How good was Keith McCready?

[JamisonNeu]

I'm guessing this story was from Valley Forge? If so, I did see KM do something somehwat similar, although your numbers are prolly double what I saw. Assuming we saw the same games, I think Keith held the table for, maybe, 13 straight games or so. I'm guessing this was in the pit @VF, around 2004 or 2005?


Eric >when they used to play 9 ball

Not sure about years, but it was Valley Forge, and it was late, like 3 AM, I'll bet it was the best run he ever had.

I remember two shots in his run...one of them I just learned at Gem City the day after the tourney. An older guy showed me his trick shot list. That is how I learn I ask people to show me theirs.

 

[bobroberts]

I became aware of him from the Color of Money ("It just keeps gettin' worse and worse doesn't?" or "The impossible dream!' haha). So I decided to search for any of his matches on Youtube. The only matches I found were a match against Earl from '88 and match with Buddy Hall from '03. In the '03 match he was clearly past his prime but against Earl he looked very strong and he's probably the most entertaining player I've seen play with his sidearm stroke, upright stance, and fast and loose pace. But he's never mentioned on here. Would love to see more of his matches posted. Was he just not that good or what?

So after all the posts to your original thread, don't you feel foolish.
Jam , get him back out there playing. he is great for the sport.

 

[the420trooper]

I didn't read any of the posts. Nobody ever played better 9 Ball than Keith and he was fearless.

No offense, Professor, but I've watched a LOT of Accu-Stat matches, with you commentating many of them....and you say that about everybody.

Nobody ever played better 9 ball than: Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Buddy Hall, Efren, Jose Parica, Nick Varner...I could go on. :grin::grin::grin:

 

[Eric.]

Not sure about years, but it was Valley Forge, and it was late, like 3 AM, I'll bet it was the best run he ever had.

I remember two shots in his run...one of them I just learned at Gem City the day after the tourney. An older guy showed me his trick shot list. That is how I learn I ask people to show me theirs.

Was this on the main action table, with the big crowd around it, or was it on one of the side tables?


Eric

 

[Ghosst]

Didn't see it mentioned before, so here's another match from the 2004 US Open.

 

[cuetechasaurus]

I am too young to have seen Keith in his heyday, but all the old timers I know that were around to see Keith in his prime all say the same thing. He was the best money player on the planet, and all the top players wanted no part of him.

I wish there were more players like him. He had the gift of gab, and the ability to draw large crowds. Not only did he amaze people with his high gear, but he would make people laugh and really enjoy their time watching him.

My friend told me that there was a big tournament out here in LA. All the top players were there, including Earl and Sigel and Buddy. When Keith had a match, the room would crowd around his table to watch, ignoring the other greats playing on tables nearby.

 

[richiebalto]

When I first started shooting out in the scene...Kieth was still gambling everwere I went. The best played pool I ever saw came from Kieth.

I was asleep and some friends came up and told me hey KM caught gear come watch...So I went down and there he was sure enough running out like nothing I had ever seen.

When I walked up KM was on 2 in a row, and he finale played a safety in the 12th game that makes 11 in a row with a safe at the end. Well its not over yet he gets ball in hand, and he hits the guy with a 9 in a row, followed by another safety. He gets ball in hand again, and runs 7...now he has made 27 wins and no mistakes he played dead perfect safes 2 times.

Kieth misses so bad he gets lucky and the ball is left safe. The guy finale after 27 games makes his first good hit...just to sell out another run of 7 in a row...making Kieth a 34 game winner and only one miss the entire time...The miss resulted in a lucky roll...

That my friends is as good as I have ever seen. The very next day Dennis Hatch won the Valley Forge Champion...And no one in the building would play him so he decided to stake me (everyone will play me).

I go straight after Kieth and said "Sir you are the greatest I have ever seen. I have never taken a spot from anyone, and although I will not use it can I get the 8 ball, and lets play some 9 ball for 200 a rack? Without even looking up from his chair to turnaround to see who it is he says "You got me, rack em up." How about that for confidence!!!

