Bakersfield Bobby

[jrhendy]

I am going back a long way here, but when bar tables were fairly new in the early 60's, a kid that grew up in a pool hall could make plenty of money off the local bar champions. Then you took your money to the 24 hour action joint where you tee'd it up with the real pool players. We had a spot called The Blue Star Cafe in El Monte, CA. Shuffleboard & bar pool from Friday through Monday. I was holding the table for $10/$20 a game one night when a young cowboy comes in and challenges the table. He had calluses on his hands from working in the fields and I thought I had a live one. He played terrible position, and the bet soon got up to $40 a game and everyone dropped out but me & it ended up costing me a few hundred. This was Bakersfield Bobby who became kind of a local legend for not only his pool exploits, but other gambling angles as well. He bet Charlie The Ape (the name describes him well) he could throw him wrestling. The put up the $$, went outside and Charlie was on the ground. Don Watson was the only guy I saw beat him on a bar box in those days and that was a few years down the road. I'm sure Jay may have some stories about him from Bakersfield. John Henderson

 

[hemicudas]

I am going back a long way here, but when bar tables were fairly new in the early 60's, a kid that grew up in a pool hall could make plenty of money off the local bar champions. Then you took your money to the 24 hour action joint where you tee'd it up with the real pool players. We had a spot called The Blue Star Cafe in El Monte, CA. Shuffleboard & bar pool from Friday through Monday. I was holding the table for $10/$20 a game one night when a young cowboy comes in and challenges the table. He had calluses on his hands from working in the fields and I thought I had a live one. He played terrible position, and the bet soon got up to $40 a game and everyone dropped out but me & it ended up costing me a few hundred. This was Bakersfield Bobby who became kind of a local legend for not only his pool exploits, but other gambling angles as well. He bet Charlie The Ape (the name describes him well) he could throw him wrestling. The put up the $$, went outside and Charlie was on the ground. Don Watson was the only guy I saw beat him on a bar box in those days and that was a few years down the road. I'm sure Jay may have some stories about him from Bakersfield. John Henderson

Never met him or saw him play, that I know of, John but road runners use to leave us with Bakersfield Bob stories on the way out of town on occasion. Some were pretty close to Scotty Townsend status.

 

[selftaut]

quoted from onepocket.org

When the bar tables started to get popular, ‘Bakersfield Bob’ was the first really great bar table player. Boy could he play with the big ball! People thought he was lucky but I thought it was a calculated risk that was intelligent and very workman like. He’d kick at balls and he’d try to luck balls in and he was very good at it. It seemed like he did it a pretty high percentage of time.

Grady Mathews

 

[jay helfert]

"Bakersfield Bobby" Hernandez is alive and well in Arizona. About 60 years old now. One of the best "big ball" players ever. He had problems with cataracts for years, but may have gotten it taken care of now. He shows up occasionally at the BCA Championships in Vegas. His best friend and sometime backer is Judd Fuller of Judd Cues fame.

He has worked on the crop picking crews, migrating from Arizona to California and back for decades. He ran the crews and worked his ass off, lifting the bushels and loading them, from the time he was a teenager. That's how he got so strong. Bobby is not that big, maybe 5'8" and 170 pounds, but it's all muscle. And he can fight, a lot better than Scotty.

As a teenager in Bakersfield, he became the best player around, except for a young black kid named Lin Wesson. They played for days on end trying to beat each other. This went on for a couple of years. All on big tables. By the time they were both 18, they were ready for the road. Bobby became a legend in the Southwest, and beat nearly everyone on the small tables. Lin "Peter Gunn" Wesson moved down to Los Angeles, and became a mythical hero in pool circles. Like Jack Cooney, few knew what he looked like, but everyone knew the name Peter Gunn. He was the most feared bar table player around in the 60's and 70s, other than the Mexican champions.

Peter Gunn made one memorable road trip to the Northwest where he encountered the legendary Tacoma Whitey, the best player before Dan Louie came along. They played in Whitey's pool room. When the smoke cleared a few days later, Peter had relieved him of over $60,000 in 1960's dollars, a fortune. He was built like a bull, about 5'10 or 11" and over 200 pounds, and hard as a rock. He had been the star Fullback on his High School football team. An angry Whitey made a few ominous threats and Peter offered to engage him and his friends outside. His offer was rejected.

Peter passed away three years ago. He was universally well liked in LA. I'm sure John (Jhendy) knew him. I met and played both these men when I had my poolroom in Bakersfield in the 70's. I beat Bobby on the big table, but he moved me over to the bar table, and got his money back. I never played Peter on a small table, but we played several times on my front Gold Crown. We played 9-Ball and One Pocket. I never won! My best was a couple of break even sessions of One Pocket and Banks.

Both men were serious roadmen, capable of beating anyone short of champion status. And on a bar table, they were the champions!

