Pat Howey

R.I.P. Pat

Man...Im sick to my stomach. Last I saw him was at the DCC 2 yrs ago where we caught up, hung out and BS'd some.The thing Im gonna miss is that partners One Pocket game with Ray Martin, CM, Pat and myself when I go visit CM. He was as solid a player as you could ask for, had one of the prettiest slip strokes in life and was a great friend.

RIP Pat Howey and his Palmer cue that was white-washed from the powder.
 
At DCC 2 years ago I had the great fortune to meet Pat. We had conversed many times on the forum regarding straight pool issues, and I was very pleased that he took the time to look me up. I felt (and I think he felt as well) like I was meeting an old friend - he had a great love for straight pool, and we hit it off right away. He was very, very modest on the forum, and I had NO idea that he was a monster straight pool player.

He waited around the AZB room for about an hour until a table emptied specifically so we could play a game of straight pool. What a treat!! From my opening break, he ran 75 balls on that tight Diamond table, in less than 15 minutes (probably closer to 10). I had never seen anything like the old school precision with which he massaged those racks apart. Maybe one or two slightly tough shots; but in general he played very close position. It was a BEAUTIFUL AND ELEGANT thing to watch. One of my fondest memories in pool was putting a 35 on him right after his 75 (I was SO afraid of embarrassing myself in front of someone I respected).

I had never seen someone with such a dramatic slip stroke; his grip hand slid back at least 3 or 4 inches at the start of every backswing. He powdered the LINEN WRAP on his cue, not the shaft. He told me that the slip stroke helped him get the tension out of his stroke, and that he had used it since he first started playing. He was very suspicious that his game would have even been better had he not decided as a teenager to use the slipstroke.

He shared some reminiscences from his past; stories of playing with Irving Crane, Babe Cranfield (to whom he gave most of the credit for his prowess), and Mike Sigel. He also told me of his respect for "cardiac kid"'s game (another AZB'er I respected, but had not met).

He had recently retired from 30 years in the factory, and told me he did not regret giving up a life in pool for the stability of a job. He did however look forward to regaining some of his previous pool prowess now that he was retired - the glow in his eyes when he discussed all the pool he was going to play, and the players he would visit left NO doubt that he loved pool as deeply as I did.

Since I am a physician, he shared that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over a year before our meeting. That was very odd, because in 28 years of practice, I have never had a patient live even one year with that diagnosis; it is virtually incurable. Pat had already beaten the odds just to make it to DCC; and it is a credit to the man that he made it over 3 years with such a hideous disease. It was so sad to have that hanging over him for so long; but his attitude and fortitude were TREMENDOUS.

Pat lost a contact lens that first day at DCC, and could not replace it. He played the straight pool challenge without his contacts. Though he was VERY good-natured about it, it pained me GREATLY that the spectators could not get to see straight pool the way it was meant to be played - his strategic game was FAR better than any of the other players in that event; but without his glasses, he just could not perform at his usual level. I felt privileged to have met Pat, and to have shared that beautiful 75 ball run before he lost his contact lens. He was a modest man, a great sportsman, and in my book a great man. I am sad beyond words to lose a friend.
 
sad news

after not playing for 30+ yrs. i had moved to largo fl. in 2004. i wandered in to a pool room on starkey...i watched pat& the owner(casey) play some straight...needless to say i am back playing again at 74...he inspired me to get back in the game ...i live in wil/nc now and play a couple of times a wk..rest in peace Pat.
 
Don,

I cannot put into words the impact your post had on me. One of Pat's oldest and closest friends was able to spend time with him last week. Pat never really understood the deep respect I and others had for him and his game. Modest beyond words. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Lyn
 
Pat undoubtedly impacted everybody that he met. He was such a genuine person with a contagious smile and positive attitude.

