Need pics for book

Are you in there somewhere?

jay helfert said:
"Three fingered" Ronnie Sypher. Wow. I haven't heard that name in a million years. I always wondered what happened to him. He was from the Baltimore area right? A good little player who loved to gamble it up.
White Cannonball was Eddie Kleinowski from upstate New York. He would run all around the East Coast mainly, beating almost everyone. He even gambled with Country in NYC at Guys and Dolls on 50th and Broadway.

I'll see what I can dig up for you Freddie.

Hey, Jay....Someone said they recognized you in this photo. True?

http://billporter.smugmug.com/gallery/1411408/1/66879283
 
Gene Skinner

macguy said:
I am curious what stories you have about Skinner? I have pictures of him by the way. Also Bob Strauss, have you asked him about being included in your book, he is a very private guy.

Skinner told me many tales of the "old days" when he beat Mosconi and Jimmy Moore, among others, playing Onepocket. In the early 60s, when I used to go to Miami in the winter, he played Fats at Jack Cramers pool room on 79th and Biscayne. Fats never beat him. Fats used to play Marcel Camp there too. Fats seldom beat Camp also. Whenever Fats played, however, the joint was jammed with sweaters. Fats was staying at the Fountainbleu Hotel and would lug a new backer to the poolroom nightly.
After a week of free lessons from Skinner at Bensingers, I improved 2 balls. I went to Johnston City afterwords and finished 5th in the 1pkt in my first tourney ever. Now can I please have a copy of those Skinner pics?

the Beard
 
freddy the beard said:
Skinner told me many tales of the "old days" when he beat Mosconi and Jimmy Moore, among others, playing Onepocket. In the early 60s, when I used to go to Miami in the winter, he played Fats at Jack Cramers pool room on 79th and Biscayne. Fats never beat him. Fats used to play Marcel Camp there too. Fats seldom beat Camp also. Whenever Fats played, however, the joint was jammed with sweaters. Fats was staying at the Fountainbleu Hotel and would lug a new backer to the poolroom nightly.
After a week of free lessons from Skinner at Bensingers, I improved 2 balls. I went to Johnston City afterwords and finished 5th in the 1pkt in my first tourney ever. Now can I please have a copy of those Skinner pics?

the Beard
These are the two pictures I have of skinner. My scanner isn't working so I just took a picture of them but they are a little bit better the they look here. I will send you good copies. Sugar Shack I think is still alive and you may get a picture from him or maybe his brother if he is still around. The Baker family I am sure are still in south Florida it may be possible to get a picture of Henry, I could maybe check for you. Big Bob should be no problem just have someone take his picture of him, he's always around.

You mention Bob Strauss, his forte, aside from cursing more then any person on the planet, he would say things I never heard before, was he never quit. He used to play Mike Caralla and they would play for days at a time. You would leave the pool room and come back the next day and they would be on like hour 40 and Caralla would look a mess, hair messed up, tired looking clothes all disheveled. Strauss on the other hand looked like he just walked off the golf course all relaxed, clothes changed once or twice, ready to play another day or two if he had to. At this time Caralla was a young collage student in great shape he could run marathons, but Strauss could still ware him out.

When I knew Skinner he was older, he gave me his cue just before he died, an Ivory jointed Szamboti. One thing about him was, a lot of old guys tell you all kinds of BS that may at the time sound profound but doesn't mean anything. If Skinner said something it always made sense. I would play one pocket with him almost everyday and he would just make subtle suggestions here and there not preach at you. Plus you watched what he was doing and the game starts becoming clear.

I used to play with Camp also but he would yell at me and I'm sorry to say I didn't pick up as much as I wish I had. Camp was funny though, I remember Camp getting knocked one time and he told the guy who knocked him "All knockers should be killed". I thought he was going to hit the guy with the cue, he was holding it like a bat at the time. I wonder what Camp would think about the Internet and news groups, they are a knockers paradise.
 

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Skindel

macguy said:
These are the two pictures I have of skinner. My scanner isn't working so I just took a picture of them but they are a little bit better the they look here. I will send you good copies. Sugar Shack I think is still alive and you may get a picture from him or maybe his brother if he is still around. The Baker family I am sure are still in south Florida it may be possible to get a picture of Henry, I could maybe check for you. Big Bob should be no problem just have someone take his picture of him, he's always around.

You mention Bob Strauss, his forte, aside from cursing more then any person on the planet, he would say things I never heard before, was he never quit. He used to play Mike Caralla and they would play for days at a time. You would leave the pool room and come back the next day and they would be on like hour 40 and Caralla would look a mess, hair messed up, tired looking clothes all disheveled. Strauss on the other hand looked like he just walked off the golf course all relaxed, clothes changed once or twice, ready to play another day or two if he had to. At this time Caralla was a young collage student in great shape he could run marathons, but Strauss could still ware him out.

When I knew Skinner he was older, he gave me his cue just before he died, an Ivory jointed Szamboti. One thing about him was, a lot of old guys tell you all kinds of BS that may at the time sound profound but doesn't mean anything. If Skinner said something it always made sense. I would play one pocket with him almost everyday and he would just make subtle suggestions here and there not preach at you. Plus you watched what he was doing and the game starts becoming clear.

Skindel is what Gene used to call himself. I was touched that he gave you his cue. I'm sure you still have it. He was a wonderful man and a tough, tough player. Once he shamed me out of doing cocaine. He would see me screwed up and he'd say, I cant handle seeing you this way, it breaks my heart. I finally got up off it because I couldn't look him in the eye anymore.
Do you need my address? It's on my website, www.bankingwiththebeard.com I once quit Bobby Strauss 22 games winner after one day of play, I told him I wanted to go party with young girls. He cursed me in several different languages (Croatian and English) but he was just having fun, he didnt really care. If you could sniff around and get me a lead into Sugar Shack or Big Henry's family it would be great.
Thanks, Mac,
the Beard
 
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