How good was Mike Carella

SJDinPHX

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I checked and you are right Bill. He was playing his best between 25 and 28. Some of the golfers that played on that table from Congress included Bob Osborne and Carlos Hallon and those 2 could really play golf. Well consensus is that Mike was by far the best golf player. From what im hearing I dont think SJD could of beaten Mike when he hit 25... but who knows

That may be true OPH. I admit he was not the player he became..I only wish we could have had a re-match, because at that time, NOBODY could win playing me golf even, on a 6 X12..He could have won every dollar, (including mine) in SJ, or SF...not bragging at all, just stating a fact...:cool:
 

stevelomako

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That may be true OPH. I admit he was not the player he became..I only wish we could have had a re-match, because at that time, NOBODY could win playing me golf even, on a 6 X12..He could have won every dollar, (including mine) in SJ, or SF...not bragging at all, just stating a fact...:cool:


You haven't been shaving have you?
 

stevelomako

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I didnt not like him, I despised him. Especially cause he was an Italian. Being a cheap and low class Italian earned him extra minus points with me.
Lomako didnt mind him so much? Like to bet my bankroll, Steve L had zero dealings with him. Billy liked him because he made money with him. Would anybody want to take a popularity poll out on this bird?

Beard

I'm kinda scared to say if I got any money from him for doing any favors.

Me being with Corn helped with everybody, the M/Cs didn't hurt either.



Freddie...take a deep breath and remember....Whitey good----Beanie bad.
 

stevelomako

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That's possible but I had nothing to do with it, Mike in the early 70's would of been about 20 years old. Mike played his best when he was around 25 thru 28 years old, that's when he was in Detroit, around that time. I'm thinking he got killed no longer than a year after he left Detroit. I started to hit my stride when I was around 27 years old, I quit when I was around 30 or 31 years old. I believe most players start playing their best around that age, and their prime would be from 27 to 35 years old. Unfortunately Mike didn't play much after he turned 28, he was starting to play really great.

Billy I.

I'm almost positive he didn't make it to 29.

Hacker can find out for sure.
 

fred bentivegna

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Lmfao?

Lmfao?

I talked to gary. Wade came down down to the Congress after winning a tournament in Georgia. Gary said it took place sometime between 1968 and 1971( your going back over 40 years so the exact date is tough.. as im sure it is for alot of people after that long passes. They played $100 a game. Gary, Mike and Jery hunt were partners on the game. Mike beat Wade out of 15 games. Jimmy Mataya came down with his girlfriend and hes pretty sure jimmy brother. Mike and jimmy played all weekend( 3 days) and Mike ended up busting Jimmy. As far as Camp. He would constantly show Mike things he should of done or could of done after matches. he would set up shots and scenarios for Mike. Camp also showed Gary alot of things in one pocket.
Gary verified the fact that Mike was brutally cheap!! but that didnt take away from what a player he was. Gary has told the story about Carella, Cuban Joe, and toby a few times while i have been present and Toby was there and Toby never disputed it so it must be true.
P.S. You got my backer worked up about mike LMFAO

First off, if we are going to have a conversation you must begin by telling me what the f'ck LMFAO means!?? I am text message ignorant and have that function shut off on my phone.

What is your horse upset about? We both agree he was cheap. Does he disagree that Mike was a creep in the poolroom? Was Gary or Jerry Hunt enamoured with Carella's personality? I heard Jerry Hunt was still alive, by the way.

Beating Mataya, Crane (once), and discouraging Toby are all possible scenarios. I just dont personally remember those things happening. I dont make Mike the favorite over any of those people playing 9 ball, especially Wade Crane.
Let's ask Cardone if he would take a piece of Carella's action playing Wade Crane 9 ball, and while Mike was at the Rack would he have played Mataya?
Beating Mataya (or Wade Crane) at the Rack would have been worth at least 50k.

Beard
 
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fred bentivegna

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M/C's?

M/C's?

I'm kinda scared to say if I got any money from him for doing any favors.

Me being with Corn helped with everybody, the M/Cs didn't hurt either.



Freddie...take a deep breath and remember....Whitey good----Beanie bad.

I am taking a deep breath, I do remember, Whitey good, Beanie Bad. And incidentally, Whitey loved me (and not in a sexual way either).:lol
I have forgotten M/C's? Maybe if you gave me the "M" I could figure it out.

Steve, I know you a little. There is no way you could ever be a pal of Carella's. On a personal level he would be eligible for a beating from you every other day.

Beard

One more question, who would you bet on playing 9 Ball? Carella vs, Mataya,
Billy Johnson, or Toby Sweet?
 

fred bentivegna

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Not bragging? Of course.

Not bragging? Of course.

