This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is our American stories.

Up next, a story from Mark O'Brien who listens to us on K-M-O-X-A-M in St. Louis.

And this story is about one of his personal heroes. Mark is the author of Have Pool Q Will Travel,

which outlines this true character. Here's our own Monty Montgomery with the story.

One, two, two, four. Here's our own Monty Montgomery with the story.

Cool is a sport with a rich history to it, and today it's one of the most popular participation sports in America, and there are countless names which have gone down as the best players of the game, including St. Louis Louis.

Here's Mark O'Brien with more on this interest in character.

I met Louis when I was 15, and that was in 1970. It was at a small pool room in St. Louis.

I had heard some stories about someone named St. Louis Louis. I heard him over and over

again. I never met him. I thought he would be a guy about 50 or 60 years old. And one day I'm in the pool room practicing. And a guy about 21 walked in. And you would have thought a celebrity walked in.

All the old-timers in the pool room, right about the same time they said,

It's Louis! It's Louis! And everybody shook his hand, hugged him, blah, blah, blah.

And from that day on, he became my hero.

Louis was one of the most charismatic people I've ever met.

That didn't have anything to do with Poole.

When Louis was around anybody, anywhere at any time, all the eyes were on Louis. He just had a way of making you feel good,

smile, laugh. He was like a magnet. His skills were incredible and he has been called by

hundreds of people, maybe the greatest shopmaker in pool history. Louis Roberts could cut a pool ball

like nobody else could. My gosh, his favorite game was nine ball, and that's a rotation game.

One through nine. You have to hit the lowest numbered ball first, And if you make that, you go on to the next ball.

And then when you finally get to the nine and you make it, you win the game. And Louis, if he had an open shot, he would just run out.

...