Weldon Rodgers and “Bakersfield Bob” were both from a small town in Arizona, Eloi I think. I don’t remember, for a goodly number of years, anybody beating any of us playing even up bar pool. Weldon and Bobby played great with the big rock while I did most of the small cue ball playing.
We ended up being around each other quite a bit in Woodward, Oklahoma, (pronounced with the second w silent). We all thought it was home to the best steak house in the world. We certainly tested it every night. There was a ton of action at the Hilltop Bar and Motel. Sixty miles away in Longdale resided Bill Duggan, a weak player who might arrest you and throw you in jail for not gambling. When Bill said “the store is open” that meant you could bet anything you wanted.
Players like “One Eyed Tony”, Andy O’Gean, and a host of other excellent players who’s names don’t come immediately to mind, frequented this great action spot. Ten miles south of Woodward, in Moreland, lived Verl Horn. Verl owned the local body shop and tow truck company and rolled out the red carpet for all visiting pool players. It wasn’t uncommon for him to give a gentleman such as myself a couple of thousand dollars and the use of a new Cadillac while I was in town. Later in life, Verl dabbled in cue making and did a pretty good job at that.
I knew Weldon and Bobby before the Woodward era. We had had a very good friend and a sure to be top player named Johnny Draine, from Tucson. Johnny sadly died in Vietnam in the service of his country.
After reflecting back about all the years in my pool playing life, I have to say Weldon (Those of us who were close to him, prefer to call him Junior.) was the greatest pool hustler who ever lived. To wit: 1... He started his trips with $10,000 or more; that’s $80,000 in today’s money. 2...He carried a thousand dollar bill in his hatband. 3...He tried to get a good game and he was a very fine game maker and then bet as much money as possible. 4...He was honest to a fault with those with whom he did business. 5...He raised his family properly and if you were Junior’s friend, you just couldn’t have a better guy in your corner.
I was asked what I meant by using the Weldon Rodgers school of gambling. When I had lost a game of Snooker for $300 and raised the bet to $1,000 a game, even though my opponent had run the entire table. In a famous match of Junior’s. He was with our mutual friend Will Willingham and playing Johnny Edwards in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first set was an eight ahead and Johnny ran the whole set out. Instead of quitting, as many modern day greats would, Weldon and Will doubled the bet. Junior ended up getting the money.
One time in Woodward, I had “stalled” with Indian John, a shortstop player and gotten him to spot me the seven ball. It was a work of art on my part and Junior was in with it. I won $3,000 and was delighted with the effort. We had played in Longdale and we drove back to Woodward to our motel. As we were pulling into our parking space in front of our room, Weldon hollered at me, “There’s John. He’s still got $300 left. I’m gonna go get it.” “Junior,” I cautioned, “we’ve already got almost all the money. Why don’t you leave the poor guy alone?” But Weldon liked to get all the money, so he lost the entire $3,000 plus $1,500 of ours. Please don’t get the wrong idea. This was a rare exception. Weldon practically always got the money.
He was fast, actually winning two or three foot races when we were together. The most famous of which was against Eddie Bellmore, a smart guy who got crippled for life in Los Angeles when he got robbed and wouldn’t give up his watch. Weldon and I got shot at a couple of times and threatened with being tarred and feathered but we survived and enjoyed our times together greatly.
I’ve been conversing with Freddie the Beard and I’m going to put a little teaser out there for you interested readers. We’ve been threatening for years to put together a Top Ten Rogues’ List. I don’t know exactly when this will come about but we will get it done and I promise we really have some qualified candidates.
I’d like to thank the posters who remembered and appreciated the play of Johnny Drane.
Somebody made note of Weldon’s one handed talents, which reminds me of an interesting match. Weldon and I were in Denver where we had both bested a young Danny Medina on the bar table in a tough Mexican joint. Eddie “The Hat” Burton had insinuated himself into our company, not something we really wanted, so Danny got all his money back playing Eddie even up bar pool.
After some good natured matching up, Danny spotted Weldon the five and the break with Weldon having to shoot one handed. It was no contest. It actually looked almost as if Junior played as good as Danny. This isn’t meant to denigrate Danny’s game. He was very young and within a couple of years he played about as good a game of 9 Ball as anybody.
