Walking withGiants, Burton

[Ross Keith Thompson]

Eddie (The Hat) Burton, what a player this guy was and a good I believe!

He was top tier at all games, played all games at world class, 9 ball, one hole, 14-1 etc.

He wasn’t the best at any one game but then it didn’t take long to call row either! He was right about top ten at every game he played especially good one hole, he came in 2nd in one hole in my last tournament in 1972 Vegas, Stardust tourney, I came in 3rd behind Eddie. I believe Eddie let Weenie Beenie win that division in the finals even though Weenie Beenie was the better one holer I believe.

His time in Houston I would BS with him at the bar in LeCue club occasionally and sat in on circles with him and all the other thieves like Rodney Stevens, Jersey Red, Tall Jeff etc.

He left Houston about the time my game was rising and we never played until after Johnston City when Eddie and Buddy Hall came out to Pasadena and tried to trap myself and my brother in early 1971. But that is another story I will tell.

I left Houston in 1970 and wound up at Popcorns place in Elmonte California. Popcorn took in all the broken down pool bums like myself, Cole Dickson, Eddie and anyone else on hard times, lol.

Eddie stayed at popcorns a few days or week and would bs with Cole and me sometimes. Throw Popcorn and Buttermilk in the conversions and we had a pretty good circle! Lol

I watched Eddie play Marino at marina billiards even 9-ball in 1970 and he got beat! I thought he was in over his head against Marino but he played extremely well and gave Marino a very tough match. I had Jimmy Fusco in a trap a few tables over and he was in with Burton playing Marino. So Marino and myself busted Burton and Fusco the same evening Bahahaha

Even though Burton lost to Marino he was one of the best all around players back in the day and was a good guy! He was one of us and a great player with good character!

Eddie let me use his cue some matches in Johnston City 1970, if I didn’t use his cue I may not have won anything in Johnston city!
I believe I used it in the 9 ball finals and my last match against Ronnie Allen in the Al-around. Finest cue I’ve ever held and it was Eddie and Boston Shorty in my corner in the final moments of the All-around, best memory!

Popcorn called him Mayonnaise Head cause he put mayonnaise on his bald head trying to grow hair Bahahaha

Plesse remember Eddie (The Hat) Burton!
He was and always will be A Giant!
he left us too soon,
I miss Eddie the hat Burton!

He should be in the Hall, there is a picture of him with Incardona on my Tall Jeff write up, someone post his picture and remember Eddie!

 

[Jimmy B]

Eddie (The Hat) Burton, what a player this guy was and a good I believe!

He was top tier at all games, played all games at world class, 9 ball, one hole, 14-1 etc.

He wasn’t the best at any one game but then it didn’t take long to call row either! He was right about top ten at every game he played especially good one hole, he came in 2nd in one hole in my last tournament in 1972 Vegas, Stardust tourney, I came in 3rd behind Eddie. I believe Eddie let Weenie Beenie win that division in the finals even though Weenie Beenie was the better one holer I believe.

His time in Houston I would BS with him at the bar in LeCue club occasionally and sat in on circles with him and all the other thieves like Rodney Stevens, Jersey Red, Tall Jeff etc.

He left Houston about the time my game was rising and we never played until after Johnston City when Eddie and Buddy Hall came out to Pasadena and tried to trap myself and my brother in early 1971. But that is another story I will tell.

I left Houston in 1970 and wound up at Popcorns place in Elmonte California. Popcorn took in all the broken down pool bums like myself, Cole Dickson, Eddie and anyone else on hard times, lol.

Eddie stayed at popcorns a few days or week and would bs with Cole and me sometimes. Throw Popcorn and Buttermilk in the conversions and we had a pretty good circle! Lol

I watched Eddie play Marino at marina billiards even 9-ball in 1970 and he got beat! I thought he was in over his head against Marino but he played extremely well and gave Marino a very tough match. I had Jimmy Fusco in a trap a few tables over and he was in with Burton playing Marino. So Marino and myself busted Burton and Fusco the same evening Bahahaha

Even though Burton lost to Marino he was one of the best all around players back in the day and was a good guy! He was one of us and a great player with good character!

