So many of us here have not met Doug. It is great to hear from friends like johnnyt here.
Please people, post more stories of "Times With Doug".
Thanks,
Matt
I've told this one before but it's worth repeating now since some of you are new to Doug's World.
Doug had made a trip to New Orleans just to meet me. He drove by himself non-stop from Tampa, FL and had gotten a week's rate at the LaQuinta Inn which was right down the street from The Corner Pocket in Kenner, LA.
This was several years back if I am not mistaken and Doug was hanging out at the Corner Pocket, reminiscing with old friends and asked me to come by when I had the chance. I spend most of my day working during the week and make use of my self-diagnosed attention deficit disorder by popping in and out of AZ Billiard Main Forum as opportunity and attention span allow.
Doug was there when I arrived one evening and we discussed the people we mutually knew. I had never met Doug in person before and he was unlike what I had pictured in my mind. I expected someone with a little court jester cap on his head but all I saw was this big fellow with perceptive eyes and a quick wit before me.
Each evening I would go to the Corner Pocket and Doug would be in action with someone not betting a whole lot but he always had his trout line set for any passing fish.
This particular day was like his last day in town before leaving to go back home to Tampa, Florida. he had been there a week and asked if I would be interested in going over to one of his old haunts that I happened to be familiar with. It was called "Young's Triple Play", a bar with a coupe of bar tables in them. They sometimes had a very small band or couple playing or a tweaked up jukebox playing loudly and so we went by to visit to see if there were any potential games for me to play.
None of my regular competitors were there and so we sat and talked at the bar while Doug ordered himself a White Russian, I ordered a coke or water which is what I choose to drink when competing. Doug and I had become fast friends over that week and he asked me if I would have a "drink" with him since it was the last day of his trip. I knew what he meant and changed my order to a glass of Chablis and this made him particularly happy as he liked to drink a bit and enjoyed having his friends get a little buzzed. At that time, Doug could drink all day and he would barely show any sign of intoxication. He never got boisterous or out of line when drinking either which I liked. I don't tolerate loud obnoxious drunks whether they are my friends or not. Anyway, I hadn't had any alcohol to drink in probably 30 days or so and the wine was particularly tasty to me and I had another and bought Doug a drink.
Since I wasn't a regular drinker at that time, the wine loosened my lips pretty quickly and we were laughing and joking and having a good time. The owner of the bar at that time was "Buddha", another former soldier and I believe someone told me at a later date, Vietnam veteran. Doug and he knew each other but I only knew Buddha in passing and Doug inquired if Buddha was interested in playing his good friend, JoeyA. Buddha had noticed that I was already pretty lit up but waited for another drink or two to be consumed by me. I was up to probably 4 drinks when Doug announced, "Your up!". By this time, gambling at pool was the last thing on my mind but the alcohol has loosened my inhibitions and I wasn't afraid to play Buddha and we began playing races to 3 for $20. Each set which didn't take very long, I ordered another glass of wine, making me all the more merry. Buddha paid after every set and quickly raised the bet as my state of sobriety deteriorated faster than Paris Hilton's reputation on a blind date. We were up a good bit when Buddha announced that I would be drinking for free the rest of the night. By this time, I was too drunk to not continue drinking and since Doug was driving I figured I might be able to make it home in decent shape except for a hangover so I drank the glasses of wine like they were free water. My spirits soared as I won set after set all the while the room would spin and I would have to hold on to the bar table to steady myself. Buddha knew that my end was near or so he thought and after a tidy sum of money had been lost, he realized that he couldn't beat me drunk as a skunk and finally gave up.
Doug was very happy having made a nice score and I was happy to have made his trip a financial success. He quickly divvied up the spoils of the night 50/50 without saying a word. I was too drunk to care about the percentage or the score and had had such a good time, I wouldn't have been disappointed if he hadn't have given me a nickel.
That was the first time I met Doug face to face and the week was the start of a mostly long distance Internet friendship that grew from year to year. We would meet in person in the future at pool tournaments in Biloxi, Naples, Florida and once I even stopped in Tampa, Florida and spent the night hanging out with Doug at multiple pool halls. He always made sure we had a good time regardless of whether we hit a ball or not.
JoeyA
