I also met Tony in Mountain View. California Billiards was just off El Camino Real, is this right. I'd say it was around 1977. That is when I met an "Up and coming player out of Modesto, California." Yeah. I played Kim Davenport some $5 nine ball. He played like he was on another planet or universe for that matter. He beat me 5 in a row and I quit. He played but it was like he wasn't even there. I forget if he told me or it was just talk going around the pool hall. He was going to play Ray Suden after the tournament. We were at a middle table along the left wall and across from us along the opposite wall was Ray getting in stroke. Standing against the wall at his table was Sax Del Porto and Sax's wife was sitting on a bar stool next to Sax. I heard Sax was Ray's mentor and possibly his backer. Thinking back Kim was so young it was like he still had some of his baby fat. Ha ha.
I had a friend George La Far who told me he played this kid (Tony) who had him stuck for some serious money. He couldn't believe "this kid" had him stuck. But he told me he toughed it out and got even. Cole was in town, Fremont, and I said something about George's game and Cole. George wanted to let me know something: he told me Louie, the owner of Fremont Family Billiards, let Cole and George play after hours and late into the wee morning hours. George told me that he played Cole for hours and hung in there with him all the while. George let me know that he was no slouch. I believed George.
My older brother went to high school with George and told me he was on the Diving Team. Once George was talking about how he once could do twenty handstand push ups. I gaffawwed. He said, You don't believe me. Here. I'll show you. So here is George about 30 years old and now a sales rep for, I forget. He was stout and a little bulky. I said, George, no, I believe you. I didn't want him to bust a brain blood vessel. He said no, I'll show you. He said I haven't done these in a while I'll need to do them against the wall. Me and a few other regulars were anxiously watching. George had his suit on took off his jacket, loosened his tie and unbuttoned his long sleeve shirt cuffs. No kidding. He got down and up against the wall he did five handstand push up with some serious exertion. But we had no doubt he was telling the truth when he said he could do 20 handstand pushups when he was younger and in shape. So when he said Tony, this kid, had him seriously stuck when they played and he fought back to break even I believe him.