Another recent thread on here was demeaning to Freddie and made me decide to put this information on here before I too get bombed from the rear.
I am officially the Bob Uecker of Pool. I was barely on the radar when I played. My poolroom was always a "spot" for all roadmen to stop and try to get pumped up. I am proud to say that I was a lifetime "shortstop", never destined for greatness in anyone's book. That was not all bad though. To be called a shortstop meant that you could play. Maybe a couple of balls below the top players but so what.
I make no claims to pool greatness, but do consider myself a decent player who was willing to mix it up with other non champions. Like Freddie I have a few notches on my belt, with wins over good players. Mostly these came in tournaments where the matches are relatively short. But I also have beaten hundreds (yes I said hundreds) of other lesser players in poolrooms and bars across America. And I ain't done yet. So be careful who you bark at.
Typically, wherever I lived and hung out, I was the best player around. So when a good player came to town, they called me. If I didn't know him I would play him, and more often then not I did okay. If I knew him to be a top player, I either took a pass or asked for weight. Not so hard to figure out. I would get the 7 ball from strong players and the 5 or 6 from top players. At One Pocket, I would play strong players with 8-6 or 9-7 and the champions with 9-6 or 8-5. Ronnie gave me 8-4, and I could hold my own.
Bank Pool was a little different. That was my "road" game. When all else failed, I would try to get my man to play some Banks. At this game, I had a reputation. I beat quite a few good players, some of them "names". Unlike Freddie, I will not put those names on here. No reason to do that. They are all better players then me. I just happened to catch them on an off day.
I remember many players I beat, but many more I have forgotten. Sometimes I have been at a tournament and some guy comes up to me and asks me If I remember him. I usually don't. Then they tell me we played somewhere. My stock answer is "How much did it cost me?" That usually elicits a laugh, and they tell me I won.
So my secondary purpose in posting this, is to hear from some of the guys I played. If any of you are on here, give me a shout.
I am officially the Bob Uecker of Pool. I was barely on the radar when I played. My poolroom was always a "spot" for all roadmen to stop and try to get pumped up. I am proud to say that I was a lifetime "shortstop", never destined for greatness in anyone's book. That was not all bad though. To be called a shortstop meant that you could play. Maybe a couple of balls below the top players but so what.
I make no claims to pool greatness, but do consider myself a decent player who was willing to mix it up with other non champions. Like Freddie I have a few notches on my belt, with wins over good players. Mostly these came in tournaments where the matches are relatively short. But I also have beaten hundreds (yes I said hundreds) of other lesser players in poolrooms and bars across America. And I ain't done yet. So be careful who you bark at.
Typically, wherever I lived and hung out, I was the best player around. So when a good player came to town, they called me. If I didn't know him I would play him, and more often then not I did okay. If I knew him to be a top player, I either took a pass or asked for weight. Not so hard to figure out. I would get the 7 ball from strong players and the 5 or 6 from top players. At One Pocket, I would play strong players with 8-6 or 9-7 and the champions with 9-6 or 8-5. Ronnie gave me 8-4, and I could hold my own.
Bank Pool was a little different. That was my "road" game. When all else failed, I would try to get my man to play some Banks. At this game, I had a reputation. I beat quite a few good players, some of them "names". Unlike Freddie, I will not put those names on here. No reason to do that. They are all better players then me. I just happened to catch them on an off day.
I remember many players I beat, but many more I have forgotten. Sometimes I have been at a tournament and some guy comes up to me and asks me If I remember him. I usually don't. Then they tell me we played somewhere. My stock answer is "How much did it cost me?" That usually elicits a laugh, and they tell me I won.
So my secondary purpose in posting this, is to hear from some of the guys I played. If any of you are on here, give me a shout.
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