I can't believe I missed this thread when it came out in 2019. "Tracy Joe" Salazar told me this story about him and Keith getting in combat. Here is a reprint of a post I made previously AzB, and I think it belongs in this thread.
Tracy Joe was quite the player on the bar box.
Here's a cute story about the two of them. A young Keith made an appointment to play the legendary Tracy Joe at a pool room that was off the beaten path.
Keith and a couple of his buddies drove out to the joint at the designated time. When they walked in, there was Tracy Joe waiting for him. The place was packed with curious onlookers wanting to sweat the match. Tracy Joe had his own fan club there in full force, too.
Before the first game, it was agreed that the post monies would be placed on top of the overhead light, a nickel each totalling a thousand bucks. It wasn't 10 crisp C-notes, though. Rather, it was a bunch of tens and twenties. I'm sure both players must have been playing on committee monies.
Tracy Joe and Keith wasted no time and began to battle. It was like one of those neck-and-neck horse races. When one of them got close to the finish line, the other one would catch up. They were tight races. Back and forth they went until the wee hours of the morning, and then Keith caught one of those infamous gears and put it in turbocharge, defeating Tracy Joe several races.
Keith and his entourage were the strangers in town and wanted to get out of there as quick as they could with the cheese. So after the last set, they didn't want to hang around and mingle. They immediately exited the premises and took off pronto.
The night sky was pitch black in the parking lot. Keith and his buddies piled in their car to begin their journey back home. Within minutes it seemed, the driver of Keith's car saw headlights behind him, coming towards their car at an extremely fast pace. The driver of Keith's car figured they were going to get robbed and started to step on it, hitting speeds of close to 100 MPH. Keith said he was frightened.
Soon the car behind them made a move on this two-lane highway and pulled up right next to their car on the left. Keith and his buddies looked in horror when they saw this car full of the bar's patrons and wondered how they were going to get out of this trap.
The driver's side window of the other car was rolled down, and there was Tracy Joe. He had a bunch of greenbacks in one hand, pointing at it with his other hand, and screamed, "Keith, you forgot the post monies on the light."
Keith's driver pulled over to the shoulder of the road. Tracy Joe walked up to Keith's car and handed him the cash. Keith's driver was relieved, as were the rest of the occupants. On the way home, they all enjoyed a good chuckle. They were so intent on leaving, thinking they could get robbed, that they forget to grab the post on top of the light, and the would-be robbers turned out to be the good guys, only wanting to do the right thing.
I see Joe from time to time today, and he always reminds me of a few cute stories from when he was hitting 'em. Today, he still hits 'em with a few buddies on the tournament trail. He likes one-pocket. I wouldn't be able to clock his speed, but I kind of think Joe likes it that way!
Before the days of the internet, Joe never liked his photo taken, I guess, so he could fly under the radar, as did most road warriors back in the day. But times have changed. Everybody who knows him respects his work integrity. At pool events I have attended, he has the most beautiful cues in his vendor booth. H's always engaged in a one-pocket match on the offs with some of the other vendors. He loves to play and sometimes engaged in a little action with his buddies. At one tournament, he fronted Keith a jump cue that Keith needed and said Keith could pay him back at the next tournament, which Keith did. He's a true friend, a gentleman, and a pool scholar.
Tracy Joe was quite the player on the bar box.
Here's a cute story about the two of them. A young Keith made an appointment to play the legendary Tracy Joe at a pool room that was off the beaten path.
Keith and a couple of his buddies drove out to the joint at the designated time. When they walked in, there was Tracy Joe waiting for him. The place was packed with curious onlookers wanting to sweat the match. Tracy Joe had his own fan club there in full force, too.
Before the first game, it was agreed that the post monies would be placed on top of the overhead light, a nickel each totalling a thousand bucks. It wasn't 10 crisp C-notes, though. Rather, it was a bunch of tens and twenties. I'm sure both players must have been playing on committee monies.
Tracy Joe and Keith wasted no time and began to battle. It was like one of those neck-and-neck horse races. When one of them got close to the finish line, the other one would catch up. They were tight races. Back and forth they went until the wee hours of the morning, and then Keith caught one of those infamous gears and put it in turbocharge, defeating Tracy Joe several races.
Keith and his entourage were the strangers in town and wanted to get out of there as quick as they could with the cheese. So after the last set, they didn't want to hang around and mingle. They immediately exited the premises and took off pronto.
The night sky was pitch black in the parking lot. Keith and his buddies piled in their car to begin their journey back home. Within minutes it seemed, the driver of Keith's car saw headlights behind him, coming towards their car at an extremely fast pace. The driver of Keith's car figured they were going to get robbed and started to step on it, hitting speeds of close to 100 MPH. Keith said he was frightened.
Soon the car behind them made a move on this two-lane highway and pulled up right next to their car on the left. Keith and his buddies looked in horror when they saw this car full of the bar's patrons and wondered how they were going to get out of this trap.
The driver's side window of the other car was rolled down, and there was Tracy Joe. He had a bunch of greenbacks in one hand, pointing at it with his other hand, and screamed, "Keith, you forgot the post monies on the light."
Keith's driver pulled over to the shoulder of the road. Tracy Joe walked up to Keith's car and handed him the cash. Keith's driver was relieved, as were the rest of the occupants. On the way home, they all enjoyed a good chuckle. They were so intent on leaving, thinking they could get robbed, that they forget to grab the post on top of the light, and the would-be robbers turned out to be the good guys, only wanting to do the right thing.
I see Joe from time to time today, and he always reminds me of a few cute stories from when he was hitting 'em. Today, he still hits 'em with a few buddies on the tournament trail. He likes one-pocket. I wouldn't be able to clock his speed, but I kind of think Joe likes it that way!
Before the days of the internet, Joe never liked his photo taken, I guess, so he could fly under the radar, as did most road warriors back in the day. But times have changed. Everybody who knows him respects his work integrity. At pool events I have attended, he has the most beautiful cues in his vendor booth. H's always engaged in a one-pocket match on the offs with some of the other vendors. He loves to play and sometimes engaged in a little action with his buddies. At one tournament, he fronted Keith a jump cue that Keith needed and said Keith could pay him back at the next tournament, which Keith did. He's a true friend, a gentleman, and a pool scholar.
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