I'm going to be honest here and maybe a little blunt, but to me this is a happy ending story.
I knew Ronnie when we were teenagers. He was a phenom, as big as a talent as I've ever seen. He was always up for a cheap game anywhere, anytime, and traveled the Valley and Los Angeles hustling in literally any place there was a pool table and people with a few bucks. I ran into him everywhere.
When he wasn't robbing me for $20 on the pool table, I was backing him. Twice he asked me to back him. The first time was against Ronnie Allen playing 9 ball on a tight table at "Fast Eddie's" in North Hollywood, which Ronnie had bought, $200 races to 9. This would have been about 1975 or 1976. If I recall Ronnie Allen gave Rosas the 8 ball and lost the first set. They played even up the second set and Allen lost again. There was discussion of a game change but Allen quit. Ronnie Allen was pissed off, losing to a local kid.
The next one was at Mother's in Van Nuys. Ronnie was playing Ernesto (spotting Ernesto the last two). He was having trouble the first set but won, then easily won the second set. But I could see that Mexican Ronnie was on a bad road at that time and needed breaks to get pumped up.
I stopped playing pool and focused on my career. I always thought Ronnie would be a champion. He could have been a champion, no doubt. But somehow a troubled life can go it's own way and never find the right way back. Ronnie had a loving mom and a fine household, but the demons of, let's call it "the life", favor nobody, ever.
Ronnie was a hero to us. He was us. He was a kid who could play 9 ball with anybody. He regularly beat the top players of the day. He beat Rodney Morris in L.A. around the same time Rodney beat Efren to take the U.S. Open. The list of his victims is long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUx4OWsIZgI
He was feared by all the local shortstops. It was cricket's when he walked into the room. I learned to trust Ronnie in those days and we didn't lose. He was a tall, thin kid from a tough area in the North San Fernando Valley. He was athletic and healthy before the life. He could golf too, always up to something.
The happy ending is I am glad to see Ronnie posting and giving lessons. I have lost other friends to the life, too many, too soon. He survived, so let's take it easy on him.
I knew Ronnie when we were teenagers. He was a phenom, as big as a talent as I've ever seen. He was always up for a cheap game anywhere, anytime, and traveled the Valley and Los Angeles hustling in literally any place there was a pool table and people with a few bucks. I ran into him everywhere.
When he wasn't robbing me for $20 on the pool table, I was backing him. Twice he asked me to back him. The first time was against Ronnie Allen playing 9 ball on a tight table at "Fast Eddie's" in North Hollywood, which Ronnie had bought, $200 races to 9. This would have been about 1975 or 1976. If I recall Ronnie Allen gave Rosas the 8 ball and lost the first set. They played even up the second set and Allen lost again. There was discussion of a game change but Allen quit. Ronnie Allen was pissed off, losing to a local kid.
The next one was at Mother's in Van Nuys. Ronnie was playing Ernesto (spotting Ernesto the last two). He was having trouble the first set but won, then easily won the second set. But I could see that Mexican Ronnie was on a bad road at that time and needed breaks to get pumped up.
I stopped playing pool and focused on my career. I always thought Ronnie would be a champion. He could have been a champion, no doubt. But somehow a troubled life can go it's own way and never find the right way back. Ronnie had a loving mom and a fine household, but the demons of, let's call it "the life", favor nobody, ever.
Ronnie was a hero to us. He was us. He was a kid who could play 9 ball with anybody. He regularly beat the top players of the day. He beat Rodney Morris in L.A. around the same time Rodney beat Efren to take the U.S. Open. The list of his victims is long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUx4OWsIZgI
He was feared by all the local shortstops. It was cricket's when he walked into the room. I learned to trust Ronnie in those days and we didn't lose. He was a tall, thin kid from a tough area in the North San Fernando Valley. He was athletic and healthy before the life. He could golf too, always up to something.
The happy ending is I am glad to see Ronnie posting and giving lessons. I have lost other friends to the life, too many, too soon. He survived, so let's take it easy on him.
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