Gar - Just found this while I was looking to find anything on Fat Randy. Thought you'd appreciate it:
What is the one thing Tulsa can be proud of and can more than hold our own on a global scale? Tulsa might not have pro football but it has the game of pocket billiards to be proud of. Legendary matches and unheard of standing offers such as the one where Bill Dugan offered 10k to anyone who could beat David Matlock on the barbox. . . What about the time Randy Wallace (Fat Randy) spotted Mike Sigel the 8. . . while twirlin’ the howdy doody cue all the way to the bank.
I started playing over 20 years ago, and those are some years to be proud of, but some of the stories that I hear from Big Al Jenkins, or Gary Gilliland (Left Handed Gary), Greg Hogue (Spanky) Richard Ortiz (Chief), or even the great Jim McDermott who made pool what it is today here in Tulsa. These stories, which, I’m sure everyone has their own version, but after you hear the same story told in a similar fashion from one old schooler to the next, you begin to reflect on this great game and the high level of energy it brought to our generation.
On the outside, pool is nothing more than getting excited about merely pocketing a ball. At the end of a long hour, when finally, the last ball is made, naturally, we celebrate with a round for the entire group, and go home thinking how relaxing it will be to finally be in front of the TV, no stick, and definitely, no balls.
If the same group of people had been exposed to real pool….. just the other night, Steve Deason is down 20 games playing the ghost at Sheila’s and eventually breaks even at 10:30 am, and did so with multiple 4, 5, and 6 packs. . . . they would have an entirely different opinion about this game. What makes pool great is the fact that it has balls. At times, they roll into the pocket with no problem. Other times, they itch so bad, you might think they were on fire. When you develop your game into what you think is a ‘stroke’, you feel like you have gigantic ones, but, when John Gabriel gets on the next table, suddenly, they shrivel, to the point of extinction… but, be that as it may, it is a great game in this town, because the balls have been flexed to the point of explosion by many a legend.
What is the one thing Tulsa can be proud of and can more than hold our own on a global scale? Tulsa might not have pro football but it has the game of pocket billiards to be proud of. Legendary matches and unheard of standing offers such as the one where Bill Dugan offered 10k to anyone who could beat David Matlock on the barbox. . . What about the time Randy Wallace (Fat Randy) spotted Mike Sigel the 8. . . while twirlin’ the howdy doody cue all the way to the bank.
I started playing over 20 years ago, and those are some years to be proud of, but some of the stories that I hear from Big Al Jenkins, or Gary Gilliland (Left Handed Gary), Greg Hogue (Spanky) Richard Ortiz (Chief), or even the great Jim McDermott who made pool what it is today here in Tulsa. These stories, which, I’m sure everyone has their own version, but after you hear the same story told in a similar fashion from one old schooler to the next, you begin to reflect on this great game and the high level of energy it brought to our generation.
On the outside, pool is nothing more than getting excited about merely pocketing a ball. At the end of a long hour, when finally, the last ball is made, naturally, we celebrate with a round for the entire group, and go home thinking how relaxing it will be to finally be in front of the TV, no stick, and definitely, no balls.
If the same group of people had been exposed to real pool….. just the other night, Steve Deason is down 20 games playing the ghost at Sheila’s and eventually breaks even at 10:30 am, and did so with multiple 4, 5, and 6 packs. . . . they would have an entirely different opinion about this game. What makes pool great is the fact that it has balls. At times, they roll into the pocket with no problem. Other times, they itch so bad, you might think they were on fire. When you develop your game into what you think is a ‘stroke’, you feel like you have gigantic ones, but, when John Gabriel gets on the next table, suddenly, they shrivel, to the point of extinction… but, be that as it may, it is a great game in this town, because the balls have been flexed to the point of explosion by many a legend.
