Mike Carella

[uwate]

Hoping we can get back to discussing pool here on AZB.

With that in mind, do any of you have a Mike Carella story they could share?

I have heard alot of folks talk about how he was one of the greatest natural talents ever. One of the earliest stories I heard of him was told to me in the 80s by some folks at Pegs Pocket in Miami Florida.

Carella was at a room in South Florida ( I think Congress) and walks into the room to find a group of people all betting on who could make a certain prop shot first. The shot was on a 6x12 golf/snooker table and they placed the object ball in the middle of the table and the cueball in the jaws of one corner pocket. You had to make the object ball in the corner and draw back and scratch in the opposite corner. They gamblers had all bet 100 and there was a stack of cnotes sitting on the rail waiting for someone to make the shot while they all took turns. They had been shooting the shot for a while with no luck and this is when Carella walks in. Whats the game he says, and they tell him. Well hell thats easy he says and grabs a cue off the wall, chalks it and jacks up and FIRES the ball in and the cue ball rockets back straight into the pocket. Carella grabs the dough and everyone goes...no no no forget it/you lucky bastard no way etc...

Carella says what...you think I got lucky??? he bets them all he can do it again...the balls go out and he again jacks up and FIRES the same shot in warp speed and grabs the dough again...this time for good.

 

[jay helfert]

No stories yet (ok one). Just want to say Mike was a helluva player, and a great gambler. Absolutely and utterly fearless. Maybe the "call eight" under Richie, Wade Crane, Denny or Buddy. And a stand up guy who never sharked anyone or stiffed anyone to my knowledge. Just got up and played and bet high.

Only guy I know that got him for the cash was Swanee. They flew Swanee to the Carolinas to play Mike after he had beaten everyone. I heard they started out playing $300 a game 9-Ball, a decent bet in the 80's. Ended up at $500 a game and Swanee busted Mike for like 20 G's. Of course, Swanee beat everyone for the (big) money except Buddy.

No one knows him better than his mentor Danny Diliberto.

 

[bstroud]

carella balabuhska

Jay,

I was playing in a tournament at the Velvet rail in Lansing Michigan and so was Carella.

After a late afternoon match we both walked out to the parking lot in front of the pool room and were trying to decide where to eat. If any of you remember the poll room you will also remember that there was a very busy boulavard just in front of the parking lot.

It was already pretty dark by the time we got to Mikes' car at the street end of the parking lot. Mike opened the trunk so we could put our cues in. He had a new Balabushka in a new Fellini case. One of the first ones with no latch.

I noticed a set of golf clubs in the trunk and Mike said yes, he had just started to play.

At that point he took his case and went on to demonstrate his new golf swing. As he finished his swing the lid came off the case and his Balabushka cue went flying into the rush hour traffic.

By the time we recovered the cue it was a disaster beyond repair. needless to say he didn't win the tournament but neither did I.

Bill Stroud

 

[vagabond]

No stories yet (ok one).Swanee beat everyone for the (big) money except Buddy.

I learned semi masse` and full masse` shots just by watching swanee`s game.I am always thankfull to swanee.

 

[Hal2]

Amazing

Jay,

I was playing in a tournament at the Velvet rail in Lansing Michigan and so was Carella.

After a late afternoon match we both walked out to the parking lot in front of the pool room and were trying to decide where to eat. If any of you remember the poll room you will also remember that there was a very busy boulavard just in front of the parking lot.

It was already pretty dark by the time we got to Mikes' car at the street end of the parking lot. Mike opened the trunk so we could put our cues in. He had a new Balabushka in a new Fellini case. One of the first ones with no latch.

I noticed a set of golf clubs in the trunk and Mike said yes, he had just started to play.

At that point he took his case and went on to demonstrate his new golf swing. As he finished his swing the lid came off the case and his Balabushka cue went flying into the rush hour traffic.

By the time we recovered the cue it was a disaster beyond repair. needless to say he didn't win the tournament but neither did I.

Bill Stroud

Bill,

If there is one good thing here, Carella did not have to pay today's price for his Balabushka.

