Jennie Ann Malloy just posted this on rec.sport.billiard.
I am saddened to learn that Michael Gerace a/k/a "Geese" has been diagnosed
with cancer and has been given 60 days to remain on this earth.
Geese grew up in Bladensburg, Maryland, at The Golden Cue. This used to be an
action stop for road players. George Pappageorge (sp) showed Geese the basics
of shooting pool when he was just a youngster, which basically was stroking
one, two, three times before release and making contact with the cue-ball.
Some of the regulars who would frequent this pool room at the time were
Strawberry, Bus Driver Ronnie, Tom-Tom Wirth, Korean Lee, Left-Handed Ronnie,
Quick Vic, Bobby Hawk, Scotty and Freddie Boggs, and Cigar Tom Hanover.
How did he get the name "Geese"? One day somebody was writing the names of
tournament players on a chart and left out the "a" in his last name "Gerace"
and wrote "Geace." The name "Geese" stuck ever since.
Geese's claim to fame in the history books was that he came third at the young
age of 19 in a Johnson City tournament which had a very strong player roster.
Instead of embarking on the tournament trail with his God-given talent, Geese
enjoyed being on the road and traveled all over the country, which was very
popular during the late '70s and early '80s in the United States.
He lived in California for a while and hooked up with a side-armed pool player
and competed with the best in California during this era: Cole Dixon, Billy
Incardona, Larry Liscotti, Little Al, Wade Crane, Richie Florence, and Ronnie
Allen. I don't know how Geese picked up his one-handed game, but he could draw
his rock one-handed without the cue stick ever touching the table.
Geese was known as a strong one-pocket player. I've had the pleasure of seeing
him in action and compete in a few tournaments. He devoted his life to playing
pool, and his parents supported him in this endeavor. Yep, Geese was a road
agent in every sense of the word.
Whenever he would walk into a pool room, the whole place would light up. His
very presence would bring smiles and laughter in the crowd because they knew if
Geese was going to play, it was going to be a good time for all. He was a born
entertainer and enjoyed a huge following.
During one of his road trips in the South, Louisiana I believe, he was battling
it out with a local for some big bucks in a pool room that was held up by some
unscrupulous bandits. They made everybody in the pool room strip down naked
and robbed the place. Geese was beaten up very badly, so bad that his older
brother had to fly down to Louisiana to bring his younger brother back home to
stay in a hospital for a spell. Geese never recovered from this beating and
was haunted by it and required medical assistance for the rest of his life.
Geese, who hailed from Maryland, moved to the Tampa, Florida area about a
decade or more ago with his mom after his dad passed away. Having no "friends"
in this area, his life consisted of going to the dog track and playing in a
couple of local tourneys from time to time. He called Maryland, local pool
rooms and a few friends including me, just about every day to keep up with the
happenings.
When Geese would beat a guy out of his dust, he would always give the defeated
pool player a 10-percent bone of his winnings. His reasoning is: "You never
want to leave a pool player busted or broke." That's the kind of guy he was.
When he was diagnosed with cancer last week, he retreated into a pit of despair
and is now preparing for an uncertain future. I write this post as a tribute
to my friend, Geese, a great pool player who devoted his life to playing pool.
His contributions to the sport may be miniscule some may say, but he will
always be a shining star to all who know him. Miracles do happen, and I hope
Geese is given the strength to get through this tragedy.
JAM
I am saddened to learn that Michael Gerace a/k/a "Geese" has been diagnosed
with cancer and has been given 60 days to remain on this earth.
Geese grew up in Bladensburg, Maryland, at The Golden Cue. This used to be an
action stop for road players. George Pappageorge (sp) showed Geese the basics
of shooting pool when he was just a youngster, which basically was stroking
one, two, three times before release and making contact with the cue-ball.
Some of the regulars who would frequent this pool room at the time were
Strawberry, Bus Driver Ronnie, Tom-Tom Wirth, Korean Lee, Left-Handed Ronnie,
Quick Vic, Bobby Hawk, Scotty and Freddie Boggs, and Cigar Tom Hanover.
How did he get the name "Geese"? One day somebody was writing the names of
tournament players on a chart and left out the "a" in his last name "Gerace"
and wrote "Geace." The name "Geese" stuck ever since.
Geese's claim to fame in the history books was that he came third at the young
age of 19 in a Johnson City tournament which had a very strong player roster.
Instead of embarking on the tournament trail with his God-given talent, Geese
enjoyed being on the road and traveled all over the country, which was very
popular during the late '70s and early '80s in the United States.
He lived in California for a while and hooked up with a side-armed pool player
and competed with the best in California during this era: Cole Dixon, Billy
Incardona, Larry Liscotti, Little Al, Wade Crane, Richie Florence, and Ronnie
Allen. I don't know how Geese picked up his one-handed game, but he could draw
his rock one-handed without the cue stick ever touching the table.
Geese was known as a strong one-pocket player. I've had the pleasure of seeing
him in action and compete in a few tournaments. He devoted his life to playing
pool, and his parents supported him in this endeavor. Yep, Geese was a road
agent in every sense of the word.
Whenever he would walk into a pool room, the whole place would light up. His
very presence would bring smiles and laughter in the crowd because they knew if
Geese was going to play, it was going to be a good time for all. He was a born
entertainer and enjoyed a huge following.
During one of his road trips in the South, Louisiana I believe, he was battling
it out with a local for some big bucks in a pool room that was held up by some
unscrupulous bandits. They made everybody in the pool room strip down naked
and robbed the place. Geese was beaten up very badly, so bad that his older
brother had to fly down to Louisiana to bring his younger brother back home to
stay in a hospital for a spell. Geese never recovered from this beating and
was haunted by it and required medical assistance for the rest of his life.
Geese, who hailed from Maryland, moved to the Tampa, Florida area about a
decade or more ago with his mom after his dad passed away. Having no "friends"
in this area, his life consisted of going to the dog track and playing in a
couple of local tourneys from time to time. He called Maryland, local pool
rooms and a few friends including me, just about every day to keep up with the
happenings.
When Geese would beat a guy out of his dust, he would always give the defeated
pool player a 10-percent bone of his winnings. His reasoning is: "You never
want to leave a pool player busted or broke." That's the kind of guy he was.
When he was diagnosed with cancer last week, he retreated into a pit of despair
and is now preparing for an uncertain future. I write this post as a tribute
to my friend, Geese, a great pool player who devoted his life to playing pool.
His contributions to the sport may be miniscule some may say, but he will
always be a shining star to all who know him. Miracles do happen, and I hope
Geese is given the strength to get through this tragedy.
JAM
