Wing Shots

LEE BATTLING CANCER

BCA Hall of Famer diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

IN AN announcement that shocked the pool world — and made headlines far beyond traditional billiard circles — Jeanette Lee revealed that she is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

The 49-year-old “Black Widow,” arguably behind only Minnesota Fats as the most recognized pool personality ever, released a statement through her longtime agent Tom George on Feb. 17 acknowledging that she had been diagnosed with the disease and had already received her first round of aggressive chemotherapy.

“I intend to bring the same resolve I brought to the billiards table to this fight,” Lee said.

Despite a dire prognosis and the expectation of numerous rounds of chemotherapy and possibly surgery, Lee, no stranger to physical challenges, remained upbeat and philosophical.

“I don’t think God is done with me yet,” she said in a call. “This is just another way to inspire more people. I’m planning on being around for a while.

“I need to know that something good will come of this,” she added. “Everything I’ve already been through has prepared me for this.”

News of Lee’s diagnosis spread quickly and was picked up by numerous news agencies like the Washington Post, New York Post, Tampa Bay Times and People magazine, and popular social media sites like Yahoo, TMZ, Deadspin and Today.

Part of the press release divulging Lee’s diagnosis included information about the establishment of the Jeanette Lee Legacy Fund, “a trust designed to provide for the care, well-being and education of her three daughters.”

Lee said the focus of her fight to live is her daughters Cheyenne, 16, Chloe, 11, and Savannah, 10, who she said are the greatest achievements of her life.

“I owe it to my three daughters [to never give up],” Lee said.

A GoFundMe page was set up to fund the trust, and within three days the Jeanette Lee Legacy Fund was more than halfway to its goal of raising $250,000. Tony Stewart, NASCAR legend, pool fan and longtime friend of Lee, donated $10,000 to the cause.

Diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, Lee has dealt with physical ailments throughout her life, including multiple surgeries to fuse vertebrae in her back and repair deteriorated disks in her neck and shoulders. She underwent surgery as late as early 2020 to address neck pain and sciatica, ailments that had caused her to all but retire from competition.

Lee said it is possible that her various ailments and chronic arthritis may have masked any pain by the cancer, which has metastasized and invaded other parts of her body. As a patient keenly aware of her body and in constant contact with medical advisors, Lee also contends that the impact of COVID-19 and the suggestion that anything less than dire medical visits should be avoided may also have played a role in her not getting diagnosed earlier.

“I’m usually on top of any new pain or symptoms and have fairly regular visits with doctors,” she said.

Lee, who has suffered from anxiety disorder for nearly 20 years, said she began noticing shortness of breath when she laid down around the beginning of the year. Assuming it was anxiety-based, she did nothing about it. The breathing issues persisted, however, and she thought she might be suffering from bronchitis.

“I had no other symptoms other than having to take deep breaths anytime I laid down,” she recalled.

When her shortness of breath worsened, Lee finally took herself to an urgent care facility near her home in Tampa in mid-January. X-rays revealed pleural effusion, often referred to as “water on the lungs,” and Lee was directed to a local hospital for further tests.

“The fluids were sent to pathology,” Lee said. “I think they knew right away that it was serious.”

The cells were cancerous, and masses were found elsewhere in Lee’s lymph nodes. She underwent her first chemotherapy treatment on Jan. 27.

“This is all so weird,” Lee added with a laugh. “I always felt like I would go young, but I always figured it would be a tragic end, like a car wreck.

“I have to say, what has hurt the most has been thinking about my girls’ futures much more than thinking about myself.”

Lee’s path to stardom in and beyond pool began in the early ’90s in New York City and quickly blossomed. Within four years of devoting herself full-time to the game, Lee reached the top of the women’s rankings, becoming the No. 1 player in 1994. Her brashness, beauty and drive quickly made her the talk of the pool world. Her unparalleled skills in self-promotion helped her develop a public persona that transcended pool. Over the next 15 years, the Jeanette Lee brand blossomed, resulting in inclusion in ESPN Magazine’s “The Body Issue,” her own ESPN SportCenter commercial, a spot in Korea’s “Dancing with the Stars,” and endorsement deals with gaming site King.com, Bass Pro Shops and more.

Lee also won a dozen Women’s Professional Billiards Association titles and captured the gold medal at the 2001 World Games.

