Lou Buterra
- Thread starter Cdryden
- Start date
Afew weeks ago I asked hs son, Sal, how he was doing. Sal said he's 75 years old but doing fine. He didn't elaborate beyond that.
I was playing in one of my first tournaments and Mr Butera was sitting in the stands watching all the matches. He was on the winners side and done for the day. I was having trouble with my cue it was so sticky and I had also mis-cued a few times. After the match, that I had somehow won, he came over and asked to see my cue. He proceeded to fix my tip and had some stuff to clean up my shaft in his pocket. I knew who he was but he didn't know me from a hole in the ground. Quite a contrast from some players today who would not give you the time of day or sign an autograph.
I met Lou in Vegas the week he was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame. I asked for his autograph, and told him how much I loved his straight pool game. I told him I had seen him play in a Pittsburgh 14.1 event in the mid-70's. An obviously aged Lou immediately smiled a HUGE smile, and said, "Ahhhh, back then I could REALLY play." Just the memory of how he used to play gave him the greatest pleasure - you could tell he really loved the game.
I saw him again this year at the US Bar Tables in Reno. Instead of watching the featured match, he decided to watch me play another no-name on one of the regular tables. He sat through the entire match, then came up to me at the end, and complimented me on a shot I had made in the middle of the match (breaking a cluster with a weird carom/combo just so, with an insurance ball to run out a rack when I probably should have played safe) - he said, "hey, you must be a straight pool player; you don't see those shots around here much." Probably the biggest compliment I have ever received. Why he took the time to watch my match I will never know; but it was really cool.
Lou has always been one of my pool heroes; deserving of everyone's respect.
I saw him again this year at the US Bar Tables in Reno. Instead of watching the featured match, he decided to watch me play another no-name on one of the regular tables. He sat through the entire match, then came up to me at the end, and complimented me on a shot I had made in the middle of the match (breaking a cluster with a weird carom/combo just so, with an insurance ball to run out a rack when I probably should have played safe) - he said, "hey, you must be a straight pool player; you don't see those shots around here much." Probably the biggest compliment I have ever received. Why he took the time to watch my match I will never know; but it was really cool.
Lou has always been one of my pool heroes; deserving of everyone's respect.
Lou playing straight pool, in his prime, was like a ballerina dancing around the stage. There has never been anything more beautiful in the pool world.