Louie Roberts / Keith McCready - Good Stuff!

Kickin' Chicken

Kickin' Chicken

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From former road player Bobby Hunt; he said he heard Keith and Louie got into a game and Keith broke and ran the set. Louie quietly unscrewed and was walking away when Keith yelled over to him "wait, come back, we can adjust."

Louie replied "I'd be embarrassed to ask for what I need and afraid that you might give it to me." :thumbup:

best,
brian kc
 
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Kickin' Chicken said:
From former road player Bobby Hunt; he said he heard Keith and Louie got into a game and Keith broke and ran the set. Louie quietly unscrewed and was walking away when Keith yelled over to him "wait, come back, we can adjust."

Louie replied "I'd be embarrassed to ask for what I need and afraid that you might give it to me." :thumbup:

best,
brian kc
Click to expand...

Hahahaha! I know a few Keith stories with Louie. I'll have to get Keith to post 'em.

There's a book coming out about Louie Roberts. It might already be out. A guy in Missouri wrote it.
 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5G13l_W_UI4

Old footage of Louie I found.

Side note, back in the 90’s, my buddie and I played on the US Open 9 ball in St Charles Illinois. Second round, my buddy ran into a buzz saw named Louie Roberts, who I watched as he dismantled my friend 11-0 in about 20 minutes. My friend payed accustats to record the match (think it cost ten bucks to get a vhs of your match). I joked with my buddy that it was a waste of a tape. I would love to watch that today.
 
i have no idea how louie woud play keith,but i did see louie play some beautiful pool

last time i was with him,right before the end,he was in a pool room in dalllas where
he was buying guitars at a national show

he was with a buyer stake horse and we ended up winning his money while louie never got to play

i never heard of louie breaking down or even asking for a spot

i am told he ran 125 including calling a ball on the break,and that is a record that may never be broken since every one else breaks safe

that feat personified st louie louie in my mind

i really don't know how much better keith was than louie,seeing them play at different times
and not really being able to judge speeds of great players

it would be very interesting to at least read how the players i admired stacked up

here is my guesstimate
1 buddy hall,nick varner,sigel,eddie taylor,eddie kelly



2 billy incardona,keith,wimpy

3 louie, train, help me with this name...Grg Stevens

i played him golf,won the money,took him out for pizza and gave him all
his money back to get him started in business in withita,ks where he settled into a normal life
owned a pool room ,not allowing gambling from what i hear

after i won all his money on golf course,we ate and stopped at the pool room
he took an hour showing me shots and having a good time,he never asked for a return of his money

he was just so nice and friendly that i volunteered

now i am having memory failure for his name

i can not remember all the names and only mention the guys
that i played or bet on or against not including the filipino greats
who might be better than all the rest

pre 1980 is where my heart lies

i would love to hear a knowledgeable ranking

from jam and keith or billy

keith was so very much fun to watch,he was everything i wasn't,cool to the point of
absurdity,confident.loose as a goose both in attitude carriage and stroke

i have heard that a few on my list were better,but i wonder how you can tell
when most of his opponents were hard to distinguish from the spectators

i always thought keith wasn't trying hard until i decided he was just born to play,
you and I don't concentrate on walking or talking,keith is at home with pool
in that same way

my pick for the greatest is still nick,but i am guessing
 
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we have a winner

Greg Stevens

I recently met an older pool player nick named "scroothem"

Played a lot of pool back in the day,Jersey Red,Greg Stevens and
a lot more

He things Greg was the best ever

Anyone ever heard of Scrootchem ?
 
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JAM said:
Hahahaha! I know a few Keith stories with Louie. I'll have to get Keith to post 'em.

There's a book coming out about Louie Roberts. It might already be out. A guy in Missouri wrote it.
Click to expand...

Book ..."Have Pool Cue Will Travel" by Mark O'Brien.


