Memories of the late 80's Seattle scene/211 Club (Long)

[gregcantrall]

Wow Roger, OMG I am so happy to see a post from you.
Vince and Liela were both a treasure to know.
At one of the Sands Reno tournament around uh? 86...I was walking past the blackjack table Vince was seated at. I must have looked uh down, as Vince turned and handed me a $50 chip with a smile.
The "this could be a long story" is appropriate
So uh 6 months or a year later, we were passing through Fife on finals Sunday at the White Spot.
We stopped in to sweat the final day with 6 remaining. I see Race Track Rick(Hodge) and inquire as to the betting line, as I am packing a little recreational funds.
Rick tells me that J D is hitting them good. With Portland well represented the final 6 was ......uh killers row. what the heck I offered J D against the field for $50. I had 3 takers and Vince was calling up the "loan". J D won.
Vince picked up the other 2 markers when Cole borrowed $300 against his cue and rig....3 times in Kelso Longview team event.and still walking out with his cue slung. Vince rode with Jackie and I drove Cole in his truck back to the truck stop in Fife. As we loaded up Vince says, "Western Union in Fife " as soon as the door closed, Cole said "forget Western Union let's find a bar. I only asked for the money. I don't know if it will be there."
It was there to the tune of a thousand. Cole paid the tab at breakfast and the loan.

 

[maha]

i hit there and most of the bars from around the early 1970's and up a ways. i was smart and never played anyone good that could kill my action and i always had plenty. i played that one handed player one time he gave me a big spot and we played jacked up. i tortured him for a few hundred before i lost him. it wasnt worth it.
only dan was about the only person i remember his name as i interacted with him some on side betting. for me the best action was in the bars in the pacific northwest, as it was so easy to get games from 10 bucks up to 50 against players that never made more than 4 in a row.
guys up that way in those days. fly boy. detroit whitey, tacoma whitey, dan louie, harry, stuttering rich geiler who hated that name so had people call him rich the hat., cole came around. who i was friends with. monk as well.

best non top pro was dave rhodes from portland but he died young.

and with side betting you could clean out the whole bar and leave as a friend to the crew you just beat. it was a different world up there as opposed to down south or even the northeast.
i had times side betting ten to twenty people from 5 to 20 bucks a game. and had no idea who i had bets with or how much. they all paid and told the truth what the bet was. honor system.

 

[smiling_Hans]

Thank you guys for sharing as we are getting further and further from them golden eras.

 

[gregcantrall]

Love it Greg! Had known Vince and Lila since 1971. We recently lost them both. Did not know the history behind them. Vince changed my life. He loaned me the money to buy my first metal lathe in 1983. Still using it. RIP Vince and Lila. You are both greatly missed. Your friend, Roger

Hey Roger, I am pretty sure you have a story or 2 that would be "on topic". The interview wih Vince has sent me down the dimmliy lit memory lane or perhaps back alley.

 

[maha]

the casino doesnt have 50 dollar chips.

 

[gregcantrall]

the casino doesnt have 50 dollar chips.

Not sure of the denomination as it was close to 40 years ago. was it two $25 chips? Must have been. It has been that long since I sat at a casino blackjack table.
Cole did tell me a few casino stories when I was his driver. Probably started with there wasn't a casino in Nevada that he could gamble at. Cole was on camera falling backwards when he leaned his stool back on the two legs and Stolies inhibitions caused him tilt. With an ace in each palm presentation to the camera as he raised his hands to regain balance.

 

[maha]

i k new cole well for many years and even introduced him to his wife.

 

[gregcantrall]

In all my migration around the northwest, I couldn't find a hole in the wall tavern that didn't experience Cole.
With my experience as a cab driver shrink. kind of like a confession all session in the hour and a half drive. I gained valuable insights into survival.

 

[maha]

cole always blew off any money he had so he was always working to get some more by hook or by crook.

 

[gregcantrall]

fly boy. detroit whitey, tacoma whitey, dan louie, harry, stuttering rich geiler

Fly Boy is a name that I have a special affinity to. I also have knowledge of Dan Louie and Rich Geiler. With Harry Platis one pocket high on my list if observation. Shrug
Flyboy stopped in on Sunday Finals. I was at the bar getting a beverage between racks in the finals. His enquiry had me explaining 9 ball to this uh older gentleman. As soon as I paused for a breath....he introduced himself. Oooops I had heard legendary stories of the B-52 tail gunner. Forced into "on call" with a pool table. What a job.

 

[maha]

he was stationed at the air force base there. i used to hustle at the red roof pub there in tacoma. lot of enlisted played and there was full action on the bar table. one day i was beating everyone as usual and this new guy got on and asked to play for more than usual. like 50 i think. we played and i hooked him and he jumped over the ball and pocketed one. and ran out. first time i ever saw that. with the big ball as well. and of course it was the last game i ever played with him.

 

[gregcantrall]

he was stationed at the air force base there. i used to hustle at the red roof pub there in tacoma. lot of enlisted played and there was full action on the bar table. one day i was beating everyone as usual and this new guy got on and asked to play for more than usual. like 50 i think. we played and i hooked him and he jumped over the ball and pocketed one. and ran out. first time i ever saw that. with the big ball as well. and of course it was the last game i ever played with him.

