Catfish, Hard Times Bellflower regular (2 nostalgic photos)

J

jjohnson

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That's Catfish on the right. Never did know his true name.
Going to the left is Ismael "Morro" Paez.
Next going to the left is another regular. Don't know his name or pool background.
But he was usually at HT's.
And of course to the far left is Francisco "Django" Bustamante.

Catfish was excited and wanted me to take his picture with these two great players
and the other regular pictured wanted the same.

So as not to lose this memory to history here it is for posterity.

The other picture is another HT's regular whose name I've forgotten. He was always looking
for a good deal to buy a cue stick and looking for someone wanting to buy a cue stick.
Otherwise, he spent his time handicapping race horses.

Busta_21_2.jpg was taken 4/4/2007 at 3:02 pm just outside the entrance of Hard Times.
Busta_21_3.jpg was taken 4/6/2007 at 3:08 pm on a Hard Times Snooker table.
 

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jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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The big guy in the first pic is Ron Hall from Alaska. He used to carry 40 or 50 thou in a paper bag under the seat in his little pick up truck. He wanted to open a poolroom with me in Santa Monica to compete with the House of Billiards. He handed me that bag and said I could use it for a down payment to get us started. I gave it back to him (after looking inside). I didn't want to be holding all that money for him. There could be repercussions later. Ron's son Jason was a good pool player who used to bet high around L.A. He got in trouble with the law (and Ron too) and had to relocate to Mexico. Last I heard about Ron was he was doing some serious time.
 
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J

johnhendy

Registered
jay helfert said:
The big guy in the first pic is Ron from Alaska, can't think of his last name now. He used to carry 40 or 50 thou in a paper bag under the seat in his little pick up truck. He wanted to open a poolroom witrh me in Santa Monica to compete with the House of Billiards. He handed me that bag and said I could use it for a down payment to get us started. I gave it back to him (after looking inside). I didn't want to be holding all that money for him. There could be repercussions later. Ron's son Jason was a good pool player who used to bet high around L.A. He got in trouble with the law (and Ron too) and had to relocate to Mexico. Last I heard about Ron was he was doing some serious time.
Click to expand...

We called him Roofer Ron Jay. He loved golf and the 6 x 12 at Hard Times. He told me he once had a pool room in Alaska. Jason was a pretty good player and finished fairly high in a big tournament at Hard Times when he was 16. He hung around The Great American in Sacramento and was running around with a few guys who were dealing and acting like gangsters. They all got popped except him. Like you said, he went to Mexico.
 
jazznpool

jazznpool

Superior Cues--Unchalked!
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jjohnson said:
That's Catfish on the right. Never did know his true name.
Going to the left is Ismael "Morro" Paez.
Next going to the left is another regular. Don't know his name or pool background.
But he was usually at HT's.
And of course to the far left is Francisco "Django" Bustamante.

Catfish was excited and wanted me to take his picture with these two great players
and the other regular pictured wanted the same.

So as not to lose this memory to history here it is for posterity.

The other picture is another HT's regular whose name I've forgotten. He was always looking
for a good deal to buy a cue stick and looking for someone wanting to buy a cue stick.
Otherwise, he spent his time handicapping race horses.

Busta_21_2.jpg was taken 4/4/2007 at 3:02 pm just outside the entrance of Hard Times.
Busta_21_3.jpg was taken 4/6/2007 at 3:08 pm on a Hard Times Snooker table.
Click to expand...
The guy in your other photo was Sam. Really a nice man who loved pool, reselling cues, cases and shafts and thoroughbred racing. Sadly he passed on about 10 years ago.

When Roofer Ron (Ron Hall) was apprehended by federal law enforcement for his forays between Mexico and Alaska it was rumored there was a million in cash stashed at a storage facility near HTB Bellflower. Now THAT would have been an exciting Storage Wars find!
 
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9ball5032

9ball5032

AzB Silver Member
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Catfish between Belinda Bearden & Vivian Villarreal, 1994 Gordons Invitational 9 Ball Santa Monica. Robin Dodson behind interviewer.

Webp.net-resizeimage (1).jpg
 
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Fatboy

Fatboy

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jay helfert said:
The big guy in the first pic is Ron from Alaska, can't think of his last name now. He used to carry 40 or 50 thou in a paper bag under the seat in his little pick up truck. He wanted to open a poolroom witrh me in Santa Monica to compete with the House of Billiards. He handed me that bag and said I could use it for a down payment to get us started. I gave it back to him (after looking inside). I didn't want to be holding all that money for him. There could be repercussions later. Ron's son Jason was a good pool player who used to bet high around L.A. He got in trouble with the law (and Ron too) and had to relocate to Mexico. Last I heard about Ron was he was doing some serious time.
Click to expand...
Jay opted to tell the “short” story.

Good choice Jay-smart.

The things that happen in life…….

Wow,
Fatboy

Edit: the “bag” Jay mentioned was the tip money from the real bag.
 
Fatboy

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
johnhendy said:
We called him Roofer Ron Jay. He loved golf and the 6 x 12 at Hard Times. He told me he once had a pool room in Alaska. Jason was a pretty good player and finished fairly high in a big tournament at Hard Times when he was 16. He hung around The Great American in Sacramento and was running around with a few guys who were dealing and acting like gangsters. They all got popped except him. Like you said, he went to Mexico.
Click to expand...
I knew him well. Eventually he got in trouble too, in Mexico. Probably 15-18 years later. There was one other guy who didn’t get popped-won’t say his name.

I watched all that come together in Sacramento I was 20-21 years old. And that’s when I left Sacramento. I didn’t want to get caught up in that type of thing. So I went to Tracy/Stockton for 3 years and eventually Vegas.

Im not a gangster, however it was handed to me in Sacramento and I refused. Was a tricky spot because I didn’t want to look like a snitch when I said “no thx i’m not interested” to the guy who was at the top of the pyramid they were all under.

Looking back I dodged a bullet-figuratively speaking

Can’t say more,

Omertà
Fatboy
 
G

GaryB

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sam. Thanks Martin I would have been searching through memories all night trying to remember. Heck of a nice guy. He moved to Anaheim a few years before passing and wasn't as consistent in his daily attendance after that. Loved cues--except for Richard Black's. lol His kid(s?), pool and horses. Those were his loves.

Catfishes motor home was always painted the color of whichever LA sports team was in season. He had been a painter for LA City or County and retired from the entity just before taking up residence in the Hard Times parking lot.

Enjoyed the pictures!
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Silver Member
9ball5032 said:
Catfish between Belinda Bearden & Vivian Villarreal, 1994 Gordons Invitational 9 Ball Santa Monica. Robin Dodson behind interviewer.

View attachment 623059
Click to expand...
I directed that tournament. Only eight women invited. Robin won it - 20K! I think Gordon's put on four of these televised events in total. I did the second one in Nashville and then Steve Tipton did the last two. I'm pretty sure Robin won two and Loree Jon the other two. Nice payday back then, 20K to the winner in each one.
 
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