My extended family is very LDS. My grandfather apparently did a fair bit of hustling with a pool cue over his life. This was shunned because of the association with alcohol and drinking, I had no idea at all until I was 19 and I told my grandfather how much I loved the game.
Here's what happened:
When I told him I shot pool he told me enough facts about his days that I was super excited and enthused to know more. He gave me his pool cue, which obviously made my day. Had I known that would be my one and only chance to talk pool with him I would have bugged him for stories till the sun came home right then and there. My Grandmother came unglued when she found out he gave me his cue, for her sake he never told me any more stories or anything about it all the way until he died, even getting a little surly when I tried asking again
Here's what I know: He learned to play billiards shooting at Graneys in California. Welker Cochrane took him under his wing as a lad and showed him the ropes. As a 3 cushion player my grandfather was supposedly outstanding, 27 in a row was his best run ever (he mentioned that it was important to point out that they were gambling & racing to 10, so the balls were re racked at 10&20 pts). He said he squared off with Willie Hoppe several times and learned a few things, but also that Willie was pretty surly most the time and he didn't care for him much.
That's it... pretty lame find out gramps can run the balls and then never get to hear any more about it.
He did tell me one good hustler story, I'll post in another comment below.
That being said, what say you AZ? Anyone ever hear of the guy? Nicknames, random tidbits, maybe he wasn't very good and you beat him!? I don't really know what I'm looking for here bit it has been eating at me, figured I'd give it a shot.
My grandfather said that the cue was a gift from meucci, don't know much about it other than that. Anyone who has any ideas about whether or not it is ivory, or what it may be worth, whatever, love to hear anything you all have to offer about it.
Here's what happened:
When I told him I shot pool he told me enough facts about his days that I was super excited and enthused to know more. He gave me his pool cue, which obviously made my day. Had I known that would be my one and only chance to talk pool with him I would have bugged him for stories till the sun came home right then and there. My Grandmother came unglued when she found out he gave me his cue, for her sake he never told me any more stories or anything about it all the way until he died, even getting a little surly when I tried asking again
Here's what I know: He learned to play billiards shooting at Graneys in California. Welker Cochrane took him under his wing as a lad and showed him the ropes. As a 3 cushion player my grandfather was supposedly outstanding, 27 in a row was his best run ever (he mentioned that it was important to point out that they were gambling & racing to 10, so the balls were re racked at 10&20 pts). He said he squared off with Willie Hoppe several times and learned a few things, but also that Willie was pretty surly most the time and he didn't care for him much.
That's it... pretty lame find out gramps can run the balls and then never get to hear any more about it.
He did tell me one good hustler story, I'll post in another comment below.
That being said, what say you AZ? Anyone ever hear of the guy? Nicknames, random tidbits, maybe he wasn't very good and you beat him!? I don't really know what I'm looking for here bit it has been eating at me, figured I'd give it a shot.
My grandfather said that the cue was a gift from meucci, don't know much about it other than that. Anyone who has any ideas about whether or not it is ivory, or what it may be worth, whatever, love to hear anything you all have to offer about it.