As with anyone else who has spent significant amounts of time in a pool room, I have seen and heard some hilarious things…been part of some really fun stories…and have witnessed a couple things that I wouldn’t believe if I hadn’t seen them.
Every now and then, I’d like to share a story from my past here on my blog. This is the first of those stories.
Like 99.9% of all female players of a certain skill level…I have been challenged to play by guys of all persuasions. Rich guys, poor guys, old guys, young guys, scumbags, gentlemen, executive types, military boys, pros, ball-bangers, cocky guys, nice guys, girls that I thought were guys…the list goes on and on.
The ones I have the most fun with are the guys who really have no clue about the pool world…but who think that they play really, really well.
I have a friend…let’s call her Jane. Jane was dating an older man…we will call him Bob. One night…Jane calls me up and asks me to go to dinner with her and Bob. When she picked me up…she informed me that Bob’s two nephews would also be joining us for dinner...and that they would meet us at the restaurant. She also clued me in that Bob’s nephews were 17 and 19…and that the 19 year old thought he was a pretty big hotshot on a pool table. I had basically been invited to dinner to teach 19-year old Nephew a lesson on the felt after dinner…if I was up to it.
During dinner, Bob kept grilling his nephews about their hobbies…what they liked to do. Finally, 19-yr old Nephew says that he loves to play pool…and he is better than anyone where he lives. The door has been opened…and Bob steps right through. He tells his nephews that there is a pool room close to his home…and says that we should all go play after dinner. 19-yr old Nephew accepts the challenge very cockily. Bob says that we can play some doubles…and that he will even take a girl for his partner…either Jane or me. Bob also tells his nephew that he will bet $100 against his nephew’s pants. Nephew wins…he gets $50. Uncle Bob wins…and nephew has to drop trouser right then and there. Now 19-yr old Nephew is quite excited…because he believes that he is going to whoop his uncle’s ass on the pool table.
So…after dinner, Jane and I drive to the pool room…which just happens to be my home room. I called the manager on the drive…and asked him to tell the staff to pretend they don’t know me, but to have Table 1 for us when we get there…and to have my cue and a copy of a recent Billiard’s Digest magazine (with a feature article about me) ready to go when I asked for it.
When we got to the pool room…Bob asked to rent a table and of course, the manager gave him Table 1. 19-yr old Nephew racked up a game of 8-ball and told his uncle that he would spot us the break. Bob broke, missed a ball, and then let 17-yr old Nephew shoot. He made a ball or two, then missed. It was my turn…and I got up and shot a ball left-handed. It was my plan to look awkward and totally random at the pool table…but I managed to leave 19-yr old Nephew without a good shot. He misses and it’s Bob’s turn again. Bob misses and now it’s back to 17-yr old nephew…who also misses. Now that it was back to me…Uncle Bob caught my eye and said, “Go ahead. Do it.” So…the manager brought out my cue, I switched from left-handed to right-handed…and promptly ran the table out. Both Nephews stood there dumb-founded…jaws on the floor…until I looked at 19-yr old Nephew and said, “I’ll take those pants please.” Everyone burst out laughing…and he started to undo his belt buckle. Of course, we let him off the hook…there was no way we actually wanted him to walk around in his skivvies for the rest of the night. Once the manager showed him the article about me and told him I was a pro…Nephew was definitely humbled and appreciative of the prank we had played on him.
It was a fun night…and a story that my friends Jane and Bob love to tell to this day.
