pool's greatest might-have-beens

Runner

Runner

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
alstl said:
I saw him a few years ago on a live stream and I thought he said he was considering a comeback. Watched him practice on the stream for a while and I didn't see him miss a shot.

Regardless of how good he was or could have been I wouldn't say he made a bad decision given the lack of cash in pool.
Click to expand...

Tadd's peak was the late 80's, early 90's.. there was way more money in pool
at that time.. he won at Jay's L.A. Open, winning the Banks and the 9 Ball,
taking second in the 1P, which I believe went Hill-Hill down to the last ball,
with Steve Cook winning.

Tadd was super strong... Efren wouldn't give him any weight. I remember
seeing him at Hard Times, by himself, just practicing 9 ball breaks for an hour,
then straight-back 1P banks.. hitting the center of the pocket.

Pretty sure he found God and quit gambling and pool.
 
KICKMAN

KICKMAN

Registered
what about vernon eliot

nobody has mentioned Vernon eliot. beat or played even many other greats, and had
phenomenal proposition shots like his impossible cross side bank.
 
G

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cornerman said:
Along with everyone else's thoughts, I'll add George Breedlove. The guy worked more than a full-time job, and once in a while he'd play a major tournament and go deep. Phenomenal talent that, IMO, would have been a multi-major tournament winner if his focus was on pool. Instead, his focus was on his business and of course Jeanette.

Freddie <~~~ would focus on that, too
Click to expand...
He's playing again and still can really dab it.
 
Z

Z-Nole

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Randy Brown from Florida was almost as good of a player as he was a drunk. And he was a world class drunk.
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
rikdee said:
Yes, watched him play many times at the Velvet Rail. A 14.1 player of incredible skill at just 16 years old. One tournament weekend I saw him beat both Joe Balsis and Irving Crane as if he was at the practice table. Both were beyond their prime but still.... Mark ran 90+ and out on one of them. He played with steely determination and total focus; amazing to watch. Then, as Paul noted, he simply quit.
Click to expand...

Since you’re from the area, I’ll ask what I asked in a similar older thread.

Dave Charette....pretty sure he was from MI

In ‘77, he came second to Mike Carella in a 9-ball tournament at Farhat’s room.
He beat a lot of champions in a large field...caught everybody by surprise.
I’ve haven’t heard of him since.
 
R

rikdee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
pt109 said:
Since you’re from the area, I’ll ask what I asked in a similar older thread.

Dave Charette....pretty sure he was from MI

In ‘77, he came second to Mike Carella in a 9-ball tournament at Farhat’s room.
He beat a lot of champions in a large field...caught everybody by surprise.
I’ve haven’t heard of him since.
Click to expand...


I'm sure I would have watched him in that very tounament as I never missed a Farhat event in those days. I cannot recall any specific memenories of him yet I certainly remember the name. Along with Dave were many other top players such as Dallas West, Gary Nolan, Bobby Hunter, Tom Spencer, Wendall Weir, Jim Mataya, Tom Kollins; all played at the Velvet Rail events.
I became good friends with Tom Kollins from whom I received direct instruction at 14.1, lessions that remain with me to this day.
 
Last edited:
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
rikdee said:
I'm sure I would have watched him in that very tounament as I never missed a Farhat event in those days. I cannot recall any specific memenories of him yet I certainly remember the name. Along with Dave were many other top players such as Dallas West, Gary Nolan, Bobby Hunter, Tom Spencer, Wendall Weir, Jim Mataya, Tom Kollins; all played at the Velvet Rail events.
I became good friends with Tom Kollins from whom I received direct instruction at 14.1, lessions that remain with me to this day.
Click to expand...

The tournament I was at, Gary Nolan ‘bushwhacked’ ‘Floyd’ getting the 8.....
...Mike Sigel beat someone 11-0, making six 9-balls on the break.
I would’ve remembered Tom Kollins (I think)....when I first met him, he was Michigan 14.1
Champion and a radio personality....later he became a five-time US snooker champ.
...saw his son a few weeks ago at a snooker tournament.
 
R

rikdee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
pt109 said:
The tournament I was at, Gary Nolan ‘bushwhacked’ ‘Floyd’ getting the 8.....
...Mike Sigel beat someone 11-0, making six 9-balls on the break.
I would’ve remembered Tom Kollins (I think)....when I first met him, he was Michigan 14.1
Champion and a radio personality....later he became a five-time US snooker champ.
...saw his son a few weeks ago at a snooker tournament.
Click to expand...

Tom was at that time the house pro at a room down the street from the Rail called the Hall of Fame which is where I first met him. Later he started his "School for Straight Pool", which included on site instruction at Farhat's room. I was one of the students in his inaugural class. He was also the house pro at the Detroit Athletic Club for a while. And yes, I do recall his foray into snooker. A really nice guy.
 
EL'nino

EL'nino

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There was a guy from the Scranton Pa area in the 90's named Pat McNally, Stone cold killer, he beat Ronnie Alcano 9 to 0 in the finals of a Scruggs tour. One day just up & quit.
 
Michael Andros

Michael Andros

tiny balls, GIANT pockets
Silver Member
Z-Nole said:
Randy Brown from Florida was almost as good of a player as he was a drunk. And he was a world class drunk.
Click to expand...

Don't kid yerself, Z... he was a WORLD CLASS player. When we were in Tally once, Howard got Carella to give him the 7. They played for 2 days straight and neither of them ever missed a ball. Randy could've been giving CARELLA the 7. We broke even.

Every bit as strong a player as he was a drunk.

Every

Friggin

Bit
 
E

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
PhilosopherKing said:
Didn't that "Son of Pool" guy from Taiwan quit when he was considered at least top 3 in the world?
Click to expand...

yang ching-shun! great player..thought of him as well in relation to this thread.
I remember hearing he did kind of lay low for awhile, but is it my imagination, or did I see his name on the '19 uso entry list?
 
A

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
evergruven said:
yang ching-shun! great player..thought of him as well in relation to this thread.
I remember hearing he did kind of lay low for awhile, but is it my imagination, or did I see his name on the '19 uso entry list?
Click to expand...

Yes, Yang finished 33rd/48th in the 2019 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship.
 
BillYards

BillYards

Playing Style: Wu Tang Fu
Silver Member
Tragic

This thread made me think about Chan Whitt Jr., who was killed in a car crash in 1994. Don’t know much about him, but he was supposedly pretty damn good.
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
PhilosopherKing said:
Didn't that "Son of Pool" guy from Taiwan quit when he was considered at least top 3 in the world?
Click to expand...

I have to confess I’m a bit of a wise guy...
...when Yang took a break from the game...
...I claimed it was because the Son of Pool found out he was adopted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top