Harold Worst- The Best?

[jay helfert]

Worst died in his late 30's? How did he die at such a young age?

Jay you said that no one would play GS for the first two days he was up. Out of the great players of yesteryear, who were the ironmen of pool, guys who could play for days and still run out? Freddy has previously written that Artie stayed up for days on just coffee and never even sat down. What was the longest time you have ever heard of someone playing without a break?

ARTIE ARTIE AND ARTIE!

Well, I did hear Jew Paul used to play for days in Detroit, and Greg Stevens would regularly play four days straight until he went broke. Oh and Paul Baker from Iowa could also play non stop forever. Like Artie he would just stand there, take his turn and stand some more, rarely moving except to shoot. Gabby was like that too, a statue for hours and hours.

One time I took Frank Tullos, a helluva good undercover player and present day room owner, out to El Monte to Five Points, a rough action joint in the 60's. He went thru Mike Massey and Alibi Al before they brought Eddie "The Hat" Burton in to play him. They played six ahead sessions for $600, big money in those days. They played all day and all night for maybe 24 hours before Frank finally busted the whole poolroom for like $3,000. Eddie was popping pills and Frank played totally on the natch.

We chopped up the money and Frank went back home to Ohio. I went back out there a few weeks later to play Popcorn and got jumped. I'll save that story for another time.

 

[freddy the beard]

Shooting at the money ball for the big cheese

This is another excerpt from my next book, The GosPool According to the Beard:
"Harold Worst would look around disdainfully, trying to make eye contact with whomever may have had doubts that he would bring the shot. Everyone would usually look away. Then he would get down on the table, his bald forehead a shade of beet red, give the object ball a laser-look as if daring it to stay out of the pocket, and then blast it home. Nobody hit the game-ball harder than Harold Worst."

the Beard
Bank on, brother!

 

[OldHasBeen]

(jmho)

Buddy & OR Nick.

For having complete long-run dominance.

TY & GL, OHB

 

[vader93490]

Worst died in his late 30's? How did he die at such a young age?

Harold Worst died at the age of 39 of brain cancer if I remember correctly. As I recall he didn't really tell anyone that he had cancer or was dying.

As it was noted previously, he was predominantly a 3 cushion billiard player, but he did play in some of the Jansco events too. Harold also practiced straight pool every day until he ran 200.

There was a story I heard once about how Cornbread Red took Harold on the road. Supposedly he tried to trap Harold, getting him to give the 5-out or 6-out to many a veteran. It didn't work as Harold won every time.

 

[freddy the beard]

Leukemia

http://www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Harold Worst died at the age of 39 of brain cancer if I remember correctly. As I recall he didn't really tell anyone that he had cancer or was dying.

As it was noted previously, he was predominantly a 3 cushion billiard player, but he did play in some of the Jansco events too. Harold also practiced straight pool every day until he ran 200.

There was a story I heard once about how Cornbread Red took Harold on the road. Supposedly he tried to trap Harold, getting him to give the 5-out or 6-out to many a veteran. It didn't work as Harold won every time.

Im pretty sure it was Leukemia. We all found out that he was dying about 6mo before the actual. He lost about a 100 lbs. However, he won a major tournament about 90 days before the end. He was about 70 to 80 pounds underweight. Later we learned he knew all about it and had been given 5 years to live. He lasted just about that amount.
the Beard

 

[vader93490]

Here is some more information about Harold Worst for those who are unfamiliar with him. The link is:

http://www.billiardsdigest.com/untold_stories/worst.php

 

[jay helfert]

http://www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Im pretty sure it was Leukemia. We all found out that he was dying about 6mo before the actual. He lost about a 100 lbs. However, he won a major tournament about 90 days before the end. He was about 70 to 80 pounds underweight. Later we learned he knew all about it and had been given 5 years to live. He lasted just about that amount.
the Beard

Leukemia is correct. I remember he won at the Stardust and came back the next year pale and thin, and won again. He never complained or told anyone he was ill. That was Harold.

Unlike Lassiter, who complained every day, was always sick, popped a zillion vitamins, and never missed a ball.

 

[jay helfert]

Pool Greatness

For longevity, you have to hand it to Buddy, Varner, Rempe and Hopkins.
All these guys played on top for a long time. Like 30-40 year careers.
Rempe only recently went into semi retirement. Buddy still hasn't and neither has Nick. And they both still play good, although how much time Buddy has left considering his condition is uncertain.

Nick can still swing it with the best of 'em. Allen is too busy with his other projects like the Super Expo and TV productions to devote much time to playing. But when he plays, he still contends for titles.

By the way, NO ONE has won nearly as many tournaments lifetime as Buddy Hall. Someone said he had one good year in 1974. That was an exceptional year, but Buddy has been winning tournaments for over 35 years now. He played great in the 70's, 80's and 90's and almost as great in the 2000's. He has over 200 tournament wins to his credit.

Many of these may have been bar table events with a $1,000 first prize in some little town in Louisiana, but he had to beat a field of 64 players and at the end he was playing bar table champions. None of those wins came easy. It was amazing how he could go anywhere for years and play in any kind of tournament, and consistently win. If he finished second, it was an upset.

During a time when tournaments were slim pickings in America, Buddy would travel (usually with Woody) far and wide to find them week after week. No one knows the highways of America any better than Buddy, becuse he has criss crossed them many, many times.

His record as a tournament champion is extraordinary! There is no close second.

 

[bud green]

Where can one go to find out who won tourneys in past years?

I think on an accu-stats tape they said that Nick won 8/11 tourneys in 89 and that feat was only topped by Buddys' 11/14 in 1974.

I'd like to see the records before I accepted those numbers; maybe they meant 1st or 2nd.

***Went to Varners site to see what it said:

1989 was a dream year for Nick. He won everything in sight, including 11 Pro Tour Events out of 22. This record is one that may never be equaled. Two of his Championships in 1989 included the World Championship and the US Open 9-Ball Championship.

 

[Mike_Mason]

The Great St. Jean

I was too young to have seen Andrew St. Jean play, who was from my hometown of Lowell, MA....but I heard stories...

I once asked Willie Mosconi, who was giving an exhibition there, if he knew him, and Willie said that St. Jean might have been the best if not for his drinking.

I've heard stories of him beating all comers in his heyday in NY back in the 30's, 40's, and up into the 50's...including world champ cushion and balkline billiards players...I've heard of him running hundreds one-handed...etc etc...

Anyone else heard of The Great St. Jean???...

 

[gulfportdoc]

By the way, NO ONE has won nearly as many tournaments lifetime as Buddy Hall. Someone said he had one good year in 1974. That was an exceptional year, but Buddy has been winning tournaments for over 35 years now. He played great in the 70's, 80's and 90's and almost as great in the 2000's. He has over 200 tournament wins to his credit.

That's a fact, Jay. I've always believed he was the best 9-baller of all time. He still scares the Filipinos. Players will still be talking about his legendary stroke 50-100 years from now.

BTW, do you know whatever happened to W.W. Woody? I asked Buddy that same question a couple years ago, but he said he didn't know. I got the impression he didn't want to talk about it.

Doc