I do some research and found a post that he made - his high run was 338.
Pat Howey on his high run -
i watched babe cranfield run 490 one day and came back the next afternoon and run 493!!! i was racking for him....it was at the holiday bowl in syracuse in th late 60s.
i saw crane run a 370 and seigal a 350 in rochester. i had a 338- 336 then also. those were the days! lucky to get a 100 in once in a while now....dont ever get old! - poolshark52

Pat had one of the most magnificently beautiful strokes that I have ever seen in my life. He was at CM's every day - then it became every day that he felt good enough to play. Even in the midst of his battle - he was always upbeat - positive - and always a winner.

The last time I saw him was at Hammerhead's at a Florida Pro Tour event. He had started to get better again and had put some weight back on. He looked so good and so happy to be back at the table.

His pain is over, and he is in a better place. I can only guess that he's up there right now racking the balls for Babe and trading stories of the glory days with The Miz.
 
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chat tomorrow

lyn if you get a chance watch the stream this weekend of the joss tour event and we can chat it up for some bumps i'm sure there will be alot of pat's friends there. or anyone else join us !

gary
 
Gary,

I'll be at Salt City for the bar box.

One more weekend bump for my friend and mentor:sad:.

Lyn
 
Hall of Fame

You guys obviously don't know there is an AzB Hall of Fame fourm to post threads about members who have left us. I did not know Pat Howey and do not remember anything about him to share with others. But, I started a thread called "Pat Howey aka poolshark52" at http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=1788517 for those who want to post their memories for others to share.
 
JesPiddlin said:
You guys obviously don't know there is an AzB Hall of Fame fourm .
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JP,
And you have obviously not read the entire thread (especially the post by cardiac kid about having requested the mods to put THIS thread in the Hall of Fame later on after people have seen and responded). By posting your own thread there, you will only cause confusion.
 
Blackjack said:
Here is a picture of Pat Howey at the 2007 DCC competing in the Straight Pool Challenge.
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Blackjack,
Very cool photograph; because in his 75 ball run that I witnessed, the break shot you posted would have been about the average distance between his cue ball and object ball.

When I say "close position", I meant it. I doubt he had 5 shots of over 18 inches in separation. Hell, even I could run 75 if I was always that close to my work. :)

Other than Allen Hopkins and Danny D., I've really not witnessed that kind of old school, close position play. Players like Mosconi and Cranfield took great pride in their ability to get close to the object ball. Mosconi related a story about his first long exhibition tour with Greenleaf. Mosconi was just starting his career, and Greenleaf was in his prime. Mosconi observed Ralph closely, and noted that RG got much closer to the object balls. When Willie committed himself to getting such close position, his game blossomed, and Greenleaf could no longer beat him (according to Willie's account). Willie also recounted many times that he felt perhaps his greatest achievement was a run of 125 and out (games then to 125) where he was never more than 8 inches from any object ball after the opening break.
 
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Williebetmore said:
JP,
And you have obviously not read the entire thread (especially the post by cardiac kid about having requested the mods to put THIS thread in the Hall of Fame later on after people have seen and responded). By posting your own thread there, you will only cause confusion.
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First of all, I was trying to be helpful, not snide. I apologize for sounding so insensitive with my wording. I didn't spot that when I wrote it, or I would have fixed it.

Secondly, I did not see the comment about asking the mods to move the thread. I have been very, very sick this week and also overloaded with work. When I saw someone had died, but I didn't know who him, I just tried to stay fairly aware of the thread and whether a thread was started in the Hall of Fame forum.

My sincere condolences to Pat's friends and family for their great loss.
 
Williebetmore said:
Blackjack,
Very cool photograph; because in his 75 ball run that I witnessed, the break shot you posted would have been about the average distance between his cue ball and object ball.

