For those of you that didnt know of him, Mike " the little gorilla" Carella was an absolute monster. From the mid 60's to the early 70's any players that came to the congress in Miami got there ass handed to them. Jimmy Mataya tried him and ended up busted and sleeping in his car in the parking lot with Ewa right on 16th ave. Wade Crane got busted also. Crane had just won in a big tournament in Atlanta and came to Miami and got busted by the little gorilla. When the rack was booming in detroit Sigel and Hubbart steered Carella and Mike only booked 1 loser and they made a ton of money. When Toby Sweet came to the congress with cuban Joe, Carella gave cuban Joe the 8 and drilled him and than Toby and cuban Joe had a falling out because Joe wouldnt let Toby play Carella even so the split up their money and Toby left town.
Mike Carella a real monster player
- Thread starter nineball1
- Start date
He beat me too.
Pancho steered me into him. Kind of a double steer if you know what I mean. That story IS in my book.
I would have liked to see Toby play Mike in his prime, because it was also Toby's prime. Toby was the last guy to spot Buddy! In about 1969 or 70.
When Mike Carella screwed down on those balls, you KNEW he wasn't going to miss! Kind of like Dan Louie in his prime. These guys just never missed anything. They might get out of line and have to kick a ball (or roll out) once in a while, but miss an open shot - NO!
Richie Florence could play like that too, NO MISS pool! In those days what separated the great players was their ability to pull off shots. The guys with the best (and biggest) strokes were the best players, because they could execute shots that the other guys couldn't. Remember we were playing "roll out" pool, so being a great shot-maker meant a lot.
A lot of guys shot real good, but some had a little more "stroke" than others. I think the only guy who beat Mike in Detroit was Cornbread. He had a huge stroke, unbelievably powerful. And he could be a VERY intimidating presence too! In your face all the time. Kind of funny, but kind of scary too.
You know in looking back, it truly was a golden era for pool in this country, although we didn't know it at the time. There were literally hundreds of "roadmen" running the roads all over the country. It was cheap to travel, poolrooms (and players) were everywhere thanks to The Hustler, and the economy wasn't bad in the 60's and 70's. Consequently we had a lot of very good players spread out everywhere. It was amazing how your paths would cross in so many unlikely places though. I would see the same guys in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Dayton, Chicago, Dallas...well you get the picture. If there was a spot where gambling was going on, eventually everyone would go there.
It just ain't that way anymore. :frown:
Pancho steered me into him. Kind of a double steer if you know what I mean. That story IS in my book. I would have liked to see Toby play Mike in his prime, because it was also Toby's prime. Toby was the last guy to spot Buddy! In about 1969 or 70.
When Mike Carella screwed down on those balls, you KNEW he wasn't going to miss! Kind of like Dan Louie in his prime. These guys just never missed anything. They might get out of line and have to kick a ball (or roll out) once in a while, but miss an open shot - NO!
Richie Florence could play like that too, NO MISS pool! In those days what separated the great players was their ability to pull off shots. The guys with the best (and biggest) strokes were the best players, because they could execute shots that the other guys couldn't. Remember we were playing "roll out" pool, so being a great shot-maker meant a lot.
A lot of guys shot real good, but some had a little more "stroke" than others. I think the only guy who beat Mike in Detroit was Cornbread. He had a huge stroke, unbelievably powerful. And he could be a VERY intimidating presence too! In your face all the time. Kind of funny, but kind of scary too.
You know in looking back, it truly was a golden era for pool in this country, although we didn't know it at the time. There were literally hundreds of "roadmen" running the roads all over the country. It was cheap to travel, poolrooms (and players) were everywhere thanks to The Hustler, and the economy wasn't bad in the 60's and 70's. Consequently we had a lot of very good players spread out everywhere. It was amazing how your paths would cross in so many unlikely places though. I would see the same guys in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Dayton, Chicago, Dallas...well you get the picture. If there was a spot where gambling was going on, eventually everyone would go there.
