Machine Gun Lou Butera

[jay helfert]

Jay
Thanks for your follow ups...I can better understand your reasoning & how you arrived at the conclusions you did.
Two more follow ups, if you could please...
First, how strong did Lassiter play 14.1? He is one of my all time favorirtes & I enjoy hearing other people's opinion on him. I'm under the strong impression that 14.1 was not his best game, even though he won 4 World Championships in that discipline.
Second, in my original post, I mentioned that I thought modern 14.1 specialists such as Engert are being too easily dismissed. I think he bodes well with the greats of the 70's-80's era not based on his high runs but rather on his tournament pedigree & numerous titles won. Your comments?
Thanks Jay!

Engert may well be a great 14.1 player. My point is that the fields are not nearly as deep today with strong players. Sigel and Mizerak are the two best 14.1 players of the modern era with Varner, Hopkins and Rempe not far behind.

I look at the lineups in the most recent 14.1 events and they pale in comparison to who was playing these events in the 70's. I see players today finishing in the top ten who would be near dead last in a 1970 era tourney. Like I said, ask Varner, Martin or Danny for their opinion. For all I know they will say I'm crazy, but I don't think so.

 

[sjm]

Engert may well be a great 14.1 player. My point is that the fields are not nearly as deep today with strong players. Sigel and Mizerak are the two best 14.1 players of the modern era with Varner, Hopkins and Rempe not far behind.

I look at the lineups in the most recent 14.1 events and they pale in comparison to who was playing these events in the 70's. I see players today finishing in the top ten who would be near dead last in a 1970 era tourney. Like I said, ask Varner, Martin or Danny for their opinion. For all I know they will say I'm crazy, but I don't think so.

Imagine if Engert, keen on trying his luck against the old masters, time traveled and arrived at a World Straight Pool championship in the mid to late 1970's only to learn that all of the following players were in the field:

Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak, Lou Butera, Irving Crane, Dallas West, Joe Balsis, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Moore, Larry Hubbart, Cisero Murphy, Tom Jennings, Jose Garcia, Jim Fusco, Allen Hopkins, Pete Margo, UJ Puckett, Dan DiLiberto, Jack Colavita, Dick Lane, John Ervolino, Ernie Costa.

Seriously now, how many of you think Engert could have prevailed over THIS field? By the way, if you said that thirteen of these guys are BCA Hall of Famers, you are right. Now that's tough action!

 

[sjm]

Thanks to Bob Jewett there is some renewed interest in 14.1.

Kudos to Bob Jewett, who really is a special guy who does so much for straight pool. Thank you so much, Bob.

I'd like to also note that here on the east coast, we have a guy who is doing everything in his power to keep straight pool vibrant. His name is Danny Barouty, and as most of you know, he's also a magnificent player, having finished ninth in the 2006 World Straight Pool Championships in May. Danny not only runs straight pool tournaments and leagues, but he helps many amateur players get excited about straight pool. Danny is a consummate ambassador for straight pool. For everything you do, Danny, thanks.

 

[Tin Man]

competition

Imagine if Engert, keen on trying his luck against the old masters, time traveled and arrived at a World Straight Pool championship in the mid to late 1970's only to learn that all of the following players were in the field:

Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak, Lou Butera, Irving Crane, Dallas West, Joe Balsis, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Moore, Larry Hubbart, Cisero Murphy, Tom Jennings, Jose Garcia, Jim Fusco, Allen Hopkins, Pete Margo, UJ Puckett, Dan DiLiberto, Jack Colavita, Dick Lane, John Ervolino, Ernie Costa.

Seriously now, how many of you think Engert could have prevailed over THIS field? By the way, if you said that thirteen of these guys are BCA Hall of Famers, you are right. Now that's tough action!

You're right, winning a round robin format tourney on slow nap tight pocketed cloth playing 8 ball against these guys was a breeze.............oh, did I forget the others that won qualifiers?





