Chicago player

dogginda9

I need a vacation.
Silver Member
Wow, I'm glad someone else knows Tommy Spencer. He was such a great player, but another player that is not really known. He gave some lessons when his game starting breaking down. I'm not sure if it was drugs or alcohol, but he died pretty young... 50 or so ? Not even sure but he was a 9 ball stone cold killer :)

Tom was a beast for sure. I think he may have been early 60's when he passed.
 

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
Tom was a beast for sure. I think he may have been early 60's when he passed.

I think he died 15 or so years ago. I saw him play in the late 70s and 80's. I'm guessing he was around 50 when he died. Did you ever play him ? I know I got a couple of years on you, but surely you tangled with him at some point :)
 
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pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Tom was a beast for sure. I think he may have been early 60's when he passed.

At the Rack...1978
Tom Spencer....hill-hill...9-ball for 5Gs
His opponent hangs the 7-ball in a corner pocket....
...cue ball is near the side pocket...one inch off the rail...
..Tom jacks up...gotta draw the ball to the far end rail for the 8...
..the cue ball hits the back of the pocket...wham!..the 7 fell before whitey got there.

They were confused about what to do....they didn’t ask for any outside opinions...
...decided to play another game...same guy breaks.

Tom should’ve got the shot over again...IMO
 

mr3cushion

Regestered User
Silver Member
C'mon Billy, have not you heard the news, I'm "insane" for daring to argue with the great and powerful pool playing machine known as Fredo Figuero. You know, the guy that took down JB in a game of 1P ;) Watch yourself, or he will come for you next :eek:

Lou has tangled with me before! I'll just break out my collection of cartoons, staring, 'The Great One' Lou! :rolleyes: :rotflmao1:
 

dogginda9

I need a vacation.
Silver Member
No, not that long ago. He died 15 or so years ago. I saw him play in the late 70s and 80's. Then I left pool for around 20 years. I'm guessing he was around 50 when he died. Did you ever play him ? I know I got a couple of years on you, but surely you tangled with him at some point :)

I just saw he was 58. Very sad. Played him many times and once we got a chance to talk a few times he loosened up and was quite fun to talk with. Old school for sure in how he played and how he interacted with people during competition. Met him around 1990. He still played good at that time for sure.
 

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
At the Rack...1978
Tom Spencer....hill-hill...9-ball for 5Gs
His opponent hangs the 7-ball in a corner pocket....
...cue ball is near the side pocket...one inch off the rail...
..Tom jacks up...gotta draw the ball to the far end rail for the 8...
..the cue ball hits the back of the pocket...wham!..the 7 fell before whitey got there.

They were confused about what to do....they didn’t ask for any outside opinions...
...decided to play another game...same guy breaks.

Tom should’ve got the shot over again...IMO

PT, you always amaze me. Great story. Man, you were in the thick of things in the gambling world, one of the great "unknowns". Who are you PT109 ? :D ''

If you ever make it to Chicago, this "crazy" guy will buy you dinner at the best place in town. You can tell me some Alex stories, lol
 

KRJ

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I just saw he was 58. Very sad. Played him many times and once we got a chance to talk a few times he loosened up and was quite fun to talk with. Old school for sure in how he played and how he interacted with people during competition. Met him around 1990. He still played good at that time for sure.

Oh, that's cool. I figured you would have played him at some point. Some folks don't realize you don't have to be "famous" to be a talented shooter with a ton of skill and just as much heart. He was a regular at my pop's place when I was a teenager. Always treated me great. Nice guy, but kind of an introvert. Just sad that he had some demons he could not shake. May he RIP. I'm sure you gave him quite the game. you don't have to tell us how you did, I don't want to knock your action ;) Of course, everyone in Chicago already knows you !!
 
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pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
PT, you always amaze me. Great story. Man, you were in the thick of things in the gambling world, one of the great "unknowns". Who are you PT109 ? :D ''

If you ever make it to Chicago, this "crazy" guy will buy you dinner at the best place in town. You can tell me some Alex stories, lol

Detroit was like a second home town for me when I was young.
...other places...I didn’t exactly show my ID willingly...:cool:
I was known as Carradine in a few states...that was my favorite moniker..:smile:
I kept my distance from the chemical warfare and party crowd...
...tended to bet my own...nobody told me what to do...still liked a lot of the players though.
 

Baby Huey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Artie truly was a good player. I do have to disagree about him being in contention as the GOAT. Each generation has its players and right now I'm looking at Dennis, Alex and Tony and the best I've ever seen. I've been around myself 55 years and I used to think RA and Efren were the GOAT in their time but I'm not believing that anymore. These three play all over the USA under all types of conditions and just win and win with tremendous skill. Clearly style might dictate outcomes but you can't overcome great defense, ball striking and nerve. These three have those qualities.
 

KRJ

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Silver Member
Artie truly was a good player. I do have to disagree about him being in contention as the GOAT. Each generation has its players and right now I'm looking at Dennis, Alex and Tony and the best I've ever seen. I've been around myself 55 years and I used to think RA and Efren were the GOAT in their time but I'm not believing that anymore. These three play all over the USA under all types of conditions and just win and win with tremendous skill. Clearly style might dictate outcomes but you can't overcome great defense, ball striking and nerve. These three have those qualities.

