Sad Day For Me

Thank you all for the kind words and Mark G. I will give you a call, not for the meal but because I will enjoy talking to you. Johnnyt
 
Best wishes Johnny. Good idea on the slate stepping stones.

There's a saying...'If your'e going to be a bear...be a Grizzly.'

Johnny-you are a Grizzly.

Take care

ps: I hope you will continue to keep us current on the overseas women poolplayers.
 
3RAILKICK said:
Best wishes Johnny. Good idea on the slate stepping stones.

There's a saying...'If your'e going to be a bear...be a Grizzly.'

Johnny-you are a Grizzly.

Take care

ps: I hope you will continue to keep us current on the overseas women poolplayers.
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I would say anyone Johnny's age that can kick a Valley's a$$ with a saw and a BFH still has a bit of Grizz left in him:cool:
 
JohnnyT before you get rid of your cues, enjoy time completely away from the game with your wife and friends, then see if you feel the passion again. I know all of us have had the love hate relationship with this pain in the azz game.
 
Johnnyt said:
Today was kind of a sad day for me. I packed up my three playing cues and big case ave gave my round cue stand with eight cues to a friend. He got three two-piece, one jumper, three one-piece, and a snooker cue in it. I gave away all my other cues and cases along with videos, books, and other pool related stuff to my daughters and granddaughters, as they still play. I’m going to look around locally for a youth center that doesn’t have money to buy new stuff for their pool tables. I have four sets of Aramith, four sets of off brand, and about a dozen CB’s. My Valley had been out in the weather for seven years and was in bad shape so I took a sledge and power saw to it. Using the pieces of slate for stepping-stones in the backyard.

I’m going to take the wife on a little three-state trip when it cools down a bit in FL. I’m going to bring my cues and make a few stops in poolrooms that have Diamond 7’ tables just to make sure I’m really done. I miss pool, but not as much as I thought I would. I think that’s because I always treated it like a fun job. I rarely played for fun-fun. They say all good things come to an end. I had over 50 good years of it and a few not so good last few years, so I really can’t complain about it. Johnnyt
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Jeez Johnny,most guys walk in the poolhall and say they hit a ball in months.And we find
that hard to believe!
Best of luck to you and yours,Jack
 
Johnny, you're the kinda guy that lives life one adventure (or two or three) at a time. Enjoy the new one! There's some 7' Diamonds at Doc's in Albuquerque. Come back and let us know how it went. :cool:
 
Gunn_Slinger said:
Hope one day to read a book of yours, you have a great
way of telling a story, I would enjoy reading it.
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There is a good chance you will get your wish about a bio or I might write a novel about the two pool playing women detectives/bounty hunters again. I started writing a bio about five years ago and made a mistake of letting my family read the first few chapters. They asked me not to have it published when it was done...so I stopped writing it. They were afraid some of the things I talked about could still get me pulled in for questioning with the new big thing being solving cold cases, plus it doesn't paint a pretty picture of me back in the day. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
They asked me not to have it published when it was done...so I stopped writing it. They were afraid some of the things I talked about could still get me pulled in for questioning with the new big thing being solving cold cases, plus it doesn't paint a pretty picture of me back in the day. Johnnyt
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All the best to you in whatever direction you go in and if you ever feel the need to make something "Fall off the back of a truck", you can count me in ! :eek::grin:
Us Queens boys got to stick together, lol.
 
Never say never..

I "retired" five years ago and yet, here I am.. back playing again!

Good luck in whatever you do and best wishes!

vor..
 
Toncam said:
All the best to you in whatever direction you go in and if you ever feel the need to make something "Fall off the back of a truck", you can count me in ! :eek::grin:
Us Queens boys got to stick together, lol.
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I made a lot of boxes of cigarettes and booze fall off the trucks back in the day, and the docks...forget about it. The airport belonged to the Queens mob for the most part and was off limits for the most part. I hung out in Brooklyn, South Ozone Park, East NY, and Sheepshead Bay. I lived on Long Island. Some of the guys that came in my poolroom were Julie Klein, Tammy Morella (knocked the brown bomber down), Jack Duffy, and many of the harness drivers to name a few. Johnnyt
 
