Unknown "monster" players

[jay helfert]

Cecil Tugwell plays one pocket with anyone...

PLAYED, as in past tense!

 

[jay helfert]

Yeah I meant Irvine for Marlboro's home base. Ed Eversole was an all around successful gambler/hustler. He told me stories about backing One Eyed Tony and Clyde Childress. Clyde was a legend when I got into pool, but was killed before I got to see him play. If you have any stories on him, I would love to hear them.

Clyde was a very well liked road man whose best game was Banks. He would play anyone including Truman and Tony Fargo. He had a lot of gamble too. They named a tournament after him when he died.

 

[jay helfert]

I lived in S.D. off and on for 20 plus years and used to know Roy Stanzioni pretty good until he died. He had a life long drug problem and was usually homeless.At one time he was a cook at college billiards,and towards the end worked the parking lot.One of the last time I saw him he was living in a van that didnt run across from the donut shop up the street. I played him all games one time or another including 3 cushion,the last time we played he ran 8 and out,then he went back out to the parking lot.I have also seen him play nine ball all night until the next day one time for big cash getting staked of course and was passed out while his opponant was shooting,have to get woke up,then proceeded to puke in a trash can and run the game out.He had many problems but a real nice man with a great heart.

Roy "The Cook" was one of Swanee's mentors and frequent sparring partners. A great player when his chemistry was right, meaning the big H. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. Maybe the best totally addicted pool player I ever saw. He and Billy Graves were both such sad wastes of talent. Billy also beat many road men when his chemistry was right.

 

[jay helfert]

steve gumphries was a player that could best any human on any given day.
he played out of randolph hills pool room in rockville md. he was a roofer by trade and beat many a road player . he died too young of cancer. he was a great guy and a great character in pool.

The Gump was one of my all time favorite pool players, along with Tommy Kennedy. They both always had (in Gump's case) a great big smile for everyone. And both played very good pool, about the same speed. I loved Steve and hung out with him every chance I got.

He got a melanoma about 20 years ago and just ignored it. When he finally went to the doctor it was too late. It had already gotten into his bloodstream.

 

[JAM]

The Gump was one of my all time favorite pool players, along with Tommy Kennedy. They both always had (in Gump's case) a great big smile for everyone. And both played very good pool, about the same speed. I loved Steve and hung out with him every chance I got.

He got a melanoma about 20 years ago and just ignored it. When he finally went to the doctor it was too late. It had already gotten into his bloodstream.

I knew the Gumpster's father in my area. We both belonged to the same organization and so I would run into him every now and then. He had a deep, booming voice, and was funny as could be. Tragically, Steve's brother passed away several years after Steve from the same type of cancer. His brother's wife, a friend of mine, posts on this forum from time to time, but not often. She is still active in the pool world, competes on a league, and usually goes to Valley Forge each year.

Steve had a good friend, an SES scientist/doctor, who was high in the ranks at NIH, which is right in Bethesda, Maryland, our neighborhood. The NIH doctor also happened to be a pool player from North Carolinia and is a good friend mine as well. He tried to help Steve by getting him in NIH and succeeded. However, the medicine did not work on Steve.

The NIH doctor used to stake Steve in many a game when Steve lived in Maryland. The Gump was loved by all who met him. He was definitely one of a kind.

JAM

 

[JAM]

i knew nick when he was 14. he played in maryland and you could see he was going to be a player. he played "geese" mike gerace when they were both 15-16 and it was a war.

I cannot place who "Nick" is.

As far as unknown monsters, the Metro D.C. area, which includes Maryland, Virginia, and D.C., does have its fair sure of unknown players.

Baltimore used to be where all the action was. After the bars would shut down, 'round midnight back then, everybody drove to Glen Burnie to Bill and Billie's (now called Jack and Jill's). This was an pool room that was on every road player's map because the action was prevalent, every single day and night. I remember when an unknown Efren Reyes came to Glen Burnie and drew a crowd 'round his table. Folks were talking about Efren months after he left town, how he took all the cheese, they way he played, et cetera.

I can't remember the names of all those Baltimore players, but most of 'em used to play out of Greenie's. There was Jarvis and Tony, as I recall. Of course, nobody can discount Cigar Tom Vanover from Dundalk, who still plays today by appointment.

