How good did Tony Annigoni really play?

Walt Frazier

Walt Frazier

Banned
I've seen the guy in person once..but I've never seen him hit a ball..all of the "in the know" pool-detectives..and old-timers..all say that the real Tony Annigoni could get the seven ball from the Annigoni from "playing off the rail"..

They say he was a decent short-stop at best..nothing like the straight-shooter in the fiction book...

I don't know the truth, so I thought I'd start this thread about Annigoni..

Who has seen him play?...please speak up.:D
 
Walt Frazier said:
I've seen the guy in person once..but I've never seen him hit a ball..all of the "in the know" pool-detectives..and old-timers..all say that the real Tony Annigoni could get the seven ball from the Annigoni from "playing off the rail"..

They say he was a decent short-stop at best..nothing like the straight-shooter in the fiction book...

I don't know the truth, so I thought I'd start this thread about Annigoni..

Who has seen him play?...please speak up.:D
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He won a big tournament in Sacramento years ago against the best players in the country, so I'd have to say he could play with the best at one time. Life, business and a family got in the way like it did with a lot of us who couldn't/wouldn't devote everything to pool. He was/is an old school player who played all games well, so IMO he would have to be considered better than a decent shortstop. When did you ever hear a pool-detective say anything good about a player? Knocking is usually their favorite pastime. John Henderson
 
A slight disagreement

jrhendy said:
He won a big tournament in Sacramento years ago against the best players in the country, so I'd have to say he could play with the best at one time. Life, business and a family got in the way like it did with a lot of us who couldn't/wouldn't devote everything to pool. He was/is an old school player who played all games well, so IMO he would have to be considered better than a decent shortstop. When did you ever hear a pool-detective say anything good about a player? Knocking is usually their favorite pastime. John Henderson
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I agree with your assessment except for playing all games well. He hates 1p and absolutely refuses to play it. Ask him and he will tell you.'
He does not play it well. He is much too hyper for that game.
 
Walt Frazier said:
Who has seen him play?...please speak up.:D
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I've watched him play in several tournaments, but only in the mid-1990's, when the polish was probably starting to come off his game. By then he had eased back to good shortstop speed. Earlier, when he played frequently I believe he was much better than shortstop speed, but not up into the higher pro levels. My guess is that Tony was/is smart enough to get involved in other remunerative aspects of pool, rather than as a player: room owner, TD, league owner, buisiness ventures, etc. I think he is much too bright to have put all his apples in the player basket.

Doc
 
i have seen him play alot years ago, and he isnt a pro, but he is one click below that level on a good day, he was awalys cool to me and I have a friend who knows him real good and thats good enough for me.
 
A bonafide player

In his day he would have been in the top ten in California, behind Davenport, Mc Cready, Swanson and maybe Brienza.
 
8ballEinstein said:
In his day he would have been in the top ten in California, behind Davenport, Mc Cready, Swanson and maybe Brienza.
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paul b.(Doc) was a much better tournment player, but tony is/was a better gambler. Tony might have been top 10 in N. Cal but not top 10 when you consider all the players in LA, Morro, Ernesto, etc.
 
Fatboy said:
paul b.(Doc) was a much better tournment player, but tony is/was a better gambler. Tony might have been top 10 in N. Cal but not top 10 when you consider all the players in LA, Morro, Ernesto, etc.
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Hmmm, Fatboy, now you got me thinking...

Davenport
McCready
Swanson
Dominguez
Paez (Morro)
Aguero (Billy the Kid)
Brienza
Allen (Ronnie)
?
?

Was there others I'm forgetting that would have filled out the last 2 spots?
I'm thinking of folks who were playing 20 years ago.
 
cole dixon, philpino gene(maybe), bobby hunter, monk, roy futternick, timmy kwong(SP?), were all over 125 USPPA players, tony was around that level, Gary French in modesto who hardly played was as well.
 
8ballEinstein said:
Hmmm, Fatboy, now you got me thinking...

Davenport
McCready
Swanson
Dominguez
Paez (Morro)
Aguero (Billy the Kid)
Brienza
Allen (Ronnie)
?
?

Was there others I'm forgetting that would have filled out the last 2 spots?
I'm thinking of folks who were playing 20 years ago.
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Francisco, Ron Rosas, Joe Salazar, Al Romero, Mike Boyce, Raphael Martinez, Mark Tadd, Dean Deforrest, Tommy Baker, Rude Dog, King Kong, Arturo. All these guys were playing in the L.A. area around 20 years ago, I think any one of them would have liked their chances with Annigoni.
 