"St. Louie" Louie Roberts: Pool God and Immortal Shotmaker

by Mike Burch, with quotes and anecdotes by pool insiders

I am currently editing the book Have Pool Cue Will Travel by Mark O'Brien. The book is primarily about the exploits of the incomparable St. Louie Louie Roberts, but it also involves other colorful pool characters. If you have anything to share, or see anything here that seems incorrect, please let me know by emailing me at mikerburch@gmail.com. One thing we are trying to get right, or as right as possible, is what happened the night Louie died. I think there are serious doubts about it being a suicide, for reasons explained on this page. If you have anything to share, please feel free to email me.

continue reading at link:

http://www.thehypertexts.com/St. Louis Louie Roberts Pool Billiards.htm
 
You mean scrotum.

deanoc said:
we have a winner

Greg Stevens

I recently man an older pool player nick named "scroothem"

Played a lot of pool back in the day,Jersey Red,Greg Stevens and
a lot more

He things Greg was the best ever

Anyone ever heard of Scrootchem ?
Click to expand...
 
JAM said:
Hahahaha! I know a few Keith stories with Louie. I'll have to get Keith to post 'em.

There's a book coming out about Louie Roberts. It might already be out. A guy in Missouri wrote it.
Click to expand...

Book isn't out yet -- about 1/2 of it has been edited. Full of Louie and other pool/gambling stories.
 
Kobachi said:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5G13l_W_UI4

Old footage of Louie I found.

Side note, back in the 90’s, my buddie and I played on the US Open 9 ball in St Charles Illinois. Second round, my buddy ran into a buzz saw named Louie Roberts, who I watched as he dismantled my friend 11-0 in about 20 minutes. My friend payed accustats to record the match (think it cost ten bucks to get a vhs of your match). I joked with my buddy that it was a waste of a tape. I would love to watch that today.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this. It brings back a lot of memories of times I spent with Louie and Danny Medina, two old road buddies of mine. At the time I didn't know how lucky I was to be hanging out with guys like this, and Keith and Ronnie and so many more. Now all I have is my memories, some good and some not so good, but all memorable.

Louie died in Phoenix in January, 1991 under suspicious circumstances. Danny never fully recovered from a severe beating he took during a late night mugging in downtown Las Vegas. He died several years ago. Somehow I'm still here and I had my share of close calls as well. I look back on some of the spots I put myself in and how I handled some bad situations and realize I'm lucky to have survived. It feels like I'm in my second life now with a wonderful young wife, good finances and no real pressure to make money. Every day is a gift and I know it!
 
billiardshot said:
Book ..."Have Pool Cue Will Travel" by Mark O'Brien.


"St. Louie" Louie Roberts: Pool God and Immortal Shotmaker

by Mike Burch, with quotes and anecdotes by pool insiders

I am currently editing the book Have Pool Cue Will Travel by Mark O'Brien. The book is primarily about the exploits of the incomparable St. Louie Louie Roberts, but it also involves other colorful pool characters. If you have anything to share, or see anything here that seems incorrect, please let me know by emailing me at mikerburch@gmail.com. One thing we are trying to get right, or as right as possible, is what happened the night Louie died. I think there are serious doubts about it being a suicide, for reasons explained on this page. If you have anything to share, please feel free to email me.

continue reading at link:

http://www.thehypertexts.com/St. Louis Louie Roberts Pool Billiards.htm
Click to expand...

Is that the correct e-mail address? I think it might be mikeburch@gmail.com.
 
deanoc said:
i have no idea how louie woud play keith,but i did see louie play some beautiful pool

last time i was with him,right before the end,he was in a pool room in dalllas where
he was buying guitars at a national show

he was with a buyer stake horse and we ended up winning his money while louie never got to play

i never heard of louie breaking down or even asking for a spot

i am told he ran 125 including calling a ball on the break,and that is a record that may never be broken since every one else breaks safe

that feat personified st louie louie in my mind

i really don't know how much better keith was than louie,seeing them play at different times
and not really being able to judge speeds of great players

it would be very interesting to at least read how the players i admired stacked up

here is my guesstimate
1 buddy hall,nick varner,sigel,eddie taylor,eddie kelly



2 billy incardona,keith,wimpy

3 louie, train, help me with this name...Grg Stevens

i played him golf,won the money,took him out for pizza and gave him all
his money back to get him started in business in withita,ks where he settled into a normal life
owned a pool room ,not allowing gambling from what i hear