Up Frederick way, you have Bo Newport, White Max, and the guy from Hagerstown who would play ANYONE on his home table, Punky. Whatever road agent came to town could get action from any of these players.

Rockville, Maryland, which is closer to my neck of the woods, there are lots of unknown monster players who had a whole lot of gamble: Korean Lee, Geese, Tom-Tom, Danny Wolford, Fat Mike, Elevator Larry, Quick Vic, Bobby Hawk, West Virginia Frank, Bus Driver Ronnie, Cab Driver Pete, Mamoo, Danny Green, and Jimmy Scrimma (sp). I think I'd throw in Timmy Crown for the heart and gamble he had. He might not have played as good as the above-referenced, but he definitely knew how to match up and would bet it up as high as the Georgia pine.

In D.C., the most notorious player would have to be Strawberry. There ain't nobody who can take his crown as being the best in D.C., as far as I'm concerned.

Who can forget Virginia's finest, the Boggs brothers (Scotty and Freddy), Jimmy Mac, Billy Stephens, Seattle Sam, Roanoke Red, and I'm sure Black-Balled can chime in here and provide a few more players' names from Virginia.

These guys would step up and play anybody, especially on their home table. There used to be quite a bit of action in the Metropolitan D.C. area, like most other places, I guess. Today, nobody wants to bet a quarter without doing a thorough review and research via the Internet and/or cell phone, and then they don't want to gamble. Rather, they want to steal by offering a game that their opponent has no chance to win at.

That's the state of pool in my area.

JAM

 

[Josh Palmer]

One of the all time best on a small box, and a big ball specialist. I liked him and Bobby Hernandez over just about anyone with the big ball. Weldon could really play one handed too, just under Ronnie. Maybe a little better on a small table one handed. They were best friends though, so...well, you know the rest.

When I was living in L.A., I played Bakersfield Bobby a couple sets. I remember winning the first set, and the guy with him said double it. Well Bobby played better out the gate, and I had to come back. Hill hill, and I ended up frozen on the end rail, and STRAIGHT in on the 9 with it past the side pockets. If you remember when they were using the Sardo racks, you'll remember that they used to create a little hole in the cloth over time. Well it was right down the line of the shot, and there was no way to roll it over and expect to make it. I looked at it and shook my head, and he came over to inspect the shot.... I remember this huge smile, the first one I had seen from him, as he talked to his partner. I whined about it to myself for a minute, but when i saw him smile, I jacked straight up and jumped over the hole, spearing the 9 in... lol Bakersfield Bobby went home.. That's what old Cowboy said .... he had a bigger bet than I did with them.

 

[dogginda9]

Speaking of great bar table players, does anyone know if "Chino" (Sebastian Franco) is still out there hustlin? I've seen him do some amazing things on a bar table. He has showed up pretty much anywhere there is pool being played.

 

[tom haney]

Are you talking about Patch Eye?

http://onepocket.org/PatchEyeInterview.htm

Yep. That's him.
Went by several names of that type back then. Watched him play a buddy of mine once.
Before they played, my buddy looked over at me , winked, and said, " He's only got one eye."
I still tease him about that.

 

[crawfish]

What about Wayne Giles from Sanford, NC...I've seem him beat a lot of road players in Fayetteville, NC during the 1970's..One of the few times I've seen him lose it was to Luther Lassiter... Any others remember Wayne Giles

I sure do remember Wayne. Noone had to beat his high gear.

 

[crawfish]

Hatfield played Mike Shaver from Weston in the early 90s and lost pretty bad.
Shaver tends to be a little nitty but is a great player for my area.
There's a guy from Florida who plays in WV now & then, Randy
Smith.
Has had abuse problems in the past but is clean now &
really hittin em.
Nicknamed "The Exterminator' cause he had his own bug extermination business at one time.

I met Randy in Phillipi, WV once. I had helped my uncle and grandmother move up from Florida and got snowed in. I spent almost three or four days hanging out with Randy. I played about three or four balls less back then, but we still made a little money. I'd love to talk to him. I lost his number.

