Contest! Name these people and win a prize!
- Thread starter BillPorter
- Start date
You are the winner!
Nice going! All names correct as well as the event. I believe this was his first tournament victory. As an interesting aside, about 10-12 years ago I mentioned to Earl that I had photos of his first tournament win. He said something like, "Uhuh, that's nice...." and walked off. I would have thought he would want a few copies of the photographs as I think these are the only photos from that event, but he seemed completely uninterested. Today, after his induction in the BCA Hall of Fame, he might be more interested in them. I'd be glad to send him a nice set of them, framed, if he wanted.
JG-in-KY said:
Nice going! All names correct as well as the event. I believe this was his first tournament victory. As an interesting aside, about 10-12 years ago I mentioned to Earl that I had photos of his first tournament win. He said something like, "Uhuh, that's nice...." and walked off. I would have thought he would want a few copies of the photographs as I think these are the only photos from that event, but he seemed completely uninterested. Today, after his induction in the BCA Hall of Fame, he might be more interested in them. I'd be glad to send him a nice set of them, framed, if he wanted.
Forgot to ask you if you want the picture
You can PM me if you want me to send you the scan of that photo. Give me your email address and I'll send you the 630k original scan of the photo.JG-in-KY said:
Joe Burns
That was in the early 70's. He fired a couple of rounds into the ceiling.
I grew up in Dayton and knew Joe well. He kind of looked after me when I first started hanging around his poolroom (Forest Park Billiards) in the 60's.
Very tough spot full of real outlaws. The Stepp gang was notorious around southwestern Ohio for their thievery and mayhem. But everyone gave wide berth to Joe, a legendary safecracker. He was known to be armed and dangerous.
Joe was quite protective if he liked you, and if he didn't, you better not come around. He used to carry a stack of $1,000 bills in his pocket and before he died, he gave me one. Still have it in my safe. Should have had him sign it.
He would look you right in the eye if he wanted to make a point, and then talk slow and serious. Kind of scary. Long ago when he found out I was carrying a small .25, he said....."Jay, don't ever take it out unless you intend to use it". I never forgot that sage advice from a bad man.
By the way, he was quite the player too. No one around could ever beat him at Banks. He took Joey Spaeth and Steve Cook down and several other notables. George Rood turned him down several times for a Bank game. The only player he feared was Eddie Taylor. He would look at you and say "I don't want nothing to do with that man".
He was my surrogate Dad around the rough and tumble pool halls in Dayton and I guess I loved him. I was just a dumb kid that loved to play pool back then. And I was gambling with some bad characters who didn't take well to losing their money. With Joe around, I always felt protected. If I had a problem with someone and went to Joe, the problem got resolved quickly. One word from Joe and they backed off.
I can remember him looking at one tuch hog who was always messing with me and saying "You leave him alone, or you gonna have a problem with me". The guy didn't like it, but he did leave me alone after that.
I wish I had a copy of that picture. It's from the Dayton tournament, right after Earl won in Tahoe. I was TD that year (in Tahoe) and worked for ESPN on the telecast. When Earl jumped that ball to make the five, pool changed forever. And it began Miz's long decline as a player.
macguy said:
That was in the early 70's. He fired a couple of rounds into the ceiling.
I grew up in Dayton and knew Joe well. He kind of looked after me when I first started hanging around his poolroom (Forest Park Billiards) in the 60's.
Very tough spot full of real outlaws. The Stepp gang was notorious around southwestern Ohio for their thievery and mayhem. But everyone gave wide berth to Joe, a legendary safecracker. He was known to be armed and dangerous.
Joe was quite protective if he liked you, and if he didn't, you better not come around. He used to carry a stack of $1,000 bills in his pocket and before he died, he gave me one. Still have it in my safe. Should have had him sign it.
He would look you right in the eye if he wanted to make a point, and then talk slow and serious. Kind of scary. Long ago when he found out I was carrying a small .25, he said....."Jay, don't ever take it out unless you intend to use it". I never forgot that sage advice from a bad man.
By the way, he was quite the player too. No one around could ever beat him at Banks. He took Joey Spaeth and Steve Cook down and several other notables. George Rood turned him down several times for a Bank game. The only player he feared was Eddie Taylor. He would look at you and say "I don't want nothing to do with that man".
He was my surrogate Dad around the rough and tumble pool halls in Dayton and I guess I loved him. I was just a dumb kid that loved to play pool back then. And I was gambling with some bad characters who didn't take well to losing their money. With Joe around, I always felt protected. If I had a problem with someone and went to Joe, the problem got resolved quickly. One word from Joe and they backed off.
I can remember him looking at one tuch hog who was always messing with me and saying "You leave him alone, or you gonna have a problem with me". The guy didn't like it, but he did leave me alone after that.
I wish I had a copy of that picture. It's from the Dayton tournament, right after Earl won in Tahoe. I was TD that year (in Tahoe) and worked for ESPN on the telecast. When Earl jumped that ball to make the five, pool changed forever. And it began Miz's long decline as a player.
jay helfert said:
Jay, nice post! I had a similar protector in Dallas when I was a 19-20 kid hanging around some bad characters. His name was Vernon Litton, though I doubt anyone on this board will recognize the name.
As for the picture, I will be happy to send it to you, or at least a good scanned image. I have the negative as well. I was thinking that a set of pictures from Earl's first tournament win might be something I could sell on a CD, but, from your story, you certainly deserve a copy of the photo. Would you like me to email the .jpg to you as an attacted file? Just send me an email address where you can receive a 630k attachment. BTW, you're bound to have a book in you somewhere, don't you think?
"Strickland Again in Coke"
The headline of the article reads: "Strickland Again in Coke."
Which means that the 3rd Annual Akron Coke Open occurred on
October 29, 30, and 31. The Pearl won first-place honors for the
second week in a row, according to The National Billiard News.
According to the article, there were 700-plus in the stands.
Howard Vickery and Earl Strickland went to the finals,
with Earl Strickland winning $3,500 for first place.
Howard Vickery won $1,750 for 2nd; 3rd, Dallas West, $1,000;
4th, Dave Faver, $750;
5th and 6th, Benny Conway and Larry Geracitano, $350;
7th and 8th, Buddy Hall and Phil Karpinski, $250;
9th through 12th, Jimmy Reid, Grady Mathews, Don Steele, and Cornbread Red, $150.
The article goes on to about how Mrs. Burns
prepared a great home-cooked meal for all attendees:
100 pounds of barbecued beef, corn on the cob, beans, and homemade cakes.
Now that's what I call hospitality!
JAM
JG-in-KY said:
The headline of the article reads: "Strickland Again in Coke."
Which means that the 3rd Annual Akron Coke Open occurred on
October 29, 30, and 31. The Pearl won first-place honors for the
second week in a row, according to The National Billiard News.
According to the article, there were 700-plus in the stands.
Howard Vickery and Earl Strickland went to the finals,
with Earl Strickland winning $3,500 for first place.
Howard Vickery won $1,750 for 2nd; 3rd, Dallas West, $1,000;
4th, Dave Faver, $750;
5th and 6th, Benny Conway and Larry Geracitano, $350;
7th and 8th, Buddy Hall and Phil Karpinski, $250;
9th through 12th, Jimmy Reid, Grady Mathews, Don Steele, and Cornbread Red, $150.
The article goes on to about how Mrs. Burns
prepared a great home-cooked meal for all attendees:
100 pounds of barbecued beef, corn on the cob, beans, and homemade cakes.
Now that's what I call hospitality!
JAM
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