Dave died under mysterious circumstances several years back. All his expensive cues came up missing???
Rusty was a very good Bank Pool player who wasn't afraid to bet it up.
Names from the past
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
Dave died under mysterious circumstances several years back. All his expensive cues came up missing???
Rusty was a very good Bank Pool player who wasn't afraid to bet it up.
Joe was one of the better bar pool players around L.A. for many years. I was always battling him in the Westside Eight Ball leagues. It was my team or his for first place every year. He left town for a long while and haven't heard much about him since he returned.
I just spoke to SweatHead this morning and he told me that he won that game with Winnie Bennie. He said he won small money. When I was a child he was my hero, my idol. SweatHead stood tall and majestic always wearing a well tailored suit, his Park Royal hat and spotless saddle shoes. When he walked down the street all you could see was this great man owning his path. He is alive and well and he tells me stories of his famous life for hours on end. He is the most fascinating professional pool player, who remembers every detail, every name, date, time of day, club and the weather. He was great friends with Fedora, Winnie Bennie, Thomas Elkins, Red Terry, Mike Ives (high school buddies), Bud Hypes and so so many more. They don't make guys like this anymore ~ the greats! SweatHead is sharp as a wit to this day and has always been the kindest and sweetest man I have ever known. In his younger day, he was a man you never crossed. When it came to pool, he only played to win because that is the only reason to play. I bet he could still clear the table and take your last nickel. He always told me "Don't take any wooden nickels". He is also a Navy Veteran. Happy Memorial Day SweatHead!
Joe still lives on the westside. He works in construction still. He stopped playing on a consistent basis a few years ago. He can still shoot quite well though when motivated.
we had some fun and sometimes wild times together on the road.
Rusty and I traveled around the country together on a few occasions and never booked a loser. Rusty was one of the best bank pool players in the country at the time (played 9/8 under Bugs) and we both played all games on all tables pretty well. He went by "Tommy Tucker" (the pool sucker) and I went by "Butch" (Ca$hidy).
Rusty played a LOT of high dollar gambling games when he lived in Houston and was one of the best players down there, even Earl wouldn't play him anything but 9 Ball (Earl played the 8 better).
I miss Rusty, I hear he's doing well running an APA League just outside of St. Louis. I hope that's true, we had some fun and sometimes wild times together on the road.
Rusty and I traveled around the country together on a few occasions and never booked a loser. Rusty was one of the best bank pool players in the country at the time (played 9/8 under Bugs) and we both played all games on all tables pretty well. He went by "Tommy Tucker" (the pool sucker) and I went by "Butch" (Ca$hidy).
Rusty played a LOT of high dollar gambling games when he lived in Houston and was one of the best players down there, even Earl wouldn't play him anything but 9 Ball (Earl played the 8 better).
I miss Rusty, I hear he's doing well running an APA League just outside of St. Louis. I hope that's true, we had some fun and sometimes wild times together on the road.
David Nottingham means lots to me, we were good friends, used to go do laundry together, swap stories, he taught me lots. we both liked cars he was always adding wood to the interior of his accord. he was whacked, not "bad fish" food poison IMO. His cues and bank roll were gone, he was on the way up to his Aunts for the summer, like every year. I knew him after he stopped drinking 90%, i only saw him drink once i gave him a ride home. i didnt like him like that, so we probably wouldnt have been friends if he was still on the bottle when we met,
Rusty runs a league in the St. Louis area. Has been at it for about 20 years or so.
Great Thread
I grew up on the south side of Chicago (Indiana actually) and played mostly in a bowling named Stardust in Hammond. Played alot with Dick Weaver as teen agers in the late sixties.
I know Dick went on the road and played at Johnson City and many other tournaments around the country all his life. Haven't seen Dick since then. Anybody here know Dick, know any stories about him or where he is these days?
Darmoose
I grew up on the south side of Chicago (Indiana actually) and played mostly in a bowling named Stardust in Hammond. Played alot with Dick Weaver as teen agers in the late sixties.
I know Dick went on the road and played at Johnson City and many other tournaments around the country all his life. Haven't seen Dick since then. Anybody here know Dick, know any stories about him or where he is these days?