IPT Player Name (Last, First) Country
Acosta, Roland Aruba Aruba
Adkins, Dee USA USA
Alcaide, David Spain Spain
Alvarez, Frank USA USA
Amine, Ouahbi Morocco Morocco
Appleton, Darren United Kingdom United Kingdom
Archer, Johnny USA USA
Bartram, Chris USA USA
Basavich, Daniel USA USA
Beaufils, Yannick France France
Breedlove, George USA USA
Brienza, Paul USA USA
Broadhurst, Jackie USA USA
Bryant, Charles USA USA
Bustamante, Francisco Philippines Philippines
Butera, Lou USA USA Hall of Fame
Butera, Sal USA USA
Calderon, Jerry Venezuela Venezuela
Carter, Linda USA USA
Carvajal, Alejandro Chile Chile
Catledge, Wayne USA USA
Cernero, Michael USA USA
Chamat, Marcus Sweden Sweden
Chenman, Lee HK - China China
Chohan, Tony USA USA
Colenso, Colin China China
Corr, Karen Ireland Ireland
Crane, Wade USA USA
Czetli, Aaron USA USA
Daulton, Shannon USA USA
Davenport, Kim USA USA
Davis, Mike USA USA
Deuel, Corey USA USA
Di Liberto, Danny USA USA
Di Toro, John USA USA
Dodson, Robin USA USA Hall of Fame
Dominguez, Ernesto USA USA
Eberle, Max USA USA
Eckert, Ralph Germany Germany
Edey, Tyler Canada Canada
Ellerby, Sarah United Kingdom United Kingdom
Facquet, Vincent France France
Feijen, Niels The Netherlands The Netherlands
Fisher, Allison United Kingdom United Kingdom
Fisher, Kelly United Kingdom United Kingdom
Frank, Troy USA USA
Franken, Aaron Aruba Aruba
Friend, Bernie USA USA
Fusco, Jimmy USA USA
Fusco, Pete USA USA
Gay, Leil USA USA
Goh, Tuan Kiat Singapore Singapore
Gonzalez, Rafael Venezuela Venezuela
Groce, Brian USA USA
Gulyassy, Mike USA USA
Hall, Buddy USA USA Hall of Fame
Hann, Quinten Australia Australia
Harrison, Philip England England
Hatch, Dennis USA USA
Hill, Mick United Kingdom United Kingdom
Hofstatter, Gerda Austria Austria
Hohmann, Thorsten Germany Germany
Holtz, Patrick Scotland Scotland
Hopkins, Allen USA USA
Hundal, Raj United Kingdom England
Hunter, Bobby USA USA
Immonen, Mika Finland Finland
Incardona, William USA USA
Jahnke, Bernd Germany Germany
Jakulj, Zlatko Croatia Croatia
Jones, Loree Jon USA USA Hall of Fame
Jones, Jeremy USA USA
Jones, Sammy USA USA
Jones, Tammy USA USA
Juva, Markus Finland Finland

IPT Player Name (Last, First) Country
Keller, Ryan USA USA
Kelly, Ed USA USA Hall of Fame
Kennedy, Thomas USA USA
Kenniston, Mary USA USA
Kiamco, Warren Philippines Philippines
Klasovic, Andreja Serbia/Montenegro Serbia/Montenegro
Kutcher, John USA USA
Laurance, Ewa USA USA Hall of Fame
LeBron, Mike USA USA
Lely, Alex The Netherlands The Netherlands
Leonardo, Gunnar Aruba Aruba
Lohtander, Marko Finland Finland
Macias, John USA USA
Manabu, Mori Japan Japan
Manalo, Marlon Philippines Philippines
Martin, Ray USA USA Hall of Fame
Massey, Mike USA USA Hall of Fame
Mathews, Grady USA USA
McCready, Keith USA USA
Mckenna, Robert United Kingdom United Kingdom
Miller, Jason USA USA
Minici, Joe Australia Australia
Montal, Edwin Canada Canada
Morris, Carl United Kingdom United Kingdom
Morris, Rodney USA USA
Murphy, Austin USA USA
Orcollo, Dennis Philippines Philippines
Ortmann, Oliver Germany Germany
O'Sullivan, Ronnie United Kingdom United Kingdom
Owen, Gabe USA USA
Pagulayan, Alex Philippines Philippines
Parica, Jose Philippines Philippines
Peach, Daryl England England
Petroni, Fabio Italy Italy
Potier, Paul Canada Canada
Putnam, Shawn USA USA
Putnik, Ivica Croatia Croatia
Raney, Jim USA USA
Raybone, Neil United Kingdom United Kingdom
Reljic, David Australia Australia
Rempe, Jim USA USA Hall of Fame
Reyes, Efren Philippines Philippines Hall of Fame
Roberts, James USA USA
Robles, Tony USA USA
Runnels, Ike USA USA
Sakai, Miyuki Japan Japan
Saleh, Brian United Kingdom United Kingdom
Salvas, Luc Canada Canada
San, Souci George USA USA
Santl, Stefan Germany Germany
Schmidt, John USA USA
Schwartz, Larry USA USA
Sigel, Mike USA USA Hall of Fame
Souquet, Ralf Germany Germany
Stalev, Evgeny Russia Russia
Storm, Tom Sweden Sweden
Strickland, Earl USA USA Hall of Fame
Thornfeldt, Helena Sweden Sweden
Tourangeau, Stan Canada Canada
Townsend, Scotty USA USA
Travers, Laurent France France
Van Boening, Shane USA USA
Van den Berg, Nick The Netherlands The Netherlands
Varner, Nick USA USA Hall of Fame
Vickery, Howard USA USA
Watson, Gerry Canada Canada
Webb, Monica USA USA
West, Dallas USA USA Hall of Fame
Wetch, Jimmy USA USA
Wheeler, Adam USA USA
White, Jimmy United Kingdom United Kingdom
Williams, Charlie USA USA
Wims, John Australia Australia
Younger, Johl Australia Australia
Zimmerman, Michael USA USA

