I still havesome bell bottoms, too!
I think they call them "boot cut" today. :grin-square:
Who was the HIPPIE?
- Thread starter poke&hope
- Start date
I still havesome bell bottoms, too!
I think they call them "boot cut" today. :grin-square:
Poke&Stroke--How tall was the HIPPIE?
Can someone describe how Steve Cook would have looked about 72? Did he sometimes play barefoot?
That's the one.
Many places he was known only as New York Toby.
And he did play jam-up...some players had trouble getting a game if
they resembled him.....brown hair...slim..not too tall.
In his day there were a bunch of players who were the best in the world
at a given time...on a table they liked.
The action was exciting then.
Jimmy Mataya once got the 8 from an unknown pool player....he was
laughing up his sleeve until he realized he'd been playing for 12 hours
and was stuck good.....came back the next day and formally introduced
himself ....THEN he started winning
Confirmed
That was a nudge for my recollection. I knew Marino stood out at Johnston City for a time but I had forgotten the particulars. Matter of fact I think he won one of the All Arounds in 72.
Beard
That was a nudge for my recollection. I knew Marino stood out at Johnston City for a time but I had forgotten the particulars. Matter of fact I think he won one of the All Arounds in 72.
Beard
I was just informed that the original "The Hippie" was a player named Louie Lemke.
Maybe Jay, BStroud, Freddy, or any of our other resident pool experts can chime in here and educate us pool philomaths!
Louie definitely looked like the hippie he was, but he wasn't a world beater either, just a good player. Meanwhile Toby is the next best candidate for the player in question. A little bell bottomed hippie who looked like a pool scuff. But oh how he could play, the best grinder of all time! He worked the East coast pretty good and no one could get there with him. He played the same speed (or damn close) to Jimmy Reid and Jimmy Marino (for the cash). He might even wear these guys out if they didn't have the right medication.
Ask that guy sitting next to you. Keithly knows all these guys and probably tangled with all of them too. They are only about 10-12 years older than him. Keith never met a pool player he didn't want to gamble with. I never knew him to turn down any game! And if he caught that gear of his, they were all dead meat.
Keith was the Earl Strickland of gambling. He had a gear higher than anyone else. Once he started rolling, he put games on the wire so fast your head would be spinning. Thank God he was on my side most of the time.
You won't hear any stories about Buddy Hall spotting Keith, like he did Louie Roberts. I GUARANTEE you Buddy wasn't about to give Keith anything, even in his prime. They played even!
Last edited:
NO, Steve was straight laced and conservative looking all his life. He did let his hair get a little long one time and that's about it. The Moon Man was no hippy!
P.S. Keith liked to play barefoot. Maybe it was him??
Last edited:
Thanks for the great read, Hu. I enjoy pool tales!
Here's a cute copy-and-paste of another pool tale relayed to me about "Hippy Jimmy" Reid:
I heard a tale about "Hippy Jimmy" Reid (1985 U.S. Open Champion) and Keith McCready at a pool room in Anaheim, California. They were engaged in a battle for a sand bag and a half, 7-ahead 9-ball, even Steven. All of a sudden, 15 bikers stormed the place, and they were mad at some regulars in there, fondly known to the locals as the "Karate Guys."
All hell broke loose, bottles flying, tables getting flipped, and people running for cover. There were only 4 of the Karate Guys, but they beat the crap out of the biker gang of 15. Keith hid under the table like a scared rabbit. Jimmy lay under the table next to him. After the dust settled, their game resumed, business as usual. Another day in paradise!
I'm on the Toby bandwagon as far as one being the Hippie !
Haha, just seen another post that he still wears the flares.
JAM"S short story- THATS THE WAY IT WAS !
Haha Steve Cook the Moon Man, that makes sense.
God rest his soul. Great guy I knew him well from touring Fla.
Now I remember a guy who played barefoot. I think he was from Ohio and they called him the Indian ! Lyle rings a bell, anyone ?
