Freddie "The Beard" Bentivegna A true legend

wincardona

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Freddie has been my closest friend in the pool world for over 55 years, and there will never be, nor has there ever been any one more dedicated in preserving the history of the players that played our great game than The Beard. He has spent 57 of his 73 years of his existence playing and writing about pool, and the players that played the game. He has been the most loved and popular person from my era, and he will be SORELY missed. I can't begin to explain how unsettling this news is to me and the people that truly knew the man, and what a great person he was.

Please try and support what Freddie loved and was all about, and that was about teaching pool, especially bank pool. His website is still available for any one that would be interested in learning about our game and the history of it, none better.

"BANK ON BROTHER"

www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Bill Incardona
 
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SJDinPHX

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Freddie has been my closest friend in the pool world for over 55 years, and there will never be, nor has there ever been any one more dedicated in preserving the history of the players that played our great game than The Beard. He has spent 57 of his 73 years of his existence playing and writing about pool, and the players that played the game. He has been the most loved and popular person from my era, and he will be SORELY missed. I can't begin to explain how unsettling this news is to me and the people that truly knew the man, and what a great person he was.

Please try and support what Freddie loved and was all about, and that was about teaching pool, especially bank pool. His website is still available for any one that would be interested in learning about our game and the history of it, none better.

www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Bill Incardona

True Bill, his excellent website will be his lasting legacy..http://www.onepocket.org/forum/showpost.php?p=133050&postcount=16
 
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Celtic

AZB's own 8-ball jihadist
Silver Member
Anyone who has not gone there and looked at his vintage videos sections is missing out. Freddie preserved some phenomenal footage from the early years of the game.
 

cuesmith

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
Silver Member
Freddie has been my closest friend in the pool world for over 55 years, and there will never be, nor has there ever been any one more dedicated in preserving the history of the players that played our great game than The Beard. He has spent 57 of his 73 years of his existence playing and writing about pool, and the players that played the game. He has been the most loved and popular person from my era, and he will be SORELY missed. I can't begin to explain how unsettling this news is to me and the people that truly knew the man, and what a great person he was.

Please try and support what Freddie loved and was all about, and that was about teaching pool, especially bank pool. His website is still available for any one that would be interested in learning about our game and the history of it, none better.

"BANK ON BROTHER"

www.bankingwiththebeard.com



Bill Incardona

Wow Billy! This came as a shock! I've been having some internet problems and haven't been on line lately. I just managed to get some temporary solution up to log on and find this! Freddy and I have never really been close, but I've known him at least 25 years and have always found him to be one of the most interesting of the "old guard"! He always had a story and it usually ended with everyone around laughing and almost in hysterics! Rest in peace Freddy, you will be missed by many! God Bless!
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Condolences on the loss of your closest friend, Bill. And thanks for calling his website to our attention. I'm going to be spending a lot of time with those "Vintage Videos" and Freddy's lessons.
 
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KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
Man, this one is gonna sting. My father (Bobby) and Freddy have been best friends for over 40 years. They even owned a pool hall together in Chicago.

I was gonna go check on him this weekend as a favor to the old man. I didn't get any return phone calls, so I thought something might be wrong, but hoping I was wrong about that as well.

He sold me my first custom cue. I traded him for a 2 month old Burton Spain plain jane when I was 15. I always thought I hoodwinked him on that deal, but he was just being nice to his good friends kid cause he knew how much I loved to play pool ;)

Sold the cue last year cause I didn't play with it anymore... now I think I might need to go buy it back !!

We have a Chicago AZB get together this Saturday at Chris's, and I'm sure we all will give him the appropriate toast in his honor :)
 

KoolKat9Lives

Taught 'em all I know
Silver Member
Condolences on the loss of your closest friend, Bill. And thanks for calling his website to our attention. I'm going to be spending a lot of time with those "Vintage Videos" and Freddie's lessons.

^^^^

In memorium and while in a state of disbelief, I too will be re-viewing his writings, videos. I am hoping some AZers here will share funny, insightful, immortal and intimate "Beard" stories.

After I outgrew diapers, Freddy was one of the 1st I recall, to share some seriously ground breaking secrets.


:(
 

brandonspitler

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sad.......

I only met Freddy a couple times, back when I played a lot. But he was always very cool, and a very nice guy. You could always easily see that he loved the game, and the players too. This is a huge loss for the world of pool.
RIP Beard.

-BLS-
 

12squared

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Freddie has been my closest friend in the pool world for over 55 years, and there will never be, nor has there ever been any one more dedicated in preserving the history of the players that played our great game than The Beard. He has spent 57 of his 73 years of his existence playing and writing about pool, and the players that played the game. He has been the most loved and popular person from my era, and he will be SORELY missed. I can't begin to explain how unsettling this news is to me and the people that truly knew the man, and what a great person he was.

Please try and support what Freddie loved and was all about, and that was about teaching pool, especially bank pool. His website is still available for any one that would be interested in learning about our game and the history of it, none better.

"BANK ON BROTHER"

www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Bill Incardona

Well said, Bill. I still say you and the "Beard" were the best duo to commentate 1-pocket in the history of Accu-stats. And when you threw Grady in the mix it was magical. we still have them both on tape/dvd and you live. Sorry for the loss of your close friend.

Dave
 

pfduser

GRABBER GT
Silver Member
Wow! I knew he was in bad shape but this is the first I've heard about Freddy passing. A truly nice guy and a legend. Bank on brother! Me you rest in peace Freddy!
 

punter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
San Jose Dick McMorran, you tormented Fred so much, he truly hated you. Your condolences are self serving and phoney.

Uncalled for, especially at this time and in this thread.

Freddy will be greatly missed. The world, especially the pool world, is lucky he left behind some of himself to enjoy, in the form of books and DVD's.
 

streak

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't know Freddy as well as some of you guys did, but I did spend three days with him at his home in Chicago a few years ago. He shared with me something that drastically improved my game immediately. (actually, he shouted it at me because I wasn't listening as I should have been) But as others have mentioned, I was lucky enough to get to hear several wonderful stories that I'll never forget. Those of us that knew him even a little are luckier than those who didn't.
RIP Freddy
 

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
San Jose Dick McMorran, you tormented Fred so much, he truly hated you. Your condolences are self serving and phoney.

Just so you know, I gave the red rep.

And for the record, Freddy did not hate SJD. He liked to argue with him, give him shit, and call him names once in a blue moon, but I know for a fact Freddy respected SJD even though they saw things differently, because he told me. He made amends with SJD, no reason to bring up this bull shit now.
 

sunnyone

cum grano salis
Silver Member
Aw.

I never really knew Mr. Beard.

On his recent book tour, in NYC, he reached out to me with a warm, personal conversation. He had enjoyed tweaking me in the four years I’ve been hanging around here and appreciated my ‘I am girl, hear me roar’ recent wagers.

He confided, graciously, that he realized I was who I claimed to be and he congratulated me for taking on the doubters.

I like to think that he’s out there somewhere making banks that don’t go - but do.

Repose In Prosperity, Mr. Beard.

Sunny
 
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