Happy New Year and Regards,
Hal

 

[Island Drive]

I was at Weenie Beenie/Devalle' pool room, think it was winter of 70, Mike was there, St. Louie Louie, Gumphries and the rest of the east coast gang, a big tournament. What sticks out in my mind back then, before I get to the story was the flooring in the pool room, never seen a surface quite like it, I think the pool room was below ground. When you first come in and walk down the steps it looked like tile, yes but no. It was a fuzzy fiberglas 9" squares in a blue and I think white color, only other pool room that had flooring that I remember that was different was in FL at the room that Lefty Jr. Golf played at, rubber tiles...............ball rolled...............forever.
The Story:
Mike and Louie were playing sets, on 9' gold crowns (a small grouping of tables along one wall?) that had curtain separation, but you could see into each table from only one lengthwise point of view, from bleachers, rest of the room was open. I think the sets were around $1,000 per, ahead races and Mike had Louie busted (they had played allot to get to this point), Louie wanted to keep playing, all Louie had was his gold jewelry, Mike gave him action on his last barrel and lowered the bet only risking $800 against the jewlery, which was a fair bet, but Mike didn't have too, but he did which was the way for allot of players back then, now adays they will beat you out of all your money but NOT let you fire one more barrel, no class. Anyway, Louie won that set and proceeded to get all his money back and bust Mike. Mike was a battler and treated another with respect and gamble, thats the only time I saw the man and the only other player back then that was as good as him at his age was Varner and of course Louie, tho Louie did resort at times to chemical warfare. Happy new years. 2006 and 2013. The exact timeline of this was right after the Burlington IA event where the players got stiffed at the event I think Rempe won. Cortney/Coffee? were the TD's/crooks? And jay it wasn't linoleum, it was fibrous fiberglass tile squares that were indestructible. Even if the below ground floor got flooded, wouldn't hurt the flooring.

 

[jay helfert]

I was at Weenie Beenie/Devalle' pool room, think it was winter of 70, Mike was there, St. Louie Louie, Gumphries and the rest of the east coast gang, a big tournament. What sticks out in my mind back then then, before I get to the story was the flooring in the pool room, never seen a surface quite like it, I think the pool room was below ground. When you first come in and walk down the steps it looked like tile, yes but no. It was a fuzzy fiberglas 9" squares in a blue and I think white color, only other pool room that had flooring that I remember that was different was in FL at the room that Lefty Jr. Golf played at, rubber tiles...............ball rolled...............forever.
The Story:
Mike and Louie were playing sets, on 9' gold crowns (a small grouping of tables along one wall?) that had curtain separation, but you could see into each table from only one lengthwise point of view, from bleachers, rest of the room was open. I think the sets were around $1,000 per, ahead races and Mike had Louie busted (they had played allot to get to this point), Louie wanted to keep playing, all Louie had was his gold jewelry, Mike gave him action on his last barrel and lowered the bet only risking $800 against the jewlery, which was a fair bet, but Mike didn't have too, but he did which was the way for allot of players back then, now adays they will beat you out of all your money but NOT let you fire one more barrel, no class. Anyway, Louie won that set and proceeded to get all his money back and bust Mike. Mike was a battler and treated another with respect and gamble, thats the only time I saw the man and the only other player back then that was as good as him at his age was Varner and of course Louie, tho Louie did resort at times to chemical warfare. Happy new years.

Thanks for the story. You were at Jack 'n Jill's in Alexandria, Va. I think it was some kind of high end linoleum flooring. I saw Louie come back like that several times, AFTER he did some stuff. I guarantee you he wasn't on the natch when he made his comeback.

When Louie got wired up, he might not miss a ball for eight hours. Carella played straight as far as I know. I think me, Danny and him smoked some weed once in L.A. And then we went for some Italian food. But that's about it.

 

[freddy the beard]

Worst creep in the game

I must interject here. I know Carella since he was 15 years old. He was born into money, was a pool brat at 15, and became even more obnoxious as he got older. I dont think even Danny D liked him, whether he will admit it or not. He was very disdainful and viciously mocking if he beat you. All the road players I knew wanted to push him down a flight of stairs. When he got older he flew drugs in for the Miami cartels. They wound up murdering him. None of the players I knew mourned his passing. On the plus side, he was one of the most gifted, talented players I ever met.

Excerpt from my new book, The GosPool on this subject:

Cheapskate Award goes to:
"Mike Carella of Hialeah, FL. After winning $25,000 in Detroit, he was obligated to tip the gamekeeper, Bugs Rucker, who had refereed the game for 24 hours. Mike told Bugs that Kenny "Romberg" Remus owed him $200, and if Bugs could collect it he could keep it."

