Names from the past

[jrhendy]

That's Harold Johnson. He moved to Southern Illinois from Chicago. I first met him at Ye Billiard Den in Hollywood. He was a schoolteacher then. A very square looking guy. We played a set of 9 ball for ? and the time. I didnt even put up because I knew he was a teacher of children. As I was shooting in the last 9 ball to win the set, out of the corner of my eye I spotted him running out the door. I shot out after him, but his car was parked in front of the joint and he made it inside. I cursed him vehemently as he pulled away.
Years later in Chicago he paid off that debt.
We played a lot in Chicago, I loved playing him. I knew he was at any moment subject to go on tilt.
We were playing a serious set of 9 Ball at Marie's Golden Cue in Chicago. The joint was near closing and we were on the session game. A large crowd formed knowing that Hal might provide some excitement.
He was running out perfectly, humming to himself with a big shit-eating grin all over his face. The eight and nine were in the middle of the table, and he was shooting at an easy seven ball. He took a correct 2 rail path to the eight which was an easy shot in the side, when the cue ball with an apparent mind of its own, headed for a snooker behind the nine ball. Hal watched with wide eyes as the cue ball crept toward a spot behind the nine. It just barely got there, and when it did Hal slammed his forehead into the slate with brute force! The joint went up for grabs as Hal staggered around. I had to lead him back to the table to take his final kick at the eight ball. He missed it of course, giving me cue ball in hand. I was laughing so hard I almost had a tuff time getting out.

Beard

It was George Michaels (from San Fran, nee Chicago) the good 9 ball player whose cue Hal broke after missing a ball. An incredulous George, didnt know what to do so he broke Hal's cue.

Just a little hijack here for a George story a few years back.

It was at a tournament at Hard Times, Sacramento. George did not like the cue ball in the rack he was playing with. He took it to the tournament director and asked for an exchange. He said no, so George walked over, opened the door and threw the cue ball down the road. He then asked if he could get another cue ball. They barred him for several months.

 

[Pushout]

I last saw Three Finger Ron at one of the BC Opens. He was staying with Gary Pinkowski. I heard Gary on the phone in The Pocket Billiard Lounge talking to a doctor to try and get him to fill Ron's "prescription" because he forgot it when he came up from Florida. May have been legit but you know Gary!

 

[bbb]

while everyone is remembering
does anyone know/remember ed morgan ?aka jim the harvard kid???

 

[chefjeff]

Jay...I think Bill Mielke is still playing. in the I've seen his name in the Vegas nationals for one league or another. Paul Baker still lives in or near Des Moines, and plays regularly. Buddy Dennis was still playing 10 yrs ago, when I last saw him, in SC.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Find Paul Baker at any of the local casinos, near or at the poker or sports book rooms.

Jeff Livingston

 

[nevermiss]

Thank you Wedge! Anyone out there remember Chuck Morgan, the best pool hustler in the Midwest 40 years ago. And there was Ernest Morgan, the One Armed Bandit, who actually only had one good arm. He was more notorious than good, but he hustled his way across the country and back putting on exhibitions (for $75) in bars and then hustling the patrons.

I grew up around Cleveland and just talked to a friend on mine back home and got some stories about Chuck Morgan.

He bought a dirty set of overalls from a foundry worker at Ford and used to go around to the bars by the Ford and hustle pool. The bars around the factories were flush with cash back then.

Also, there was a regular partners game of straight pool with Chuck, Billy Stover, Harry Dahl, and Tommy Parker that was played 50 no count.

When the room Le Cue opened up Willie Mosconi came in and did an exhibition to open the room. Before hand, Chuck played him and Willie was so impressed that he wanted to get Chuck a job with Brunswick doing exhibitions around the country. Chuck declined because he didn't want to expose his game.

My friend said that no one really knew when or where he practiced
and it seemed like he would just show up in a pool room. There was speculation that he had a table in a storefront somewhere that he would get sharp on.

 

[desi2960]

thinking about days past

i stakehorsed a player in kansas city name mike bank-o-vitch [ phonetic spelling of last name ] in the early 80's and have lost contact. anyone know him ?
played really s-l-o-w, and was great at match ups. he played a pimp one time and got the 7-8-9 if he played one handed $200 race to 7. we won $1200 that night. he played, i got drunk and hung out with the hookers.

 

[freddy the beard]

Just a little hijack here for a George story a few years back.

It was at a tournament at Hard Times, Sacramento. George did not like the cue ball in the rack he was playing with. He took it to the tournament director and asked for an exchange. He said no, so George walked over, opened the door and threw the cue ball down the road. He then asked if he could get another cue ball. They barred him for several months.

That's my old road partner, Georgie.:thumbup:

Beard

 

[freddy the beard]

I last saw Three Finger Ron at one of the BC Opens. He was staying with Gary Pinkowski. I heard Gary on the phone in The Pocket Billiard Lounge talking to a doctor to try and get him to fill Ron's "prescription" because he forgot it when he came up from Florida. May have been legit but you know Gary!

Ronnie had terrible asthma and needed those things you spray in your throat ever since he was a kid.

Beard

On the other side of that, he and I did periodically take an upper. (40 years ago)

 

[Anzan]

New to the Forum, I remember my cousin Mike Ives taking me to a pool hall in DC when I was 14. He was 16. I got one shot before he had a game and I sat against the wall while he played straight pool all night. I don't think he ever had a job after being a writer for Roanoke News, just played pool. He was a pretty good player and lives on his boat in Fla. now. Haven't seen him for 25 years or more. I'm sure he could give me some tips!