 

[sjm]

You're right, winning a round robin format tourney on slow nap tight pocketed cloth playing 8 ball against these guys was a breeze.............oh, did I forget the others that won qualifiers?

IPT Player Name (Last, First) Country
Acosta, Roland Aruba Aruba
Adkins, Dee USA USA
Alcaide, David Spain Spain
.......
Younger, Johl Australia Australia
Zimmerman, Michael USA USA

First of all, check your facts. Engert didn't win an IPT event, nor did he have a top 10 finish. He is presently ranked #31 on the IPT tour. And, yes, winning over this field of 200, which he didn't even do, would have be a far lesser accomplishment than winning in the fields that the World Straight Pool Championships routinely produced in the late 1970's.

 

[bruin70]

I would like to hear some stories about Machine Gun Lou. Here is the listing for him in the BCA hall of fame:

L,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Lou recorded a 150-ball run against Allen Hopkins in just 21 minutes in 1973. Butera has since won numerous titles.
?

i saw that match in LA. it had forever warped my perspective of 14.1

 

[Tin Man]

oops

First of all, check your facts. Engert didn't win an IPT event, nor did he have a top 10 finish. He is presently ranked #31 on the IPT tour. And, yes, winning over this field of 200, which he didn't even do, would have be a far lesser accomplishment than winning in the fields that the World Straight Pool Championships routinely produced in the late 1970's.

OK, I checked my facts. You're right. He didn't win a darn thing. I was thinking of that Hohman chap. Kind of embarrassing. All of those white boys look the same to me.

But if he did win, it would have been great. Suppose he had won all of the IPT events. That would be hard to argue against.

As for Engert travelling back in time, why does the challenger always have to give up home time advantage? Why doesn't the young "prime" Lou time travel to 2006 and try Engert some? I think that playing in your own decade is worth at least a ball and a half. IMO.

 

[Rich R.]

Damn, I've enjoyed reading this thread about one of the nicest pool players I have ever met.

Here is my contribution to this thread.

Before moving west, Lou owned a pool room in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Sometime in the late 60's, Lou was in a car accident and suffered a whiplash injury. Per doctors orders, he wore a kneck brace and he was unable to play pool for a number of months.

When he was finally released by the doctor, he came into the pool room and took a tray of balls to a tight pocketed table he used for practice, on the rare occassions that he practiced.

He racked the balls, removed the head ball and set up a break shot to begin his practice. On that day, after not playing for months, he wasn't playing very well and put the balls away, and left, after about fifteen minutes.

Lou didn't play at all for the next week or two. Then one day, he came in and again took a tray of balls to the same table for practice.

As before, he racked the balls and set up a break shot and began running balls. That day, his neck was obviously feeling better, because, by the time he missed, he had run 160. Lou just smiled, put the balls away and left.

Although I have seen Lou run 100+ balls on a number of occassions, that day, after not playing for so long, that 160 ball run has always stuck in my memory.

 

[oncepkt]

Just as another poster recounted, I met Lou in a pool supply store in S. Cal. around 12 or so years ago. He told me about a high dollar score in Chicago (I think it was.....in that neighborhood anyway) Shortly after he returned to his hotel room a couple of bent-nosed types paid him a visit. They wanted their money back! Lou told them to go pound sand (my words), but that he would play for them if they lined up a match. No sooner had he gotten back to Cal. he got a phone call. He goes back and made another score.

