Public figures and professional pool

DeeDeeCues said:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that neither you nor logical are professional advertisers or promoters.
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Been around pool for over 40yrs. Seen just about every idea both good and lunatic-fringe come down the pike used to promote events. What pool doesn't need right now is celebs(who the fk are they anyway?) and other gimmicks to theoretically boosts its #'s. BTW, Tiger Woods was a golf phenom/celeb by the time he was five. Nothing manufactured about his action. His on-course greatness really came into view when he hit the U.S. junior circuit. As for Danica? There have been LEGIONS of the next Dale Earnhardt who have tripped over their own dick. Danica was a very good driver who was held to a totally unfair judging system. She was better than a LOT of male drivers. What pool needs(actually has to have) is a grass-roots junior program and a viable pro circuit. Having celeb(s) on board won't hurt but they aren't going to move the popularity-meter enough to worry about. Barry Hearn/Matchroom has grown snooker's popularity massively and have done so without gimmicks.
 
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DeeDeeCues said:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that neither you nor logical are professional advertisers or promoters.
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Is that your profession or what? What's your grand plan for saving pool? Last thing on this for me: i used to go to quite a few pro events in the 80's-90's. All were well run(thanks Jay H. for all your duty), well attended and pretty well paying at the time. I never went to one event that had some celeb playing or some goofy-ass dog-n-pony show to liven things up. It was the GAME and its star players that made it happen not gimmicks.
 
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Poolplaya9 said:
Looks like Zillow is just using the google street view pictures which of course are blurred. Lots of sites do that these days and it is an automated computer program that pulls the Google street view picture and automatically places it where it needs to go on their site. Another example for real estate companies is they will have an automated computer program that will take the google street view photo of your house and print it on a mailer they send to you, usually to let you know they have interest in buying your home if you want to sell. Anyway there is lots of ways the pictures taken from google street view is used these days but it is almost all automated when it is companies that are using it for something.

It just occurred to me that the house may not be blurred on the Bing maps street view and sure enough it isn't. Here is the Bing map street view of 1002 N Roxbury without any blur, and on the left of it Faulk's house is in view, and on the right of it Lucille's old house is also in view. You can use the plus and minus signs on the right side of the screen to zoom in or out, and click on the left and right arrows in the middle of the screen to move up and down the street to see other houses better.

It is funny you mentioned that because I was just thinking about that a bit earlier, wondering how many Beverly Hills homes were still owned by industry people, and I am still including homes as "industry owned" if they are still owned by their heirs after they have passed on. My guess would be about 50% are still owned by industry people or their heirs today, but it is just a guess and you would know far better than I. What would your guess be for the percentage still owned today by industry people or their heirs?
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Much lower %

I’m on the way to the dr. (Not emergency, I’m ok)

I’ll write a response tonight. This ids a interesting topic. I hope others aren’t bored with it.
 
garczar said:
Been around pool for over 40yrs. Seen just about every idea both good and lunatic-fringe come down the pike used to promote events. What pool doesn't need right now is celebs(who the fk are they anyway?) and other gimmicks to theoretically boosts its #'s. BTW, Tiger Woods was a golf phenom/celeb by the time he was five. Nothing manufactured about his action. His on-course greatness really came into view when he the U.S. junior circuit. As for Danica? There have been LEGIONS of the next Dale Earnhardt who have tripped over their own dick. Danica was a very good driver who was held to a totally unfair judging system. She was better than a LOT of male drivers. What pool needs(actually has to have) is a grass-roots junior program and a viable pro circuit. Having celeb(s) on board won't hurt but they aren't going to move the popularity-meter enough to worry about. Barry Hearn/Matchroom has grown snooker's popularity massively and have done so without gimmicks.
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Are you missing the point on purpose? In the UK top snooker players are celebrities. Nobody cared about tiger until Nike and the pga made him a celebrity. Danica was sold to the female population, but she wouldn't have had a ride if Nascar and her team make money off

Pool needs a celebrity to being it into the public view. I don't care if that means an existing celebrity or turning a pool player into a celeb.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Are you missing the point on purpose? In the UK top snooker players are celebrities. Nobody cared about tiger until Nike and the pga made him a celebrity. Danica was sold to the female population, but she wouldn't have had a ride if Nascar and her team make money off

