Just want to share a story from my past! Enjoy!
The time is about 11.30 pm ,its a Saturday night and its july of 1986, The air is hot and filled with smoke, So much so I am
thinking of pulling up and leave. However I am playing some 9ball ring games with some local talent. Not bad players most
of them and I know them all pretty well!
In fact so well that I know each ones weaknesses! So I stay in, in hope that I will soon take home the cheese"Lots of it!"
Little did I know that in less than an hour My pool playing days would be changed forever, And I would be forced to play the
best pool of my life!
For a young man of 25 , Life just seemed to go on like one pool game after another, Never seeming to end.
Well it`s midnite now and I`m beating the other players pretty bad , Not bad for a 1/2 hour worth of work! Of course I have
been holding back most of the night since we actually started playing about and hour or two earlier, Now I wasn`t hustlin
anyone as they all knew I could play , I was just kicking back and having a good time and figured to catch a gear before the
show broke up!
Hey! the place closed in about and hour or so, so there was plenty of time to win some cash.
Now The owner calls me over and says Hey! this man wants to play and wants in your ring game, I say sure! Don`t know who you
are, but at 25 and confident I didn`t care.
So, in he comes and plays in our 9ball ring game and suddenly, I see this man is no slouch, Now he doesn`t come right out
winning, But I am savvy and watch his stroke and how smooth his cue glides through his fingers.
Well, I tell myself this man is a player! I will wait and see his move!
And there it is! only about 15 minutes and now he Has made his move and ran just enough balls to show me he`s got talent! And
loads of it!
Well the game goes on with both me and this gentleman winning most of the games.About now this new player has more stroke
than a v twin engine and starts pulling away from the pack. Players start going down one by one.
Only three players left and I`m one of them, the other a well known player by the name of Andres, He`s, in a since, my
somtimes running buddy, There wasn`t anyone I wouldn`t match him with. He was always good for the cash!
But somthing scared him off, As by now This new Gent was really pouring it on, Our cash was drying up faster than a puddle on
a hot summer day!
So out is Andres and its me and the Gent, Well Its almost closing time and I figure the owner was going to boot us all out
about now . But instead he yells at everone else to get out and instucts his son to lock the door. I say what the F@#k for.
So without answering me , He instructs everyone thats left to sit down and keep quiet.
I want to watch these two go at it! He says with a smile. So there I am, In a hot smokey room with a few spectators and some
pool playing beast, I just met and is chewing me up!
So we up the stakes to make it more intresting and we begin, The Gent snaps a break that I never seen before, Never knew it
could be done that way.
And it seemed like all the balls wanted to go and find a hole to hide in. Well then the Gent pulls out a cue, two piece, And
proceeds to screw it together.
Sh#t I didn`t see a cue like that ever, He had been playing with a house cue before! oH` Well lets see what he`s got!
You see I knew this man was going to be a road player I just had a gut feeling when I met him. We didn`t see much or actually
see any road player come through here before!
Well the gent gets out of the rack and proceeds to breaking the next game and before you know it I am down a couple hundred
in no time!
Well he finally gives me a chance at the table on a dry break and I quickly show him why I am still here!
four racks later its his turn at the table compliment of a dry break on my behalf.
Fortunately The roll of the balls did not offer him an opportunity to get out, He pushes out and I play safe on the return
and he shoots and turns things around on his kick and leaves me safe. Dang it! I had him and he got out of my safety, I was
impressed (shoot I was stunned that he could do that) as I never seen anyone kick safe like he did!
So we continue our safety play and he finally ends it with a win!
But! now he knows he`s gotta earn the dough! cause I ain`t just gonna roll! SO we battle it out all night with one of us
going up, And then the other bringing us down. Man! This is sweet I say to myself! This gent can play and plays extremely
well. I always wanted a piece of this kind of action.
Well about 5 in the morning my pockets are bulging with cash. At 6 I`m scraping the bottom of my pocket for anything
resembling the green.
Seems we`ve been playing all night and those that stayed got an eyeful of how the the game should be played , Not from me
mind you but this Gent, whos name I still do not know!
Sure I played great to stay in the game, but it took everything I had to keep up with this Man. Well I never seen pool played
liked that before, I always thought I was good But man! This Gent showed me what being great could be like!
Now I`m ready to continue to play just gotta dig in my other pocket for the dough, You see!, I`ve been playing with my
winnings from earlier and still have some reserved in my other pockets.
Well I see the gent counting cash and swapping a few words with the owner and his wife, I see them laughing and smiling And
they both look over at me and they call me over, Young man! the owner ( choppo) Says to me , This man says He ain`t gonna
beat ya! Says! he knew it when you run your first rack! He says, He knew he was in for a heck of a ride!
He tells me You play as good as I told him! ( He smiles) , Buddy! Choppo says to me, ( He always called me that) Meet Fast
Eddie!, Fast Eddie! Wow! (I always heard the owner, Knew someone by that name,) Always said someday he would bring him down
to see me. Boy! Was I Way off,I thought this guy was a roadie for sure but fast Eddie? Wow!
Kid! he says I played you all night and I`m only up 20 dollars! What say we quit playing and go grab some breakfast! On me!
You see Kid! You kept up with me all night and I knew early on I wouldn`t beat ya! You got game and you got style kid! Most
nights I walk away a winner! And playing all night like we did I walk away a Big!!! winner!!!
So the least I can do is buy your breakfast!, Ok! I Said, But I wanna hear some good road stories while I eat!, Stories Heck!
He said! You just lived one!!!...
H.P.
The time is about 11.30 pm ,its a Saturday night and its july of 1986, The air is hot and filled with smoke, So much so I am
thinking of pulling up and leave. However I am playing some 9ball ring games with some local talent. Not bad players most
of them and I know them all pretty well!
In fact so well that I know each ones weaknesses! So I stay in, in hope that I will soon take home the cheese"Lots of it!"
Little did I know that in less than an hour My pool playing days would be changed forever, And I would be forced to play the
best pool of my life!
For a young man of 25 , Life just seemed to go on like one pool game after another, Never seeming to end.
Well it`s midnite now and I`m beating the other players pretty bad , Not bad for a 1/2 hour worth of work! Of course I have
been holding back most of the night since we actually started playing about and hour or two earlier, Now I wasn`t hustlin
anyone as they all knew I could play , I was just kicking back and having a good time and figured to catch a gear before the
show broke up!
Hey! the place closed in about and hour or so, so there was plenty of time to win some cash.
Now The owner calls me over and says Hey! this man wants to play and wants in your ring game, I say sure! Don`t know who you
are, but at 25 and confident I didn`t care.
So, in he comes and plays in our 9ball ring game and suddenly, I see this man is no slouch, Now he doesn`t come right out
winning, But I am savvy and watch his stroke and how smooth his cue glides through his fingers.
Well, I tell myself this man is a player! I will wait and see his move!
And there it is! only about 15 minutes and now he Has made his move and ran just enough balls to show me he`s got talent! And
loads of it!
Well the game goes on with both me and this gentleman winning most of the games.About now this new player has more stroke
than a v twin engine and starts pulling away from the pack. Players start going down one by one.
Only three players left and I`m one of them, the other a well known player by the name of Andres, He`s, in a since, my
somtimes running buddy, There wasn`t anyone I wouldn`t match him with. He was always good for the cash!
But somthing scared him off, As by now This new Gent was really pouring it on, Our cash was drying up faster than a puddle on
a hot summer day!
So out is Andres and its me and the Gent, Well Its almost closing time and I figure the owner was going to boot us all out
about now . But instead he yells at everone else to get out and instucts his son to lock the door. I say what the F@#k for.
So without answering me , He instructs everyone thats left to sit down and keep quiet.
I want to watch these two go at it! He says with a smile. So there I am, In a hot smokey room with a few spectators and some
pool playing beast, I just met and is chewing me up!
So we up the stakes to make it more intresting and we begin, The Gent snaps a break that I never seen before, Never knew it
could be done that way.
And it seemed like all the balls wanted to go and find a hole to hide in. Well then the Gent pulls out a cue, two piece, And
proceeds to screw it together.
Sh#t I didn`t see a cue like that ever, He had been playing with a house cue before! oH` Well lets see what he`s got!
You see I knew this man was going to be a road player I just had a gut feeling when I met him. We didn`t see much or actually
see any road player come through here before!
Well the gent gets out of the rack and proceeds to breaking the next game and before you know it I am down a couple hundred
in no time!
Well he finally gives me a chance at the table on a dry break and I quickly show him why I am still here!
four racks later its his turn at the table compliment of a dry break on my behalf.
Fortunately The roll of the balls did not offer him an opportunity to get out, He pushes out and I play safe on the return
and he shoots and turns things around on his kick and leaves me safe. Dang it! I had him and he got out of my safety, I was
impressed (shoot I was stunned that he could do that) as I never seen anyone kick safe like he did!
So we continue our safety play and he finally ends it with a win!
But! now he knows he`s gotta earn the dough! cause I ain`t just gonna roll! SO we battle it out all night with one of us
going up, And then the other bringing us down. Man! This is sweet I say to myself! This gent can play and plays extremely
well. I always wanted a piece of this kind of action.
Well about 5 in the morning my pockets are bulging with cash. At 6 I`m scraping the bottom of my pocket for anything
resembling the green.
Seems we`ve been playing all night and those that stayed got an eyeful of how the the game should be played , Not from me
mind you but this Gent, whos name I still do not know!
Sure I played great to stay in the game, but it took everything I had to keep up with this Man. Well I never seen pool played
liked that before, I always thought I was good But man! This Gent showed me what being great could be like!
Now I`m ready to continue to play just gotta dig in my other pocket for the dough, You see!, I`ve been playing with my
winnings from earlier and still have some reserved in my other pockets.
Well I see the gent counting cash and swapping a few words with the owner and his wife, I see them laughing and smiling And
they both look over at me and they call me over, Young man! the owner ( choppo) Says to me , This man says He ain`t gonna
beat ya! Says! he knew it when you run your first rack! He says, He knew he was in for a heck of a ride!
He tells me You play as good as I told him! ( He smiles) , Buddy! Choppo says to me, ( He always called me that) Meet Fast
Eddie!, Fast Eddie! Wow! (I always heard the owner, Knew someone by that name,) Always said someday he would bring him down
to see me. Boy! Was I Way off,I thought this guy was a roadie for sure but fast Eddie? Wow!
Kid! he says I played you all night and I`m only up 20 dollars! What say we quit playing and go grab some breakfast! On me!
You see Kid! You kept up with me all night and I knew early on I wouldn`t beat ya! You got game and you got style kid! Most
nights I walk away a winner! And playing all night like we did I walk away a Big!!! winner!!!
So the least I can do is buy your breakfast!, Ok! I Said, But I wanna hear some good road stories while I eat!, Stories Heck!
He said! You just lived one!!!...
H.P.
