I met a man....
- Thread starter Terry Ardeno
- Start date
We have pool player pictures all around the pool room at Hard Times in Sacramento.
Even the most knowledgeable players here cannot put a name to all the pictures.
Very few pool room players can even name this year's US Open Champ.
But, to the player's credit, they all know the winners of last week's tournaments. That is always a popular subject with the players. The pecking order does exist and players want to know they are improving.
Player development is a big part of the goal of this business. You've got to keep the existing players playing and improving and also make sure there are new players coming into the mix.
Hard Times provides High School seniors a training program accredited with the Sacramento School system. Every year, 80+ students spend an hour a day for their senior year to learn about pocket billiards. These players have discount cards to encourage them to play at Hard Times with a hefty discount on table time.
We also have a weekly $5 single elimination race to 4, tournament for B players and below. Often players advance are graduated and cannot play in the B tournament.
98% of these players know nothing of the PROS and don't really care. Why should they?
It is up to each individual to create a path and follow it until they reach their goal and then create another path for another goal.
Even the most knowledgeable players here cannot put a name to all the pictures.
Very few pool room players can even name this year's US Open Champ.
But, to the player's credit, they all know the winners of last week's tournaments. That is always a popular subject with the players. The pecking order does exist and players want to know they are improving.
Player development is a big part of the goal of this business. You've got to keep the existing players playing and improving and also make sure there are new players coming into the mix.
Hard Times provides High School seniors a training program accredited with the Sacramento School system. Every year, 80+ students spend an hour a day for their senior year to learn about pocket billiards. These players have discount cards to encourage them to play at Hard Times with a hefty discount on table time.
We also have a weekly $5 single elimination race to 4, tournament for B players and below. Often players advance are graduated and cannot play in the B tournament.
98% of these players know nothing of the PROS and don't really care. Why should they?
It is up to each individual to create a path and follow it until they reach their goal and then create another path for another goal.
I've been playing pool for a long time and when ever i mention it to a non playing person the same thing comes out of their mouth.
"Are you a pool shark?"
"Are you a pool hustler?"
That is the conception the average person has of pool.
"Are you a pool shark?"
"Are you a pool hustler?"
That is the conception the average person has of pool.
Local guy opened a room here three years ago and had never heard of most of the great players including Buddy Hall. Hell, there are people on AZ who have never heard of many, many of the game's greatest players with the exception of Fats and maybe one or two others.
And I betcha if you asked someone from Syracuse New York if they ever heard of Tom Cruise and what movies he has made.......the "The color of money" would come up last or IF AT ALL.
Pool is considered nothing but entertainment in most peoples mind.:frown:
Pool is considered nothing but entertainment in most peoples mind.:frown:
Let's remember that pool is not written about in the main stream. Even as someone who loves the game and have followed it for years, I don't have the knowledge of some of our great posters here and it used to be a lot harder. That's one reason I like to read here. Jay, Grady, Terry and many others really have a lot of knowledge to contribute.
I tried to do a search for old pool tournament posters a few years ago and you have to be an expert to find this stuff.
Terry,
I bet when Lassiter was in his prime he got a lot of press. That generation is now gone for the most part. The next generation had a lot of guys that went 'undercover' and most (I would think...) didn't want to be 'known'.
As to the newer players, they may or may not want to be known either IMO Gambling may be a part of most of what happened and is happening, although with the WWW, I think it's changing very fast. What do you think???
td
Thanks Terry, the post started out as "I met a man".
All damn day I've got the rhyme stuck in my head.
On the way to St. Ives.
I met a man with 7 wives. etc.
All damn day I've got the rhyme stuck in my head.
On the way to St. Ives.
I met a man with 7 wives. etc.
LOL.. same here!
And to further that, I was on a small job a couple of months ago and there was a Filipino guy who just arrived in Canada. We started talking about pool and there wasn't a Filipino player whom he didn't know of. In school we learn
our national anthems at an early age and its like these guys learn who the nations great players are. He said its a way of life so to speak and there aren't too many Filipinos who don't know whats going on in the pool scene. I'm sure thats a bit stretched but maybe not too far. He told me that their work weeks consist of 10 to 12 hour days and 6 days a week, and when alot of them get the day off, they try to get a few games in. He also said, "pool halls everywhere".
our national anthems at an early age and its like these guys learn who the nations great players are. He said its a way of life so to speak and there aren't too many Filipinos who don't know whats going on in the pool scene. I'm sure thats a bit stretched but maybe not too far. He told me that their work weeks consist of 10 to 12 hour days and 6 days a week, and when alot of them get the day off, they try to get a few games in. He also said, "pool halls everywhere".
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Jason,
Here's a link with assorted posters and photos from yesteryear. I've bought from them before and they are reputable.
http://www.newdeco.com/
Great post Terry, but there is one exception. Just about everybody knows the Black
Widow. I have spoken with people at work who don't play pool at all and most of them
knew who she was.
Different strokes for different folks!
You would not believe the amount of press coverage at the turn of the last century thru the 1930's. I have loads of newspaper articles from archives that covered pool tournaments on a nightly basis. Challenge matches in 14.1 were often to 1,000 or even 1,500 in blocks of 125-150 after 14.1 became the official game. Again, world title tournaments and matches were covered every day!
