Pro Billiards - 2003 US Open 9-Ball Champ: Hall v McCready

[@cjwiley1541]

It's always a pleasure to watch Keith McCready and Buddy Hall play - I grew up watching these guys play and was able to compete against them in my teenage years.......this is a nicely played match, glad to have the opportunity to watch it.

[@jimwatts7489]

Yeah CJ, it was a good match. Did you happen to notice the amount of baby ass powder they used, damn that crap needs to be outlawed because it makes the felt too damn slick and using english on a powder saturated/coated table has numerous pitfalls. Might as well use bamboo sticks without tips and wooden balls!!! P.S. CJ, I like your style of play; especially when your smoked the Squirrel in the 06 US Open 9-Ball Tournament...LOL

[@BaconFrisbee]

Never seen Keith play a boring match. That's for sure

[@bonhzeppelin55]

@@BaconFrisbee Always the charismatic showman extraordinaire, Win or Lose!

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

How have you been hitting them CJ I meet you in Knoxville TN about 15 years ago hope everything is going well with you

[@carlenquist9210]

@@jimwatts7489 Who's the "Squirrel"?

[@LeonFleisherFan]

Another full length match between legends of the sport, nothing could be more appreciated!

[@charlotte240]

@ 28:22 , between games & waiting for the ref to rack em up, Keith McCready is handed a bottle of Budweiser from someone in the audience. He then proceeds to break and run the entire table in about 40 seconds, and goes back for MORE BEER ! Looked like one of those old TV commercials from Budweiser: "Bring Out Your Best"

[@bonhzeppelin55]

Chemical Euphoria = Fast n Loose!

[@hatesitrick]

Underrated comment - I come back and read it every now and then 😂😂

[@scottboyne8305]

That's his girlfriend in the stands

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

His corner crew for this match consists of his girlfriend Jenny Molloy, Budweiser, and Elvis.

[@chucklesdarwinwaswrongevol9264]

Buddy hall without a beard looks pretty different

[@danceoutnow]

Keith will always be Grady Seasons to me. Go Grady!

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

What a couple of great champions. And what a contrast in styles. Buddy with his short deadly stroke and Keith with his long just as deadly stroke. Keith sort of lines up his shots with a long bridge and then instead of using that long bridge for a long stroke he just strokes it a few inches. I think he does this to see his shots more accurately and he makes it work. Great fun to watch these guys go at it.

[@millionairesclubllc3193]

Keith almost shoots as fast as Fats. Difference is Fats never did drugs that sped him up. Fats did no drugs. Its probably just the meth and other drugs making his shots fast. I hear cocaine and meth make you a faster more accurate shooter

[@BaconFrisbee]

I love this match. It's like a slice right out of the golden age of American pool in the 80s

[@charlotte240]

@ 22:58 , Buddy Hall hits a full-table, massé kick shot. N!ce one

[@StumptownDrummer]

Buddy's shot at 23:01 was impressive!

[@danholt3608]

22:55 WHAT A SHOT!

[@jimwatts7489]

Really?!?! An average player should be able to perform that shot (not to include bar~room players).

[@MrJdsenior]

GEEZ, these guys don't lag worth a damn!

[@5000rgb]

Yeah, you could easily fit a rolling paper in between the balls and the rail.

[@dannyorsello8668]

I enjoyed watching this match. Mcready looked strong and was a pleasure to watch.

[@Bluemax54]

He's the real " color of money" character.

[@PostUp_Time]

*_HISTORICAL VIDEO, THE INTRODUCTION OF CUE BALL WITH ALL THE RED DOTS AND PLAYERS WERE ASKED IF THEY MINDED TO PLAY WITH IT. ADVANCE TO BUDDY HALL INTERVIEW_*

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

They call this a "measels ball" these days.

[@unc13buck]

20:19 ON THE SNAP VINCENT!!...hahaha

[@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE]

20:17

[@univrsalminds]

When are McCready and Drago going to play? The match would be over in three minutes!

