There is something cosmically unfair about a writer as good as George Fels being snatched away from this mortal coil without the chance to give us all one last column, share a final story from pool’s golden age, write one more great turn of phrase, play one last rack.
Like most players of my generation, one of the first books I could get my mitts on that actually discussed the intricacies of 14.1, 8ball, 9ball, and 1pocket was his classic tome “Mastering Pool.” Published in 1977 it started with his memorable opening line, well remembered once read, “I’m sorry, but I’ll just bet you’re hitting the balls too hard.”
I had occasionally seen George at the DCC, sometimes sporting a bright red jacket, but never spoken to him until a straight pool tournament up in Chicago at Red Shoes, in early 2012. It was a qualifier for a world tournament and there was one table for matches to be streamed over the internet. George was manning the microphone doing commentary on the game he loved most and some of us got a chance to cycle in and out and co-commentate. If you’re so inclined you can hear George and I “in the booth” here:
http://tubebilliards.com/straight-pool-match-karabotsos/ To be honest, his knowledge of the game was inspiring and at the same time a bit intimidating. I last saw him less than a month ago, as he was walking down one of the halls in the Mirage casino in Las Vegas on his way to the Mosconi Cup arena.
“Mr Fels!” I called out, as he was about to shuffle past. “I’m Lou Figueroa. We met in Chicago.”
“Ah yes, Lou. How are you doing?” We shook hands.
“Great, George.”
“How much farther do I have to go to the arena?”
“All the way down the hall, George, and then to the right.” And he was off.
How are you supposed to know when it’s the last time you’ll get to speak to a legend? That you should have spoken to him longer, perhaps made a nuisance of yourself and asked him to meet you for dinner. But I blew it, damnit.
And now, even though I only really knew him through his book and columns, I feel a little hollow today, a little empty. With George’s passing, pool and all of us who are passionate about the game have suffered an irreplaceable loss. So thank you, George, for sharing your love affair with pool with us for so many years, in so many wonderful columns on that back page in every issue of BD.
We’re going to miss you.
Lou Figueroa
