Parica, Fats inducted into One Pocket HOF

This just in from the One Pocket Hall of Fame: Minnesota Fats and Jose Parica have been selected to become its two newest inductees. The organization also has inducted Chicago's Glenn "Piggy Banks" Rogers for his prowess in bank pool.

The One Pocket Hall of Fame is sponsored by Onepocket.org. Unlike the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame (the two endeavors are in no way affiliated) the One Pocket Hall of Fame proudly honors players known for their heart in high-stakes action matches. As noted in the One Pocket Hall of Fame release: "Everyone knows that pool has always had two very different cultures of competition – the establishment culture of tournaments, wholesome recreation and industry endorsements on the one hand, and the after-hours culture of gambling and hustling on the other hand. It is the mission of the One Pocket Hall of Fame to honor and remember those great players and great games that represent the legacy of Pool in Action."

As such, the induction of Fats was a great choice. A dangerous one-pocket player during his prime, Fats is also remembered as a great promoter of the sporting life associated with pocket billiards. His real name was Rudolf Wanderone. He became famous after the release in 1961 of The Hustler, the film starring Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman. He was also an important participant in the early Johnston City tournaments.

Parica, a former Derby City champion, has gained a reputation as one of the nation's most formidable one-pocket players. Known as "Amang" by his friends (tagalog for "father"), Parica was among the first from pool's so-called "Philippine Invasion." His after-hour match-ups with fellow legend Efren Reyes have become the stuff of legend. That's a picture at the top of this post of Parica (courtesy Steve Booth at Onepocket.org).

The third inductee, "Piggy Banks," emerged as one of Chicago's leading bank players. And that's from a city known for great bankers.

In addition, the Hall of Fame also will present its Lifetime Pool in Action award to Seattle's Harry Plattis. According to the Hall of Fame release: "Harry’s name has been synonymous with pool action for more than forty years. Even as he built a successful law career he has maintained an impressively competitive game and a willingness to mix it up with champions for big money, both as a player and a backer."

The ceremony will take place at the Derby City tournament, during a Jan. 26 banquet hosted by one-pocket Hall of Famers Grady Mathews and Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna. The Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana hosts the tournament. Advanced tickets are available through the OnePocket.org web site. Any remaining tickets will be available at the Derby City Classic.

-- R.A. Dyer

PoolSynergy: Billiards Tales and Folklore

This is the second of a series of posts written in coordination with other online pool writers. It's part of the Pool Synergy project hosted this month by Samm Diep's pooltipjar.com. Look for more installments in the future.

Our PoolSynergy topic this month is “Billiard Tales.” As part of my contribution I'm giving everyone an assignment. Find a poolroom in your area popular with the old timers and sidle up next to a few of them at the bar. It’s important that you find at least two or three of these guys sitting together. Four is even better. And I’m not talking about the middle-aged guys, I’m talking about the really old ones, the guys who have been around the pool halls 30 or 40 years at least.

Buy them a beer if you want, or just sit quietly. And then wait.

I guarantee you that within the first half hour you’ll start hearing stories of who took whom and for how much, or about the time some shark came to town, or about the big score by the local champ. Some stories will be verifiable, others not so much. I’ve even heard deadly serious tales of the supernatural.

To me, the form of these billiard tales is just as interesting as the content. That is, it's not what the stories are about, per se, but how they're communicated. The oral tradition is key. Most of the great old stories never get written down, never appear in newspapers -- and they grow in the telling. These stories pass from older players to younger ones, and as long as the community remains intact -- e.g., as long as the poolroom remains standing and the same men and women continue to frequent it -- the legends remain alive.

Now here's a thought. Bear with me, but I think it's true. I believe these boozy recollections have a lot in common with the colorful stories that might get told by village elders around a camp fire. Listen to the old timers and you'll hear tales of heroes and villains and especially tricksters. Oral tradition (according to my quick research on Wikipedia) refers to the "transmission of cultural material through vocal utterance.” The oral traditional also has long been associated with folklore. I would argue that many of the stories told by old-time pool players are part of the folkloric tradition, but of an urban sort.

Some of my favorite Billiard Tales involve Minnesota Fats. In them Fats might be razzing an event promoter about the dress code, or cracking wise about the straight-laced "fun players," or gleefully robbing a tournament player during a high-dollar gambling session. These stories typically pits Fats against some symbol of the conservative billiards establishment.

As is the case with many trickster stories from folklore, Fats in these stories becomes an amoral and comic figure confronting the hypocrisy of the status quo. The billiards establishment would portray our sport as a clean-cut endeavor where no one ever gambles and where the dress code is strictly enforced. Minnesota Fats would portray it for what it really is. As a classic trickster, Fats confronts established authority, lies, and can act in amoral ways. But he also becomes an ironic symbol of truth.

I used to live in San Jose, Costa Rica. I remember hearing stories there about a hustler named “Pichitas” -- about how he would send well-dressed businessmen packing, or how he created this great shot from nowhere, or how he became a master of the 5 by 10s. I even remember the Pichitas "origin myth" -- in that stories were told about how he got his name (which, by the way, translates to “Tiny Dicks.”) These stories were told with something approaching reverence and at first I thought they were specific to Latin America. But I later discovered that they could have just as easily been told about Wimpy Lassiter or Jersey Red or U.J. Puckett. In each case, the players are portrayed as heroic or trickster figures, and in each case the stories are passed along directly through word of mouth. I also recognized in each case messages about the "culture" of the pool room, in that they would communicate lessons about such matters as gambling etiquette, attach value to certain sorts of figures and heap ridicule on others, and define the language common to members of the "tribe".

And so that brings us back to this month's assignment. Go sidle up to the bar, order a drink, and spend some time listening to the old timers. If you hear something good, remember it, and pass it along. Better yet, send me your stories and I'll post them up on this blog or use them as a fodder for a future Untold Stories column.

Some of the best Billiard Tales have never been written down. This puts them at risk for being lost forever. But through the magic of the Internet, we can now share the wisdom of our village elders with the world.

You can read a bit more about these ideas in The Hustler & The Champ. If you have your own old time story, send it to me at
hustlerdays@yahoo.com.