Dennis Porterfield, from a well to do family in Albuquerque, was good and tight with Weldon and me and oftentimes would accompany us on our expeditions. He’s a sharp guy who moves real well although his pool game was suspect. Dennis was the most straight guy I ever knew then, the most unlikely individual to ever drink, smoke, or take drugs. Then I found out that he found his way to Seattle where he had married a wonderful woman who took real good care of him and he’d quit the bad habits entirely. He still loved pool and it happened that he was getting some decent action in a local bar, but Dennis’ game had not improved. After about a three month period he found himself $10,000 loser. He discovered that I was going to be in town for an exhibition. He got my phone number, called me, and arranged for me to come out a couple of days early. “I don’t care about the money, Grady” he said, “I just want to see this guy beat. He’s really a creep”.
I do a really first rate job of “lemoning” this guy and after a couple of nights, I’m $4,000 winner. He doesn’t know that Dennis has anything to do with this play but he’s suspicious, even though I really laid it down good. When he had Dennis $10,000 stuck, everything was hunky dory, peaches and cream, laughs and giggles, etc. He didn’t like being stuck one little bit. His recourse was to contact the bunco squad. Like Dennis said, a real creep.
I made reference in my last post to a near being tarred and feathered incident. This took place in Lamar, Colorado, home of a man-made lake in Two Buttes reservation. I got slapped one night for telling a young lady that she had two beauts. We found a tavern in Lamar where the activity seemed lively and the place had a pool table and a bowling machine. After introducing ourselves, Dennis, Weldon, and I began trying to drum up some action. The owner of the place was present and he said “I’ll play any of you on this bowling machine”. We responded by offering him a pool game. He declined that offer and it looked like nothing was going to happen. Dennis called us off to the side and said “I can bowl pretty good on that machine. Why don’t we have either one of you guys play him 8 Ball while I bowl against him? I’ll win at least one game out of five on the machine, and you’ll have to hold him scoreless at pool”. So, that’s what we did and after we were about $500 winner, the owner said to the tough looking crowd in attendance “Didn’t we say we were going to tar and feather the next pool hustlers that came through town?” Another of Dennis’ talents emerged and he talked our way out of there, with the losers liking us and with us keeping the money.
One time in Cochrun’s, Weldon had come all the way to the west coast mostly to spend some time with me. As we were sitting at the counter, somebody eased up and snuck Weldon’s Balabushka out from between his legs. That really broke my heart, and his, because that was a much prized cue.
All this talking about my old friend has made me miss him more than usual but my old numbers for him are no longer good. If anybody has a good phone number for him please pass it on to me at grady101@sc.rr.com.
I hope you enjoyed these musings.
Grady
We ended up being around each other quite a bit in Woodward, Oklahoma, (pronounced with the second w silent). We all thought it was home to the best steak house in the world. We certainly tested it every night. There was a ton of action at the Hilltop Bar and Motel. Sixty miles away in Longdale resided Bill Duggan, a weak player who might arrest you and throw you in jail for not gambling. When Bill said “the store is open” that meant you could bet anything you wanted.
Players like “One Eyed Tony”, Andy O’Gean, and a host of other excellent players who’s names don’t come immediately to mind, frequented this great action spot. Ten miles south of Woodward, in Moreland, lived Verl Horn. Verl owned the local body shop and tow truck company and rolled out the red carpet for all visiting pool players. It wasn’t uncommon for him to give a gentleman such as myself a couple of thousand dollars and the use of a new Cadillac while I was in town. Later in life, Verl dabbled in cue making and did a pretty good job at that.
I knew Weldon and Bobby before the Woodward era. We had had a very good friend and a sure to be top player named Johnny Draine, from Tucson. Johnny sadly died in Vietnam in the service of his country.
After reflecting back about all the years in my pool playing life, I have to say Weldon (Those of us who were close to him, prefer to call him Junior.) was the greatest pool hustler who ever lived. To wit: 1... He started his trips with $10,000 or more; that’s $80,000 in today’s money. 2...He carried a thousand dollar bill in his hatband. 3...He tried to get a good game and he was a very fine game maker and then bet as much money as possible. 4...He was honest to a fault with those with whom he did business. 5...He raised his family properly and if you were Junior’s friend, you just couldn’t have a better guy in your corner.
I was asked what I meant by using the Weldon Rodgers school of gambling. When I had lost a game of Snooker for $300 and raised the bet to $1,000 a game, even though my opponent had run the entire table. In a famous match of Junior’s. He was with our mutual friend Will Willingham and playing Johnny Edwards in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first set was an eight ahead and Johnny ran the whole set out. Instead of quitting, as many modern day greats would, Weldon and Will doubled the bet. Junior ended up getting the money.
