THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 27, 1995 TAG: 9509270574
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DWIGHT FOXX, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
There was a time in Mike Massey's life when he abused the game of billiards.
By the time he was 15 he was gambling and hustling in and around his hometown of Loudon, Tenn. Many times, there would be heavy drinking involved as well.
Massey's wakeup call came during a party in Denver when he was 23.
``Someone put a lot of drugs in my drink and I ended up in the hospital,'' he said. ``I ended up hallucinating for three years. If it wasn't for the grace of God, I would still be in that shape. I had no mind of my own. That's been 25 years ago and I've been blessed.''
Now, at 48, he's regarded as the best-trick shot artists in the world. In the last 18 months, he's done shows and exhibitions in South Africa, Poland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, England, Spain and China.
After the U.S. Open, which continues through Sunday at the Holiday Inn, Chesapeake, he will travel to Switzerland for an exhibition.
Earl ``The Pearl'' Strickland, a three-time winner of the U.S. Open, believes that Massey is the greatest trick-shot artist in the world. Strickland performs trick-shot exhibitions with Massey.
``Mike's a great guy,'' Strickland said. ``He taught me a lot about trick shooting. He's my trick-shot mentor.''
Some people don't realize that Massey, who received a first-round bye, is also a serious billiards player. Massey is often asked for autographs in foreign cities when people see him in airports or restaurants.
``Mike is recognized around the world, solely, on his skills for trick shooting,'' Strickland said.
Massey credits the television exposure of the game in foreign lands for his star-like status. In Europe, they play a form of billiards called snookers, which has a bigger table and uses smaller balls.
Massey said the top snooker players in Europe make more money than the top golfers.
``In the U.S., billiards has gotten more exposure but it had to get over an image of being a gambling game in a dingy pool hall,'' Massey said. ``Europe never went through that.''
One of his most crowd-pleasing shots is the ``Chattanooga Choo Choo,'' in which he lines three pool cues like a railroad track and balances two balls.
He also uses his wife, Francine, and his dog, Jesse Cue, in his acts.
``I'll shoot the balls between her (Jesse Cue's) legs and make two go in the side pockets and two go in the corners,'' he said.
Massey has also done stunts in movies. He taught Dennis Quaid how to shoot in ``The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,'' and he taught Johnny Cash a few things for a CBS television movie, ``The Baron and the Kid.''
He doubled for Cash on trick shots.
Now, he's working on his own screenplay, called ``Louie and the Preacher,'' based partly on his life.
``A pool-playing preacher hustles the greedy and gives to the needy,'' Massey said. ``In other words, Robin Hood with a pool cue.''
The man they call ``Tennessee Tarzan'' - because he could do more one-arm pushups than most people could do with two arms when he was younger - has come a long way since his early 20s.
``I became a Christian,'' Massey said. ``I used to use my talents to make people mad. Now I use it to make people happy.'' ILLUSTRATION: Chart
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