lifetime in action award

JAM

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i would like to nominate jew paul

I've seen Jew Paul in action several times, especially with the Keno game, but it was after his prime in gambling. He wised up on matching up in the autumn of his life. I heard the money coffers got a little low after a spell, and he got smart about betting.
 
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JAM

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rosie has to be tops for sure at some point. no one in the history of pool played as high and lost as much.

and dont forget cole as he was always in action, good or bad he didnt care.
and played high action.

i am biased though as i gambled high with both of them

I agree about Rosie. I always hear his name when people are talking about high-stakes action in pool's golden years. :)
 

stevelomako

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I've seen Jew Paul in action several times, especially with the Keno game, but it was after his prime in gambling. He wised up on matching up in the autumn of his life. I heard the money coffers got a little low after a spell, and he got smart about betting.

It seems like you're talking about Bucktooth.

Paul never did the Keno board.
 

JAM

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It seems like you're talking about Bucktooth.

Paul never did the Keno board.

Oh, yes, he did. I saw him with my own eyes vs. Tony Watson, Keith, and a slew of others. He rolled that ball with the best of 'em. :lol

In fact, I have a picture on my computer in the garage of this happening. I need to get that computer out of the garage. I hope those picture files are still good. The computer has been in the garage for about five or six years now.

I know who Bucktooth is. I met him once in Vegas, but heard many stories about him. Bucktooth reminded me of a puppy dog. Jew Paul gave me the creeps. There was an aura about him that was scary.
 

JAM

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Speaking of Bucktooth, he is certainly worth of mention in this category. :cool:
 

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JAM

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You've got me intrigued now.

Where was this going on?

You know, I can't remember if it was at the U.S. Open in Norfolk, but not at Q-Masters, or if it was in Toledo during the Glass City Open. I know it was a smallish pool room, with only about 8 tables in it total. I just remember Keith wanting to go there because Jew Paul was in the house. We had a caravan of cars going to this local pool room because Jew Paul said he'd be there.

There were a few people playing Keno with Jew Paul and Tony, but then it ended up Tony vs. Jew Paul for big bucks. We stood by and watched it unfold. Tony Watson had no fear whatsoever of Jew Paul. Of course, Tony Watson had Stevie by his side at that time, so he could bet it as high as the Georgia pines.

There was something about Jew Paul, the few times I did see him, with that black leather coat and snarl on his face. He scared me. I did not enjoy being in his company one bit. :eek:

Speaking of Tony Watson, there's another player who can be considered in this Lifetime in Action Award. :cool:
 

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stevelomako

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He was at the Toledo Open the year you guys were there.

I think thats the only tournament he ever went to in the over 35 years I've known him.

He played Corey Deull there, one pocket getting one and stop. They had a disagreement after Corey finally made a ball about how to play. They called me over because all the Toledo guys knew me and Paul asked me to explain the spot to them.

They thought that Corey got a shot and if he made a ball he then got another one. I told them Corey gets one shot and his turn is over and they were confusing it with one and safe.

They were all like...NOOOO WAYYYY! They pulled up with the best of it.

Paul had just played Nick Varner in Detroit 2 and stop.


I think everyone was going to Hi-Cue during the tournament that year. Alex P was putting on a show playing the Ghost that year on the little tiny pocket Diamond they had there. He was the only guy that beat it and it wasn't even close.


Anyway, Paul wasn't a Keno board kind of guy JAM. That wasn't his gig, he was a mano to mano guy, play till you're out of bullets and can't get anymore.

I'm not doubting you saw him play it but that wasn't what he did, thats why I thought you might have had him confused with Tooth, Tooth was known for the board like Beenie was.
 

JAM

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For sure, I realize Keno was not Jew Paul's hallmark game. I'm just saying I saw him playing Keno, which was I think only one of two times I actually did see Jew Paul in person. And now that you mention it, it was in Toledo for sure.

