Stop me before I post another one!!!

BillPorter

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who will be first to identify this well-known father-son duo, now, sadly, departed?
 

Attachments

  • spaeth.jpg
    spaeth.jpg
    89.1 KB · Views: 559
I was going to edit Joey's name in but I couldnt think of it right off the bat. You beat me to it Mr W!

By the Bill keep em coming, nobodies going to stop you...hell I don't want you to stop for one.
 
Last edited:
First off, I thought Gary Spaeth was still alive. When did he die? Second of all, I've never seen his father. He looks a bit angry in that picture. Out of curiousity, did he die of a stress related heart attack?
 
Posted 12/19/2000

http://www.cincypost.com/news/2000/obits121900.html

Gary Spaeth, like father, a champion pool player


The son of ''The Cincinnati Kid'' has died.

Gary Spaeth, 46, of Higginsport, a champion pool and billiards player like his late father, Joey ''The Cincinnati Kid'' Spaeth, died Saturday.

He had battled leukemia for four years and was confined the last two months at Jewish Hospital.

A world champion bank pool player, Mr. Spaeth also was a brilliant nine-ball, one-pocket and straight pool player.

Like his father, he traveled the country competing in championship pool and billiards tournaments.

''That was his whole life,'' said his mother, Marie, of Arlington Heights.

Joey Spaeth, who died 12 years ago, was a national one-pocket pool champion. He was known as ''The Cincinnati Kid,'' a nickname later popularized by a movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen.

Joey taught his son how to play and by the time he was 10, Joey was predicting great things for him.

''Gary has poise, confidence and ability,'' Joey said in 1965. ''He has a good, smooth stroke, and I'm sure he'll be a champion.''

Mrs. Spaeth followed both her husband and son on the championship circuit. She declines to say who was better.

''Gary was the best in banks and Joey was the best in pockets,'' she said. ''Joey was so very proud of Gary and Gary always said that his father taught him so much.

''Gary made a lot of money in pool tournaments and had a whole lot of trophies.

''One time, Gary was going to play in a big tournament and someone asked Joey if he was going to attend to see how his son played. 'No, I don't have to,' replied Joey. 'I know how he plays.' ''

In addition to his mother, survivors include his wife, Merry; three children, Joey, 8, Lynn, 11, and Laura, 15; and a stepdaughter, Lisa, 18.
 
I didn't see it first, but I may have been the one here to see them both last! I have the dubious distinction of having been a pall bearer at both Joey and Gary's funerals. Rest in Peace, my friends! God Bless!

Just more hot air!

Sherm
 
Not a problem, I was curious myself that is why I did the search to find it.

Sherm, I myself being the pall bearer at several of my good friends funerals know what it's like knowing someone who has gone well before their time.
 
i_maycotte said:
I thought the "Cincinnati Kid" was Don Willis? Not meaning to step on toes...
Click to expand...
And that nickname, "The Cincinnati Kid," was also used by a Cincinnati pool player named Donnie Anderson. I think at least one other person used the nickname as well, but can't think of his name at the moment.
 
BillPorter said:
And that nickname, "The Cincinnati Kid," was also used by a Cincinnati pool player named Donnie Anderson. I think at least one other person used the nickname as well, but can't think of his name at the moment.
Click to expand...

Originally, "The Cincinnati Kid" was a fictional poker player, played by Steve McQueen in the movie with the same name. Someone started calling Don Willis "The Cincinnati Kid" because he was from Ohio (even though no one I know of has ever seen him in Cincinnati) and it kind of stuck for a while. Later Joey Spaeth won a couple of national tournaments and was getting some recognition in the Cincinnati newspapers who dubbed him "The Cincinnati Kid". Joey didn't really use it himself but a lot of people thought of him as "The Cincinnati Kid" because of the newspaper articles, and he was really from Cincinnati! When Joey died, Donnie Anderson all of a sudden started using it as his moniker. Donnie was peddling some cheap pool jewelry and some "milk dud" tips he used to dye black and called them "Black Jack" tips. He ran ads in some billiard publications hawking his products and using "The Cincinnati Kid" as his handle! Hell I even used it for a while back in the early 70's as a CB handle when I was living in Miami Florida, but a native of Cincinnati!

just more hot air!


Sherm
 
cuesmith said:
Originally, "The Cincinnati Kid" was a fictional poker player, played by Steve McQueen in the movie with the same name. Someone started calling Don Willis "The Cincinnati Kid" because he was from Ohio (even though no one I know of has ever seen him in Cincinnati) and it kind of stuck for a while. Later Joey Spaeth won a couple of national tournaments and was getting some recognition in the Cincinnati newspapers who dubbed him "The Cincinnati Kid". Joey didn't really use it himself but a lot of people thought of him as "The Cincinnati Kid" because of the newspaper articles, and he was really from Cincinnati! When Joey died, Donnie Anderson all of a sudden started using it as his moniker. Donnie was peddling some cheap pool jewelry and some "milk dud" tips he used to dye black and called them "Black Jack" tips. He ran ads in some billiard publications hawking his products and using "The Cincinnati Kid" as his handle! Hell I even used it for a while back in the early 70's as a CB handle when I was living in Miami Florida, but a native of Cincinnati!

just more hot air!


