CUE SPORTS
JUNE 2013
JOURNAL --------------------------------
Corey Deuel 1st Place
Sargon Isaac 2nd Place
Corey Deuel Captures National Snooker Championship Title Page 9
Picture courtesy of SnookerUSA.com
The first stop of the Tiger West Coast Women’s Tour held at The Broken Rack in Emeryville, CA, on May 18-19. Page 7
Pictures courtesy of Naomi Manuel
CUE SPORTS JOURNAL Editor and Publisher....John Henderson P.O. Box 681, Plymouth, CA 95669 530-391-8316 cuesportsjournal@gmail.com
More Champions Coming to Town Another One Lost We will get the sad news out of the way first. Cole Dickson passed recently in Reno, Nevada. I met Cole in the late 60’s when he was a teenager and probably on his first road trip to Southern California. I could play a little 9 ball in those days and pulled up after getting drilled even, with the eight and an offer of the seven. I have asked a few of the players who have known Cole and even mixed it up with him over the years to say a few words. Their comments, stories and a few pictures are included in this edition. There is a $4,000 added Memorial 9 Ball tournament for Cole hosted by his old friend Delbert Wong at Family Billiards in San Francisco on June 29/30. Posters for this event will go out with copies of Cue sports Journal. Memorial T Shirts are being sold by Play The Game Clothing. Check out their ad & pictures of the shirt in the paper.
**********************************************************
Lots of local tournaments coming up. The WorldPPA Shootout at California Billiard Club June 22nd & 23rd, The Cole Dickson Memorial at Family Billiards in San Francisco on June 29/30 and The West Coast Challenge at California Billiards in Mountain View on July 3rd to July 7th, with $4,000 added to the one pocket and $10,000 added to the 10-Ball. Then we have the CSI/BCAPL at the RIO July17-27th. Information on these tournaments can be found in this months publication. California Cue Sports Handicap One Pocket League will end their first session this month at three pool rooms, and the Division Playoffs will be held at the host rooms to see who will win the free trips to the US Open in Las Vegas in July. We have recently added two more rooms, Buffalo Billiards in Petaluma and Family Billiards in San Francisco. Cue Sports Journal is growing. We send Cue Sports Journal copies to more than twice as many pool rooms in California than any other publication. You don’t have to be an advertiser to get copies, but you can sure help the cause by using this publication to promote your room, leagues, tournaments and players, by taking out an ad. You can also see us online on californiacuesports.com on their Facebook page. Contact me at cuesportsjournal.com for more information about joining Cue Sports Journal.
Page 2
6005 Shellmound St, #160 Emeryville, CA 94608 510.652.9808
We have 16 regulation pool tables along with: 2- 8 ft. pool tables 1- 5’x10’ billiard table 1- 6’x12’ snooker table
BCA Sanctioned 8-Ball (Can qualify for BCA National Championship) 3 player teams with up to 3 alternates, 9 game matches $15 per player per year BCAPL sanctioning fee $30 per team, per season registration fee $30 per team match fees (100% goes to prize fund) 20% OFF Pro Shop merchandise
End of Season Pay-Out Party Contact: marilyn@thebrokenrack.com
For more information about the BCA Pool Leagues visit: www.playbca.com Memorial Day weekend was highlighted by our annual Memorial Day Open 8-Ball Tournament. We had a record turnout with 46 players! The entry fee was $20 for this double-elimination, race to 3 winners’ side/race to 2 one-loss side tournament. The Broken Rack added $300 to make a total prize fund of $1220. Here are the results:
1st Deo Alpajora $410 2nd Ed Ames $240 3rd Marshall Williams $180 4th Jason Williams $130 5th/6th Rylan Hartnett/George Michaels 7th/8th Rich Kaiser/Feras Qaddoura
$80 $50
We’ll be doing it all over again come Labor Day. Hope to see you then. Marilyn Boucher Ed Ames Alex Deo Alpajora