It just ain't that way anymore. :frown:
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A brat creep
I knew him since he was 15 yrs old. He was an obnoxious little brat then, and his disposition never improved. You speak of Detroit and all the money he won, that was true, but even tho he came from wealth to start with, you would have a better chance of finding the light on in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant than getting eating money from him. In the Rack, Bugs kept the game (refeereed) for Mike for 24 hours. Mike won about 20k, when it was over and Bugs asked for his "gapper," the munificent Mike told him that Romberg owed him $200 and if Bugs could get that he could keep it. Another little known story is when Carella left Detroit he went to Calif and played Ronnie Allen. Ronnie gave him 9 to 7 and roasted his cods. Great player and shotmaker, miserable human.
the Beard
I knew him since he was 15 yrs old. He was an obnoxious little brat then, and his disposition never improved. You speak of Detroit and all the money he won, that was true, but even tho he came from wealth to start with, you would have a better chance of finding the light on in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant than getting eating money from him. In the Rack, Bugs kept the game (refeereed) for Mike for 24 hours. Mike won about 20k, when it was over and Bugs asked for his "gapper," the munificent Mike told him that Romberg owed him $200 and if Bugs could get that he could keep it. Another little known story is when Carella left Detroit he went to Calif and played Ronnie Allen. Ronnie gave him 9 to 7 and roasted his cods. Great player and shotmaker, miserable human.
the Beard
Mike Carella
I first met Mike in Tallahassee, Florida when he was there(early 70's). We had many great story telling times in the original Pasttime on Tennessee St. He, Howard Barrett, Miss Kitty and even "Sweety" used to hang out there with all the "snooker" crowd waiting for their next catch. Mike frequently gave up the back rail to anyone in nineball and to most locals he added the last three. I don't believe I ever saw anyone beat either spot. He was one, of only three players of his time, to completely run out on the old Pasttime snooker table from an open break. If you ever saw how tight those pockets were you would understand why I commented on it. As the others above have said his shot making capabilities were far above the pros of his time. He made a huge mistake that cost him his life early. I believe he could have easily been one of the greatest players of all time. I have spoken with his brother Tom on several occasions and recounted many tales.
RIP Mike
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues
I first met Mike in Tallahassee, Florida when he was there(early 70's). We had many great story telling times in the original Pasttime on Tennessee St. He, Howard Barrett, Miss Kitty and even "Sweety" used to hang out there with all the "snooker" crowd waiting for their next catch. Mike frequently gave up the back rail to anyone in nineball and to most locals he added the last three. I don't believe I ever saw anyone beat either spot. He was one, of only three players of his time, to completely run out on the old Pasttime snooker table from an open break. If you ever saw how tight those pockets were you would understand why I commented on it. As the others above have said his shot making capabilities were far above the pros of his time. He made a huge mistake that cost him his life early. I believe he could have easily been one of the greatest players of all time. I have spoken with his brother Tom on several occasions and recounted many tales.
RIP Mike
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues
I won't deny that Mike had an opinion about most everything, most of it bad. It probably had something to do with him getting killed. He didn't know how to be nice and polite. Or when!
I saw part of one match Ronnie played with Mike at Big Momma's in the Valley. Freddie, I think you could have beaten Mike at One Pocket that day. He was shooting at flyers, Ronnie had him so exasperated. This was the day after Ronnie drilled him the first time and he had to reload. For Ronnie, giving up 9-7 was nothing. Only the greatest players (like Jersey Red or Kelly) could ever hope to win a game on Ronnie's break. So now Ronnie was winning half of all the games, so what good was that spot for Carella.
Ronnie used to give excellent players 10-6 and take the break. I NEVER saw him lose giving up this game, even though I thought he was insane sometimes. He would also frequently play top players his one hand to their two, EVEN. That's after he beat them getting 10-8! Now he would beat them playing even, for good measure. :thumbup:
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God, I had to read that part three times before my brain could actually grasp the concept of the word "spot" appearing before Buddy's name in a sentence. I half expected to see Rod Serling pop out of the screen.
