Boston Shorty One Pocket HOF event

1pocket

1pocket

Steve Booth
Silver Member
The One Pocket Hall of Fame event for Boston Shorty is coming up this Thursday, April 28th at 7pm at Brighton Billiards 617 267-2610. Grady Mathews will be there, acting as Master of Ceremonies, and I expect he will do a bit of an exhibition as well. Other local friends of Shorty's are coming too, including guys that he traveled with at different times in his career.

I bookmarked the Google map page for Brighton Billiards here, so if you need directions, you can get them out of this link.

I look forward to being there myself!

This event is free, by the way, and will be a great time to hear a bunch of stories, meet some players, and generally be well entertained as Shorty is posthumously inducted into the One Pocket HOF
 
Sounds like a fantastic gala. I'll be looking forward to reading all about it! :)

Here is a link to a well-written memorial about the life of Boston Shorty: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/rbk/epitaph/17_1.stm

Interesting that he was 5-foot-2 and developed his game by playing on 10-by-5 tables, which was the norm when he was growing up!

JAM
 
JAM said:
...Interesting that he was 5-foot-2 and developed his game by playing on 10-by-5 tables, which was the norm when he was growing up!
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This article mentions that "regulation billiard tables" used to be 13-feet long and 7-feet wide? I've never seen one of those and couldn't imagine playing on one.

JAM
 
UH are we talking about the same people??? Larry Johnson aka Boston Shorty..is the guy in question..Shorty was a fixture at the Legendary Boston Bowl, as well as a fixture at a dive south of Boston...He lived in Davis Square in Sommerville and was the last holder simutaneously of One Pocket, Straight and Nine ball World titles...He wore trademark pork pie hats and smoked cigars..His name was supposed to be given to him in NYC when someone described as the "Short Guy from Boston" and it stuck...

Now Jam I am not doubting your fine skill in terms of reporting but if these two stories and people are the same guy I'd be surprised .....I know a third guy "Shorty" from the Boston area but he is still kicking ass and taking names :D
 
The Kiss said:
Now Jam I am not doubting your fine skill in terms of reporting but if these two stories and people are the same guy I'd be surprised .....I know a third guy "Shorty" from the Boston area but he is still kicking ass and taking names :D
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You know, you are correct, The Kiss, that Larry Johnson is the right "Boston Shorty," and the same one-pocket phenom who is being inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame. :)

Now I am not sure who this other Boston Shorty pool player is in that article Martin Gold a/k/a "Boston Shorty," who passed in 1996. The article was written in Rochester, NY. Maybe Cardiac Kid can provide some further insight. Hard to believe there's TWO pool players who went by the moniker of "Boston Shorty."

I am still amazed to read that regulation pool tables in the 1930's were 13-feet long and 7-feet wide, and I can't imagine the Boston Shorties of the world actually playing well on this size field of green. :p

Young gun "Shorty" is kicking some butt on the road, making 5-digit scores in some parts, according to the pool grapevine. :cool:

JAM
 
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JAM said:
Young gun "Shorty" is kicking some butt on the road, making 5-digit scores in some parts, according to the pool grapevine. :cool:

JAM
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Good to hear. Haven't seen him at any local tournaments lately and was beginning to wonder if he fell off the face of the earth.
Who in the heck is this writer who says that Boston Shorty is really some guy from Rochester NY? He really should do his homework before putting this to print. Oh well, happy to see he is being honored this week.

The Kiss, did you ever watch or play Shorty back in the Golden Bowl days? I got a chance to see him play once but it was long after his prime. An old guy named Herbie who used to play at local tournaments talked about playing Shorty in his prime. This guy Herbie was probably in his late 70's, shook like hell, and could run-out from everywhere. Some of the older guys said he was the best of Boston even during Shorties reign. Hard to believe but I heard it from several people who didn't even know each other. Just wondering if you've ever heard of him.

Dave

Dave
 
I grew up in david square somerville and played with shorty many times both billiards and pool,the guy you call herbie is probably sweet carlson,he was way before my time but a legend in that area but not even close to shorty
 
Hi JAM,

We here in Rochester had a big laugh several years ago when this article first appeared. Most of us thought it was an April Fools joke. There is very little accurate information contained within about his adventures in the game of pool, at least locally.

George Lord is a good friend, current Paychex employee and a UPA Director. He can't recall some of the adventures attributed to he and Mort. Mort was a wonderful, colorful local player and instructor. In the many years I knew him, I never once heard him refer to himself or be called by others "Boston Shorty". We knew who Larry Johnson was. So did he!

At the time Mort Goldberg played pool locally, another player by the name of Mort Goldstein also frequented our pool rooms. We do remember Mr. Goldstein being a quality three cushion billiards player. Whether the two were mixed up by Mr. Reisem or Mort Goldberg had a second life we weren't aware of is, conjecture. Perhaps the only difference between the two Mort's was Mr. Goldstein was definitely NOT vertically challenged! :rolleyes:
 
Hi JAM,

I also got a kick out of the article on "Fats" that followed the "Boston Shorty" thing. Most of the people I asked told me Rudolf was known as "New York Fats" for most of his pool life. He did change it after "The Hustler" movie was released. To call him a mediocre pool player was a slight I'm sure Rudolf will avenge when Mr. Reisem reaches pool heaven! Assuming he played pool. After reading his posts, I would guess he didn't! :D
 
Did anyone read any more of the articles.......What about the man who invented the 5-day work week? Pretty good readings all the way through!!
 
CHIEF1 said:
I grew up in david square somerville and played with shorty many times both billiards and pool,the guy you call herbie is probably sweet carlson,he was way before my time but a legend in that area but not even close to shorty
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Herbie Carlson is expected to be at Brighton Billiards for this event! Another old timer that some of you may remember was George Rippe -- I believe from the Lawrence (Golden Cue) area, who possessed one of the most fantastic billiards strokes around -- before artistic billiards became popular. George is expected to be there too.

Too bad Bob Ingersol, another great Boston pool legend won't be, since he died a few years back. "Ingie" was one of the players that Shorty learned One Pocket from.
 
CHIEF1 said:
I grew up in david square somerville and played with shorty many times both billiards and pool,the guy you call herbie is probably sweet carlson,he was way before my time but a legend in that area but not even close to shorty
Click to expand...

Thanks CHIEF,

The last name doesn't sound right but it could still be him. I'll have to double check with some of the old timers and get back.

Thanks,
Dave
 
I never played Shorty only watched him play way past his prime as well a few times...But I know a handfull of guys that I have played with that either knew Shorty and or played in the Bowl, got all the stories...That guy Herbie sounds familiar? From what I know you could research it and write a Book about the Boston Bowl it was the Pool Mecca in New England with a who's who of characters and action.....A dying breed...
 
I have been to the boston bowl,but never played there.I have played at the golden cue only billliards,in the early eighties,carlos hallon played there when he lived in lawrence,I played at bowl haven, and silver cue in woburn many times.Shorty played in Woburn and good times in his later years.I know herbie well and was there in Vegas with him and shorty for his induction to the hof
 
CHIEF1 said:
I have been to the boston bowl,but never played there.I have played at the golden cue only billliards,in the early eighties,carlos hallon played there when he lived in lawrence,I played at bowl haven, and silver cue in woburn many times.Shorty played in Woburn and good times in his later years.I know herbie well and was there in Vegas with him and shorty for his induction to the hof
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Thanks again Chief,

It must be the guy I'm thinking of. Did he have Parkinsons or something similar? He had the worst shake but the sweetest stroke and the guy, even in his 70's, could run out with the best of em.

Dave
 
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