Jasco's Bar, Johnston City Video Action.
- Thread starter Colin Colenso
- Start date
Jansco's Bar!!!!!!!!!
I was in Johnson in either 1967 or 1968 bet I didn't sleep for the first two days I was there as it was my first rodeo. I played Omaha Fats a couple
of times in the first two days. I played some lawyer from Hot Springs that was with Hubert Cokes (Daddy Warbucks) bank pool.Played Omaha One Hole. I really wanted to see Wimpy play but missed my chance. He got a
call from home an had to leave I think his wife was ill. Minnesota Fats put
on a crowd pleasing exhibition of trick shots preforming them all one hand air pool. I guarantee Minesota wasn't waiting to play the winner. He could have gotten weight from probably 100 players there. But playing one hand
air pool it would be a different story. Ronnie Allen was by far the best one hand air pool player I've ever seen. As the story goes the last day I was there I played some youngster about my age 9 ball an went dead broke.
Walked out of the Jansco Bros. Bar for the last time. It was a the most exciting experience I'd ever had.
Pinocchio
I was in Johnson in either 1967 or 1968 bet I didn't sleep for the first two days I was there as it was my first rodeo. I played Omaha Fats a couple
of times in the first two days. I played some lawyer from Hot Springs that was with Hubert Cokes (Daddy Warbucks) bank pool.Played Omaha One Hole. I really wanted to see Wimpy play but missed my chance. He got a
call from home an had to leave I think his wife was ill. Minnesota Fats put
on a crowd pleasing exhibition of trick shots preforming them all one hand air pool. I guarantee Minesota wasn't waiting to play the winner. He could have gotten weight from probably 100 players there. But playing one hand
air pool it would be a different story. Ronnie Allen was by far the best one hand air pool player I've ever seen. As the story goes the last day I was there I played some youngster about my age 9 ball an went dead broke.
Walked out of the Jansco Bros. Bar for the last time. It was a the most exciting experience I'd ever had.
Pinocchio
Jansco's Johnson City Tournament
Colin, I went to Southern Illinois University in the 60's and heard of this tournament, went there 1 time, began playing pool, grades dropped from a's to c's but learned a lot about pool. Went every day and night for many years and slept on the benches and in my car as Freddie B. did; didn't know him though. 2 students got involved in the tournament; Bob Brandalino played in the straight pool and was involved unknowingly in a fixed match. Dennis "Tex" Gieske, the "jerk" who tried to hustle me my first day in school and having never seen a pool table forcing me to play every day and kick his butt in 6 months. Tex would play Omaha Fats for $10 a game and Fats let him win and then tried to raise the bet and Tex would just quit as $40 bucks was a big score for him pissing Fats off.
I was there when the once in a century earthquake hit and Ronnie Allen and Minnesota Fats were playing one-pocket with no shot for Allen. After the quake, he was straight in and shot the final ball, grabbed the money, and Fats *****ing about "earthquakes don't count"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paulie Jansco threw him a rule book and told Fats to find it in the book; he failed. I have a tape from 1966 showing Luther Lassiter and Boston Shorty playing for the all-around championship; LL won. I was there when ABC was broadcasting the finals live on Wide World of Sports with Jim Mccay. I dupped the Jansco's out of 3-4 tickets for the TV in a scheme and they wouldn't let us in and yelling was going on at the door. Mccay yelled out, let the bastards in, we are on the air in a few minutes; mission accomplished for $6.00! ABC presented a plaque to the Jansco brothers recognizing the event and a very close friend of mine stole it off the wall and has it today.
Luther Lassiter would practice daily drinking while he played as he couldn't get a game and I would make his drinks and mine while I racked for him as he would play straight pool and nine ball left handed to kill time with his "fist" grip I still use today. I saw Hubert Cokes flash tens of thousands of cash suckering dreamers into giving him too much weight in one pocket.
I left school after a lengthy stay as I was not as smart as the rest of the kids and missing Johnson City, I quit pool for 35 years as it seemed boring after JC and recently started playing again as Derby City Classic is as close to replicating JC as we will get. Went to the Jeanette Lee "Black Widow Experience" and received lessons from the Spider, George (Mr. Lee), the Assassin, Sledgehammer, Jerry Braiseth, and Mark Wilson. It was great and I played DCC last year and made room reservations before i left last year and am entered again; it is a great week. In some ways, it is better than JC as you didn't have Detroit Whitey's Dog crapping all of the place.
