How good was Keith McCready?

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
Also - Keith made a comeback not long ago and took 3rd place at the US Open 9 Ball in 2003. The U.S.Open has a ridiculously difficult field - that's quite a feat, believe me.

Chris

And I believe most who were in attendance would agree with me (especially JAM), that had this tournament ended on Saturday, Keith would have EASILY won it. He was playing so good, so smoothly, and was the intimidating player he was known for in his youth. He ran out from everywhere.

When I think about elite 9-ball play at the US Open I've seen over the years, Keith's 2003 was very much near the top.

Fred
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
And I believe most who were in attendance would agree with me (especially JAM), that had this tournament ended on Saturday, Keith would have EASILY won it. He was playing so good, so smoothly, and was the intimidating player he was known for in his youth. He ran out from everywhere.

When I think about elite 9-ball play at the US Open I've seen over the years, Keith's 2003 was very much near the top.

Fred

It does conjure up some good memories for me. Best match Saturday night was Keith versus Alex. I can laugh about it today, but at the time, I had steam coming out of my ears. :grin-square:

One thing about it, they can say whatever they want about pool players, but they'll never be able to take away the memories. I feel fortunate to have shared a few good ones with Keith. :)
 

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edd

Trance Doc
Silver Member
It's like a nightmare that just keeps getting worse and worse. :grin:

Truth be told, I quit working on it a while back, mostly because of my work schedule. I'm not a writer, and for me to be able to write, I must be well rested to allow my creative juices to work.

Though I now have a wee bit over 500 double-spaced Word-formatted pages typewritten, there are some topics that I need to reference for dates, spellings, and accuracy. Some of Keith's versions of events do differ than what has been written about him, and I feel it is important to verify a happening more fully when this has been the case. :wink:

And then there's the Vegas years which are incredible and extraordinarily eye-opening, a la Stu Ungar eye-opening. I know Keith was not a saint and has a checkered past, and though some things may be better left unsaid, I feel that this is, in fact, a part of his life story, so it belongs in a book about him. But it sure is hard to muddle through. :eek:

Anyway, if I can ever get rid of this ball-and-chain job of mine, I'd love to devote myself full time to this book, much like I used to with pool when I first met Keith, but I have come to realize that pool is not the high that it once was for me. Pool, however, is very much still Keith's passion; in fact, it was and continues to be his joy in life. :)

JAM,
I have to respectfully disagree. You write extremely well and I always enjoy reading your posts. I eagerly look forward to reading his bio.
 

Eric.

Club a member
Silver Member
It does conjure up some good memories for me. Best match Saturday night was Keith versus Alex. I can laugh about it today, but at the time, I had steam coming out of my ears. :grin-square:

One thing about it, they can say whatever they want about pool players, but they'll never be able to take away the memories. I feel fortunate to have shared a few good ones with Keith. :)

Wasn't Keith vs Alex a different year? I remember that match. Keith was playing on the table next to/in front of the TV table. Efren and Busty were on the TV table. At one point, they stopped the match on the TV table to swith over to Keith and Alex.

in 2003, if I remember right, Keith shot a .971 (give or take) on Sat nite, against Parica. I remember helping Keith out with a couple of beers the next day (the place was out of beer due to the hurricane) from my stash, but unfortunately, Parica got his revenge in the rematch.


Eric >hoped Keith would have snapped it off
 

lunchmoney

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Keith in a ring game

The first time I saw Keith play was in a five man ring game on an 8-foot table at Greenway Billiards in Baton Rouge, LA. The year was 1978 and I'm not sure how old Keith was at the time but someone had made a comment that he was about 19 or 20. The bet was $100.00 on the nine. Players rotated in and out based on lack of funds or getting called to play in the tounament. Some top players of that era were playing in that ring game - Grady, Keith, Buddy Hall, Flyboy, Larry Hubbart to name a few. I sat and watched Keith run six or seven racks. He was very animated, he had the place in stitches. He was getting out from everywhere with amazing shots then his name was called for a match. He pulled out a wad to add his winnings to that had to have been 4-inches in diameter laughing and joking the entire time. All the rest if the players just shook their heads. Grady ended up busting the ring game and Keith ended up in second place losing in the finals to Jerry Brock. I sweated the match between him and Dan Louie to see who played Jerry in the finals and it was like watching the ring game all over again, ball flying all around the table, Keith getting out from everywhere and entertaining the crowd the entire time. Classic McCready. There were discussions at the time, just like today, on who was the best bar table player alive. Someone made the comment that since Keith was from another planet they needed to figure out who was the second best bar table player because Keith was so far above everyone else.