Samm Diep on Efren Reyes

Here's a video from Samm Diep, a reporter for InsidePool magazine and the woman behind The Tip Jar pool blog. She's also a contributor to the new PoolSynergy project, in which various pool writers contribute an article each month about a common theme. In Samm's most recent contribution, she discussed when to play position in the side pocket versus playing position for the corner pocket.

I know the video isn't technically about pool history, which is what I focus on here. However, it's about Efren Reyes, a Hall of Famer who's played plenty of historic matches. The video caught my attention, in that Efren is so infrequently interviewed — at least by the English-speaking press. Efren carries around arthritis cream. Who knew?

Introducing the PoolSynergy project: A new collection of online pocket billiards writing

Check out the first edition of PoolSynergy, contemplated as a monthly collection of great pool writing from the web. Poolsynergy the brainchild of John Biddle, host of the www.poolstudent.com website. This month's theme is "Strategy,” and it features contributions from eight writers, including myself. Here's a brief description of these first contributions, with links to where you can find them.

Samm Diep, well known for her blog The Tip Jar, talks about how she improved her game when she took another look at using the side pockets instead of the corners in her piece Corner vs. Side.

Approaching the topic of strategy from a different perspective, Mike Fieldhammer, a BCA Certified Instructor,challenges conventional wisdom in Strategy: Should it Change Based on Your Opponent? Mike’s piece shows you how to gain an advantage at the table and win more often by taking your opponent’s abilities and style into account.

In Offensive Safeties in 8 Ball (works only in IE), Joe Waldron makes clear that safeties aren’t just defensive shots when you have nothing else, but can play a strong offensive role as well. Waldron is the host of Pocket Billiards Review, which is always filled with insightful articles about the mental game.

Also about strategy at the table, John Biddle’s article Thinking Your Way to More Pool Victories can help you raise your winning percentage. John is the man behind the PoolSynergy project.

"FastMikie” McCafferty’s wise and insightful post The Impossible Dream talks about the role pool plays in your life strategy. Mike writes at Diary of a Pool Shooter, the longest continually running blog about pool.

Gail Glazebrook’s post, The Deliberate Attack, gets you to think “How will I beat you” and then gives you an approach to follow that works for her. Gail’s blog is confessions of g squared.

Mark Finkelstein, a BCA Certified Instructor and instruction columnist at the hot new pool website NYC Grind, helps you take an objective look at your game in his piece, Assessing Ability … On the Road to Effective Strategy.

Melinda, in A Strategy to Manage the Mental Side of Your Game, helps us to keep our head in the game from the very beginning and recognize issues that need attention before it’s too late. Melinda, who calls herself a wanna-be pool player, lives and blogs in Texas at Pool is a Journey.

I round out this month’s edition with Minnesota Fats: The Quiet Thrashing. It's a story about several gambling sessions between Fats and Richie Florence, during several weeks in Johnston City back in 1970. That's an old picture of Fats at the top of this post.

Minnesota Fats: The Quiet Thrashing

This is the first of a series of posts written in coordination with other online pool writers. It's part of the Pool Synergy project at www.poolstudent.com. Our first topic relates to pool strategy. Look for more installments in the future.

Strategic thinking is often associated with men and women of great dignity. Think Kasparov wordlessly sacrificing a rook for checkmate in three moves, or Napoleon – without panic – wedging his army between two opposing forces in order to defeat both. Pool also has had its share dignified strategic thinkers -- players like the unflappable Allison Fisher, for instance, who was named in 2005 as one of the world’s 50 smartest people. Or there’s the great Efren Reyes, the reserved one-pocket genius.

But what about the loud-mouthed and the brash? Pool has plenty of those sorts too. And believe it or not some of the greatest strategic moves in pool – especially with regards to getting action — have been executed not by men of quiet deliberation, but by those oafish players who so commonly dot our history.

Take for instance Minnesota Fats, one of pool’s great gasbags, a man who never made it through high school and may even have been illiterate. (You can get a sense of Fats' ridiculous schtick in the video at the top of this post.) At least outwardly Fats exhibited none of the reserved grace typically associated with great minds. However, one of my favorite examples of strategic thinking is attributed to Fats.

Here’s the story. Back in 1970 Minnesota Fats was in Johnston City, Illinois making games with Richie Florence, a young player then considered one of America’s best. Florence was flush with cash from a recent score in Alabama. He would have been about 25 years old. Fats was pushing 60.

Witnesses recall that the two players started cheap, maybe $100 or $200 a game, with Richie giving Fats weight. They said Richie was probably beating Fats to begin with, but not by much. That's because every time Richie got hot, Fats would interrupt his shooting by insisting on a bathroom break or by getting a sandwich. Fats also whined incessantly about the spot, about the playing conditions, and about the knucklehead railbirds. Anything to interrupt Richie's concentration.

After a few hours of playing like that, Fats quit, declaring he’d had enough. But he also promised to come back the following night. This, then, was where the real hustle would begin. Because instead of showing up at the appointed hour, Fats called in the next night with some bullshit excuse. He wouldn't be making it in, said Fats -- but maybe he'd come by the following night.

Now, Fats would have known when he placed that call that Richie, then in the spring of his youth, would not simply go back to his motel room to sleep. The wise and sage Fats knew with something close to 100 percent certainty that Richie would instead continue partying, possibly for the entire night.

The next night Fats left Richie waiting again. It was only after a delay of some hours, only after letting Richie drink and gamble unchecked for a while longer, it was only then that Fats showed up again to demand a game. And even then Fats kept interrupting Richie's shotmaking with his multitude of bathroom breaks and phone calls and white bread sandwiches.

Witnesses said this went on for two weeks, with Fats coming in at unpredictable intervals, fresh as a baby. The older player may have even been calling his poolroom spies to discreetly get a handle on Richie's shape. If Richie was playing too strong, Fats would wait a bit longer. When Fats came in it was a simple matter to taunt the less experienced player back into the trap.

