Carrie (Ms. Machine Gun) & Lou's house one evening in the late 70s I think. Lou has this great Brunswick Anniversary table in his house. After dinner we were hittin' a few balls and Lou starts telling a story of how he played a shot in a 14.1 tournament, under the gun (meaning it was important).
Lou was faced with the following layout, which is approximate because one, I'm old and two, I suck at the Pool Table diagrams
. (now that there is no diagram, the 14 ball is below the stack about 1 1/2 ball width from the bottom of the stack; the 15 ball id past the side pocket in the open but favoring the right side of the table as he looked from the back of the stack; the cue ball was near the rail behind the full stack and favoring the left side). Anyway, he proceeded to tell me that he ended up jumping the entire pack w/his full cue, pocketed the 15 ball in the case of this diagram, and drew the cueball back for shape for a break shot on the 14 ball. He continued his run until the game was over. ** See post 17 for diagram **
What makes this story even more unbelievable to me, was that Lou set the shot up and made it just as described first try right in front of me, including drawing the cueball back so it was below the 14 for a break shot. I'm still in disbelief that it happened.
Added Note: Sorry, I tried to post a wei table diagram or cuetable diagram but it didn't work. If someone could help me I
ll create one and post it, but I hope you get the idea.
Lou was a talented man and one of the nicest people/pool players you can meet!
Dave
Lou was faced with the following layout, which is approximate because one, I'm old and two, I suck at the Pool Table diagrams
. (now that there is no diagram, the 14 ball is below the stack about 1 1/2 ball width from the bottom of the stack; the 15 ball id past the side pocket in the open but favoring the right side of the table as he looked from the back of the stack; the cue ball was near the rail behind the full stack and favoring the left side). Anyway, he proceeded to tell me that he ended up jumping the entire pack w/his full cue, pocketed the 15 ball in the case of this diagram, and drew the cueball back for shape for a break shot on the 14 ball. He continued his run until the game was over. ** See post 17 for diagram **What makes this story even more unbelievable to me, was that Lou set the shot up and made it just as described first try right in front of me, including drawing the cueball back so it was below the 14 for a break shot. I'm still in disbelief that it happened.
Added Note: Sorry, I tried to post a wei table diagram or cuetable diagram but it didn't work. If someone could help me I
ll create one and post it, but I hope you get the idea.
Lou was a talented man and one of the nicest people/pool players you can meet!
Dave
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The grass doesn't grow under KM's feet either.
Yeah all of them don't leave much time for self-doubt to creep in do they?
Speaking of Bert Schrager, Bert brought me for dinner at Carrie (Ms. Machine Gun) & Lou's house one evening in the late 70s I think. Lou has this great Brunswick Anniversary table in his house. After dinner we were hittin' a few balls and Lou starts telling a story of how he played a shot in a 14.1 tournament, under the gun (meaning it was important).
Lou was faced with the following layout, which is approximate because one, I'm old and two, I suck at the Pool Table diagrams
What makes this story even more unbelievable to me, was that Lou set the shot up and made it just as described first try right in front of me, including drawing the cueball back so it was below the 14 for a break shot. I'm still in disbelief that it happened.
Added Note: Sorry, I tried to post a wei table diagram or cuetable diagram but it didn't work. If someone could help me I
ll create one and post it, but I hope you get the idea.
Lou was a talented man!
Dave
Dave
I can see it.
Thanks
Kevin
12 Squared
Kevin, met Dave at California Billiard Club in Mountain View California or was it at California Billiards in San Jose in the 70's. Not sure, i know Russ?
I remember when Dave had Efren beat in Sacramento 3-0 in a race to 4. Then Dave started to play safe.............and lost.
I have some One Pocket tips I can sell you.....nawwww just kidding....but I still have the tips.
Take Care, Barney
Kevin, met Dave at California Billiard Club in Mountain View California or was it at California Billiards in San Jose in the 70's. Not sure, i know Russ?
I remember when Dave had Efren beat in Sacramento 3-0 in a race to 4. Then Dave started to play safe.............and lost.
I have some One Pocket tips I can sell you.....nawwww just kidding....but I still have the tips.
Take Care, Barney
Thanks mosconiac, the 15 ball was closer the the bottom rail and the cue ball drew straight back so it ended up on the other side of the 14 ball, but yes, you got the idea. I think I figured it out with the help of your diagram. Again, thanks - this was a crazy shot when described, but crazier when excecuted just as he described, the very first try right in front of me.
WOW!
Dave (the other Kevin)
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Oh my, this had to come up again???
. It was a race to 3; I had him 2-1, then 2-2 and in the final game I had all the balls open on my side of the table and had a mind fart trying to execute a simple kick safety that would keep Efren from kicking under the balls on my side and begin losing my position. My mind went blank and I hit it too hard and Efren ran 8 & out. I dogged it and admittedly I was nervous. My "friends" never let me forget it so I moved to Colorado 
. (it was funny)But never fear, that would never happen again...since I would not win any of the games playing Efren in the future (I was young and dumb), that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope I have another lifetime :thumbup:.
Some guy was taping the match so I have a copy (he charged me $25
). I like watching until that shot. My Father-in-law was visiting and pretended to be interested so I put it on for him. He was asleep in 7 minutes. He would have dozed off sooner but he was being polite.Arfingly yours,
Dave
That's an understatement. In the second rack Keith breaks dry and concedes the rack, LOL! Yeah, Keith almost snapped the nine and left it hanging in a pocket but there was no dead 1-9 combo so Earl was going to have to run a few balls anyway before he could access the money ball.
The match was a race to 11. At hill-hill Earl makes four balls on the break but has to shoot a combination then a bank to get out. He wins 11-10. The 21 games took 55 minutes and 2 seconds.
Here's the match in 7 parts: 1988 Ohio State Open
Real fun match to watch.
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Post 17 has the diagram as I remember it. Mosconiac gets a major assist because I was able to "quote" his post and it gave me the [wei ]...[/wei ] brackets necessary to show the diagram in the post (I had to add the spaces so it didn't show the cue table).
Dave
Dave