By popular demand (Russ, you owe me a rep for this, LOL), I finally corralled my husband to tell me a story about when he and Cole Dickson were on the road as teenagers. So here goes:
It was around 1966. Mike had just turned 17 and Cole was 15 1/2, almost 16. Mike and Cole left San Francisco on their way to Johnson City with their stakehorse, Todd, and his lesbian girlfriend, Maria. Maria was gorgeous, a showstopper. Todd liked having her on his arm and Maria liked Todd because of the fancy dinners and clothes he showered on her. Todd's father invented the hydro-cushion for trains and became very wealthy off his invention, so Todd always had money. He got $2000/month and just had fun with it - never worked, and that was good money back then.
At first, Mike and Cole didn't know Maria was a lesbian, and Cole was quite the ladies man back then. He was always looking for action, if you know what I mean.
Even after he found out, he always held out hope.
They left SF with $2,000 and came to Seattle with $1300 left. They got games at the old 211 Club. Mike was playing $20/game bank pool. Back then, Mike took all the banks and 3 cushion games and the cheaper 9 ball games, while Cole played the better 9ball players and straight pool.
Cole matched up playing Shoji, who was a pretty big-time pimp. (I just found this out myself!) Three different women came in and gave him money while he played. Shoji played 1-handed and Cole made a game giving Shoji 9-6 and the breaks. Cole had never played a game of 1 pocket in his life!
They started out playing for $100/game, then after losing, Cole raised it to $200, then $300, while Mike was over there winning his little $80 at bank pool. Finally, they were busted.
Cole comes over and whispers to Mike in that gravelly voice, "Mike, you got any money? I'm busted."
Mike said, "I'm over here playing f***in $20 bank pool, what do you think?"
Cole replies, "I'm jacking the bet to $500 and gonna fire an air barrel at him."
Mike was horrified and said, "You can't fire an air barrel!" Thoughts of being in a strange city and Shoji's cane always by his side, had Mike ending his session of bank pool to sweat Cole and to be ready to run down the stairs of the 211.
Cole proceeded to win the next 7 games from nowhere.
They left for Johnson City and didn't get any action all the way to Spokane and then over to Montana. Cole decided to play the owner of the Corner Pocket poolroom chain, Frank, an excellent straight pool player.
They started playing pretty late, around 9 pm. Playing even to 100, Cole wins the first game for $2000 and all Frank has is a $5000 cashier's check. Since they can't get paid until morning, they decide to play for the rest of the $3000 and they start that game around midnight.
Frank buries Cole in a race to 100, the count is 96-22, and Frank has played a great safety. There are 2 balls by the stack, both capable of being break balls. Problem is, whitey is in the jaws of the corner pocket, dead straight-in with one of the balls.
http://CueTable.com/P/?@3AAca4BDnC4...IFSn4JCpr3KCpl3LHnr3MAML4NBBv4OFjp2Pbrf2QJIN@
Cole jacks up on the 3, fires it in, draws the cueball 5 feet to cueball A, shoots in the 7, scatters the pack and runs 78 and out for the cashier's check. And Cole wasn't even 16 yet! Mike was shaking, he said it was so UNBELIEVABLE!
Cole's mission all along was to go play with the big boys in Johnson City, but Maria wanted to go home, Todd wanted to drive her back, and Cole still wanted to go to Johnson City. They had been arguing for the past couple days. At 3am, they all go back to the motel and the stakehorse and Mike fall asleep.
Mike wakes up being shook by Cole, who says, "I'm leaving with Maria, are you coming?" Mike tells him eloquently to go F himself and goes back to sleep.
In the morning, Todd and Mike are stranded. Cole has taken all the money he won and the girl and hightailed it to Johnson City. He left Todd and Mike with around $500 and they went looking for Cole in the bus station and the airport, but Cole was long gone. They headed back home, too upset to continue and had to get more money wired in Nevada.
Later, Mike heard that in Johnson City, Cole had barked at Minnesota Fats to play some and Fats turned down the challenge. Cole was great at woofing and was barking like a big dog, absolutely embarrassing the Fat Man, saying stuff like, "What's the matter, Fats, can't play a 16 year old kid?"
Cole beat Johnny Ervolino at 16 in San Francisco, playing even, for 2 or 3 games. He certainly was a force to be reckoned with. I will try to get more stories later.
