A DECEMBER T By Anthony Beeler
I
t was the winter of 2001, and I was 25 years old. The local poolroom in Campbellsville, Kentucky had just been sold and the new owners were starting to put together one of the more competitive 9-Ball tournaments in the state. Pro-player John Brumback had just won the October edition of the event and in November, I finished 2nd to Derby City Classic champion, Shannon Daulton. As I returned in December, the city of Campbellsville was adorned with glowing lights and red bows. I could think of no better Christmas present than to capture my first Rack and Cue title. As I maneuvered through the winner’s bracket, one man caught my attention. The man referred to as “Blevins” was one of my childhood idols.
Mike Blevins was widely known for his success in the Willard’s Billiards, Oneida, Tennessee tournaments held in the mid to late 1990’s. In fact, over the course of a year Mike won nearly all of the monthly tournaments in Oneida, besting numerous top professional players. I won the winners bracket and it seemed predestined that I was going to have face my idol for the championship. Before the final match began, two of my good friends, David “Coon Hunter” Phelps and Denzil Stephens, got me to agree that if I won, I had to take them out to eat at the nicest place in town. As Mike approached me in the finals, eating was the last thing on my mind, the first words out of his mouth were, “Do you want to split the money?” My reply 41