That may be true OPH. I admit he was not the player he became..I only wish we could have had a re-match, because at that time, NOBODY could win playing me golf even, on a 6 X12..He could have won every dollar, (including mine) in SJ, or SF...not bragging at all, just stating a fact...:cool:

Why is it that all those "beats" of yours never qualify as a "brag?"(and lately this has been a rather frequent occurance ) And how is it all your anonymous "witnesses" are expected to be treated as gold bonded?
And why do you find it necessary to always state after your "non-brag" that it isnt bragging? Didnt Shakespeare say, "Methinks he doth protest too much."

The fact that it did tickle me to hear you (say) you beat Carella in SF aside, my own personal opinion is that you would have had no chance to beat him on a neutral 6 x 12. I couldnt visualize anyone beating him at that game.

Your one pocket game with him was within reason, as far as I am concerned. I was never a big fan of his 1pkt game. (Insert a proviso for his speed at the Rack. The pockets were 5 1/2 inchers)
Although a ball and then the break seems a stretch unless we are talking about the 15 year old Carella.

Beard
 

onepockethacker

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Why is it that all those "beats" of yours never qualify as a "brag?"(and lately this has been a rather frequent occurance ) And how is it all your anonymous "witnesses" are expected to be treated as gold bonded?
And why do you find it necessary to always state after your "non-brag" that it isnt bragging? Didnt Shakespeare say, "Methinks he doth protest too much."

The fact that it did tickle me to hear you (say) you beat Carella in SF aside, my own personal opinion is that you would have had no chance to beat him on a neutral 6 x 12. I couldnt visualize anyone beating him at that game.

Your one pocket game with him was within reason, as far as I am concerned. I was never a big fan of his 1pkt game. (Insert a proviso for his speed at the Rack. The pockets were 5 1/2 inchers)
Although a ball and then the break seems a stretch unless we are talking about the 15 year old Carella.

Beard

LMFAO stands for LAUGHING MY fU**ing ASS OFF I can only tell you about what Gary witnessed first hand at the Congress. As far as gary knows however the only person that Carella lost to at the Rack was he ended up 1 game down playing Nate giving Nate 8 to 7. Nate was a black guy they called him by the N word in front of his name Nate. I dont like to use that word so.... There is not a doubt in my mind that Carella beat Wade and Mataya at the Congress. If Jerry Hunt is alive and someone can get ahold of him ask him.
 

fred bentivegna

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Nate Colbert

Nate Colbert

LMFAO stands for LAUGHING MY fU**ing ASS OFF I can only tell you about what Gary witnessed first hand at the Congress. As far as gary knows however the only person that Carella lost to at the Rack was he ended up 1 game down playing Nate giving Nate 8 to 7. Nate was a black guy they called him by the N word in front of his name Nate. I dont like to use that word so.... There is not a doubt in my mind that Carella beat Wade and Mataya at the Congress. If Jerry Hunt is alive and someone can get ahold of him ask him.

I know Nate, played him at Tournament Billiards in Culver City, CA. Dare I say I beat him playing banks there? As my pal SJD likes to say, "it aint braggin'...it's fact."

The final authority for all this for me will be Danny Di. I will call him.

Jerry Hunt, if alive, does not want to be gotten hold of.

Hacker, is the picture starting to all come together? You should have noticed by now, that all these names you know and have heard about, have at one time or another, been on the table gambling with the Beard. You have mentioned one of the few humans I never played, Toby Sweet. That is one reason why I tend to be a little opinionated.

They had a contest on AZ a few years ago, if you could name 10 NAME players that I had never played you would win a prize. Not many winners.

Beard
 

onepockethacker

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I know Nate, played him at Tournament Billiards in Culver City, CA. Dare I say I beat him playing banks there? As my pal SJD likes to say, "it aint braggin'...it's fact."

The final authority for all this for me will be Danny Di. I will call him.

Jerry Hunt, if alive, does not want to be gotten hold of.

Hacker, is the picture starting to all come together? You should have noticed by now, that all these names you know and have heard about, have at one time or another, been on the table gambling with the Beard. You have mentioned one of the few humans I never played, Toby Sweet. That is one reason why I tend to be a little opinionated.

They had a contest on AZ a few years ago, if you could name 10 NAME players that I had never played you would win a prize. Not many winners.