 

[vagabond]

Buddy Hall`s book `From rags to riffleman` metioned about Bakersfield Bobby.when Buddy was hanging around a small town on Oklahoma Boby was brought in to shoot? I do not remember the details.

 

[ironman]

I am going back a long way here, but when bar tables were fairly new in the early 60's, a kid that grew up in a pool hall could make plenty of money off the local bar champions. Then you took your money to the 24 hour action joint where you tee'd it up with the real pool players. We had a spot called The Blue Star Cafe in El Monte, CA. Shuffleboard & bar pool from Friday through Monday. I was holding the table for $10/$20 a game one night when a young cowboy comes in and challenges the table. He had calluses on his hands from working in the fields and I thought I had a live one. He played terrible position, and the bet soon got up to $40 a game and everyone dropped out but me & it ended up costing me a few hundred. This was Bakersfield Bobby who became kind of a local legend for not only his pool exploits, but other gambling angles as well. He bet Charlie The Ape (the name describes him well) he could throw him wrestling. The put up the $$, went outside and Charlie was on the ground. Don Watson was the only guy I saw beat him on a bar box in those days and that was a few years down the road. I'm sure Jay may have some stories about him from Bakersfield. John Henderson

I first saw Bobby in Bakersdield when I was real young and didn't realize what I had seen. He did though beat my partner Al like a red headed step child on the bar box, and Al could play.

A few years later I met him again at the Serene Room in Vegas and didn't even recognize him until I saw him shoot. He simply walked up to the ball put his bridge hand down and pulled the trigger. I never saw him miss an honest shot, maybe a kick or tow.

Later I asked him why he shot so fast and he put his hand out and showed me how it shook. I asked what caused this and he simply replied, "wait until you have been doing this for 20 years and lets see how steady you are"! Everybody around just cracked up.

I never saw him on the big table, but, the man could play on the bar box.

 

[Jack Madden]

"Bakersfield Bobby" Hernandez is alive and well in Arizona. About 60 years old now. One of the best "big ball" players ever. He had problems with cataracts for years, but may have gotten it taken care of now. He shows up occasionally at the BCA Championships in Vegas. His best friend and sometime backer is Judd Fuller of Judd Cues fame.

He has worked on the crop picking crews, migrating from Arizona to California and back for decades. He ran the crews and worked his ass off, lifting the bushels and loading them, from the time he was a teenager. That's how he got so strong. Bobby is not that big, maybe 5'8" and 170 pounds, but it's all muscle. And he can fight, a lot better than Scotty.

As a teenager in Bakersfield, he became the best player around, except for a young black kid named Lin Wesson. They played for days on end trying to beat each other. This went on for a couple of years. All on big tables. By the time they were both 18, they were ready for the road. Bobby became a legend in the Southwest, and beat nearly everyone on the small tables. Lin "Peter Gunn" Wesson moved down to Los Angeles, and became a mythical hero in pool circles. Like Jack Cooney, few knew what he looked like, but everyone knew the name Peter Gunn. He was the most feared bar table player around in the 60's and 70s, other than the Mexican champions.

Peter Gunn made one memorable road trip to the Northwest where he encountered the legendary Tacoma Whitey, the best player before Dan Louie came along. They played in Whitey's pool room. When the smoke cleared a few days later, Peter had relieved him of over $60,000 in 1960's dollars, a fortune. He was built like a bull, about 5'10 or 11" and over 200 pounds, and hard as a rock. He had been the star Fullback on his High School football team. An angry Whitey made a few ominous threats and Peter offered to engage him and his friends outside. His offer was rejected.

Peter passed away three years ago. He was universally well liked in LA. I'm sure John (Jhendy) knew him. I met and played both these men when I had my poolroom in Bakersfield in the 70's. I beat Bobby on the big table, but he moved me over to the bar table, and got his money back. I never played Peter on a small table, but we played several times on my front Gold Crown. We played 9-Ball and One Pocket. I never won! My best was a couple of break even sessions of One Pocket and Banks.

Both men were serious roadmen, capable of beating anyone short of champion status. And on a bar table, they were the champions!

Bobby was a nice man. Last I heard he was living near Eloy, AZ. In the 60's and 70's - he would come in the Golden Cue from pumping up in the lettuce fields. Watched him practice for several days on the big tables. He would then play Louie Melendez - beat him every time. He would then play Johnny Drain - Bobby never beat him that I have saw or heard. Thanks John H and Jay for the memory. I haven't heard if he is still playing in AZ.

 

[JoeyInCali]

The first and last time I saw him play was at Danny K's back in 95 or 96.
He played King Kong some pushout 9-ball.
King Kong pulled a s#itty move on him by pushing out after Bobby pushed out. Bobby wanted to tear his head off but held back. They broke even and quit. Bobby came out of the retirement that year. He had a funny bridge.
Then he played on that ACA event by CJ Wiley at the Bike. Got on the money but was eliminated by Parica.
Cuemaker Judd Fuller told me a ton of stories about Bobby.
He said he never saw him lose a fight.