Every night Fats won several hundred dollars, but generally no more than a $1,000 or so. For high rollers, it didn't seem like much. But by the end of it, Fats had extracted $20,000 from Richie Florence. “Fats played him like a child, that’s what happened,” recalled Ed Kelly, an eyewitness to the quiet thrashing. “He got Richie doing what he wanted Fats to do, see? Fats was a champion of it.”

Billiards Digest on the Galveston World Classic

Just got my new Billiards Digest, which includes an article I wrote about the Galveston World Classic. I was amazed that Immonen won the event, given that just a month later I went to Virginia to watch him also win at the U.S. Open. Somehow -- I don't know how -- Ralf Souquet is still above him on some of the points lists. I also see that the Mosconi Cup roster is filling out, and on the European side it includes Immonen, Souquet, Niels Feijen and Darren Appleton. The American team will include Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Oscar Dominguez and Corey Deuel. The competition is set this year for Dec. 10-13 in Las Vegas, at the MGM Grand.

2009 U.S. Open: Mills vs Immonen

Here's footage of Mika Immonen's final shots against Donny Mills in the loser's bracket finale at the 2009 U.S. Open. Mills surprised the field by making it through the prestigious nine-ball tournament almost undefeated. He finished third after taking both second-place finisher Ralf Souquet and first-place finisher Immonen to the hill. Mills and Shane Van Boening will be featured in an upcoming match presented by The Action Report.

Mika Immonen warms up before the U.S. Open finals

Mika Immonen warms up during the final day of the 2009 U.S. Open. He would end up beating American Donnie Mills, Filipino Lee Van Corteza and German Ralf Souquet during his final march to victory.

Nick Varner congratulates Mika Immonen during U.S. Open

Nick Varner, the last man before Mika Immonen to win the U.S. Open Nine-Ball tournament in two consecutive years, congratulates Mika for repeating the stunning accomplishment shortly after the Finnish player beat German Ralf Souquet in the finals on Oct. 24. Hall of Famer Varner won the U.S. Open in 1989 and 1990. Until Immonen's victory this month, Varner had been the only man in history to have won in Virginia during two consecutive years. Immonen said he hoped to one day join Varner in the Hall of Fame.

Video: 1-9 carom wins U.S. Open

Here's video of Mika Immonen's final 9-ball shot in the 2009 U.S. Open. It was a tricky carom, and it was unclear at first whether the Finnish player would take it. My wife took this video from the stands. You can see Immonen fall to the ground after he pockets the ball. Then it looks like there's an earthquake, there's so much camera shaking. That's because folks started standing up and streaming down to the arena to congratulate Immonen, which jostled the camera. Immonen agonized through most of the final match. Ralf Souquet, true to form, belied very little emotion at all -- although his disappointment was palpable afterward.

Archer & Fisher feted during Hall of Fame banquet at 2009 U.S. Open

In other U.S. Open news: Johnny Archer and Allison Fisher were inducted into the Billiards Congress Hall of Fame during a banquet on Thursday. It was a truly charming affair, with both Archer and Fisher tearing up as they accepted their awards. Archer's friend and business partner Kim Davenport gave the introductory speech for Archer. (The two are co-owners of a pool hall in Georgia.) Ironically, it would also be Davenport who would eliminate Archer during the U.S. Open on Friday. That loser-side battle went hill-hill, with Davenport coming from behind. He beat Archer after pocketing the nine ball on the break in the 21st game. That's a picture on top of this post of Archer at the Hall of Fame banquet with his parents.

Another guest at the event, sitting right next to Allison Fisher at the grown-up table, was none other than Jean Balukas, the one woman who some say would rival Fisher as the best ever. They shared a toast before the ceremony and signed plenty of autographs afterward.

Mika Immonen: 2009 U.S. Open Champion

Wait. Did I say that Mika Immonen was a long shot to win the U.S. Open? Well, I was wrong. He dropped a game in just the second round, and then proceeded on a terrifying march through the loser's side. He played 12 to 14 hours, at least, on Friday but remained undefeated all the way. On Saturday, the last day of the tournament, Mika finished off Lee Van Corteza from the Philippines, Donnie Mills from the U.S. (it went hill-hill) and then polished off Ralf Souquet of Germany. Mika is only the second man in U.S. Open history to win the prestigious tournament twice in a row. Nick Varner was the first, and he was feted at this year's U.S. Open for having accomplished the feat 20 years ago.

U.S. Open 9 Ball and the Hall of Fame Banquet

I'm heading out to the U.S. Open this week, both for the nation's most prestigious nine-ball event but also for Johnny Archer's and Allison Fisher's Hall of Fame induction banquet. Seats are still available for the Oct. 22 ceremony and dinner, and I encourage anyone who's going to Virginia for the tournament to join us in this fete for these two great players. Tickets are $60 each, or $500 per table. All proceeds go to the cost of hosting the banquet, which is being sponsored jointly by U.S. Open promoter and founder Barry Behrman and the United States Billiards Media Association. Because the BCA is providing more limited support this year, it's up to us to honor our greats. Fisher and Archer have devoted their lives to the sport. This is our opportunity to show our appreciation.

And now, with that PSA aside, here's a bit of U.S. Open news. I see from AZ Billiards that Mika Immonen was bounced to the one-loss side in his second round match against veteran road player Chris Bartram. Immonen won the event last year, but with a loss so early he must now be considered a long shot to repeat in 2009.

USA shut out from Galveston Pro Events

What has happened to the once mighty Americans? At the Galveston World Classic U.S. players were shut out on their home turf in every major professional event. Much has been written about the pool powerhouse that is the Philllipines. But U.S. players also faced overwheliming competition from Korea, Finland, England, Norway and even ... Belgium.

Here's the rundown of the final winners (and payouts) in the Galveston pro events:

Open 8-Ball

1st Ronnie Alcano $15,500 (Phillipines)
2nd Johnny Archer $8,000 (USA)
3rd Robert Gomez $4,500 (Phillipines)

Open 10-Ball

1st Mika Immonen $25,000 (Finland)
2nd Warren Kiamco $12,000 (Phillipines)
3rd Mike Dechaine $6,500 (USA)

One Pocket

1st Efren Reyes $15,000 (Phillipines)
2nd Shannon Daulton $7,500 (USA)
3rd Cliff Joyner $4,000 (USA)

Women's 9-Ball

1st Yu Ram Cha $6,000 (Korea)
2nd Allison Fisher $3,000 (England)
3rd Line Kjorsvik $1,500 (Norway)

Americans placed as high as second in eight-ball (Johnny Archer) and one-pocket (Shannon Daulton). In the 10-ball division, American Mike Dechaine placed third. The Americans were shut out altogether from the top three spots in the women's professional 9-ball event, with Korean Yu Ram Cha taking first.