Buddy Hall was the best in his day. No one could stay on the table with him for the cash. When it came to putting up your own money, a "man on man" situation, Buddy was a methodical, almost cruelly, focused beast on the table. I can't recall a time when Buddy bragged on himself. Buddy Hall just might have been the best money player of "all" time. Here is just one story for you: Buddy and I was in a pool room in the 80's. Some man [a good one pocket player] kept following me around bugging me to play him one pocket. I was polite to him, and kept telling him that I didn't feel good about my one pocket abilities, and that I could not beat him. The man continued to press the issue, and after asking me at least 5 times, Buddy grew tired of the man's continual harassment, and finally spoke out... "I'll play you some one pocket," Buddy told the hustler, "and I won't use any chalk." The persistent man's face actually turned a chalky pale white, and without saying a word, turned and left the pool room. Buddy Hall scared the sh%# outta that man.

[@Blessed.2.Teach.4God]

Buddy still looks fantastic here, what a staple to billiards.

[@millionairesclubllc3193]

McCready looks like everything you've heard bad about pool... Literally

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Except when he's at the table.

[@koa2341]

Two of my favs- The guy who mentored Keith, Cole Dickson, was an old friend RIP. Cole- We all miss you.

[@dougoverhoff7568]

A friend of mine who owned a pool room, a good player in his own right, told me Cole was probably the most gifted player he'd ever seen; and he'd seen most all of them.

[@williamhall7349]

@@dougoverhoff7568 cole was unbelievably good in his youth but they ain't no hope in dope

[@nkro]

plenty of people talk to themselves during matches. mccready is a character, thats all there is to it.

[@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE]

Reminds me of the time UJ Pucket and Minnesota Fats were playing at the Legends of Pocket BIlliards series where fats said to UJ at one point "I don't mind you talkin to yourself but if your answer yourself I'm leavin"

[@kojakDD]

"It's like a nightmare, isn't it?

[@bonhzeppelin55]

Not really it did go hill - hill and it was Buddy's match to win or lose. ;-))

[@bonhzeppelin55]

@California Dreaming The Earthquake, Ether played his best pool matching up for the cash. Tournaments were never his preference or his strong suit.

[@CarlCramer88]

The only nightmare is that meth mouth McCready has. A guy having fucked up teeth like him sure likes to show them off a lot. His sponsors should be proud.

[@andrewmaning9522]

he gets to drink beer in a pool tourney on TV wow the good ole days beer works

[@Craig-ib7gk]

McCready playing as well as he does is amazing, but to do so after the literal mountains of coke, meth, and thousands of gallons alcohol he plowed through over the course of 25 years is simply unbelievable. Frankly, I'm amazed he's still alive.

[@jesselinkes9447]

Craig N GOD kept him alive

[@stevecrazy9491]

Plus mountains of cocaine and pills, boy the pills.

[@denid2646]

Lmfao

[@shawnpaxton6428]

And to think, he did all those drugs and was still 100x the player you ever were 😂😂

[@Craig-ib7gk]

@@shawnpaxton6428 I played him in a 9-set tourney in 1989. Lost 5-9, but I figure that put me in the at-least-half as good category. I did enjoy watching him put a zip-9 hurt locker on the guy after me, though. That was hilarious. The poor sap had 4 shots in nine games, none of them actual looks (was lock-up safe every time).

[@lemonite1]

Danny D tells a funny story how McCready got kicked outta school.There were bullies in his gym class who knew McCready had cash on him,so McCready asked his Gym teacher to hold it for him. "Sure kid, how much?" "Twelve thousand dollars."He never went back........

[@SQ_og]

At 32:00 "push out theory" Actually giving an option allows a player to make a mistake in his judgement. Something even pros do occasionally.

[@andrewmaning9522]

good match when pool was good. we need a rebirth in billiards

[@clearwatertom]

Cool seeing Howard in the audience.....

[@andrewmaning9522]

yeh that was David howard

[@MrMotastic]

@krumz06 Out of curiosity, what do you think of Tony Drago?

[@fredsingler8163]

Isn't anyone going to talk about the rack commercial at about the 38 minute mark?!?!? Can't put that on espn now!

[@kingstaff4]

It just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?

[@TimAtkinson-qs6sv]

Great match. Always like either one play. Keith makes fast decisions!!!

[@cosmicgate07]

pool is very cool because makes my mind think a lot

[@jimwatts7489]

Try looking in an English grammar book, I think it will really spin your mind.

[@dingdong7610]

I'd have died laughing if Buddy had said, "you got lucky, ya lucky prick!"

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

Two great players here and it's a shame one had to lose. And when I saw Mccready being interviewed after the match it was painfully obvious he doesn't have any teeth. And this goes to show how much he loves this game because there isn't any money in it. If there was he'd at least have some false teeth.