Grapevine about Jew Paul was that if you could get him down playing pool, you could win a lot of money, but you had to spot him. In his earlier life, his monies, so the grapevine says, were linked to lottery winnings. That bucket went dry, resulting in Jew Paul being a little more careful when he matched up. IOW, you had to really play good when spotting him in the later years of his life because the odds were in Jew Paul's favor. Most action players went for it, however, giving him what he wanted, because they had visions of Jew Paul dollars dancing in their heads. :D

He may be a really nice guy. I do not know him, but he comes off as a mobster-like kind of personality. Not my cup of tea, I guess. :eek:
 

JAM

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Another candidate for the Lifetime in Action Award would be Ronnie Wiseman. Though he does travel the tournament trail form time to time, he's an action kind of guy.

Here's Ronnie and his young stakehorse friend. I can't remember the other guy's name, but he used to back Ronnie in high stakes games. The poor young man passed away about 3 years ago.
 

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stevelomako

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For sure, I realize Keno was not Jew Paul's hallmark game. I'm just saying I saw him playing Keno, which was I think only one of two times I actually did see Jew Paul in person. And now that you mention it, it was in Toledo for sure.

Grapevine about Jew Paul was that if you could get him down playing pool, you could win a lot of money, but you had to spot him. In his earlier life, his monies, so the grapevine says, were linked to lottery winnings. That bucket went dry, resulting in Jew Paul being a little more careful when he matched up. IOW, you had to really play good when spotting him in the later years of his life because the odds were in Jew Paul's favor. Most action players went for it, however, giving him what he wanted, because they had visions of Jew Paul dollars dancing in their heads. :D

He may be a really nice guy. I do not know him, but he comes off as a mobster-like kind of personality. Not my cup of tea, I guess. :eek:

Paul made more pool players/hustlers money than anyone alive...with the Corning Ware, then from importing items from China. He made millions himself.

He and his brother were sued about the Corning Ware, something about implying it had the same warranty as the original (The Corning Ware wasn't knock offs, they bought seconds from the company). I think they ended up only paying a 10,000 fine/settlement. Not bad.

Pauls best friend was one of the Giacalone brothers and he did look intimidating himself (6'4", huge hands) but he's a great guy.

Paul was always a good player and far from a sucker, he would go all the way, so if you matched up right or gave up the best of it like Red would, you could win a ton. Red might lose 4 times out of 5 but the time he would win more than made up for the other times.
 

JAM

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That is interesting, Stevelomako. Thanks for sharing the cool pool nuggets! I did not know that about Corning. Kind of like a Pots and Pans kind of guy, a litte bit. :)

I sometimes feel like these contests are based on geographic regions of the country and/or popularity among forum members. It is kind of like those "who's the best" threads that crop up all the time over on that other forum. I wish I had a dollar for every time a post comes up in the "who's the best" threads. Man, oh, man, I might be able to retire. :D

For my money, not based on popularity or region of the country, just based on what I know firsthand, any one of these three players are worthy of the LIFETIME IN ACTION AWARD. They would prefer action than tournaments, I'll guarantee you, and each one has the reputation from coast to coast to back it up. :cool:
 

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wincardona

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When I look at the "Life Time In Action" award I look at players like Keith McCreedy. Yes Keith to me is one of the all time greats when it comes to action, he doesn't take a back seat to anyone in that category, no one. I have never gone to a tournament where Keith was that he wasn't in "constant" action. It really didn't matter where he was, in any part of the country he made people feel like gambling. I honestly feel that Keith should be an absolute "shoe in" for the award and yes I know Jew Paul, Bucktooth, Ronnie Wiseman, and also Tony Watson, and I agree that they are all worthy players/people for the award except that this year Keith is in the running.:sorry:D

Bill Incardona
 

wincardona

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Paul made more pool players/hustlers money than anyone alive...with the Corning Ware, then from importing items from China. He made millions himself.

He and his brother were sued about the Corning Ware, something about implying it had the same warranty as the original (The Corning Ware wasn't knock offs, they bought seconds from the company). I think they ended up only paying a 10,000 fine/settlement. Not bad.

Pauls best friend was one of the Giacalone brothers and he did look intimidating himself (6'4", huge hands) but he's a great guy.