Keith McCready
Pro Player
Louie definitely looked like the hippie he was, but he wasn't a world beater either, just a good player. Meanwhile Toby is the next best candidate for the player in question. A little bell bottomed hippie who looked like a pool scuff. But oh how he could play, the best grinder of all time! He worked the East coast pretty good and no one could get there with him. He played the same speed (or damn close) to Jimmy Reid and Jimmy Marino (for the cash). He might even wear these guys out if they didn't have the right medication.
Ask that guy sitting next to you. Keithly knows all these guys and probably tangled with all of them too. They are only about 10-12 years older than him. Keith never met a pool player he didn't want to gamble with. I never knew him to turn down any game! And if he caught that gear of his, they were all dead meat.
Keith was the Earl Strickland of gambling. He had a gear higher than anyone else. Once he started rolling, he put games on the wire so fast your head would be spinning. Thank God he was on my side most of the time.
You won't hear any stories about Buddy Hall spotting Keith, like he did Louie Roberts. I GUARANTEE you Buddy wasn't about to give Keith anything, even in his prime. They played even!
Thanks for the build-up, Toupee. Back when Jimmy Marino had the long hair, I was about 19. I was going to the Valley, giving him the 8/9 or the call-8, depending on the situation. We went back and forth a couple times. I think I edged him out over the years, but he was a real solid player.
As far as the real Hippie, it would have to be Hippie Jimmy Reid. You and I both know that. He always had that logo in the late '70s, early '80s. I can see Jimmy now with that cigar in his mouth, real cool dude with his golf hat on, looking like a gangster. Those were some good memories from back then. Those are the times that I really miss the most.
You can take all this action stuff nowadays and throw it in the trash can. It's like night and day. Now everybody wants a lock, and nobody wants to gamble. They're either out hijack somebody or looking for them to drop their wallet. You know what I mean. They're looking to put them in a death grip.
Louie used to play at Lenbrook Family Billiards when I was 15 years old. He used to practice straight pool, had long hair, real long hair, and he would run hundreds all the time. His 9-ball was good, but he couldn't hang with the big boys playing that. His best game was straight pool. As you might remember, we used to sweat a lot of straight pool games in L.A. I forget the name of the hotel, but all the greats were there, Jimmy Moore, Luther Lassiter, Irving Crane, Joe Balsis, Boston Shorty. I could go on and on. It was a spectacle.
Please go on and on.
Thanks for the build-up, Toupee. Back when Jimmy Marino had the long hair, I was about 19. I was going to the Valley, giving him the 8/9 or the call-8, depending on the situation. We went back and forth a couple times. I think I edged him out over the years, but he was a real solid player.
As far as the real Hippie, it would have to be Hippie Jimmy Reid. You and I both know that. He always had that logo in the late '70s, early '80s. I can see Jimmy now with that cigar in his mouth, real cool dude with his golf hat on, looking like a gangster. Those were some good memories from back then. Those are the times that I really miss the most.
You can take all this action stuff nowadays and throw it in the trash can. It's like night and day. Now everybody wants a lock, and nobody wants to gamble. They're either out hijack somebody or looking for them to drop their wallet. You know what I mean. They're looking to put them in a death grip.
Louie used to play at Lenbrook Family Billiards when I was 15 years old. He used to practice straight pool, had long hair, real long hair, and he would run hundreds all the time. His 9-ball was good, but he couldn't hang with the big boys playing that. His best game was straight pool. As you might remember, we used to sweat a lot of straight pool games in L.A. I forget the name of the hotel, but all the greats were there, Jimmy Moore, Luther Lassiter, Irving Crane, Joe Balsis, Boston Shorty. I could go on and on. It was a spectacle.
Thanks Keith for coming on here. It ain't easy to get you off those poker sites!