Goals for WorldPPA: •An organization whose purpose will be to promote all games of billiards. •Develop a simple and affordable plan that will bring excitement to billiards. •Implement an accurate, fair, uncomplicated and regularly updated handicap system you can trust. •Have a low annual membership fee. •Have 1-2 major tournaments every year. •Have regular weekly tournaments at local pool rooms. •Track top 4 places of winners for weekly tournaments and maintain a player’s standing report. •Tournament directors will be important to maintain proper ratings and protect members against sandbagging. •Ratings will be reviewed quarterly and tournament directors will be monitored closely. The WorldPPA’s handicap system has 16 levels accommodating pool players from begininner to Pro. Please send e-mail with your questions or comments to: Bob Beaulieu: bob@worldppa.com Al Markasky: alpodog@worldppa.com Page 3
Placerville Pool League Completes it’s 19th Year
First Place - The Dream Team
On Sunday June 2nd. 76 trophies and awards were handed out as another long season comes to an end. Placerville Pool League started in 1995 and continues to get bigger and better every year. The season typically starts around the 1st of October and this year finished May 8th. After 32 weeks of play and 11,264 games played, the festivities were enjoyed at Sling Shots in Cameron Park Ca. All members and guests were treated to a Mark St. Germaine, Dave Miller, Jeff Delesantos, Johnny Medina 3 meat, all you can eat BBQ, catered by Sling Shots. Following the feast, the trophies were presented, followed by three thousand dollars in prizes and another $1000.00 in cash given out on the “Spin the Wheel”. For the 5th year in a row, Sling Shots “Dream Team” (Capt. Mark St. Germaine, Dave Miller, Johnny Medina, Jeff Delesantos) took the over-all 1st place team honors after a hard fought battle with Sling Shots “Balls of Fire” (Capt. Joe Thompson, Joe Kirkpatrick, Dallas Phillips, Gray Hanson). Individually, Dave Miller finished the season as the champ, followed by Mark St. Germaine and Woody Johnson grabbing up 2nd and 3rd place. Since the 2007 season either Dave or Mark has won the individual singles category. Stephanie Hefner, playing in her very first season, easily won the 1st place women’s category, followed by Nadine Brown and Nina Voloshin (2010,11,12 winner) taking 2nd and 3rd. Placerville Pool League welcomes new members at the yearly opening meeting typically held around the 1st week of September. Teams consist of 4 players and play 16 games a match on Wednesday nights from Cameron Park to Pollack Pines. The league is governed by officers Nick Sievers, Mark St. Germaine and Joe Thompson. Interested players may contact Mark at mstgerm700@aol.com.
PLACERVILLE POOL LEAGUE
Page 4
After Flip-Flop TSA Flops on Carry-On Rules Final Decision: No Cues Allowed as Carry-On Luggage What began in March with high hopes for the billiard community, ended when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) decided to continue including billiard cues on the list of prohibited items for carry-on luggage.
Page 5
A pool secret from Doc Hazard When I was hanging around at the Congress Bowl in North Miami in the 60s, there were a lot of good players frequenting the place. One of the notables was a player from New York named Doc Hazard. He played straight pool exclusively, and he played it well. Very capable to run a 100 balls. Whether he was a doctor of anything medical was never confirmed, but he was definitely a doctor of pool science. He had all sorts of little gimmicks designed to help you make a ball or get position, most were too obtuse to try to explain here, but there was one thing he showed me that I thought had real merit. I couldn’t explain why it worked then, and I still can’t today, but for some reason or other it does seem to work. Try it out and see for yourself. It’s a solution to the pool problem of what do you do in order to get a maximum deflection off of the object ball when the shot is almost straight in? Doc’s solution was called, “knuckle down or elbow up,” depending on which side you were cutting the ball to.
