Thoughts On Grady mathews

grady awalys answeres my emails, when we spent some time together in the earily 90's in vegas watching TV at the pool room we got along great-hell we wernt even talking about pool,

Grady i will be sending you another email, i want to talk to you about something important, i have a plan for a tournment and I not someone I know but me personally have the $$$ to do something thats never been done before and i'm not looking to make a penny, i want to do something that will be remembered for years, it involves 1P-I cant do it with out you and Jay Helfert, we need to keep it private for now. I'll call you this weekend and tell you.

thanks

fatboy
 
Williebetmore said:
FastD,
Here is a link from a couple of years ago describing a visit by Grady.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=13870&highlight=Security

Here is a more recent visit described by JCIN.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=59123&highlight=Grady

As most of the others have noted, he is truly a "professor" of the game and has worked diligently in the areas of teaching, playing, and promoting. It seems obvious there was some miscommunication - DCC is a long, grueling, and hectic experience for players and fans. Remember Grady is very busy those weeks organizing and promoting the ring games (and refereeing grudge matches).

Whenever I see Grady at DCC - he's either in the AZ room spilling his guts with knowledge, or gambling (I remember an awesome 1P match between he and Billy Incardona - they were playing for a LOT, if I recall...several thousand). And yes, he refs the grudge matches. Willie, your light was tilted more than anyone else's at DCC - without a doubt! I remember you were betting a few thousand beans on that one, eh? :D
 
Mr. Mathews has always been very nice to me and willing to answer my kindergarten level questions.:)
 
Jam,

I dont even know you... but posts like this make me want to drive all the way to VA during the open just to give you a big hug!!!

-Back2good1

JAM said:
I think you may have just caught Grady on an off moment. If anything, he always seems to enjoy talking to fans, pool enthusiats, and aspiring pool players who desire to elevate their game.

There are some pool players out there who are non-responsive, for lack of a better word, to fans, but I can't put Grady in that category. I could name a few other names, but definitely not Grady.

Sometimes at pool events, things get hectic. I remember my own personal experience at the DCC one year. Me and my boyfriend were sick as could be with the flu, the entire week. People, as they are wont to do at these pool meccas, were coming up to chat and socialize, but I wasn't able to be my usual self. The tournament schedule became unclear, which caused more stress, and then there was the constant pull of the action, which I didn't want any part of. I just wanted to go home.

You seem like a true pool enthusiast like me. I'll bet if you come to the U.S. Open this year, if you are able to, you may get a different perspective on things. I hope you do. If I am lucky enough to attend, look me up. There's nothing better than hanging outside in front of the Chesapeake Conference Center with the players and pool enthusists. Come and enjoy. :)

JAM
 
SpiderWebComm said:
... And yes, he refs the grudge matches. Willie, your light was tilted more than anyone else's at DCC - without a doubt! I remember you were betting a few thousand beans on that one, eh? :D

D,
As with most sporting legends; the details of this match become embellished/exagerrated over time. We DID have "heavy" action on this match: 1,000 jellybeans apiece. Unfortunately that welsher breakup came up short. When breakup got so far behind that he decided to forfeit the match; I counted out the stake, he only had 997.

NEVER gamble with that guy; he can't be trusted, or he can't count (a tough 3 years in third grade for the break-man) - either way you are in for trouble if you mix it up with him.
 
Grady was very gracious indeed to volunteer to ref our match. Willie was really on his best behavior when Grady was watching over things. I must say that Grady also was confident in his control of the situation that he declined my offer of providing a SWAT team on standby. Of course when Grady left Willie promptly settled into the old comfortable ways was able to shark his way into the lead. Quit when he was a few balls ahead, claimed victory grabbed the jellybeans. The last I saw of him was the bottoms of his sneakers as he dashed away like a kid that had just stolen an apple. I heard later that he poured them on his bed and was rolling around in them. I can’t verify that it’s just what I heard.
 
breakup said:
....The last I saw of him was the bottoms of his sneakers as he dashed away like a kid that had just stolen an apple. I heard later that he poured them on his bed and was rolling around in them. I can’t verify that it’s just what I heard.

b-man,
Anyone who saw the quantity of mind-altering substances you ingested will know right away that you were incapable of seeing.

I deny that I was rolling around in bed with them; that maid who reported this is obviously on breakup's payroll.
 
bruin70 said:
tell him you'll play him from $20 a game. i am being both serious and sarcastic. i generally think the older players and players in general are full of it and hold onto their "secrets". this has been a sore point by many who feel the game has suffered from lack of the passing of knowledge. try getting ray martin to teach you stuff.

In the "old days" secret hoarding versus passing down of knowledge had more impact.

Now there are so many quality instructional books, videos, instructors... I don't have much sympathy for someone who blames others for their lack of knowledge when it's rife for the taking for anyone.

To keep my reply on topic with the thread, Grady Matthews rules. 'nuff said.
 
Fast Davie NC said:
yadda yadda yadda...
I am very dissapointed Grady!
We are all human!

More yaddda

I have lost a lot of respect! Sorry Grady!

Well I'm disappointed that you attempted to disparage one of the few outspoken advocates of the game that we all love. You could have approached this in a different way, but it appears you are the one who needed your ego stroked. However, as you can see, Grady has a huge following here (and around the country). Heck, he even apologized for not meeting your expectations...

You stated "We are all human" yet you seem to hold Grady to a higher standard. Remember, he's only human too, so give him a break already. Geesh.

Lastly, think about how hard it would be to even TALK to Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, etc. etc. Grady gives out his phone number! And I'm sure Grady won't even sweat you for your original post, which is another reason why I'm in his corner. I haven't lost any respect - since I know that busy people don't always have time to stop the spinning of the Earth to cater to me.

-td
 
hmm...

i think this was nothing more than an attempt to get stuff started... i hope im not the only one that has noticed that the author of this thread hasnt responded back to any of the comments... thats a good indicator right there.
 
breakup said:
Grady was very gracious indeed to volunteer to ref our match. Willie was really on his best behavior when Grady was watching over things. I must say that Grady also was confident in his control of the situation that he declined my offer of providing a SWAT team on standby. Of course when Grady left Willie promptly settled into the old comfortable ways was able to shark his way into the lead. Quit when he was a few balls ahead, claimed victory grabbed the jellybeans. The last I saw of him was the bottoms of his sneakers as he dashed away like a kid that had just stolen an apple. I heard later that he poured them on his bed and was rolling around in them. I can’t verify that it’s just what I heard.


Breakup and Williebetmore,

You guys made me laugh out loud! That is some very funny stuff from both of you. Thanks :)
 
Terry Ardeno said:
Breakup and Williebetmore,

You guys made me laugh out loud! That is some very funny stuff from both of you. Thanks :)

TA,
Yes, breakup is a very, very funny guy (well at least his pool game is)....you know, funny like a stiff case of dysentery is funny. If I was 6 inches taller, and 80 pounds heavier, I'd kick his a$$.

It's a good thing he ducked out on me at the BCA (they had some sort of staffing crisis at the drive-thru window, and he had to get home pronto) or I would have stomped him again on the pool table.
 
Grady, I am truely embarrassed of myself. I appreciate your reply and I hope you will consider my apologies. It seems i caught you at a bad time. I should have just kept trying to get in touch with you personally by e mail. I sincerly apologize for addressing this in a public forum. It was a terribly wrong thing for me to do, I wasn't thinking apparently! You will always be a living legend in my opinion. Thanks for your time-David
 
im glad you guys figured things out. i was going to add that grady always got back to me via email the 2 or 3 times i emailed him. the one time he didnt he was out of town and his friend or assistant emailed me back and told me he couldt reply soon, i thought that was very considerate.

i was actually campaigning for grady's return to accustats with pat flemming at the time (i think they have gone downhill since gradys departure, not that they are bad, just not as good). but pat wasnt hearing it, but he is as well a very thoughtful, considerate guy. i just always thought it was too bad that pat and grady had some sort of pretty large disagreement.

in any case, great to see you posting grady. and thanks for all the replys and input in forums and your old forum over the years. ill never forget the time i needed to know what was better the 7 out or 3 games going to 7 and you very capably answered me within an hour in your forum.
 
Nice to see

It's nice to see a thread that started with angry accusations come to such a gentlemanly conclusion. Grady has always been a gentleman in my dealings with him. Being an older guy myself, I know that there are days when I'm a cranky old man. Maybe Grady has days like that himself? Anyway, one thing you know about Grady is that he loves the game.
 
Fast Davie NC said:
Grady, I am truely embarrassed of myself. I appreciate your reply and I hope you will consider my apologies. It seems i caught you at a bad time. I should have just kept trying to get in touch with you personally by e mail. I sincerly apologize for addressing this in a public forum. It was a terribly wrong thing for me to do, I wasn't thinking apparently! You will always be a living legend in my opinion. Thanks for your time-David

Tap! Tap! Tap!
 
bruin70 said:
tell him you'll play him from $20 a game. i am being both serious and sarcastic. i generally think the older players and players in general are full of it and hold onto their "secrets". this has been a sore point by many who feel the game has suffered from lack of the passing of knowledge. try getting ray martin to teach you stuff.

otoh, there is some validity to "learn by gambling". there aren't enough instances a pro could ever imagine that would be as relevent and unique as those instance that occur in a real game. essentially,,,just telling you things is a form of book learning and have little relevence in real games and real situations.

the rest depends on the teacher and how he uses the games(gambling or not) to instruct.

Lesson from Ray Martin: "There is no such thing as a silver bullet!"
JoeyA
 
Heart

You know how much HEART Grady has?

Back around 98 I was at a tournament at JOB's and I was playing $5 one pocket with a hillbilly dressed in honest to goodness overalls. NO ONE wanted a part of the hillbilly. But him and Grady were barking at each other while we were playing and Grady BET $50 a game on me. After I lost 3 games Grady pulled up and came over to yell at me for playing the wrong shots. I said, Grady I told you I don't know how to play one pocket and he said something like well I didn't you couldn't spell it either.

He is just like that - bets it up when he has it - all heart all the time.
 
Grady Is An Honorable Man And A Credit To Or Sport.

Fast Davie NC said:
Sorry Grady!

Grady is an HONORABLE MAN and a credit to our sport.
JoeyA
 
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