Even in the wheelchair event, the winner was Kurt Deklerck, hailing from Belgium. Top ranked American Shane Van Boening (pictured above, signing an autograph outside the tournament hall) was shut out from the top spots in each of the major divisions. Veteran Nick Varner, also of the USA, placed fourth in eight-ball.

Mika Immonen vs. Warren Kiamco

I'm posting up video as I can find it from the Galveston World Classic. This is from the 10-ball finals between Mika Immonen and Warren Kiamco. I've blogged about it before. Both players brought their A-games to Texas.

Galveston World Classic: Mika on Mika

Still recovering from the Galveston World Classic, trying to figure out player stats and more for piece in an upcoming edition of Billiards Digest. Along the way I've come across a good description of a key 10-ball match between Mika Immonen and Shane Van Boening. Mika himself posted up the first-person account on his blog, aptly titled "Mike's Blog." You can find it here. Mika acknowledges problems with his 10-ball break, and an early thought that Shane would run away with it after the Dakota Kid ran up an 8-4 lead. "I had two hill-hill battles with him preceding this event, and it looked like this one was not going to be any different," the Iceman wrote about his thinking before the match began.

Immonen, Billiard Digest's 2008 Player of the Year, went on to win the 10-ball event. Skip Maloney, of AZ Billiards, has a good description of Mika's dramatic final against Warren Kiamco posted here. And remember to look for more details about the tournament in an upcoming edition of BD.

Galveston World Classic: Alcano over Archer in 8-ball, Immonen over Kiamco in 10-ball

Ronnie Alcano bested Johnny Archer in the eight-ball final at the Galveston World Classic on Sunday. That's Alcano in the photo.

In the 10-ball final, it was Mika Immonen over Warren Kiamco. As predicted, Kiamco did not go down easily. Because Kiamco came up through the loser's side, he had to beat Immonen in two sets in order to win the final. Kiamco managed the first set, but lost in the second.

For their victories, Alcano and Immonen take home $15,500 and $25,000 respectively. Efren Reyes on Thursday won the one-pocket event and Yu Ram Cha on Tuesday came out on top in women's nine-ball. The inaugural Galveston World Classic, held in the very attractive Moody Gardens resort in the island city, also featured an amateur competition and a wheelchair competition. It finished up on Sunday. Promoter Louis Vickio of Houston promises to put the show on again next year.

Johnny Archer versus Ronnie Alcano in 8-ball final at Galveston World Classic

Playing nearly flawless pool, newest hall of fame inductee Johnny Archer beat Roberto Gomez 7-2 in the eight-ball semi-final at the Galveston World Classic. Archer broke and ran four times in his march to victory, leaving Gomez fidgeting and helpless in his seat. The younger player managed a few runs, but a scratch in the final game sealed his fate. Archer now faces Ronnie Alcano in the final. On the 10-ball side, Mike Dechaine faces Warren Kiamco in the semi final. The winner of that match meets Mika Immonen tonight in the final match. Efren Reyes has already won the one-pocket event.

The winner of the professional women's nine-ball event was Yu Ram Cha, who beat Allison Fisher in the final match on Tuesday. Fisher will be feted in October along with Johnny Archer as the newest inductees into the Billiard Congress Hall of Fame.

Iceman leads in 10-ball at Galveston Classic

Mika Immonen keeps on rolling at the Galveston World Classic. After sending Shane Van Boening to the loser's bracket in the 10-ball event late Friday, the 36-year-old Iceman then went on to dispatch Mike Dechaine 11-3 in a match late Saturday.

Despite the lopsided outcome, the match featured some spectacular shots and tough safeties from both sides. In Rack 4, for instance, Mika came with a tough combo-bank shot into the side pocket. That helped Mika unlock that rack, which left the men tied 2-2. Dechaine ran out most of the next rack to take a 3-2 lead. In rack 8 the two men got into a bit of trench warfare, with both playing repeated safeties. Ultimately, however, Dechaine would leave a little too much showing, and The Iceman then went on to win that game, plus the next seven.

Mika, winner of the 2008 U.S. Open Nine-Ball title, can now finish no worse than second in the Galveson 10-ball event. Dechaine meanwhile must go to the loser's side, where he faces Warren Kiamco today for a chance to meet Mika again for the 10-ball title. As a side note: Kiamco is playing tough. He has already dismantled giants Johnny Archer, Efren Reyes and Fransisco Bustamante on the loser's side. He's a man not to bed trifled with.

Varner places fourth in Eight-Ball segment of Galveston World Classic

Nick Varner has placed fourth in the eight-ball segment of the Galveston World Classic. He was eliminated Saturday afternoon by Johnny Archer, who beat the Kentucky native 7-1 during a match televised for the Internet. Archer's methodical and calculated attack left little chance for error for Varner, who early during the match missed two very makable balls.

Archer won the lag, then ran out two racks to begin with. He broke dry on the third rack, but Varner couldn't capitalize, and Archer won that game as well. The fourth also went to Archer. Varner picked up a game about midway through the match, and did so in high form. Facing a tough layout with two of his balls locked up on the far rail, Varner played a safe while simultaneously sending the object ball down table to a spot near the troublesome cluster. Archer then fouled, giving Varner ball in hand. Varner then used the manufactured helper ball to break out the cluster and proceeded to navigate a very tricky layout.

But that would be Varner's only victory. At one point, Varner got so locked up after a tough roll that he had neither a shot nor any obvious safety. Archer now can do no worse than third in the eight-ball segment. Also left alive are Ronnie Alcano and Roberto Gomez. Archer faces Gomez Sunday at noon.

