Keith McCready - The Rebirth of a Legend By Phil Capelle  It was about three years ago that I was visiting a pool playing friend at a donut shop in Westminster CA when I saw Keith McCready emerge from a seedy motel across the street. He joined us after jaywalking across Beach Boulevard, a busy eight-lane highway, in pants that looked more like Pajamas. Keith appeared to have partied another night away. I thought, as I often did when I saw Keith, that here is a guy with a rare gift, a man with a talent for doing things on a pool table that only a handful of players have ever been born with, and yet he chooses to squander it for God only knows what reason. If only he would get his act together, what a force he might still be in this game.

The entire pool community, myself included, certainly has been less than pleased at many of Keith antics. And yet, for some strange reason I seem to find myself rooting for the guy. Maybe it’s because Keith grew up in this area (Southern California) and was basically an orphan since age 12. Possibly I root for him because Keith brings excitement to a poolroom. With his charisma, line of patter, and his game when he’s in dead stroke, he’s pool’s ultimate entertainer. Like Strickland, you may love him, or hate him, but you can’t ignore him. And maybe I root for him because I like to see people climb up from the gutter, complete a turnaround, and make a better life for themselves, which Keith may have done recently. 

Early Adventures

The first time I saw Keith play was in the early 70s on one of my late night road trips from San Diego to the Billiard Palace in Bellflower. Keith was about 15 at the time and very cocky. He gave some older player 20 to a 100 in straight pool got the money. About three years later he showed up at College Billiards in San Diego, my homeroom. By that time his legend had grown tremendously. He checked out some balls, racked them up on table 10 at the front of the room, and promptly broke and ran four racks as if it was nothing, absolutely nothing at all.

In his prime, which varies from source to source, but was probably in the mid to late 70’s, Keith would rob excellent players while giving them the 5-ball. On one occasion, however, I saw him go off after getting a dose of his own shark medicine. He was giving Billy Ray Suden the 5-ball on his break, and the 6-ball on Billy’s break. Suden, perhaps exasperated at watching Keith play perfect pool for seemingly hours, yelled out, “Don’t you ever miss” just as Keith was about to shoot a medium length 30-degree cut shot on the 9-ball. Keith jumped up in mid stroke, missed, and that was the turning point. Suden went on to get the cash.

In another classic confrontation at a big pro event in Los Angles, Jim Mataya started out strong against Keith and began to taunt him by repeatedly saying “Keith you seem so quiet, don’t you have anything to say.” Keith, who is seldom at a loss for words, remained quite as a mouse as Mataya cruised to an 11-4 victory.

I was privileged to be in attendance at the now defunct Sports Arena in Anaheim when Keith and Efren Reyes matched up in 1986. Efren gave Keith the last two and played nearly flawlessly for three hours before Keith had had enough. 

Keith Stories

Keith sightings and stories abound. It seems like was always hearing that he’s in some far off locale, gambling and getting into mischief. The Keith McCready Story is indeed a saga of adventures and misadventure. Everyone in this region, and even beyond, seems to have their favorite Keith story. Why just the other day a road player from Florida was telling me of the time he ran 9 racks on Keith, who replied with 11 straight, which was more than enough to make the road player pack up his cue.

Keith’s biggest moment of fame came in The Color of Money where he “starred” for about five minutes along with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. I say he starred because my favorite line was when, while playing Cruise he exclaimed “It’s like a nightmare isn’t it, and it just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn’t it.” Rumor has it that Keith proceeded to lose his entire acting fee of about ten grand at the track. 

Keith’s Game

I’ve had numerous opportunities to watch Keith in action. When he’s out of sync, he can be beaten by people that really don’t belong on the same table with him. When he’s right, he can pile up a 6-0 lead so fast you’d swear it was only moments ago that you’d flipped for the opening break.

Keith is an inspired pool genius. While he probably couldn’t teach you much about what he does, he knows what he’s doing. The evidence is at the table. When Keith’s in dead stroke, he plays perfect patterns and pinpoint shape, and makes everything he looks at, all executed at warp speed. Keith knows every defensive maneuver, and shows boundless creativity. He is especially deadly on a bar box thanks in part to the fact he’s undoubtedly the finest combination shooter in the world.

Keith has phenomenal hand eye coordination, which makes him the pinball wizard of pool. His sidewinder stroke is nothing you would teach any beginner, but it works for Keith. And to top it off, he has the vision of an eagle. A friend of mine who knows him well says Keith can read the names on street signs a block away that are barely visible to most anyone else.

One of Keith’s greatest strengths is that his enables him to get a rhythm going. This strength is also a weakness as Keith has a tendency to miss relatively easy shots that he takes for granted. Keith uses fewer warm up strokes than most great players who take the time to cinch even the easiest of shots. Those 2-3 unnecessary misses a set are probably just about all that separates Keith these days from the more disciplined players like Souquet, Reyes, and Bustamante and Archer who rule at the top of the 9-ball food chain. 

