HOW GOOD WAS : Jimmy Marino ? 1970s Champion
- Thread starter Shane Jackson
- Start date
Back in the earky 80's, I started scuffling around Houston when I met my future road partner, Bob Vansin.
Bob was from Pittsburg and grew up in Jimmy's poolroom. All I heard from him in the early years was "Jimmy beat this guy,.....Jimmy beat that guy."
Bob told me Jimmy had pretty much retired from tournament play to run his room but if a road player came in, Jimmy would clean'em out. He made it sound like Jimmy never missed a ball and to say the least, I was more than a little skeptical since I had never met him or seen him play.
I believe it was in 83 or 84, Jimmy showed up at the Red's tourney in Houston. The night before the tourney started, Bob introduced me and I was immediately impressed with the man's quiet demeanor.
Someone started barking about a fifty dollar10 ball ring game and before long, Marino, Segal, Diliberto, Flyboy, Davenport and one other guy I didn't recognize were in the game.
Jimmy was standing near the rail talking to us pulling his cue out of his case when they started flipping coins to establish the player order. Jimmy took off his glasses and went to the table to flip his coin. Bob smiled and said to me "You're gonig to like this.". I didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
Jimmy walked up to the table and flipped his coin. Then, he bent forward and almost put his nose on the table to see what he had flipped. Bob started laughing and whispered, "Jimmy has like 20/800 vision. He is legally blind and plays without his glasses!"
My jaw dropped and I thought "Someone's got to be kidding me!"
Diliberto was first. He broke and ran the first rack. He broke dry the second and it was Flyboy's turn. Flyboy missed the four ball and it was Jimmy's turn.
Jimmy was left with a 90 degree back cut from 8 feet away. He made it and ran the cue ball 4 rails to get on the 5 to get out.
He, then, proceeded to run 5 more racks. After the third rack, they jacked the bet to a C note.
Some loudmouth bonehead started hassling the players, especially Jimmy, for a side bet at that point. Jimmy unscrewed and didn't even break the next rack.
At dinner later, I asked Jimmy if I could see his glasses. He handed them to me. Bob was right, they were thick as submarine portholes.
Jimmy said he didn't feel tournament tough as it had been years since he had played in a major tourney. He ended up placing 5-6th in the main event.
Could the man play world class?
That night turned me into a believer!
Stones
Bob was from Pittsburg and grew up in Jimmy's poolroom. All I heard from him in the early years was "Jimmy beat this guy,.....Jimmy beat that guy."
Bob told me Jimmy had pretty much retired from tournament play to run his room but if a road player came in, Jimmy would clean'em out. He made it sound like Jimmy never missed a ball and to say the least, I was more than a little skeptical since I had never met him or seen him play.
I believe it was in 83 or 84, Jimmy showed up at the Red's tourney in Houston. The night before the tourney started, Bob introduced me and I was immediately impressed with the man's quiet demeanor.
Someone started barking about a fifty dollar10 ball ring game and before long, Marino, Segal, Diliberto, Flyboy, Davenport and one other guy I didn't recognize were in the game.
Jimmy was standing near the rail talking to us pulling his cue out of his case when they started flipping coins to establish the player order. Jimmy took off his glasses and went to the table to flip his coin. Bob smiled and said to me "You're gonig to like this.". I didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
Jimmy walked up to the table and flipped his coin. Then, he bent forward and almost put his nose on the table to see what he had flipped. Bob started laughing and whispered, "Jimmy has like 20/800 vision. He is legally blind and plays without his glasses!"
My jaw dropped and I thought "Someone's got to be kidding me!"
Diliberto was first. He broke and ran the first rack. He broke dry the second and it was Flyboy's turn. Flyboy missed the four ball and it was Jimmy's turn.
Jimmy was left with a 90 degree back cut from 8 feet away. He made it and ran the cue ball 4 rails to get on the 5 to get out.
He, then, proceeded to run 5 more racks. After the third rack, they jacked the bet to a C note.
Some loudmouth bonehead started hassling the players, especially Jimmy, for a side bet at that point. Jimmy unscrewed and didn't even break the next rack.