There was a display card on the counter that had "Lou Butera" tip tappers. I still use it.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Imagine if Engert, keen on trying his luck against the old masters, time traveled and arrived at a World Straight Pool championship in the mid to late 1970's only to learn that all of the following players were in the field:

Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak, Lou Butera, Irving Crane, Dallas West, Joe Balsis, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Moore, Larry Hubbart, Cisero Murphy, Tom Jennings, Jose Garcia, Jim Fusco, Allen Hopkins, Pete Margo, UJ Puckett, Dan DiLiberto, Jack Colavita, Dick Lane, John Ervolino, Ernie Costa.

Seriously now, how many of you think Engert could have prevailed over THIS field? By the way, if you said that thirteen of these guys are BCA Hall of Famers, you are right. Now that's tough action!

Oh SJM, how I love your posts!
The field you mentioned is a "murderer's row", to be sure. But go back another generation, another 30-40 years. Greenleaf, Taberski, Bennie Allen,Erwin Rudolph, Andrew Ponzi,Jimmy Caras, Al Coslosky, Onofrio Lauri,Willie Mosconi, Andrew St Jean, Arthur Woods, etc. What do all the greats we both mentioned have in common? They had ample tournaments to play in against each other, which in turn, honed their skill to the stuff of legend. My point is not to say that Engert would have prevailed in the field of the 70's & 80's, just that I think he is more credentialed in 14.1 than Butera. BUT...does anyone think that the likes of Engert, Souquet or Hohmann (modern 14.1 players) would be bottom feeders in the aforementioned tournaments of yore? ESPECIALLY if they had as many tournaments to compete in. It's no accident that these 3 especially are so great in 14.1...they have the German & European 14.1 tournaments every year. If we still had the World 14.1, the U.S. Open 14.1, the Eastern States 14.1, the Stardust & Johnson City 14.1's, does anyone think that todays players wouldn't be even greater still? Or does that only apply to modern day 9 ballers being competant against the stars of the 70's or 80's?
By the way, I so appreciate all of the opinions expressed here. I enjoy learning how others come to their conclusions.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Engert may well be a great 14.1 player. My point is that the fields are not nearly as deep today with strong players. Sigel and Mizerak are the two best 14.1 players of the modern era with Varner, Hopkins and Rempe not far behind.

I look at the lineups in the most recent 14.1 events and they pale in comparison to who was playing these events in the 70's. I see players today finishing in the top ten who would be near dead last in a 1970 era tourney. Like I said, ask Varner, Martin or Danny for their opinion. For all I know they will say I'm crazy, but I don't think so.

Jay
If todays players (Souquet, Hohmann, Engert, Zuglan, Immonen, Barouty, Harriman, etc) had as many 14.1 tournaments to compete in as the past greats you mentioned were able to compete in, do you think they would still be bottom feeders? I think that if they still had a yearly World Championship, a U.S. Open 14.1, the Stardust & Johnson City 14.1, etc, that they would also have picked up the nuances & skills that the past greats had. My original post on this was simply to say that I think that Engert has had so many more big 14.1 tournament victories (German & European 14.1) than Butera did. Not to say Butera wasn't a killer at money match ups, as I'm sure he was. I just think that if we can compare today's 9 ball greats with those of the 1960's -1980's, than the same arument should apply to the 14.1 players, providing all things equal. If they had to match up as is, without the bevy of tournaments to have competed in, of course the greats you & SJM have mentioned would be the heavy favorites.
I do always enjoy your stories, insights & opinions!

 

[ajrack]

In the 70's

When the players were hanging around LA during the mello winters, before the Fred Whalen World Tourneys...there used to be a $50 entry ,Winner take all, 9 ball tourney, on Washington Blvd (I think the place was called Victory Billiards?)... many of the best players would play and the 'finals' table was VERY tight. Every monday night, players from Jimmy Marino, Ronnie, Ritchie, and about anyone else you could name, would get in the event. Lou Butera won more than one event...so much for straight pool players playing 9 ball.
I even think Jay was there.

 

[sjm]

....As for Engert travelling back in time, why does the challenger always have to give up home time advantage? Why doesn't the young "prime" Lou time travel to 2006 and try Engert some? I think that playing in your own decade is worth at least a ball and a half. IMO.