Beard

I have been told by MANY people down here that Danny D. didnt like Mike after Mike got better than him. I am friends with Danny also. I dont know if like you if Danny will be able to give an unbiased opinion of Mikes game because of his dislike for him. By the way did you and danny D. ever play?
 

onepockethacker

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So basically freddie your saying Mike was a great playing, very talented, cheap, creepy, slimey lowlife piece of shit!! Wow what a rarity in the pool world:lol
 

SJDinPHX

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Why is it that all those "beats" of yours never qualify as a "brag?"(and lately this has been a rather frequent occurance ) And how is it all your anonymous "witnesses" are expected to be treated as gold bonded? <---Simply because most of them, are still ALIVE..!
And why do you find it necessary to always state after your "non-brag" that it isnt bragging? Didnt Shakespeare say, "Methinks he doth protest too much."<---"Pot calling Kettle, etc.":rolleyes:

The fact that it did tickle me to hear you (say) you beat Carella in SF aside, my own personal opinion is that you would have had no chance to beat him on a neutral 6 x 12. I couldnt visualize anyone beating him at that game. <--Suggestion Fred..confine your observations to something you actually KNOW something about..(if possible !)..:cool:

Your one pocket game with him was within reason, as far as I am concerened. I was never a big fan of his 1pkt game. (Insert a proviso for his speed at the Rack. The pockets were 5 1/2 inchers)
Although a ball and then the break seems a stretch unless we are talking about the 15 year old Carella.<---See what I mean, you don't even know the proper terminology, for giving up weight, in Golf..(suggest re-read of same)

Beard

This is not fair, Fred...Did I EVER cast aspersions, on any of YOUR "537 brags" ? (and thats just last week)..:frus :lol

PS..Hacker, you are starting to irritate me... At last count, Fred had only one nerve left, and I happen to have 'dibs' on it..:p
 
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onepockethacker

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This is not fair...Did I EVER cast aspersions, on any of YOUR "537 brags" ? (and thats just last week)..:frus :lol :lol

Let me ask you something SJD When you and Carella played golf what size table? what size pockets? what size balls? was it 1 ball golf or 2 ball golf? ( huge difference!!! 2 ball golf is a MUCH tougher game than 1 ball golf. Was the table level or did it have many rolls all in it? When you and Mike played did you guys just decide to play or had Mike played and practice on that golf table before you played? My point is you can bring Efren Reyes Ronnie Allen in his prime, YOURSELF, Ronnie Osullivan( world snooker champion to south Florida and if they came in and didnt spend a week on the table(minmum) practicing and getting used to the rolls as of say 10 years ago there would be 30 GUYS!!! that would robbed all 4 of you guys playing 2 ball golf. 30 GUYS!!! you guys would have no chance period!! this isnt even debatable and Mike would have robbed all 30 of those guys. Now im taking you on your word that you will answer all my questions honestly.
P.S. this isnt an attack on you(i can only squash out so many forces of evil at once)lol I just think these questions have to be answered to put your and Mikes golf match in perspective
 
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SJDinPHX

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This guy is SHARP....

This guy is SHARP....

Let me ask you something SJD When you and Carella played golf what size table? what size pockets? what size balls? was it 1 ball golf or 2 ball golf? ( huge difference!!! 2 ball golf is a MUCH tougher game than 1 ball golf. Was the table level or did it have many rolls all in it? When you and Mike played did you guys just decide to play or had Mike played and practice on that golf table before you played? My point is you can bring Efren Reyes Ronnie Allen in his prime, YOURSELF, Ronnie Osullivan( world snooker champion to south Florida and if they came in and didnt spend a week on the table(minmum) practicing and getting used to the rolls as of say 10 years ago there would be 30 GUYS!!! that would robbed all 4 of you guys playing 2 ball golf. 30 GUYS!!! you guys would have no chance period!! this isnt even debatable. Now im taking you on your word that you will answer all my questions honestly.
P.S. this isnt an attack on you(i can only squash out so many forces of evil at once)lol I just think these questions have to be answered to put your and Mikes golf match in perspective

Hacker, my friend...You have just placed yourself firmly in Fred's camp, as in "illiterate, ingnorant, observer of the game of Golf..:frus
Item #1..The game of golf, has always enjoyed, an almost exclusively mid-west, or western origin. (ie..Denver, Alburqurque, SLC, and the entire west coast... In those 'purist' environs (aka, where the hi $$$ action was) there were many, and varied sets of rules...In refering to "2 ball golf" you are talking about a bastardization of the game..which is strictly an eastern anomaly..(Much like the "niche game")..;)

!tem #2...If you had bothered to READ any of my posts (re; golf) you would have noticed that we played in San Jose, on a neutral 6 X 12..with no 'sissy' 8 hr practice regimen...We just flipped a coin and played..Correction, no coin flip, as Mike was getting"the break, and the first shot after the break", from the git go. (which Fred is still not clear on)...We went around the table, clockwise from the 'D', and your ball spotted on the 6 ball spot (the out hole was the RH side pocket)..Run-outs, were a common occurence. If you didn't hit your ball, with a rail involved, you came off the table..Hit your opponents ball first, LOSS of game.!.. This is Golf in its fastest, most commonly played way, in the real world..(ask Henderson) I have NEVER even played '2 ball golf' and I have played it EVERYWHERE except, where they don't even know the f-ing rules (think Florida)..:rolleyes:

Item #3...I see no need to engage in a prolonged debate on the subject of Golf, as you are so far below my level of expertice, it will only lead to further embarassment for you (and/or Fred)...When it comes to golf..I just happen to be..the ULTIMATE authority !!!