One time in Woodward, I had “stalled” with Indian John, a shortstop player and gotten him to spot me the seven ball. It was a work of art on my part and Junior was in with it. I won $3,000 and was delighted with the effort. We had played in Longdale and we drove back to Woodward to our motel. As we were pulling into our parking space in front of our room, Weldon hollered at me, “There’s John. He’s still got $300 left. I’m gonna go get it.” “Junior,” I cautioned, “we’ve already got almost all the money. Why don’t you leave the poor guy alone?” But Weldon liked to get all the money, so he lost the entire $3,000 plus $1,500 of ours. Please don’t get the wrong idea. This was a rare exception. Weldon practically always got the money.
He was fast, actually winning two or three foot races when we were together. The most famous of which was against Eddie Bellmore, a smart guy who got crippled for life in Los Angeles when he got robbed and wouldn’t give up his watch. Weldon and I got shot at a couple of times and threatened with being tarred and feathered but we survived and enjoyed our times together greatly.
I’ve been conversing with Freddie the Beard and I’m going to put a little teaser out there for you interested readers. We’ve been threatening for years to put together a Top Ten Rogues’ List. I don’t know exactly when this will come about but we will get it done and I promise we really have some qualified candidates.
I’d like to thank the posters who remembered and appreciated the play of Johnny Drane.
Somebody made note of Weldon’s one handed talents, which reminds me of an interesting match. Weldon and I were in Denver where we had both bested a young Danny Medina on the bar table in a tough Mexican joint. Eddie “The Hat” Burton had insinuated himself into our company, not something we really wanted, so Danny got all his money back playing Eddie even up bar pool.
After some good natured matching up, Danny spotted Weldon the five and the break with Weldon having to shoot one handed. It was no contest. It actually looked almost as if Junior played as good as Danny. This isn’t meant to denigrate Danny’s game. He was very young and within a couple of years he played about as good a game of 9 Ball as anybody.
Dennis Porterfield, from a well to do family in Albuquerque, was good and tight with Weldon and me and oftentimes would accompany us on our expeditions. He’s a sharp guy who moves real well although his pool game was suspect. Dennis was the most straight guy I ever knew then, the most unlikely individual to ever drink, smoke, or take drugs. Then I found out that he found his way to Seattle where he had married a wonderful woman who took real good care of him and he’d quit the bad habits entirely. He still loved pool and it happened that he was getting some decent action in a local bar, but Dennis’ game had not improved. After about a three month period he found himself $10,000 loser. He discovered that I was going to be in town for an exhibition. He got my phone number, called me, and arranged for me to come out a couple of days early. “I don’t care about the money, Grady” he said, “I just want to see this guy beat. He’s really a creep”.
I do a really first rate job of “lemoning” this guy and after a couple of nights, I’m $4,000 winner. He doesn’t know that Dennis has anything to do with this play but he’s suspicious, even though I really laid it down good. When he had Dennis $10,000 stuck, everything was hunky dory, peaches and cream, laughs and giggles, etc. He didn’t like being stuck one little bit. His recourse was to contact the bunco squad. Like Dennis said, a real creep.
I made reference in my last post to a near being tarred and feathered incident. This took place in Lamar, Colorado, home of a man-made lake in Two Buttes reservation. I got slapped one night for telling a young lady that she had two beauts. We found a tavern in Lamar where the activity seemed lively and the place had a pool table and a bowling machine. After introducing ourselves, Dennis, Weldon, and I began trying to drum up some action. The owner of the place was present and he said “I’ll play any of you on this bowling machine”. We responded by offering him a pool game. He declined that offer and it looked like nothing was going to happen. Dennis called us off to the side and said “I can bowl pretty good on that machine. Why don’t we have either one of you guys play him 8 Ball while I bowl against him? I’ll win at least one game out of five on the machine, and you’ll have to hold him scoreless at pool”. So, that’s what we did and after we were about $500 winner, the owner said to the tough looking crowd in attendance “Didn’t we say we were going to tar and feather the next pool hustlers that came through town?” Another of Dennis’ talents emerged and he talked our way out of there, with the losers liking us and with us keeping the money.
One time in Cochrun’s, Weldon had come all the way to the west coast mostly to spend some time with me. As we were sitting at the counter, somebody eased up and snuck Weldon’s Balabushka out from between his legs. That really broke my heart, and his, because that was a much prized cue.
All this talking about my old friend has made me miss him more than usual but my old numbers for him are no longer good. If anybody has a good phone number for him please pass it on to me at grady101@sc.rr.com.
I hope you enjoyed these musings.
Grady
