I can vouch for that, I saw Joe play a bunch of times.
New York's top money players
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
I can vouch for that, I saw Joe play a bunch of times.
Harley Bryant
Jay-You mentioned Harley Bryant and I have to tell you, this guy is a legend in his own right for being the toughest guy for the money for the calebre of player he was.
I played Harley in some miserable pool-room in Jacksonville in the 70's. The air was not working and Harley played without his shirt on. He was a burley guy with long hair and a long beard. He was so hairy that he looked like he was wearing a sweater. While I played him, he would pull out his comb and comb his beard out to the very tip of his beard and then comb his chest!
We were playing for a pile of money. If you were playing Harley, it was never cheap. There was weight involved. I was betting him and everyone in the room. We were playing 5-ahead and I had him at 4. He was 7 1/2 feet away from the 9 which was 2 1/2 feet from a pocket. He fired at the ball, and feathered it right in the middle of the hole. He then looked up and boasted "I will bet you that I am the only M.....F..... in this room that thought I was going to make that ball!"
Harley also had a sense of humor. I was only 21 and my wife was with me who was also 21. Each and every hair stylist that ever worked on her hair would always comment that she had the thickest head of hair they had ever seen. While I was playing Harley, he leaned over to my wife and said "That is a nice wig you have on."
Jay-You mentioned Harley Bryant and I have to tell you, this guy is a legend in his own right for being the toughest guy for the money for the calebre of player he was.
I played Harley in some miserable pool-room in Jacksonville in the 70's. The air was not working and Harley played without his shirt on. He was a burley guy with long hair and a long beard. He was so hairy that he looked like he was wearing a sweater. While I played him, he would pull out his comb and comb his beard out to the very tip of his beard and then comb his chest!
We were playing for a pile of money. If you were playing Harley, it was never cheap. There was weight involved. I was betting him and everyone in the room. We were playing 5-ahead and I had him at 4. He was 7 1/2 feet away from the 9 which was 2 1/2 feet from a pocket. He fired at the ball, and feathered it right in the middle of the hole. He then looked up and boasted "I will bet you that I am the only M.....F..... in this room that thought I was going to make that ball!"
Harley also had a sense of humor. I was only 21 and my wife was with me who was also 21. Each and every hair stylist that ever worked on her hair would always comment that she had the thickest head of hair they had ever seen. While I was playing Harley, he leaned over to my wife and said "That is a nice wig you have on."
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yea,yea, Lester Smallowitz, thats him. I had a Black Boar cue he liked. So we went to his car, he opened the trunk, and said....lets make a deal. He had all kinds of cues in there. I got a Richard Black and a Phillippe in trade. At the time I worked for a Black Boar dealer and was getting them at cost.......If I only knew where the price of those cues would go!
G.
G.
The not-so-well-known sixth borough
Nope, New Jersey is the sixth.
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(Those from the NY area will realize the humor in that one. And those from NJ will grumble regrettably, but not argue.
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Nope, New Jersey is the sixth.
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(Those from the NY area will realize the humor in that one. And those from NJ will grumble regrettably, but not argue.
)
I ran into him in 1986 in a pool hall ( ? Golden 8 ball ) on queens Blvd in queens ,NY. we never knew each other before that meeting.I asked him to play 8 Ball for a 50$.He said 'yes' but made me wait for an hour or two but later he played some one some 9 ball for a bigger amount.10-12 years later I ran into him some where he kept staring into my eyes.
Thanks for all the stories from the yester years.:yeah:
Great stories Jay; I can't wait for your next book.
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Actually, it's Lester *Smulowitz*. Les is a trust fund kid from the Stegmaier beer family fortune. He's from the Wilkes Barre/Scranton area and is one of a group of strong players from there (Jim Rempe, Pat "Patty" McNally, Joe Rushinski).
Jay, I love your stories, you've obviously been from Austin to Boston, playing Pool. I'd love to get a few drinks in ya someday and talk about Pool.
@SfLeinen- you got it wrong. NJ isn't the 6th borough, more like NYC is NJ's largest city. Supposedly, once, NYC was coppin' an elitest attytood and NJ threatened, thru the Port Authority of NJ/NY, to shut down all the border crossings (Holland & Lincoln tunnels, Goethals & GW Bridges, PATH trains) and force NYC to only use the Tappan Zee Bridge, to get to the mainland. It made NYC wither like a dead grape to the point that they eventually just made NYC a huge prison colony. Wasn't that the basis for the movie "Escape from New York"? :wink:Nope, New Jersey is the sixth.
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(Those from the NY area will realize the humor in that one. And those from NJ will grumble regrettably, but not argue.
Eric >ain't you Snake Plisken?
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Correct! For the life of me I could not remember how to spell his name. Funny name but he could play!
Let's see - Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Yonkers. Is that right? What about Staten Island? Probably the only place in New York that I didn't go looking for a poolroom.
Let's see - Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Yonkers. Is that right? What about Staten Island? Probably the only place in New York that I didn't go looking for a poolroom.
Jay:
Close. Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Yonkers is part of Westchester County, the next county up from NYC itself. (I was born and raised in Yonkers -- very near to the Bronx border.)
@Eric: ah, I see you're a NJ'ian. Your account/explanation got a good-natured chuckle out of me.