 

[jay helfert]

I must interject here. I know Carella since he was 15 years old. He was born into money, was a pool brat at 15, and became even more obnoxious as he got older. I dont think even Danny D liked him, whether he will admit it or not. He was very disdainful and viciously mocking if he beat you. All the road players I knew wanted to push him down a flight of stairs. When he got older he flew drugs in for the Miami cartels. They wound up murdering him. None of the players I knew mourned his passing. On the plus side, he was one of the most gifted, talented players I ever met.

Excerpt from my new book, The GosPool on this subject:

Cheapskate Award goes to:
"Mike Carella of Hialeah, FL. After winning $25,000 in Detroit, he was obligated to tip the gamekeeper, Bugs Rucker, who had refereed the game for 24 hours. Mike told Bugs that Kenny "Romberg" Remus owed him $200, and if Bugs could collect it he could keep it."

I think that you'll find that Danny did truly like Mike. Just ask him. It is true that Mike was a "New York" style in your face hustler. But he was willing to bet high, and did pay off if he lost. If some guys didn't like him, it may have been because he had them stuck.

Yes, you are right Freddie. Mike flew the planes for the Miami cartel. After he got caught, they wiped him out so he wouldn't testify against them. I guess it was the hazards of the trade. But it wasn't at all like when Sizemore died and everyone said too bad. Many guys genuinely felt bad for Mike dying like that.

He could be cheap when gambling, but I knew him to be okay outside the poolroom. The one time I broke bread with him, he grabbed the check. I think Mike looked up to Danny, and was respectful of him.

 

[Grady]

Carella

Howard Barrett called me up about 1979 and asked me if I wanted to come to Tallahassee to play Mike a set for $10,000. I said, "Sure and one in my place for the same amount". They wouldn't do that so I offered to play ten or twenty dimes worth in any neutral site. That offer wasn't taken either.
I don't know whether I would have won or not but I was pretty sure no one could beat Mike in that humid excuse of a pool room they wanted me to come to.
This was my only dealing with Carella.

 

[JAM]

Mike Carella
March 1950-January 1979

When Mike Carella was a young boy, he used to get himself barred from the local pool room in his home of Miami about once a week, and each time this happened, Danny Diliberto, who owned the room at that time, would get a call from Mike's parents, and they would beg him to let Mike back in because he was so depressed about not being able to play that they couldn't do anything with him.

"The kid loved the game so much," says the legendary Diliberto, "I just couldn't stay mad at him for long. I'd play him for hours and shout at him all the time about the correct way to play, but the kid learned. He learned well."

With all that great training provided by Danny, Mike went on to become one of the top one-pocket players in the world, and he was an excellent 9-ball player as well. This he proved in 1974 by placing second behind Jim Rempe in Burlington, Iowa, at the World 9-Ball Championships in a field of 165 of the top players in the world.

In 1973, Mike moved to Tallahassee, Florida, and along with good friends, Howard Barrett and Larry Knox, proceeded to put Tallahassee on the pool map. Players came from all parts of the country to try their luck with Mike, and very few survived.

The table he made famous, a 4-1/2-by-9 Brunswick, still stands at Pastime Billiards in Tallahassee, and there's a plaque attached to it that reads "Im Memory of Mike Carella."

Mike died a harsh death under unexplained circumstances on the 29th of January 1979, and we Tallahassee folks miss the well-liked young man.

Ask any of the great players like David Howard, Buddy Hall, Larry Hubbart, or Danny Diliberto for their opinion of Mike's abilities, and they'll tell you that had he lived, he would probably have ended up being one of the true super stars of the game.

And if you ever meet up with Howard Barrett or Larry Knox, they'll tell you a dozen delightful stories of this high-rolling player who rose to fame at such an early age.

We miss you, Mike, and thanks for all the good times and memories.

Written by Kreole Freddie in the December 1989/January 1990 issue of The Snap.

JAM

 

[hemicudas]

Thank you for posting the article, JAM. Freddie Yeates, knew Mike well and he wrote about him with respect for the dead, as all should.

 

[Harvywallbanger]

How young was he when he passed?

 

[JAM]

How young was he when he passed?

Mike Carella
March 1950-January 1979

It appears that he was 28 years old when he passed.

JAM

 

[JAM]

Thank you for posting the article, JAM. Freddie Yeates, knew Mike well and he wrote about him with respect for the dead, as all should.

It was my pleasure posting the article written by Freddie.

You and I are always singing from the same song sheet, Bill. Great minds think alike!

