Pool Players with Charisma
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
I would pay to sit on the rail
you play in that area ?
ah-yup!
Well...can't say [/I] actually play pool too much these days tho...
If I ge t a backer for that ring game I will guarantee I will shoot to score though!:grin:
Naturally!
You pegged everybody perfectly, baby Jay.
Beard
Especially Larry's silly grin
You pegged everybody perfectly, baby Jay.
Beard
Especially Larry's silly grin
No, that was the Joss Tour Finale in Maine.
The Chelmsford tournament was one of the best I've ever attended. I loved that pool room. It was huge, with multiple rooms, and there was something happening in each room that was fun.
The Russian versus Larry Lisciotti was a riot, but the dessert was the Russian versus Keith. It was long-rail bumps, I think. That was a great weekend that I will never forget! :grin-square:
People who have seen/played Lolong from Philippines never forget him, so that's a sign of a charismatic player, isn't?
If so, he's the most charismatic I've ever met
No matter if he win or lose, he always put a smile on your face.
If so, he's the most charismatic I've ever met
No matter if he win or lose, he always put a smile on your face.
Louie Roberts...The Elvis of pool.
Jimmy Reid...Killer good-looks and a great smile.
Not that I'm gay or anything. I'm just sayin'...
Jimmy Reid...Killer good-looks and a great smile.
Not that I'm gay or anything. I'm just sayin'...
Definitely the most colorful among the women, although Jeanette attracts the biggest crowds. Wonder why?
Yep fatty was a one of a kind, no different than Rodney Dangerfield or Johnathan Winters, they were who they were and couldn't stop being themselves no matter what situation they were in. Couple others that had 'color' were Benny Conway (how could anyone play/gamble in a white suit and coat) and Gumphries was a talker. Never forget the time at Red's in Houston when Benny busted Fat Randy on the box with the Big Ball, the cops raided the joint during their session/I think they played 50+hrs before the Goose got the eggs. They there was Boston Shorty at Jansco's playing ring 9 or ten ball with Ed Kelly/Mexican Johnny/Springfield Rifle and another,after about five games Shorts finally gets his first shot, a kick shot....his comment "this is the shits".
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Fats
Minnesota Fats had the timing and presentation of a great stand-up...
..and he didn't need a writer.
..during an exhibition...middle 70's...Fats is in a difficult situation...
..chalks his cue and says"This reminds me of a shot i had when I played
the world's longest money match."
Sets up to shoot...stands back up and chalks again...
Says"Beat the man for 32 thousand."
Gets back down on the shot...stands back up and re-chalks..
Says"Mind you ,the table time came to 29 thousand."
Can't remember if he made the shot or not..and i don't think anybody
else does either..it just wasn't the point
Minnesota Fats had the timing and presentation of a great stand-up...
..and he didn't need a writer.
..during an exhibition...middle 70's...Fats is in a difficult situation...
..chalks his cue and says"This reminds me of a shot i had when I played
the world's longest money match."
Sets up to shoot...stands back up and chalks again...
Says"Beat the man for 32 thousand."
Gets back down on the shot...stands back up and re-chalks..
Says"Mind you ,the table time came to 29 thousand."
Can't remember if he made the shot or not..and i don't think anybody
else does either..it just wasn't the point
really cool post. I think Rodney Morris is alot of fun to watch and be around. He's funny and personalble withe fans , but maybe not as vibrant as someof thse other names Jay said, but he is def more cleancut
Tony Drago is also great, and Alex Pagulayan is a hoot!
Tony Drago is also great, and Alex Pagulayan is a hoot!
really cool post. I think Rodney Morris is alot of fun to watch and be around. He's funny and personalble withe fans , but maybe not as vibrant as someof thse other names Jay said, but he is def more cleancut
Tony Drago is also great, and Alex Pagulayan is a hoot!
Rodney Morris is more "cleancut" than some of the names Jay mentioned? Coming from you, the Dragon Promotions cheerleader, I'm sure Charlie appreciates your contribution to this thread.