It was around 1966. Mike had just turned 17 and Cole was 15 1/2, almost 16. Mike and Cole left San Francisco on their way to Johnson City with their stakehorse, Todd, and his lesbian girlfriend, Maria. Maria was gorgeous, a showstopper. Todd liked having her on his arm and Maria liked Todd because of the fancy dinners and clothes he showered on her. Todd's father invented the hydro-cushion for trains and became very wealthy off his invention, so Todd always had money. He got $2000/month and just had fun with it - never worked, and that was good money back then.
At first, Mike and Cole didn't know Maria was a lesbian, and Cole was quite the ladies man back then. He was always looking for action, if you know what I mean.
Even after he found out, he always held out hope.They left SF with $2,000 and came to Seattle with $1300 left. They got games at the old 211 Club. Mike was playing $20/game bank pool. Back then, Mike took all the banks and 3 cushion games and the cheaper 9 ball games, while Cole played the better 9ball players and straight pool.
Cole matched up playing Shoji, who was a pretty big-time pimp. (I just found this out myself!) Three different women came in and gave him money while he played. Shoji played 1-handed and Cole made a game giving Shoji 9-6 and the breaks. Cole had never played a game of 1 pocket in his life!
They started out playing for $100/game, then after losing, Cole raised it to $200, then $300, while Mike was over there winning his little $80 at bank pool. Finally, they were busted.
Cole comes over and whispers to Mike in that gravelly voice, "Mike, you got any money? I'm busted."
Mike said, "I'm over here playing f***in $20 bank pool, what do you think?"
Cole replies, "I'm jacking the bet to $500 and gonna fire an air barrel at him."
Mike was horrified and said, "You can't fire an air barrel!" Thoughts of being in a strange city and Shoji's cane always by his side, had Mike ending his session of bank pool to sweat Cole and to be ready to run down the stairs of the 211.
Cole proceeded to win the next 7 games from nowhere.
They left for Johnson City and didn't get any action all the way to Spokane and then over to Montana. Cole decided to play the owner of the Corner Pocket poolroom chain, Frank, an excellent straight pool player.
They started playing pretty late, around 9 pm. Playing even to 100, Cole wins the first game for $2000 and all Frank has is a $5000 cashier's check. Since they can't get paid until morning, they decide to play for the rest of the $3000 and they start that game around midnight.
Frank buries Cole in a race to 100, the count is 96-22, and Frank has played a great safety. There are 2 balls by the stack, both capable of being break balls. Problem is, whitey is in the jaws of the corner pocket, dead straight-in with one of the balls.
http://CueTable.com/P/?@3AAca4BDnC4...IFSn4JCpr3KCpl3LHnr3MAML4NBBv4OFjp2Pbrf2QJIN@
Cole jacks up on the 3, fires it in, draws the cueball 5 feet to cueball A, shoots in the 7, scatters the pack and runs 78 and out for the cashier's check. And Cole wasn't even 16 yet! Mike was shaking, he said it was so UNBELIEVABLE!
Cole's mission all along was to go play with the big boys in Johnson City, but Maria wanted to go home, Todd wanted to drive her back, and Cole still wanted to go to Johnson City. They had been arguing for the past couple days. At 3am, they all go back to the motel and the stakehorse and Mike fall asleep.
Mike wakes up being shook by Cole, who says, "I'm leaving with Maria, are you coming?" Mike tells him eloquently to go F himself and goes back to sleep.
In the morning, Todd and Mike are stranded. Cole has taken all the money he won and the girl and hightailed it to Johnson City. He left Todd and Mike with around $500 and they went looking for Cole in the bus station and the airport, but Cole was long gone. They headed back home, too upset to continue and had to get more money wired in Nevada.
Later, Mike heard that in Johnson City, Cole had barked at Minnesota Fats to play some and Fats turned down the challenge. Cole was great at woofing and was barking like a big dog, absolutely embarrassing the Fat Man, saying stuff like, "What's the matter, Fats, can't play a 16 year old kid?"
Cole beat Johnny Ervolino at 16 in San Francisco, playing even, for 2 or 3 games. He certainly was a force to be reckoned with. I will try to get more stories later.
But thanks anyway. 
