The old guy that hangs out at the pool hall

[cueman]

After I sold my Woodstock, Georgia pool room and moved off to Missouri in 1993, I would drop in there everytime I came back to town. I once asked the new owner how it was going. He replied, "Everything is going great, but why didn't you tell me that when I was buying this place I was buying Bobby?" I replied, "You didn't buy Bobby, we just threw him in for free." Bobby would spend money when he had it, but was more often than not broke. But if there was ever trouble or you needed a hand lifting or moving something Bobby was there to help. He was one strong man. I think he had two loves, working out with weights and hanging out. His arms were nearly as big as my legs. He just hung around taking up space and telling stories (mostly lies) but somehow he just grew on you. I never saw Bobby back down from anyone and he seemed about as fearless of a man as you would ever see. That was until one day some teenagers came in with a little bitty snake wrapped through their fingers. They showed it to Bobby and he came up off his stool and went completely to the other side of the pool room. Those kids tormented Bobby with that snake for some time. He would not let them get within ten feet of him. They must of circled that pool room for 30 minutes, with those kids saying, "come on Bobby you know you want to hold it. It aint poisonous." Bobby was threatening to kill them if they touched him with that snake and just kept backing up from them, and I was just cracking up watching this.
I think every pool room has the Bobbys or the older man, or the kinda slow upstairs fellow that everyone tolerates, who hangs out and though well liked by most, still gets on peoples nerves at times.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com

 

[SILVER__WOMBAT]

There's a guy like that in the pool room I practice in. I've been going there for several years and saw him play 1p a couple of months ago for the first time and he was damn good (I had no idea)! Heard he's in his 80s. I played him the other day some 1p myself.

However, the one guy that comes to mind even more was when I was living in Jacksonville, Florida in the late 90s. The first few times I saw him, I never saw him play pool, but everyone was always around him listening to his stories. Check out who it was: (we ended up being good friends before he passed)

Melinda

View attachment 36231

wow...i gotta get one of those 8 ball cains but with a 9 ball

 

[JoeyA]

I'm still 21 in my mind and able to leap tall buildings while being faster than a speeding bullet. In reality, I have to get to rocking back & forth in order to get up out of the sunken spot in my sofa cushion.

I'm not the old man at the poolroom yet, but I AM the old man at the Chinese Buffet.

Doug
( I have ALOT of stories to tell........... and all TRUE )

You are kind of like one of those old men in the pool hall. Did you ever tell the true story about the guy who bet his name with you? That story is GOLDEN.

If not put start a new thread or add it to MY MOST MEMORABLE MATCH or whatever the name of that thread is.
JoeyA

 

[abbassi]

Learned from the old guy.

In my many halls I've frequented, I've come to realize that in over half the halls I know, there is that one older gentleman who is almost always there. He doesn't play on his table, but he does talk to the regulars and he asks them to play a quick game. He doesn't have a stick of his own, but plays a decent game. He mostly sits around and talks. He might sit at the bar but he rarely drinks. Most of the time he pulls up a chair near a table and watches. He's different from the regulars because all the regulars are friends of each other. He's just a bit different from them.

How many of you have one of these guys, or someone similar at your hall? Strange topic I know... I was just thinking off into space and this came up.

I learned how to play 9 ball from the old guy. No one else played with him. I paid his $15 pass and he taught me how to play the game. He was a Vietnam Vet who was half doped up on medicine. We played many nights and then I would drive him home. I have not seen him in 3 years, I hope he is OK. I have to give credit where it is due.