fred bentivegna
Verified Member
Just wanted to give a mention to a real old timer that left us last week. 97 year old O'dell Barber. Passed quietly at a nursing home. Up until a few months ago Odell would come into Red Shoes, with a Walker, and sweat a few hours. He would usually order a polish sausage (with fries and ketchup) and afterwards smoke a few cigarettes. (he was only 96 then)
O'dell was a very good player that played mostly on the Black South Side. When he was playing there was a cornucopia of good players there. I brought Jersey Red down there in '62 and he didnt beat anybody. He played a few guys, O'dell was one of them, broke even, quit and suggested we go hustle some bars. Red never even got close to playing the big boys there like Bugs, or Frankenstein, or Youngblood or Alphonso.
Red had me drop him off at the YMCA and said we would go back to the South Side the next day and "take it off," but when I showed up the next day he had checked out and had already taken a bus to Johnston City.
As I did with many players, I held that "J Edgar Hoover file" over Red's head for many years. We became good pals because I never did up til now snitch him off.
Beard
RIP "O'D" He was a good old man.
O'dell was a very good player that played mostly on the Black South Side. When he was playing there was a cornucopia of good players there. I brought Jersey Red down there in '62 and he didnt beat anybody. He played a few guys, O'dell was one of them, broke even, quit and suggested we go hustle some bars. Red never even got close to playing the big boys there like Bugs, or Frankenstein, or Youngblood or Alphonso.
Red had me drop him off at the YMCA and said we would go back to the South Side the next day and "take it off," but when I showed up the next day he had checked out and had already taken a bus to Johnston City.
As I did with many players, I held that "J Edgar Hoover file" over Red's head for many years. We became good pals because I never did up til now snitch him off.
Beard
RIP "O'D" He was a good old man.
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