Billy is America's best ever commentator, but more to the point, he is a valued friend. How we became friends is strange in and of itself.
By chance, Billy and I sat side by side at Derby City in about 2012 and got around to chatting. We'd met once or twice over the years and had seen each other many times before, but we barely knew each other. Then, however, we got around to talking about the players of the 1970s and 1980s, and it turned out that we had countless friends in common, and that we had traveled in some of the same circles. This revelation proved a springboard for our friendship, which has grown and grown over the years.
It's always great to see Billy, and I was lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time with him in November at the International in Florida. He is still as congenial and entertaining as ever.
Our links to the golden days of pool are growing fewer. Ray Martin and Dallas West are, perhaps, our primary links to pro pool in the 1960s, but when it comes to the 1970s, we've still got quite a few legendary pro players to tell the stories, including Billy Incardona, Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Allen Hopkins, Jim Rempe, and Pat Fleming. We must treasure every single one of them.