The Galveston World Classic

Heading out tonight for the Galveston World Classic. Looks like Efren Reyes won the 1-pocket part of the event. The eight-ball and the 10-ball finals are scheduled for Sunday. The organizers have promised generous payouts, including $50,000 for first place in the 10-ball Open. The event is new and ambitious and a welcome addition to Texas, which historically has hosted relatively few world-class tournaments.

More Memories From Karen Fox, widow of Bankshot author

Tom Fox, the late husband of Karen Fox, co-wrote the Bank Shot and other Great Robberies, the autobiography of Minnesota Fats. Much of that work was based on interviews with Fats' wife, Evelyn. Karen remembers the difficult interviews with Fats leading up to the writing of that book, which was published in 1967.

"They (Fats and Evelyn) were an odd couple. They had a great affection for each other, and took very good care of each other in a crazy kind of way. She was very consistent. Pool players, when they were making a lot of money, when the hustling was good, buy expensive cars and shoes. But even when times were bad, she (still) had an incredible wardrobe.

When Tom wrote the book, I spent a lot of time with Evelyn. Fats would get to the point -- you know, he was such an ego maniac -- where it was hard to fill in the glue between the gems. We had just moved to Philadelphia. I had to take a bus to Dowell, Illinois to finish up the research with Evelyn. He (Fats) would go into rages. They were funny -- he would have these ego attacks. And so Evelyn had to fill in the blanks, so Tom could get the book out.

It was a freak fluke that the book was ever sold. It happened on a street in New York. I remember how it went down: Tom got out of a taxi and just ran into somebody and they got to talking about pool. It was Roy Chanell, president of World Publishing, and he was a pool nut. And so the book was sold (from that conversation). He (Tom) had to provide and outline, and then it was a done deal."

NYC Grind with Mike Sigel and Tony Robles

This video is brought to us from a very cool site, NYCGrind.com. It features footage from a 200-point straight pool exhibition match between former world champion and player of the year Mike "Captain Hook" Sigel and seven-time Tri-State Player of the Year Tony "Silent Assassin" Robles. Hall of Famer Sigel, one of the all time greats, was featured in our poolhistory.com poll of America's best ever players. The match in this video was held on May 26, 2009 at Amsterdam Billiards. The NYC Grind's Alison Fischer (no not that Alison Fisher) provides some great commentary and a shot diagram, which you can find here. It's looks like they had a great night.

An interview with Karen Fox, widow of Minnesota Fats biographer Tom Fox

Karen Fox, widow of Tom Fox, attended the first Johnston City tournaments with her writer-husband in 1961. Both Karen and Tom worked at the Evansville Courier and Press, a newspaper published from the hometown of backroom legend Hubert "Daddy Warbucks" Cokes. Tom Fox would later help Minnesota Fats pen the "The Bankshot and Other Great Robberies," which was republished by Lyons Press in 2006.

What follows is a partial transcript of various interviews with Karen Fox, the first conducted in August of 2000.

"Tom was a sports writer at the time, and he was a very good newsman, as well as being a good sports writer. Somebody called at the sports desk at the Evansville Sunday Courier and Press, and told him that this great Evansville Indiana pool player, Hubert Cokes, an oilman, was going to be participating in the tournament. They said that Tom, with his love for characters, should go to Johnston city, and watch Cokes play.

And this guy, on the phone, said that Cokes was a heavy money-player.

He and I had just started dating, and we had just seen The Hustler a couple of weeks before he got that call. He could not believe that out in the middle of nowhere, in Southern Illinois, were all these incredible pool players. They had this really good tournament room, with good acoustics, and bleachers, in the back. There was a concrete block room where, after the tournament was over, there were heavy-duty gambling. And Tom knew it was a national story.

We got to see it first hand. You know, television has a way of sterilizing stuff like that. ... But what we saw was pure, and raw, and real. There was a moment in time, a freeze frame, that we had that privilege to see. Those guys were incredible characters.

Oh my god, it was awesome. When tom started going over there, he took a bunch of us the 90 miles from Evansville. It was a drive. I worked at the paper too. We had just met. And he e took a whole load of us over there. He had a station wagon. It was so far, that (eventually ) everybody else stopped going, but I loved it."

Lassiter & Shorty in Johnston City

Here's another great video of Wimpy Lassiter and Boston Shorty playing one-pocket in Johnston City, Illinois. It's from ABC's Wide World of Sports. Lassiter won everything there was to win at Johnston City. You can read more about the famous tournaments an the newly renamed Johnston City Hustler Tournament blog. (It was formerly the George Jansco blog. Same content. Just more stuff.) That's a picture of Shorty, on the left, with fan Ross Parker Simons in 1965. You can read more about Shorty at Onepocket.org, which has inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Shorty also won big in Johnston City.

Great Story about the Knoxville Bear

Chris Wohlwend, writing for Like the Dew: A Journal of Southern Culture and Politics, has penned a great story about Eddie Taylor, the famous Knoxville Bear. Remembered as one of the greatest bank pool players ever, Taylor is a member of both the One Pocket Hall of Fame (2004 inductee) and the BCA Hall of Fame (1993 inductee). He was also the winner of the all-around title in Johnston City in 1964 and the Stardust Open in 1967.

Wohlwend draws upon some old conversations with Taylor for his story. For instance,the story quotes Taylor describing some of his technique for road hustling:

“A guy in Lexington, Kentucky, showed me how to lose games on purpose. How to talk a big game until the money got big, then start really playing. I’d go on about how good I was, how I’d played Ralph Greenfield the week before and they’d all be laughing at me. They knew I meant Ralph Greenleaf, and thought I was too stupid to know his real name. I’d lose and then I’d say, ‘Well, I can’t really play unless we’re playing for big money.’"

Pool & Billiards Magazine editor Thomas Shaw has noted in a separate article that Taylor was born in the mountains of Anderson County, about twenty miles from Knoxville, on October 1, 1918.

