"Hawaiian" Brian Hashimoto

dabarbr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jrhendy said:
Frank, does Bobby Baker still have that room? I saw his brother Tommy in Boise last year. He is living in Salt Lake. John
Johnny, Bobby still runs the place but it has changed a lot. Now the customers are mostly latin. Still a little action there.

Long Beach Bill, Good to hear from you. Send me a PM.
 

ajrack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tommy Martin

I knew him way back at American Billiards in Costa Mesa. (60's)(WOW!) We used to go to Daisy Mays often, Circes, etc....A long time ago. What is he now doing?
 

jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ron Conley said:
Hello John, I used to be Scrawny Ronnie but at 225 I've outgrown the nickname. I remember playing you one handed one pocket at the Palace. I tried to high roll you thinking you would dog it, we settled on a hundred a game and you won four in a row and I pulled up. My strategy backfired, I was the one that dogged it.

I go back a long way with Tommy, were the same age and have been friends since we were 16 years old. We still BS on the phone a couple times a month. You and Tommy would have been a nice one handed match-up both of you played about a ball better than me.

Always enjoy your post on the old days John. You have a great memory, very accurate, at least on the ones where I was their.

Ron

Even at 225 I still have a few pounds on you. I've known you over 35 years and just learned your last name. That is the way it was in those days. There are probably still guys down there that don't know my name. I was "San Gabriel" because I hung around the poolroom in the San Gabriel Bowl. The only reason I know Butch's last name (Van Syoc) is because he used to write me a check once & a while. All the times Butch & I gambled, and fairly high for those days, there probably isn't $100 difference over the years. When I hung around San Gabriel, I worked for AAA selling Insurance. Butch used to come to the pool room there in the late 60's and give me a ball playing one pocket. He thought he had some sucker. He kept telling me to come down to Bellflower to the Billiard Palace (before Butch & his dad bought it) and play some. I wouldn't go because I had played so much over on Tweedy Blvd. with Tex, Tweedy, Jimmy Van and the boys and I knew it would get knocked and no more spot. I finally started coming down because of the action on Big Bertha, the 6 x 12.

One of these days I'll start a thread about The Palace and some of the charcters that were in there and see if others here have stories about them. Butch talking to Jesus, "Practicin" Tom Gardner and Joe Finesilver come to mind.

Good to know some of the old timers are on here. Especially from a guy who says I beat him. John
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
jrhendy said:
Even at 225 I still have a few pounds on you. I've known you over 35 years and just learned your last name. That is the way it was in those days. There are probably still guys down there that don't know my name. I was "San Gabriel" because I hung around the poolroom in the San Gabriel Bowl. The only reason I know Butch's last name (Van Syoc) is because he used to write me a check once & a while. All the times Butch & I gambled, and fairly high for those days, there probably isn't $100 difference over the years. When I hung around San Gabriel, I worked for AAA selling Insurance. Butch used to come to the pool room there in the late 60's and give me a ball playing one pocket. He thought he had some sucker. He kept telling me to come down to Bellflower to the Billiard Palace (before Butch & his dad bought it) and play some. I wouldn't go because I had played so much over on Tweedy Blvd. with Tex, Tweedy, Jimmy Van and the boys and I knew it would get knocked and no more spot. I finally started coming down because of the action on Big Bertha, the 6 x 12.

One of these days I'll start a thread about The Palace and some of the charcters that were in there and see if others here have stories about them. Butch talking to Jesus, "Practicin" Tom Gardner and Joe Finesilver come to mind.

Good to know some of the old timers are on here. Especially from a guy who says I beat him. John

"Insurance Man John" was the first name I heard from Popcorn. He said I should rob you, but that only made me suspicious. I figured he was in with you. :)
 

jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jay helfert said:
"Insurance Man John" was the first name I heard from Popcorn. He said I should rob you, but that only made me suspicious. I figured he was in with you. :)

He would have been in with both of us without putting any $$ up LOL. He probably learned from Ronnie.
 