I could go on but it is late.
Black Widow's Pet
Colin, I went to Southern Illinois University in the 60's and heard of this tournament, went there 1 time, began playing pool, grades dropped from a's to c's but learned a lot about pool. Went every day and night for many years and slept on the benches and in my car as Freddie B. did; didn't know him though. 2 students got involved in the tournament; Bob Brandalino played in the straight pool and was involved unknowingly in a fixed match. Dennis "Tex" Gieske, the "jerk" who tried to hustle me my first day in school and having never seen a pool table forcing me to play every day and kick his butt in 6 months. Tex would play Omaha Fats for $10 a game and Fats let him win and then tried to raise the bet and Tex would just quit as $40 bucks was a big score for him pissing Fats off.
I was there when the once in a century earthquake hit and Ronnie Allen and Minnesota Fats were playing one-pocket with no shot for Allen. After the quake, he was straight in and shot the final ball, grabbed the money, and Fats *****ing about "earthquakes don't count"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paulie Jansco threw him a rule book and told Fats to find it in the book; he failed. I have a tape from 1966 showing Luther Lassiter and Boston Shorty playing for the all-around championship; LL won. I was there when ABC was broadcasting the finals live on Wide World of Sports with Jim Mccay. I dupped the Jansco's out of 3-4 tickets for the TV in a scheme and they wouldn't let us in and yelling was going on at the door. Mccay yelled out, let the bastards in, we are on the air in a few minutes; mission accomplished for $6.00! ABC presented a plaque to the Jansco brothers recognizing the event and a very close friend of mine stole it off the wall and has it today.
Luther Lassiter would practice daily drinking while he played as he couldn't get a game and I would make his drinks and mine while I racked for him as he would play straight pool and nine ball left handed to kill time with his "fist" grip I still use today. I saw Hubert Cokes flash tens of thousands of cash suckering dreamers into giving him too much weight in one pocket.
I left school after a lengthy stay as I was not as smart as the rest of the kids and missing Johnson City, I quit pool for 35 years as it seemed boring after JC and recently started playing again as Derby City Classic is as close to replicating JC as we will get. Went to the Jeanette Lee "Black Widow Experience" and received lessons from the Spider, George (Mr. Lee), the Assassin, Sledgehammer, Jerry Braiseth, and Mark Wilson. It was great and I played DCC last year and made room reservations before i left last year and am entered again; it is a great week. In some ways, it is better than JC as you didn't have Detroit Whitey's Dog crapping all of the place.
I could go on but it is late.
Black Widow's Pet
How do I get it?
Where the hell did you get it, and how could I get to see it?
the
Beard
Mick56 said:
Where the hell did you get it, and how could I get to see it?
the
Beard
Ah, the memories...
What great posts by Dababe and Pinocchio! Dababe mentioned 2 guys I havent heard mentioned in 25 yrs., Bob Brandolino and Dennis Geiske. Brandolino only played straight pool but Geiske and I played many times. Exciting? Driving down there, when I would get as close as West Frankfurt, which was only about 6 miles away, I wanted to get out and run alongside the car. That's how anxious I was to get there.
Fats was such a fabulous personality that whenever he showed up he could lug the whole joint along with him, wherever he wanted to go. Everybody, myself included would follow him blindly, listening wide-eyed to whatever would pop out of his mouth. George Jansco would beg Fats to lug the crowd somewheres near the bar where he could then sell a few drinks. Fats would bark and demean all hustlers there, from Wimpy on down and nobody dared to challenge him. He went so far as to tell a story of playing Wimpy in Norfolk VA, and beating him so bad that Wimpy crapped in his pants and had to go next door to the Army/Navy store and buy a new outfit to keep playing.
He then forced Wimpy to admit that the story was gospel in front of the crowd. Unbelieveably, Wimpy vouched for the story, desparately hoping Fats would get off of him and on to somebody else.
Incidentally, does anybody remember how bad Martin 'Omaha Fats" Keiman smelled? His ever present T-Shirt was always loaded with mustard and crumbs.
I also dont believe he ever sluffed off 40$ trying to get somebody to raise the bet. Ten a game was the most I ever seen him play for.
the Beard
My next book, The GosPool is now at the printer. Dont get shut out.
What great posts by Dababe and Pinocchio! Dababe mentioned 2 guys I havent heard mentioned in 25 yrs., Bob Brandolino and Dennis Geiske. Brandolino only played straight pool but Geiske and I played many times. Exciting? Driving down there, when I would get as close as West Frankfurt, which was only about 6 miles away, I wanted to get out and run alongside the car. That's how anxious I was to get there.