When I say "close position", I meant it. I doubt he had 5 shots of over 18 inches in separation. Hell, even I could run 75 if I was always that close to my work. :)

Other than Allen Hopkins and Danny D., I've really not witnessed that kind of old school, close position play. Players like Mosconi and Cranfield took great pride in their ability to get close to the object ball. Mosconi related a story about his first long exhibition tour with Greenleaf. Mosconi was just starting his career, and Greenleaf was in his prime. Mosconi observed Ralph closely, and noted that RG got much closer to the object balls. When Willie committed himself to getting such close position, his game blossomed, and Greenleaf could no longer beat him (according to Willie's account). Willie also recounted many times that he felt perhaps his greatest achievement was a run of 125 and out (games then to 125) where he was never more than 8 inches from any object ball after the opening break.
Click to expand...

LOL...

Ok Don, here is the story behind the picture.

In the video that I got this picture from, this was the starting break ball on his second attempt. So he actually set this shot up with ball in hand. As you mentioned earlier, he did lose a contact lens - so I'm not sure if he even made this shot, but I'll go back and look to make sure. Being bind and out of stroke (his description of his abilities in the Straight Pool Challenge) he told me he felt as if he was spraying balls all over the place. I did some commentary on his attempts last year. I might re-edit the footage and post them to AZBTV when I get a chance.

I still think he played great.

What made Pat's game so beautiful was the close position, that awesome slip stroke - and he always ran the most intelligent connect the dot patterns I have ever witnessed.

Pat and I talked about the close position one time and it came down to limiting cue ball movement. It was all about being clean and efficient with every move and every shot. Pat learned the game watching some of the greatest players ever, and he was a quick study. He had the awesome ability to obtain and apply all of that priceless knowledge.

He was such a great talent, and a kind, humble man. When I told him I was doing commentary on his high run attempts, he laughed and was actually puzzled as to why anybody would want to see him play 14.1 -

That was Pat Howey.
 
Williebetmore said:
Other than Allen Hopkins and Danny D., I've really not witnessed that kind of old school, close position play. Players like Mosconi and Cranfield took great pride in their ability to get close to the object ball.
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While there is much truth in what you say here, I'm going to have to defend the players of today.

Yes, the best of the old schoolers (at least the ones not named Lassiter) typically played tighter onto the breakshot than the players of today. To suggest that this is attributable to their taking more pride in their position play than the players of today is, to me, in error.

In the days of the slow, nappy cloth, straight pool was a slightly different game. The cue ball had to be hit harder on the break shots and the balls still didn't spread as well. Knowing they'd have to hit the object ball harder on the break shots, players felt more pressure to get tight on the break shots. Playing on Simonis 860 cloth, the players of today do not have as much need to get really tight shape on the break shots, and, in some cases, the pattern play of today's elite straight poolers, quite understandably, reflects a focus on getting the correct angle on the break shot over getting really tight shape on it.

In truth, the old schoolers were playing the percentages as they pertained to the old, nappy cloth and the current generation of straight poolers are playing the percentages as they apply to playing the game on Simonis 860.
 
sjm said:
While there is much truth in what you say here, I'm going to have to defend the players of today.

Yes, the best of the old schoolers (at least the ones not named Lassiter) typically played tighter onto the breakshot than the players of today. To suggest that this is attributable to their taking more pride in their position play than the players of today is, to me, in error.

In the days of the slow, nappy cloth, straight pool was a slightly different game. The cue ball had to be hit harder on the break shots and the balls still didn't spread as well. Knowing they'd have to hit the object ball harder on the break shots, players felt more pressure to get tight on the break shots. Playing on Simonis 860 cloth, the players of today do not have as much need to get really tight shape on the break shots, and, in some cases, the pattern play of today's elite straight poolers, quite understandably, reflects a focus on getting the correct angle on the break shot over getting really tight shape on it.

In truth, the old schoolers were playing the percentages as they pertained to the old, nappy cloth and the current generation of straight poolers are playing the percentages as they apply to playing the game on Simonis 860.
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sjm,
I agree on all points. I was not just discussing the break shot however; Pat played such close position on almost every shot in every rack (something Danny D. told me I would have to work towards or risk forever being a hack); it was truly freaky how close he was getting to his object balls (something I have not observed from any of the young guns - but of course my viewing has been only occasional - I've been pretty impressed with John Schmidt on occasion and Steve Lipsky as well....sjm didn't do too badly in this regard either in Betmore's Basement). I haven't really paid special attention to this aspect of any games I have viewed in the past; but was just forced to notice it by the dramatic nature of Pat's play (and had never really noticed such a thing in the past).

I'm going to assume that such close positioning is obtained by a lifetime of looking for patterns that achieve such position (rather than some superhuman ability to position the rock); and is perhaps something that even the amateur can aspire towards......I hope.....
 
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Williebetmore said:
sjm,
I agree on all points. I was not just discussing the break shot however; Pat played such close position on almost every shot in every rack (something Danny D. told me I would have to work towards or risk forever being a hack); it was truly freaky how close he was getting to his object balls (something I have not observed from any of the young guns - but of course my viewing has been only occasional - I've been pretty impressed with John Schmidt on occasion and Steve Lipsky as well....sjm didn't do too badly in this regard either in Betmore's Basement). I haven't really paid special attention to this aspect of any games I have viewed in the past; but was just forced to notice it by the dramatic nature of Pat's play (and had never really noticed such a thing in the past).

I'm going to assume that such close positioning is obtained by a lifetime of looking for patterns that achieve such position (rather than some superhuman ability to position the rock); and is perhaps something that even the amateur can aspire towards......I hope.....
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A very good post, Willie, but I'll add one observation to my previous post. Even mid-rack, tighter shape mattered more, at least in part, because it was alittle tougher to move the cue ball aorund, particuarly off an insufficient angle. Here's a good example of a shot that played differently on the old, nappy cloth.

CueTable Help



You're a bit straighter on the key ball than you had hoped for, and the position calls for a firm, stun storke to get ideal shape on to the break ball. On the old cloth, you had to hit this shot much harder to make that shape than you do on today's cloth. Just one example of why making the corrections when a pattern goes slightly awry is easier today, and one more reason that the old timers were forced to play slightly tighter shape.
 
Hi Guys,

Just a short story. Years ago I was asked to referee the final match at the Cleveland Open. Nick Varner took a couple of intentional scratches. Johnny Archer ran the 150 and out continuing on to 202. Only on two or three occassions could I detect a pattern for the runout. Johnny played nine ball for a 202 ball run!

That I believe is the difference between today's top 14.1 players and the old legends. Modern players feel they can make any shot. Why play pin point position? With the Simonis 760 & 860 cloths, Aramith Pro balls and 4.5 x 9 tables, high runs will happen. The game is too easy now. It has become a question of concentration and the ability to maintain it! Just my two cents.

Lyn
 
Any AZ Billiards forum members located near Rochester, NY. Friday evening May 1st at 7:00 PM some friends of Pat Howey are going to gather at Classic Billiards. It is our intention to raise a glass (preferably Genny Light) in honor of our friend. Stories, photos, memories, etc.

Classic is located at 3400 West Ridge Road at the corner of North Ave. Any questions? Call Classic at 585 227 7400 or PM me. Thanks again to all the posters who helped keep Pat's memory alive.

Lyn
 
cardiac kid said:
Hi Guys,

Just a short story. Years ago I was asked to referee the final match at the Cleveland Open. Nick Varner took a couple of intentional scratches. Johnny Archer ran the 150 and out continuing on to 202. Only on two or three occassions could I detect a pattern for the runout. Johnny played nine ball for a 202 ball run!

That I believe is the difference between today's top 14.1 players and the old legends. Modern players feel they can make any shot. Why play pin point position? With the Simonis 760 & 860 cloths, Aramith Pro balls and 4.5 x 9 tables, high runs will happen. The game is too easy now. It has become a question of concentration and the ability to maintain it! Just my two cents.

Lyn
Click to expand...

i think your wrong.
the pockets before were like large mouth bass.
the thick cloth makes the pockets play even bigger.
 
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