When it comes to bank pool, Fred is the accepted knowledgable 'go to guy'.. In comparing our insight of the 2 games, Fred is a novice at bank pool..(and that ain't braggin' Fred)...:sorry

PS..Hacker,..Guess where that puts you ?..:p
 
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vapros

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Mike Carella, welcome to OnePocket.org!! "We're glad you came along, we dedicate this song . . ." :D I don't recall ever finding this guy's name on this site before (I don't recall a lot of things), but now ophacker has brought him to our little laughing academy and he is the hottest item in a long time. All that is excellent and very entertaining.

We have encountered the usual little differences in opinion and debates about things that happened a long time ago, and other things that never happened at all (yeah, but if it HAD happened, here's how it would have gone down) and all without any bragging. Bragging is funny. Me, I'm a confirmed braggart, but in pool I don't really have anything to brag about, and I cain't hardly stand it. On the other hand, our posters with myriad impressive deeds in their resumes would never think of calling them to our attention. It just goes to show you.

Strange and wonderful tidbits always come to light in these discussions. For example, how many of you knew that Detroit Whitey was a former lover of Freddy's? See there!? Anyway, another of the billiard greats has been revealed to us, and we are grateful. How many others are out there? Tell me today. I won't live forever, and neither will you. Be well.
 

Bill

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:)

these last two posts will certainly keep this ongoing

and just for clarification purposes - it has always been Black Nate, not N Nate who is a personal friend and certainly a mentor of mine. still plays many games well

ain't we all opinionated (sp)

:)
 

fred bentivegna

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Better how?

Better how?

I have been told by MANY people down here that Danny D. didnt like Mike after Mike got better than him. I am friends with Danny also. I dont know if like you if Danny will be able to give an unbiased opinion of Mikes game because of his dislike for him. By the way did you and danny D. ever play?

Didnt I say you could win a prize if you could find 10 name players up to the middle 90s that I never played? Of course Danny and I played.
Mike certainly couldnt beat Danny playing straight pool and I dont see him beating Danny playing 1pkt either. Plus Danny beat everybody that came thru Congress playing 9 ball also (Even tho he was a big underdog playing 9 rock if he left the state.)

Beard
 

fred bentivegna

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Now it comes out...

Now it comes out...

Let me ask you something SJD When you and Carella played golf what size table? what size pockets? what size balls? was it 1 ball golf or 2 ball golf? ( huge difference!!! 2 ball golf is a MUCH tougher game than 1 ball golf. Was the table level or did it have many rolls all in it? When you and Mike played did you guys just decide to play or had Mike played and practice on that golf table before you played? My point is you can bring Efren Reyes Ronnie Allen in his prime, YOURSELF, Ronnie Osullivan( world snooker champion to south Florida and if they came in and didnt spend a week on the table(minmum) practicing and getting used to the rolls as of say 10 years ago there would be 30 GUYS!!! that would robbed all 4 of you guys playing 2 ball golf. 30 GUYS!!! you guys would have no chance period!! this isnt even debatable and Mike would have robbed all 30 of those guys. Now im taking you on your word that you will answer all my questions honestly.
P.S. this isnt an attack on you(i can only squash out so many forces of evil at once)lol I just think these questions have to be answered to put your and Mikes golf match in perspective


ONE ball golf. That makes a little sense. The Duck would have had a better chance of beating Windy (Whitey's dog) to the front seat of Whitey's car than beating Carella playing 2 ball golf. Me, unlike Ducky, is proficient in all forms of bank pool.

Beard
 

wincardona

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Didnt I say you could win a prize if you could find 10 name players up to the middle 90s that I never played? Of course Danny and I played.
Mike certainly couldnt beat Danny playing straight pool and I dont see him beating Danny playing 1pkt either. Plus Danny beat everybody that came thru Congress playing 9 ball also (Even tho he was a big underdog playing 9 rock if he left the state.)

Beard

Freddie, you can count on one hand the players that could of beaten Carella playing one pocket when Mike was playing his best. Three finger Ronnie would have a more accurate count.

Billy I.
 

SJDinPHX

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Didnt I say you could win a prize if you could find 10 name players up to the middle 90s that I never played? Of course Danny and I played.
Mike certainly couldnt beat Danny playing straight pool and I dont see him beating Danny playing 1pkt either. Plus Danny beat everybody that came thru Congress playing 9 ball also (Even tho he was a big underdog playing 9 rock if he left the state.)

Beard

Note; B.B.C. (Beard "Brag" Count) ..is running a little low today..Only 11 so far, in the last 24 hrs..:confused:

El Duck <---By comparison, only has two, well explained, and justified 'brags'..:rolleyes:
 
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