"When I was about eight years old my Daddy bought me a little toy table," Taylor told Shaw. "Later on we lived near the amusement park where the fella who owned the batting cage bought a 2 1/2 x 5 foot table and I got to playing on that. Then we moved downtown near the YMCA and I played on the table there. It just seemed that everything came natural. This boy and I used to go across the street from the school and the guy would let us play one game of rotation for a nickel. Then I started laying out from school and playing. My mother finally caught me and threatened to blow up the poolroom but I just found another place until she caught me again."

Taylor died of cancer on Sept. 5, 2005, at his home in Bossier City, outside Shreveport, Louisiana. Want to read more? Billiards Digest ran an interview with the Bear back in 2005. Onepocket.org also ran a long interview in 2004.

Johnston City & The Jansco Brothers

Here's another Johnston City video, this one featuring trick shots by Ronnie Allen, Champagne Eddy Kelly, Weenie Beenie and others. Jim McKay from Wide World of Sports hosts. The Johnston City jamborees began with the release of The Hustler, and lasted until 1972. They were organized by George and Paulie Jansco, who also created the Stardust Events in Las Vegas. The Johnston City events were clearly the most colorful pool tournaments of the 1960s, as they brought road players from all over. The closest thing to Johnston City these days are the annual Derby City events, which features plenty of action -- but on a much grander scale. You can read all about the Johnston City events in Hustler Days.

Mike Shamos: The History of Combos

The diagram at left is brought to us by Mike Shamos (at right), curator of the Billiard Archive. Writing in the September 2009 edition of Billiards Digest, Mike tells us about the history of combination shots -- running all the way back to 1807. One of the shots illustrated here shows a "combination kiss-bank scratch," which would have been worth 8 points in an early cue game known as "English Billiards." The game rewarded players for caroms, pocketing balls and scratches. It required three balls and a table with six pockets. The shot pictured here was taken from a diagram in E. White's A Practical Treatise on the Game of Billiards, from 1807. As Shamos points out, the shot is "a tall order at a time when cues didn't have tips and most players still used a mace."

Untold Stories in Billiards Digest: Greenleaf questioned in murder before winning first title

Shortly before winning his first national title, pool legend Ralph Greenleaf was picked up by police as part of their investigation into a grisly murder. The young victim had been abducted, possibly tortured, and then ... beheaded. You can read more about the infamous murder and the celebrated champion in my Untold Stories column in this month's Billiards Digest. An earlier column described the end of Greenleaf's career. This latest column is about its beginning -- and Greenleaf's startling detention.

Jersey Red vs. The Ice Man.

"Now watch this, Mr. Nagy. I'm gonna bank the eight off the end rail and it's gonna kiss off the deuce and the one ball's gonna tear up the stack and I'M GOIN' OUT! This is the RAIDER! Whoo! Eight off the deuce and racky-dacky! Ha, look at that!"

-- An excerpt from a match-up between Jack "Jersey Red" Breit and Gene "Ice Man" Nagy, as recorded word-for-word in John Grissim's 1979 book, Billiards. Chapter nine includes the complete transcript of the session. It reads like a Hollywood script. Very cool.

America's greatest ever? You Decide!

Who is America's best ever pool player? The poll on the top right of this page lists some all-time favorites, including recent Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Archer. I've left Willie Hoppe off the list because he was known as one of the best-ever billiards players, as opposed to one of the best-ever pool players. Neither have I included one of my personal favorites, Efren "Bata" Reyes. As he's from the Philippines, I figured I'd save him for a future poll of the greatest international players. I've also tried to get a good mix of players from different eras. (Van Boening vs. Greenleaf?!) Vote early. Vote often. I'll leave the poll up for awhile. Also, if you have a write-in candidate, feel free to comment at the bottom of this post. I'll tally up the write-ins later, along with those listed on the ballot.

The 1960s Hustlers' Jamboree and George Jansco's Minor League Baseball Stats

The internet is amazing. Here's a site that references George Jansco's minor league baseball stats back in the 1930s. Notice that the site references George's nickname as "Wimpy" -- which was the same handle used by Luther Lassiter. Odd. Also looks like George had a career batting average of .291. Not too shabby.

For those who don't know, George Jansco was the promoter (along with his brother Paulie) behind the Johnston City hustler jamborees during the 1960s. Lassiter dominated the colorful events, which also featured Jersey Red, Boston Shorty, Ronnie Allen, Harold Worst, Handsome Dan and of course Minnesota Fats. I've attached a YouTube video at the top of this post that features an interview with Fats at one of the southern Illinois tournaments. That's a picture of George Jansco at the upper right. You can find more historic pool videos here. (Freddy "The Beard' Bentivegna also has amassed a cool collection of online videos.) You can read more about George Jansco and his jamborees in Hustler Days.

Videos of Pool Champ Harold Worst in 1965

Check out the cool videos of Harold Worst playing in Johnston City, circa 1965, which was about a year before Worst died of cancer. You can find the video on a blog maintained by Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna. Just click here. Worst is playing Larry "Boston" Shorty in the footage. The Beard also has posted a Jim McKay interview with Worst.

A bit of quick biographical information: Worst was born on Sept. 29, 1929, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1949, according to The Grand Rapids Press, "Worst had followed in Hoppe's steps as a 'boy wonder,' having set a record for youth when at the age of 21 he became the youngest player in history to qualify for world championship play." He placed second in that year's national tournament and then fourth in the world meet. In 1954 he won the world three-cushion title during a tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He then went on to amass a great winning record through the first half of the 1960s and might have surpassed Luther Lassiter as that decade's dominant player had Worst not died of cancer in 1966 at the age of 37. Worst was at the top of this game when he got sick. He remained unconquered as the world's three-cushion champion.

You can read more about Worst in a column I wrote earlier for Billiards Digest. The coding is a bit messed up, but it's still available online here. On the top of this post I've inserted an image of the front page of the Grand Rapids Press that features coverage of Worst. Forgive the dark stains. I think I spilled some wine on my hard copy. You can find the home page of the great Freddy the Beard here.

The Jersey Red Shot

The famous Jersey Red shot -- Eddie Robin describes it in his excellent book, Winning One-Pocket. Red first shot this cool kick back in 1957, in a one-pocket match against James Evans. It was at the famous 7-11 pool room in New York City. Robin said it brought the house down. Red shot it for the last time on Nov. 3, 1997 -- 40 years later --- during a benefit event for Red shortly before his death. You can see it more clearly by clicking here. I've added a clip I found on youtube showing someone making the shot. It's ingenious -- the way it makes use of the kiss to knock the ball back into your pocket.