Anything new going on with Dragon Promotions lately?
Love Rodney long time, right, Spade?
For the record, I've always been a Rodney Morris fan. I am not a fan of representatives of industry members putting down other pool players to promote their own.
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Here's the re-cap of that weekend from my blog, from what I could remember of 7 years ago. It was fun enough that it was pretty vivid though.
"Normally, I take my yearly vacation during the summer time back home so that I can celebrate the 4th of July with family. However, I was determined to go up to the Northeast to play in the Joss Tour's season finale. It was the last year before their Turning Stone events began, and was held at an outstanding Billiard Club named the Chelmsford Country Club USA. Now, I had been in quite a few nice pool halls, but nothing this size. For those of you who have been to Atlanta...combine Mr. Q's 2 and the Marrietta Billiard Club together and you'll begin to get the idea. Huge. At least the largest I had ever been in. But split up into different rooms, so it didn't look huge at first. I rode up with my friend Eddie Boyle, and we got up there the day before to get settled in for the week. There were four tournaments which were going to take place over the period of 7 days. The first, which I was playing in, was a $7k added open 9-ball event. The second was a $1k added 1-pocket event, then a $1k added 14.1 straight pool event, then finishing off with a $15k added 9-ball tour finale. Needless to say, it was shaping up to be a great week before we knew who was going to show up.
Going into this event I was playing fairly well. If I had to put a rating on it it would be at a strong B level. I had been to a couple of $5K added events around the Northeast before I joined the military, and a few of the regional events down in the south. I had seen Stevie Moore, Tommy Kennedy, Scotty Townsend from down south, and most of the top shooters from the north. Ginky, Tony Robles, Alan Hopkins, Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich, Mike Zuglan, "Neptune" Joe Frady, Larry "The Prince" Lisciotti, Joe Tucker, Nelson Oliviera, the Tavanier brothers, Tony "Flaco" Rodriguez, Frankie Hernandez, Rob Saez, etc...were all players which I had watched shoot at tournaments up north. Of course, it was all wide eyed, trying to soak up as much as possible. I had even seen some of the Pinoy's play. Rodolfo Luat and Mike Lebron had been at a tournament which I was at back in '97 in Branford, CT. I was expecting just about all of these shooters from the north to show up, not too many more. I was a little wrong. All of the above, minus Stevie Moore and Scotty Townsend showed up. And some. Also in attendance: Earl "the Pearl" Strickland, Johnny "the Scorpion" Archer, Kieth "the Earthquake" McCready, Ryan McCreesh, John "this was before he was Mr. 400" Schmidt, Jose Parica, Leonardo Andam, Danny Hewitt of Canada, Evgeny Stalev from Russia and a few more whose names I cannot remember.
Of course, I was just rocked that they would all show up for the tour championship of a regional tour. So I paid my entry fee the next morning and wait for the draw to take place. Ended up drawing a strong A player out of Boston. He beat me pretty convincingly, 9-1. It didn't help that I was a nervous wreck. But such are the breaks. I then went on to win four matches in a row, actually playing very well. My break was working well, I was playing smart position, and was potting balls well. At this point, I was two wins outside of the $$$. I hadn't played any real "names" yet, which in some ways was hoping for, as I always like to test myself. But in my 6th match I drew a strong player out of Boston named Dominick Sousa.