Fats was such a fabulous personality that whenever he showed up he could lug the whole joint along with him, wherever he wanted to go. Everybody, myself included would follow him blindly, listening wide-eyed to whatever would pop out of his mouth. George Jansco would beg Fats to lug the crowd somewheres near the bar where he could then sell a few drinks. Fats would bark and demean all hustlers there, from Wimpy on down and nobody dared to challenge him. He went so far as to tell a story of playing Wimpy in Norfolk VA, and beating him so bad that Wimpy crapped in his pants and had to go next door to the Army/Navy store and buy a new outfit to keep playing.
He then forced Wimpy to admit that the story was gospel in front of the crowd. Unbelieveably, Wimpy vouched for the story, desparately hoping Fats would get off of him and on to somebody else.
Incidentally, does anybody remember how bad Martin 'Omaha Fats" Keiman smelled? His ever present T-Shirt was always loaded with mustard and crumbs.
I also dont believe he ever sluffed off 40$ trying to get somebody to raise the bet. Ten a game was the most I ever seen him play for.
the Beard
My next book, The GosPool is now at the printer. Dont get shut out.
DABABE said:
When you mention Detroit Whitey's dog crapping all over the place, I nearly fell out of this chair. He could play, but, he was without a doubt, the most miserable, digusting human being I ever saw in a pool room.
He came through back in the early 70's in this pickup with a camper on it and parked behind the Fun Center in Denver. Old Pic sent me out to wake him up for some prop game. I knocked on the back door of that camper and he stuck his head out and there were a couple of dogs in there with him. Within a couple of seconds, I could smell a *********** smell like I have not smelled since. I nearly passed out right there.
While I'm at it, I saw that Whitey accept a bet and win that was the sickest most low down thing I've ever seen in my life. It was so sick that I can't even figure out how to post it.
freddy the beard said:
OMG, Freddy, you had me cracking up. Old Marty could get to smelling pretty rough and yep he was one of the biggest NITS I've ever known.
I surely don't intend to discount Dababe's great post, but the only way Martin would begin to sluff off $40 is if it were somebody else's money.
Detroit Whitey and Omaha Fats were indeed incredible characters.
BTW, Freddy, How is the knee doing?
freddy the beard said:
Everybody always talks about Fats, but Omaha Fats could be just as funny. I can hear his voice to this day. He had a deep gravelly voice, and he always started his sentences in sort of a sweet soothing tone. Then he launched into the punch line, and his voice took on a wicked harsh tone. Come on Freddie chime in here. If I'm lying I'm dying.
He was consistently sarcastic about Fats, who had all the fame and glory. Normally he only spoke about Fatty when he wasn't around, but I remember one time the Fat man stepped into the room during an Omaha moment. They got into a 'tete a tete' that was hilarious, and neither one gave an inch, with barbs being traded back and forth. Oh, to have that on tape. Omaha hit Fatty with a few zingers, but the Fat man delivered the best lines in the end. He was unflappable.
Omaha ALWAYS wore a super large T-shirt (he was a much wider body than Fats), and it ALWAYS had food stains on it. ALWAYS! You could tell what he had for lunch. His specialty, if you will, was robbing the young kids who came to watch the pros. Guys like Freddie and me and the others posting here. He would woo you by telling you how good you played. Right Freddie? And then ask for a spot! Finally he would convince you to play for maybe $2 a game, or a $1 on the Five and $2 on the Nine.
After he beat you for $8 or $10 dollars, he might offer to play One Handed, if you spotted him the 7, 8 and 9. He could play One Handed. My first year in JC, Omaha got me for $10. A year later I was much improved, but he remembered me and asked me to play again. This time I won two games, and he went off on how great I was and asked me for some ridiculous spot. He was so hilarious and completely over the top, you couldn't dislike him. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of Omaha, and his commentary on the top players and the world at large.
Even though he would never play a top player, he would frequently joust with them verbally. Any facet of your life was open for examination when Omaha was talking. Once in a while, he would match up a game with some top player. They would actually offer to give him the 5 and the Break or something like that. When that happened, he would laugh at them and say something like "Just kidding, why would i want to play you. It would kill all my action". And everyone would crack up.
That was the Omaha Fats I remember, another unique pool character. Now Freddie, did I nail my man?
