whats the real story on frank "sailor" stellman.wi racine

S

sr 9ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i took lessons from sailor in the early 90's. he told me he followed willie mocsoni around like fies on shit since he was 4 years old. in person.

sailor had severe back proplems in the 90's "on my lessons". ive seen many master players but no one. i mean no one had a stroke like sailor. but ive never see anything on him for tourn.
is he just a machine and no game.
sailor said he blew mocsoni's 500+ ball run away but wont say what? is sailor real? a player.
 
Yes he is the real deal, in Buddy Hall's book he and his partner W.W Woody went to his pool room with the intention of getting a game with Sailor in Straight Pool. According to the book Frank did not gamble but agreed to play a race to 150 points (not possitive may have been 100) for the table time. Well, Frank ran the set out on him the entire time wearing a heavy apron (they had found him working underneath the pool table). Buddy and Woody had seen all the 14.1 champions (Mosconi,Crane etc) and they both stated that no finer Straight Pool had ever been played. I haven't heard about him breaking Mosconi's high run but considering testament above it might not be out of the realm of possibility (Word is, Mike Eufemia had done it before). Another thing about Stellman is that Jeff Carter took instruction from him.
 
Sailor IS the real deal. I took a couple lessons from him a few years ago and we became friends and I started a collecting his cues. George Fels devoted an entire article to discussing Sailor, just a few months back, and it is very entertaining... as George's articles always are.

Sailor was Mr. Mosconi's driver when he came around the midwest and Sailor loved his game. The 4 yr old thing was, I think, exaggerated... as one might do when throwing words around, but Sailor did stick close to Willie whenever he could. Sailor knows tons of stories about the old days in the old Chicago pool rooms.. Bensingers and many others, and he knows all the old pool players. He and Freddie The Beard sat and traded some stories a few months back during a 14.1 tournament at Red Shoes and then Sailor and George traded more stories. I feel extremely priviliged to have been there to hear those stories and be in the presence of Freddie, Sailor and George. Come to think of it, Jeff Carter and Bobby Hunter were there that day as well.

Sailor tells me that he has run 100 balls on at least 1,000 occasions. He says he kept track up till he hit 1,000 but then lost track of how many times after that he ran a hundred or more. We haven't discussed what his high run was.

Jeff Carter and Mark Wilson were students of Sailors. I love to hang around Sailor because he's old school, still.. even now that he's in his eighties, very sharp mentally and loves to instruct and teach what he knows. He still gives lessons in Racine in his 'shop'. He still goes to any pool happening he can get to but is mainly interested in straight pool.

He still loves the game and most of his life has been dedicated to pool. He's had health problems the last few years, heart attacks several times, surgery on his feet and so on but he's still very upbeat, just bought a car again... so he can get around Racine, still goes to the shop to mess around, practice pool and give lessons.

Anybody in the Chicago area that wants to learn the game of 14.1 should strongly consider contacting Sailor for lessons. But be ready to WORK on your game! Sailor doesn't mess with half-hearted stuff. He's all pool and he's always dammed serious about it. No non-chalantin! No wing-dingin. :groucho:

I love his cues, have a pretty decent collection of them and just bought two more which I'll pick up next weekend while I'm in the Carol Stream area seeing my grandkids. dmgwalsh has taken many lessons from Sailor and knows him well as does rukiddingme. They'll probably make their presence known in this thread. They both know Sailor better than I do.
 
He certainly could play

Frank Sailor Stellman could certainly play. Contrary to some stories, Sailor would bet -- a little. He was never a big gambler, but he did bet moderately if he had to. A lot of road men landed on him up in Racine WI, and didnt like it. They would have to force him to gamble and they would regret that soonafter. $100 sets, 10,$20 9 ball. He and I played a few times in Bensingers, $5 pool -- banks only. Sailor runs the balls as beautifully as anybody. Lessons, if you could get them, are highly recommended. He's very old, so you'd better move fast. However, he aint no day at the beach as an instructor. He's like one of those Shaolin Monks, you will be tested severely.

The Beard
 
He's not mean. He IS tough as hell. There's NO NON-CHALANTIN IN POOL!!

By the way. That day I mentioned above.. with Sailor, Freddy and George, plus Carter and Hunter.... I also got to watch Freddy play some banks for a little coin. It looked like $100 a game. Freddy can play some banks. You owe it to yourself to check out his website.
 
Sailor Interview-Wins/Losses and more

sr 9ball said:
i took lessons from sailor in the early 90's. he told me he followed willie mocsoni around like fies on shit since he was 4 years old. in person.

sailor had severe back proplems in the 90's "on my lessons". ive seen many master players but no one. i mean no one had a stroke like sailor. but ive never see anything on him for tourn.
is he just a machine and no game.
sailor said he blew mocsoni's 500+ ball run away but wont say what? is sailor real? a player.
Click to expand...

Sailor Interview-Wins/Losses and more
I’ve been wanting to tell the forum and other this for months, this is my chance. In June 2009, I had a phone conversation with Sailor. He finally told me some of who he played over the years. I’ve been trying to get this from him for years. This is what he told me-wins and losses. I’ve never known Sailor to lie. He is a honorable man. His wife left him with two children. He raised both as a single father; had a small pool room in Racine, Ws. in his younger years; made superb pool sticks and gave lessons later.
Before I took lessons from Sailor, I heard that in his prime some considered him top 10 in the US in 9Ball and straight pool. In the 90s I took many lessons from Sailor. Carter, Wilson have been mentioned. Sailor has coached Ron Dobizinski (WS) and many, many others to run over 100 balls and to play very good to outstanding 9 Ball.
I plan to continue interviewing Sailor, a man that Jeff Carter once said, “probably knows more about pool than anyone on the planet.”

Wins
Musconi in straight pool exhibition match downtown Chicago. Musconi promised him a pool stick if he won-never received it.
Of course some of these may have come back another day and won, although they did not.
Marvin Henderson-9 Ball—Marvin quit
Youngblood-9Ball
Bill Lawson-9 Ball
Joe Sabastion-9 Ball
Eugene Pucket-9 Ball
New York Blackey-9 Ball
Mexican Johnny-9 Ball

Broke Even with:
Jimmy Mataya after 36 hours of playing 9 Ball.
Wennie Beanie-9 Ball--Played a long time--Sailor quit.

Losses
Bugs-9 Ball; yes Bugs could also play 9 Ball; Sailor said he was ill and had a bad night.

Written By Lanny Charles
 
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charley2 said:
Sailor Interview-Wins/Losses and more
I’ve been wanting to tell the forum and other this for months, this is my chance. In June 2009, I had a phone conversation with Sailor. He finally told me some of who he played over the years. I’ve been trying to get this from him for years. This is what he told me-wins and losses. I’ve never known Sailor to lie. He is a honorable man. His wife left him with two children. He raised both as a single father; had a small pool room in Racine, Ws. in his younger years; made superb pool sticks and gave lessons later.
Before I took lessons from Sailor, I heard that in his prime some considered him top 10 in the US in 9Ball and straight pool. In the 90s I took many lessons from Sailor. Carter, Wilson have been mentioned. Sailor has coached Ron Dobizinski (WS) and many, many others to run over 100 balls and to play very good to outstanding 9 Ball.
I plan to continue interviewing Sailor, a man that Jeff Carter once said, “probably knows more about pool than anyone on the planet.”

Wins
Musconi in straight pool exhibition match downtown Chicago. Musconi promised him a pool stick if he won-never received it.
Of course some of these may have come back another day and won, although they did not.
Marvin Henderson-9 Ball—Marvin quit
Youngblood-9Ball
Bill Lawson-9 Ball
Joe Sabastion-9 Ball
Eugene Pucket-9 Ball
New York Blackey-9 Ball
Mexican Johnny-9 Ball

Broke Even with:
Jimmy Mataya after 36 hours of playing 9 Ball.
Wennie Beanie-9 Ball--Played a long time--Sailor quit.

Losses
Bugs-9 Ball; yes Bugs could also play 9 Ball; Sailor said he was ill and had a bad night.

Lanny Charles
Click to expand...

Tap. Tap. Tap.
 
sr 9ball said:
i took lessons from sailor in the early 90's. he told me he followed willie mocsoni around like fies on shit since he was 4 years old. in person.

sailor had severe back proplems in the 90's "on my lessons". ive seen many master players but no one. i mean no one had a stroke like sailor. but ive never see anything on him for tourn.
is he just a machine and no game.
sailor said he blew mocsoni's 500+ ball run away but wont say what? is sailor real? a player.
Click to expand...

I met Sailor a few years back. I wanted some lessons in straight pool and I had heard about him. Rukiddingme on AZB is a close friend of his and worked it out so that Sailor would see me and consider giving me lessons.

I drove up to Racine and met RU there in front of
Sailor's little shop where she performed the introductions and then left to give us time together. I don't remember what exactly we worked on that first day but I know a lot of time was spent with him talking to me. Wanting to know how much time I intended to put into getting better. Talking about Mosconi who told him that if he wanted to learn straight pool, he should go to Joe Diehl in Rockford to get lessons. Sailor had a newspaper clipping on the wall of Joe Diehl beating Greenleaf.

Anyway, Sailor went to Rockford and got lessons from Joe Diehl. Another protege of Diehl's, Charlie Cacciapaglia was already a pretty good straight pool player, from what Sailor told me. (By the way, you can see both Joe and Charlie play a little in that 10/20 video that is out there that was presented by Frank Oliva and commentated by Whispering Joe Wilson.)
Sailor told me that he was so excited when he finally ran his first 50 that he drove into Rockford to tell Charlie who either owned or was working in a bar at the time. Sailor told me that Mosconi liked Charlie's game so much he wanted to take him on the road with him but that Charlie said he was doing fine in Rockford, making money in golf and pool and as a liquor salesman. (As a matter of fact, my father worked with him as a liquor salesman and my dad played against him a little in straight pool)

I'm not sure how many lessons Sailor got from Diehl, but he mentioned that he could still hear his voice, when picking out patterns now. Joe had a younger teenage student at the time Sailor was going there named Dallas West.

Anyway, I went for a lot of lessons with Sailor but we didn't get into straight pool per se because he said I needed to develop the tools first. Cue ball control mainly. He said that making the balls eventually comes but you need cue ball control. At one point, he told me that he couldn't see me anymore because he didn't have enough time to waste on people who weren't doing what he said. He eventually relented and said, "maybe we can work on a few things"

The last time we were there we were finally picking some balls in straight pool, but we got interrupted when his friend New York, showed up and we got off on a tangent as whether it was possible to hold the cue ball given a certain layout. Pretty soon Bob was on the table andevery one was trying the shot and it was being set up different and I just started getting my stuff together to leave. After about a 2 hour drive each way, I have been a little hesitant to go back. He called and apologized for Bob showing up, but...

Nowadays, I talk to him a lot and he always asks what I am doing and gives advice. A few days before I ran my high run of 57, he sent me something in the mail and on the outside of the envelope had printed, "How about a fifty?" I hope to get up there again when my cue ball control gets a little better.
 
dmgwalsh said:
I met Sailor a few years back. I wanted some lessons in straight pool and I had heard about him. Rukiddingme on AZB is a close friend of his and worked it out so that Sailor would see me and consider giving me lessons.

I drove up to Racine and met RU there in front of
Sailor's little shop where she performed the introductions and then left to give us time together. I don't remember what exactly we worked on that first day but I know a lot of time was spent with him talking to me. Wanting to know how much time I intended to put into getting better. Talking about Mosconi who told him that if he wanted to learn straight pool, he should go to Joe Diehl in Rockford to get lessons. Sailor had a newspaper clipping on the wall of Joe Diehl beating Greenleaf.

Anyway, Sailor went to Rockford and got lessons from Joe Diehl. Another protege of Diehl's, Charlie Cacciapaglia was already a pretty good straight pool player, from what Sailor told me. (By the way, you can see both Joe and Charlie play a little in that 10/20 video that is out there that was presented by Frank Oliva and commentated by Whispering Joe Wilson.)
Sailor told me that he was so excited when he finally ran his first 50 that he drove into Rockford to tell Charlie who either owned or was working in a bar at the time. Sailor told me that Mosconi liked Charlie's game so much he wanted to take him on the road with him but that Charlie said he was doing fine in Rockford, making money in golf and pool and as a liquor salesman. (As a matter of fact, my father worked with him as a liquor salesman and my dad played against him a little in straight pool)

I'm not sure how many lessons Sailor got from Diehl, but he mentioned that he could still hear his voice, when picking out patterns now. Joe had a younger teenage student at the time Sailor was going there named Dallas West.

Anyway, I went for a lot of lessons with Sailor but we didn't get into straight pool per se because he said I needed to develop the tools first. Cue ball control mainly. He said that making the balls eventually comes but you need cue ball control. At one point, he told me that he couldn't see me anymore because he didn't have enough time to waste on people who weren't doing what he said. He eventually relented and said, "maybe we can work on a few things"

The last time we were there we were finally picking some balls in straight pool, but we got interrupted when his friend New York, showed up and we got off on a tangent as whether it was possible to hold the cue ball given a certain layout. Pretty soon Bob was on the table andevery one was trying the shot and it was being set up different and I just started getting my stuff together to leave. After about a 2 hour drive each way, I have been a little hesitant to go back. He called and apologized for Bob showing up, but...

Nowadays, I talk to him a lot and he always asks what I am doing and gives advice. A few days before I ran my high run of 57, he sent me something in the mail and on the outside of the envelope had printed, "How about a fifty?" I hope to get up there again when my cue ball control gets a little better.
Click to expand...

Good information. Thanks. Sailor would sometimes mention Joe Diehl to me also. Dallas would visit Sailor's shop into the 1990's, not sure about
2000's? They were freinds.
 
charley2 said:
Sailor Interview-Wins/Losses and more
I’ve been wanting to tell the forum and other this for months, this is my chance. In June 2009, I had a phone conversation with Sailor. He finally told me some of who he played over the years. I’ve been trying to get this from him for years. This is what he told me-wins and losses. I’ve never known Sailor to lie. He is a honorable man. His wife left him with two children. He raised both as a single father; had a small pool room in Racine, Ws. in his younger years; made superb pool sticks and gave lessons later.
Before I took lessons from Sailor, I heard that in his prime some considered him top 10 in the US in 9Ball and straight pool. In the 90s I took many lessons from Sailor. Carter, Wilson have been mentioned. Sailor has coached Ron Dobizinski (WS) and many, many others to run over 100 balls and to play very good to outstanding 9 Ball.
I plan to continue interviewing Sailor, a man that Jeff Carter once said, “probably knows more about pool than anyone on the planet.”

Wins
Musconi in straight pool exhibition match downtown Chicago. Musconi promised him a pool stick if he won-never received it.
Of course some of these may have come back another day and won, although they did not.
Marvin Henderson-9 Ball—Marvin quit
Youngblood-9Ball
Bill Lawson-9 Ball
Joe Sabastion-9 Ball
Eugene Pucket-9 Ball
New York Blackey-9 Ball
Mexican Johnny-9 Ball

Broke Even with:
Jimmy Mataya after 36 hours of playing 9 Ball.
Wennie Beanie-9 Ball--Played a long time--Sailor quit.

Losses
Bugs-9 Ball; yes Bugs could also play 9 Ball; Sailor said he was ill and had a bad night.

Written By Lanny Charles
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if the Eugene Pucket you listed is really U. J. Puckett from Fort Worth, Texas. Pardon me if they are different guys. BTW U. J. was Utley Jim.
 
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