BARSTOOL SPORTS GIVES GRANT TO CONNECTICUT ROOM

BOBBY HILTON was sitting in his office doing paperwork on the afternoon of January 9, when his cellular phone started ringing.

As owner of Yale Billiards in Wallingford, Conn., Hilton has been walking the same tightrope that many poolroom and small business owners have during the COVID-19 pandemic. Capacity restrictions after being shut down for three months had limited his business while mask regulations and safety concerns kept regular customers away. Hilton was still able to pay his employees and taxes, but had fallen a month behind on the rent — a problem many room owners are currently battling nationwide. As fall became winter and business remained down by about 40-percent, the long-term prognosis wasn’t promising.

Hilton answered the call on his phone and, within minutes, the new year was already looking more promising. On the other end of a video call was Dave Portnoy, founder and president of the social media company Barstool Sports. Weeks earlier, Hilton’s close friend Vinny Gambarella had submitted a grant application to the Barstool Fund — a charity created by the company to assist small businesses struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Portnoy was calling to tell Hilton his grant application has been approved, and that the business will be receiving $5,000 a month until Yale is either back in the black or the restrictions have been lifted.

Hilton’s Yale Billiards got an unexpected gift.

Both Hilton and Gambarella follow Barstool on social media and when Hilton confided in him how bad business had been, his friend filled out an application and submitted a brief video of the room owner giving a tour of the facility.

“Our barstools are up and not being used,” Hilton explained in his video submission.

With 2.7 million followers on Twitter and 9.6 million followers on Instagram, Barstool Sports has grown to become a multi-media empire and one of the largest sports entertainment social media platforms in the country. As the pandemic continues to hurt and hamper small businesses, the company created the Barstool Fund, which has raised over $35 million and provided grants to over 260 small businesses nationwide.

A few weeks after submitting the application for the nationwide grant program, news broke that a restaurant in the small Connecticut town just outside of New Haven received a grant from the media platform. A few days later, a second Wallingford business was awarded a grant.

“Now we’re thinking there’s no way we’re going to get it,” he said. “We went from a little optimistic to not optimistic.”

That was until January 9, when Portnoy called Hilton on WhatsApp, chatted briefly and asked for his banking information.

News of the grant approval has made Hilton and Yale minor celebrities, with local television stations dropping in to do news stories and people calling from as far away as Georgia and Florida to congratulate him. Additionally, the buzz has created about a 15-percent increase in business.

“Really since the pandemic, I haven’t made anything,” Hilton said. “I told Dave, thank you. You’ve allowed me to catch up on my rent, which is awesome.”

CUETEC DROPS THORPE

FOUR-TIME Team USA Mosconi Cup participant and two-time Derby City Classic winner Billy Thorpe was dropped abruptly from sponsor Cuetec on Feb. 9, following an ugly, latenight rant during a money match in Poplar Bluff, Mo., that was being livestreamed.

The action match between Thorpe and fellow pro Robb Saez, took place at Smokin’ Aces Bar & Grill, where a number of pros gathered for bar table tournaments during the first weekend in February. The Thorpe-Saez match was played following tournament play in the early morning hours of Feb. 6. The match was being live streamed on the TV Mike network.

During the match, Thorpe launched into an expletive-filled rant with Saez, at one point using a homophobic slur and then physically attacking Saez. The live stream continued, with one announcer even commenting, “Well, this should be interesting.”

The video was captured and almost immediately widely shared on Facebook pages and other social media sites.

Cuetec, which added Thorpe to its pro staff in September 2019, quickly posted an official statement severing its contract with the 24-year-old Ohio pro.

“Cuetec is a proud advocate for sportsmanship and inclusion, and unequivocally condemns any language or actions that bully, intimidate, alienate, or otherwise harm any person or the game itself.”

The statement went on to say that the company “requires all of its player representatives to uphold this standard of conduct.”

Thorpe’s initial attempts to diffuse the situation on social media by blaming alcohol and dismissing the altercation as being typical of gambling matches were met with mixed reaction. Thorpe subsequently appeared on Cue It Up Network noticeably more remorseful, saying, “Honestly, I’m embarrassed. I regret everything. The only thing I can do is move on and be better. I need to look at myself in the mirror and I need to work on being better.”

“I’m sure Billy learned from this,” offered Thorpe’s close friend and Cuetec staffer Shane Van Boening. “For sure, he needs to stop getting into matches like that and needs to focus on tournaments.”