Dead on, Jay
Omaha had lines like,"If any of these big boys want to give me 8 to 4 and the break, then we can bet some real money!" and, "These guys talk about gambling, but if somebody gives me 8 to 2 and I play with the wing, I'll show you all some gambling." and on and on. He used to act like he was crazy. After being around him for so many tournaments, I came to realized that he really didnt have all his marbles. About 50% of his looney act was for real.
And youre right, Jay, he was insanely jealous of Fats. Fats once said if you gave Omaha a blood test it would come out 40% hot dog and 60% coca cola.
Ironman,
the knee is coming along great. See everybody in Derby city. What horrible incident were you privy to with Detroit Whitey?
When he chewed up his dog, Windy in Jacksonville, FL., or when he chewed up the 75 yr old rack woman at the Rack and Cue in Detroit. Or was it some other hideous event that I hadnt heard about?
the Beard
jay helfert said:
Omaha had lines like,"If any of these big boys want to give me 8 to 4 and the break, then we can bet some real money!" and, "These guys talk about gambling, but if somebody gives me 8 to 2 and I play with the wing, I'll show you all some gambling." and on and on. He used to act like he was crazy. After being around him for so many tournaments, I came to realized that he really didnt have all his marbles. About 50% of his looney act was for real.
And youre right, Jay, he was insanely jealous of Fats. Fats once said if you gave Omaha a blood test it would come out 40% hot dog and 60% coca cola.
Ironman,
the knee is coming along great. See everybody in Derby city. What horrible incident were you privy to with Detroit Whitey?
When he chewed up his dog, Windy in Jacksonville, FL., or when he chewed up the 75 yr old rack woman at the Rack and Cue in Detroit. Or was it some other hideous event that I hadnt heard about?
the Beard
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This is simply fantastic. I agree with a lot of the things said here and what a great find...
What about a discovery channel show or something kind of like MTV's true life....(sorry to mention MTV because it's worthless, but discovery would do it right)
You think this kind of thing could happen? Wouldn't that get the average media more interested to sit down and watch the boob tube?
Not sure..but I'd pay to watch it
What about a discovery channel show or something kind of like MTV's true life....(sorry to mention MTV because it's worthless, but discovery would do it right)
You think this kind of thing could happen? Wouldn't that get the average media more interested to sit down and watch the boob tube?
Not sure..but I'd pay to watch it
Bob Brandalino And Dennis "rex" Gieske
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THESE 2 GUYS ARE? BOB TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT STRAIGHT POOL AND "TEX" TAUGHT ME MANY THINGS AS WELL:
1. RUDENESS
2. JAMES BROWN DANCING
3. PRAYING TO JOE DAVIS BEFORE EVERY MATCH
4. DID I SAY RUDE?
5. THE MICHAEL JORDAN OF BABY POWDER
6. HOT BABES
7. FRIEND WITH MY BROTHER
8. GOOD PLAYER
I WANT TO FIND HIM FOR THE NAME OF THE OLD GIRL FRIEND WHO I TOOK OUT IN CHICAGO WHILE "TEX" WAS SPENDING HIS 8TH AND 9TH YEAR ATTEMPTING TO GET A DEGREE IN SOMETHING.
lOVE TO SEE THEM BOTH; BRANDALINO AND TEX'S OLD GAL.
BLACK WIDOW'S PET
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THESE 2 GUYS ARE? BOB TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT STRAIGHT POOL AND "TEX" TAUGHT ME MANY THINGS AS WELL:
1. RUDENESS
2. JAMES BROWN DANCING
3. PRAYING TO JOE DAVIS BEFORE EVERY MATCH
4. DID I SAY RUDE?
5. THE MICHAEL JORDAN OF BABY POWDER
6. HOT BABES
7. FRIEND WITH MY BROTHER
8. GOOD PLAYER
I WANT TO FIND HIM FOR THE NAME OF THE OLD GIRL FRIEND WHO I TOOK OUT IN CHICAGO WHILE "TEX" WAS SPENDING HIS 8TH AND 9TH YEAR ATTEMPTING TO GET A DEGREE IN SOMETHING.
lOVE TO SEE THEM BOTH; BRANDALINO AND TEX'S OLD GAL.
BLACK WIDOW'S PET
Thanks anyway
Somebody else is sending me one. Thanks anyway.
the Beard
dmgwalsh said:
Somebody else is sending me one. Thanks anyway.
the Beard