Keith thompson
Well-known member
Played Ronnie the first time in 1969 in Houston Tx. During the invitational nine ball tourney, I was barely 17 yrs old not 16.5 years like I’ve posted before, my mistake!
We played even one hole, he played one handed I played two handed! Beat him six in row for 50 a game, he called me a hub cap stealing punk lol. So our story would begin!
Myself and my life long friend Bobby Taylor were in a small town pool room somewhere in Tennessee I believe and I had beat the local house pro for about 300 and I was sitting with Bobby at the domino table at the back of the place watching Bobby close out about 400 more playing gin rummy. Bobby was a pretty good card gin player back in the day!
There was a big time gambler that frequented this pool room occasionally and we were there trying to catch him but he didn’t show, we had inside information! Evidently Ronnie Allen had the same information, he walked in the door just as Bobby cleaned house bahaha. Man did he looked pissed knowing who these two huh cap stealing ffing punks were lol.
We would cross paths again when I was 18 yrs old in the Land of Giants, Johnston City where Legends gathered every year for the world championship of pocket billiards!
I was now playing Ronnie in the final match for the all around world championship of pocket billiards, imagine that an 18 yr kid lol.
I beat Ronnie at 14-1 125 to 119 in a close match, he beat me in a close match at one hole 4-2! Now our final match was a race to eleven in nine ball where I was his equal or very close to his equal. I didn’t win the nine ball championship getting lucky that year I was pretty nasty and ran more racks than anyone that year in the land of giants, I had to! Needed a plane ticket home lol.
It was midnight or later and the place was packed, nobody left and stayed for the final match! Boston Shorty and Eddie Burton were in my corner supporting me cool. Eddie told me to beat that prick and I asked for his cue, told him I would beat him if he loaned me his cue again so he did, finest cue I’ve ever played with!
Shorty told me Ronnie was taking all bets and had a large crowd over in his corner and it seems I was no longer a big underdog. People were starting to believe I could play and Ronnie I was told per Boston Shorty and a few others that he had taken over 10k in bets on our final match, that’s 100 grand in today’s money!
Now it was time for the greatest grudge match of all time, we despised each other Bahahahaha.
We lagged for first break, my lag froze to the rail, Ronnie’s bounced off less than a half inch, I knew I would beat him at this point I just had that feeling inside me that I would kick his ass. The giant man referee with a baritone voice sounded off first break Thompson!
I broke from center table at the first diamond and let go like a navel gun on a ww2 warship parking my rock near center table. Put 5 racks in a row on Ronnie from opening bell, each game the referee would sound off in that baritone voice and it got a little louder each rack I put on Ronnie while he squirmed on his stool in the neutral corner lol.
No ball on the break the 6th rack, so Ronnie ran two no ball on the break! I ran that rack and snookered Ronnie the next rack when the runout wasn’t there, he cussed me! Lol, he went four rails with his cue ball and actually hit the 3 ball I believe but left me with an easy runout. I put another rack behind it and led 8-2 in our race to eleven, no ball on the break and Ronnie ran 3 racks no ball on the break rack four, score now 8-5. I put two more racks together and didn’t make a ball on the break.
Score now 10-5, not bad for a shortstop but now Ronnie had his chance and he put it in gear with 3 racks and was closing in on me and let the crowd know mouthing off about beating this ffing punk. He missed the 3 ball I believe and didn’t make that fourth rack leaving me a tough out to win the game and match.
I struggled with those last 6 balls but got out, the 9 ball caught both sides of the pocket before it found the bottom of the pocket when I cut it in on the short rail at the break end of the table. The Ref sounded off one last time in that strong baritone voice match Thompson with a smile on his face like he was happy for me, I’ll carry that moment to my grave! Final score 11-8 Thompson.
Ronnie came off his stool cussing me as the 9 ball fell on our final game, the crowd descended on me from the bleachers and standing room like a tidal wave bending me over the tournament table. I signed everyone an autograph the next two hrs until about four in the morning and then called my brother in California and told him I was the new world champion. He didn’t believe me bahaha.
I forgive Ronnie for never shaking my hand in our matches and cussing me!
I wish he was with us today! I miss him! Denny Glen hugged his neck for me
In Vegas a couple months before he died and Ronnie said That Kid Sure Could Play!
I would quit the game for good a year and a half later to become an ordinary man in the job market and try to live an ordinary life outside the pool rooms but I’ve missed the game ,people and characters all my life!
Back along time ago in the greatest era of pool hustlers, when life was fun, when the best music ever was heard on the radios and juke boxes around the country and classic cars filled the parking lots everywhere before they were classic cars, on a cold October day in 1970 in the Land of Giants called Johnston City, a place where Legends were Born! I was the best player on the planet that day and I say that as Humbly as I can!
