Jr. Goff is a little guy, maybe 5'2" at the most. He was a damn good player though, probably the second best little man after Boston Shorty. I think he is still alive, maybe over 90 now.
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- Thread starter jay helfert
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Jr. Goff is a little guy, maybe 5'2" at the most. He was a damn good player though, probably the second best little man after Boston Shorty. I think he is still alive, maybe over 90 now.
And a good hustler as well, Jay, from what I remember. Matched up really well. And careful, which got him a rep in some places as a nit but I saw him gamble a lot back then and he'd bet.
Jay, how's it going?
On your list, Pancho and I were on the road in the mid 70's.
We went to South Bend, IN. We ran into Johnny Dollar, of all places the, 'Silver Dollar' saloon. Pancho beat him playing 9 ball.
You know why they called him Johnny Dollar don't you? He used a 'Dollar bill' between his bridge fingers, a precursor to a glove.
'Three Finger Ronnie' lives about 45 miles from me in Sebastian, FL., I just spoke to him on Thursday
When I was Manager of 'Hollywood Billiards' 87-90, Frankie stumbled in and was strung out pretty bad on the Crack. I got him squared away for a while.
Toby lives around Myrtle Beach, SC. Hasn't played in years, paints quite a bit, He's pretty good too.
Last time I saw Jr Goff was 1985 in Clarksville TN…..he was playing cheap 9-ball….showing them nothing….rode the nine a lot….Made a day’s pay……while waiting for the next customer he would dance to the sound system…..aged, stone face…made everyone laugh.
Don’t think he can be alive, that was 39 years ago.
The prettiest pool hustler I ever saw take somebody off for tens of thousands was June Haggar.
Rachael Abbink, Latty Nevel’s Canuck girl friend, has to be in the running for that title……while Larry was winning the tournament, she would win thousands.
I met Don in Atlanta shortly before he passed. He was very soft spoken and still played pretty good to be close to 80. Another top player told me Don was the kind of man that if you left him holding $10,000 for you and you went on the road he would still have your money when you got back. He also told me Don was one of the top players ever to hold a cue yet was fairly unknown other than to most pros who wanted no part of gambling with him.Don ALWAYS had today's Racing Form in his back pocket, even when he was playing pool. In fact he might study it while his opponent was shooting. I never saw him practice, just get on the table and rob guys! He wasn't a shortstop, he was a top player, one of the best. Number one in Popcorn's stable of players in El Monte, CA. Don was rated above Mike Massey, Larry Lisciotti and Eddie Burton. No one who knew him wanted any piece of him. He had this light touch where the cue ball only moved just as much as was necessary (kind of like Efren). A few inches here, a few inches there, and then the rack was over. It never looked like he was doing too much with the cue ball. He didn't get way down on the ball either, kind of standing half erect.
The only guy I saw challenge him to play that knew him was Richie (when he was 18!). They played to a draw. Don had Richie broke and Richie borrowed some money and got even. That's when 'Corn pulled Don up. Don was another silent player, never wasted any words. Old school I guess. Just play, win, and go sit down and wait for the next customer.
They put him on Danny Jones in Johnston City one year. Danny was also a top player but Don drove him crazy. Danny kept borrowing money, convinced he could beat him, but he never did as far as I know.
I will double guarantee you that if you talked to a guy like Don about aiming techniques he would just look at you and smile. He didn't need anyone to tell him how to aim!
smiling_Hans
Well-known member
I mistaken this picture for some porno interviews and they are porno actors.
He had been staying in Tennessee when I played him, can't remember the other guy he was running with but we finished 1,2,3 every weekly tournament while I was working there.
Her son played pretty good to, John Haggar. And liked to bet high!
I'm sure I held more money for players who were gambling high than anyone else in my era. I would be running the tournament and two players would come up to me and ask me to hold anywhere from one to five thou each. I'd put it in my pocket and keep on working. Eventually the winner would come and tell me he won, and I'd give him the money. Don't remember one squabble either. Almost always I got a jelly for holding the money and keeping it safe.
One time they gave me 5K each, ten thou total. After the tourney was done for the night, I told them both I was going to bed, I was tired. I gave them my room number and said the winner can come wake me up. About 4 AM comes a knock at my door. I paid him off!