I read the book a while ago and I can't remember the details, but I think he ran 2xx in straight pool. No way that's a fish in anyone's book :)

Being good at straight pool doesn't mean he's gonna be a worldbeater at other games, but it does suggest general pool skill that's above shortstop.
 
I saw him drill Louie Lemke in Reno for 5500 bucks. Its the story in Playing Off The Rail. He beat him in a ten ahead in less than three hours and played real well. He also placed in the top 10 in the tournement that time and it had a field of champions. Overall, though, he'd get killed by any of the top pros. I think he's about a 125-130 now in the USPPA which is excellent, but guys like Chohan, Palmer, Amar Kang are in the 150-170's and there a number of 120's in Sac and the Bay Area.

He's definately short stop speed at best right now. I don't think he even hardly plays in the Bay Area where he lives most of the time.
 
That story about Louie Lemke - Thats got to be a JOKE - Louie, although a fair regional tournament player was at best a 2.00 - thats right I said two dollar gambler.
 
thebigdog said:
Francisco, Ron Rosas, Joe Salazar, Al Romero, Mike Boyce, Raphael Martinez, Mark Tadd, Dean Deforrest, Tommy Baker, Rude Dog, King Kong, Arturo. All these guys were playing in the L.A. area around 20 years ago, I think any one of them would have liked their chances with Annigoni.
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You are wrong. I have played everyone on your list. Some of them many times & while Rosas, Martinez, & Tadd would have had the best of it against Tony or myself, IMO he had a chance against anyone playing nine ball. He played in No. California 20 years ago and never played much in So. California. These guys were/are all good players, but so was Tony. I don't think any of us are claiming he was a champion, but he wasn't the 7 under any of these guys, which was the question asked in the oringinal post.
 
jrhendy said:
You are wrong. I have played everyone on your list. Some of them many times & while Rosas, Martinez, & Tadd would have had the best of it against Tony or myself, IMO he had a chance against anyone playing nine ball. He played in No. California 20 years ago and never played much in So. California. These guys were/are all good players, but so was Tony. I don't think any of us are claiming he was a champion, but he wasn't the 7 under any of these guys, which was the question asked in the oringinal post.
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I never implied that those guys could give him the 7. I was just trying to explain that there were a ton of good players in the L.A. area back then and that Tony was not top 10 in the state at the time. All I said was that those guys all would have liked their chances with them, when you play at that level, as I am aware you know, anyone can beat anyone else when they are on their game.
John I have never seen you play, although I have heard stories about you. I used to play one pocket with your old road partner Paul (hangs out at Broken Rack in Emeryville) he has told me a lot of stories about you back in the day. Did you ever play in Stockton back in the 60's and 70's? My Grandpa is Frank Boyce and he used to own the pool hall there back in those days.
 
The story about Louie is absolutely correct. He was backed by "Kamikazee Bob" for the dough so I don't blame you for crying "bullsh!t" if you knew Louie. The table they played on was absolutely horrible; bucket pockets and it rolled out real bad. It actually was a tv table for accu-stats sometimes that year. Tony was laughing and saying he was getting the best rolls of his life; he must of made at least 3 or 4 nine balls on the break out of only about 15-20 games. This was back when Earl would run 5or 6 packs left and right on those joke tables. Archer beat Varner 13-1 that year and missed maybe one or two shots it felt like. New cloth and 5" pockets- these guys were running out like crazy.

Bob lost 10 of 11 sets for $2K each to a player from Sacramento getting the 7 in nine ball the right before that. Bad night. He was with a 50-ish blonde gal who might of owned a "cat house" in Nevada somewhere according to some other sweater so it might not of even been his money.

I watched both matches- it was the first time I ever saw pros play and it was pretty damn cool to see Archer,Varner, Bustamente,etc.. back when the Sands (Reno) drew more of the top talent in pool. It happened in the early 90's and I just chilled and drank free Heinekens the whole time Bob lost $23k. I haven't seen any action even close to that since. The guy who won actually gave Bob a business card in case he wanted to play some other time.

"Boy George" from Sac did an absolute perfect job of getting the $$ that night. Easily the best job of hustling I've ever personally seen.
 
Hmm, I've never read the book Playing off the Rail, but I was thinking about buying a copy.

I was under the impression the book was an actual account of a real road trip.

What's the story with this book, is it a fiction book or a documentary?
 
Hey don't be forgetting Denny Searcy being in California at that time around 20 years ago, he had to be in top five.

Leonard
 
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