Aaron
He had to sleep in his car with Ewa?!! He couldn't have been with Ewa at that time, she would've been like 12 years old!
God, I had to read that part three times before my brain could actually grasp the concept of the word "spot" appearing before Buddy's name in a sentence. I half expected to see Rod Serling pop out of the screen.
Aaron
I didn't stutter. He gave Buddy the eight in Johnston City. I think they broke even, Toby won once and then Buddy beat him. After that they played even. That was 40 years ago with Buddy fresh out of the Army. Buddy Hall was not BUDDY HALL yet!
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God, I had to read that part three times before my brain could actually grasp the concept of the word "spot" appearing before Buddy's name in a sentence. I half expected to see Rod Serling pop out of the screen.
Aaron
I was thinking the same thing!
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Let's see, Mike died in 1979. Ewa would have been 15 and not yet in the USA. I think it was another girl. Jimmy was never lacking for a girlfriend. 
I was just wondering what happened to him... I noticed in Eddie Robins book "winning one pocket" under Mike's picture it says somethin like: Mike Carella, another champion taken too soon, or something like that. What happend to the guy?
I didn't stutter. He gave Buddy the eight in Johnston City. I think they broke even, Toby won once and then Buddy beat him. After that they played even. That was 40 years ago with Buddy fresh out of the Army. Buddy Hall was not BUDDY HALL yet!
Amazing. What would you attribute as being the event that caused Buddy to become BUDDY. Was there a particular score or tournament he snapped off that seemed to be the crossing over point where he became the Buddy that never missed and had to give virtually everyone weight? Seems like these things are often tied to confidence, and maybe it just takes one event to make the person start believing they are supposed to beat everybody... and then they start actually doing it.
Thanks,
Aaron
Voodoo Daddy
One Pocket 101
He beat me too.
Pancho double steer? Say it aint so!!! He made Caligula look like a choir boy
Voodoo~~~liked Pancho/Vince, one of pools true pieces of work
Mike would spot anybody 1 eye to their 2.
I was there and Mike would not play Toby, Mike wanted weight.
Do you remember playing him in a one pocket tournament in Ohio at joe Burns place?
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I remember everybody talking about this straight shooting young man at Johnston City. It was the first time I ever saw Buddy. He may have been 20 or 21 then, and skinny as a rail! This was around 1967 or '68. Buddy was damn good already but he wasn't quite ready to play the best players like Lassiter, Ed Kelly, Richie Florence or Cornbread. Cornbread may have been the guy who brought him there because they were buddy-buddy already.
Buddy just got stronger and stronger the next few years and by the early 70's he was considered one of the best, along with Wade Crane, Bernie Schwartz and Billy Incardona. Another couple of years beating everyone and Buddy was the best. Probably by 1973 or '74, Buddy was the top dog or one of them. He really cemented his place when he started winning all those tourneys in 1973 and 1974. He won like five big events in '74, with all the top guys playing. And he was ready to take on anyone for money back then.
Buddy just kept on winning for the next twenty years. Without question, no one has won nearly as many tournaments as Buddy. I'm guessing over 200 total. Many were bar table events with 64 man fields, but these weren't easy tournaments to win. The fields were full of good players. It was the hey-day of pool in America in the 70's and 80's.
At the same time, Buddy was taking on any and all challengers wherever he was living, be it Paducah, Baton Rouge, Shreveport or Tampa. Only guy who I ever heard of beating him for the cash was Dan Louie on an 8' table.
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Mike was at the Dayton tourneys in 1973 and 1974. Hell, everyone was!
He ended up in a Howard Johnson's shot full of holes. He got involved with some bad stuff and got arrested. When he was bailed out he didn't last long. Mike was a real little pri*k who needless to say would have done what ever it took to look out for No. 1. I guess they weren't taking any chances.