Eddie let me use his cue some matches in Johnston City 1970, if I didn’t use his cue I may not have won anything in Johnston city!
I believe I used it in the 9 ball finals and my last match against Ronnie Allen in the Al-around. Finest cue I’ve ever held and it was Eddie and Boston Shorty in my corner in the final moments of the All-around, best memory!

Popcorn called him Mayonnaise Head cause he put mayonnaise on his bald head trying to grow hair Bahahaha

Plesse remember Eddie (The Hat) Burton!
He was and always will be A Giant!
he left us too soon,
I miss Eddie the hat Burton!

He should be in the Hall, there is a picture of him with Incardona on my Tall Jeff write up, someone post his picture and remember Eddie!

Yes, Freddy 'The Beard' Bentivegna included him in The 'Encyclopedia Of Pool Hustlers and gave him a good write up. Here's a anecdote about that. The book was about ready, and Beard didn't have a pic of Eddie B. I went in the closet and got the old match from a legends event I had on an old vhs tape, and a guy put it on a dvd for me. Then I inserted the dvd into my old HP Computer, and just stopped the action and took a couple of screenshots, and those are the ones that are in Freddy's book. And guess who he was playing.? ? Freddy!!

I knew him real well and spent lots of time around him. We would go to high school football games, movies, Waffle House. We would get rolls of quarters and get shots on pinball machines and take turns trying to hit big winners, after building up the odds real high. We got competitive as hell at that. We even played flipper games for low money sometimes and throw to the line. You mentioned using his cue. When I knew him, he was a diehard Joss man, all the way. I got a great one off him with two shafts, for $250, one time. He died playing some nine ball with Keith Bennett. His old lady said he was winning.. rip 'Fast Man'.....

 

[12squared]

I think I found the picture that Mitch Brown posted:

 

[beatle]

good picture of you there keith. i had forgotten what you looked like.

 

[Ross Keith Thompson]

good picture of you there keith. i had forgotten what you looked like.

I’m not in the picture, Incardona is setting on the left and Eddie Burton in the middle and I have no idea who the dude is behind Eddie but it’s not me.

 

[beatle]

fdddddddddd

 

[12squared]

I’m not in the picture, Incardona is setting on the left and Eddie Burton in the middle and I have no idea who the dude is behind Eddie but it’s not me.

Funny because it's labeled with your name. I'm guessing you know what you looked like, it's mislabeled.

 

[Keith E.]

He died playing some nine ball with Keith Bennett. His old lady said he was winning.. rip 'Fast Man'.....

Jimmy,

They were playing at Speakezy Billiards in Sanford, North Carolina. Jimmy Bullis is the owner and a true fan of 1P, not to mention a truly nice guy.

Keith

 

[androd]

Another story about the Hat, I don't remember when 30 maybe 40 years ago he came into Le Cue, Myself and 3 others had just started a ring 10 ball game, he asked to get in. we played about 3 hours. I played very well and ran over the game. Everybody had quit, he said one pocket, I said
said how much, $30 a game, fine , game on. about 3 hours later I was 4 games winner, as I was shooting I knew I was about out and started up to the racks to see how many I needed He was standing down in front of me he looked down, said you need one. I cinched the shot no shape. He said
"Oh NO you needed two" I played the game out and lost it. He wanted to change tables ,OK, Bet $50 we put up with the house man. another 4
hours, I'm up another 4 games, he said bet$100, OK, did not put up. about 2:am I'm a dime winner, he wins 4in a row,says bet $2 hundred,
I said no, I quit. I paid him the last hundred, he said you got the time, sure. He stormed out. I went and paid the time, asked the house man for the stakes, he gave me the hundred.
Next afternoon a bunch of the regulars were around the bar table shooting the breeze, Jersey, Duke. Grady so on, The Hat came running up, asked
"Did you get the stakes?" yes I did, He let out a big sigh, I said I wouldn't let that out yet, you didn't think in your fondest dreams I'd give it back ?
I said we were playing sleepers. all the guy started laughing at him.
LeCue was one of the toughest places I ever saw for a newcomer to win, I can name a string of Champions that got broke there.

 

[wincardona]

Another story about the Hat, I don't remember when 30 maybe 40 years ago he came into Le Cue, Myself and 3 others had just started a ring 10 ball game, he asked to get in. we played about 3 hours. I played very well and ran over the game. Everybody had quit, he said one pocket, I said
said how much, $30 a game, fine , game on. about 3 hours later I was 4 games winner, as I was shooting I knew I was about out and started up to the racks to see how many I needed He was standing down in front of me he looked down, said you need one. I cinched the shot no shape. He said
"Oh NO you needed two" I played the game out and lost it. He wanted to change tables ,OK, Bet $50 we put up with the house man. another 4
hours, I'm up another 4 games, he said bet$100, OK, did not put up. about 2:am I'm a dime winner, he wins 4in a row,says bet $2 hundred,
I said no, I quit. I paid him the last hundred, he said you got the time, sure. He stormed out. I went and paid the time, asked the house man for the stakes, he gave me the hundred.
Next afternoon a bunch of the regulars were around the bar table shooting the breeze, Jersey, Duke. Grady so on, The Hat came running up, asked
"Did you get the stakes?" yes I did, He let out a big sigh, I said I wouldn't let that out yet, you didn't think in your fondest dreams I'd give it back ?
I said we were playing sleepers. all the guy started laughing at him.
LeCue was one of the toughest places I ever saw for a newcomer to win, I can name a string of Champions that got broke there.

Thats some funny shit. Eddie was a good guy and super easy to get along with, he was really liked by his peers.

Dr. Bill

 

[androd]

Thats some funny shit. Eddie was a good guy and super easy to get along with, he was really liked by his peers.

Dr. Bill

Yes I saw him again in Kentucky, Richmond I think. Clyde Childress' !st memorial tourney after his death'
Eddie had a beard about 6/8 inches below his chin, he said he was now taking Percodan to play pool.
We talked about the incident, He said I should feel bad, I said you shouldn't have used that old "You need one"
trick, he laughed and said we should both feel bad. Nothing more was ever said. I liked him also.

 

[baby huey]

Eddie was at the Billiard Palace with Ray Booth around 1971 or so. He made a big score for the period and was flush with about $10K. He preceeded to lose it all over the course of a few months. I think he was partying too much. On one occasion he was playing 6 ball on the front snooker table about 7 handed for $10/20 and lost a few bets to Ritchie Florence although Eddie made the six ball that game. Ritchie wouldn't let him start the next game until he got paid. They got into a heated argument and they started fighting. Neither one could fight a lick and it was funny to see them just pushing each other around, cussing and creating a fuss. In about an hour I went downstairs to the parking lot and there they were drinking in the car laughing.

 

[Jeff sparks]

Eddie and I were broke in Vegas, sometime in the late 60’s... it was during one of George and Paulie Jansco’s Stardust tournaments...Well, I’ve been broke in many places, it’s never fun... but being broke in Vegas when you’re young and love action, well it sucks! We were hanging out in the Keno room, biting every pool player that would allow it and playing $1.00 eight spot keno tickets. Just something to do until the side action picked up in the pool room and one of us could get a game and get staked to play it...

Well we got 7 numbers in on a ticket.... with 5 numbers left uncalled... if you ever knew Eddie, you would have to classify him as an introvert, or subdued, or a downer freak, cause Eddie rarely got excited about anything.... Ever... We needed 1 more number to go from flat ass broke to splitting $25,000.00. Hell, I forget what the actual # was that we needed, but Eddie had the ticket in his hand, stood the top of his chair and was yelling it out as loud as he could... i can still see him jumping up and down on that chair, begging for that number! Of course, we missed it... but 7/8 paid $1100.00 so it wasn’t all bad.

RIP “HAT”