Five Points Bowl, El Monte, Ca

[jay helfert]

He told me a story about him playing Billy Ray Suden (sp). Apparently, Billy had come into the pool room wearing sun glasses and asked him to play. So Pepe went on to tell him that he's a cripple! He has to wear these glasses! Then he said he'd play if Billy Ray wore his sun glasses to make it even. So the story goes that Billy Ray got beat up on trying to play with his sunglasses on. However, it was pretty funny because Billy Ray was just in town recently and remembered me and told me this story about when he played Pepe wearing sunglasses. Only, in Billy Ray's story, he won the dough.

Ask Billy Ray (another player who came back from the dead) about the time he played me in Bakersfield. See if he tells you the truth. we're playing a Race To Eleven for 200 and he has me 9-2 and is talking all kinds of sh-t. I came back to beat him 11-10 and he broke his cue and stormed out into the night. I want to hear him tell you he won that one too.

 

[titanic]

Portland Don ?????????

Hey John That Was A Good Description Of Portland Don Watson. But You Neglected To Mention That Camel Non-filtered Cigarette And The Brown Fingers And Callouses From The Cherry. He Definitely Got His Moneys Worth In The Tobacco Dept.

When I Went Down To L.a. They Told Me To Go To The " Billard Den " And Not Ask Anyone To Play. The Guy That Cleaned The Bathrooms Could Run A Hundred Balls Consistently.

Terry Osborne.......as Slick As You And Danny Were I Cannot Imagine You Guys Going Off Like That !!!!!!!

At Cochrans Bucktooth And Portland Don Had A Match For $20.00 A Game. Portland Don Ran 11 Racks On The 4 1/2 X 9 And The Tooth Said "i Can't Fade Anymore Of This....let's Go Over To That 5 X 10." He Ran Another 11 There And Tooth Pulled Up And Said From Now On I Am Going To Call You " The Incredible Don Watson"

It Was Good Seeing You In Sacramento John, I Am Glad You And Fitzsimmons Stayed Playing The Game.

Too Many Changes Too Many Obstacles And Too Many Years......but I Still Love To Hear About Those People You Mentioned. I Wish Damon Runyon Had Been Around To Report That Action.

Hope To See Ya Soon,

Titanic Jerry


Talked To Tracy Joe Salazar On The Phone Couple Of Weeks Ago. Sounded Good Hustling Cues In Oklahoma.

 

[Jerry OC]

You guys left out Franks Tavern.

 

[jrhendy]

Ask Billy Ray (another player who came back from the dead) about the time he played me in Bakersfield. See if he tells you the truth. we're playing a Race To Eleven for 200 and he has me 9-2 and is talking all kinds of sh-t. I came back to beat him 11-10 and he broke his cue and stormed out into the night. I want to hear him tell you he won that one too.

Billy Ray beat me pretty good at the Golden Cue in Rosemead and we ran into each other again at the original Hard Times in Costa Mesa. He asked me if I wanted to go in with him getting the 7 from Keith. When I said no, he told me I was too stupid to book a winner and nobody could give him the 7. Keith beat him seven ahead for a thousand in about 20 minutes. This was about the time Keith was beating anybody who would play on the big table and the bar table. John Henderson

 

[jay helfert]

You guys left out Franks Tavern.

I got my baptism there from Mario. I never played on bar tables until I came to L.A. So I hear about Franks and I head over there. I see Little Al and Oscar and this other Mexican that has a hairdo like Tony Curtis. I started gambing with Lavita playing $10 Eight Ball and after six or seven games I see he is just to tough. I did beat him later on a big table in Bakersfield.

So "Tony Curtis" asks me to play some 9-Ball. He says he'll give me the Eight and take the break. This is how little I know about bar tables. I take the game and somehow keep losing. The Eight just doesn't come into play that often. So I quit. He offers me the Seven and we start up again. Several games later I quit again. Now he offers me the Seven and the Eight. It finally dawns on me that I can't win giving up the Break.

So Mario (Tony Curtis) taught me my first valuable lesson about the difference between the big tables and the bar boxes. The Break is everything. Franks is where I first saw Sergio and Al Nicaraugua, and they were the two best at the time.