Good post, and I could not agree more. And I don't believe anyone from Chicago ever used the words "GOAT"... certainly not me.

My GOAT is Alex for 1P, always has been, always will be ;) He makes it fun to watch 1P again, lol
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Pedantry time

GOAT is a nonsense term...there is no mortal that can determine the .....
....Greatest Of All Time

Our lives are but a twinkling of an eye...who can determine what will happen in the future?
The next greatest player might be just getting born...or be a zillion years from now.

How about GSF?.....Greatest So Far
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
can't get past the greatest we remember

Pedantry time

GOAT is a nonsense term...there is no mortal that can determine the .....
....Greatest Of All Time

Our lives are but a twinkling of an eye...who can determine what will happen in the future?
The next greatest player might be just getting born...or be a zillion years from now.

How about GSF?.....Greatest So Far


Who is the greatest "X" of all time? Always comes down to a popularity contest and the greatest the person remembers. I remember when probably nine out of ten people on the street would have said Minnesota Fats. He was the greatest, he was the only serious pool player they had ever heard of! Later I had people tell me Jeanette Lee was the greatest.

I went into a Dairy Queen in northeast Texas, Kilgore or Longview, and there was a Jeanette Lee pinball machine. I'm rotten at pinball and hadn't played in many a year but I spent a dollar just to I could tell people I beat Jeanette Lee! After proper praise I would admit it was the pinball machine. :grin:

Hu
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Artie truly was a good player. I do have to disagree about him being in contention as the GOAT. Each generation has its players and right now I'm looking at Dennis, Alex and Tony and the best I've ever seen. I've been around myself 55 years and I used to think RA and Efren were the GOAT in their time but I'm not believing that anymore. These three play all over the USA under all types of conditions and just win and win with tremendous skill. Clearly style might dictate outcomes but you can't overcome great defense, ball striking and nerve. These three have those qualities.

Efren beat the snot out of Alex in one year's DCC when he won the whole thing, even played him twice and I think got him 3-0 or 3-1 both sets. All the DCC's Efren won I think Alex was also in them. Efren (of the modern players) is a step up from Alex, Frost, Dennis, Tony, Shannon, IMO:)
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Lou has tangled with me before! I'll just break out my collection of cartoons, staring, 'The Great One' Lou! :rolleyes: :rotflmao1:


I see your collection of cartoons and raise you your face sitting in a Chicago pool room urinal, lol.

Lou Figueroa
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Artie truly was a good player. I do have to disagree about him being in contention as the GOAT. Each generation has its players and right now I'm looking at Dennis, Alex and Tony and the best I've ever seen. I've been around myself 55 years and I used to think RA and Efren were the GOAT in their time but I'm not believing that anymore. These three play all over the USA under all types of conditions and just win and win with tremendous skill. Clearly style might dictate outcomes but you can't overcome great defense, ball striking and nerve. These three have those qualities.


Jerry, can a player who never strayed from his home track ever possibly be considered great?

How about the guy who can run 200 in practice but can't run 24 for money or in an event?

How do you assess a guy who didn't play guys at their rooms, at a neutral venue, or at an open event? Are we to consider that a player who never strayed far from his home room, where he knew the traps and travails of each table, GOAT?! Freddy used to talk about how they'd maneuver out-of-town players from one table to another at Bensinger's. That's as far as some players could travel and get the cheese.

Lou Figueroa
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Who is the greatest "X" of all time? Always comes down to a popularity contest and the greatest the person remembers. I remember when probably nine out of ten people on the street would have said Minnesota Fats. He was the greatest, he was the only serious pool player they had ever heard of! Later I had people tell me Jeanette Lee was the greatest.

I went into a Dairy Queen in northeast Texas, Kilgore or Longview, and there was a Jeanette Lee pinball machine. I'm rotten at pinball and hadn't played in many a year but I spent a dollar just to I could tell people I beat Jeanette Lee! After proper praise I would admit it was the pinball machine. :grin:

Hu

When I read the second part of your post, Hu...Larry McMurtry flashed into my mind.

64D530FE-1942-4C13-85F8-AE32B8CF482E.jpeg

Seems like Dairy Queens are the Starbucks of rural Texas...and that’s the part of Texas
I know much better than the big cities.
Read the book, Hu
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
I will have to

When I read the second part of your post, Hu...Larry McMurtry flashed into my mind.

View attachment 527793

Seems like Dairy Queens are the Starbucks of rural Texas...and that’s the part of Texas
I know much better than the big cities.
Read the book, Hu



When you recommend it I will have to find the book. I can't remember you steering me wrong yet!

I do have to admit I first noticed Larry when Lonesome Dove aired. That set a standard which makes a lot of his other stuff disappointing. I do like good westerns and that was a great one.

We had a Dairy Queen at the end of my street in big BR when I was a kid. We were more impressed with the puddle of blood where the guy fell off the roof when they were building it than the place, too poor to visit it often. The guy was OK, he landed on his head. My sister worked there awhile and learned how to make banana splits, the kind of life skill that comes in handy. Later I liked their supreme blizzard, ate them every time I got a chance traveling across the southwest one trip, I think I gained about ten pounds by the time I hit Oklahoma!

Hu
 
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