What Did He Say?

 As I mentioned in an earlier post, I attended Kilgore Junior College and was quite well known at the student union building. While I was very satisfied with hustling young men for their money on the pool tables I also took an interest in the action on the dominoe tables. I became far more interested in the language of the game than the matching of dots. I watched. I learned. Then one day I was invited to sit in on a game as the others were one player short. I had been studying the art of the game for awhile and felt pretty comfortable as a participant. To put it mildly, I wowed the regulars. I was one of only two white guys to be seen playing the games with the black players. Competition was tough! 

The thing that intrigued me most was the colorful terms used for calling count when someone scored. Examples would be: "Fido was a biting dog!" Used when some one scored five points. Other terms for five points were "Nick Willie!" "Nick Bouniconti!" and of course "Nic him, don't cut him!" Should a player score ten points you might hear, "Tenderloin beef steak ketsup and gravy!" or, "Tin top roof don't leak when it rains!" Should one be on his game and score fifteen points you were sure to hear "Ella, Della, and Luella!" Another favorite for fifteen was "Three sisters!" (Probably based on Ella and friends.) When someone repeated the person's count that had just scored they would holler "Don't get excited. Just rewrite it!" Twenty, you ask? That would be cause for a loud shout of "Boats!" or "Bow Ties!" Twenty-five? That was "Quarterhorse!" or "Quarter mule!" There were times that folks scored the elusive 30 and 35, but those were usually followed by the phrase "Get up! You don't play good no way!" 

I believe I enjoyed the banter more than the game itself. 

The players themselves were so colorful I couldn't wait to get a game going daily! There was Cuba. Cuba was a light skinned young guy with two gold teeth who loved talking trash. Then there was Himby. Himby was the other white guy allowed to play at the main tables. I credit Himby with the creation of the phrase "tenderloin beefsteak ketsup and gravy." There were so many it is hard to remember them all. One young man who played a pretty mean hand was named Darryl. If I told you Darryl could sing like a bird I'd be understating his talent. The old heads came to play as well. "Preacher" was well...a preacher at a nearby church who played "inspired" you might call it. Then there was Coach Johnny Rossum. He ran the SUB for the college and coached as an assistant on the football team. Johnny Rossum could play some dominoes! 

I still miss those days and the smack talk at the dominoe tables. I miss my frind Johnny Rossum too. He died a few years ago, I heard. I bet he went and organized a game in heaven.