Did you really play Pat Morita? Everybody glossed over that. Tell us the story! Did he chalk a chopstick?
I don't know the exact date but it was right after one of the Alomar brothers from the Baltimore Orioles spit on Hersfield the ref over a disputed play.
We were staying in the Sheraton Inner Harbor. I had met the manager when she visited the Outer Banks a couple months earlier and planted the bug about watching a game and staying there.
We went to the bar the first night after the game and a few players were there. The manager told us that Pat Morita had been there but left already. I can't remember all the questions I asked but she said he was in town for a Natural Foods Expo in the hotel and he has been playing nightly and has his own pool stick.
We go the 2nd night and we are getting ready to leave when I look down the hallway and see a very short fellow carrying a case. It had to be him. I quickly gave my wife a $10 and tell her to get all quarters.
We lined them up on the table and I waited for him to almost finish his 1st gold drink. I approached I invited him for a game for which he said he would be over in a minute.
A couple of moments later he came over and we introduced ourselves and we started playing. We played 1x1, and doubles with our wives. Every time he needed a drink, we bought whatever it was and every time we needed a beer, he was buying that for us.
He was good pool player. I don't play league but I would say a high B player but it was obvious that he wasn't taking it too serious either.
We played for at least 2.5 hours and other people we standing and watching but they didn't approach us. We were all getting ready to leave when Pat asked us if we wanted a picture or something and we said we didn't want to put him through the trouble. The manager sent someone for a Polaroid camera lol, and was told the cleaning crew had it and were taking pics of damages.
The manager picked up both of our tabs. I never found out what the gold stuff was. We played and talked and laughed. He lit a cigarette which surprised me for some reason. We never mentioned Hollywood or Happy Days and neither did he. It was just a good time with a really nice guy