Pool needs a celebrity to being it into the public view. I don't care if that means an existing celebrity or turning a pool player into a celeb.
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People were all ape-shit about Tiger a long time before Nike and the PGA. What made him was his GREATNESS as a player. People are drawn towards greatness and TW had/has it heaps and bunches. Even that doesn't always help. SVB is easily one of the five best i've ever seen and that fact really hasn't done much for pool. Neither as Efren's to be honest. Pool is and always will be a niche sport watched by mostly hardcore followers. One shiny superstar is not going to save pool. Maybe a tour full of them but not just one. I still don't think it will ever be on Joe/Jane Sportsfan's radar screen. Hell, it can't outrun people throwing bean bags in shitters.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Are you missing the point on purpose? In the UK top snooker players are celebrities. Nobody cared about tiger until Nike and the pga made him a celebrity. Danica was sold to the female population, but she wouldn't have had a ride if Nascar and her team make money off

Pool needs a celebrity to being it into the public view. I don't care if that means an existing celebrity or turning a pool player into a celeb.
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By 'celebs' i was going by the OP's thoughts on using non-pool limelights to promote the game. To me that's nothing but gimmicks. AFAIK MR never brought in soccer/rugby/cricket/tv stars to help promote the pro snooker tour. One of the biggest reasons snooker took off with fans was tv, specifically the 'PotBlack' series of events. Joe and Jane Brit could sit in their recliners sucking back fish-chips and beer while sweating top-class snooker. Will that ever happen here with pool? Don't hold your breath.
 
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DeeDeeCues said:
Are you missing the point on purpose? In the UK top snooker players are celebrities. Nobody cared about tiger until Nike and the pga made him a celebrity. Danica was sold to the female population, but she wouldn't have had a ride if Nascar and her team make money off

Pool needs a celebrity to being it into the public view. I don't care if that means an existing celebrity or turning a pool player into a celeb.
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Nobody is arguing with you about whether a Tiger Woods (a young pool player who comes up and wins everything) would be great for pool. Or a super charismatic contender...although the Danica thing kinda doesn't work unless the men and women hold joint events.

But again...that wasn't the OP's premise. And by Pro- Am the idea is like a Pebble Beach style event where the amateur competitors are celebrities. Bill Murray is an icon at that event. It isn't important which pro he is paired with.

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sjm said:
To my recollection, Poncho had a 125 ball run to his credit. Pretty capable.
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His best game along with Three Cushions. But he was a high shortstop speed at 9-Ball and One Pocket. Poncho steered clear of playing Cecil Tugwell any One Pocket or Jimmy Reid any 9-Ball when he was hanging out at Ye Billiard Den in L.A. Poncho was always looking for softer action or better yet a total lock! Poncho became very cordial and friendly in the presence of players like Marvin, Ed Kelly and Richie Florence. He presented himself as their good friend and fellow pool player.
 
Los Gatos Taki said:
If memory serves right, years ago in New York City, there was a well known billiard room that held a yearly (or more often) pool event that was attended by many invited celebrities and pool pros. The celebrities were not just observers, but participants in the pool exhibitions put on.
I believe that the billiard room was owned by a celebrity comedian or such. Not sure of all details of format.
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You're talking about Amsterdam Billiards, co-owned by comedian David Brenner. I'm sure SJM knows more about that than me.
 
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Fatboy said:
Jeff Bey used to have celeb tourneys at Hollywood billiards. Some private events, some while the pool room was open. Was fund raisers or social events-never about pool.

Like the general public they can’t make 3 balls in a row, it just isn’t a formula for success. Joe Rogan and a handful of well known people can play a bit, but they are so few and far between it doesn’t matter.

Also well known people usually have busy schedules and lots of money. That like bearding cats unless you pay them huge money. We can’t find $20,000 for first place now in a tourney-how are we gonna get Joe Rogan who just got a $100M payday to show up on time? He mite cause he plays, the money isn’t going to attract him. What’s used to attract players to show up? Money

Money won’t attract notable people because there’s no money there in the first place.

