about 20 yrs ago toby went to miami, the latest action room, mostly hispanic. he lost 2k at 9ball. went back 4 weeks later to the day and won 7k. after that they recognized his skinny 100 lb. frame and refused to play. he retired not long after because he hated to travel and spend weekends in hotels.
How good was Toby Sweet and does anyone have stories.
- Thread starter floridaboy24
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Toby came to Baltimore in the early 80's and spotted most weak players the 3 5 7 balls playing pushout never booked a loser just handle the cue ball better than anybody living and never dogged it bet at least $50 a game or more he won about 8000 in5 days in Bennies. He went to Weening Beanings room and played Weening 9ball giving him the free 8ball had him stuck 4000 after 6hours got tired and broke even with him and told me he just got tired and coudn't make a ball so Beaning got lucky and quit and found out he should have gone broke. He would over spot to get you to play and still buried you no matter what he spotted you he always pushed out to play safe. He is in the top three money players in the world.
the only "indian" named player i can rememeber playing in a NYS Championship was from near Peabody Mass. named Nick Vlahos. Nick was another great player that we lost way to early to cancer. I went to many tournaments in Binghamton including most of the BC Opens and he was the only player with that nick name. they once wrote an article that he robbed Texas without a gun when he was on the road...................mike
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Voodoo Daddy
One Pocket 101
Nick was awesome Mike...but he was Greek.
No doubt, Nick Vlahos was known as the indian.
Toby is in an Accu-Stats match with Billy Johnson as well as the one against Mizerak. Grady is as funny as he ever was with the commentary for the Sweet / Mizerak match and the Wade Crane battle has some controvercy in the end. Both well worth owning.
I have a couple Phillippi shafts that came with one of Toby's cues. (Black Boar look alike). Sure would like to meet the man. I'm told he offered Sigel the 8.
This thread has been buried for quite a few years. I thought I would bump it up for some more stories and share one of my own from last night.:smile:
Toby frequents the same room as I do. He is usually just playing for fun or talking with friends. I have chatted with him on numerous occasions and really enjoy his stories. He is genuinly a nice guy!
I have wanted to play Toby for a while now, but he's usually playing someone else or talking to someone and I didn't want to bother him. I wanted to see his 9-ball game when something was on the line, but he has been trying to learn one pocket lately. I play decent one pocket so I decided to play him some cheap getting a spot. He is still learning the moves, but let me tell you, if he gets a shot it's game over! Like a lot of the stories in this thread say, his cue ball control is like nothing I have ever seen. You always hear about how a pro makes it look easy, but this is sooooo true for Toby. Everything looks effortless. He is not flashy and doesn't shoot any wild banks or cuts. You know why? Because he never has to! He is always in exactly the right spot. After he beat me 5 games with only 2 of them being close, I asked him if we could play some 9 ball. I told him that I knew that I didn't have a shot at winning, but I just wanted to see him play and I looked at it as paying for lessons. Anyhow, he gave me the 7 ball which is a really small spot playing a champion. It's almost negledgable. He basically said that he would give me whatever I wanted playing push out. I declined since I've never played the game like that before and just took the seven. The first set when hill-hill as we were both recovering from the coma that one pocket puts you in. He kept breaking dry. I broke dry the last game and he ran out. Second set...he wins the flip and puts a 3 pack on me and then breaks dry. I run out and break dry. He wins that one and breaks and runs 2 more. He's on the hill in the race to 7 and I have one! AND I've only been at the table 1 time!!! He breaks and hooks me. I push out. He kicks it in and runs out for the set. I only had two chances. I guess I shouldn't have broke dry!
I pay off and sit down and chat with him for a little while. 
The main reason I wanted to share this with others is to hear some more stories if there are some out there and to tell everyone that he seems to be doing well and still holding his own on the felt.
Finally, if you have a champion that lives near you, you owe it to yourself to play them some cheap sets. Take a little spot and get up there. I promise you that it will be worth your time and money if you pay attention. Everyone talks about lessons, aiming, dvds, etc. My advice is to play some great players if you get the chance for a few dollars. It will put a lot of pressure on you that is impossible to replicate in a practice session. Also, it will build a lot of confidence in you. I know it did for me. The next time I'm in a tough game I will say to myself, I have played better and went double hill! So I can do this!!! When he was not looking I followed him around watching what spin he put on the ball and tried to predict what patterns he would play. I learned a LOT! I will certainly be playing him some more in the future. He's a pleasure to be around. :thumbup:
Toby frequents the same room as I do. He is usually just playing for fun or talking with friends. I have chatted with him on numerous occasions and really enjoy his stories. He is genuinly a nice guy!