Thank you for reading my Story!
We played even one hole, he played one handed I played two handed! Beat him six in row for 50 a game, he called me a hub cap stealing punk lol. So our story would begin!
Myself and my life long friend Bobby Taylor were in a small town pool room somewhere in Tennessee I believe and I had beat the local house pro for about 300 and I was sitting with Bobby at the domino table at the back of the place watching Bobby close out about 400 more playing gin rummy. Bobby was a pretty good card gin player back in the day!
There was a big time gambler that frequented this pool room occasionally and we were there trying to catch him but he didn’t show, we had inside information! Evidently Ronnie Allen had the same information, he walked in the door just as Bobby cleaned house bahaha. Man did he looked pissed knowing who these two huh cap stealing ffing punks were lol.
We would cross paths again when I was 18 yrs old in the Land of Giants, Johnston City where Legends gathered every year for the world championship of pocket billiards!
I was now playing Ronnie in the final match for the all around world championship of pocket billiards, imagine that an 18 yr kid lol.
I beat Ronnie at 14-1 125 to 119 in a close match, he beat me in a close match at one hole 4-2! Now our final match was a race to eleven in nine ball where I was his equal or very close to his equal. I didn’t win the nine ball championship getting lucky that year I was pretty nasty and ran more racks than anyone that year in the land of giants, I had to! Needed a plane ticket home lol.
It was midnight or later and the place was packed, nobody left and stayed for the final match! Boston Shorty and Eddie Burton were in my corner supporting me cool. Eddie told me to beat that prick and I asked for his cue, told him I would beat him if he loaned me his cue again so he did, finest cue I’ve ever played with!
Shorty told me Ronnie was taking all bets and had a large crowd over in his corner and it seems I was no longer a big underdog. People were starting to believe I could play and Ronnie I was told per Boston Shorty and a few others that he had taken over 10k in bets on our final match, that’s 100 grand in today’s money!
Now it was time for the greatest grudge match of all time, we despised each other Bahahahaha.
We lagged for first break, my lag froze to the rail, Ronnie’s bounced off less than a half inch, I knew I would beat him at this point I just had that feeling inside me that I would kick his ass. The giant man referee with a baritone voice sounded off first break Thompson!
I broke from center table at the first diamond and let go like a navel gun on a ww2 warship parking my rock near center table. Put 5 racks in a row on Ronnie from opening bell, each game the referee would sound off in that baritone voice and it got a little louder each rack I put on Ronnie while he squirmed on his stool in the neutral corner lol.
No ball on the break the 6th rack, so Ronnie ran two no ball on the break! I ran that rack and snookered Ronnie the next rack when the runout wasn’t there, he cussed me! Lol, he went four rails with his cue ball and actually hit the 3 ball I believe but left me with an easy runout. I put another rack behind it and led 8-2 in our race to eleven, no ball on the break and Ronnie ran 3 racks no ball on the break rack four, score now 8-5. I put two more racks together and didn’t make a ball on the break.
Score now 10-5, not bad for a shortstop but now Ronnie had his chance and he put it in gear with 3 racks and was closing in on me and let the crowd know mouthing off about beating this ffing punk. He missed the 3 ball I believe and didn’t make that fourth rack leaving me a tough out to win the game and match.
I struggled with those last 6 balls but got out, the 9 ball caught both sides of the pocket before it found the bottom of the pocket when I cut it in on the short rail at the break end of the table. The Ref sounded off one last time in that strong baritone voice match Thompson with a smile on his face like he was happy for me, I’ll carry that moment to my grave! Final score 11-8 Thompson.
Ronnie came off his stool cussing me as the 9 ball fell on our final game, the crowd descended on me from the bleachers and standing room like a tidal wave bending me over the tournament table. I signed everyone an autograph the next two hrs until about four in the morning and then called my brother in California and told him I was the new world champion. He didn’t believe me bahaha.
I forgive Ronnie for never shaking my hand in our matches and cussing me!
I wish he was with us today! I miss him! Denny Glen hugged his neck for me
In Vegas a couple months before he died and Ronnie said That Kid Sure Could Play!
I would quit the game for good a year and a half later to become an ordinary man in the job market and try to live an ordinary life outside the pool rooms but I’ve missed the game ,people and characters all my life!
Back along time ago in the greatest era of pool hustlers, when life was fun, when the best music ever was heard on the radios and juke boxes around the country and classic cars filled the parking lots everywhere before they were classic cars, on a cold October day in 1970 in the Land of Giants called Johnston City, a place where Legends were Born! I was the best player on the planet that day and I say that as Humbly as I can!
Thank you for reading my Story!
