Holy cow, David! That's the Tito I played. I never thought I'd see a pic of him.
Does anyone know the true story of his apparent early demise? I had always assumed that he hustled the wrong guy. Maybe so. Maybe not.
Is he wearing a green kilt in that pic or what?
What speed would you say he was, David? Any comparisons? Was the Sigel bit true?
Something else that I just remembered about Tito......
After we played the set, I asked him if he could give me some lessons. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "I can teach you one thing that will turn your game way up....." (or something to that effect).
I said, "What is it?"
Tito reply was, "That'll cost you 50 bucks. But, I can tell you it has something to do with your back hand."
Fifty bucks was a fortune for a young guy like me in college. I declined to pay and I've always regretted it. I saw him around a bit after that and then he disappeared. I stopped going to Ron's Recreation, and within 2 more years or so, I pretty much dropped the game. Until last year. And in this past year (after a 15 year layoff), I've figured out that I was gripping the cue with my back hand way too high up on the wrap. It had gotten so bad that I couldn't even draw a ball anymore. I've since corrected it, but I've always wondered what Tito would or could have taught me.
I honestly wish I had spent more time talking to the guy.