Where are they now?
- Thread starter Nature Boy
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Bucky bounces back and forth between Ohio, in the Fairfield area and Michigan. Plays at Michaels when Ohio but he plays Gin more than pool these days.
Joe Lawrence lived in about the same area for a while (Hamilton Ohio) back in the late 80's. He used to come to my pool room, "Oakley Royal Family Billiards" some back then. One day he came in and made a game with Joey Spaeth. Joey was a bit past his prime and frustrated at his inability to play up to his former speed. Joe L beat Joey out of about $400 playing even $20 9-ball and Joey was fit to be tied. Just before they quit Gary Spaeth came in. I staked Gary playing Joe L, giving Joe the 8 ball, playing 10 ahead. Gary won 2 sets in about 1 1/2 hours. Gary had to reap revenge after the beating Joe L had given his Dad and we gave Joey his $400 back he'd lost off the top. Joe was also going by the alias of Joe Robinson most of the time he was in Ohio. He could play hell on wheels at times preferring either bar table or the snooker table, but he had a bit of a drinking problem that made his play kind of sporadic depending on when he had his mixture right. I've seen him play lights out, 9 ball with pool balls on a tight 6X12 snooker table at times. He tried to get that type of action but not many wanted any part of him at that game.
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Is that Dave Gross or Dave Grossman from Florida?
Eugene Browning is running around the Birmingham area with a fella' named Bill Wright and sneaking into low level tourney's
Always enjoy reading your stories, especially about the players before my time.
I saw Danny Medina a few years back at the Derby, I think it was. He'd developed an idiosyncrasy of licking his lips in quick darting motions almost like a snake or something, and he did it continually whenever he was down on the ball. After a while it was painful to watch. Someone said it was a medical or nervous condition he'd developed. I always liked Danny and he was a fearless player back in the 80's!
Bank Robbery and Home Invasion of a big Meth dealer in Tennessee is going to keep Bobby out of circulation for quite a while! It's a crying shame, I never saw that side of Bobby!
Last I heard, Troy had left Ohio for warmer climates and was living in Florida.
What kind of a player was Eugine Browning? I heard he was a BB champ. I know and have seen Bill Wright play (champ) and heard Eugine is better but haven't seen him play.
These guys are old and goofy looking, don't even look as if they could hold a cue much less afford a beat up bar cue.
These guys are old and goofy looking, don't even look as if they could hold a cue much less afford a beat up bar cue.
I've got a Eugene Browning story.
About 1987 or 88 when Grady moved to Columbia to run Bob Opsahl's new pool room, Bob sponsored the First "Rack-Em-Up Classic" pool tournament. It was at the brand new Sheraton Hotel, which Bob Opsahl on his day job as
an architect had designed the Hotel. It was a beautiful place! The tournament was in a ballroom/convention center in the hotel. The hotel had a _small_ game room for it's guests with some video games (which were very popular
at the time) and one coin-op pool table. Gary Spaeth, my road partner and I were checking out the facilities and came on the game room just about the time that some action broke out. Dick Lane (a collegiate pool champ and
owner of the chain of pool rooms known as "Clicks Billiards") was matching up with a fellow I didn't recognize at first. Gary pulled me aside and told me "that's Gene the machine Browning, one of the best bar table players on the
planet. If you can get a bet down on him, bet all you can! Well, Dick Lane's brother was kind of pushing Dick into playing this "unknown player"! He had obviously been celebrating a bit too much and had a wad of "C-Notes" that
would choke a horse asking if anyone wanted to bet on the side. I got down with Dick's brother betting $100 a game on Gene. Gene won the first few games and about that time a buddy of mine from Cincinnati came up. I touted
him on the action and he asked me if he could have half of my action. I reluctantly let him in so we were actually betting $50 apiece with Dick's brother. I think we won the first game after I took in the partner and Dick Lane got
a gear and won about 9 straight games! My buddy got pissed at me and told me he was off the bet, so I continued betting the $100 alone. Just about this time Gene the machine got a gear himself and won about 12 straight,
lost one and won about another 10 games before Dick lane pulled up and said he didn't want to play any more on the barbox. By this time my buddy who had watched the whole thing unfold was furious. He accused me of setting
him up, like I had some kind of control over the outcome! lol Then after he'd ranted and raved at me asked me to reimburse his losses. LOL I ended up close to $2K winners and he's lost $400 and the whole thing took about 2
hours. The funny thing is that I was kind of pumped ( Gary had taken off a couple of scores already also) and if my ex-buddy hadn't made such an ass out of himself, I'd have probably given him his $400 he lost, but after the
way he acted I told him to pound salt!