[@Dr.Kim1979]

It's meth

[@PROFNINES1]

i watched Mc cready walk into the green room at the SANDS tourney in Reno in 1991 and jumped up on a table at the direction of Bucktooth and yelleed any of you World Champions want race to 7 for 10 you got the 8 and NO ONE SAID A WORD how good could he really have been?

[@theburningelement.6447]

AT ONE TIME, HE WAS THE BEST 9BALL PLAYER IN THE WORLD, EASILY

[@richardcerritelli9657]

And if Buddy hall was there he would have said just fucking with your buddy only kidding

[@williamhall7349]

@@richardcerritelli9657 your right ain’t no way he would or could give Buddy the 8

[@richardcerritelli9657]

@@williamhall7349 I still say buddy could be the best money player of all time even better than Dennis orcollo

[@williamhall7349]

@@richardcerritelli9657 when he was in his prime yes sir

[@Hintz6]

@ProdigyKimXP If you hit slowly you can effect the direction of the object ball. When you hit hard the change in direction is negligible no matter how much english you put on the cue ball. However, hit softly and you can alter the angle of a shot slightly, but sometimes just enough to make a shot that would otherwise be impossible. You are correct that english off a bumper has a larger effect, but this is a totally different concept. It's called 'throw', look it up in a book.

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

Keith and Jenny Ann r still going strong together in case anyone is wondering they are so happy together glad for the both of them

[@millionairesclubllc3193]

I imagine it's coke and meth all day. That's the story their faces tell.

[@AaronEads09]

For the people who forgot and may not know still...Keith played "Grady Seasons" in the color of money, not himself but yes that's why the side arm swing is the same

[@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE]

20:17 - he even quotes lines from the movie lol!

[@whipy9203]

thanks for all these video's Bclub! you really filled up some boring afternoons and nights for me ;-) i have a request though: the luc salvis vs. strickland match. that HAS to be exciting to watch, just for the speed of play :-D please!

[@bobjones263]

A younger Buddy Hall with good eyes would have never missed some of those shots

[@stevecrazy9491]

That kick 23:03 on the three, even a younger buddy hall would love that one but he would have never missed that bank on the 6.

[@richardcerritelli9657]

A younger buddy hall the world needed weight in 9 ball

[@GodInTheMachine]

Keither with the ether strikes again!

[@paypointpal]

Can somebodt tell me why he's allowed to move the cue ball where he likes at 5.30. Sorry, i dont really know the Rules for American Pool.

[@SQ_og]

McCready's break is great, his safety play is good. His kicking used to be great.

[@jacobjones5269]

My brother Jeremy won this tournament... Can you post any of his matches?..

[@paxconsciente3352]

your real brother? please let him know he has loads of supporters from canada! we love him here.

[@jlobiafra]

Baytown represent

[@Dr.Kim1979]

The interview at the end, Keith looks like, talks like, acts like someone who partakes in meth

[@jacobjones5269]

Does anyone have the finals between Jose Parica and Jeremy Jones?.. Or any match Jones played in?.. He won the tournament and I don’t think anyone got past 4 on him..

[@PostUp_Time]

*IS THIS THE FINALS FROM 2003-2004? WHEN KEITH McREADY JUST BEAT JOSE PARICA TO MAKE IT TO THE FINALS?* WHY IS SCREEN SIZE SO SMALL?

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Are you watching this on your phone? 🧐

[@Kawmanuwa]

Past their prime but thats life

[@lemonite1]

2 players past their primes and past their locale. they both belong in the pool roomp, playing for stakes

[@lemonite1]

Is that David Howard in the audience?

[@bonhzeppelin55]

Sure was mate! Cheers!

[@capacola262743]

i thought it was moe howard.

[@stevecrazy9491]

Vernon Elliott or Burnie, as we called him, beat both of these players on the road. He played Buddie several times then they went on the road together, he played Keith in Knoxville Tn. 1981.

[@Benjamin__C]

how come this table has smaller pockets than the other ones?

[@stevecrazy9491]

Barry when he was alive made everything up to par. YES, the pockets are tight on ALL his tables.

[@amateurdude]

Ta for another great match (y)

[@Washington-Dreaming]

No one would ever accuse Buddy Hall of being an “Olympic Athlete.” Interestingly though, as of 2023, he’s still alive and kicking and he’s almost 80.

