Well, I have a few stories about the Fusco crew. I"m in southeast PA, and if you play pool in this area, the name Fusco is like going to the phillipines and saying Efren!.
I worked at the room called "The Cue Corner" located in Downingtown PA. Each year we had a 14.1 invitational event, and the Fuscos.....Petey and Jimmy were invited.
It was known Jimmy was slightly stronger overall then Petey, and if you were playing 1P or banks....Jimmy Is a MONSTER!
I remember the morning of the Tourney showing up at 6am and, brushing the tables at 6:30 AM thinking....holy crap...the New York and South Philly crew is gonna be here soon, i gotta get this place lookin sweet! There's something I still feel brushing my home table that I used to feel back then.
The Fusco crew would show up about the same time as Allen Hopkins, Danny Barouty, Jack Calovito, Bob Maidhoff or any number of New York killers in their "who gives a crap, I'll put a quick 100 on you" style .
I always wanted the coffee to be fresh, the room to be clean, and the bathrooms somewhat acceptable
.....classy as they were, no one complained.
Standing behind the counter, I got to hand out coffee, hop dogs, and racks of balls to players like Rempe, Varner, Hopkins, Sigel, Barouti, Calovito, Toth, and the Fusco crew....not to mention a bunch of others I'm trying to remember in my nostalgic haze.
We played in a tiny 8 table room of Brunswick Gold Crown II's with seating close enough to worry if a world champ was gonna get sharked by your knee cap....and tables just covered to satisfy the world class field about to swooop down and run 100's.
During the matches you could sneek in early and sit hostage on a seat til the match began. Most of hte players would chat with you, and in your head you just wanted to nod and not sound like a complete banger, while contemplating the next break ball.
While watching Jimmy Fusco I would always think of how easy the patterns looked......all the while he was making positional plays that MADE the game look simple to the rail bird and impossible to the player!
The last year the South Philly crew showed up I ......uhhhhhh......ummmm stupidly? sold 2 Black Boar cues to them. Those gus must have known the quality of those cues, and I just knew I was gonna make a hundred or 2....GOD, the cues I let go....Richard BLacks, Pillippes, Mottey, Joss, Palmers, Black Boars......wait...I'm gonna puke......!
ok....if you get a chance to watch some old school Fusco vid,.....do it! ESPECIALLY if you get to see Jimmy Matts in the VHS battle with Jimmy Fusco......great fun.
I'll post more when I remember the stories.....
G.
I worked at the room called "The Cue Corner" located in Downingtown PA. Each year we had a 14.1 invitational event, and the Fuscos.....Petey and Jimmy were invited.
It was known Jimmy was slightly stronger overall then Petey, and if you were playing 1P or banks....Jimmy Is a MONSTER!
I remember the morning of the Tourney showing up at 6am and, brushing the tables at 6:30 AM thinking....holy crap...the New York and South Philly crew is gonna be here soon, i gotta get this place lookin sweet! There's something I still feel brushing my home table that I used to feel back then.
The Fusco crew would show up about the same time as Allen Hopkins, Danny Barouty, Jack Calovito, Bob Maidhoff or any number of New York killers in their "who gives a crap, I'll put a quick 100 on you" style .
I always wanted the coffee to be fresh, the room to be clean, and the bathrooms somewhat acceptable
.....classy as they were, no one complained.Standing behind the counter, I got to hand out coffee, hop dogs, and racks of balls to players like Rempe, Varner, Hopkins, Sigel, Barouti, Calovito, Toth, and the Fusco crew....not to mention a bunch of others I'm trying to remember in my nostalgic haze.
We played in a tiny 8 table room of Brunswick Gold Crown II's with seating close enough to worry if a world champ was gonna get sharked by your knee cap....and tables just covered to satisfy the world class field about to swooop down and run 100's.
During the matches you could sneek in early and sit hostage on a seat til the match began. Most of hte players would chat with you, and in your head you just wanted to nod and not sound like a complete banger, while contemplating the next break ball.
While watching Jimmy Fusco I would always think of how easy the patterns looked......all the while he was making positional plays that MADE the game look simple to the rail bird and impossible to the player!
The last year the South Philly crew showed up I ......uhhhhhh......ummmm stupidly? sold 2 Black Boar cues to them. Those gus must have known the quality of those cues, and I just knew I was gonna make a hundred or 2....GOD, the cues I let go....Richard BLacks, Pillippes, Mottey, Joss, Palmers, Black Boars......wait...I'm gonna puke......!
ok....if you get a chance to watch some old school Fusco vid,.....do it! ESPECIALLY if you get to see Jimmy Matts in the VHS battle with Jimmy Fusco......great fun.
I'll post more when I remember the stories.....
G.
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