Hello All
Did any of you know Harry "The Tree" Crabtree? I knew this Gentleman some years ago before he passed in the mid 1990's and, as having recently gotten somewhat back into pool, think of him quite often.
Mr. Crabtree spent most of his life (he was around 80 at passing), until his later years, on the road looking for his next "customer".
I have spent many, many hours on and about the pool table with Mr. Crabtree while listening, learning, and most of all, enjoying the friendship and kindness of a fascinating gentleman.
He knew all the great old masters and had so many stories about each of them. Through him, I was introduced to many of the players whose names we all know so well.
His life was the world of pool and he equated most things (and people) with the game of pool in some very humorus ways.
This dapper man with his neat, clean, neck tied appearance, when asked why he never married, replied "the only girls that ever flirted with me were the ugly ones", was truly a character.
If any of you knew or knew of him, I'd love to hear your recollections. If you didn't know Mr. Crabtree, did you know of any pool "old timers" with whom you could just spend endless hours listening to a life's experience that you'll never see yourself, first hand.
I believe that in this world today, the old style road player of the 30's, 40's and 50's is lost to lore. Many traveled by train and bus. No internet, few phones, mostly word of mouth to alert the local players that a "hustler" was in town. They might know some names but not many faces. I think that in those days, hustling was a tool that was used much more than it is, or can be, today.
Today the talk is of pool cues. What cuemaker has the best hitting, the best looking, the best value, just "the" cue that will help "me" be the player that I know I can be? Mr. Crabtree secured his living with a pool cue and his pool intelligence, and he once told me that the most he ever paid for a cue was $30.00 and, "man, that old McDermott really played good".
Anyway, long rambling post. I probably wouldn't read it either if I didn't write it.
Roci
Have a great day guys and dolls.