Get Your Tickets to the 2009 Hall of Fame

For the first time ever, the annual BCA Hall of Fame Banquet will be held in conjunction with the game’s longest-running pro tournament, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship. This year's inductees are Allison Fischer, winner of 53 WPBA Classic Tour Titles, and Johnny Archer, a four-time World 9-Ball Champion. You can be a part of history and attend the official induction ceremony and banquet, held Oct. 22 at the Marriott Chesapeake Hotel, in Chesapeake, VA. To buy tickets or for more information, click here. I'll be there for sure.

Here's a copy of the full USMBA press release:

Advance tickets are now on sale online for the 2009 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame Banquet, the United States Billiard Media Association (USBMA) announced today. The dinner banquet, at which pool greats Johnny Archer and Allison Fisher will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame, will take place Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Marriott Chesapeake Hotel, Chesapeake, Va., in conjunction with the 2009 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.

The banquet, honoring Archer and Fisher as the 54th and 55th inductees into the sport’s hallowed shrine, will also be attended by previous inductees and will feature testimonials celebrating the pair’s illustrious careers. Cocktails (cash bar) will be served from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, with dinner and the formal induction ceremony running from 6:00pm – 7:45 pm.

“I’m very excited about having the BCA Hall of Fame Banquet at the U.S. Open,” said U.S. Open founder and promoter Barry Behrman. “This promises to be one of the best banquets ever.

“I’m suspending play during the banquet to give Johnny and Allison the respect they deserve,” Berhman continued. “Matches will resume at 8:00 pm that evening.”

Advance tickets are $55 per person (or $500 for a table of 10) at http://www.usbma.com/HallofFame2009/. Advance ticket sales will end Oct. 18. Tickets purchased at the U.S. Open will be $60 per person. Seating is limited.

The 2009 BCA Hall of Fame Banquet is being produced by the USBMA, in cooperation with the Billiard Congress of America and the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.

Jersey Red in 1969: "Even Houdini Couldn't Get Out From Here!"

I LOVE this sequence of shots. It was executed by Jersey Red back in 1969 during a match-up with Ronnie Allen in Houston's Le Cue pool hall. Grady "The Professor" Mathews was an eyewitness, and he describes it gloriously in Eddie Robin's excellent book, Winning One-Pocket. You can see the shots more clearly by clicking here.

Red was at the table and needed all four balls. The Red Raider looked The Professor straight in the eye, remarked "even Houdini couldn't get out from here" and then began his spectacular run. First Red shot the combination seen in the top diagram. That is, he pockets a ball in the upper right-hand corner while simultaneously sinking another back into his pocket on the lower left side. Notice he goes rail first to to make this combination-bank shot. In the next diagram Red pockets the ball into his wicket while simultaneously pocketing the hanger in the side pocket. He then pockets the final two balls after they were spotted back up. Notice here the two-rail bank.

This match-up would have occurred within months of Red's second place finish in that year's U.S. Open. Luther Lassiter won it. You can read more about Red and the U.S. Open in Hustler Days. And please go buy Robin's Winning One-Pocket. It's a great book.

The Child Prodigy Jean Balukas

If there was any female player in history considered the possible equal to Allison Fisher, that player would be Jean Balukas. The Brooklyn-native was a child prodigy, as can be seen in this amazing footage of her pocketing balls. (You have to wait a few minutes to see it.) Balukas competed in her first U.S. Open at age 9, and at age 12 she won her first BCA title. She abruptly left competitive pool in 1988 at the height of her career. Balukas was the second woman ever to be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame. Fisher, the sixth, was inducted this year.

Champ Frank Taberski Plays "Chinese" Pool

Here's some footage of Frank Taberski playing "Chinese Pool," which was a popular variation of the game during the early 20th Century. Mike Shamos, in his excellent New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards, described Chinese Pool as a game "in which the cue ball is not stroked but is instead rolled down the groove formed by two cue sticks held parallel to one another."

The origin of the game's rather un-PC name remains unclear. Shamos notes that Americans at the turn of the century commonly applied the adjective "Chinese" to anything done in an unusual fashion. He also speculates that it "may relate to the chopstick-like appearance of two cues held together."

Taberski (the nation's dominant player shortly before the reign of Ralph Greenleaf) could easily run a rack or more playing this odd variety of the game.

Two stories about Greenleaf's marital problems.

Here are two stories about Ralph Greenleaf's marital problems. They include references to a missing tooth, a hurled ashtray, Greenleaf surrendering all his money to one his wives and "barbarous treatment." Both articles are from the Chicago Tribune. The first article identifies Greenleaf's wife as "Beatrice." It's from Dec. 24, 1924. The second is from December 20, 1933 -- almost exactly 9 years later -- and references the more well known of Greenleaf's wives, Amelia Ruth Parker, also known as the Princess Nai Tai Tai. She was a Vaudeville performer. I've referenced the hurled ashtray incident in an earlier post. You can also see a picture of Greenleaf with the Princess in that earlier post. Despite the divorce papers, Amelia Ruth Parker and Greenleaf remained together until his death in 1950.

Pool History Now on Twitter!

The old meets the new: pool history meets the Twitter network. I'm trying to keep my tweeting pretty narrowly focused on pool history. That means no recounting of what I had for dinner, or whether I'll make it home in time for The Daily Show. So if you're not already subscribing to the pool history blog, you can now keep up with the latest posts by following @PoolHistoryBlog on Twitter.

America's Best Ever Pool Player? You Decide

Who is America's best ever pool player? The poll on the top right of this page lists some all-time favorites, including recent Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Archer. I've left Willie Hoppe off the list because he was known as one of the best-ever billiards players, as opposed to one of the best-ever pool players. Neither have I included one of my personal favorites, Efren "Bata" Reyes. As he's from the Philippines, I figured I'd save him for a future poll of the greatest international players. I've also tried to get a good mix of players from different eras. (Van Boening vs. Greenleaf?!) Vote early. Vote often. I'll leave the poll up for awhile. Also, if you have a write-in candidate, feel free to comment at the bottom of this post. I'll tally up the write-ins later, along with those listed on the ballot.