Knuckle Down
**********************************************************
This explanation is for right handers only. Reverse everything for lefties. When you are cutting the ball slightly to the right, and you need to move the cueball as much as possible off of the face of the object ball (maximum carom), the key is to make a bridge with the third finger “knuckled down” into the palm of your left hand. Hard stroke, center ball of course. When the cut is favored to the left, to achieve the desired result, make a normal bridge but turn the left elbow over and point it “up” as much as possible. Hard stroke, center ball. The Doc was a very eccentric guy, and the legendary Danny DiLiberto has a couple of very amusing stories he likes to tell about the old Doc. The Doc had a habit of inspecting the rack for kisses and combinations with a large magnifying glass. He was very good at it too, and could pick out dead ones from almost anywhere. Danny who was living in Florida then and had spent a lot of time around the Doc, ran into him in the Florida State Championship. Danny noticed that the Doc was using a gigantic magnifying glass in his matches, much larger than what he had been using at the Congress Bowl. When confronted by Danny and asked why he was using such a large piece, the Doc deadpanned, “Bigger match, bigger glass.”
CONTACT FREDDY “THE BEARD” 445 West 27th street Chicago, IL 60616 Telephone: (773)956-6280 Email: bankingwiththebeard@comcast.net
Doc was also an extremely slow player. Aggravatingly slow, and when the Old Doc passed on to the Big Pool Room in the Sky, Danny related the Doc’s demise to one of the Doc’s old opponents, Richie Florence. When Danny told Richie that the Doc was officially gone, Richie remarked, “Yeah? How long did it take?” Freddie “The Beard” Bentivegna Page 6
Tiger West Coast Womens Tour The first stop of the Tiger West Coast Women’s Tour was held this year at the Broken Rack in Emeryville, CA, on May 18-19. This pool hall has a lot to offer both players and spectators, from a full bar and kitchen, to lounge areas with comfortable couches and seating areas. The double elimination tournament follows WPBA rules, with a race to 7 on the winners’ side and a race to 5 on the one loss side. Thirty-five women showed up to compete, thirty-one returning players and new additions to the tour. The field included many returning participants, plus a few spectators from last season deciding to join in on the action. Many of the Bay Area’s recognizable female players returned to battle for the top spot, including Mary Rakin, Eleanor Callado, Leslie Bernardi, Shawn Modelo, Revelina Um, Emilyn Callado, upcoming A-Aiemsa- ard and Stephanie Hefner. After a short introduction and updates by the Board of Directors, Tournament Director Linda Silva proceeded to call out matches. A Aiem-sa-ard returned to the tour this year welcoming a beautiful baby girl to the world, Maya. Motherhood appears to agree with her as she did not show any rustiness. She finished in 7th-8th. Ivy Barrozo, who did not participate in TWCWT 2012, displayed why her 8-Ball team took the BCA National Title a few years back. Her relentless mental strength came back to her each time she was down a match or two, which is what carried her to claim one of the 9th-12th spots. A new player to the tour, Lisa Lewis, had a great run until matched up with Mary Rakin who sent her to the one loss side. She would end up in 9th-12th. When Saturday’s competition was over, the top eight remaining were all familiar names. With this level of competition displayed, no one could predict who would be the claiming the Top Spot for the first stop. From the winners’ side we had Mary Rakin, El Callado, Leslie Bernardi, and Revelina Um. On the one loss side were Shawn Modelo, Stephanie Hefner, A Aiem-sa-ard and Emilyn Callado.