Ron Conley

Registered
jrhendy said:
One of these days I'll start a thread about The Palace and some of the charcters that were in there and see if others here have stories about them. Butch talking to Jesus, "Practicin" Tom Gardner and Joe Finesilver come to mind.

Good to know some of the old timers are on here. Especially from a guy who says I beat him. John

Whenever you post the "Billiards Palace" thread I'll jump in and tell a couple lies. Nice to hear from you John..........Ron
 

Ron Conley

Registered
ajrack said:
I knew him way back at American Billiards in Costa Mesa. (60's)(WOW!) We used to go to Daisy Mays often, Circes, etc....A long time ago. What is he now doing?

Tommy owns a electrical contracting business, he's done very well for himself. I just got off the phone with him and he would like to know who you are. PM me if don't want your name on the forum.......Ron
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
With all this "old timing" going on, what the heck is Ron Rosas doing these days, he was a tough one.
 

CueCaps

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Mr. Pockets

jrhendy said:
It was House of Billiards, Sixth & Western. Got pretty rough before they had to close it. John
Hi John, I was talking to Brian, and he mentioned MR. POCKETS, a poolroom he use to hang around. Sound familiar????
 

TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
CueCaps said:
Hi John, I was talking to Brian, and he mentioned MR. POCKETS, a poolroom he use to hang around. Sound familiar????

I met him in 1975 and played him cheap 9 ball a few times at House of Billiards, 6th and Western.

I think he was there for a year or two. There were a number of good players there. Brain played anybody and everybody for whatever you wanted. I hung around the Valley mostly so it was my first taste of a downtown room -it was fascinating! Some real old-world gypsy's lived nearby and they always had something going on.

Chris
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
CueCaps said:
Hi John, I was talking to Brian, and he mentioned MR. POCKETS, a poolroom he use to hang around. Sound familiar????

Mr. Pockets is still there on Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach. Brian plucked a few chickens in there. Like John, I'd like to have half the money back I lost to him. Brian got into just about everybody's pockets.
 
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jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
CueCaps said:
Hi John, I was talking to Brian, and he mentioned MR. POCKETS, a poolroom he use to hang around. Sound familiar????

It is familiar, but not a room I frequented. I never had to go too far from the Golden Cue in Rosemead. In the 70's I had an Insurance Agency down the street and was there almost every day. I played tons of good players in that room and the owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, would go in with me when I needed help. My strong suit was giving up weight to weaker players and I made enough money doing that to fire at the big boys when they came around. Fourth & Main was only a few miles away, and since Archie The Greek also hung around the Golden Cue, the good Mexican players were in there quite a bit. I had some great sessions with Morro & Ernesto in those days before they kept getting better and too good for me. You never walked in the door of that place without getting down at something. If you couldn't make a pool game there was always dominos, pinochle, gin or hearts going on. I finally started playing pinochle after watching it for years. They invited me to play because I was a sucker and then yelled at me for playing bad when I wouldn't hold the right cards to set someone. They moved the pool room to So. El Monte years ago and I'll bet some of the same old guys are in there playing partners pinochle & yelling at each other. Some things never change and that is a good thing. John henderson
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
jrhendy said:
It is familiar, but not a room I frequented. I never had to go too far from the Golden Cue in Rosemead. In the 70's I had an Insurance Agency down the street and was there almost every day. I played tons of good players in that room and the owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, would go in with me when I needed help. My strong suit was giving up weight to weaker players and I made enough money doing that to fire at the big boys when they came around. Fourth & Main was only a few miles away, and since Archie The Greek also hung around the Golden Cue, the good Mexican players were in there quite a bit. I had some great sessions with Morro & Ernesto in those days before they kept getting better and too good for me. You never walked in the door of that place without getting down at something. If you couldn't make a pool game there was always dominos, pinochle, gin or hearts going on. I finally started playing pinochle after watching it for years. They invited me to play because I was a sucker and then yelled at me for playing bad when I wouldn't hold the right cards to set someone. They moved the pool room to So. El Monte years ago and I'll bet some of the same old guys are in there playing partners pinochle & yelling at each other. Some things never change and that is a good thing. John henderson

John, do you remember the pool room, think is was close to the water, Redondo area, but they had a Risk board and they gambled a fair amount at it, can't remember the name, oh yeah, whats Jerry Brunstetter up to these days?
 

gulfportdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
TATE said:
I met him in 1975 and played him cheap 9 ball a few times at House of Billiards, 6th and Western.

I think he was there for a year or two. There were a number of good players there. Brain played anybody and everybody for whatever you wanted. I hung around the Valley mostly so it was my first taste of a downtown room -it was fascinating! Some real old-world gypsy's lived nearby and they always had something going on.

Chris
Chris, I'm wondering if House of Billiards was previously Mr. Pockets? I used to play in Mr. Pockets in the late '60s. It was on 6th St., but I don't recall the cross street. It might have been Western. When you walked in, there was a raised bar and seating area. The pool tables were on the left, and also around the back of the room. They probably had 12-15 tables.

Doc
 

9BallPaul

Banned
Tough Customer

Having no idea who he was, I matched up with Brian in the mid-'80s in a joint in Lahaina, possibly a bar but I don't remember. We retired to the private room of a friend of his, which was a big mistake on my part.

In the end Brian robbed me, but it was my own fault. Sober, I might have had a chance. As a side note, this matchup ruined my honeymoon. So it goes.
 

jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Island Drive said:
John, do you remember the pool room, think is was close to the water, Redondo area, but they had a Risk board and they gambled a fair amount at it, can't remember the name, oh yeah, whats Jerry Brunstetter up to these days?

I remember the pool room but not the name. I think it also had a 6 x 12 snooker table in it. I went in there a couple of times and they offered to call Richie Florence to play, but of course I passed. There was another place in San Pedro called the Baze Ten that had action and tournaments.

I haven't seen or heard about Jerry in years. I know he went to Florida for awhile with Kim? (I heard he married her).

Was there ever a rougher pool room than the one in Long Beach on Pacific that Denny The Marine ran? I played Jerry in there, and also played Bee Davidson, who I see at the Hard Times tournaments in Sacramento from time to time. Bee looks good and still plays well. Lives in the North Bay somewhere and makes most of the one pocket tournaments. John
 

jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
gulfportdoc said:
Chris, I'm wondering if House of Billiards was previously Mr. Pockets? I used to play in Mr. Pockets in the late '60s. It was on 6th St., but I don't recall the cross street. It might have been Western. When you walked in, there was a raised bar and seating area. The pool tables were on the left, and also around the back of the room. They probably had 12-15 tables.

Doc

Doc, the room you are describing sounds like House of Billiards but I don't remember it ever being Mr. Pockets. I think Mr. Pockets was farther out in the valley. John
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Island Drive said:
John, do you remember the pool room, think is was close to the water, Redondo area, but they had a Risk board and they gambled a fair amount at it, can't remember the name, oh yeah, whats Jerry Brunstetter up to these days?

Mr. Pockets is in Manhattan Beach. Yankee Doodles is in Long Beach by the water. I saw you in there once. I was the house pro there in the late 80's, early 90's. Marlene the manager called me in to play you, but when I saw it was you I took a pass. This is the room that used to be called Black Jacks (in the 70's), and it was a rough spot then. John was referring to this place.
 

LAMas

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hawiian Brian would practice at Gardena Bowl on table 3 and Lil Al on table 9 in the 60's.
John et al,
What was the name of the Pool Hall at Five Points in El Monte?
 

jrhendy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
LAMas said:
Hawiian Brian would practice at Gardena Bowl on table 3 and Lil Al on table 9 in the 60's.
John et al,
What was the name of the Pool Hall at Five Points in El Monte?

The Smoker was on Valley Blvd. in Five Points and there was a 24 hour room at Five Points Bowl. There was another room on Valley Blvd. for a while but it didn't last long.

The Golden Cue moved from Rosemead to So. El Monte in the early 80's. John
 
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