My personal story of a great pool player……(sorry its long)
My parents divorced when I was a baby, and I met my dad for the first time when I was 19. Turns out we both had a strong love for pool (as well as other things in common). We started hanging out at his favorite dive bar right away, and he was giving me tips about pool. Of course in those days I was an ignorant banger and most of his tips didn’t sink in. How very good he played didn’t sink in either, because he could have beat me left handed back then, and he was sandbagging big time to make me feel better (I figured out years later).
Eventually, I got married and had kids, and pool took a back seat in my life for many years, but I did hear from my mom, that back when I was born (the 1960’s), he put food on the table by playing pool and poker. Dad later explained that he worked in a snooker hall when he was young and played there every day. Transiting to pool was a piece of cake for him.
Fast forward about 20 years, and now I have a pool table in my house…..I’m getting better fast, but my dad is getting older and his eyesight is fading….He can still beat me, but he now has to “bear down” (in his words) to beat me…….One of my life’s goals is to beat my dad at pool someday, but it has to occur soon, because he is getting frail. My dad never had much money, but he always had a crisp $100 bill hidden in his wallet. He told me that's pool money if someone wants to gamble. He taught me not to gamble however.
My dad quit playing pool for good a couple years ago (bad eyes and a bad hip)…..He had his retirement party at his favorite pool hall.
I never did get my chance to beat him, and maybe its much better that way……I prefer to remember his as always a better player than me, a better man than me. He passed away this morning. Love you dad.
(Pic #1, dad in the 1960's in LA), (Pic #2 dad right before he stopped playing)
My parents divorced when I was a baby, and I met my dad for the first time when I was 19. Turns out we both had a strong love for pool (as well as other things in common). We started hanging out at his favorite dive bar right away, and he was giving me tips about pool. Of course in those days I was an ignorant banger and most of his tips didn’t sink in. How very good he played didn’t sink in either, because he could have beat me left handed back then, and he was sandbagging big time to make me feel better (I figured out years later).
Eventually, I got married and had kids, and pool took a back seat in my life for many years, but I did hear from my mom, that back when I was born (the 1960’s), he put food on the table by playing pool and poker. Dad later explained that he worked in a snooker hall when he was young and played there every day. Transiting to pool was a piece of cake for him.
Fast forward about 20 years, and now I have a pool table in my house…..I’m getting better fast, but my dad is getting older and his eyesight is fading….He can still beat me, but he now has to “bear down” (in his words) to beat me…….One of my life’s goals is to beat my dad at pool someday, but it has to occur soon, because he is getting frail. My dad never had much money, but he always had a crisp $100 bill hidden in his wallet. He told me that's pool money if someone wants to gamble. He taught me not to gamble however.
My dad quit playing pool for good a couple years ago (bad eyes and a bad hip)…..He had his retirement party at his favorite pool hall.
I never did get my chance to beat him, and maybe its much better that way……I prefer to remember his as always a better player than me, a better man than me. He passed away this morning. Love you dad.
(Pic #1, dad in the 1960's in LA), (Pic #2 dad right before he stopped playing)