 

[Scott Lee]

Jeff is an excellent player, and certainly one of, if not the best player in Montana today (since Lance Saunders moved to IA several years ago). However, he can't hold a candle to his dad. Terry was a monster, and played any game on any table. Jeff is strictly a barbox player, and never plays on the 9 footers. He quit playing league after last year, because "there's no $$$ in it!" LOL When was there EVER any money in playing league pool?

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

When I lived in Montana Terry Boucher, now deceased, was as close to pro as you can be. I hear his son Jeff has followed in his footsteps.

 

[bullshooter69]

I remember some years ago of a guy named Bobby Baldwin but havent heard his name in years. There is also a guy in Texas named Tony Sulsar who i heard plays pretty good.

 

[Neil]

He's pretty much well known now. But Kirkwood kept it 'under wraps' for a while.

 

[Snapshot9]

One player

here that has gained a lot of reputation, and is fearless when playing is
Marshall Roney. He plays fast, and plays good. He beat Matlock a set, 7-3, when he was up in Olathe last time. He is one of 'those' left-handers.

 

[tom haney]

I met Randy in Phillipi, WV once. I had helped my uncle and grandmother move up from Florida and got snowed in. I spent almost three or four days hanging out with Randy. I played about three or four balls less back then, but we still made a little money. I'd love to talk to him. I lost his number.

He's currently hanging out in Harrison County again.
I haven't seen him. He's been playing at The Sportsman in Shinnston.
He was never much of a one pocket player when I knew him( I beat him pretty badly) but he was a 9 ball & 8 ball plying son of a gun.
Especially on a bar table.
They tell me he is clean now and playing much better than the last time he was in the area.

 

[hilla_hilla]

There are so many funny stories about Roy "the Cook".

One time a road player came to College Billiards in San Diego and was taking down everyone. When no one else stepped up to play, he started barking to everyone about how the room had nothing but scardy cats. A couple of guys decided to go get "the Cook". They went outside to the dumpster enclosure where Roy was sleeping and woke him up. When he showed up to play, he looked pretty roughed up. The road player just looks at Roy and wonders if this was a joke. They get to playing and, of course, Roy just wipes the floor with the guy.

I told Roy that I saw him years ago beat Danny Di Liberto, running a 5-pack, at a major Tahoe tournament. Sadly, because of his chosen lifestyle, he had no memory of this.

I heard that story! It's so sad that so much talent was wasted like that.

I've also heard storied about Roy standing and sleeping in one place while the opponent was shooting and still winning.

Anybody hear of Jerry the hat from 20 or so years ago from San Diego (not Rich Geiler)? He would of been around during Roy and Swannee's time. I hear he used to play sporty back in the day to.

Max Olds was a phenomenal player. I heard stories about him playing Mosconi in a straight pool exhibition in San Diego and Mosconi getting upset because Max was winning. Max IS also extremely knowledgable, helpful and very nice.

 

[mark8950]

Sparky, how'd you like it when you played Pat Fox at the Spur in Louisiana?

Two other players from the 70's : Tommy Sanders and Phillip Hyde.

well i hadnt played any in 4 or 5 yrs. when i played pat fox! i laid down for 2 or 3 months and finally got him to bet 20 a game? i won 80 dollars and he quit! he couldnt hold my chalk!

 

[huckster]

Another name to add to that list is Danny Tator. Danny was definately one of the best players in the country back in the 80's. I remember hearing a story of Danny having Mike Massey down 7-1 in a race to 9 and Massey looking at him and saying "Who the fu*k are you?!".

The first time I seen Jack Hynes play before I knew who he was he was giving Dan Tator the 7ball and stringing rack after rack togather and talking smack the whole time. Jack was liable to put package after package togather, and he played with so much action on the cueball that if he missed the balls might be hidden he shot so freaking hard everything 100 mph dead center pocket, with the cueball travelling 3-4 rails,

 

[dirtybobjr]

I remember some years ago of a guy named Bobby Baldwin but havent heard his name in years. There is also a guy in Texas named Tony Sulsar who i heard plays pretty good.

Bobby used to be around Bartlesville and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Loved the action. Don't know where he's at now. Played all games well.