I have wanted to play Toby for a while now, but he's usually playing someone else or talking to someone and I didn't want to bother him. I wanted to see his 9-ball game when something was on the line, but he has been trying to learn one pocket lately. I play decent one pocket so I decided to play him some cheap getting a spot. He is still learning the moves, but let me tell you, if he gets a shot it's game over! Like a lot of the stories in this thread say, his cue ball control is like nothing I have ever seen. You always hear about how a pro makes it look easy, but this is sooooo true for Toby. Everything looks effortless. He is not flashy and doesn't shoot any wild banks or cuts. You know why? Because he never has to! He is always in exactly the right spot. After he beat me 5 games with only 2 of them being close, I asked him if we could play some 9 ball. I told him that I knew that I didn't have a shot at winning, but I just wanted to see him play and I looked at it as paying for lessons. Anyhow, he gave me the 7 ball which is a really small spot playing a champion. It's almost negledgable. He basically said that he would give me whatever I wanted playing push out. I declined since I've never played the game like that before and just took the seven. The first set when hill-hill as we were both recovering from the coma that one pocket puts you in. He kept breaking dry. I broke dry the last game and he ran out. Second set...he wins the flip and puts a 3 pack on me and then breaks dry. I run out and break dry. He wins that one and breaks and runs 2 more. He's on the hill in the race to 7 and I have one! AND I've only been at the table 1 time!!! He breaks and hooks me. I push out. He kicks it in and runs out for the set. I only had two chances. I guess I shouldn't have broke dry!
I pay off and sit down and chat with him for a little while. The main reason I wanted to share this with others is to hear some more stories if there are some out there and to tell everyone that he seems to be doing well and still holding his own on the felt.
Finally, if you have a champion that lives near you, you owe it to yourself to play them some cheap sets. Take a little spot and get up there. I promise you that it will be worth your time and money if you pay attention. Everyone talks about lessons, aiming, dvds, etc. My advice is to play some great players if you get the chance for a few dollars. It will put a lot of pressure on you that is impossible to replicate in a practice session. Also, it will build a lot of confidence in you. I know it did for me. The next time I'm in a tough game I will say to myself, I have played better and went double hill! So I can do this!!! When he was not looking I followed him around watching what spin he put on the ball and tried to predict what patterns he would play. I learned a LOT! I will certainly be playing him some more in the future. He's a pleasure to be around. :thumbup:
When I was on the road full time in my younger years and played anybody 9 ball even I ran into Toby. It was at Park Row billiards in NYC. The pool room was in the basement but they had a TV screen on ground level that you could drive by and see if there was any action.
After I had beaten a few players they called Toby to come play. He would only play pushout. I wasn't used to playing it because I lived in the South.
We started playing for 50.00 a game and he was winning every pushout. He was the best at it I have ever seen.
Anyway he had me 8 games loser because of the pushout and I just couldn't stand it anymore. The next time it came up I just pushed for an end rail bank. He said shoot and I made it and ran out. The next 2 games I did the same thing.
After the third end rail bank he quit me 5 games winner. He said come to Seven Eleven and he would play some more.
I wasn't that stupid.
Bill Stroud
After I had beaten a few players they called Toby to come play. He would only play pushout. I wasn't used to playing it because I lived in the South.
We started playing for 50.00 a game and he was winning every pushout. He was the best at it I have ever seen.
Anyway he had me 8 games loser because of the pushout and I just couldn't stand it anymore. The next time it came up I just pushed for an end rail bank. He said shoot and I made it and ran out. The next 2 games I did the same thing.
After the third end rail bank he quit me 5 games winner. He said come to Seven Eleven and he would play some more.
I wasn't that stupid.
Bill Stroud
Thanks Bill! Great story.
First time I saw Toby play was in New London Conn. It was The Eastern States Nine-ball Championships.
First round he draws a good friend of mine Mike Xharios. Mike and I don't have a clue who Toby is. Mike asks me, "You ever hear of this guy? I responded, Naw, he can't be that good.
Toby beat Mike 11-1 in thirty seven, count them, minutes. If it were a fight they would have stopped it.
Next time I encounter Toby is in Lawrence, Mass. I believe he was steered there to play me but he entered the tournament we were having that day.
Toby went undefeated and was in the hot seat, waiting.
He asked me to play for a hundred a rack, while he waited.
I agreed to play. I thought to myself. How much can I lose before he has to play again. Nobody beat me in Lawrence. Big Mistake! Toby had me stuck 1,200 before I could say UNCLE.