Mary Rakin, Marilyn & Wayne Boucher & El Callado
From the winners’ side we had Mary Rakin, El Callado, Leslie Bernardi, and Revelina Um. On the one loss side were Shawn Modelo, Stephanie Hefner, A Aiem-sa-ard and Emilyn Callado. The morning began on the one loss side with Shawn facing A, and Emilyn facing Stephanie. On the winners’ side it was Leslie facing Mary, and Revelina facing El. Experience definitely prevailed in the first round of play. Shawn, Emilyn, Mary and El won their first matches of the day. Master BCA player Leslie Bernardi competed head to head with Mary taking the match to the hill and eventually losing 6-7. This left six remaining players. Leaving Shawn to face Leslie. Emilyn faced Revelina on the one loss side. On the winners’ side El and Mary faced off for the hot seat. Leslie stayed strong to remain in the tournament and Revelina’s skillful shooting ability prevailed. Mary defeated El sending her to the one loss side and claimed the hot seat. Revelina faced Leslie and displayed smooth shooting skills which led her to victory. The remaining match to determine who was to face Mary, sitting in the hot seat, was to be El vs. Revelina. El claimed victory over Revelina leading her to face Mary to battle for the top spot. Whenever Mary and El face off against each other, the high level of defense, shot selection, and cue ball control are visible. Mary displayed strong defensive skills, leaving El hooked and forced to use jump cue twice in one match alone. El’s determination to send Mary to the one loss side forced Mary to play with extra caution. Mary’s caution paid off in the end, and she defeated El to claim the Championship of the TWCWT Stop #1. #1 Mary Rakin $400.00 #2 El Callado $245.00 #3 Revelina Um $170.00 #4 Leslie Bernardi $115.00 5/6 Shawn Modelo $ 80.00 5/6 Emilyn Callado $ 80.00 7/8 A Aiem-sa-ard $ 50.00 7/8 Stephanie Hefner $ 50.00 9/12 Ivy Barrozo $ 25.00 9/12 Girlie Dela Cruz $ 25.00 9/12 Kirsten Karim $ 25.00 9/12 Lisa Lewis $ 25.00 Total Payout $1290.00
We want to thank our main tour sponsors who appreciate the potential of women’s pool and support it. Tiger continues to be very generous in donating their products to be raffled for the benefit of the tour at every stop, with a grand prize being a brand new beautiful Tiger cue to be awarded at our final stop. DiabloValley Pool League helps with our advertising expenses and tirelessly promotes the tour to its players. Magic Rack has rejoined the tour, giving our players a tight rack every game. Eileen Hanshaw provided very beneficial chair massages at our tournament and donated a portion of the proceeds to our Tour. Special thanks to our room sponsors Marilyn and Wayne Boucher for hosting us. Page 7
Page 8
Corey Deuel Wins U.S. Snooker Title Corey Deuel has made a successful transformation to snooker as the former U.S. Open 9-Ball Pool Champion has now added the 2013 United States National Snooker Championship title to his collection with victory at Snooker 147 Bar & Grill in Houston, Texas. It has been an incredible event for the 35-year-old from Florida as he was fortunate to qualify from the group phase after suffering two defeats out of four matches, placing runner-up to the fivetime champion Tom Kollins, but he slowly forged his way into the Championship and gathered momentum with each match played to reach the final against the defending champion, Sargon Isaac. The 27-year-old from California was in good form throughout the championship, and looked formidable in his semifinal victory which would have made him favorite to retain his title. Deuel is an impressive performer however, as he calmly approached each attempted pot and methodically thought over many of the safety exchanges. Number one seed Isaac made a very underwhelming start to the final as he found it difficult to take advantage of any chances, and Deuel’s commanding presence helped him win the first two frames comfortably.
Deuel completely dominated proceedings from then on as a contribution of a break of 36 helped him seal frame five, and runs of 34 and 39 in the following frame helped him wrap up the match 5-1 for a terrific victory. All credit must go to Deuel as what he lacked in snooker knowledge was made up by using his years of experience of playing professional pool at the highest level, and he must be applauded for making the positive decision to broaden his billiard playing horizons and take up the challenge of competing in the National Snooker Championship. Both players have now gained automatic selection to represent the United States in the Men’s Event of this year’s International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championships, which will take place in Riga, the capital of Latvia, from November 18-30. The winner of this Championship will be invited to compete on the multimillion dollar professional 2014-15 World Snooker Tour. The United States Snooker Association (USSA) would like to give its thanks to everyone who made this Championship possible, especially to the players who came from all across the country, and to the hosts, Mr. Mani Hassan and Mr. Aurangzeb Mahmud, the proprietors of Snooker 147 Bar & Grill, for their enthusiasm for the sport and for providing the highest quality facilities to play the Championship on. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Isaac though is the more accomplished break-builder of the two, and when he hit a very fluent and precise run of 68 to win the third frame it appeared the tide had turned in his favor as he started frame four in a very confident manner. This upbeat mood for Isaac though did not last long as he offered an opportunity to Deuel to get back into the frame, and he duly took it and won it assisted by a break of 53 to lead 3-1 into the mid-session interval. The interval did not help to settle Isaac, as on the resumption he still found it difficult to play himself into the tie.