Game over
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Yep. I was hired several times to direct celeb charity tourneys at Jeff's poolroom (the new Hollywood Billiards) and also did a couple at the Yankee Doodles in Santa Monica. The pay was very good for a one day (usually at night) event but I would never want to do another one again. Mostly famous athletes and TV stars (past and present). Fatboy was right about herding celebs. They all had big egos and wanted to do things their way and make sure they were in front of the cameras at all times if possible. I had a serious problem with Donnie Osmond, who kept coming up behind me and putting his arm around my neck to get attention. I let him know not to do that again or I would whack him. Erik Estrada was a genuine nice guy and I really liked him.
 
jay helfert said:
You're talking about Amsterdam Billiards, co-owned by comedian David Brenner. I'm sure SJM knows more about that than me.
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Yes, that's accurate. When it opened in Manhattan, NY in 1990, Amsterdam Billiard Club was run and owned by the Hunt brothers, Greg and Ethan, but their uncle, comedian David Brenner, was a silent partner in the business. David dropped in occasionally, but never had any role in the club's day to day operations.

Although the club has been located on East 11th Street for about fifteen years, it was named Amsterdam Billiards because its original location was on Amsterdam Avenue between 76th and 77th Street. Back when it was on Amsterdam Avene, Jerry Seinfeld often shot there.
 
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jay helfert said:
Yep. I was hired several times to direct celeb charity tourneys at Jeff's poolroom (the new Hollywood Billiards) and also did a couple at the Yankee Doodles in Santa Monica. The pay was very good for a one day (usually at night) event but I would never want to do another one again. Mostly famous athletes and TV stars (past and present). Fatboy was right about herding celebs. They all had big egos and wanted to do things their way and make sure they were in front of the cameras at all times if possible. I had a serious problem with Donnie Osmond, who kept coming up behind me and putting his arm around my neck to get attention. I let him know not to do that again or I would whack him. Erik Estrada was a genuine nice guy and I really liked him.
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And they called it puppy love!
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Are you missing the point on purpose? In the UK top snooker players are celebrities. Nobody cared about tiger until Nike and the pga made him a celebrity. Danica was sold to the female population, but she wouldn't have had a ride if Nascar and her team make money off

Pool needs a celebrity to being it into the public view. I don't care if that means an existing celebrity or turning a pool player into a celeb.
Click to expand...
In the UK snooker is a cultural sport. People care about snooker and of course the super stars will become celebrities. The fact the the two sports, snooker and pool are both cue sports does not draw any parallels. Pool means nothing in the US and never will. As mentioned in another post it is a niche sport. In fact few in the US would even regard it as a sport, it is just a pass time. If the sport does grow it will be only within a small subculture, it will never be mainstream. That is just a reality.
 
middleofnowhere said:
In the UK snooker is a cultural sport. People care about snooker and of course the super stars will become celebrities. The fact the the two sports, snooker and pool are both cue sports does not draw any parallels. Pool means nothing in the US and never will. As mentioned in another post it is a niche sport. In fact few in the US would even regard it as a sport, it is just a pass time. If the sport does grow it will be only within a small subculture, it will never be mainstream. That is just a reality.
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I spent a decent amount of time in England.

Anything the Brits can claim they are the best in the world at gets a ton of government, media, and government media (BBC) attention. That is the reason snooker players are celebs.

I was in the UK to install equipment in an aerospace facility. We designed and built all the equipment to build the products, but the customer required us to remove our logo so they could give the government and royal tours, and have it on TV without admitting that Yanks built the interesting, expensive bits.

British jingoism is almost disgusting.
 
logical said:
Nobody is arguing with you about whether a Tiger Woods (a young pool player who comes up and wins everything) would be great for pool. Or a super charismatic contender...although the Danica thing kinda doesn't work unless the men and women hold joint events.

But again...that wasn't the OP's premise. And by Pro- Am the idea is like a Pebble Beach style event where the amateur competitors are celebrities. Bill Murray is an icon at that event. It isn't important which pro he is paired with.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
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Bill Murray, Pesci, costner,Clint, etc at Pebble are justy the icing on an already successful cake. What pool needs is a Arnold Palmer with a cue. A player with mad skills, charisma, and the ability to connect to a large audience. Even then pool is always going to swimming upriver to get general acceptance.
 
middleofnowhere said:
In the UK snooker is a cultural sport. People care about snooker and of course the super stars will become celebrities. The fact the the two sports, snooker and pool are both cue sports does not draw any parallels. Pool means nothing in the US and never will. As mentioned in another post it is a niche sport. In fact few in the US would even regard it as a sport, it is just a pass time. If the sport does grow it will be only within a small subculture, it will never be mainstream. That is just a reality.
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Agree 100%. And i'm good with that.
 
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