I got a reprieve. His match came up.
He had to go play Boston Shorty. Although Shorty lost, he helped me get part of my money back. I watched and found the only weakness I could find in Toby. He didn't kick that well. I managed to get back a little of my money slowly.
At this time, it was like 3am, the owner, George Rippe, gave us a time limit. He would stay open until 4. Toby and I played a race to five for five hundred. I was lucky to win it. I shit a seven-ball. Toby still left with three hundred of my money. I was very lucky to escape.
He was an exceptional player and a gentleman. No bullshit.
First round he draws a good friend of mine Mike Xharios. Mike and I don't have a clue who Toby is. Mike asks me, "You ever hear of this guy? I responded, Naw, he can't be that good.
Toby beat Mike 11-1 in thirty seven, count them, minutes. If it were a fight they would have stopped it.
Next time I encounter Toby is in Lawrence, Mass. I believe he was steered there to play me but he entered the tournament we were having that day.
Toby went undefeated and was in the hot seat, waiting.
He asked me to play for a hundred a rack, while he waited.
I agreed to play. I thought to myself. How much can I lose before he has to play again. Nobody beat me in Lawrence. Big Mistake! Toby had me stuck 1,200 before I could say UNCLE.
I got a reprieve. His match came up.
He had to go play Boston Shorty. Although Shorty lost, he helped me get part of my money back. I watched and found the only weakness I could find in Toby. He didn't kick that well. I managed to get back a little of my money slowly.
At this time, it was like 3am, the owner, George Rippe, gave us a time limit. He would stay open until 4. Toby and I played a race to five for five hundred. I was lucky to win it. I shit a seven-ball. Toby still left with three hundred of my money. I was very lucky to escape.
He was an exceptional player and a gentleman. No bullshit.
Can someone please explain the difference in "pushout" and the way we play 9 ball today.
From what I understand you just roll out the whole game. You get hooked by luck well you just push to a shot you think you can make and your oppenent can't. He has the option to make you shoot it or shoot himself. If you fould is ball in hand and all balls spot back up so if you make a ball and scratch you spot the ball you made or balls. Pretty sure how it goes. This was real pool not all that safety shit like you play. LOL HAHA! HAHAHA!
Lamo Juice. So you can pushout at anytime during the game when its your shot?
Yep, it's called two shot shoot out. It allows a player to pocket a ball and agressivly go into anything tied up or clusters, and if they don't like the outcome after pocketing and attempting the break out, then they can push out. It was a game that required great board play and improved ones ability to aim for the overcut or free shot JIC you missed.
Yep. That's the way he explained it to me. Thanks for the story, Tom!
I can say I was lucky enough to see Toby play when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale back in the late 80's or somewhere around there. I would go up to West Palm Beach where The Miz had a poolroom and hang out at the tournaments. I remember watching some of the players practicing before the start of the tournament and my gaze fell upon this skinny guy in well worn jeans, who looked like he just woke up with the bedhead. I didn't know who he was, but I was instantly stuck by his smooth stroke and minimal movement of the cueball. Nothing fancy at all, just pinpoint precision and nice patterns. I asked someone who he was, and they said Toby, probably the guy to beat.
I got to see him and Miz and Tommy Kennedy play a lot in those days, but sadly the marihoogie I was smoking constantly back then, may have dulled my memories a bit. Then again, maybe I'm just not blessed with a good memory. I just see flashes of those times, but can't put together whole sets. How the hell does Freddy The Beard and Jay remember bets and balls and shots, is beyond me. :smile:
I got to see him and Miz and Tommy Kennedy play a lot in those days, but sadly the marihoogie I was smoking constantly back then, may have dulled my memories a bit. Then again, maybe I'm just not blessed with a good memory. I just see flashes of those times, but can't put together whole sets. How the hell does Freddy The Beard and Jay remember bets and balls and shots, is beyond me. :smile:
Im in the same boat as you. But I think my memory, or lack there of is more related to my alcohol consumption. Ill have guys who want to match up, and start off by saying they want to play the same way we did last time. I then tell them I have no recolection of ever playing them...
Didn't realize this was an old thread, and no, it wasn't Nick. I knew Nick and it wasn't him and he didn't travel with Joe Kerr.
I only saw it played where you could push out provided there was no foul the shot before. If you pushed out after a foul it was considered two fouls in a row and the incoming player got ball in hand. Some places it had to be two fouls in a row on the same player but I never saw it played that way all the years I played.