Photo courtesy SnookerUSA.com
Page 9
Page 10
Ronnie O’Sullivan wins fifth World Snooker Title
5536 Garfield Avenue Sacramento, California 95841 Phone (916) 332-8793 Start time is 1 PM, free practice and sign ups begin at Noon. Double elimination, race to 5/3. League players that are “A” players have a $10 entry. All other league players $5 entry No professional players allowed. ************************************************** Boyd and Nelson Win Hard Times Billiards Scotch Doubles Event
Ronnie O’Sullivan won his fifth World Championship crown with an 18-12 victory over a game Barry Hawkins.
On May 11th, 2013 Hard Times Billiards of Sacramento held yet another Scotch Doubles 8-Ball tournament. Proving to be a successful event for both local and out-oftown pool players, this race to 4/3 competition always brings a touch of fun and excitement to the participants.
Defending champion O’Sullivan played magnificently, compiling a new record of six centuries in a Crucible final.
Before the first ‘whack’ of the racks, the team of Mike Boyd and Janna Sue Nelson knew they were in for some stiff competion. Having won this event in February from the one-loss side, they were determined to stay in the winner’s bracket this time around. This was not to be, but with the pressure on, Mike and Janna showed their talents by eliminating first one couple and then another. Mike and Janna have been pool-playing friends for 30 years... so they know each other’s games and work well as a team.
Multiple title winners since 1970
Mike Boyd and Janna Sue Nelson will take this experience to the BCAPL National Championship tournament in Las Vegas in July, where they are entered in the Master’s division of the Scotch Doubles event. Go get ‘em. Thanks to Hard Times Billiards and Tournament Director, Brian LaFlamme, for supporting pool enthusiast’s and their need to compete. 1st = $260 Mike Boyd / Janna Sue Nelson 2nd = $160 Kenny Duff / Leah Ruiz 3rd = $90 Phil Prentice / Stephanie Hefner
But world number 14 Hawkins, who many thought would be blown away, played his part with some quality snooker himself.
•7 - Stephen Hendry •6 - Ray Reardon •6 - Steve Davis •5 - Ronnie O’Sullivan •4 - John Higgins O’Sullivan is only the third man to retain the title at the venue and his victory will go down as one of the great sporting comebacks. “He is unbelievable,” said Hawkins. “The way he makes it look so easy is frightening for most players, so I am glad I made a game of it and pushed him a bit. “I tried my hardest but I just made a few more mistakes than Ronnie and you cannot afford to do that against him. “It is a shame I lost, but Ronnie is by far the best player in the world.”
Page 11
WALL OF FAME Mary Kenniston NEW YORK BLACKIE
I was first introduced to Al Bonife, better known as “New York Blackie,” by Buddy Hall in Houston, Texas in late 1979. Naturally, I was thrilled. I’d heard all about Blackie from my good friend back home – Tommy Halliday – also known as “Staten Island” or “Doc.” Blackie was one of the guys that hung around 7-11 – that infamous NewYork City pool room that was home to the likes of Johnny Irish, Jersey Red, Richie Ambrose, Brooklyn Jimmy Cattrano, Johnny Ervolino and Boston Shorty among many others. It turned out that Blackie and Buddy were running mates. They’d been best friends since they’d met in the early sixties at Johnston City. I remember thinking that it was an odd pairing – the city slicker and the country boy. It didn’t take me long to see the mutual respect these two men had for each other - the easy camaraderie, the relentless but good-natured teasing of one another – how they always had each other’s back. It didn’t take long before the three of us were running around Houston together. They put me in action constantly and both were helping me with my game. Blackie was like me – maybe it was the New York in us – but neither one of us liked to stay in one place for too long. Buddy, on the other hand, liked to lay up until the cash evaporated. So, most of the time, when we were flush, it was Blackie and me. When we weren’t, we were the Three Musketeers. Either way, it was fine with me – I was living my dream – I was on the road! And not just with anybody, I was on the road with Buddy Hall and New York Blackie and loving every minute of it!
