Old post, but I will add a couple memories to it.
I am unsure of the year but it was likely around 91-92 and I was in college at UK, sorta.
We got a transfer student in from Oklahoma. Tulsa. Turned out he played pretty sporty. So I took him out to Steepletons and put him in one of the bigger tournaments there. He was pretty unknown so we got him in for around $150ish if I remember right (entry fee and calcutta). I put myself in also, but I can't play a lick and was just messing around for fun (I might have been the first one out - I think Calvin's girlfriend Lisa beat me - but just barely). There were several good players there, Bell, Breedlove, Naiser, etc. My buddy was using the name Alex Smith, nobody can pronounce his last name since its Russian.
Anyhow he's playing pretty good and ends up the winner on the winners side and Breedlove comes out of the losers side. So Breedlove has to win two sets. I think Alex won the first game and then broke the second and had to play safe. George runs to his case and grabs his jump cue and comes back and spears this shot and gets perfect shape and then hes out, and out again and again and again. I think it's like 4-1 and George finally has to play a safe and he comes up short and leaves a pretty easy shot, so Alex gets up and he gets down over the shot and I notice that the table is shaking, I'm thinking earthquake! Turns out it isn't an earthquake it's his bridge hand, it is shaking so badly it makes it look like the whole damn table is moving, so he fires the shot missing the pocket by a good foot. George had him so rattled with that jump shot he couldn't calm down. Anyhow George won that set and the next. Alex might have gotten a few more tries at the table but George just locked him down and didn't really make an error. Anyhow, Alex ended up second, and we split a decent amount. Splitting first place would have been a lot nicer but hey...George earned it.
As it happens Nine ball was not Alex's best game, he preferred One Pocket or Golf on the Snooker table with the big balls. He would often boast he would play anyone in the country on the Snooker table with the big balls and his rules. (which i don't remember). It was the same day that he got 2nd in that tourney that MaCready shows up and they end up making a game of Golf, something like $40 a game and $5 a hickey. I think Alex started off spotting Keith a hole, which didn't last but two games and they agreed to play even. Playing even Alex had a few games ahead and they upped the bet some, and then he won a few more. Then, there was a short...restroom.. break and Keith played remarkably better after that. After a couple hours they were basically even. I think Alex ended quitting Keith while he was a game ahead or maybe Keith quit. I forget exactly how they ended but it was pretty close to being a waste of time for both of them. Fun to watch though.
Anyhow Steepletons was always fun and Calvin was(is) a great guy and you could hear him anywhere in the building when he raised his voice and he ran those tourney's well.
I wish I could have played better but those guys were interested in stringing together 3/4/5 racks at a time....while I was trying to string 3/4/5 balls together at a time.
Fun Times
