National Billiard News -- RIP

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was startled to read in the latest issue of The National Billiard News (not the April 1st edition) that they are ceasing publication with that issue. Current subscribers will be transferred to Prof. Q-Ball's Gazette for the remainder of their subscriptions.

The NBN started in the 60's and was for a long time the only national publication available that covered just cue sports. Bob Byrne has an amusing story in one of his books about Earl Newby, the original publisher, whose motto seems to have been, "All the pool news that fits, we print." For quite a while NBN has been published by Conrad Burkman, who was a referee at the first US Open I saw in 1969. If you have been to major tournaments, you have probably seen Conrad taking pictures.

Over its 40-plus years of existence, the NBN has published a lot of material you won't find elsewhere.
 

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I started playing, NBN was all that was available. The local room had a subscription, and I read every issue from front to back. Too bad.
 

ironman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pushout said:
When I started playing, NBN was all that was available. The local room had a subscription, and I read every issue from front to back. Too bad.

That is the way it was for me too. That thing would come in the mail and 2 or 3 would be reading it with a line behind them.
 

Gus

Registered
Earl Newby

I used to play at Earl Newby's parlor in the early 70's, which was located in the basement of a building between 11th & 12th street on Chesnut St, in Philadelphia.

I would go in at luchtime with a few co-workers, and there were a lot of older guys that would love to gamble their social security checks with you (1-pocket) on a 10 foot table with the tightest pockets that you can imagine.

I used to watch Earl take a piece of leather about 1 foot square and make his own tips for the house cues.

I believe Earl's closed down in the mid 80's, maybe someone else remembers?
 

Terry Ardeno

I still love my wife
Silver Member
I started my subscription in 1973 when I was 14. I used to carry each edition to school with me every day until the new issue came out. In study hall or if there was any time left at the end of each class, I would re-read them. I still have every one of them. My last issue was Sept 2001.

Remember "Puhka Sez", "Venzke's view from the bleachers", "Bull Shots", "Earl meets the Elite"?

Every once in a while when I'm looking up info on a particular player or tournament, I go thru them again. With almost each cover, I can remember what was going on in that time of my life. Very nostalgic reads. I also liked the old time ads of the P.P.P.A., Jim Rempe, ect. Good memories.
 

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
NBN Cover

I was able to get a couple of shots on the cover of NBN about 20 years ago. Here it is. BTW, they misspelled Gary Spaeth's name.
 

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jgpool

Cue ball draw with this?
Silver Member
Billiard News

Good publication is right. I have many of them from 1980-1998. They are fun to look back through and see older players when they were young. They are just full of the history of the game now. Good reference material and some of them have old cue brochures.
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Terry Ardeno said:
I started my subscription in 1973 when I was 14. I used to carry each edition to school with me every day until the new issue came out. In study hall or if there was any time left at the end of each class, I would re-read them. I still have every one of them. My last issue was Sept 2001.

Remember "Puhka Sez", "Venzke's view from the bleachers", "Bull Shots", "Earl meets the Elite"?

Every once in a while when I'm looking up info on a particular player or tournament, I go thru them again. With almost each cover, I can remember what was going on in that time of my life. Very nostalgic reads. I also liked the old time ads of the P.P.P.A., Jim Rempe, ect. Good memories.

Terry...My subscription started in '71, and I got a "lifetime" subscription that they offered for $100. It followed me through 7 or 8 moves, across both CO and MT, and never failed to show up on time. Somehow, in the mid-90's it quit coming, and I was too busy traveling on tour to followup, so I just let it go. Sure was great for a LOT of years. I still have every issue I ever got (2 big boxes of newpapers...LOL)! Sorry to see it go...:( R.I.P. NBN!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 

Terry Ardeno

I still love my wife
Silver Member
Scott Lee said:
Terry...My subscription started in '71, and I got a "lifetime" subscription that they offered for $100. It followed me through 7 or 8 moves, across both CO and MT, and never failed to show up on time. Somehow, in the mid-90's it quit coming, and I was too busy traveling on tour to followup, so I just let it go. Sure was great for a LOT of years. I still have every issue I ever got (2 big boxes of newpapers...LOL)! Sorry to see it go...:( R.I.P. NBN!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com


Scott,

When you lived in Montana, did you ever get with Frank McGown in Billings?
I like him.
Terry
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
The National Billiard News was the ONLY publication on Pool for many years. Billiards Digest and Pool and Billiard Magazine did not begin publication until the 80's.

It was a VERY amateurish paper until Conrad Burkman took over in the late 60's. He cleaned it up and made it much more comprehensive and presentable. I truly wish I had kept all my old issues dating back to the 60's.

My first printed article appeared in the Billiard News in the early 70's. I wrote Conrad a letter describing the action at Johnston Çity, and he liked it so much he published it, and sent me a check for $50. I was thrilled and sent him several more similar articles over the next year or so. My column was entitled The Diary Of A Pool Player. Does anyone remember it?

I'm sorry to see it go and always looked forward to receiving it. I wish Conrad the best in the future. He has been a dedicated contributor to the Pool firmament for decades. He would always be there at every major event, camera in hand, forever it seemed. I'll miss seeing him. I hope he shows up at Derby City anyway, just to reminisce. Also a special thanks to John Cash, who served as Editor of the Billiard News for the last many years.
 
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JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jay helfert said:
My first printed article appeared in the Billiard News in the early 70's. I wrote Conrad a letter describing the action at Johnston Çity....