JAM

 

[AZE]

I hear stories about this guy down here (Florida) all the time. I'm sure some of them are a bit ficticious, but I'm sure the guy was a hell of a player - would've liked to see him play.

 

[thebighurt]

I playat Hollywood billiards and alot of the older players had played with Mike at the congress. We have the tightest golf table in the country- any player can come down here and play the 3 ball ghost on the table and I mean any player you can even fly in Ronnie OSullivan if you want. Well Carella 4 times ran all 6 holes from the break playing golf on that table. As far as the 3 ball ghost before somebody makes a comment Parica thought we were joking until he saw the table and than he didn't want to try.

 

[jay helfert]

Howard Barrett called me up about 1979 and asked me if I wanted to come to Tallahassee to play Mike a set for $10,000. I said, "Sure and one in my place for the same amount". They wouldn't do that so I offered to play ten or twenty dimes worth in any neutral site. That offer wasn't taken either.
I don't know whether I would have won or not but I was pretty sure no one could beat Mike in that humid excuse of a pool room they wanted me to come to.
This was my only dealing with Carella.

It must have been 9-Ball. He could never have beat you at One Pocket. And you were right to duck the Congress. Only guy I saw play good there was Danny. It was like playing in mud.

 

[jay helfert]

Mike Carella
March 1950-January 1979

When Mike Carella was a young boy, he used to get himself barred from the local pool room in his home of Miami about once a week, and each time this happened, Danny Diliberto, who owned the room at that time, would get a call from Mike's parents, and they would beg him to let Mike back in because he was so depressed about not being able to play that they couldn't do anything with him.

"The kid loved the game so much," says the legendary Diliberto, "I just couldn't stay mad at him for long. I'd play him for hours and shout at him all the time about the correct way to play, but the kid learned. He learned well."

With all that great training provided by Danny, Mike went on to become one of the top one-pocket players in the world, and he was an excellent 9-ball player as well. This he proved in 1974 by placing second behind Jim Rempe in Burlington, Iowa, at the World 9-Ball Championships in a field of 165 of the top players in the world.

In 1973, Mike moved to Tallahassee, Florida, and along with good friends, Howard Barrett and Larry Knox, proceeded to put Tallahassee on the pool map. Players came from all parts of the country to try their luck with Mike, and very few survived.

The table he made famous, a 4-1/2-by-9 Brunswick, still stands at Pastime Billiards in Tallahassee, and there's a plaque attached to it that reads "Im Memory of Mike Carella."

Mike died a harsh death under unexplained circumstances on the 29th of January 1979, and we Tallahassee folks miss the well-liked young man.

Ask any of the great players like David Howard, Buddy Hall, Larry Hubbart, or Danny Diliberto for their opinion of Mike's abilities, and they'll tell you that had he lived, he would probably have ended up being one of the true super stars of the game.

And if you ever meet up with Howard Barrett or Larry Knox, they'll tell you a dozen delightful stories of this high-rolling player who rose to fame at such an early age.

We miss you, Mike, and thanks for all the good times and memories.

Written by Kreole Freddie in the December 1989/January 1990 issue of The Snap.

JAM

Good story but just to set the record straight (I have a way of doing this), Richie Ambrose finished second to Rempe in Burlington. I was there. We put a very shy schoolteacher (and current World Champ) named Steve Mizerak on radio for a live interview. Boy did he change once he got on TV.

 

[Popeye_2]

No stories yet (ok one). Just want to say Mike was a helluva player, and a great gambler. Absolutely and utterly fearless. Maybe the "call eight" under Richie, Wade Crane, Denny or Buddy. And a stand up guy who never sharked anyone or stiffed anyone to my knowledge. Just got up and played and bet high.

Only guy I know that got him for the cash was Swanee. They flew Swanee to the Carolinas to play Mike after he had beaten everyone. I heard they started out playing $300 a game 9-Ball, a decent bet in the 80's. Ended up at $500 a game and Swanee busted Mike for like 20 G's. Of course, Swanee beat everyone for the (big) money except Buddy.

No one knows him better than his mentor Danny Diliberto.

Carella was an arrogant ass but he was my friend and I miss him. He would tell someone he was going to beat them and how then do it. Howard Barrett was my mentor but I learned a LOT from Mike playing him with the 3,5 and 7 for a large coke. You can't buy that kind of experience with money. I was honored to know the greatest pool player that ever lived.