Why Isn't There no Robert Byrne's Tourament , whether 3c or pool ?
- Thread starter billiardshot
- Start date
Bob Jewett knows this too. His namesake Bob Byrne always had this little sly smile on his face when talking with someone, as if he had some inside joke ruminating around in his head. He gave out his words sparingly, as if they were pearls of wisdom. And they usually were!
His books are still a MUST for any true pool fan to have and to read.
His books are still a MUST for any true pool fan to have and to read.
I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here, but Byrne put a lot of time and effort into creating each of his books, and the fact that he (and his publisher) got them into mainstream book stores is a credit to him. He gave me an idea of how many books he had sold one time when I asked him about it, and it was in the low six figures. No one before or since (Phil Capelle may be the closest) has sold that many billiard related books. No question he made some nice coin for his endeavors and why not. On top of his other good qualities he was a very smart businessman. Only makes me respect him that much more. I'm pretty sure you can still buy them online. So his widow continues to benefit from them. That may be his everlasting gift to her. Good man that Byrne!
By the way, I'd like to mention here a not so well known thing about Harold Worst that this topic made me think of. Along with being perhaps the greatest cueman of all time he was also a smart businessman, who did quite well for himself and did not need to depend on his pool/billiard winnings to survive. He had no problem backing himself in gambling endeavors no matter what the stakes. He issued an open $10,000 Challenge back in the 1960's and had no takers.
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I just spoke with his widow Cynthia. She was Bob's second wife and was not Heifetz' daughter. That was his first wife. Cynthia used to travel with Bob to many of the tournaments he did commentary on. They can still be found on youtube. And yes she still gets royalty checks from the sale of his books. Bob and Cynthia lived in Dubuque, IA since 1995 and he passed away in 2016.
I remember that sly smile, Jay! You're so right. Funny Bob Byrne story: The first time I visited with him in California, we were walking somewhere and he stepped off the curb into the street with traffic all around. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, thinking he was about to get himself hit. Then all the cars came to a dead halt. He started laughing. He told me in California, they have to stop as soon as you step off the curb. I was truly shocked.
The next time I visited with him, he came to New York for a 3-C tournament. We were about to cross Roosevelt Ave. to go to lunch, when he stepped off the curb, heading into traffic. I grabbed him and pulled him back. "This isn't California Bob. They'll hit you here and then worry about it later." I never saw him laugh so hard. I wasn't laughing, though. He didn't realize how close he came.
Years later he told me he got a lot of mileage out of telling that story. As deadpan as he looked sometimes, he found humor in the strangest things. I think that's what that sly smile was about. He was finding something humorous that the rest of us hadn't noticed.
Bob Byrne also wrote several other kinds of books besides the pool/billiard books.
He collected interesting quotes and published several books of them. Based on his experience as a civil engineer -- he was the editor of an engineering monthly -- he wrote five disaster novels including Skyscraper and The Dam. I think Skyscraper was turned into a movie which had only a rough resemblance to the book. With his first wife, Josefa, he compiled a dictionary of unusual words. In some circles she is known for finding one of the highest scoring scrabble words -- "sesquioxidizing", you can look it up -- with which she managed to create a scenario that scored 2037 points.
A list is here: http://www.byrne.org/works.html
That list does not include this collection of his best short writings:
He collected interesting quotes and published several books of them. Based on his experience as a civil engineer -- he was the editor of an engineering monthly -- he wrote five disaster novels including Skyscraper and The Dam. I think Skyscraper was turned into a movie which had only a rough resemblance to the book. With his first wife, Josefa, he compiled a dictionary of unusual words. In some circles she is known for finding one of the highest scoring scrabble words -- "sesquioxidizing", you can look it up -- with which she managed to create a scenario that scored 2037 points.
A list is here: http://www.byrne.org/works.html
That list does not include this collection of his best short writings:
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Great stuff here that captures the essence of who Bob was. Pool would be a lesser game without his intervention!
An interesting sub note to his story about his brief conversation with Fats. Fats never read his book about McGoorty or any other Bob Byrne book! He was basically illiterate and never read a book in his life. Fats could read and write perhaps on a first or second grade level. That is why he needed a hand stamp to sign the name Minnesota Fats. He liked to eat only in restaurants that had pictures of the various meals on the menu, so he could just point to what he wanted to eat. Nonetheless he was in many ways a brilliant man, who could break down complex situations to their simplest explanation, and provide answers on how to handle them which people could relate too. One of his best moments was when he swayed the judge in Johnston City after all the pool players been arrested for gambling in 1972. After Fats finished his speech to the court, the judge threw out all the charges and had the player's money and valuables returned to them!
I loved his amusing views on life! He could see the humor in just about anything.
The Byrnes book were easy to read and re read.
The first day I opened the book I thought I would make all the shots on the first try.
I can tell you all the shots that are easy to make on the first try, but it might not be the same for everyone.
DrDaves playing ability test is a good measure. I always measured myself against the sequence of shots in Byrnes book.
Compared to holding a magazine like Billiard Digest or Inside Pool, a book just has a familiar feeling from youth.
The section in Byrnes book that peaked my interest was about the engineers and scientist trying to measure the pool table.
Anyone trying to measure to study engineering or physics plays second to a well versed mathematician. I always thought it would be fun to update that specific section of the book. Nowadays there is too much pool content, an academic talk would be less attention worthy.
With so many public libraries going digital, are there any specific pool books that should be in libraries?
The first day I opened the book I thought I would make all the shots on the first try.
I can tell you all the shots that are easy to make on the first try, but it might not be the same for everyone.
DrDaves playing ability test is a good measure. I always measured myself against the sequence of shots in Byrnes book.
Compared to holding a magazine like Billiard Digest or Inside Pool, a book just has a familiar feeling from youth.
The section in Byrnes book that peaked my interest was about the engineers and scientist trying to measure the pool table.
Anyone trying to measure to study engineering or physics plays second to a well versed mathematician. I always thought it would be fun to update that specific section of the book. Nowadays there is too much pool content, an academic talk would be less attention worthy.
With so many public libraries going digital, are there any specific pool books that should be in libraries?
word salad that no ones gonna read, hope you stayed up past your bed time to write it
And as you know Bob, this poster was hung in a window facing the street at his apartment in Dubuque.
Well, you know
Anyone trying to measure to study engineering or physics plays second to a well versed mathematician
There their they're
Piqued peeked peaked.
Homophones: words that sound the same, are spelled differently and have different meanings.
I sense a pattern.
Jeanyes
... and, assuming it is in New Jersey, I'll attend.
I knew that, but thought you'd hold it in your hometown, which lay right smack in the middle of pool heaven back in the day.