after i won all his money on golf course,we ate and stopped at the pool room
he took an hour showing me shots and having a good time,he never asked for a return of his money

he was just so nice and friendly that i volunteered

now i am having memory failure for his name

i can not remember all the names and only mention the guys
that i played or bet on or against not including the filipino greats
who might be better than all the rest

pre 1980 is where my heart lies

i would love to hear a knowledgeable ranking

from jam and keith or billy

keith was so very much fun to watch,he was everything i wasn't,cool to the point of
absurdity,confident.loose as a goose both in attitude carriage and stroke

i have heard that a few on my list were better,but i wonder how you can tell
when most of his opponents were hard to distinguish from the spectators

i always thought keith wasn't trying hard until i decided he was just born to play,
you and I don't concentrate on walking or talking,keith is at home with pool
in that same way

my pick for the greatest is still nick,but i am guessing
Click to expand...

Everybody was a little afraid of Keith. When he was on, he was in a different world. He made every shot look like a hanger. No one wanted to draw Keith in a tournament. Their best hope was that he would either show up drunk without any sleep or not show up at all, which often was the case.

Louie shot straighter than anyone who ever held a cue. He could see and hit the edge of the ball with precision like no one else. He was also prone to some bad habits that could affect his performance. He busted a lot of poolrooms only to give it all back to some bum who he tried to give too much weight to when he was exhausted. Louie didn't like to go home with all the money. That was his problem. I learned early on that after we made a score to get my end and go back to the room. He would show up in the morning broke more often than not. He always had a sad story to tell me, but I loved the guy anyway.
 
jay helfert said:
Everybody was a little afraid of Keith. When he was on, he was in a different world. He made every shot look like a hanger. No one wanted to draw Keith in a tournament. Their best hope was that he would either show up drunk without any sleep or not show up at all, which often was the case.

Louie shot straighter than anyone who ever held a cue. He could see and hit the edge of the ball with precision like no one else. He was also prone to some bad habits that could affect his performance. He busted a lot of poolrooms only to give it all back to some bum who he tried to give too much weight to when he was exhausted. Louie didn't like to go home with all the money. That was his problem. I learned early on that after we made a score to get my end and go back to the room. He would show up in the morning broke more often than not. He always had a sad story to tell me, but I loved the guy anyway.
Click to expand...


These are the stories that make AZ great!! "Louie shot straighter than anyone who ever held a cue." wow that's strong!! Wish there was more video on these guys when they were right!!!! Thanks
 
deanoc said:
i have no idea how louie woud play keith,but i did see louie play some beautiful pool

last time i was with him,right before the end,he was in a pool room in dalllas where
he was buying guitars at a national show

he was with a buyer stake horse and we ended up winning his money while louie never got to play

i never heard of louie breaking down or even asking for a spot

i am told he ran 125 including calling a ball on the break,and that is a record that may never be broken since every one else breaks safe

that feat personified st louie louie in my mind

i really don't know how much better keith was than louie,seeing them play at different times
and not really being able to judge speeds of great players

it would be very interesting to at least read how the players i admired stacked up

here is my guesstimate
1 buddy hall,nick varner,sigel,eddie taylor,eddie kelly



2 billy incardona,keith,wimpy

3 louie, train, help me with this name...Grg Stevens

i played him golf,won the money,took him out for pizza and gave him all
his money back to get him started in business in withita,ks where he settled into a normal life
owned a pool room ,not allowing gambling from what i hear

after i won all his money on golf course,we ate and stopped at the pool room
he took an hour showing me shots and having a good time,he never asked for a return of his money

he was just so nice and friendly that i volunteered

now i am having memory failure for his name

i can not remember all the names and only mention the guys
that i played or bet on or against not including the filipino greats
who might be better than all the rest

pre 1980 is where my heart lies

i would love to hear a knowledgeable ranking

from jam and keith or billy
————————————————————————————
keith was so very much fun to watch,he was everything i wasn't,cool to the point of
absurdity,confident.loose as a goose both in attitude carriage and stroke

i have heard that a few on my list were better,but i wonder how you can tell
when most of his opponents were hard to distinguish from the spectators

i always thought keith wasn't trying hard until i decided he was just born to play,
you and I don't concentrate on walking or talking,keith is at home with pool
in that same way
—————————————————————————————
my pick for the greatest is still nick,but i am guessing
Click to expand...