You and Louie (St. Louie verison) and Cole will always be my favorite pool players. All three of you had a lot in common. No fear of any man or any shot, or any bet for that matter. You were the last of the great pool gunslingers. The only one like you guys today is little Alex. Shane too, but he doesn't have the gift of gab that you guys had. You guys kept me in stitches for days at a time. Keith was the master of the one liner, and Louie had the best response to whatever Keith said. I wish we had recorded all that stuff. It was priceless! Thanks for the memories buddy! :clapping:
Keith...There are a lot of us older players who, for the most part, agree with you. One good exception, imo, is the challenge money matches on TAR. They bring some good pool to a lot of people who ordinarily wouldn't be able to ever see some of these guys play. We'd all kill to see YOU in a TAR match, with Shane Van Boening, Efren, Earl, or anybody else! I was sad when the Denver thing didn't happen. I thought that would be great to see.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
You can take all this action stuff nowadays and throw it in the trash can. It's like night and day. Now everybody wants a lock, and nobody wants to gamble. They're either out hijack somebody or looking for them to drop their wallet. You know what I mean. They're looking to put them in a death grip.
Will the real hippie please stand up. More info
Got some more info on these times of the this hippie. He said it was around 1972 when the hippie came to augusta he the hippie was about 5ft9 or 10 and came with other man around 6'3" and an asian woman. He thinks the hippie was from delaware. He said his hair was about shoulder length not extra long. From his discription it sounds a lot like the picture of jimmy reid but then again?
The first person he played upon arrival was said to be david sizemore and the locals lost their shorts and toupees betting on sizemore. After cleaning the locals the IrishTravelers called Barefoot from lumberton North Carolina.
The hippie wasted no time taking everything from the travelers and barefoot but barefoots shoes. Jacksonville Sam was called. Sam got slammed.
Billy Johnson was then called in but the hippie was unstoppable and beat Johnson for 20-25000 in 1972ish in an 8 ahead game. After seeing this monster, stakehorses Candyman and Bucket took the hippie on the road and as said by them he beat everyone.
He was a player tearing up the road. . The hippie stayed in Augusta for about a year and a half in and out on the road with his backers.
It was stated that at the end of his stay billy johnson came back and bested the hippie but the hips game seemed to have slipped.
It was said this area was known as a place that had gamble in the 70's thus the best came and crossed cues.
Got some more info on these times of the this hippie. He said it was around 1972 when the hippie came to augusta he the hippie was about 5ft9 or 10 and came with other man around 6'3" and an asian woman. He thinks the hippie was from delaware. He said his hair was about shoulder length not extra long. From his discription it sounds a lot like the picture of jimmy reid but then again?
The first person he played upon arrival was said to be david sizemore and the locals lost their shorts and toupees betting on sizemore. After cleaning the locals the IrishTravelers called Barefoot from lumberton North Carolina.
The hippie wasted no time taking everything from the travelers and barefoot but barefoots shoes. Jacksonville Sam was called. Sam got slammed.
Billy Johnson was then called in but the hippie was unstoppable and beat Johnson for 20-25000 in 1972ish in an 8 ahead game. After seeing this monster, stakehorses Candyman and Bucket took the hippie on the road and as said by them he beat everyone.
He was a player tearing up the road. . The hippie stayed in Augusta for about a year and a half in and out on the road with his backers.
It was stated that at the end of his stay billy johnson came back and bested the hippie but the hips game seemed to have slipped.
It was said this area was known as a place that had gamble in the 70's thus the best came and crossed cues.
Last edited:
long beach hippie
hey keith! what about the times we used to play at "big johns" in bellmont shores and at "blackjacks" in paramount or at "beautiful billiards" in long beach! 1968! this is sparky! ask RA about buddy ray had that pool room in north hollywood and in huntington beach!
hey keith! what about the times we used to play at "big johns" in bellmont shores and at "blackjacks" in paramount or at "beautiful billiards" in long beach! 1968! this is sparky! ask RA about buddy ray had that pool room in north hollywood and in huntington beach!
Billy Ray ?
No hippie worth his salt would wear powder blue socks! LOL :thumbup:. (for those of you who heard Billy talking about Steve while commentating one of his 1-pocket matches).
Hippie Jimmy Reid spent a lot of time in Detroit in the early 70's, but it still could have been him. If the guy had black hair, a goofy smile on his face and eyes wide opened when he played, it was Jimmy Reid for sure
(see picture w/him & Kieth & double it in those days). He was a strong, strong player.Dave