Dom was your typical city boy Italian. Slicked back black hair, strong bostonian accent, about 5' 8", pretty stocky build and olive complexion. Before this match, I had always thought he was pretty full of himself. However, he most deffinitely changed my mind this match. He was probably one of the most courteous opponents I’ve played in my 15 years of playing, even now. The table that we had been scheduled on was the only tight box in the entire place. He noticed it, and went to see if we could go get a match on the next available table. No Joy. So we both take a few racks to warm up and get used to how the table plays. The first few racks were struggles for both of us, not really shooting well at all, and getting into a lot of safety battles. I was keeping it close however. Dom had just pulled ahead 5-3 when he broke scratched. I calmly ran the table out, as he had made two or three on the break. Then I broke, made three, and ran out again. Broke ran again. Now it was 6-5 my advantage. I broke the balls again, made one and had another wide open spread with a shot on the one. I began to methodically pick away at the table. I was on the 5 ball with natural drift position to the seven. It was a simple side pocket shot that needed to be hit with not much speed, but only needed to be stunned at contact so that it would float 6" or so down for the seven in the corner. I took the shot for granted of course, and shot it right into the nipple. I was in shock of course. Dom ran that table out, then proceeded to put me in the electric chair for three more racks to win 9-6. He came up to me after the match and expressed how he thought he was done after I broke that last rack and was running out. It caused him to zone in extra hard when he got back to the table. That match taught me a very valuable lesson. Don't ever take a shot for granted, no matter how easy it may be. So I was out. I was a bit perturbed at the loss, so went and got a beer, and some food. Afterwards, I went and watched Dom’s next match against Earl Strickland. It was a great match, and came down to hill-hill. Earl had left Dom frozen to the 8-ball in the middle of the breaking end table, with only a one rail kick to pocket the 7-ball in the side available. Dom took a minute or two to evaluate everything, got down and fired the kick at breakneck speed, contacting the 7 full, and splitting the side pocket. The cue ball rolled downtable, took a small bounce off the end rail, and left Dom with a long shot on the 8. The crowd, which was hooting and hollering and cheering him on, quieted as he got down on the 8. He smoothly pocketed the 8 and then the 9 to win the match. Earl, shook Dom’s hand, and then of course started ranting at the crowd for cheering for Dom. Don’t blame them, as he was the hometown player who just beat a world champion…
There was plenty more for me to watch that week though as that was only the first weekend. Tournament action, cash action, gaff bets, card games...you name it, it was there, and it was going on at all hours, all week. There are two stories which come immediately to mind, both having to do with Larry Lisciotti, and Keith McCready. Fortunately, I had the good fortune to see Larry play numerous times before his passing in February, 2004. Now on top of being a phenomenal player, even in his later years, he had one of the most charismatic personas I have ever been around. It was borderline obnoxious when he was a few too many into the bottles, but if it wasn’t directed towards you, it was still pretty funny. The first story happened on Wednesday that week. There was league play going on, and a bunch of the league players were gathered in the bar area. (Country Club USA had a large main playing area with about 40 tables, then the bar area with 6 more tables. The downstairs restaurant area had more tables to fill out the 60 tables in the club) Larry, of course, was by the bar indulging in some good ol’ American brew. (Coors Light I believe). He was speaking with Keith McCready, when he made a prop bet with him, (for a beer), that he would win $$ of someone standing at the bar off of a prop bet, without it being pool or card related. So Larry scans the area, and picks his target. He was a 20 something, there to have a good time with league. He looked like he was a little cocky and had some money, which is why I think Larry chose him. Either way, Larry walks up to him and starts talking him up. He eventually springs the prop bet on him, that he can make his beer bottle stick to the wall, without any help or tape. The guy, of course, tells him he’s full of it. They go back and forth, and Larry says that if he’s able to do it, the guy owes him $50. (the bet amounts I'm not exactly sure of...) The guy blows him off, and Larry of course challenges his manhood. The guy turns around and tells Larry that the bet’s $100. I glance over at Keith, and he’s just got a grin on his face. Larry finishes off his beer, walks over to the wall, and after a few “arcane” gestures, rubs the bottle twice up and down the wall, and walks away, the bottle firmly attached, unsupported by anything. The guy can’t believe it, and walks over to the bottle to see where the gaff is. After looking at it, he hands the $$ over to Larry, who proceeds to show him how it’s done. (not going to give the secret away, sorry). Keith has Larry’s drink ready for him when he gets back, and they give a toast, and laugh about it.
