Helena Bar Box Open

D. J. from Butte or somethin like

that rings a bell. Not T. J. from Havre (Great Falls) area. Are you and Randy still in Arizona?
Sharknu
 
Craig...I also know most of the players around MT. I don't know who the Butte player you're talking about is, but possibly could have been 'Wild Bill' Collette. However, Bill was pretty old, and passed away a few years ago. One of the best players ever to come out of MT was Jeff's father, who passed away shortly after I moved to MT. The other great player (other than George McGowen) was Lance Saunders, from Billings. He played strong all over the country.

I already mentioned that Jeff likely won't gamble on a 9' table. Come to MT and play him on a barbox, and you'll get all the action you want! He'll never make it to Dallas...he's a homebody! :D I remember the first time I played Dan Hamper. It was almost 20 yrs ago, on a 9' table at MSU, and a race to 5 for $50. Dan had me down 4-0, and I came back to beat him! :eek: Boy, he sure didn't like that!:D Dan is also a great player!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
I've heard of a few of those guys. Never did get up to Mt much. Always went across the other side of the country.
 
I know Jeff mainly

stays in that area. When I saw him in Las Vegas I said hey....why don't you come to Dallas and I will hook him up with a few people down here. Told him I would put him up in my pad to lower the costs of traveling here. I also mentioned to Mark Tadd that there is action here in Dallas and said come on down Mark. I watched Mark Tadd play when he was in his prime. He played in a couple State 9 balls tourneys at Palace billiards in Missoula. He won them both!!! WOW what a shooter during that time in the early 90's. Probably the best shooter I have ever seen!!! Wish I could play like he did in his prime and wish I could play like he plays now. If you ever get down here to Dallas maybe we could shoot a few games. Just for funzyies. I'll buy you a beer or soda. Maybe I could teach you a few things!!! LOL just kidding! Let me know when or if you ever make it down here.
Take care,
Sharknu
 
Don't think Jeff's skeered of the big table, This last weekend at the tourney we were all upstairs and he was wailing some ass playing snooker and golf on the 5x10 they have there


Scott, do you remember Bruce Christensen from Missoula, from all accounts the cat was a monster on the 4 1/2 x 9
 
And the winner is!!

Ok! Damian Pongpanik from Salt Lake took 1st. Dan Hamper took down Jeff to get to Damian and got 2nd.Lance Sapp took 3rd and Dago[also from S.Lake and traveling with Damian}ended in 4th. Jeff landed in 5th.
Cheese will be posting more in On The Break any day now. Don:cool:
 
bigsky

I watched Bruce Christensen when he played at Corner Pockets in Missoula. He is another Montana legend. The guy was an unbelievable player. He had won several Montana 9 ball championships. One time I hadn't seen Bruce in awhile and I asked where he has been. Somebody told me he quit playing pool. He quit for a couple of years and I only saw him come in once in awhile and sit and watch. One day I asked him why he doesn't play anymore. He said he couldn't see the balls anymore and that he eyesight was gone. Then one day I saw him back on the table. Even with his eyesight gone he was still great. One day he was sitting up on the higher level watching me play pool. He said, "hey kid come here". I walked over and said, "what you want Bruce". He said, "how old are you?" I stated I was 20 years old. He said, "I will give you until the age of 27 years old and you will be beating alot of the good players.....but you may not be beating the champions." I will never forget that remark....as it made me curious to watch my progression. Coming from a legend like that I was kind of belated that a great player like that sees something in my ability. Bruce also was very quiet and had never heard him say something like that to somebody. So at the age of 27 I thought about what Bruce said. He was right I was starting to beat some of the better players but not the champions. Here I am at 43 and still wondering if I will ever get better then what Bruce had said. It is still a drive he has put into my hope that someday maybe I will beat some champions. Still working on the game though....but I am no way a champion yet. A few years later after he said that to me he passed away. I wish I would have gotten to know him better and had him help me at my game. Still think about Bruce now and again as I will always remember how good of a person he was and a player at that.
Later,
Sharknu
 
Congratulations Damian

Just wanted to congratulate my friend Damian P. on his win.:D Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. By the way, I will need a cut of that 1st place money for borrowing my jump cue. ;)
 
Was chatting with a guy today about "Wild Bill" Collette. Wild Bill was also a prospector, and I was sent to look at some claims he had near Pierce, Idaho. All the while he was telling me his tales of various pool tourneys and hustles. Didn't quite know how much to believe. He had a house in Pierce, and eventually we ended up there. Had a mantle jammed one end to the other with trophies....
 
Helena MT

Is Kent Nelson still playing? I think he lived in montana city south of helena.
 
Back
Top