How good was Keith McCready?

westcoast

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member

I vaguely remember Keith but I'd have to find the right notebook to be sure.
It is interesting that Sigel is right handed in everything but pool.

I have a friend of mine that is like that too- only thing he does left handed is shoot pool. I asked him why and he said for some reason when he first started playing pool as a kid he decided to shoot left handed- he has no idea why he did that though
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
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...even more impressive is that fact that Keith has been sober from drugs and booze for many years now!...something few other former champions can attest to.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

Odds are pretty thin that Keith would still be around without Jennie. I have to say the same about my ex. As expensive as that marriage was, it probably saved my life! I didn't have the time or money to drink and party.(grin)

I think it was his match with Parica, maybe another though I got into a Keith kick the other night and watched a handful of matches back to back, anyway, Jennie brought a Bud to Keith with the camera on them, one chug, and the bottle went back across the rail! I laughed, the commentators were totally silent on the matter. Jennie was rationing intake.

Hu
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Here's the bottom line - Keith struck a little fear into EVERYONE! No matter what the bet or how important the match, Keith looked like he was just practicing. sauntering around the table, standing in all kinds of funny positions and whacking balls into the pockets!

You could not out gamble him, because he would bet the farm at any given moment and run out behind it. Keith devoured pressure! Was he the greatest player ever, probably not. Was he one of the best players to ever hold a cue, probably. What he was, was the most naturally gifted athlete to ever put a cue in his hands. He made a difficult game look like child's play. Keith never had to get down in a rigid stance or lock down solid on each shot. He was loose as a goose, all arms and elbows flying here and there and miraculous shots coming off his cue like tasty little morsels. You had to see it to believe it.

Through it all, Keith kept up a funny banter that kept his audience as loose as he was. People hung on his every word and stared in awe at his shot making. Keith was performance art, you had to be there to see it. Never one like him before and never one like him since.

Was he the greatest of all time, no. Was he the most colorful and most talented, yes. Our generation was fortunate to see Ronnie Allen, Louie Roberts and Keith McCready at the same time. All three had more charisma than the whole lot of them today!

That's my take on things. :yeah:
A good assessment then and still one now.
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Reminds me of watching Fat Randy. His non-stop banter while torturing his opponent was epic.
I think he passed away recently. Randy was a true action junkie. He wanted to bet it all every time he played. He either won big or went home broke.
 

Dead Money

AzB Silver Member
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Odds are pretty thin that Keith would still be around without Jennie. I have to say the same about my ex. As expensive as that marriage was, it probably saved my life! I didn't have the time or money to drink and party.(grin)

I think it was his match with Parica, maybe another though I got into a Keith kick the other night and watched a handful of matches back to back, anyway, Jennie brought a Bud to Keith with the camera on them, one chug, and the bottle went back across the rail! I laughed, the commentators were totally silent on the matter. Jennie was rationing intake.

Hu
Without getting spiritual I do believe people find each other in life for specific reasons. I am happy Jennie has been there for Keith and vice versa!
 

billb

AzB Silver Member
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Without getting spiritual I do believe people find each other in life for specific reasons. I am happy Jennie has been there for Keith and vice versa!
Well said and very true. He is very lucky to have her for many reasons and she seems to genuinely appreciate the person that he was AND the person that he currently is. Based on her posts on here, I do not believe she has ever tried to change him. Now, she may have tried to tweak a few things that weren't good for him, but only with the intention to help him stay healthy, not change him. So often, relationships fail because someone tries to change their partner instead of embracing them for who they are. Definitely not the case here.....hence their successful and happy time together. Kudos to both of them.

As a fan of the game, I can say that I absolutely love reading her posts. She has a great post on Facebook right now that if you get into the comments and click on Keith's name, it will lead you back to a stop in Queens with her, Keith and McCreesh. Keith and Ryan matched up against Ginky and Nick Schulman.
 

Dead Money

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well said and very true. He is very lucky to have her for many reasons and she seems to genuinely appreciate the person that he was AND the person that he currently is. Based on her posts on here, I do not believe she has ever tried to change him. Now, she may have tried to tweak a few things that weren't good for him, but only with the intention to help him stay healthy, not change him. So often, relationships fail because someone tries to change their partner instead of embracing them for who they are. Definitely not the case here.....hence their successful and happy time together. Kudos to both of them.

As a fan of the game, I can say that I absolutely love reading her posts. She has a great post on Facebook right now that if you get into the comments and click on Keith's name, it will lead you back to a stop in Queens with her, Keith and McCreesh. Keith and Ryan matched up against Ginky and Nick Schulman.
That sounds pretty good, I will look for that.

You are spot on about trying to change or fix people. If you love someone love them for who they are. To do otherwise "is like a nightmare isn't it?"
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
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Good enough to wear a t shirt that said " the world has the eight"

True enough but I also heard the story of him stepping in a place and saying he would give anyone in the room the eight. Looked across the room at Buddy Hall, "Not you Buddy!"

Hu
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
I don't know how good Keith was in the 80's but in the mid 90's, Efren was giving 9-7 and the breaks in one-pocket at Hard Times . And I saw him lose to One Pocket Richard playing even.
 

Lock Doctor

Registered
Hey Jay.........In their prime Keith vs St Louie Louie......who comes out on top? (and I love them both, not trying to start anything malicious here!)
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
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A few months back, Keith told me on Facebook, that he might have to come out of retirement for the likes of me. 😁
 

westcoast

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I wonder if Keith would be interested in playing Earl for an Accu Stats match up like Earl did against Sigel a few years back. I'd like to see that for sure, but perhaps Keith would need some weight for it to be fair.

On a different topic, I know Keith was supposed to play Matlock on a barbox a while ago. Did that match ever happen?
 

westcoast

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't know how good Keith was in the 80's but in the mid 90's, Efren was giving 9-7 and the breaks in one-pocket at Hard Times . And I saw him lose to One Pocket Richard playing even.
Efren lost to one pocket Rich playing even?

I know Rich is a great player, but he must have been playing very well that day, because you'd think he would need a significant spot to remain competitive, like 10-6
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Efren lost to one pocket Rich playing even?

I know Rich is a great player, but he must have been playing very well that day, because you'd think he would need a significant spot to remain competitive, like 10-6
No, Keith did. Keith was on his last ball and missed it. Lost the next three games and the set .
Richard is too good to get 10-6 from Efren .
He never got more than a 3-ball spot from Efren .
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Hey Jay.........In their prime Keith vs St Louie Louie......who comes out on top? (and I love them both, not trying to start anything malicious here!)
They played several times, with mixed results. My favorite match was when they played "mum" pool, with neither player being allowed to talk or it was a foul. When it was over and Louie had won, as he walked out of the room he looked back at Keith and said, "Nice talking to you." 😁
 
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