Danny Diliberto in Boston

[NH Steve]

Danny will be around Boston for something like the next week, after he spent the last week out in Buffalo, NY -- giving lessons and maybe an exhibition or so. I'll be hitting him up with a few questions myself

He seems like a guy that has been around a whole lot, with lots of talent and accumulated knowledge, and has reached a point in his life that he would like to pass some of that on... If any of you are around the Boston area, check in with Dave Egdahl at Brighton Billiards 617-787-2610, or try World Class in Saugus or Boston Billiards downtown -- I understand he will be at all three places at one point or another.

 

[gulfportdoc]

One day in 1969 I had to go out to NBC studios in Burbank to be present for a summer T.V. special . I had played on the pre-recorded music taping, and we were required to be there in case they wanted to add anything.

NBC studios were huge, so I got there early to make sure I'd find the set. As I was walking the endless halls I suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of a cueball breaking a full rack of balls! I wandered around until I found the source. Here was a beautiful nine foot table sitting on a low dolly-- obviously being used for a prop. There was some guy in a suit knocking the balls around by himself, who I took to be an executive on a coffee break. I started to drool. I meandered over and ask him if he'd like to play a few games until show time. I talked him into a couple of bucks a game. The guy didn't particularly look like a player, and after all-- I knew all the good L.A. players and some of the touring pros as well. I was looking at an easy payday.

I was playing pretty well, and at first it was easy to beat the guy and still look like a banger. However he started getting a little ahead of me, so I turned it up a little. Surprisingly he also got a little better. So I started playing flat out, top speed. He also turned it on to where his shot selection and position play convinced me that this guy really knew what he was doing.

I finally asked the guy, "Who in the hell ARE you?" He laughed and said, "I'm Danny DiLiberto, and I just won the Masters Tournament." He was at NBC because he was invited to do an interview and some trick shots on a local T.V. talk show!! He'd just been warming up when I arrived.

I looked at my girlfriend and said, "Oh no, I've just tried to hustle a world champion!!" We all had a big laugh, and he invited us to be his guests at the World Invitational coming up at the Elks in L.A. More on that later...

Doc