Perfect. I loved it (I was often standing right there) when he would whine about the shot he was facing, walk around the table to look at it from all angles, shaking his head all the while, and finally get down with a shrug of his shoulders and fire it in the heart of the pocket, and play perfect position! Then he would look up and smile, and maybe wipe his brow like he got lucky. I miss that. Mike was a beauty! And what a great player he was. Nobody past or present had to like it against him.
Mike was my favorite player during the straight pool era. In the recent G.O.A.T. for 1970 and on, I had him as second best only behind Efren.
Another thing I liked about Mike was that he was approachable and was willing to discuss a position from a completed match with a fan. I recall a match he played against Rempe in which Mike was way behind.
Mike was on a foul and the cue ball was nearly in the jaws of one of the top corners. If he shot at the only loose ball, there was a great danger he'd scratch off the pack. He took a second foul intentionally, answered by a Rempe intentional foul.
Mike then shot the ridiculously tough break shot, made it and ran 100+ and out to win the match. I asked him after the match why he'd taken the second foul. The gist of what he said is that down over 75 balls, he didn't really want to shoot this shot, knew Rempe wouldn't shoot it with a huge lead, but he ultimately decided he'd have to be willing to take it on.
The second foul, he explained, could only help him. If he made the shot and scratched off the pack, he wanted the balls reracked, customary after a third foul. If he missed the shot, he added, he still might scratch off the pack, and were that to happen, he similarly wanted the balls reracked. Hence, the second foul he took intentionally gave him a couple of extra ways to win. Had Mike missed the break shot while still on one foul, Rempe almost certainly would have run out the match.
This fan will always remember that Mike was happy to discuss the position at length --- 38 years ago!