Lessons From Keith

I recall walking out front of a bar with Keith in the early 80’s and having a conversation about his game. I asked him why he thought he was so much better than most anyone else, and he replied “I can use inside english much better than the rest.” I took that as gospel, and from that point forward committed myself to improving this somewhat deficient part of may game. This tip improved my game immensely.

Keith is quite adept at the finer points of sharking. When playing him and his partner in a Dutch doubles tournament, I missed a ball and he quickly bellowed, “Up jumped the devil.” It’s the kind of comment that can unnerve you at the time. In retrospect however, his comment was quite amusing, especially since my partner and I went on to win the match. The lesson: with enough experience, comments like Keith’s are never allowed take residence in your mind for more than perhaps a split second. 

Tournament Play

While records dating back to Keith’s prime as a tournament player are hard to come, in a Pool & Billiard dated December, 1998 he was ranked 10^th on tour. Keith won about a half dozen pro events in which all the big names were competing, mostly in the 80s. However, it is was his high stakes gambling that earned him the lion’s share of his reputation as one of the most feared 9-ball players. I’ve heard many tales of Keith sending world class players running after barraging them with packages of 7-10 racks. Keith also excelled at hanging in their with an opponent for hours on end while waiting for his top gear to kick in. So perhaps it is somewhat ironic that Keith is reestablishing his game and his legend in tournament play.

Tournament pool requires that you consistently bring your “A” game to the table against a variety of opponents, and that you be alert and ready to play when called to action. The demands of tournament pool are such that you simply can’t lead the party life and expect to compete with, much less beat, the very best. This being the case, Keith’s recent performances in tournaments indicate that he has turned over a new leaf and is approaching the game seriously. A significant portion of the credit for Keith’s new approach to life may come from the positive influence of his girlfriend Jennie, who has a “normal” job as a court reporter.

Recently Keith has begun to demonstrate the form that once made him the most feared money player on the planet. At the Joss Northeast Tour Stop 23 in April, Keith finished second in a very strong field, about the same strength as at the recent Glass City Open (more on that in a moment). A couple of weeks later he was runner-up to Michael Coltrain at the Q-Maters Spring Classic.

Keith recently broke into the winner’s circle in late October at a Joss Northeast Tour Stop, pasting of Ronnie Alcano 9-0 in the finals. Alcano is a rising star from the Philippines who finished 7-8 at the U.S. Open and who recently won his first Joss Northeast Tour event.

Keith’s most recent strong comeback performance came, appropriately enough, at the Glass City Open (November 13-17). The tournament was also making a comeback after not being held since 1992. Nick Varner must like Toledo, for he captured his third Glass City title in the nine times the event has been held. Keith finished third against a medium strong field of 94 players. The top 24 included numerous big name pros as shown below.  

Glass City Top 24

1 Nick Varner

2 Rodney Morris

3 Keith McCready

4 Brandon Ashcraft

5-6 Troy Frank
5-6 Shawn Putnam

7-8 Ron Wiseman
7-8 Steve Barry

9-12 Tony Watson
9-12 Dee Adkins
9-12 Joe Brown
9-12 Jim Rempe

13-16 Shane Manole
13-16 Howard Vickery
13-16 Joe Lawrence
13-16 Johnny Archer

17-24 Francisco Diaz
17-24 Michael Coltrain
17-24 Alex Pagulayan
17-24 Mike Massey
17-24 Omar Albajani
17-24 Marty Lawson
17-24 Steve McAninich
17-24 Mark Hosler 

Keith McCready at Glass City

Round Opponent Score

1 Bye

2 Mike Collins  11-?  

3 Corey Harper  11-3

4 Joe Brown  11-3

5 Ron Wiseman  11-6

6 Shawn Putnam 11-7

7 Rodney Morris  6-11

8 L Nick Varner  7-11 

Source: AZBilliards.com 

Hope for the Future

For a long time Keith trolled in pool’s underbelly, partying, gambling, and going through periodic bouts of rehabilitation, only to sink once again into the abyss. Maybe this time, however, its different. When he competes in tournament play, there are no DQ’s (failed to show, etc.) next to his name. He shows up, he plays, and he is back to his old ways, torturing opponents with his formidable game of 9-ball. People love comebacks, and Keith’s recent performances in tournament pool certainly make him a contender for comeback player of the year.

Keith has charisma. He’s a natural born comedian, and he loves to joke with a crowd, even it’s at his expense. He brings excitement into any poolroom. He’s a natural born salesman who has recruited an army of stakehorses that could fill a good-sized poolroom to overflowing. Keith’s the most fun pool player to watch, he’s got game, color, and personality. At his best he’s just what this game needs.

Keith’s back on pool’s radar screen, and I’m glad to see him there. While he can never erase the past, he can live for today and hopefully make the most his immense talent. I hope he does, because in the pool, there’s really nothing better than The Keith McCready 9-Ball Show, appearing in a poolroom or convention hall sometime soon in your town.