Lunchmoney
 

houmatroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Like him,Love him or hate him !

Keith was 100% a action guy that could get even the tightest of @sses betting it up...Keith always shined brightest the bigger the crowd & bigger the bet & more times than not found a way to get the money...Has a ton of heart & the times I have staked him he always got the cheese even in a couple matches where he had to come from way behind to get the money...There are alot of great players out there that shoot lights out when they front running but true champions are those that keep grinding even when the other guy is having his way at the table...that's why there are only a handful of those type guys & Keith use to be one of the best of them...As long as he had bullets he was never out the fight.:grin:
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
It does conjure up some good memories for me. Best match Saturday night was Keith versus Alex. I can laugh about it today, but at the time, I had steam coming out of my ears. :grin-square:

And we could see it from where we were sitting!

"You can post this one on the internet!" - KM just before dogging a straight in case 9-ball.

Fred <~~~ checked the archives - it was indeed 2003
 

Eric.

Club a member
Silver Member
And we could see it from where we were sitting!

"You can post this one on the internet!" - KM just before dogging a straight in case 9-ball.

Fred <~~~ checked the archives - it was indeed 2003

Fred, you have a good memory.


Eric >was sitting a couple of seats over from Fred
 

Brian in VA

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fred, you have a good memory.


Eric >was sitting a couple of seats over from Fred

I was sitting nearby and watched in amazement when he missed it. Alex was dumbfounded as well. I recall him breaking and running the next rack before finally missing and Keith was able to run out.

Wow!

Brian in VA
 

Eric.

Club a member
Silver Member
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.

Keith is definitely capable. Thing is, Jamison's story has holes in it. The biggest one being that in VF, it's "king of the table" format, meaning that you only play one game, winner stays on the table. In order to have "beaten that guy 27 straight games, with him only getting 2 shots", the match would have been played on a private table, not the challenge table.


Eric >loves tales
 

Jack Madden

John Madden Cues
Silver Member
Very Good doesn't even cover his play/talent/guts/style:wink:

JAM, the bio will be great reading.
 

ribdoner

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Silver Member
Flashback

To the mid 70's. i thought Buddy, Louie and Billy I were the best until i saw Keith dab em...

Played REAL good and if he caught lightening (which he was subject to at any time) the rout was on.
 

grumpydad1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
awesome

In his prime there was nobody better on the planet.
He was know as the most feared player on the planet...
it just didnt get any better
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Keith is definitely capable. Thing is, Jamison's story has holes in it. The biggest one being that in VF, it's "king of the table" format, meaning that you only play one game, winner stays on the table. In order to have "beaten that guy 27 straight games, with him only getting 2 shots", the match would have been played on a private table, not the challenge table.


Eric >loves tales

In post #51, Jamison seems to say that it was not the challenge table, but one close to it.
 

enzo

Banned
i dont know how good or bad he played, i caught him in the 90's, i'd have to say at least as good as sigel for the cash, probably a tad better.

what i will say for a fact, he has one of my favorite and most repeated pool hall lines of all time.... after he smashed his finger with a hammer (i think) in ~95, he showed up at a hard times tournament with his smashed finger and yelled out during the tournament.....

"most guys would be at home crying for a glass of milk if their finger was like this"

edit: another favorite (one of his too, he said it all the time)....... "omg, you want the 7, that's it! you're out of my program!"
 

Eric.

Club a member
Silver Member
In post #51, Jamison seems to say that it was not the challenge table, but one close to it.

Actually, I did see that. The thing is, he also said that in the middle of this epic run, the side table became the main table. VF just doesn't work that way. The main action table is strictly "king of the hill"; winner stays on, loser goes to the end of the line and the "bet on the breaker/bet on the racker" starts all over again. At least that is the way it's been for the last 16 years and I spend plenty of time in the Pit, when in VF. There is no way someone is gonna stay on the main table and lose rack after rack, so the story doesn't jibe. Then again, this is the Internet and tall tales are the norm :grin:


Eric >has no tales or tails
 

Neil

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Actually, I did see that. The thing is, he also said that in the middle of this epic run, the side table became the main table. VF just doesn't work that way. The main action table is strictly "king of the hill"; winner stays on, loser goes to the end of the line and the "bet on the breaker/bet on the racker" starts all over again. At least that is the way it's been for the last 16 years and I spend plenty of time in the Pit, when in VF. There is no way someone is gonna stay on the main table and lose rack after rack, so the story doesn't jibe. Then again, this is the Internet and tall tales are the norm :grin:


Eric >has no tales or tails

I took it as the main table as the one most were watching. Not as the main action table. ???
 
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