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He only died recently in the last few years. He was in his 90's!
On the road with Pancho. That must have been fun. I forgot he spent a lot of his time around Chicago. The furthest I got with him was down to Orange County. He used me to entice somebody else to play him, laying down the lemon with him throwing off some money to me. The next day Pancho goes back and beats the guy out of four hundred. He didn't give me a dime! I told him I just want a twenty and he laughed.
He lived in Chi-Town for 25 years at least.
In ALL the years I knew him He Never tried to F me out of a dime.
You could drop him in the middle of an Island and within a 1 day He'd have All the bananas from the monkeys.
All He needed was a roll of quarters to get started.
ha ha jay with pancho. thats why when you lay down a spread you keep hold of the money until its over. too many of the cheap hustlers dont throw you anything.
imagine doing that with joe veasy, detroit whitey, steve the whale.
just to bring back some more memories.
imagine doing that with joe veasy, detroit whitey, steve the whale.
just to bring back some more memories.
I'm Jan Sabo & I grew up in Reading, Pa & was good friends with Jimmy Matz. He was as good a player as anyone in the world. Best shot, best position player & best safety player I ever saw. Add tothat he was FEERLESS! He felt he could not miss & played that way! How do you beat a player like that? Jimmy Caras was giving an exhibition at Kutztown College & he said I hear that some kid thinks he can beat me. Matz won 125 to 71! Caras was embarrassed & didn't like it. Probably the 1st & only time a 5 time world champion had his butt ki ked by a young college student! Jimmy visited me in Miami & we went to Congress Billiards because Larry Liscotti played there. Larry didn't know who Jimmy was & gave him 2 balls in a race to 11 for $ 1,000 that I put up. Jimmy ate him up! After Larry told Jimmy , kid you can play with & win against anyone in the world. Jimmy beat Steve Mizerak in a tournament. I was a pretty good player but Jimmy would spot me 75 in a 100 pt game with.mw breaking. We played countless games for the time & I never won a game! Once after I broke Jimmy played about in the pack shot but had a scratch. Score e 95 Matz -1. Final score Matz 100 me 95.He could run 100 at will as he did more often than not against me I recruted him to play ib a bar league on 7 ft bar tables we could have toured the country! Supposedly he ran 284 before he walked away because.he was tired. There is a tape out yhere that shows a match between him & Jimmy Fusco. I don't know whi won but ny i et is in Matz. If anyone has seen ir has that video please call me at (239)572-3488. I'm also contributing to the post re: dementia. I have Parkinson's & have neen having problems that effect my game. Ina 8 ball tournament I played the wrong ball 2 matches in a row. Another time I was playing 9 ball & playing great! All of a sudden I lost it. It wS like a short circuit.& I couldn't do anything. Very discerning! I'm going to post .y ongoing issues on the main forum in hopes it helps other players. All contributions & questions are welcomed. Peace, Jan Sabo
Has anyone see Rachael around? Last I saw her that I can recall was 2010ish. Good memories, I didn’t know her well, but we spoke several times. She was hardcore pool, not a milk drinker-I mean that with full respect.
thx jan for that [post/ change your phone number to some letters so computers dont pick it up and get you on their call list for scams.
glad your friend jimmy never ran into me as i knew all or most of the good players on the east coast. and if i didnt know them they were a target.
few realize all the players that could run 100 plus balls back then as there were few tournaments and good players were money players not trophy hunters. every pool room had a couple. from the window washer to a lawyer to a cab driver.
glad your friend jimmy never ran into me as i knew all or most of the good players on the east coast. and if i didnt know them they were a target.
few realize all the players that could run 100 plus balls back then as there were few tournaments and good players were money players not trophy hunters. every pool room had a couple. from the window washer to a lawyer to a cab driver.
Ha Ha, so funny. I knew them all too well! Whitey was the most low down, disgusting hustler of all time and he played damn good too. Philly Joe was one very entertaining guy who was part of Popcorn's crew out here for several years. He somehow made it as a pit boss in Atlantic City and did well in the glory days there (mid 80's to mid 90's), before the town turned to sh-t. Steve the Whale stole my Szamboti that Keith used to win the B.C. Open back around 1985 (first prize 25K!). Brooklyn Butch got it back for me under threat of Steve's life. He gave it up peacefully.