best american player at 19yrs

I saw Tony Watson, at age fifteen, giving up the eight to a guy that can break and run out. This was in Charlotte. I'll leave the guy nameless. They were playing $100 a game, and Tony was up $1200 and has only missed one makeable ball. He was literally running around the table screaming, "This shit is too easy, just too easy!" I thought I was gonna laugh out loud, until I saw the face of his opponent. I kind of chuckled, and the guy looks at me like I was gonna get capped. Tony was making him love it, though. Those were the good ol' days.
 
I too saw Tony play at a young age, 14 I was told. He was playing Dennis Hatch getting the last two (it might have been the call 8) and he beat him pretty convincingly. I had never seen him play and within about ten min of watching, Tony gets left with the cueball on the bottom rail, the 7 in the middle of the table and the 8 next to the cueball. He jacks up and fires the 7 into a corner pocket uptable, drawing the ball to the side rail and then spinning it three rails with inside. This was on really really tough, almost gaff like World of Liesure tables. At the time, Tony didnt look much bigger than his cuestick.
 
being from Florida, back in the day when he was terrorizing Florida (88-90) I'd vote Hatch. I was a year older than him but still looked at him like he was Beowolf.

The Florida tour had a lot of the champions then, Miz, Buddy, Parica, Crane, Cook, Archer, Dalton, Martin, Kennedy, Howard, and most of the rest of the country's champs would visit.

None of them had to like it playing Hatch back then. Read old "SNAP" magazines from that time, Dennis in FL, and Archer in Ga. were seen as the next big thing.


Cook (as in World all around Champ) has Dennis stuck 10-3 and breaking in the finals of a FL Tour stop, makes nothing and sits the rest of the set.

Dennis goes through a bar table tourney in GA, races to 5 on bar boxes against a monster field and NO ONE got past 2 games.


I saw him draw Buddy 1st round, borrow Buddy's break cue to play with in Daytona (1989?), win the lag, and put up six, cold on a table he'd never touched.... against Buddy! And after "6" he had enough calm to push out to a bank in the 7th rack, which Buddy made and ran 2. Buddy breaks dry and Dennis runs 3 and out. Strongest, flawless pool I ever saw, although admittedly in a short session. 9-2 vs Buddy Hall in 2 innings. In fact he told me once in conversation that at the time (1990 ish???) he was something like .750 so far against Buddy in 20+ meetings. That alone is strong.

That same tournament he beat Parica, Mizerak, Kennedy and a host of others.

There are bad stories too. Before any of the new crop (Archer et al) had won the big ones, Dennis was poised to do it. He doesn't make a ball on the break to lose the US Open on TV (1992?) 9-8 against Buddy and Dennis fades from the lime light.

He was the terror to be for a while there. The gambling stories abound; including a cold "6" on a shimmed up trap table in Holy Hill, and for comedic relief, one where Dennis and Keith were matched up and it almost brought Tommy Kennedy (by his telling) back to money pool. LOL He said neither of them were playing worth a damn.

Some guy mentioned Keith's 28+ racks and how could he lose after that. I remember reading just before I got out of pool in the early 90's of how Archer and Bustemante matched up, and Archer ran 14, including a full set to 13, and still ended up losing. Any details / full story on that?
 
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dirtypool40 said:
Some guy mentioned Keith's 28+ racks and how could he lose after that. I remember reading just before I got out of pool in the early 90's of how Archer and Bustemante matched up, and Archer ran 14, including a full set to 13, and still ended up losing. Any details / full story on that?
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Not to hijack the thread, Johnny and Francisco were playing races to 13. Francisco won the first race (If my memory is correct), Johnny ran out the second race (run of 13), and Francisco won the last set.
 
uwate said:
I too saw Tony play at a young age, 14 I was told. He was playing Dennis Hatch getting the last two (it might have been the call 8) and he beat him pretty convincingly. I had never seen him play and within about ten min of watching, Tony gets left with the cueball on the bottom rail, the 7 in the middle of the table and the 8 next to the cueball. He jacks up and fires the 7 into a corner pocket uptable, drawing the ball to the side rail and then spinning it three rails with inside. This was on really really tough, almost gaff like World of Liesure tables. At the time, Tony didnt look much bigger than his cuestick.
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Tony is definitely a piece of work, as anyone who knows him knows. I am a friend of Tony's and I wish him well, but he will probably be out of pool for a while.:( :(
 
Keith

Keith offered the two men who were thought to be the best 9 Ball players in the world the 8 ball, when he was 20. They didn't take it. I was there and in many other places where he robbed great players. I mean, how can you beat perfect, which is how he played then. I can't see these talented young players today offering Efren or Shane the 8 ball, can you? JMHO
 
Keith

At pre-20 (and for a long time after that, too) Keith was beyond incredible. Mr. Matthews makes the most valid point. If memory serves to the rumors from that long-away place; world champions past and present were offered the 8 and anyone else could pick a color...
 
