I knew them when???????
- Thread starter cueball1950
- Start date
Something the people saying today's players are far better tend to overlook. Almost all of the video of the legends is footage from long past their prime.
Moving on to Fats, I can see how those old Meuccis would throw him off a mile compared to a stiff shaft. Meucci was using soft maple in the early years or so I heard. I think I could have tied a knot in my factory shaft I got in about '84! It took me months to get in tune with that cue and there was many a laugh when I threw that thing in a corner midmatch and grabbed something, anything, off the wall. My opponent usually lost his sense of humor, and his wallet.
A story about Fats and Mosconi. Willie's no gamble days came from his deal with Brunswick. When Willie wasn't under restrictions there is a story that Fats managed to get him in a One Pocket game, a game Willie truly hated. For some reason Fats was using a backer or backers which sounds odd. Anyway, a short time after they started playing Fats was back to his backer for more cash. He said he could take Willie, Willie knew nothing about One Pocket, he just kept running eight and out!
Hu
DangleShot
New member
Yeah, I was in awe of how Adam played fast and exotically at the time. My game was a lot like his and I tried to emulate him. He gave me some pointers and I instantly became better. People around here still know who he is 30 years later.
Bill in Buffalo
Keeping in the spirit of this thread, I've met quite a few players that could have been "known" players, but, I'm assuming, they figured being "known" don't pay the bills. To each their own.
Sadly, for as much as I used to love the game and spent time in the pool hall, I do not know of a known player before they became known.
Dead Money was a nobody the first time I saw him play. The poor douche couldn't make two balls in a row on a table that rolled of into a corner pocket. Now he can. Watch out for that guy.
I was selling Suzuki motorcycles out of a used car dealership on Main St. in Dayton, Ohio in about 1964 or '65. I had dropped out of college and was just starting my climb up the ladder in the pool world. There was a little poolroom a block or so away from where I worked that had a $1-2 9-Ball game going almost every day, a dollar on the five and two dollars on the nine. It was too strong a game for me but I would occasionally go in during my lunch hour to sweat the action. Some of the best players from around Dayton played in that game.
One day I drop in and someone tells me this fat old guy is robbing the game and he's so lucky. Sure enough the first game I watch this guy makes a combo on the five and it respots and he keeps shooting (that's how they played) and he does the same thing on the nine before completing the rack. So he gets paid twice for the five ball and twice for the nine from each of the other players in the game, over $20 total for one game of 9-Ball! I watched this game for over an hour (stayed past my lunch hour) just to see this guy play. He kept making one lucky billiard after another on the money balls and winning multiple payouts game after game. Finally, when everyone had quit except one other guy the game ended. The old guy had won well over $100, a weeks pay back then.
That was the first time I ever saw Don Willis play pool!
One day I drop in and someone tells me this fat old guy is robbing the game and he's so lucky. Sure enough the first game I watch this guy makes a combo on the five and it respots and he keeps shooting (that's how they played) and he does the same thing on the nine before completing the rack. So he gets paid twice for the five ball and twice for the nine from each of the other players in the game, over $20 total for one game of 9-Ball! I watched this game for over an hour (stayed past my lunch hour) just to see this guy play. He kept making one lucky billiard after another on the money balls and winning multiple payouts game after game. Finally, when everyone had quit except one other guy the game ended. The old guy had won well over $100, a weeks pay back then.
That was the first time I ever saw Don Willis play pool!
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fattirewilly
Member
In 96 or 97, I spent a night playing with a doubles partner whose left arm had been mangled in a car wreck when the drivers window was down. I was on the table and he watched for a game or two. We may have played a singles game. He jumped on my team when the table switched to doubles. 4 or 5 balls was a good run for me then. He said "you have a solid game, don't run more than 3 balls, and I'll take care of whatever is needed." I'm not much of a gambler but went along for the ride. We'd ditch one game then come back and take $20 or $30 off some couple $5 or $10 at a time before they moved on. I may have gone home with $80.
This guy would be in his mid/late 40's now. He said he was some type of Jr. Champ, maybe state champ and had real potential before the accident. I don't remember the his name, but there can't be many 1.75 armed pool players running around.
This guy would be in his mid/late 40's now. He said he was some type of Jr. Champ, maybe state champ and had real potential before the accident. I don't remember the his name, but there can't be many 1.75 armed pool players running around.
I don't know that I could have became known if I wanted to but I decided to remain unknown when I realized there wasn't any percentage to being a pro player in the early seventies. After that I was just Hu pronounced Hugh around the pool halls and bars. Never more than one Hu there so even in the few tournaments I shot "Hu" was all that was on the board. I continued that in rifle and pistol competition and signed off on tens of thousands of technical drawings as Hu also. Named my businesses the same so I have been just Hu for a lot of years. Adding to the confusion I bought out a couple of businesses named JD's and didn't change the name for a few years. Got tired of correcting people so was known as Hu and JD for awhile. JD never actually existed anyway, I bought out John and Doyle.
"Hu" was and is better known than the names people were using for a few years after The Color of Money came out. Everyone that could run three balls thought they needed an alias and many changed it constantly. It was fun to hassle small time hustlers telling them in front of the rail that the name they were using wasn't the same one they were using two weeks ago! Although I had no idea it was usually true and fun to watch them stuttering and stammering trying to explain and justify the change of name!