Darmoose
SweatHead is alive and well. SweatHead beat Winnie Bennie that game and won small money. I asked him about Guys & Dolls and he was never banned. The owner was a good friend of his. As to how could he afford to play all the time? News flash ~ He had a full time job and he only played to win. He has done quite well for himself. The man is an amazing pool player and to this day I can't beat him. He's 86 and very healthy. Boy, does he have some stories to tell.
I played 9-ball at the Stardust when I was a kid....
...played a young black player who won the first 5 games flawlessly...
...the sixth game he missed a straight-in 9-ball...and lucked it three in the corner.
..he said "All that, and I'm gonna get lucky too? Well, that'll be just fiiiine!"
Chris McGeehan played at the old room in downtown Gary...he hadn't been
beat for 15 years on the 5x10 snooker table....lotta locals didn't even know his name...
...they just called him the Champion
Either get him to join AZ or relate more of his stories, please.
Guffy.
John Guffy is alive and well. Almost more famous for his sneaky petes as his better cues. His SP are a very regional thing as no one gets rid of them. Worked at Mathis Brothers for 17 years and now still selling furniture at Bob Mills furniture. He was showing up at AAA Billiards to play 3 cushion sometimes. Plays regularly with Gordy Vandiver who I believe is a Grand Master champ. Nice guy. Very analytical. I believe Jim Ingram bought his equip when John got away from cue building. He also wrote for a billiard magazine at one time.
John Guffy is alive and well. Almost more famous for his sneaky petes as his better cues. His SP are a very regional thing as no one gets rid of them. Worked at Mathis Brothers for 17 years and now still selling furniture at Bob Mills furniture. He was showing up at AAA Billiards to play 3 cushion sometimes. Plays regularly with Gordy Vandiver who I believe is a Grand Master champ. Nice guy. Very analytical. I believe Jim Ingram bought his equip when John got away from cue building. He also wrote for a billiard magazine at one time.
Don Guffy ran more than black jack tables in the back rooms. He also had a herd of gals working for him as far as I could tell. Don was a money man and good action if he thought the spot was right. I sort of get nightmares when I think of the times I played Guffy... not because of his pool game though.
Eldridge was a friend of mine and did his best to match me up with every player that passed through. I was at sea when New York Blacky came to play - sorry I missed that experience. I was playing Buddy Dennis at Tucker's Billiard Academy when some drunk in a suit came in and was making an obstacle (as in ass) of himself at our table. Stupid comments while one of us was down on a shot, leaning on the table, leaning over the table... that sort of thing. We were only playing for $50/game but it didn't take long before I told the guy to get away from our table and sit down somewhere. He then pitched a fit and told me he would go get his gun and blast me to hell. Out the door he went and when he came back in he obviously had a gun in his hip pocket. He looked ready to pull it out when something must have clued him that he was about to get himself shot from more than one direction. He sat down across the room, mouthed a bit, then got up and left.
You didn't mess around too much in Charleston in those days.
I had a Doubles 8 ball partner named Bill Robertson from Albuquerque NM. in the early '80's great player. He and I never lost a game let alone a match in two years. He was a GIANT guy. 7'-2" 400 lbs..... looked like Paul Bunion (beard, plaid shirt, coveralls, huge boots) don't know what happened to that guy. He moved back to New Mexico from Idaho and I never heard from him again. Anyone know of him????
I remember them all.
I used to play Slim at the Palace downtown Dallas. I could never beat him there.
The day the Hustler came out I went downtown to the pool room ( I must have been sixteen or seventeen) and told Slim I would play him some more 9 ball after the movie. When I came back to the Palace I beat his brains out and he never beat me playing anything again.
Jerry Trigg had the best stroke I have enter seen with the exception of Marvin Henderson. He had one problem. When he could just stop his ball for position he would draw it 3 rails to the same spot. Eventually it would catch up with him.
Marcus, Woppy and Timmy Strayer were the best bumper pool players in the world. They would play 100-200 dollar challenge bumper pool in the early 60's. That would be like 10K a game today.
I was playing 1000 a game 9 ball (betting my own) then and bought a new Corvette for 4K.
Where are the money players today?
Bill S.