I was a kid from West Michigan, slightly before Jason Kirkwood started playin really good, so I considered myself to be the best player under 18 in the area along with Lil' Mac from Holland. Anyway, me and my friend go to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break in '93, get dead bored and I tell my buddy we need to go to Raleigh on our way back. We go to the Capital City Open just to see these champions and it didn't disappoint. Sure enough we pull up and see Johnny's TownCar with his friggin runner-up U.S. Open trophy visible through the back window, no s&*t, just collecting dust. Then we go in and Johnny is in their playin a ring game with Gary Spaeth, I knew who he was from Pockets in Lansing (coolest pool room in MI), some guy I had never seen before and Michael Coltrain. It's hard to grasp him nowadays, but at the time, I promise you, he WAS the Tiger Woods of pool, hand's down. This was the same time Tiger was tearing up the USGA Junior's, so the comparison was natural. Michael was doing the same thing in the BCA Juniors and every other junior tournament at the time. I was in awe of this skinny kid I had read about and envied for his talent and his being a protege of the best player in the country. Anyway, we just watch for a while, I think Nick Varner was there too, but then the door flings open and Tony Ellin walks in, weighing like 280lbs, talking about playin basketball with the "brothers", he said it not me. That was beautiful, seeing all my heros and Tony the Tiger sweating like crazy. I guess he threw a one hitter one time in little league and came back on his next start and threw a NO-hitter, great athlete. The next time I see Coltrain was at the BCA Junior tournament in Kansas City. Charlie Williams was there, Tony Lane, Mike Ranella, Billy Lana, Andy Quinn, Denver Barger, Jon Kucharo and a 4'8" Corey Deuel. I had to play the winner of Coltrain and Andy Quinn. PFFT. I guess. This guy had a f-ing gallery, like 50-60 people sweating our match. The other people would have maybe their sponsor or their parents watching. Pretty sweat memory, he BBQ'd me 7-3, but I made a nice out and a straight back on a 9 he had left me safe on. Later the night, he was done in the bar area with all the other stars of the day and we start playing a ring game, $5 and $5, I won $80, I was way happy. So I start talking to him, not knowing what to expect from his personality and he turned out to be really cool. He was there with his dad and his 2-door Accord (little known fact for credibility) and we went to Shooters in Olathe (the coolest pool room in America) and I end up making friends with this kid I saw as my idol. Later, we go to Corey's hotel room and this guy had paid some dude down in the hotel bar $60 dollars for 24 bottles of beer. $60 for a case! He had it all in the bath tub filled with ice. Just some stories I had and memories I will always have of my trips to the South. Thank God I won the BCA Junior qualifier.