All of the name changing stuff was a lot like lying, too confusing to remember! I quickly decided that false names and other lies were too confusing to remember for a lazy man! I used one name and whatever nickname people hung on me here and there as long as it didn't appear to be pool related. When some people tried to somewhat innocently insist on calling me by a pool related nickname when I walked into a place I finally took them on the side and explained to them that it was bad for my business and hazardous to their health! Hu I was and Hu I am. On forums and sites that won't accept two letter handles or already have a "Hu" I am ShootingArts, the name of my businesses and domain for decades although I turned loose of the domain long ago now. No reason to hide my last name now but then again it isn't needed either and is a first step towards ID theft.
Hu
For some reason Dayton has had champion players for a long time. I played at Airway for a few years before moving back to Houston. Billy Thorpe was about 12 years old. Alex Olinger was not yet nationally known either. Jason Miller was top dog, and George Rood was sweating the tournements there...he was in his 90's at the time. There was about another dozen very very strong players, who are still not very well known outside that part of the country.
First, I note that in 1965, $1 was worth over $8 in 2021 money!
Second, that Willis guy has quite a writeup, what an athlete, what a hustler: Don Willis
I love running across Dayton and, more specifically, Airway stories on here. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent there in the late 90's through the early 2000's. I had never really played one hole until then and my first experience with it was having an 88 year old George Rood beat my brains in with countless 8-and-outs. The dude played so smooth and calm... He made the game look so incredibly easy.
As far as other players around there... You can't forget Steve Cook. I'd show up after work for the Monday night 9 ball tournaments and just keep hearing, "Steve Cook wins on table..." Again, I had no idea who he was at first. But I'd look around for this beast of a player and never thought I saw him. Little did I know, I was looking at him the whole time. He was such a non assuming looking guy but, man, he could play lights out.
Of course Gary Spaeth, Frank Ruby, and Ryan Stone come to mind, too. SO much talent in that room on any given Monday night.
Do you know if Willis ever played George Rood?
Do you know if Willis ever played George Rood?
Do you know if Willis ever played George Rood?
I would have to imagine they did at some time since they were both in that area for a very very long time.
Here's a funny story I heard about George and Fats (Disclaimer: I have no idea if it's true as it wasn't George who told me.) So back in the day George was playing at a room in Springfield, Ohio and Fats comes in and asks if anyone wants to gamble. George agreed but Fats apparently snapped back with the accusation that George didn't have enough money to gamble with him. So, George told him to hold on a couple of minutes. He runs next door and gets a wad of cash from a bookie, comes back, and asks Fats if it's enough. They agree to play 9 ball (no idea of the bet.) George wins the break, makes a ball, starts to run out, and looks over at Fats. Fats is calmly and deliberately pulling his cue out of his case. George runs the rack, breaks again, and starts to run out again. He looks over at Fats to see him screwing his cue together. George runs out again. George breaks and starts yet another runout when, you guessed it, he looks over at Fats. The Fat Man is ever so delicately chalking his tip. George runs out again. Another break and run starts for George who now sees Fats unscrewing his cue and putting it back in its case.
They broke the mold when the made George. I've never known anyone like him and probably never will. The guy was witty and sharp at an age where most people can't remember what happened that morning. Also, it was super common to see he come waltzing in around 11:45 at night after driving himself there. Mind you, he was probably 90 at that time.
Here's a funny story I heard about George and Fats (Disclaimer: I have no idea if it's true as it wasn't George who told me.) So back in the day George was playing at a room in Springfield, Ohio and Fats comes in and asks if anyone wants to gamble. George agreed but Fats apparently snapped back with the accusation that George didn't have enough money to gamble with him. So, George told him to hold on a couple of minutes. He runs next door and gets a wad of cash from a bookie, comes back, and asks Fats if it's enough. They agree to play 9 ball (no idea of the bet.) George wins the break, makes a ball, starts to run out, and looks over at Fats. Fats is calmly and deliberately pulling his cue out of his case. George runs the rack, breaks again, and starts to run out again. He looks over at Fats to see him screwing his cue together. George runs out again. George breaks and starts yet another runout when, you guessed it, he looks over at Fats. The Fat Man is ever so delicately chalking his tip. George runs out again. Another break and run starts for George who now sees Fats unscrewing his cue and putting it back in its case.
They broke the mold when the made George. I've never known anyone like him and probably never will. The guy was witty and sharp at an age where most people can't remember what happened that morning. Also, it was super common to see he come waltzing in around 11:45 at night after driving himself there. Mind you, he was probably 90 at that time.
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Willis, Rood, and Lassiter were friends and considered equals as players.
Thank you for sharing that!!! It was so good to hear George's voice again!
Thanks
I'm still at it.. Havent been back to Buffalo in some time, but would love to stop by a couple of my old haunts!!
Yup, had two runs over 90 during the straight pool era, both in competition. I almost never tried for a high practice run, and was generally not inclined to continue my run if I had reached the finish line in a match.
I recall shooting a game of straight pool with Tony Robles in about 1996 at Corner Billiards in NYC just to kill some time while I waited for my friend, who wasn't expected for another couple of hours. We agreed that he'd go to 200 points and I'd go to 100. I broke and he started running balls, and then he continued running balls, and after that he kept running balls. About 80 balls into his run, a friend of mine asked me if I was playing or just watching, and I had to concede that I was playing. Unfortunately, but impressively, Tony ran 200 and out, so the only time I shot was the opening break. So much for getting some practice while I waited for my friend!
Within five years of that game, Tony won the BCA Open at the Riviera and a couple of years after that, he was on a winning American Mosconi Cup team.