Thanks for a good laugh. No doubt, if Engert showed the courtesy of time travelling back to the 70's, the old masters would surely reciprocate by making an appearance here in 2006 to try their luck against Engert. I'll bet you and I would buy tickets to that one!

 

[12squared]

Here's my one & only Lou Butera story for what it's worth:

Bert Schrager was great friends with Lou & introduced me in the late 70's. We were having a nice chat over a pool table when Lou wanted to show me what he had done in a straight pool tournament to keep his run going (may have been coming to the table after a safe?):

He placed the cueball near the rail under the almost full rack of balls between the 1st & 2nd diamond. There was one loose ball about 1 & 1/2 balls width from the bottom of the pack almost dead center of the table. The other loose ball was up table as indicated on the Wei table. Of course this is approx so please forgive me if it's not exact.

START(
%AL8N4%BG6O9%CL9O7%DK7O0%EL8Q1%FK6M7%GJ5M1%HJ2O8%Id0U8%JJ4N4
%KK7P2%LK6Q5%MJ2Q3%NM8P1%ON0N8%PD3L6%eB4a4
)END

Lou explained how he jumped the pack (with his full cue) and drew the ball back so he had a break shot on the loose ball below the pack. As I'm rolling my eyes thinking he's just telling stories, he jacked up, jumped the pack, made the ball in the corner & drew the cue ball back for position on a break shot! I thought I was dreaming. Now remember, he said he did this during a tournament.

I guess before there was Earl who could jump like g-d with a full cue (and he can), there was Lou. It was awesome! He is the nicest man & a great player. I agree with Jay, I also believe he was one of the greats of the game.

Dave

 

[jay helfert]

When the players were hanging around LA during the mello winters, before the Fred Whalen World Tourneys...there used to be a $50 entry ,Winner take all, 9 ball tourney, on Washington Blvd (I think the place was called Victory Billiards?)... many of the best players would play and the 'finals' table was VERY tight. Every monday night, players from Jimmy Marino, Ronnie, Ritchie, and about anyone else you could name, would get in the event. Lou Butera won more than one event...so much for straight pool players playing 9 ball.
I even think Jay was there.

Yes, I was there racking balls. I wouldn't dare play in that event. They would usually get 8-12 players. Lou and Richie won it more than anyone else.

 

[jay helfert]

Jay
If todays players (Souquet, Hohmann, Engert, Zuglan, Immonen, Barouty, Harriman, etc) had as many 14.1 tournaments to compete in as the past greats you mentioned were able to compete in, do you think they would still be bottom feeders? I think that if they still had a yearly World Championship, a U.S. Open 14.1, the Stardust & Johnson City 14.1, etc, that they would also have picked up the nuances & skills that the past greats had. My original post on this was simply to say that I think that Engert has had so many more big 14.1 tournament victories (German & European 14.1) than Butera did. Not to say Butera wasn't a killer at money match ups, as I'm sure he was. I just think that if we can compare today's 9 ball greats with those of the 1960's -1980's, than the same arument should apply to the 14.1 players, providing all things equal. If they had to match up as is, without the bevy of tournaments to have competed in, of course the greats you & SJM have mentioned would be the heavy favorites.
I do always enjoy your stories, insights & opinions!

You know Terry, in hindsight I may be too tough on today's players. On the current equipment, they probably play as good as any of the old timers. In the old days, the better players had the more powerful strokes. It took some power to move the Cue ball around and break balls out. Nowadays a powerful stroke doesn't mean much. It's more about a soft touch and accurate shotmaking.

I'm sure that if an old time great like Lassiter had to play on Simoniz cloth, he would need a period of adjustment. And like Sigel said, his great skills might not show up as much. Straight Pool was still a frequently played game in the 60's and 70's (although rarely for money), and all the top players knew the game. In those days, if you could run 100 balls, you were a top player. Today, everyone runs a 100. It's just not the same.

In some ways Pool may have been better back then. I do wish we could go back to a slower heavier nap cloth. Notice how on the IPT only the truly great players made it thru to the final rounds. This was a testament to the more difficult playing conditions.