I have a great collection of The National Billiard News, Jay, and I must say that I have read every single one of your articles! GREAT stuff! :)

This paper, IMHO, is an historical archive of American pool. In the '80s era, from reading the articles in this paper, pool seemed to have quite a different popularity in the States than it does today.

In the early '70s, there was a lot of coverage in the 3-cushion and snooker arena, much more so than in today's pool media.

I have been wanting to learn more about Bruce Venzke. I really have enjoyed reading his detailed chronicles of pool, to include the "Pot Shots." In writing about my counterpart's pool career, Bruce Venzke's articles have really helped out and provided a lot of information and data that I have not been able to locate in other pool media.

For instance, in June 1983: Mike Sigel was the $15,000 winner (over Jim Reid, $7,000) in the first U.S. Professional Billiard Tour (Richie Florence) event, a 64-player Nineball test at Caesars Boardwalk Regency, Atlantic City.

These little tidbits are priceless. Thanks, Bruce Venzke, whoever you are!:p

JAM
 

1pocket

Steve Booth
Gold Member
Silver Member
I also started subscribing to the National Billiard News when I first got introduced to pool, in the early 70's -- wish I had save the old issues, too! They cost a lot more now :)

I've have found them to be the very best source for old tournament records for Bank Pool and One Pocket. I still lack many issues from the 60's and 70's, which would be very helpful in flushing out the One Pocket and Bank Pool tournament result 'Record Book' .

Speaking to Conrad recently, he told me about his impending retirement. He also said he is definitely planning to come to Derby City in January. We will definitely do something to give him a little special recognition at our hall of fame dinner.

Here is a recent photo of him (last DCC)...with Diana Hoppe
 

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Voodoo Daddy

One Pocket 101
JG-IN-KY may have every issue every published:D , well according to his wife he does. Show us a few covers JG, will ya?
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Terry Ardeno said:
Scott,

When you lived in Montana, did you ever get with Frank McGown in Billings?
I like him.
Terry

Terry...Interestingly, when I first considered moving to MT from CO (early 80's), it was with the intent of working for George and Frank, at Corner Pockets. I thought that would be a dream job! :D Unfortunately, shortly thereafter that business folded up. I've met them both, but never spent any time with them.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 

Blackjack

Illuminati Blacksmack
Silver Member
This is indeed sad news. For the longest time NBN was the only publication where you could get tournament results or any news about pool. I used to steal them from the pool hall when I was a kid... lol - I looked forward to the new oes coming in - it basically had all the info you need for tournaments, results, etc.

In 1991 after I wrote Stroke of Genius, I submitted some portions of the book to NBN several times and I was turned down. In the mid-late 90's I did the same thing and received a response that said that my material was not what they were looking for. The articles consisted of mainly the straight pool material that I have posted in this forum, and many of the articles and road stories that have been displayed on other pool websites over the years. They were interested in articles about 9 ball, and they told me that professional diagrams would be a plus.

So...
I wrote a large volume of material that dealt with 9 ball (It eventually became 4 more books) and they refused all of that stuff too. lol. I was sort of frustrated at the time because they refused to print anything that I submitted to them. I was angry and confused because everybody else printed my articles.

The internet was new at the time and I remember thinking to myself that I could reach more people through the web than I could through NBN, and eventually I was able to do just that. To this day it is the only publication of its kind that refused every article that I submitted to them and I am just as puzzled today as I was back then.

They were around for a very long time, but NBN is another victim of the internet IMO. For those who still have their NBN subscription, you will enjoy Professor Q Ball's, Paul Frankel puts out a great publication.

In closing I would like thank NBN for refusing all of my material, which inadvertantly motivated me keep writing more and more on the different aspects of the game of pool (which I believe made me a better writer and instructor), and for that I owe them a debt of gratitude.
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jay helfert said:
...Also a special thanks to John Cash, who served as Editor of the Billiard News for the last many years.

I always liked that name: "John Cash." :D

I remember seeing him at the Joss Tour Turning Stone Casino tournament in February 2005. He was there with pen and paper in his hand, soaking up the venue to write an article, but like everybody else when they visit Turning Stone Casino, he decided to gamble on the game tables. First night, he won $6,500! He was one happy camper that whole 3-day event! Took it home with him, too! :D

When I read the thread I wrote about the tournament, I was reminded of our great win that weekend. As Keith is wont to do when he's on the shortskies, he recruited a crap tables committee, a group of five hungry gamblers willing to post up $200 apiece and let Keith, Chief Dice Roller, try to get on a roll. Well, he managed to hold the table for 'about an hour. He talks to the dice when he rolls 'em, which had everybody at the table in stiches, whooping and hollering at his every throw. I'd never seen so many black chips before. He pulled in about $15,000 total. The pit bosses immediately came forth and took notice, with all the commotion going on. We even ended up getting our room comped. :cool:

Here's a picture I snapped of a smiling John Cash and Keith that weekend. :p

JAM
 

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StrokeofLuck

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That's sad that it will no longer be around. My goal when I was first getting into pool was to place in a tourney listed in there and have my name be in the NBN. I was a long time subscriber to that publication and when I moved about 3 years ago I threw out a chest stuffed with issues from the 70s. You'd think I would have learned when I let my comic collection go for $250 on my way to college and now I see single issues that I had selling for that much:(
 

SCCues

< Searing Twins
Silver Member
NBN Ends

I've subscribed to NBN for years and I always enjoyed reading it. It's sad to hear that they have ended the publication.
 
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