The Red Roof was where I won my first pool tournament in the early 80s.
One night at the South Hill Saloon we had a stranger get in our quarter and 50 cent 9 ball game. When he entered we offered to play 1 and 2. He declined then the first rack he jumped a full ball with the punkin cueball at a foot. He made the shot and ran out. He was then ready to play for 1 and 2. His name was Doug Medina, Denny Medina's cousin .

 

[maha]

it was awhile back but i saw you at lincoln city playing. i think you did well that year.

 

[gregcantrall]

it was awhile back but i saw you at lincoln city playing. i think you did well that year.

2012 was the year I won the Senior division 9 ball. In 2015 I won the Seniors 8 ball. Each win kicked me to the A division for 1 year. After the 2015 victory I placed 4th in the A division 9 ball that kicked me up to the Masters... My only good performance in the Masters was playing 8 ball race to 6 vs Ken Dodd. He had just dropped from the Grand Master division. Kind of proud of that hill/hill victory.
We always thought of the Lincoln City events as a vacation that we enjoyed. The money won offset the cost a little.

 

[jay helfert]

i hit there and most of the bars from around the early 1970's and up a ways. i was smart and never played anyone good that could kill my action and i always had plenty. i played that one handed player one time he gave me a big spot and we played jacked up. i tortured him for a few hundred before i lost him. it wasnt worth it.
only dan was about the only person i remember his name as i interacted with him some on side betting. for me the best action was in the bars in the pacific northwest, as it was so easy to get games from 10 bucks up to 50 against players that never made more than 4 in a row.
guys up that way in those days. fly boy. detroit whitey, tacoma whitey, dan louie, harry, stuttering rich geiler who hated that name so had people call him rich the hat., cole came around. who i was friends with. monk as well.

best non top pro was dave rhodes from portland but he died young.

and with side betting you could clean out the whole bar and leave as a friend to the crew you just beat. it was a different world up there as opposed to down south or even the northeast.
i had times side betting ten to twenty people from 5 to 20 bucks a game. and had no idea who i had bets with or how much. they all paid and told the truth what the bet was. honor system.

Brings back good memories for me. I knew all
those guys and played with several of them.
Many times with Flyboy and a few times with Cole and Monk. Even played Dan Louie in the Dayton tourney and won!

I loved the 8’ bar tables they had all over the Northwest. Felt more like big table pool. You forgot Mike Zimmerman and Harry Platis. Mike played everybody (me included) and played tough for the money. Harry was the first guy I ever played a 1,000 a game with (One Pocket). David Rhodes may have been the second best player up there after Dan Louie. Oops I forgot Tacoma Whitey, the biggest and best money player of them all!

By the way, it’s beautiful country up there. Olympia National Park is our country’s only rain forest and the San Juan Islands are all cool places to visit. I stayed several days on Whidby Island, right on the water. Gorgeous and so tranquil!

 

[gregcantrall]

His name was Doug Medina, Denny Medina's cousin

He had some Good weed and Great road stories. At 1 and 2 I got a cheap lesson.
He said Bobby McDonald didn't miss a ball for a week and a half. Either made a ball or played a lock up safety.
Watch ing Dan Louie in the 80s was educational, for sure. Twice in the finals he overcame a 6-0 deficit going to 7. Bar table 9 ball.
A few times after the tournament (White Spot) Rich and Danny matched up on the 9 foot gold crown. For in the range of 500 . The first 3 times Danny gave Rich the 8 and prevailed. The last that I saw was when Danny declined the game and Rich offered straight up. Danny accepted and Rich won.

 

[gregcantrall]

David Rhodes

David provided me with uh insights into playing at the top levels. Most memorable is, The Big Eye......Imagination.
My White Spot referee position...put David in the stool adjacent my ear. Cole did much the same a time or 2. Sure didn't mind their insights.

 

[gregcantrall]

I forgot Tacoma Whitey,

I got to Tacoma after his passing. Heard a few stories on him and action at his place.
Don McKay(diaper don) was my reliable source. He told of Ronnie Allen shooting a one handed spot shot with No Rail. One attempt for all the money. The pockets were filled and he executed the shot to fill his pockets.

 

[gregcantrall]

Brings back good memories for me. I knew all
those guys and played with several of them.
Many times with Flyboy and a few times with Cole and Monk. Even played Dan Louie in the Dayton tourney and won!

You make a very accurate assessment of talent in the Northwest. The White Spot tournament started a record retention board that showed the weekly results. So when we traveled through would stop for a meal and check the records. The Z overwhelmed the results weekly. The one time he made the finals against Danny in the Big Show, he was wearing a walking cast and was hopping around the table and jabbing verbally about "slow play" as he shot in the 10 seconds range. Danny prevailed.
Harry was the target for big money. Allen Hopkins gave him some money spotting too big, 10-6 maybe even 10-5 depending on who broke. So anyway he goes bust in the thousand dollar game and goes to western union (the story). Cole slides in and plays Harry with a tiny spot. 8-7 or 9-7? Maybe change with break. Cole working all night put him up 25 grand around noon Sunday when Harry said, "enough". Back story was it could have been a team effort.

 

[gregcantrall]

I recall the story of Cole and Cecil Tugwell playing 7 games of one pocket in 35 minutes. With the breaker winning in the second inning ever time.
Coles method against Harry was to let him shoot every other game. Would take the 90 degree cut at warp speed and splatter the rack. Made half getting the wide open shot ever other game set the hook.