M HOUSE said:
One of the best 'keep a thread alive' posts ever. Great stuff.
Has my story on Jimmy Matz been posted? I composed it at the wrong spot & am not sure if it posted
Jimmy Matz & I were good friends & played almost daily at Heister's Lane which is the bowling alley mentioned earlier. I was a good player but Jimmy spotted me 75 points in a 200 point game with me breaking. I never won a game. Often the only shot I had was the break as he would run 100 & out. 1 time he scratched on an in the pack shot & I ran 20. Score 95 to -1. Final score was 100 to 95 as he ran 101 & out. To think I played a world class player for only the cost of time on the table! My favorite Jimmy story was when Jimmy Caras was giving an exhibition at Kutztown College & said I hear there us a kid here who thinks he can beat me. They played a 125 point game with Matz winning 125 to 71! Caras didn't like loosing to a young college student! That may be the only time that happened. Another time Jimmy was visiting me in Miami & I took him to Congress Billiards to play Larry Lascoti who was world 9 ball champion. He did not know who Jimmy was & gave him 2 balls in a race tob10 for $1,000 that I backed him with. He ate Larry up! After, Larry told him he was as good as anyone in the world. I saw him run 9 racks of 9 ball which was amazing. Also ran 284 on a Brunswick GC with shimmed pockets at Heisters. He just stopped at 284 because he was hungry. That us how easy it was for him to run hundreds. He was the best shot, position player & safety player I ever saw. Add in the fact that he was fearless made him almost impossible to beat! I even recruited him to play on my team in a bar league. Team was loaded & could have toured the country. I moved away from Reading in 1973 but came back to visit my I'll mother. The last time I saw Jimmy was on such a visit. It was in the early 80's & I saw Jimmy walking in a light rain. I gave him a ride home & noticed he had an obvious traumatic brain injury from a car accident that made it necessary to have a plate in his skull. Very painful to see him like that. Yrs later a friend told me Jimmy committed suicide with his father's 38 revolver. AWFUL!
He spotted me 75 in a 100 point game not 200.
Is it Jimmy's Balabushka? If so, that cue was at Proficent in Ephrata, PA for Refinishing. There is a framed picture of Jimmy in his stance down on the table as if he was shooting. When I knew Jimmy he did not drink at all. The accident caused a traumatic brain injury that caused over issues such as a drinking problem. What a shame! It was painful for me to seeing how affected he was the when I picked him up while walking in the rain & gave him a lift home. Rest in peace Jimmy. ... Jersey Jan
I had been driving up to Leisure Lanes from Reading while visiting friends there. Leisure Lanes had GC's that played well A few of the players knew Jimmy & Ace. Had a good time. Just recently I was visiting old friends in Berks County & found Club Med in New Holland, PA on line & drove up. It was worth the drive as it's one of the best if not the best poolrooms I've ever been to. Have you been there? I went to York College in the 60's & plated in both rooms, 1 on Market & the other on George. I also played in a straight pool league that had quite a few very good players. Father & son Franklin & John Hubbard & a young player from Hanover named Kenny. Any of those names familiar?
Ace has always been a gentleman! He was 1 of the best players from Reading but was no match for Jimmy Matz. Does anyone know Mac Duncan? He had a lot of potential & was just starting to be a good player. We played each other many times at Paradice Billiards on S 9th St in Reading. In those days Mac was no match for me.
I love those Jimmy Matz stories. In my pöst I tell a few myself as we were good friends. When I lived in Reading. Wedge, we must know each other from Heisters as I was there every day until I moved away. On 1 of the posts a jabo was mentioned. I believe he was talking about me, J Sabo as I was a good player. These Forums are very informative & entertaining. Nice to be in contact with other serious players.