Kieth is one of the greatest ever without a doubt!

i believe exactly what your saying because keith did the same thing to a friend of mine here in baltimore in the same time period you are talking about .right after valley forge keith had came to baltimore and played tony long on a barbox at sonny place well tony told me that he played pretty good ran alot of 4 and 5s but the only problem was keith was running 10 and 15s at a time he could not believe how good a man could play until he seen that.now thats how keith played.

 

[book collector]

How good was Keith McCready

"Keither with the ether" He put you in the chair so long you went to sleep.
If I remember correctly Grady was one of Keiths mentors. I remember a tournament in 87 and Keiths speed was off and he kept overrolling position but he always got out anyway, sometimes 2 or 3 crazy shots in a row. One of the best tough shot makers I ever watched.

 

[dave st.pierre]

Keith mcready cue

If you go jack madden cues & scroll there you will see a cue that jack made to keith specs.i think he still plays with. It look like the same cue i saw him playing with in the us open on tv.

 

[iusedtoberich]

You all owe it to yourselves to get Accu-Stats: McCready vs Gary "Bushwacker" Nolan. Its an early accustats, and the commentary is X-rated. Neither player was playing their best game during this match, but it is the most entertaining match you will ever see on video bar none.

 

[JamisonNeu]

Was this on the main action table, with the big crowd around it, or was it on one of the side tables?


Eric

It was the table right next to the main pit, but about halfway through it became the main table.

 

[8ballEinstein]

I heard he once ran something like 23 racks in a row.......so he prob belongs on the over-rated thread.....lol

You might have heard that it was a 21, consisting of running out three races to 7 in a gambling session. This happened on a bar box.

 

[8ballEinstein]

Did he ever play Efren?What was their record like?Any stories?Curious...................

The first matchup happened at the Orange County Sports Arena in Anaheim, CA. Keith was getting the last 2 in 9-ball. Keith getting a spot had never been heard of prior to this. Efren won.

After that, it was a mixed bag of wins and losses between them. Efren was usually giving up some weight. Besides 9-ball, they also played some One-Pocket with Keith holding his own, even up.

 

[maldito]

I always thought Keith was a real scene stealer in that movie.

 

[Dagwoodz]

The most fun I have ever had watching a pool match was watching Keith and Larry Lisciotti match up with Evgieny Stalev up at Chelmsford Country Club USA in Chelmsford, MA for the Joss Tour Finals in 2002. Many of the top shooters were there to include Earl, Johnny, Rodney, Tony Robles, John Schmidt (pre-Mr. 400, right as he was coming off the road)...and they all were gathered arouund the table to watch this. Larry and the crowd were both feeding Keith and he was just eating it all up and just dishing the verbal diahrrea out to Stalev, who didn't know what to do. It all came to a head when Keith called a ball frozen and Stalev argued about it. 35 minutes later they were still going at it...funny as hell.

The previous weekend, Keith had played Ryan McCreesh in the finals of a tournament and it was non-stop between those two as well. Ryan kept throwing TCOM quotes at Keith, and Keith never hesitated in firing right back at him. Priceless.

 

[MasterClass]

That guy?

I thought he quit pool and went on to become a judge in American idol and made truck loads of money.

 

[Eric.]

It was the table right next to the main pit, but about halfway through it became the main table.

Hmmm. I dunno about your story, Jamison. Are you sure this REALLY happened? :wink:


Eric

 

[dorabelle]

Might your great surprise be a match with The Earthquake vs. The Pearl? What a great match up this would be. The best two chirpers on the earth, the two best cue sport entertainers ever and two of the best 9 ball players of all time. Tell me it true!:thumbup:

There is some footage of these two playing on you tube.

 

[Black-Balled]

I didn't read any of the posts. Nobody ever played better 9 Ball than Keith and he was fearless.

No offense, Professor, ...you say that about everybody.

Nobody ever played better 9 ball than: Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Buddy Hall, Efren, Jose Parica, Nick Varner...I could go on. :grin::grin::grin:

But it could be true: all those people have played pool as well as it can be played. Fact.

Grady doesn't mean the instance was the only time it ever happened!

It is the fault of the english language! A simpleton's tounge...
:smile:

 

[Black-Balled]

And did you know there is no plural in Vietnamese?

They eat 'chip', not chips!

That must be tuff when trying to nail down a bet!