BackPocket9Ball said:
Cole still plays some --- heard he was in a local tournament last month ---I think the payouts were several thousand.
Best Player that Quit Early on
- Thread starter Island Drive
- Start date
Cole still plays some --- heard he was in a local tournament last month ---I think the payouts were several thousand.
gulfportdoc said:
I stand corrected, Doc. It was the 9 ball, Keith won and the all-around. I even remember Ronnie winning the one pocket that year. Could have looked it up I guess but was going on memory.
Just for the record, I talked to James Christopher last night and he said that the story of him giving Keith the 7 ball and busting him is what made Keith quit pool is total BS. Buddy Hall put that story out on the DCC broadcast, though Buddy didn't start the story. James told me he had never played Keith Thompson. Said it was too tough for him. Now you know the true story. Keith Thompson was a monster.
Jude, Now I now exactly who you're talking about.
His name is actually Richie Pecoraro. I know him very well. He owns Bellmore Billiard Cafe on Long Island. I've actually played him several times. Yes, he is a very strong one pocket and all-around player. However, I wouldn't call him the best I've ever seen. He does have one of the more powerful strokes I've seen, though. At the time that Mika won the World Championship, he had no clue how to play one pocket and was very beatable by a strong one pocket player. Evgeny Stalev went to play Richie a little after that and beat Richie.
In my opinion, you could put Richie at the same level in one pocket as fellow New Yorkers Ginky, Flaco, and Slim (Guy Carney), but you couldn't compare him to greats like Allen Hopkins or Jimmy Fusco.
You're very right that Richie won't play in any tournaments, and it's not because he's afraid of ruining his action. He just doesn't care. The bar attached to his poolroom makes a lot of money, and pool is just a game to him. Richie has told me some good stories about when he owned a poolroom in the ?Tampa area when he was younger. He claims the best 1P player he's ever seen was Steve Cook.
His name is actually Richie Pecoraro. I know him very well. He owns Bellmore Billiard Cafe on Long Island. I've actually played him several times. Yes, he is a very strong one pocket and all-around player. However, I wouldn't call him the best I've ever seen. He does have one of the more powerful strokes I've seen, though. At the time that Mika won the World Championship, he had no clue how to play one pocket and was very beatable by a strong one pocket player. Evgeny Stalev went to play Richie a little after that and beat Richie.
In my opinion, you could put Richie at the same level in one pocket as fellow New Yorkers Ginky, Flaco, and Slim (Guy Carney), but you couldn't compare him to greats like Allen Hopkins or Jimmy Fusco.
You're very right that Richie won't play in any tournaments, and it's not because he's afraid of ruining his action. He just doesn't care. The bar attached to his poolroom makes a lot of money, and pool is just a game to him. Richie has told me some good stories about when he owned a poolroom in the ?Tampa area when he was younger. He claims the best 1P player he's ever seen was Steve Cook.
Jack Madden said:
Yeah I saw him at state and he was playing damn good
cookie monster
Richie has told me some good stories about when he owned a poolroom in the ?Tampa area when he was younger. He claims the best 1P player he's ever seen was Steve Cook.[/QUOTE]
cookie monster was a great one hole player.in 1996 airway billiard in dayton oh. sponsored a two day match between cook and grady mathews,that was a great matchup that grady eventually won.i was sorry to see him go to soon.
Richie has told me some good stories about when he owned a poolroom in the ?Tampa area when he was younger. He claims the best 1P player he's ever seen was Steve Cook.[/QUOTE]
cookie monster was a great one hole player.in 1996 airway billiard in dayton oh. sponsored a two day match between cook and grady mathews,that was a great matchup that grady eventually won.i was sorry to see him go to soon.
grady
maybe grady would shed some more light on that match
,i saw some incredibly brave 3 and 4 rail banks to the pocket by both players,it was a great match!
maybe grady would shed some more light on that match
,i saw some incredibly brave 3 and 4 rail banks to the pocket by both players,it was a great match!
Hal Mix told me in 1995 that he believed Ginky had the best stroke of anyone on tour. Outside of Buddy Hall's stroke, I'm inclined to agree.Jude Rosenstock said:
Doc
what about mike sigel? arguably the greatest ever and quit early.
Jean balukas is a unique case as well, because not only do people say she was the greatest before she quit so early, she's left behind a legend unlike any other player i can think of.
Jean balukas is a unique case as well, because not only do people say she was the greatest before she quit so early, she's left behind a legend unlike any other player i can think of.
Well I wonder why Keith DID quit? The story Buddy passed on evidently came from his own 1995 biography "Rags To Rifleman, Then What?" by W.W. Woody: "Kieth was not on hand in 1971 [in Johnston City] to defend his title. After winning the All-Around Championship, he went back home to Texas, and a road hustler came through, spotted Keith the 7ball, and broke him. With his bubble busted, Keith quit playing pool and hasn't competed since." If the "road hustler" was supposedly Christopher, then the story is untrue.hemicudas said:
Doc
OnePocketBuff
Registered
Mark Tadd still playing
I saw mark Tadd play in a regional tournament in Spokane last fall. He still plays great, but did not finish in the top 3. He told me he was playing good and planned to continue.
I saw mark Tadd play in a regional tournament in Spokane last fall. He still plays great, but did not finish in the top 3. He told me he was playing good and planned to continue.
In California, we had a young fella named "Little Buddy" from San Jose. He shot lights out 9-ball but was also very strong in One-Pocket. I remember he beat Cecil in One Hole when Cecil was the best in LA. Was a fearless shooter who traveled quite a bit.
He hung it all up to get married and become a carpenter. I ran into him when he came into the poolroom I was at but didn't immediately recognize him. He was just there to have a few drinks with a friend but when he got on the table, there was no doubt Little Buddy was in the room. Several locals tried to convince him to come back and start playing again (me included), but he just thought it was too much of a grind.
I'm sure Keith or jrhendy could vouch for his credentials.
He hung it all up to get married and become a carpenter. I ran into him when he came into the poolroom I was at but didn't immediately recognize him. He was just there to have a few drinks with a friend but when he got on the table, there was no doubt Little Buddy was in the room. Several locals tried to convince him to come back and start playing again (me included), but he just thought it was too much of a grind.
I'm sure Keith or jrhendy could vouch for his credentials.
One female player I would have liked to have seen go on is Kimberly Kirk. She won WPBA Amateur Nationals 3 times in the 90's. Once, when the field was 128 players.
Yeah Linda,
I played both Kimberly Kirk and Kerry Hartsfield (Impson) back in the day, and had a harder time with Kim..
Russ
I played both Kimberly Kirk and Kerry Hartsfield (Impson) back in the day, and had a harder time with Kim..
Russ
rackmsuckr said:Speaking of back in the day... I had to beat both of these guys to win at the 211.
<Amazon women for bookends
Your post made me think of another gal that quit early on, had a family, and was endorsed by Orvil Reddenbocker at one time. Her name slips me, but Linda or, was a very tough competitior, one of the top 3 or four player back 15 yrs ago or less, Linda I may be talking about you, help me out.
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Holly Sholes?
I saw her give a local female pro the 6 and robbed her.
It was such a blowout, Holly started missing on purpose after getting off to a ridiculous lead.
I saw her give a local female pro the 6 and robbed her.
It was such a blowout, Holly started missing on purpose after getting off to a ridiculous lead.
Island Drive said:
Sho wasn't me..I'm still in there slugging it out, lol. It feels like I should know who you are talking about, but it escapes me. (I know I used 2 grammatical errors here, but that's how I speak.
)