The former denizens of Section H of the Sportsman's Park grandstand are dropping like flies. I go on vacation for a week and come back to find Phil had died. A legendary guy. I wouldn't call him a good friend but he was an acquaintance and I could tell a bunch of funny stories about him. You could ask Jimmy Kezios about the time he got Phil so mad talking about Rex Grossman that Phil spit his false teeth out.
Phil was an excellent pool player and though I heard him describe himself as a shortstop on more than one occasion, I think most guys would say he that he might not have been Bugs Rucker or Smarty Artie Bodendorfer, but he was a step above a shortstop player. Here's a good article about his pool hall that was on Clark and Diversey in the 80s:
http://www.billiardsdigest.com/showblogentry.php?id=18Phil was the first guy to hit the Super Bet and he took down a pool of over a hundred grand:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985 ... rs-bettorsIf the goofs that run Maywood Park have any class, they'll rename Super Booth No. 1 the Phil Guagliardo Booth and put a plaque up in his honor. For all the dough he poured through the windows, he deserves it.
R.I.P., RTP.