Can’t say it much better than that...:bow-down:
 
ipoppa33 said:
These are the stories that make AZ great!! "Louie shot straighter than anyone who ever held a cue." wow that's strong!! Wish there was more video on these guys when they were right!!!! Thanks
Click to expand...

I moved away from St Louis to get away from the crime but I lived there for 40 years. The old timers in and around St Louis will tell you the same thing about Louie when he was right.

The downside was most people wouldn't play him unless he gave up a ton of weight because everybody knew him.

If you want to see a little more of Louie this is an old video of Louie playing a road player at Cue and Cushion in St Louis. I think Gary Seville is from Kansas City. Nickname Sailor. Part one of three. Pretty sure Louie walked away with the cash.

Early in the video Louie introduced Bill Hendricks who wrote a book about the history of pool. Bill was a 200 ball runner who flew under the radar and told me he didn't own a television. No electronics. His hobby was pool.

https://vimeo.com/28806145
 
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alstl said:
I moved away from St Louis to get away from the crime but I lived there for 40 years. The old timers in and around St Louis will tell you the same thing about Louie when he was right.

The downside was most people wouldn't play him unless he gave up a ton of weight because everybody knew him.

If you want to see a little more of Louie this is an old video of Louie playing a road player at Cue and Cushion in St Louis. I think Gary Seville is from Kansas City. Nickname Sailor. Part one of three. Pretty sure Louie walked away with the cash.

Early in the video Louie introduced Bill Hendricks who wrote a book about the history of pool. Bill was a 200 ball runner who flew under the radar and told me he didn't own a television. No electronics. His hobby was pool.

https://vimeo.com/28806145
Click to expand...

Love that video. Gives you a small glimpse of who he was, a bigger than life personality. No one could really ever say anything bad about Louie since he always told the truth, or at least what was true for him. He was actually well mannered and very polite to people, no matter their station in life.

I loved him when he was sober and didn't like being around him when he was drunk. He was a crazy drunk, liable to do anything at any time. The last real knock down brawl I ever had was with him the night he punched his GF in the face when she tried to leave our hotel room. Even drunk he was a handful (Louie was wiry and athletic) and we fought for a long time before I pinned him down on the bed until he fell asleep. I think the whole story is in my first book somewhere.

There's a lot more I could tell you about Louie, but that will have to wait for another time. Let's just say he was an unforgettable character. Yes, he was also a great pool player who had no fear of anyone.
 
jay helfert said:
Thanks for posting this. It brings back a lot of memories of times I spent with Louie and Danny Medina, two old road buddies of mine. At the time I didn't know how lucky I was to be hanging out with guys like this, and Keith and Ronnie and so many more. Now all I have is my memories, some good and some not so good, but all memorable.

Louie died in Phoenix in January, 1991 under suspicious circumstances. Danny never fully recovered from a severe beating he took during a late night mugging in downtown Las Vegas. He died several years ago. Somehow I'm still here and I had my share of close calls as well. I look back on some of the spots I put myself in and how I handled some bad situations and realize I'm lucky to have survived. It feels like I'm in my second life now with a wonderful young wife, good finances and no real pressure to make money. Every day is a gift and I know it!
Click to expand...

I think your story is a good one. I also think it's common.

Most everyone that paid attention to life before it was to late, ended up being in the same spot we're in:

Happy in and for many reasons
Financially sound

Jeff
 
I read Earl's opinion of the best 9-ball players once, and he had Louie and Wimpy on it. A few others also, but I'm not remembering the others. He did leave himself off the list, iirc.
 
Louie Roberts

The man was a sensational player.
Of course some of the big shot "experts" would comment..........."but, but, but, he dropped his elbow". (yet not a one of them would've got near him for the gelt)
:thumbup2:
 
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