Good luck on your retirement from pool, we have 7 foot Diamonds here in Orlando, if you would like to come over some time let me know and we will play some. Tom
 
Johnnyt said:
Today was kind of a sad day for me. I packed up my three playing cues and big case ave gave my round cue stand with eight cues to a friend. He got three two-piece, one jumper, three one-piece, and a snooker cue in it. I gave away all my other cues and cases along with videos, books, and other pool related stuff to my daughters and granddaughters, as they still play. I’m going to look around locally for a youth center that doesn’t have money to buy new stuff for their pool tables. I have four sets of Aramith, four sets of off brand, and about a dozen CB’s. My Valley had been out in the weather for seven years and was in bad shape so I took a sledge and power saw to it. Using the pieces of slate for stepping-stones in the backyard.

I’m going to take the wife on a little three-state trip when it cools down a bit in FL. I’m going to bring my cues and make a few stops in poolrooms that have Diamond 7’ tables just to make sure I’m really done. I miss pool, but not as much as I thought I would. I think that’s because I always treated it like a fun job. I rarely played for fun-fun. They say all good things come to an end. I had over 50 good years of it and a few not so good last few years, so I really can’t complain about it. Johnnyt
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Don't worry Johnny, "Old pool players never die, they just lose their balls!" :D
 
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Yes, Johnny, there is life after pool. ;)

I don't think you should label this thread as "Sad Day for Me"; rather, "New Day for Me" would be more apropros. :smile:

Change is good. Sometimes people can't let go of things out of habit or repetition. One of the best experiences in my life was driving cross-country with Keith to an IPT tournament in Vegas. Seeing the pristine cornfields from Ohio to Iowa, the blue skies that never ended in Iowa, the mother and baby mountain goat in the Rocky Mountains, a rain storm at a distance in Arizona, and the beautiful horse ranches in Texas and Oklahoma, man, I hope I can do it again someday. :cool:

Yes, Johnny, there *really* is life after pool. :wink2:
 
All the best to you, Johnny!! Take it one day at a time, you may change your mind about some of it:wink:
 
I hope you don't totally pack it in Johnny... you might not shoot full speed every rack anymore,
but I bet every once in a while you can put on a show. This weekend I played an old guy, pretty sure
near 70, dentures + glasses etc. I was set to wreck him 5-0 in a tournament and suddenly he made
the most unholy runout out of nowhere, slicing in thin cuts like he had hawk eyes. Broke and ran
the next one too. I tell ya, there's nothing cooler than the old guy who looks harmless and suddenly
you realize "oh shit, this guy can play".

I bet you got some surprises in store for the kids in those three states.
 
One question:

She's STILL married to you? ;)

Even if the arthritis is hampering your game, and you can't run/drink 6 packs anymore, can't you still play when it's a "good day"? I bet you had tears in your eyes when the sledge fell.

Many of us used to play/do better at many things and it's a bit frustrating to do so now at a lower level. But it's the love of the game, right? Keep your favorite cue buddy.
 
Very nice gesture, Mark

Mark Griffin said:
Johnnyt,

I feel your pain. I keep thinking I am gonna go practice and play - after 15 minutes I am unable to concentrate or enjoy it.

I always felt 'related' to you - probably from your Alaskan memories. You are a couple of years older (I am pushing 67) - and I can see where I might offload a lot of my pool stuff- not tomorrow, but someday in the not too distant future. Life is funny - when we might get the time to enjoy what we thought we might like - we are unable to really enjoy it.

I hope you and your wife enjoy your little vacation. I think you should go to a nice restaurant, walk in and enjoy a very nice 'mellow' meal - maybe a little wine; reminisce about the grand times you have enjoyed, remember some of the people you have met - be thankful for what you have done and seen.

And - best of all - I want you to call me and I would like to treat you to this meal. Just to let you know many of us have enjoyed your stories. And you don't have to really 'know' someone - to be a friend.

Good Luck Buddy!

Mark Griffin
702-835-2000 cell (0r text if you prefer)
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A very nice gesture Mark. It's not easy getting older. As I approach 50, I notice some physical differences within myself. The memory isn't as sharp. Neither is my eyesight. My stamina isn't quite as robust, either. I thank God everyday, though, that I have a passion to live and enjoy life.

Randy Goldwater
 
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