Howie's story from Johnston City (long)

Tom In Cincy

Tom In Cincy

AKA SactownTom
Silver Member
Howie was a regular that posted stories on the old news group rec.sport.billiards.
This is a quip of his that includes a comment from GF (George Fels of Billiards Digest)

I was around 18 years old and had won about $1000 playing poker in 1970 when we decided to go to Johnston City pool tournament. I was a pool nut and still am and for a 18 year old kid with a grand in his pocket back in those days I had the best time I have ever had. All the great players were there.
Incardona,Hall,Sigel,Hubbart,Marino,Reid,Beanie,Devaluae,Sizemore, and so many more I just can't name them all. Anyway there was nonstop action the whole time I was there. Cole Dickson was giving up plenty of weight and was robbing these guys. In the green room I saw more action in a week than I ever seen since then. Greatest time I had in my life. Sigel was 17 years old then and was flying back and forth from home in NY in between matches and gambling to attend high school. Larry Hubbart was giving Sizemore the 7 for $10000 a set back then and Sizemore had him stuck real bad. Don't know the outcome of that match but I know he busted Larry and Larry had to call somebody to send him some more money to play with. Watched Buddy Hall give Buttermilk the 8 for a $100 a game and Buttermilk beat him 10 in a row and Buddy finally won a game and Buttermilk pulled up on him and told Buddy that he shot to straight for him and everybody in the joint thought that Buddy was gonna kill him. I saw Cole Dickson playing Hubert Cokes one pocket and was spotting him 10-7 and they had a stack of money 6 inches high piled up on the lights. Cole took it down. I don't know how many of you ever saw Cole play when he was young but man he could swing it.

GF
They haven't played meaningful pool there in
thirty years (although Buddy Hall's home
town of Metropolis, where a fine tournament
was held recently, is within an hour).
Closest thing to it today, I'd say, is the
Derby City Classic, the basic difference
being that the players don't sport the same
kind of colorful nicknames. In the inaugural
Johnston City tournament, which was
one-pocket only, only Joe Procita of the 14
official entrants ever competed without a
monicker, although he was sometimes called
Iron Joe for no apparent reason. GF

George... You are quite right that the first Johnston City tournament in 1961 was merely a 1P event which was won by Johnny Vivos. I presume that Joe Procita got his nickname from being tough as nails on his opponents. LOL
Funny, that in the "Information Age" there is so little actual information concerning even major pool events of years gone by.
So, to do my own little part, I'm posting below the results from the other Johnston City years for anybody interested in seeing them:

Johnston City World All Around Champions

1962:
1P: Marshall Carpenter
9-Ball: Luther Lassiter
14.1: Luther Lassiter
All Around: Luther Lassiter

1963:
1P: Eddie Taylor
9-Ball: Luther Lassiter
14.1: Luther Lassiter
All Around: Luther Lassiter

1964:
1P: Eddie Taylor
9-Ball: Luther Lassiter
14.1: Luther Lassiter
All Around: Eddie Taylor

1965:
1P: Larry Johnston
9-Ball: Harold Worst
14.1: Harold worst
All Around: Harold Worst

1966:
1P: Eddie Kelly
9-Ball: Eddie Kelly
14.1: Joe Balsis
All Around: Joe Balsis

1967:
1P: Larry Johnson
9-Ball: Luther Lassiter
14.1: Irving Crane
All Around: Luther Lassiter

1968:
1P: Larry Johnson
9-Ball: Danny Jones
14.1: Al Coslosky
All Around: Danny Jones

1969:
1P: Luther Lassiter
9-Ball: Luther Lassiter
14.1: Joe Russo
All Around: Luther Lassiter

1970:
1P: Ronnie Allen
9-Ball: Keith Thompson
14.1: Luther Lassiter
All Around: Keith Thompson

1971:
1P: Jim Rempe
9-Ball: Jimmy Marino
14.1: Luther Lassiter
All Around: Jimmy Marino

1972:
1P: Larrry Johnson
9-Ball: Billy Incardona
14.1: Danny Diliberto
All Around: Danny Diliberto

Maybe someone else has the results for the Stardust Open All Around which ran from 1965 to 1973, which, I believe, the Jansco Brothers also promoted, and might want to post them here as well.

It's a real shame, that even on the BCA official website there is hardly any historical information on pool tournaments which THEY ran.

I would think that someone in the industry would try to gather and collect as much of that material as possible on some pool site, but so far I haven't seen it. Of course, maybe I just missed it surfing, and would be pleasantly surprised if that was the case. - Howie
 
tom

do you remember the farris steak house where all the players got their meals late at night?
 
I counted Luthers name 10 times. Think he could play a little.
Also when i was a 17 year old i played Joe Russo getting the 7 and got killed.
 
Al Cosloski, and Joe Russo?...who are they? Of all the World beaters listed in the winners of Johnson City, I know NOTHING of those 2 who must have played World class straight pool?

Also, I REALLY wish someone would uncover an old video of Harold Worst running 200 or so. I think I remember Grady talking on accustats with Beanie about Harold running 200 every day for practice.......:eek:


can you friggin imagine!? :)


G.
 
Tom...Only the older players might remember, but Howie Pearl's nickname was Mighty Mouse, because although he is short (about 5'3" I believe), he could shoot VERY straight. IIRC, he was named Rookie of the Year, in 1979, by all the top pros. He and his wife were married at the same time as Mataya and Ewa, and they had their receptions together, with all the players present at (where else) a tournament in NJ! Howie is still living in Tampa, FL, and still spends hours every day online...but I think he doesn't frequent pool forums anymore (he is a sports nut, particularly the local college and pro teams).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
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Gerry...Joe Russo was a strong 14.1 player, who also invented the Russo Bridge head, which were interlocking, so you could stack two bridges on top of each other, and it would be solid (I still have a couple of them). Rumor is that back in the day, there were straight pool hustlers in NYC who would gamble at 200 or no-count! :eek: Now THAT'S some really strong play!:grin:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Gerry said:
Al Cosloski, and Joe Russo?...who are they? Of all the World beaters listed in the winners of Johnson City, I know NOTHING of those 2 who must have played World class straight pool?

Also, I REALLY wish someone would uncover an old video of Harold Worst running 200 or so. I think I remember Grady talking on accustats with Beanie about Harold running 200 every day for practice.......:eek:


can you friggin imagine!? :)


G.
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
Gerry...Joe Russo was a strong 14.1 player, who also invented the Russo Bridge head, which were interlocking, so you could stack two bridges on top of each other, and it would be solid (I still have a couple of them). Rumor is that back in the day, there were straight pool hustlers in NYC who would gamble at 200 or no-count! :eek: Now THAT'S some really strong play!:grin:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

DAMN Scott....200 no count is just stupid good!

I have personally witnessed 80 no count.....and it was a joke....should have been 110 no count easy! :)


were those 2 players from the north east?...I think I might remember Allen Hopkins mentioning them.....or was it Danny Barouti?


G>
 
Gerry...I think Cosloski was from NY, and Russo was from either NJ or PA (philly area). Yeah, 200 or no count is SCARY good! :eek::grin: I can remember playing 50 or no count, but only against weak players (to make the game fair)!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Joe Russo was from Trenton NJ. I met him at a room in Toms River NJ back in the early 60's. He was there quite often playing straight pool with a Jersey player named Ernie Lager also known as "The Ern" I played him once and that was enough.
 
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