Jean Balukas HOF interview.......................
- Thread starter garczar
- Start date
Thank you!
Go on the guy's YT channel and hit like. He shows a lot of good stuff. https://www.youtube.com/@lvpoolreportThank you!
Back in the mid 80's I went to West End in Elizabeth N.J. to watch their weekly 9 ball tournament that was always loaded with champions,world class and real good players.
One time Jean was there and I had never seen her play,no videos back then.
She drew Jimmy Fusco and he beat her easily,she played terrible.
To see her not play at her best was a real disappointment,never saw her again.
One time Jean was there and I had never seen her play,no videos back then.
She drew Jimmy Fusco and he beat her easily,she played terrible.
To see her not play at her best was a real disappointment,never saw her again.
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Never went to West End, went to High Cue but heard a lot about those Killers coming in for the weekly tournament !
I hope the interviewer misspoke when he said her "High Run" was 34
I think her hi 14.1 run is around 100.
It's in the 130s.
Yes, 134 sounds right. I believe that she and Ruth McGinnis, the "Jean Balukas of the 1940's" who toured with Greenleaf, shared the same high run.
Killers is an under statement.
The night I was there the field had;
The Miz
Hopkins
Tom Storm
Johnny Ervillino
Jimmy Fusco
Petey Fusco
Neptune Joe Frady
Jean Balukas
And probably some others that I don't remember.
Pete Margo, Pat Fleming, Ray Martin and Jack Colavita all played in this at times.
In the mid-late 2000's, Orange Ball Billiards in Rockville, MD had Mike Davis, Brandon Shuff, Keith McCready, Ryan McCreesh, Brian Deska, Manny Chau, and Scott Tollefson showing up for their weekly 9-ball tournament on a fairly regular basis. Tollefson isn't as well known as some of those others, but he was a monster. At a regional tournament in Winchester, VA, he beat John Schmidt 11-0 in the semis, then beat Matt Clatterbuck 11-2 in the finals, and when he later asked Schmidt to gamble, Schmidt didn't want any part of him. The only way anyone beat Scott was to outlast him, because although the first dozen beers made his game stronger, starting with the 13th he began to fade. Brandon Shuff could tell you about that from first hand experience. 
Jeannies place on Ovington was a busy place, It was always a good experience there.
She was always a sweetheart and a great player, a killer competitor, she had heart and desire.
There are a lot of nice words that can be said about Jean Balukas.
Frank Mcgown was partners with Jeans dad, Albert.
I use to hang out in West End, played that tourney every week. There was Miz, Colavita, Ray Martin, Joe the Barber, Tascarella, Richie Russo, Jeannie, Kenny The farmer, Ervolino, Randy, Sly, Robles, Hopkins, Sammy Guzman, Jeanette Lee, Ginky, Loree Jon, Joann Mason, Nikki Beniish, Billie Billings, Frady, Margo, Efren on occasion, Sammy Jones, Fleming, The Fuscos, every shortstop around, every week, I could name many more players.
It was a 32 player field, regulars always had a spot. Race to 5 double elim.
Within an hour from West End you had Cue Town, Sailor Bills Hang out, Petey Margos Golden Cue, Balukas Hall of Fame, Golden Cue in Queens, Chelsea, Johns where Cicero played, and a crap load of other rooms with great players.
Many rooms in New Jersey , Philly, and Conn. with great players that played all games.
Every place was fairly close, Connecticut was a bit of a ride.
You could go to Sang Lees S.L Billiards in Jackson Heights and play 3 cushion with the best.
Then it was Carom Cafe in Flushing. Master Billiards where Sonny Cho treated you like a king had many great players. If you ever get a chance to play with great billiard players you may never want to go to a pool room again.
Many pool halls had 3 cushion tables.
Every other day there was a tourney somewhere, action everywhere. Straight pool , 3 cushion, 9 ball,
one pocket, and Chicago.
If the place closed at 2am, they locked the door, pulled down the shades and kept going.
That's when a house man was a house man. I always tipped him win or lose, even if I never took my cue out of the case, most guys tipped.
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