Pool Tales Part Four - The Pool Hall

men ever teaching me how to hold a stick or stroke a shot. They never told me how to aim or what to expect of the cue ball after shooting. When I made a mistake that they thought was serious, I was simply told it was stupid. It was left to me to reason why. I usually did. The old men were good teachers, because they didn't impose their game on me. Pool requires creative thinking and constant reappraisal. What makes the game so great is that it changes with each player's personality. A lot of players shoot equally as well. It is the great thinker, the creative mind that will most consistently prevail.

I don't know what happened to the pool hall, or to Mousie and Polkadot. Today we have "upscale" billiard rooms with clean air and bright lights. They serve meals, and the back rooms are used to store inventories and supplies. People seem to want it that way. It's okay I guess, but something is missing. Now I am one of the old men. I shoot in a new upscale billiard parlor where I can have dinner with Pat in the bright lights and clean air, while watching a big screen TV. I never did learn to shoot pool as well as Mousie. He'd be proud of me. I know why.

Happy Shooting! Jim & Pat

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic