Mike Malacara

In 1967, I met and played Mike Malacara in a bar (ORPHEUS BLUES) he put on an Exhibition and started coming in to play in their weekly tournaments. He wore very thick glasses (coke bottle bottom glasses) his pool cue was wrapped in newspaper, he had a very smooth stroke and I was honored to play and beat him in one of their weekly tournaments. Another notable player that played there was Bananas Rodriguez he and I would match up for $5 / game. Santana was another regular along with Ray Meza, a Champion from Mexico. Dennis McMahon was also a regular. Getting back to Mike he was a small man about 4'11" and also carried a photo album with newspaper clippings about his winnings across the US, He was probably 70 yrs.old at the time! Great memories!

Revolution/Fast Eddie’s Springfield Virginia

Yeah it’s been hot here but that really shouldn’t translate to inside, it was ridiculous in there. I’ve never been to Breakers, I may check that out. Does First Break still have red label Diamonds or have they made the rail conversion? Is there action at either of those two spots? Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. 🙏🏻
All Blue Label for quite some time. Breakers is probably more likely for action, but I'm sure it can be arranged at either location. ;)

Pool and Race

I remember white pool halls and black pool halls. Somehow black guys that could play well got much whiter than bangers! When I had worn out my welcome at most of the white pool halls around town I went to the black pool halls with a black friend who had been making laps of the white places with me. Apparently the main reason white men came was to chase black poon. Once they found out I was there to play pool I was welcome most places, not all. A few too many times the black gamblers gave me a voluntary guard out to my vehicle after playing because they heard somebody planned to cut me when I left. Had to give those places on the dark side of Baton Rouge up!

These days things seem pretty evenly mixed in southeast Louisiana with the local population being mainly what decides the make-up of people in the pool hall. I don't care if the crowd is mostly light or mostly dark.

Better tournaments are mostly white but the black players of appropriate skill level are usually there. I notice midlevel gamblers have little issue with race, green is green! All in all, race seems to be a nonissue unless somebody cares to make it one.

As a general rule, people go where they feel welcome. After a forced move after a storm I am still looking for a pool hall in Hammond, Ponchatoula, Amite, or points east. Decent tables, nonsmoking. I have became highly allergic to cigarette smoke so that part is a rub sometimes.

Hu
We live in the same place. I was always welcome on the black side of town, but I seldom stayed late unless with a black friend. Folks crossed over both ways -- if a person was "known" he had no problems. Strangers, black and white, were usually welcome, although not necessarily with open arms -- until they hung around long enough to be "known" and then one became part of the "family". Assholes, black or white, did not seem to stick nowhere.

The town which keeps kicking around in my head is Chicago. I never lived there, but my understanding is that rooms there were routinely labeled as "black" or "white".

What about all this makes you white boys squirm?

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