Although he was one of the most recognizable sports figures of the Jazz Age, the great Ralph Greenleaf nonetheless would inexplicably vanish from time to time. In one of my recent columns, I wrote about Greenleaf going AWOL in 1946. He showed up later. He was probably on an extended bender. I've reproduced here a small portion of another article from the Chicago Tribune that references "a nation-wide search" for Greenleaf in 1936. According to the article, Greenleaf showed up inexplicably in a neighborhood pool hall, where he introduced himself as the "former world's champion billiards player." The patrons said he amazed the crowd with a number of "fancy shots" before vanishing once again.

A Willie Mosconi & Ralph Greenleaf Mystery

Here's a mystery. In 1934, shortly after Willie Mosconi and Ralph Greenleaf competed together in a national championship, the two icons supposedly went on the road together. Mosconi told stories about the road trip in his biography, written with Stanley Cohen. Both Mosconi and Greenleaf supposedly had been contracted by Brunswick Billiards to promote the sport during a series of exhibition matches.

Here's the mystery part: as far as I know, no one has ever produced any sort of independent confirmation of this long series of exhibition matches. I myself have gone through hundreds of articles in the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and elsewhere, but have never come across a reference. I've asked a few other guys about this -- including pool historians Charles Ursitti and Mike Shamos -- and they agree that they've never come across any any sort of advertisement or news article to provide independent confirmation of the 1934 Greenleaf and Mosconi tour.

The problem may be that without a description of when and where these exhibition matches were played, it's hard to know in which newspapers to look, and in which editions. So I put it to the blogosphere: Has anyone out there hoarded an old article or advertisement from their hometown newspaper? Or how about this: Does anyone even KNOW anybody who's still alive who knew Ralph Greenleaf or his wife, the Princess Nai Tai Tai? I recently wrote about Harold Houle. But such folks are now tough to find.

Very Early Efren Reyes

I was just flipping through my old pool books the other day, trying to track down a bit of info for a column, when I rediscovered this interesting passage in John Grissim's book, Billiards. Grissim describes an encounter he had during the mid-1970s with a player from the Philippines. At the time, this player -- who went by the nickname "Bata" -- was wholly unknown outside that country. Grissim was traveling around Asia when he came across the then 20-something-year-old kid in a Manilla pool hall.

"I allowed myself to be steered into the money game, an in-and out affair in which the starting bet was 21 pesos, about three dollars," explained Grissim. "My opponent, a good looking kid named Efren Reyes, was taking some ribbing from friends as he chalked up.... As a score of spectators crowded around Efren broke the balls, leaving an open table but only one decent shot, barely -- those old five by tens are big tables. That was all she wrote. The kid ran out. Efren had the smooth motions and subtle touch that charaterize excellent players everywhere, regardless of age."

Reyes, of course, later gained a reputation as one of the very best players in the world. Grissim's quick pool match occurred about a decade before Reyes first came to the United States under an assumed name.

One other note. In his description of his quick eight-ball match, Grissim describes a variation of the game in which he and Reyes were required to pocket the one and the 15 into the side pockets. This variation is common in Latin America. It's called "jugando con la zona." I played this way many times when I lived in Costa Rica. It raises questions as to how this variation spread to the Philippines, which also has Spanish colonial roots.

Alfredo De Oro, Cuban billiards player

[Alfredo De Oro, Cuban billiards player] (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

Here's a cool picture of Alfredo de Oro, the Cuban-born billiards legend. The picture is from the Library of Congress. I found it posted on flickr. Alfredo de Oro won some of the first straight pool championships, in 1912 and 1913. He also won at Continuous Pool, a precursor to straight pool, and "61 Pool." You can read more about Alfredo De Oro's records in the BCA's official Rules and Record Book.

P.P. Tornich

P.P. Tornich, originally uploaded by jbpics.

Here's a very cool picture that someone graciously posted on my billiards history group at Flickr. The person responsible, one John Bosco, has a collection of vintage photographs. "I've been diligently gathering up all of the old images I can find, (most all of them are original glass plate and celluloid negatives), for nearly twenty years now," says Mr. Bosko. This picture is entitled "P.P. Tornich". I don't know why. It was apparently taken around 1915.

Looking for Mosconi Video

Reader Brad Bowlin from Nashville, Tennessee has put out an all points bulletin for old Willie Mosconi videos. The 29 year old says he's been playing pool for the last seven years "and from Day 1 Willie Mosconi has been my idol." Brad notes that he himself has taken a very Mosconi-like dim view of hustlers ("most are thugs or thug wanna-a-bes") and admires Mosconi for the speed in which he played.

"My Question for you is: 'Do you know if there are ANY old video footage of young Willie Mosconi shooting in his prime in an entire match of Straight?" Or even video footage of an exhibition match from the 60s? I'm just looking for something when he still shot particularly fast. I've read his Willie's Game at least three times and maybe even four, and when reading that book (and now your book) the scenes just play out in my head. I can see it all happening and I'd love to be able to have those matches on video to show some friends."

Brad says he has the Willie V Caras Dinner Match video from Accu-Stats. But that was taped around 1999, well past Mosconi's prime. He also has seen the footage of Mosconi's Great Shootout with Fats, which was the subject of my book The Hustler & The Champ. What Brad wants is something earlier, an entire straight pool match, say, where "Mosconi Would almost be running around the table while he was shooting!"

To answer Brad's question: I have come across some old newsreel footage of Mosconi, which I've added above. You can also find more material at the separate Willie Mosconi blog. But I'm always looking for more so I'll join Brad in his call. Anybody with any old footage of Mosconi or any of the other greats -- please send them in (or at least post them on Youtube so they get preserved on the Internet). More Mosconi video would be great, but I'd love to also see more footage of Jersey Red or Boston Shorty or any of the pre-70s lions. And what about an interview with Ralph Greenleaf?