At dinner later, I asked Jimmy if I could see his glasses. He handed them to me. Bob was right, they were thick as submarine portholes.
Jimmy said he didn't feel tournament tough as it had been years since he had played in a major tourney. He ended up placing 5-6th in the main event.
Could the man play world class?
That night turned me into a believer!
Stones
Fred Whalen's
That happened at one of Fred Whalen's World Championships held at the Elks Club in LA. If I keep taxing my brain I could probably come up with the referee for that game. Jimmy was running out at the time and I believe the foul cost him the match. The ref might have been Arnie Satin.
Beard
That happened at one of Fred Whalen's World Championships held at the Elks Club in LA. If I keep taxing my brain I could probably come up with the referee for that game. Jimmy was running out at the time and I believe the foul cost him the match. The ref might have been Arnie Satin.
Beard
I think you're right about the ref. That sounds like Arnie.
I saw Jimmy play a lot back in the late 60's and early 70's and he was
a great player. And, he would bet it up real good.
a great player. And, he would bet it up real good.
When Jimmy was in Johnston City he had a backer, Eddie Bellamore, dressed kinda like the beatles in the Magical Mystery Tour Album cover, or Toby Sweet. He would bet it up real good back then. I remember one night he smoked some of that good so. IL weed and forget every bet he made he was laughing so hard. I'm sure he and Jimmy had some good scores back during those times, Jimmy didn't fold under pressure, at all.
Hippy Jimmy Marino was known in the pool world as a roadblock when the best road players travelled through Pittsburgh thry didn't like it 99% percent of the time. I for sure rate Jimmy marino's 9ball top end the best of anyone named Jimmy to come out of Pennesylvania if that tells you anything
Hmmmm
Wow...bold rating...I am sure Jimmy Rempe and Jimmy Matz would have matched up pretty well.
Wow...bold rating...I am sure Jimmy Rempe and Jimmy Matz would have matched up pretty well.
Jimmy was a excellent 9 Ball player.
A indication of how good is in the late 1960s the Billiard Palace on the second floor of a building in Bellflower Boulevard had some of the best players in the country and no one would drive across town looking for Jimmy.
To be fair Jimmy also did not drive across town to the Billiard Palace looking for a game.
Hawaiian Brian said the home table advantage could be as much as getting spotted the 8 ball.
A indication of how good is in the late 1960s the Billiard Palace on the second floor of a building in Bellflower Boulevard had some of the best players in the country and no one would drive across town looking for Jimmy.
To be fair Jimmy also did not drive across town to the Billiard Palace looking for a game.
Hawaiian Brian said the home table advantage could be as much as getting spotted the 8 ball.
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I mostly missed that era but I do know they could all string 'em past 10.
look he was certainly one or the best player for a few years in the early 70's at nine ball.
so were about 100 others that were extremely close or equal.
and it is the other factors that would determine the winner most times.
and of course players didnt go looking for the world champs to play. still that is the smart thing and why tournaments are the place the very top player go as that is the only way to make any money now.
so were about 100 others that were extremely close or equal.
and it is the other factors that would determine the winner most times.
and of course players didnt go looking for the world champs to play. still that is the smart thing and why tournaments are the place the very top player go as that is the only way to make any money now.
Marvin had the most beautiful stroke of all time. I wish there was a video of him hitting ball or two.
Nice to see the name Eddie Bellmore, loved that guy. He always made things fun in the poolroom while everybody was gambling. He was one tough MF'er and no one ever wanted to mess with him. One night some guys tried to jack him and he fought back, even though they were armed. He took a bullet to the spine and was paralyzed from the waist down. It was so sad to see this big strapping man trying to walk around on two metal canes. He basically was pulling his legs underneath him. I never saw him sit in a wheelchair, he wanted to remain upright. He never complained or said a word about it. Eddie was a helluva man!
They both tried.
Love thee E. Coast expression above....
I knew Rempe didn't like it when their match got called/Janscos.
King James, would rather be his friend.