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Two different guys. Dave Gross is in Colorado.
jons121301
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Jerry Bento - Where is he?
I spent about 8 Months with Jerry Bento in Houston around 1992 or so, although that period is sort of cloudy
Been a long time since I have seen him. I found out he played some Masters Tournaments in 2005 & 2007. I think they were in NC and Tenn.
I read somewhere on here, where someone referred to Jerry's nickname as "The California Kid"? I am puzzled since Jerry always said he was known as "The Rooster". I saw first hand why he was known as "The Rooster", he strutted around the Bar Tables like a Big Cocky Rooster when he was on his game and in a run.
I was with him when Buddy Hall called to ask his permission to use his name and their stories in the book he was writing, I think it was called "Rags to Rifleman". Jerry was a little upset when he received his copy and the truth was told, Buddy could have left part of the end of the story out and saved ole Jerry some shame?
We used to play awhile back in Houston in all the old rooms and when our welcome was wore out we would head to New Orleans and wear out our welcome at "Flyboy's Sports Palace". We had quite a bit of fun those days and really pissed off a lot of Bar Players with the hustle.
I would like to find Jerry again and visit some.
I remember his stories of being on the road with Buddy and 3 or 4 others in an old Winnebago.
Anyone runs into him tell him Jon Standley says hi and have him me give me a call.
Jon (210)818-5100
I spent about 8 Months with Jerry Bento in Houston around 1992 or so, although that period is sort of cloudy
Been a long time since I have seen him. I found out he played some Masters Tournaments in 2005 & 2007. I think they were in NC and Tenn.
I read somewhere on here, where someone referred to Jerry's nickname as "The California Kid"? I am puzzled since Jerry always said he was known as "The Rooster". I saw first hand why he was known as "The Rooster", he strutted around the Bar Tables like a Big Cocky Rooster when he was on his game and in a run.
I was with him when Buddy Hall called to ask his permission to use his name and their stories in the book he was writing, I think it was called "Rags to Rifleman". Jerry was a little upset when he received his copy and the truth was told, Buddy could have left part of the end of the story out and saved ole Jerry some shame?
We used to play awhile back in Houston in all the old rooms and when our welcome was wore out we would head to New Orleans and wear out our welcome at "Flyboy's Sports Palace". We had quite a bit of fun those days and really pissed off a lot of Bar Players with the hustle.
I would like to find Jerry again and visit some.
I remember his stories of being on the road with Buddy and 3 or 4 others in an old Winnebago.
Anyone runs into him tell him Jon Standley says hi and have him me give me a call.
Jon (210)818-5100
Eric Durbin
I actually think I saw Eric Durbin at the DCC this year, he was real thin and I didn't recognise him at first.
Like so many others, He could have been a great player.
I actually think I saw Eric Durbin at the DCC this year, he was real thin and I didn't recognise him at first.
Like so many others, He could have been a great player.
I spent about 8 Months with Jerry Bento in Houston around 1992 or so, although that period is sort of cloudy
Been a long time since I have seen him. I found out he played some Masters Tournaments in 2005 & 2007. I think they were in NC and Tenn.
I read somewhere on here, where someone referred to Jerry's nickname as "The California Kid"? I am puzzled since Jerry always said he was known as "The Rooster". I saw first hand why he was known as "The Rooster", he strutted around the Bar Tables like a Big Cocky Rooster when he was on his game and in a run.
I was with him when Buddy Hall called to ask his permission to use his name and their stories in the book he was writing, I think it was called "Rags to Rifleman". Jerry was a little upset when he received his copy and the truth was told, Buddy could have left part of the end of the story out and saved ole Jerry some shame?
We used to play awhile back in Houston in all the old rooms and when our welcome was wore out we would head to New Orleans and wear out our welcome at "Flyboy's Sports Palace". We had quite a bit of fun those days and really pissed off a lot of Bar Players with the hustle.
I would like to find Jerry again and visit some.
I remember his stories of being on the road with Buddy and 3 or 4 others in an old Winnebago.
Anyone runs into him tell him Jon Standley says hi and have him me give me a call.
Jon (210)818-5100
Flyboy was in Baton Rouge
jumping joe lawrence is living in barrie, i played in a bar box league with him last year. league changed the rules because of him and forced him out this year. if u let him on the table u pretty much lost. i would say he ddnt play his cards right, that life dealt him, but what do i know? hes got stories though to tell u, likes to talk lol if u buy him a beer!
joe told me earl never could beat him! and said he drove earl crazy with his table talk lol
i dout this.