Grady said:
Keith offered the two men who were thought to be the best 9 Ball players in the world the 8 ball, when he was 20. They didn't take it. I was there and in many other places where he robbed great players. I mean, how can you beat perfect, which is how he played then. I can't see these talented young players today offering Efren or Shane the 8 ball, can you? JMHO
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I am 60 years old folks and Grady is a little older than I am. I have seen virtually all of them and Grady HAS seen them all. Mike sigel would not play Keith, GETTING THE 8 BALL, when Keith was 19-20 years old.

In 1977 I asked Buddy Hall if he thought anyone could beat Keith on a bar table. Buddy's answer, "Nobody but me. You want to stake me?" Buddy looked at me and just grinned. What he meant was he wouldn't play Keith on his own money but would take a shot if anyone wanted to stake him.

Grady is right. No one played as well, FOR THE CASH, at 19 years old as Keith McCready.
 
gotgame said:
Bowman:) he was a bat table master
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I like Jesse Bowman, Gotgame. Not only is he a great player but he has a great personality. But, think about it for a sec. Would/could Jesse spot,,,,,,,,,,,,,you pick a player, the 8 ball at 19 years old and win?

Grady, myself and many others have attested to the fact that Keith McCready, at 19 years of age, could and did spot the top players of the 70s the 8 ball and took down the cash. I am not knocking Jesse's or anyone else's game. Just telling the younger generation how dominating Keith McCready was at that tender age. Best of luck to ya in the future.
 
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Hemi, I wish someone had footage of Keith back then. With all the safeties and ducking these days it is hard to imagine someone playing perfect outs most of the time. I love watching run-out pool. And by all accounts Keith must have been the best at it back then.

PS- I enjoy reading your posts.

Gary


hemicudas said:
I like Jesse Bowman, Gotgame. Not only is he a great player but he has a great personality. But, think about it for a sec. Would/could Jesse spot,,,,,,,,,,,,,you pick a player, the 8 ball at 19 years old and win?

Grady, myself and many others have attested to the fact that Keith McCready, at 19 years of age, could and did spot the top players of the 70s the 8 ball and took down the cash. I am not knocking Jesse's or anyone else's game. Just telling the younger generation how dominating Keith McCready was at that tender age. Best of luck to ya in the future.
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Hemicudas

Point taken i have heard all the stories of Keith in the old days. My dad played him with Whitey Walker's dad Bobby and new cues Steve Klapp was there as well in Gulfport. I love hearing about those days he was the best no doubt, im just stating my era Bowman was the man for a few years there. Keith was the man for a couple decades:eek: thats nuts:)
 
hemicudas said:
Grady is right. No one played as well, FOR THE CASH, at 19 years old as Keith McCready.
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That's a wrap, Hemi! Years back, Hal Mix told me that when Keith was 19 years old he was the greatest player in the world.

Doc
 
gulfportdoc said:
That's a wrap, Hemi! Years back, Hal Mix told me that when Keith was 19 years old he was the greatest player in the world.

Doc
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For those who have never heard of Hal Mix, he has staked everyone you can name from the 70s era. Hal is as knowledgable about pool as anyone in history and a world class guy.
 
Footage

Ky Boy said:
Hemi, I wish someone had footage of Keith back then. With all the safeties and ducking these days it is hard to imagine someone playing perfect outs most of the time. I love watching run-out pool. And by all accounts Keith must have been the best at it back then.

PS- I enjoy reading your posts.

Gary
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Footage would have been lovely, but would have to have been actual film like 8mm likely (I don't remember much TV coverage of pool except WWoS specials w/ Minnesota Fats back then). I don't remember seeing BETA or VHS camcorders in the hands of regular folks til 1978 or later, either.
 
DogLoop said:
Footage would have been lovely, but would have to have been actual film like 8mm likely (I don't remember much TV coverage of pool except WWoS specials w/ Minnesota Fats back then). I don't remember seeing BETA or VHS camcorders in the hands of regular folks til 1978 or later, either.
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You make a good point, DogLoop. There were a lot of 8mm movie cameras in those days that could have been converted to a digital format today but the main problem would have been Keith and his opponant's lack of interest in having their faces on celuloid in the first place, without being paid for it.

In the days before cell phones and the internet it was pretty easy to keep your anonymity and without poker rooms and casinos everywhere for the high rollers to dispose of their excess cheese, they were more likely to rid themselves of it in pool rooms and bars.

What would be interesting would be knowing the total number of shortstops all over the country that jumped up and tried to grab some of Keith's cash without having a clue they were playing the greatest bar table player in history, IMHO. After all, anyone with a side-saddle stroke like that should be asking them for weight.
 
hemicudas said:
There were a lot of 8mm movie cameras in those days that could have been converted to a digital format today but the main problem would have been Keith and his opponant's lack of interest in having their faces on celuloid in the first place, without being paid for it.
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This is so true. There was nothing in it for guys like Keith to have their play recorded or their picture taken. I'll never forget the time Cecil Tugwell won a tournament in LA (back in the early 80's) and a pool newsletter photographer wanted to take his picture. Cecil hid his face and told the guy to get that camera outta here! Now!!! It was real funny at the time.
 
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