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

The reason tv pool died is obviously the fact u go to commercial and come back 2 games lost

[@chavezglassworks]

@ProdigyKimXP DEFLECTION unless you have a preditor shaft your cue ball will move left or right and you can focus on english more that moving the cue YOU CAN SEMI MASSE WITH UR CUE LEVEL THAT MEANS SIDE SPIN AFFECTS THE PATH A QUE BALL IS TRAVELING. DEFLECTION

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

That is a misconception; English alone cannot cause a cue ball to travel in an arc. Deflection is cue ball travel that is off-axis from the cue--and the rolling path is a straight line. There are videos here on YT that prove this.

[@unclequack5445]

Damn, Buddy must weigh 400 lbs.

[@PROFNINES1]

Yes you can throw the ball with english but the farther you are from the object ball determines the distance you can throw the object ball if they are frozen i can throw the object ball as far as 6 inches in 9 feet.

[@wimpylassiter2336]

@BeingNobody1956 lol good point, ive read mosconi was a lil too easily angered. im only 19, but ive been playing since i was about 13.

[@PROFNINES1]

Pool is about rhythm everyones is different its a comfort thing and its called getting in stroke .

[@wimpylassiter2336]

@BeingNobody1956 yeah we just have different tastes. i like minnesota fats, you like willie mosconi. (to make an old-school comparison)

[@GolfTool]

Do you see Buddy Hall's shoes, neither does he.

[@dingdong7610]

Well, Buddy just came up short, but he did miss fewer shots in this match than Incardona

[@choward874]

It's amazing how much better people play these days then back then.

[@phixxwutwut]

i disagree with the fact that you will always come out behind on the push. incardona, every single time someone pushes, says that its a disadvantage to the pusher. at the pro level it may as a pro will almost always make correct mental decisions. at a lower level of play though, the pusher can frequently be a favorite as you can push to a place on the table that may cause your opponent to choose a lower percentage shot.

[@berylman]

Yes, he is wearing a Lucasi shirt and the stick looks like a certain Lucasi design I have seen before. It's a good stick and no I don't work for them.

[@chavezglassworks]

@stevesp101 its so you can tell the difference between the 2 ball and the 4 ball better

[@theburningelement.6447]

That's devid Howard in the background:)

[@bonhzeppelin55]

David The Giant Killer Howard.

[@drgntatu]

hell of an open lag. nice

[@kostaszontoner]

a few years back the level of pool was pretty low...you can see it in the first rack

[@PostUp_Time]

*MCREADY SHOOTS FAST AND HARD. ACTUALLY FASTER THAN EARL STRICKLAND. RECENT INTERVIEW, LATE 2022. KEITH SAIDS HIS HARDEST MATCHES WERE AGAINST EARL STRICKLAND. WISH WE HAD VIDEOS OF THOSE MATCHES*

[@dchen345]

is mccready a rainman?

[@Maicoczpenton]

Funny how I don't recognize any of you computer pool champions names here....Watch these two champions play and MAYBE you will learn something.....Listen to the commentary.....These guys are all REAL CHAMPIONS. Typing rude comments will never improve your game or place as a human being.

[@laquettacostin593]

Û

[@jimwatts7489]

H.B. those guys are tournament champions not the same as hustling champion. That's why they are always broke...because they think they are the best because they play tournament people. Some of the old hustlers who became too well known and no one would play them without a tremendous spot, they turned to tournaments so they could get sponsors and have an income. The best of the best will never show their face off or have their names broadcasted in tournaments, there is just no money in tournaments.

[@jasonlausch3748]

@@jimwatts7489 you make all of us laugh

[@red88alert]

I remember watching all the matches back in the early 2000s and before. It felt like everybody always either hit the correct ball or made the shot. The quality of players really has gone down.

[@dronessential]

The purple 4-ball is hard to distinguish from the 8-ball.

[@9Ballr]

Earthquake at the U.S. Open!

[@countalucard4226]

Does Keith still play professionally?

[@chavezglassworks]

@ProdigyKimXP you dont know what your talking about your close though how hard you hit it and how much center you put on it will totally change the cue balls direction and ENGLISH WILL ADD TO THE NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE i guess you just don't pay that much attention.