Paul was always a good player and far from a sucker, he would go all the way, so if you matched up right or gave up the best of it like Red would, you could win a ton. Red might lose 4 times out of 5 but the time he would win more than made up for the other times.
Steve, I believe that Weenie Beenie played Paul in Det. years ago but I could be wrong, however, I vaguely remember Paul playing Keno using the Keno board, and he played it very good. I'm 90% sure of that happening.

Bill Incardona
 

JAM

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When I look at the "Life Time In Action" award I look at players like Keith McCreedy. Yes Keith to me is one of the all time greats when it comes to action, he doesn't take a back seat to anyone in that category, no one. I have never gone to a tournament where Keith was that he wasn't in "constant" action. It really didn't matter where he was, in any part of the country he made people feel like gambling. I honestly feel that Keith should be an absolute "shoe in" for the award and yes I know Jew Paul, Bucktooth, Ronnie Wiseman, and also Tony Watson, and I agree that they are all worthy players/people for the award except that this year Keith is in the running.:sorry:D

Bill Incardona

Your words have warmed my heart. Thank you so much for remembering Keith, Mr. Incardona! :)

I was listening to a Joss Turning Stone Accu-Stats broadcast of a live match with Mike Howerton and Jerry Forsyth commentating. It was about a month or so ago. Mike Howerton said the first time he went to the U.S. Open in Virginia, the spectators would always ask the same question: "Which tables are Earl Strickland and Keith McCready playing on?" People love to watch Keith play pool, and the more audience engagement, the better Keith shoots. I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed this. :D

At many tournaments, the finals would be in progress with name-brand Super Stars duking it out on a field of tournament blue, but the majority of the railbirds were watching Keith gamble on another table in the back room. I'll never forget Keith vs. the Russian in a game of long-rail banks at Country Club USA in Chelmsford in 2002 while the finals were going on. Even Earl Strickland found himself a perch to watch Keith and the Russian battle it out for $500 a set. Each time Keith made a good bank shot, Earl would yell out, "Eeeeether. Eeeeether." :lol

Accu-Stats Video Productions recorded a match when McCready defeated Jose Parica at the 2003 U.S. Open 9-ball Championship and describes it as: The most entertaining match that Accu-Stats has ever offered. Keith steals the show and the audience approval.

Of course, I realize I am a wee bit biased about what I think of him. :p

I guess InsidePOOL describes him best: Undeniably one of the most colorful characters in the game of pool, Keith McCready never failed to entertain a crowd, with his gutsy and gritty style of play.. He is known as “The Earthquake,” “Keither With the Ether,” and “The California Kid,” and has been playing pool ever since he was old enough to hold a cue. Originally from Southern California, Keith has traveled all over the world and has won numerous titles. He is probably best remembered for his role as Grady Seasons in “The Color of Money” with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. To this day, his fans quote his infamous line, “It’s like a nightmare, isn’t it?” He currently resides in Washington, D.C....

I could go on and on. By golly, I think I can write a book about him. ;)

Here's one of my favorite Keith-in-action pictures. This was at the action table at the 2004 Super Billiards Expo. Keith held the table for game after game after game. If memory serves me right, he ran two 10s and a 13 consecutive games. In fact, he busted the action table the first night. Nobody would challenge it after his run. He didn't fare so well in the pro event, and he came in as runner up to Shannon in the pro/am event. But on that action table, he won more than both tournaments first-place prizes combined. Here he is smiling for me to take his photo, holding the cheese, waiting for his new opponent to rack the balls. This is Keith in all his glory. It was a happy memory. :cool:
 

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androd

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When I look at the "Life Time In Action" award I look at players like Keith McCreedy. Yes Keith to me is one of the all time greats when it comes to action, he doesn't take a back seat to anyone in that category, no one. I have never gone to a tournament where Keith was that he wasn't in "constant" action. It really didn't matter where he was, in any part of the country he made people feel like gambling. I honestly feel that Keith should be an absolute "shoe in" for the award and yes I know Jew Paul, Bucktooth, Ronnie Wiseman, and also Tony Watson, and I agree that they are all worthy players/people for the award except that this year Keith is in the running.:sorry:D

Bill Incardona

If nominated, Keith has got my vote for certain.
Bookmaker Rodney from Houston. LOL :D
 
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