-Sean
Les is definitely a player. As far as I know, he nvr leaves the area, and is kinda "unknown".
The five boroughs are: Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and *Staten Island* (Stankin' Island, Shaolin, etc).
Eric
@Eric: ah, I see you're a NJ'ian. Your account/explanation got a good-natured chuckle out of me.
-Sean
Actually, I'm from Brooklyn, originally.
Eric >fuhgettaboutit
Jay:
Close. Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Yonkers is part of Westchester County, the next county up from NYC itself. (I was born and raised in Yonkers -- very near to the Bronx border.)
@Eric: ah, I see you're a NJ'ian. Your account/explanation got a good-natured chuckle out of me.
-Sean
I spent some time up in Westchester County, Scarsdale and Rye. There was a big poolroom right on Central Parkway in the 70's and a bar in Rye where some rich guys hung out and gambled. I had a pretty good two weeks there in 1976! Probably way before your time.
Pool-wise, a little before my time. I was 10 years old then, and unfortunately, 1976 was a very, VERY bad year for me (I lost a younger brother that year when he was hit by car -- died in my arms while I watched).
My Mom told me that some parts of The Hustler were filmed in a pool room in Yonkers. She says she can't recall the name, but my Dad (a Yonkers policeman at the time) was part of the security personnel. I'll have to see if I can get more details from Mom & Dad. Wow, to think I was *that* close to that kind of pool history!
-Sean
Brooklyn Jimmy
Jaybird, you left out the best hustler of them all, Brooklyn Jimmy Cassas. I am going to visit Jimmy next week at Saratoga Race Track. Jimmy is in his upper 70s now. He is, aside from Richie From the Bronx Ambrose, the only one of the original gang still kicking.
Beard
Brooklyn Butch and Rex were just kids back then.
Jaybird, you left out the best hustler of them all, Brooklyn Jimmy Cassas. I am going to visit Jimmy next week at Saratoga Race Track. Jimmy is in his upper 70s now. He is, aside from Richie From the Bronx Ambrose, the only one of the original gang still kicking.
Beard
Brooklyn Butch and Rex were just kids back then.
Just to add to the thread, since we are talking about the NYC metro area too (Hopkins, Frady, Jack Breit), there were also guys like Steve Mizerak, Ray Martin and Petey Margo that should get a mention. Oh yeah, what about Cisero Murphy?
*edit- I reread that Jay mentioned Mizerak and Margo originally
Eric
*edit- I reread that Jay mentioned Mizerak and Margo originally
Eric
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James Evans
Jay
I'm as fascinated with James Evans as i am with Harold Worst.
I think i've seen him play in'65 in a big money straight pool match.
It was in an all black room in Harlem (least it was till i walked in).
He had grey hair but looked well preserved.He aslo had the 'presense'
of a great player.I understand the top players of the generation before
me patronized his room in Harlem and considered him the best black
player ever.
Miz told me about Harold Worst busting a 10-ball ring game for huge
money with nothing but champions ,including Lassiter,quitting .
That was at James' room.
It's hard to find much about James.I don't even know if it was Evans
i saw play in '65.Is the time-frame right?
ps...i am not proud of my generation for softening the general attitude
on drugs...but i'm pleased we had a lot to do with treating a man based
on his character rather than his race
Jay
I'm as fascinated with James Evans as i am with Harold Worst.
I think i've seen him play in'65 in a big money straight pool match.
It was in an all black room in Harlem (least it was till i walked in).
He had grey hair but looked well preserved.He aslo had the 'presense'
of a great player.I understand the top players of the generation before
me patronized his room in Harlem and considered him the best black
player ever.
Miz told me about Harold Worst busting a 10-ball ring game for huge
money with nothing but champions ,including Lassiter,quitting .
That was at James' room.
It's hard to find much about James.I don't even know if it was Evans
i saw play in '65.Is the time-frame right?
ps...i am not proud of my generation for softening the general attitude
on drugs...but i'm pleased we had a lot to do with treating a man based
on his character rather than his race
Hopkins crushed the Miz
When I had just got my drivers license and 1st car in the winter of '74/75, a friend of mine and I went to South Philly to catch a money match between Hopkins and Miz (9 ball). It was my 1st real pool hall and I was mezmerized. A young Hopkins, surely the 'dog, ripped Miz a new one and I'll never forget how pissed and sour Miz was at the end.
Some old smokey hall, rough neighborhood, with a collection of characters. After the match I saw a big glass cabinet there with cues for sale. That's when I bought my 1st cue that I still use to this day. It was sold to me as a Palmer for $125, but I've since learned it's not and remains unidentified.
That match forever changed my stars.
When I had just got my drivers license and 1st car in the winter of '74/75, a friend of mine and I went to South Philly to catch a money match between Hopkins and Miz (9 ball). It was my 1st real pool hall and I was mezmerized. A young Hopkins, surely the 'dog, ripped Miz a new one and I'll never forget how pissed and sour Miz was at the end.
Some old smokey hall, rough neighborhood, with a collection of characters. After the match I saw a big glass cabinet there with cues for sale. That's when I bought my 1st cue that I still use to this day. It was sold to me as a Palmer for $125, but I've since learned it's not and remains unidentified.
That match forever changed my stars.
Spanish Eddy was considered the 2nd best player at 7-11 after Jimmy.
Last time i heard he was still playing.