[@fastballonly]

I love the way Keith plays and talks. I adore the way Buddy strikes the balls so softly. I admire the way Billy takes the viewers through eloquently. But I am sorry to say, I don't like Wych's Canadian accent!

[@dd0ck]

What a lag!!?? Craziness.

[@drgntatu]

I talk to myself when I'm on. I can talk myself into a crucial shot that I might pass up otherwise. It's known locally that if I'm drinking Red Bull and talking to myself, I came to play.

[@hunchemlnarik]

Imagine a sport where a televised player will take a swig of beer midgame

[@jesselinkes9447]

boy keth was a good pool player one of the best in the world

[@Stinkyjig]

I've played McCreedy...(basically just handed over my money ;D) and I've also done some powder with him. He truley is a unique individual, and I'd still put my money on him any day...espically aginst you jokers!

[@stevecrazy9491]

Any Chemistry player can be beat. Although you have to hit them at the right time. Now it would take a heck of a player but relying on cocaine, heck I think he's on in here in this match and I don't think cig. break was a cig. break but a snort break.

[@frankgregory8891]

Sure.

[@jonescrusher1]

Reckless at times, but very entertaining. Mcready the Alex Higgins of pool...

[@frazierg0325]

I like how some nobodies come on here and knock 2 of the best 9 ball players who ever lived. You wanna match up? I'll take Buddy or Keith. Lmk how many US Opens you won or STFU.

[@frankgregory8891]

I don't agree with Incardona.It's close.....but in 1982 Earl was the best 9 ball player on the planet.Of course Buddy and a whole lot more 9 ball players were great too.

[@dingdong7610]

Lol jim didnt either a few times

[@bonhzeppelin55]

Don't forget Mr. Finals, Captain Hook Mike Sigel. He was winning everything and beating everyone. Strickland was the best from the mid 80's onward but learned a lot from Buddy, Mike and others.

[@5000rgb]

I think Earl's first major was the Sands Regency Open around then. He beat Steve Mizerak. Earl was on fire. He had one of those matches where nobody could have beaten him that day.

[@treesareuber]

I like watching McCready, he reminds me of Popeye. It's entertaining. He's still a great player though.

[@iejcwejheiowcnlwekn]

The resemblance is uncanny now that you mention it

[@GrahamFos]

earl gives allison the 6 ball.

[@dannyberkabile265]

Why do commentators feel they have to predict the shots? Don’t they commentate or make comments on the shots players themselves already

[@gudjon94]

Buddy is good player

[@billybergendahl3515]

Obviously, Buddy Hall eats very well.

[@millionairesclubllc3193]

When you become spoiled watching Efren, and see the amateur in everyone else missing so many shots. Just saw jimmy caras vs fats like "so Jimmy was really the champ??"

[@jlobiafra]

Yet both buddy hall and Keith McCready use to beat efren regularly when efren first came to the states in the 80's. 🙄

[@joeygonzo]

At ProfNines1, was Earl there? Earld would have robbed Keith.

[@whipy9203]

salVAS of course, typo trying to be too quick ;-)

[@unclequack5445]

I've heard that in his day Keith was the best money player in the world.

[@williamhall7349]

Ask him about Bernie Vernon Elliot

[@frankgregory8891]

@@williamhall7349 Who is this Bernie guy that is being mentioned? He cant be better than Keith...Earl...and Buddy were in the 80"s!! I have never even heard of him until tonight.

[@williamhall7349]

@@frankgregory8891 he was a undercover monster player who didn't play in tournaments

[@bonhzeppelin55]

@@williamhall7349 Did he ever play Cecil?

[@williamhall7349]

@@bonhzeppelin55 Cecil and him were partners if you're talking about Buddy but I heard they may have matched up

[@blueak3339]

Keith looked like he was on something lol

[@charlotte240]

@44:00 , Keith calls "cigarette time!" after winning the rack. This is after he was seen drinking beers on TV. Not too becoming for a pro player. Who knows what the hell else he was doing on his break . . .

[@deepzak]

ohhh remember his face lol;;; he act in color of money,, a unique stance

[@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE]

wow... 22:55... but also 29:08

[@MrKinghuman]

the spots on the cue ball is the worst idea ever, takes away the magic. if you watch snooker its so much more enjoyble because the balss look like they are floating, its beautiful. take away the red spots and maybe even the numbers???