The next story is actually on the pool table. There hadn’t been too many big cash games throughout the week, but as Thursday night rolled around, Larry and Keith were looking to change that. Their target of choice was the Russian, Evgeny Stalev. They started haggling, and eventually agreed to play to have Larry play Stalev full rack banks, $1K, (again, not sure of the bet amounts), a rack, with Larry getting 9-7. This match up finished within 3 racks, with Stalev winning all three pretty comfortably. More haggling, with Keith and Larry trying to get Stalev to give Keith the same game. What was agreed was a $2K a rack game, with Keith getting 9-8. Time to start the show. As soon as the balls were racked, Keith was in fine form. The talking was non-stop. References to The Color of Money, (which many of you know Keith McCready played Grady Seasons in), Russia’s communist history, Stalev’s overbite, and anything else that came to mind were the topics of choice. The crowd was feeding McCready too…egging him on. He won the first rack, fairly closely. The second rack started and it came down to both needing 2 balls to win, and they’re in a safety battle. Stalev called a ball frozen on the long rail. Keith comes up and checks it out and tells him he’s a dirty communist liar, that ball is way off the rail. Now the show goes into high gear. Keith is calling everyone up to look at the ball. No one is saying it’s frozen. This goes on for about 10 minutes…with Keith forgetting about the game and going full on into showmanship mode. Larry is feeding material to him, while poor Stalev just sits back and has a glazed look in his eyes…like “WTF is going on here?!?”. It came down that Stalev conceded that the ball was not frozen, and they finished out the game, with Keith winning. It was my introduction to the show that is "Keither with the Ether". I’ll never forget it and hope that someday I’ll get the chance to see it again."
JAM, if you have anything to clarify what the bet/games were, please feel free to correct my recollection. All I know for positive is that it was one of the most enjoyable shows put on by players I've ever seen, to this day.
What about Pretty Boy Floyd?
I really have no idea how he compared to all the other charismatic players, but on reputation alone, his gift of gab was second only to Fats. It would be so much fun to get him and Keith fired up and jabberin' away.
How about this guy.Even after his stroke he had some really good lines.
STEVE MIZERAK - "The Miz"
"The Miz" Steve Mizerak is a Hall of Fame inductee who began collecting titles in the late 1960's, including four U.S. Open Championships. He is one of the most recognizeable faces in the world of pool, appearing in the movie " The Color of Money" and a series of Miler Lite commercials. "The Miz" was named 5th in the 50 Greatest Players of the century.
STEVE MIZERAK - "The Miz"
"The Miz" Steve Mizerak is a Hall of Fame inductee who began collecting titles in the late 1960's, including four U.S. Open Championships. He is one of the most recognizeable faces in the world of pool, appearing in the movie " The Color of Money" and a series of Miler Lite commercials. "The Miz" was named 5th in the 50 Greatest Players of the century.
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Don't care if he won the bet or not... it's hard to believe that Jimmy Mataya hates his money that much!
That was a great tournament report. I loved the read. It sure did conjure up some happy memories for me.
I can still see the Russian flashing two gigantic cabbage packages, about 5-inches thick, wrapped in rubber bands, as he was trying to get action. Keith and Larry's eyes got as big as saucers. :lmao:
Keith was just getting into this whole tournament soldier thing, attending two, three, and four tournaments every month. The Joss Tour with its weekend events are logistically attractive for a lot of players, and this tournament was full of champions from all over.
I remember the Filipino players went into the Town of Chelmsford because there is a Filipino neighborhood there that served great food. They were really enjoying Chelmsford, too. :smile2:
The night of the bumps game, Earl was sitting solo way in the back of the pool room sweating Keith and the Russian. A couple of times, Earl would yell out, "Keither. Keither." And Keith beamed when Earl did that; in fact, it made him play better, I think. :grin-square:
After Keith spanked the Russian, he handed me a C-note and said to go find Earl and give it to him. I didn't know Earl Strickland very well at this time and felt a little odd walking up to him with a hundred-dollar bill.
I located Earl and said, "Earl, Keith told me to give you this." Earl smiled from ear to ear, put it in his pocket, and said, "You tell that Keith that he can bite me anytime." Another tournament, another place, I guess Keith bit Earl for a C-note, and he was paying him back. :wink: