When Did You First Hear of Efren Reyes?

jay helfert said:
You were super tough action playing five ahead for 50 or a 100. Remember I ducked you in Long Beach when I was the house pro there. I was playing good then and beating just about everybody around. I only turned down a couple of guys and you were one of them. I knew the best I could hope for was to split a couple of sets and I didn't want to torture myself that way. :)
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The Trap :dance:table @ your house ain't no picnic, hot tub sounds better ;)....
 
I like this thread because it's making me feel young.

I heard about Efren when he won the Sands Regency (?1986?) but didn't see him play until 1993 when he competed in the US Open 14.1 event in New York City.
 
met efren at chicago billiards in the early 80's when i bought my first southwest cue from john wright (passed) and was introduced to jerry franklin (passed) who made the cue. paid 275 for that cue and wish i still had it.
 
In the same book you did, Freddie. I first saw Efren at the first BC Open in Binghamton, NY in 1985. At The Pocket Billiard Lounge on West State Street I watched him give Allen Hopkins the 15 ball after the break every game playing Rotation for $200 a game. Allen never had a prayer.
 
jay helfert said:
Like many others I first saw Efren at Red's in Houston in 1985, when he was using the name Cesar Morales. Believe it or not, after he won the tournament I asked him to autograph a program for me and he signed it Efren Reyes. I thought that was strange but the name meant nothing to me at the time. All I knew was that Cesar Morales was just an alias.

Prior to this I spoke with John Grissim at Caesars Tahoe in 1982 and I was bragging about how strong our field was. He looked me in the eye and said there are players in the Philippines who can give any of these guys the eight ball. I truly thought he was crazy! I just chuckled at that absurd comment and said something like "Give the eight ball to Sigel or Buddy or Hopkins or Rempe? You MUST be kidding!"

I was to find out three years later he wasn't.
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I met John Grissim at Terry Stonier's 1979 9 ball tournament hosted by the Senator Hotel downtown Sacramento. I had by 1979 read about Efren in his book "Billiards". When I first worked in the casinos in Nevada there were a few Filipinos that told me there was a player in the Philippines that could beat any American player. That was in 1977 and I didn't believe them. It took John Grissim's book to make me a believer. It's a helluva good read if you get the chance.
 
nice picture do you have any more,Mike massey,Howard Vickery and i think maybe Steve Oaks in the background,nobody knew Oaks and he was a killer at that time.
 
Efren in. Atlantic City 1986

jay helfert said:
Like many others I first saw Efren at Red's in Houston in 1985, when he was using the name Cesar Morales. Believe it or not, after he won the tournament I asked him to autograph a program for me and he signed it Efren Reyes. I thought that was strange but the name meant nothing to me at the time. All I knew was that Cesar Morales was just an alias.

Prior to this I spoke with John Grissim at Caesars Tahoe in 1982 and I was bragging about how strong our field was. He looked me in the eye and said there are players in the Philippines who can give any of these guys the eight ball. I truly thought he was crazy! I just chuckled at that absurd comment and said something like "Give the eight ball to Sigel or Buddy or Hopkins or Rempe? You MUST be kidding!"

I was to find out three years later he wasn't.
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I first saw Efren at Last Call for 9-Ball in Atlantic City in 1986, right after the Red's Tournament. Weenie Beanie knew the guys at Resorts International and promoted a huge open 9-Ball Tournament. Pat Fleming was the tournament director and had to stand on a ladder to fill out the flow charts. There were between 400 and 500 players entered because the entry fee was cheap and the prize money was big. Resorts International had a huge room set up with 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crowns and everybody was there. It was the last time I saw Irving Crane, Luther Lassiter and Eddie Taylor play in a tournament.
I saw this skinny kid practicing before his match and he was playing with all 15 balls on the table, which puzzled me. So I asked Pat Fleming about this kid and he told me that the kid went by the name of Cesar Morales, but it was just an alias. I first thought he was Mexican, but Beanie told me the kid was from Manila. Then they called his match and this skinny kid went over to an even skinnier kid, Rudolpho Luat, who barely weighed 110 pounds, and borrowed Luat's cue for his upcoming match.

I don't remember his opponent or even the score, but Efren destroyed the guy and made several kicks that were spectacular. I think Mike Sigel won the event, but Efren to me was the star attraction. I spoke with Efren a few months ago and he remembered some of the details. He mentioned that he thought Mike Sigel was his toughest opponent at that time.
 
EfrenReyesakaCaesarMorales1985.jpg-------------
 
first time for me would have been an espn broadcast of the old pro billiard tour, he may have been in a tuxedo

i remember not knowing the first thing about pool and thinking to myself "this guy is awesome" same thing with Earl, steve davis too in snooker

every other player, not so much
 
I was either 13 or 14 years old and just getting into pool. I was watching ESPN and they were showing an International Challenge of Champions match between Efren and Django. Efren got too straight in on a ball and drew the cue ball back 3 rails to get perfect shape on the next ball. It was the first time I'd ever seen someone draw the cue ball that much. I remember thinking that it was so cool, and he's been my favorite player ever since that moment.

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In Grissim's book, like some others. Then in Billiards Digest after he won the tournament a Red's. First saw him in 1985 at the first BC Open in Binghamton, NY. Watched him in the local room playing Allan Hopkins Rotation for $200 a rack. Allan got the 15 ball immediately after the break no matter who broke. Efren won about $1800-$2200 if memory serves. Then in the practice room after the tournament was over for the day playing, I think, George Brunt, giving up the 7,8,9 in 9 ball, then the 8,9,10 in 10 ball. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor before I went home.
 
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