The 1940's to early 1960's, the pool press dried up. Johnston City gave it a little boost, but Walter Tevis's "The Hustler" really brought fresh life into the sport.
Wimpy's road partner, Don Willis, shunned publicity as well as tournaments.
Modern day, I guess Jack Cooney would be a good example of a top notch player who shunned publicity.
Mike Sigel once said that he gambled and traveled around and saw that was not the future he wanted for himself. So he said he "changed his image into more of a player that could draw attention and get endorsements." He dressed nice and tried hard to promote himself. It didn't hurt at all that he was also a bonafide killer and all-time great at the table!
You would not believe the amount of press coverage at the turn of the last century thru the 1930's. I have loads of newspaper articles from archives that covered pool tournaments on a nightly basis. Challenge matches in 14.1 were often to 1,000 or even 1,500 in blocks of 125-150 after 14.1 became the official game. Again, world title tournaments and matches were covered every day!
The 1940's to early 1960's, the pool press dried up. Johnston City gave it a little boost, but Walter Tevis's "The Hustler" really brought fresh life into the sport.
Wimpy's road partner, Don Willis, shunned publicity as well as tournaments.
Modern day, I guess Jack Cooney would be a good example of a top notch player who shunned publicity.
Mike Sigel once said that he gambled and traveled around and saw that was not the future he wanted for himself. So he said he "changed his image into more of a player that could draw attention and get endorsements." He dressed nice and tried hard to promote himself. It didn't hurt at all that he was also a bonafide killer and all-time great at the table!
I grew up in a very msmall Arkansas town!! The closest city of any size was Shreveport La, only about 60-9- ,il;es away!!
One day while in my early 20's I opened the Shreveport Times and trurning to the sports section was a 2 full page article on Buddy Hall who at the time was living in Shreveport and was literly unbeatable at Guys and Dolls Billiards, downtown.
I loved the game. I sleps and dreamt of the game, totaly consumed by it!
I couldn't wait to get to Shreveport and watch this guy play, so that weekend a friend and i drove down there
The pool room was in the basement of a high rise building downtown. To the side of the building was an old barber shop holding 2 God Crowns and a frame aticle or adertaisemant on the wall which read {as closely as I can remember}, T"this room is dedicated to Budddy Hall, the greatest 9 ball p;ayuer living and the greatest 9 ball player ever!" Red Boxx!
I thought at the time I had met a myth!!
I had since met Terry Bell in Texarkana and he called one day and said, I might be intrested in a match taking place In Shreveport between Buddy and St Louis,"Louie"! Well, yes I was.
My friend and I drove back dow there again on Friday night and the match is all oanyone was thinking about or talking about and it began at 1 PM on Saturday.
To this day it is the greatest match I ever sawq with Louie getting the call 7 and bar b Qued to the tume of 4 7 ahead sets.
My point being, the dam Shreveport Times about Buddy, ruined my life,,,,,,but I wouldn't change a thing!!!
Why do you expect people who do not have an interest in your activity to have knowledge of or admire the most talented players?
Warren Moon came to Canada, won five consecutive Grey Cups (the Canadian Super Bowl). Meant nothing to Americans, even football fans.
But when he went back to the U.S. to play in the NFL ....
There is a line in 'Going My Way', something like
Golf is just a pool room moved outdoors
Turn in your cue and grab a club:grin:
Warren Moon came to Canada, won five consecutive Grey Cups (the Canadian Super Bowl). Meant nothing to Americans, even football fans.
But when he went back to the U.S. to play in the NFL ....
There is a line in 'Going My Way', something like
Golf is just a pool room moved outdoors
Turn in your cue and grab a club:grin:
paducah is home to who ALL in the pool world?!
what about CORNBREAD RED/ BILLY BURGE? he is also from paducah, ky originally.
what about CORNBREAD RED/ BILLY BURGE? he is also from paducah, ky originally.
And here it is:
On the other hand, the city of Monmouth does honor him. The following is cut from the monmouth booster website, gomonmouth.com.
Ralph Greenleaf Historical Marker. 218 South Main Street
Ralph Greenleaf, a native son of Monmouth, was one of the best pool players ever to play the game. He was inducted into the billiards hall of fame in 1966. Greenleaf was the reigning champion in pocket billiards (or pool as it is commonly called) from 1919 to 1924 and continued to be a prominent player until 1937 -- winning a total of 19 national championships.
Terry, I am from the same area in Ky. Metropolis is a very small town. Back then, it only had two bars and no pool room. They have a big sign of Super Man, when you enter town. Like you I think it should be a Buddy Hall sign. Paducah is not real small, population is about 25 or 26000. Back then the bar table players knew who Buddy Hall was. When he was home and not on tour he would be separating them from their cash. Myself and friends and family have worked in the mines a lot. Ever heard of Pyro or Gunther Nash? Just curious, do you recall the guy's last name?
Bigjohn, what is this?
Kentucky??.....Oh, that splains it
Bigjohn, what is this?
Kentucky??.....Oh, that splains it