Who made the first jump shot ? Cue ?

[the chicken]

Harry Palmeri

I worked at a pool hall (The Campus Room) in Chicago during the mid 70's. One of the regulars was an old timer named Harry Palmeri.

Harry was always dressed to the nines. In the winter, he even wore a bowler-style hat.

Even though he was 70-some years old, Harry liked to hustle the younger players. And, since this pool hall was located right across the street from Loyola University, Harry had more games than he could ever wish for.

Harry would amaze whom ever he could coral by betting on "impossible" trick shots. One of his winter favorites was to take his hat off and place it upside down on the table. Then, with a house cue, Harry would stroke down and begin to pop balls into his hat, one right after another. What was amazing was that he could lob a ball into his hat even if it was a foot or two away. Amazing.

Of course, the management didn't care much for Harry's antics, as the cloth would take a beating, not to mention the ideas he planted into young, impressionable minds.

Harry, along with his followers never, to my knowledge, associated popping balls into his hat with a jump shot as we know of it, today. But I will say this: Harry was short, maybe not even five and a half feet tall: But he could sure jump ole whitey!

Shoot Safe.

John

 

[vagabond]

I bought my first jump cue in 1991 and it was called " Frog" made in China and produced by WPBA player Robbin Bell. The cue was long and the producer ( Robin Bell at that time and now she is Robin Dodson) subsequently got them shortened and called them " Tad Pole".

Next time you go to a pool room,pick a wall cue without tip and try the jump shot and post it here what you thought.

One of the first people to bring that German jump cue to this country ( 1990-1991) was a well known Bank pool player from Cincinatti,Ohio who died at an young age in around the year 2000. He bought that cue when he was doing Road playing in Europe.

 

[JB Cases]

Yeah but can you use the arrow with ghost ball contact patch to jump?

Of course....the arrow does everything in pool.....sold by Ronson.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[SUPERSTAR]

One of the first people to bring that German jump cue to this country ( 1990-1991) was a well known Bank pool player from Cincinatti,Ohio who died at an young age in around the year 2000. He bought that cue when he was doing Road playing in Europe.

You talking about Gary Spaeth?

 

[macguy]

Meucci had their jump cues in the late 80's catalog.

Tascarella sold his first jump cue in 1976, the same year he saw Fleming jumping with a sawed off house cue.

Freddie <~~~ can't jump

Pat Fleming came up with the concept of the light weight cue for jumping. He actually used a full length cue that weighed like 10 ounces. Unless you picked it up you didn't know how he was doing it.

I was at a tournament when I first saw Pat do it. The cue was there by the wall and I think Pat was playing Danny DiLiberts. A shot comes up with the cue ball like 6 inches away from the object ball blocking his shot and he goes and gets the cue by the wall, no one really knowing what he was up to.

He jumps the ball with almost no speed at all and pockets the object ball. The place went crazy, no one understood what they had just seen. Pat should come on here and actually tell the story of the idea and how he came up with it.

Around 1979 or 80 Jay Flowers (the case guy), came up with the jump/break cue with the second joint. He asked me if I wanted to make them and I was not interested. Not so much because I didn't like the cue, I didn't like the idea of being in business with Jay, Jay scared me. He was a dangerous man and quick tempered.

He went to Hubler who began making them for him and was selling them. I don't really know what happened but it was not long before Hubler had them in their line and no further mention of Jay Flowers. Jay may have been paid off or lost interest I don't know. Hubler didn't steal the idea because Jay would have likely killed him.

This is not to say that someone else can't tell a similar story about someone else, ideas are not always unique and people always come up with the same ideas independent of each other. My story is true though and a first hand account of at least one of the origins.

 

[poolmouse]

Someone that couldn't kick worth a darn. :thumbup: Johnnyt

^^^ This!!!

 

[vagabond]

You talking about Gary Spaeth?

That is correct.