Keith thompson
Well-known member
I’m one of the few people left on the planet today that has played Luther “wimpy “ Lassiter back in the day, it was a privilege! He was and is the best player I’ve ever played!
We played in the all around 1970 Johnston city. There was a youth wave in the pool world that would flood the poolrooms across the world with talent that laid the foundation of the game for years to come by Tall Jeff, Incardona, Rempe, Hippy Jimmy, Cole Dickson, Mataya, Buddy Hall, Steve Cook, The Mighty Squirrel lol, had to throw me in there bahaha and many more.
Myself and Lassiter kicked off what could’ve been the greatest all around ever played. Kinda like Richie Strike winning the derby as an alternate and 80 to 1 shot!
Won the flip for choice of games and chose 9 ball without thinking plus won the lag for first break.
I was late getting to my match, no wake up call. My shirt was a sleeveless rag and is on the front page of the 1970 billiard news, I’m not proud of it! My suitcase was sent to Chicago and myself to Carbondale very close to Johnston City.
It’s scary knowing you might have to go eleven and out to win a match but Lassiter was capable of doing this every match he played so my mission was to limit him to one shot in our match, he had two!
I busted into the racks like a young warrior on a mission, my house cue was my weapon of choice in our match bahaha as I put four games between Lassiter and myself with Cole Dickson like precision before Lassiter had his chance!
He ran three racks and no ball on the break rack four rack. My opening was now, I had to be special now, 7 straight racks could end the match! I went at Lassiter like the house was on fire, I brought thunder to the game and precision 9 ball at its best but only made 5 more racks, I led 9 to 3!
Didn’t make a ball the sixth game and watched Lassiter close in on me with a 5 pack of his own, no ball on the break the 6th rack! It was 9-8 Squirrel in a race to 11, it was my chance to change history, I had a decent setup on the rack and got out. Put another rack together and the Mighty would fall!
I had made a statement with my victory in our first match to start the all around and guess what people, 9 ball wasn’t my best game but neither one of my opponents knew that bahaha!
As the 9 ball fell in our only 9 ball match we would ever play the fans roared with satisfaction witnessing a classic David and Goliath match for the ages! But I had two more matches with this guy, one hole and 14-1, you got to be kidding me lol.
Life was good this Day but it wasn’t over!
We played in the all around 1970 Johnston city. There was a youth wave in the pool world that would flood the poolrooms across the world with talent that laid the foundation of the game for years to come by Tall Jeff, Incardona, Rempe, Hippy Jimmy, Cole Dickson, Mataya, Buddy Hall, Steve Cook, The Mighty Squirrel lol, had to throw me in there bahaha and many more.
Myself and Lassiter kicked off what could’ve been the greatest all around ever played. Kinda like Richie Strike winning the derby as an alternate and 80 to 1 shot!
Won the flip for choice of games and chose 9 ball without thinking plus won the lag for first break.
I was late getting to my match, no wake up call. My shirt was a sleeveless rag and is on the front page of the 1970 billiard news, I’m not proud of it! My suitcase was sent to Chicago and myself to Carbondale very close to Johnston City.
It’s scary knowing you might have to go eleven and out to win a match but Lassiter was capable of doing this every match he played so my mission was to limit him to one shot in our match, he had two!
I busted into the racks like a young warrior on a mission, my house cue was my weapon of choice in our match bahaha as I put four games between Lassiter and myself with Cole Dickson like precision before Lassiter had his chance!
He ran three racks and no ball on the break rack four rack. My opening was now, I had to be special now, 7 straight racks could end the match! I went at Lassiter like the house was on fire, I brought thunder to the game and precision 9 ball at its best but only made 5 more racks, I led 9 to 3!
Didn’t make a ball the sixth game and watched Lassiter close in on me with a 5 pack of his own, no ball on the break the 6th rack! It was 9-8 Squirrel in a race to 11, it was my chance to change history, I had a decent setup on the rack and got out. Put another rack together and the Mighty would fall!
I had made a statement with my victory in our first match to start the all around and guess what people, 9 ball wasn’t my best game but neither one of my opponents knew that bahaha!
As the 9 ball fell in our only 9 ball match we would ever play the fans roared with satisfaction witnessing a classic David and Goliath match for the ages! But I had two more matches with this guy, one hole and 14-1, you got to be kidding me lol.
Life was good this Day but it wasn’t over!