 

[jay helfert]

Here's my one & only Lou Butera story for what it's worth:

Bert Schrager was great friends with Lou & introduced me in the late 70's. We were having a nice chat over a pool table when Lou wanted to show me what he had done in a straight pool tournament to keep his run going (may have been coming to the table after a safe?):

He placed the cueball near the rail under the almost full rack of balls between the 1st & 2nd diamond. There was one loose ball about 1 & 1/2 balls width from the bottom of the pack almost dead center of the table. The other loose ball was up table as indicated on the Wei table. Of course this is approx so please forgive me if it's not exact.

START(
%AL8N4%BG6O9%CL9O7%DK7O0%EL8Q1%FK6M7%GJ5M1%HJ2O8%Id0U8%JJ4N4
%KK7P2%LK6Q5%MJ2Q3%NM8P1%ON0N8%PD3L6%eB4a4
)END

Lou explained how he jumped the pack (with his full cue) and drew the ball back so he had a break shot on the loose ball below the pack. As I'm rolling my eyes thinking he's just telling stories, he jacked up, jumped the pack, made the ball in the corner & drew the cue ball back for position on a break shot! I thought I was dreaming. Now remember, he said he did this during a tournament.

I guess before there was Earl who could jump like g-d with a full cue (and he can), there was Lou. It was awesome! He is the nicest man & a great player. I agree with Jay, I also believe he was one of the greats of the game.

Dave

Dave,

Reminds me of a similar story, even more dramatic. I was visiting Snookers in Tallahassee back in 1996. It was owned by my friend Larry Knox. He was helping out an old time player named Howard Barrett, who used to be a top roadman in the 60's. Howard was now an old man, maybe 80 years old and in bad health. He kept an oxygen tank by his side, and just hung around and fixed tips for players.

I was there several days and never saw Howard pick up a cue. John Amis (a great Banker) and I were kibbutzing at Banks, and trying difficult shots. John set up the shot with the object ball on the side rail and the Cue ball a foot below it and just off the rail. The idea is to bank the ball off the other end rail and back into the corner. A very hard shot. We both tried it several times with no luck.

Howard says we're not shooting it right. He slowly stands up, borrows my cue, and says "You've got to hit it like this". He puts my cue in his massive hands and slowly gets down on the shot. He frams the shot about 100mph straight back into the pocket, hands me my cue and sits back down. I almost fell to my knees.

I think Howard has passed since then.

 

[ChrisOnline]

Damn, I've enjoyed reading this thread about one of the nicest pool players I have ever met.

Here is my contribution to this thread.

Before moving west, Lou owned a pool room in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Sometime in the late 60's, Lou was in a car accident and suffered a whiplash injury. Per doctors orders, he wore a kneck brace and he was unable to play pool for a number of months.

I live 2 minutes from where his pool room was.. i am only 31 so i never got the chance to go there.. it was long closed before i started playing pool.. heck.. it was probably closed before i was born...

i always here stories from the older players in the pool room talking about the days at his Lou's pool room.. i cant remember any of them.. but i can imagine what it was like..

chris

 

[Luv2RunOut1]

I know we are talking about 14.1, however lets flip the topic, could this list of guys:
Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak, Lou Butera, Irving Crane, Dallas West, Joe Balsis, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Moore, Larry Hubbart, Cisero Murphy, Tom Jennings, Jose Garcia, Jim Fusco, Allen Hopkins, Pete Margo, UJ Puckett, Dan DiLiberto, Jack Colavita, Dick Lane, John Ervolino, Ernie Costa.
Compete at the WPC and win? Remember the international scene in the 9 ball discipline in my mind was like the straight pool scence back then. These guys all competed against each other over and over, I could be wrong but I dont see too many guys that arent from the US in that group. And look at what the international scene has done. The United States doesn't have the "stranglehold" it does on pool anymore, in any discipline. So my point is if today you made straight pool the number one game that the international field was playing you wouldn't see these guys names over and over and over. The pool of play would be much larger. Of course we will never know. To give an analogy. Before they let African Americans play baseball "all" the greats were white. So I believe that the discussion needs to be made broader to include the international guys.

 

[Rich R.]

I live 2 minutes from where his pool room was.. i am only 31 so i never got the chance to go there.. it was long closed before i started playing pool.. heck.. it was probably closed before i was born...

i always here stories from the older players in the pool room talking about the days at his Lou's pool room.. i cant remember any of them.. but i can imagine what it was like..

chris

Chris, Lou's room was closed before you were born, or shortly thereafter. It wasn't fancy, but it was a great place to be.

Have you tried the new room on Public Square?
What do you think of it?