Unknown "monster" players

TomHay

TomHay

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shakey91929 said:
There was a player growing up in our home town in the 60's and 70's that could play even up with any world champion of that era. His name was Eddie "Cannonball" Kienowski. Whenever the proprietor of our local pool hall brought a championship caliber player in for an exhibition they would get Eddie to play him. He played and beat the likes of Arthur "Babe" Cranfield, Joe Balsis, Joey Canton and plenty more. His only problem was that he could run 100 to 200 balls at any time in a pool hall but once he played in a tournament with a suit on and people in the stands he had trouble thinking his way through a rack. He is currently in our local (Rome, New York) Sports Hall of Fame for billiards. He was and always will be a legend in our home town.
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Sharkey, where ya from? Cannonball was big in that era in my Home Town in Glens Falls NY at Charlies Pool Hall, Empire Billiards. I used to love it when he came to town. I would play him both 100 No Count and One Pocket, on the cheap, but it was great.

Cannonball went to Florida with Hoss Fredericks. He got a guy for 1/2 a Mill which was LARGE in those days. Cannonball ended up in Virginia and bought a Roofing Company. Hoss Fredericks stayed in Florida and ended up losing his share at Pompano Park Harness a day at a time. Cannonballs dress was one of two ways, slicked back hair with farmers clothes and green boots or like a Rhinestone Cowboy.

It's ironic as I just did a Tribute Post on Facebook for the late Paul Dayton RIP. Cannonball asked Paul if he could borrow his Balbushka when Paul was running a Pool Hall in NY. Next thing you know Cannonball walked out with Pauls Bushka. Paul got on the phone, tracked Cannonball down and told him he had 1/2 hour to bring it back or Paul was going to follow him from Pool Hall to Pool Hall, Bar to Bar and tell everyone how good he played. Ouch, to be young again.
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

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TomHay said:
Sharkey, where ya from? Cannonball was big in that era in my Home Town in Glens Falls NY at Charlies Pool Hall, Empire Billiards. I used to love it when he came to town. I would play him both 100 No Count and One Pocket, on the cheap, but it was great.

Cannonball went to Florida with Hoss Fredericks. He got a guy for 1/2 a Mill which was LARGE in those days. Cannonball ended up in Virginia and bought a Roofing Company. Hoss Fredericks stayed in Florida and ended up losing his share at Pompano Park Harness a day at a time. Cannonballs dress was one of two ways, slicked back hair with farmers clothes and green boots or like a Rhinestone Cowboy.

It's ironic as I just did a Tribute Post on Facebook for the late Paul Dayton RIP. Cannonball asked Paul if he could borrow his Balbushka when Paul was running a Pool Hall in NY. Next thing you know Cannonball walked out with Pauls Bushka. Paul got on the phone, tracked Cannonball down and told him he had 1/2 hour to bring it back or Paul was going to follow him from Pool Hall to Pool Hall, Bar to Bar and tell everyone how good he played. Ouch, to be young again.
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First time I saw "White Cannonball" was in 1964 at Guys and Dolls in Manhattan. He was playing Bank Pool with Johnny Ervolino for $100 a rack, a very big game back then. Ervolino at the time was the best player in NYC and the best gambler too. Jersey Red was a close second but he didn't like to bet very high when he played. $20 9-Ball was his favorite game. Johnny, meanwhile, would bet it all at any time against anybody! Later on I was to see him play Cornbread to a standstill in Detroit, and nobody beat Red playing even at The Rack.

But on this night Cannonball lived up to his name and shot Johnny down, winning several games in a row and making Johnny pull up. I was amazed, since I thought Ervolino was invincible. He was the guy they called when a high rolling hustler came to town. I never saw this Cannonball at Johnston City and only saw him in person once more at the Golden Cue in Queens. He tried to get Mizerak to gamble with him but Steve would only play him Straight Pool, so there was no game.

By the way, black Cannonball (John Chapman) was an equally great player. He used to go to the big World Championships when black players weren't allowed to play and ask the champions to gamble with him at any game. This was back in the 50's, but I heard the stories from the older guys who were there. Chapman was one of the big three of Eddie Taylor, Youngblood Washington and himself who were considered the best bank pool players of that era. This was pre Bugs days.
 
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B

billinboston

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In the late 70’s / early 80’s
I use to watch this old timer who bounced from room to room all around the Boston area. He was a born again Christian, wore a cross and chain, handed out pamphlets...
just knew his first name was Nick, and played absolutely beautiful straight pool patterns. Every single time I walked into whatever room and he was there, he was on a run of 94 or 121 or 138.... this guy constantly ran high numbers playing straight pool. No 18 and a miss or 27 and got hung up.... just constant runs in like the 80’s and up.
No gambling ... just would play anyone at straight pool for fun.
 
billy bones

billy bones

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garczar said:
MH came thru Tulsa yrs. ago with Shuput. Talk about a tough road team.
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I have known both since the 1970's. John is my favorite pool player who ever lived and my long time friend. I have enormous respect for Mike. Years ago Mike once told me that he had never played a game of pool for fun in his life. Both he and John had a no nonsense , professional approach to the game of pool. Mike used to spend half the
year in Omaha and the other half in Vegas as I recall. The world beaters were maybe a ball stronger than Mike no more. He said he used to take them on a 9 footer and play with the big rock and they did not like it.
 
fan-tum

fan-tum

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CharlesUFarley said:
I know who Nick Spano is. He plays good...Not sure I would call him a monster.
He used to run around with Damian Allishon (sp?) I called them Beavis and Butthead.....not to offend, just because one was blonde and the other had dark hair...they were joined at the shoulder for a few years. They both hung around with John Schmidt a lot before he went all celebrity on us.

I saw Nick match up against Jimmy Mendoza at Shooters in Riverside...Jimmy bbq'd him.
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Spano has the ideal hustler "look"...young kid, wouldn't scare anyone with his appearance, but he could play.
 
3kushn

3kushn

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jay helfert said:
By the way, black Cannonball (John Chapman) was an equally great player. He used to go to the big World Championships when black players weren't allowed to play and ask the champions to gamble with him at any game. This was back in the 50's, but I heard the stories from the older guys who were there. Chapman was one of the big three of Eddie Taylor, Youngblood Washington and himself who were considered the best bank pool players of that era. This was pre Bugs days.
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I remember a black guy called Cannonball at the 9Ball Tournament in Burlington Iowa, (1975? Rempe over Miz) He was old, lean and literally I never saw him miss but only saw him free wheeling by himself. Every shot around 80MPH.

Wonder if the same guy.
 
B

bbb

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a player people in my area talk about is john dovinsky (sp?) R.I.P.
i believe from new york was in tampa for awhile i believe
would walk into any pool hall and play (and beat ) anybody.
anyone have any stories?
 
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Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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There were some questions above about Bud Hypes. I've been rereading my Pool & Billiard magazines and Bud was the subject of one of their "Legends of the Road" features by Thomas Shaw in March 1999. He did travel some when he was younger but after he settled down with a business in Mullens, WV, it seems he was mostly content with waiting for the action to come to him. Here is part of that article:

So with The Qualification the word is that Bud Hypes was the best 9-ball player of his generation on a 4x8 table.

That got to Hypes and he finally went over to Pineville and played Jimmy Thompson. Thompson owned a poolroom in Pineville and when the match was done Bud had the money and they were loading one of Jimmy's 4 1/2x9 foot tables onto Hypes' pickup. It sits in the Sportsman, his Mullens poolroom, to this day.​

There are some other details about Hypes in one of the John Schmidt threads.
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

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3kushn said:
I remember a black guy called Cannonball at the 9Ball Tournament in Burlington Iowa, (1975? Rempe over Miz) He was old, lean and literally I never saw him miss but only saw him free wheeling by himself. Every shot around 80MPH.

Wonder if the same guy.
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Same guy. His game had slipped a notch or two by then.
P.S. I was in Burlington too.
 
pt109

pt109

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Black-Balled said:
Vernon Reid is in the band, Living Color

I am working my way back thru this thread...wonder if I said the same thing before?!
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A lot of misunderstandings about Vern Elliot would disappear if they called him by his right name...
...The White Hope

:)
 
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Baby Huey

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From about 1971 to 1984 Hawaiian Brian was right there with anybody playing Nine Ball (any sized table) and One Pocket. Traveled the road very undercover and played all the top players usually getting the cash.
 
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deanoc

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vernon and johnny,Canonball were not unheard off

I heard of both years before I played them

Cannonball
was from Dallas really good player but no where near Alex

my guess was he played like fats speed
 
HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

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Jack Taylor, Alfie's brother, played pretty sporty.

He could sneak in and get the cash before anybody knew what hit them.
 
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