 

[denzy]

I day in the mid 90s, I was carrying on a conversation with Vernon Elliot about who Vernon thought the top rotation players he had ever seen play. He said for sure Chuck Morgan and Jimmy Reid were top 5. At that time Jimmy Reid was living in Nashville, still played really well. Never seen Chuck play but Vernon said Chuck was one of very few that could beat some guy from Bowling Green playing with the pee ball.

 

[jay helfert]

Jay,
Remember Tom Fisher from Norman Oklahoma mid 60's.

Yeah and I remember you too! Tommy taught me how to play One Pocket in the Union building at Oklahoma U. I was 18 then. The "lessons" cost me $5 a game and I was always good for $20-30. He also came to my apartment and punished me in Gin Rummy. Tommy and I became friendly and we made a short road trip to Oklahoma City. After beating a couple of guys we got steered into Norman Hitchcock. Guess how that turned out?

Tommy was a great card player and moved to Vegas in the early 70's, where he moved up the ladder to the biggest games. When I ran into Tommy in Vegas in the early 80's he was sitting on a multimillion dollar bankroll! He was very friendly with Billy Baxter and they became astute handicappers, beating the books for millions more! They bet so big that they moved the line.

Tommy was also a fantastic golfer, even though he was the size of Parica. On a par three course he was nearly unbeatable. I forget which pro golfers he beat (on a par three), but they were "name" golfers of that era. Last I heard he was pretty sick. Tommy is in his 70's now. He's a gambling legend in Vegas.

 

[ironman]

Have any of you guys seen or heard of Atrie Clemens? he was no champion by any means, but pretty fair short stop and a pretty good scufflere.
I haven't seen or heardof im since the middle 80's back in Denver.
he ehad worked for Bell Telephone briefly and went off the chart. he claimed to have information about their billing practices and that they were trying to hunt him down and eliminate him.
He stayed with my wife and I for a short while until one morning she said to get the weird SOB out of the house.
i staked him to go to nebraska. he showed back up about 3 months later and gave me $3500 for my end.
He could see music and hear colors! Not a bad guy though.
I was just curious whatever happened to the guy?

 

[jay helfert]

New to the Forum, I remember my cousin Mike Ives taking me to a pool hall in DC when I was 14. He was 16. I got one shot before he had a game and I sat against the wall while he played straight pool all night. I don't think he ever had a job after being a writer for Roanoke News, just played pool. He was a pretty good player and lives on his boat in Fla. now. Haven't seen him for 25 years or more. I'm sure he could give me some tips!

Ha Ha, I used to gamble with Mike years ago. We would play $20 One Pocket every time we ran into each other. I hope he's doing well. I liked him a lot, we always had fun hanging out and gambling.

 

[jay helfert]

Guy named "Barefoot" came through Augusta, GA in the late 60's, maybe early 70's. Cleaned everyone out over a period of 3-4 days. I heard he was from Atlanta but nobody was really sure. Never heard anything else about him.

I saw him play once in Detroit in the early 60's. He was wearing coveralls and looked like a hayseed farmer. Pancho hustled him to play and he beat the piss out of Pancho, busting him in record time. Left the old Pancher shaking his head in disbelief. I never saw the guy again after that.

 

[Ktown D]

Have any of you guys seen or heard of Atrie Clemens? he was no champion by any means, but pretty fair short stop and a pretty good scufflere.
I haven't seen or heardof im since the middle 80's back in Denver.
he ehad worked for Bell Telephone briefly and went off the chart. he claimed to have information about their billing practices and that they were trying to hunt him down and eliminate him.
He stayed with my wife and I for a short while until one morning she said to get the weird SOB out of the house.
i staked him to go to nebraska. he showed back up about 3 months later and gave me $3500 for my end.
He could see music and hear colors! Not a bad guy though.
I was just curious whatever happened to the guy?

Yeah, crazy AJ lived here in Knoxville for a while. He claimed the FBI or CIA or somebody was gunning for him and he had to lay low. Poor guy was bat shit crazy but could definitely play. He scuffled around here for 2-3 years or so and we took him a few places but you had to watch him close cause he would get you killed (at the minimum escorted out) if you weren't careful.

Good 1P player.....weird SOB.

 

[sjm]

Another player I've lost track of is Steve "Stevie Wonder" Dobrowolski, who was, I believe, from the Philadelphia area.

And what of Carolina Slim?

 

[MHarris]

Another player I've lost track of is Steve "Stevie Wonder" Dobrowolski, who was, I believe, from the Philadelphia area.

And what of Carolina Slim?

I think Stevie is still playing in that area. I haven't gone into Tacony in about 4 years or so, but I did see him in action the last few times I was there. Still playing strong.

 

[MHarris]

Anyone have any good Joe "Philadelphia Joey" Veasey stories? I played and chatted a little with him for a while about 10 years ago. He was a real character.

 

[billy's boy]

I believe Roger Griffis is living in Dallas. I walked into a pool room about six months ago on a Sunday afternoon and there was CJ Wiley and Roger Griffis playing one pocket on the back 9 footer. After a while they started to play 10 ball. They were just practicing but I enjoyed the heck out of watching them.

 

[alstl]

When I moved away from St Louis in '07 Harold owned a nice room with a grill and bar in St Louis. Wasn't aware he had that reputation.