Happy birth day up there pal, Still in my thoughts bud!
jay helfert said:I wish he was here sometimes just to give Fatboy a little ribbing. They were best friends and road dogs together once upon a time.
jay helfert said:I wish he was here sometimes just to give Fatboy a little ribbing. They were best friends and road dogs together once upon a time.
Fatboy said:God Bless John Morton.
Fatboy said:One night he got knocked out of a tournment earily or we didnt go, I cant remember, What I do remember clearly is he said "Lets go to the Gold Coast" at the time it was the best local casio period. I wasnt sure why we were going we never gambled, we both agreed that casion action is for stone suckers, exept for the $5 on keno tickets while we were eating $2 steak-so it was just like a free roll.
We get into the Gold Coast and go up the eslator th the bowling alley, I'm thinking WTF? are we doing here?? I never bowled once, hell I cant even spell it. When we got 20 feet inside the bowling alley we were attacked by his fans, It was like people following Tiger Woods when they all saw us. Everyone litterly stopped in their tracks and came up to John, then when he was surrounded-I was the next best thing because I was his friend and with him. I was thinking what the hell are these people on exctacy or something. I never saw so many happy drunks in my life, in the poolrooms everyone is pissed off here they were the oppsite. The were bringing us beers, John was carrying 3 I had 2 and they still kept offering us beer. All this happens in 5 minutes, I cant figure it out. So I asked him WTF? is going on? He said I bowl in a league once a week. I cant remember if this was a different time I was in Vegas from the Bar tournments or not-I was in and out of town living in weekly joints, peoples couches what ever I had to do.
So We finally sit down and John gets a ball and shoes I dont think he brought any because then I would have known what was going on. The beer offerings continued, I'd be talking to one guy and someone I dont know would interrupt and hand me a beer, I had a row of them going now that I was sitting down. John comes back and says "you having fun?" I said "sure, never did this before, i like these people" they were so much more fun than pool players. 15-20 minutes later John is ready to throw a couple balls, I have sweated bowling on TV for years-I just dont play it. Holy shit can he bowl, his first ball was a strike-he hit the pocket, i mean really hit the pocket, he delivered the ball like earl anthony or walter ray williams. I asked him "you do this often?" he walked up and wispered "just once a week for the free beer".
So after they start the game I asked some guy on the rail about John, he got the league average sheet and then the Gold Coast Sheet, and John was on top of both by 8 pins, it was crazy. This is a huge bowling alley in Vegas and good old Rude Dog is a better bowler than he is a pool player, and not by a little bit either. So now it all made sence, he was like Efren or something surrounded by happy drunks, we were happy drunks, Jan picked us up, took me home. I couldnt drive and only lived 2 or 3 miles away.
Later I asked him why the hell dont you bowl on the tour, his league average was in the low 230's and he was only bowling once a week?? He said "yeah I could do that easily but I dont want to travel that much and i'm just too lazy"-then came that laugh I mentioned before. He said its boaring and too easy. He was a pro bowler that didnt bowl. you can bet it all on that.
The bar tournment sene changed in Vegas, John was thinking of moving bak to Vegas. I was back in N. Ca. and not in Vegas full time, when I got here fulltime shortly after, He was gone or wasnt going out, seems I spoke to Jan last and thats what she said....I really dont remember.
I came to AZ 15 years later saw his name, but he was banned, Went to HardTimes and Jason Halls dad told me he was sick, he passed away shortly after that. I cant remember the last time we spoke, we never said good bye. probably said see you tomarrow and one of us didnt come to the pool room.
I learned alot from John, I wish I could have done something for him but our paths never crossed. Now all I have are the memories and this story that touches on Rude Dog and Fatboy.
God Bless John Morton.