Sherm
Click to expand...

Hey, Sherm...how about Clem (Eugene Metz)? Was he ever referred to as the Cincinnati Kid? I doubt it, but thought I'd ask.
 
BillPorter said:
Hey, Sherm...how about Clem (Eugene Metz)? Was he ever referred to as the Cincinnati Kid? I doubt it, but thought I'd ask.
Click to expand...

The thing about the "Cincinnati Kid" moniker was that it was usually given to someone trying to spice up a story! It's a catchy phrase and while I'm sure at some point, someone, called Clem "The Cincinnati Kid", he wasn't really known as such.

Clem was probably the best, unknown, player in the country. He was the consumate hustler. Never played in tournaments, but often showed up, usually towards the end and often left town with ALL the money! His one pocket game was legendary! I was talking to Marshall "Squirell" Carpenter at the DCC this year and Clem's name came up. He told me that when he was on the top of his game, the only person in the country he didn't feel he could beat playing one pocket was Clem! Clem once spotted Mosconi 8-7 playing one-hole and beat him by just playing flawlessly! Mosconi pulled up and asked for 9-7 which was really amazing, considering this was the only time I've EVER heard of ANYONE spotting Willie at any game! Clem knew he'd "outran the nuts" and was glad to stop. He said he only made the game to begin with because he only had one barrel to shoot at Mosconi and felt that he was really getting 4 or 5 to one on the money since he knew he could win more than he had to lose!

Clem was also known to have had a guy "shit out on him" once and win a set that he really shouldn't have. It made Clem so mad, he pulled a gun and took his money back from the guy! Clem actually told me this himself, he wasn't bashful about his exploits. He'd also gotten caught cheating at gin and poker a few times and got quite a working over. He did a couple of stints in the slammer, once for the Mann Act IIRC. Definately a checkered past and an interesting guy. About 5 or 6 years ago, one of the billiards magazines was doing stories about past road legends and approached Clem about writing his story. At the time he wanted a stipend of a couple of grand for giving them the story, but it was against their policy and the story was never written. Some day I may just write a book myself! lol!


As a funny side note, when I first got fed up with the APA and it's handicap system, with all the sandbagging I decided that if we couldn't play straight up pool due to the stupid 23 rule and the blatant sandbagging, we might as well "go with the flow"! I had Eugene Metz on my team as an APA 2 for an entire season. I don't think he ever lost a match but could manipulate the game well enough that he could pile up innings and make it look like he was a very lucky drunk! Towards the end of the session someone overheard Eugene called "Clem" and lights started popping on! lol Of course within about 2 weeks we could no longer field a team under 23. APA sux!

just more hot air!

Sherm
 
Last edited:
cuesmith said:
The thing about the "Cincinnati Kid" moniker was that it was usually given to someone trying to spice up a story! It's a catchy phrase and while I'm sure at some point, someone, called Clem "The Cincinnati Kid", he wasn't really known as such.

Clem was probably the best, unknown, player in the country. He was the consumate hustler. Never played in tournaments, but often showed up, usually towards the end and often left town with ALL the money! His one pocket game was legendary! I was talking to Marshall "Squirell" Carpenter at the DCC this year and Clem's name came up. He told me that when he was on the top of his game, the only person in the country he didn't feel he could beat playing one pocket was Clem! Clem once spotted Mosconi 8-7 playing one-hole and beat him by just playing flawlessly! Mosconi pulled up and asked for 9-7 which was really amazing, considering this was the only time I've EVER heard of ANYONE spotting Willie at any game! Clem knew he'd "outran the nuts" and was glad to stop. He said he only made the game to begin with because he only had one barrel to shoot at Mosconi and felt that he was really getting 4 or 5 to one on the money since he knew he could win more than he had to lose!

Clem was also known to have had a guy "shit out on him" once and win a set that he really shouldn't have. It made Clem so mad, he pulled a gun and took his money back from the guy! Clem actually told me this himself, he wasn't bashful about his exploits. He'd also gotten caught cheating at gin and poker a few times and got quite a working over. He did a couple of stints in the slammer, once for the Mann Act IIRC. Definately a checkered past and an interesting guy. About 5 or 6 years ago, one of the billiards magazines was doing stories about past road legends and approached Clem about writing his story. At the time he wanted a stipend of a couple of grand for giving them the story, but it was against their policy and the story was never written. Some day I may just write a book myself! lol!


As a funny side note, when I first got fed up with the APA and it's handicap system, with all the sandbagging I decided that if we couldn't play straight up pool due to the stupid 23 rule and the blatant sandbagging, we might as well "go with the flow"! I had Eugene Metz on my team as an APA 2 for an entire season. I don't think he ever lost a match but could manipulate the game well enough that he could pile up innings and make it look like he was a very lucky drunk! Towards the end of the session someone overheard Eugene called "Clem" and lights started popping on! lol Of course within about 2 weeks we could no longer field a team under 23. APA sux!

just more hot air!

Sherm
Click to expand...

Sherm, great stories! Thanks!
 
That's apretty good shot of Bill Lawson---between Joey and Gary.
Another great "unknown" player who's no longer with us.

Ed W.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top