Luther Lassiter loses to unknown player in Oakland - 1955
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Norm The Farmer Webber?
I was thinking Ted Ito. Although Ted is probably older than your guy, and I think Ted still plays tournaments.
Doc
Doc
I bet to differ
It depends on where you traveled. And besides this was in Oakland, not very racially separated like the south. They could traveled throughout the west with no problem. In Oakland at that time it very well could have been Oakland Herbie. A great player and hustler.
Rickw said:
It depends on where you traveled. And besides this was in Oakland, not very racially separated like the south. They could traveled throughout the west with no problem. In Oakland at that time it very well could have been Oakland Herbie. A great player and hustler.
Chia Ching Wu? Alex Pagulyan? Danny Harriman? 
Seriously though, I don't believe the story. The dude is effectively claiming to be the greatest 9 ball player ever.
This kind of reminds me of another fish tale. When I was working as a guitar teacher, one of the other teachers I worked with claimed that he tried out to be the new guitarist for Our Lady Peace. He said that he was offered the position but he turned them down. Pure BS in my opinion. If Britney Spears offered me a guitarist position on her world tour, I would take it in a heart beat. Musical integrity be damned, I just want the money.
Seriously though, I don't believe the story. The dude is effectively claiming to be the greatest 9 ball player ever.
This kind of reminds me of another fish tale. When I was working as a guitar teacher, one of the other teachers I worked with claimed that he tried out to be the new guitarist for Our Lady Peace. He said that he was offered the position but he turned them down. Pure BS in my opinion. If Britney Spears offered me a guitarist position on her world tour, I would take it in a heart beat. Musical integrity be damned, I just want the money
.
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Cameron Smith said:Chia Ching Wu? Alex Pagulyan? Danny Harriman?
Seriously though, I don't believe the story. The dude is effectively claiming to be the greatest 9 ball player ever.
This kind of reminds me of another fish tale. When I was working as a guitar teacher, one of the other teachers I worked with claimed that he tried out to be the new guitarist for Our Lady Peace. He said that he was offered the position but he turned them down. Pure BS in my opinion. If Britney Spears offered me a guitarist position on her world tour, I would take it in a heart beat. Musical integrity be damned, I just want the money
Yeah, I asked him why he didn't go. He said he just got married. I said a good woman and a good job have killed more pool players than drugs and alcohol combined.
He goes by Chico. You can find him at the broken rack every day. He loves to watch pool and likes to share his stories once you get to know him a little.
Cheers,
RC
I remember Chico...played fair in the 70's. If it's the same Chico, he smokes cigars and isn't very tall. Used to hang out at Chino's in Oakland...room that produced Billy Palmer (his dad was a good player!), Mark Haddad, Chris McDonald and more. Bucktooth and RA hung there for a bit in the early 70's.
CoolChicky said:
Yep, that's him. Quite a few of the guys I play with regularly used to practically live at Chino's. Sounds like a place with a lot of stories, too bad it closed before I moved here so I never got a chance to go there.
And think about it. Most of the guys I know who played there are in their 50's and played a lot at Chino's in the 70's. They all say he played very good then. But he was already in his 50's. They probably weren't around when he was playing in his prime.
Cheers,
RC
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RoadAgent said:
It wars a joke...
freddy the beard said:
He's dead Fred
justnick said:
Nope...two different characters. Oakland Blackie hung out at Queens on Webster Street in Alameda during the late 60's and early 70's. I remember him wanting to match up when I purchased a Robinson cue there. Another good room in Alameda was the Blue Carpet from which Tall Paul and Billy Aguero hailed. There was decent money from the Navy base there but when it closed things went south. I think Tooth owned a piece of Queens in Alameda. He also owned Freddies in Castro Valley and another room, Q's in Hayward.
In Berkeley there was always the Student Union at Cal, Kipps where Chris McDonald worked or Town and Country on University where Tony Bowles played in the 60's.
Chino's (formerly Silver Q) was a great room. Chino (Augustine Ballesteros) owned 12th Street Pool Hall in downtown Oakland which closed in the late 60's. I was very young then but remember that the place had a lot of tables and tons of action. I can remember a dozen or so rooms in the Downtown/Chinatown area...all gone now. I first learned to play at a small Oakland room named Cortez on Webster Street. All the old Filipino men played rotation...big surprise there, huh? In around '65 or so there was a Filipino player named Bigfoot who spotted everybody 2 to 3 balls playing 6 ball. 6 ball was a nickel a rack and the house man (Chris) would rack the balls for you. Nine ball was ten cents a rack and it cost 60 cents/hour for table time. The old clay balls used to crack so they kept a basket of replacement balls on the floor next to the spittoon...funny stuff. I only got to go there because my older brothers took me. Needless to say I was the only girl there.
Chino's was a great one pocket room. I learned the game from a couple of decent players...Rushout Red and J__ Joe (he was Japanese and I don't wan't to use the racist J word). Joe passed away in '88 or so, Rushout Red went back to Topeka I believe. Oakland Herbie was/is a master at Three Card Monte and used to play some.
Getting back to Chico, I remember a couple of guys that I regarded as players telling me that he had game at one time. Anyways, thanks for the thread as it brings back some fond memories.
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