As the year went on, we became good friends and our travels took us to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Birmingham, Atlanta and many other places. Blackie and I would sometimes get bored with Houston and we’d hit the road without Buddy – wherever the action took us - sometimes as far as the Carolinas. It was later in the year that we heard about two major events – the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs followed by Richie Florence’s second World 9 Ball ProAm in Las Vegas – and I wanted to go. I was playing better than I ever had and I wanted to kick some butt! Blackie and I headed out – Buddy had a few things to take care of and would meet us in Colorado Springs. By this time, I’d found that Blackie wasn’t the greatest behind the wheel so I did all of the driving. We left Houston and took the interstate up through Dallas and into Kansas. By this time, it was the middle of the night and I was exhausted after driving for so many hours. We hadn’t seen another car for an hour as we traveled through the endless miles of farmland so I decided to let Blackie take the wheel. I pulled over, we traded places and I grabbed a pillow from the backseat. Within minutes, I was sound asleep. BOOM!!! I awoke to see steam shooting out of the radiator and what looked like greasy strands of plastic coating the crumpled hood and the windshield. I turned to look at Blackie and he was already climbing out of the car – cursing and running back to see what we’d hit. I got out just in time to see Blackie kicking the hell out of something and hollering, “You son of a @#$%^and*!!! You @#$%^and*!!!” I couldn’t believe it! He hadn’t been behind the wheel for ten minutes and he’d hit an antelope! Now here we were – stranded out in the middle of nowhere. We headed back to the car and saw that the radiator had a gaping hole in it and all the water had emptied onto the road. I didn’t know much about cars but I did know we couldn’t go anywhere until the engine cooled down. So, we sat and waited. Started it up, drove about a half mile until it started getting hot again. Sat and waited again. We did this all night long and finally limped into a town – if you could call it a town. It consisted of a combination post office/small general store/ gas station connected to a small coffee shop. That was it. By this time, we were cold, starving and exhausted. Blackie hadn’t said a word all night – he didn’t dare - and I was still steaming.
Blackie at 33 in Johnston City, IL…
We pulled in front of the place and an old man wandered out. He took one look at the car and drawled, “Oh, y’all must’ve hit one of them pronghorns…” Page 12
He told us his wife was just opening up the coffee shop and told us to go in there and get something to eat while he fixed us right up…I’m slightly mollified. It was barely sunrise and all the farmers were coming in. Each one saw the strangers in the coffee shop and while shaking their heads, said the same thing… ”y’all must be the folks that hit the pronghorn…” I summoned up a smile. “Yup! That would be us…” It took every ounce of restraint for me not to knock some heads together… I was thrilled when the old man walked in and told us that he could fix the car – until he told us that we’d have to wait until he could get a radiator from Kansas City. “And how long will that take?” “Oh, probably could get it here in two or three days…” just when I didn’t think it could get any worse. I have to say I can’t think of any other time in my life that seemed as endlessly boring as sitting in that coffee shop all day and sleeping on a couple of cots the old man set up for us in the back room of the smelly garage. It seemed like an eternity but finally the car had a rebuilt radiator held on by chewing gum and wire. The guy even had the nerve to tack “lodging” on the bill! I didn’t care – I paid it. I was happy to get the hell out of Dodge…
We finally got to Colorado Springs and both of us were so exhausted and stressed out that our tournament performance was less than stellar. Buddy did well and made it to the finals, finishing second to Mike Sigel. We did well too – betting on Buddy! The best part of the tournament was the round-the-clock action at Grady Mathews’ place. Blackie & I went halves with Buddy in the six-handed $100 a man ring 10 ball game. The game went for days. We knew it wasn’t stealing – the lineup had at various points all the stars of the day – Hubbart, Crane, Sigel, Reid, Roberts, Medina, Howard, Rempe, Hopkins – can’t remember them all. Buddy slapped a seven on them…nobody minded when he quit. We hated to leave but it was time to head to Vegas. I have to say, I’ve traveled all over the United States and seen some beautiful scenery but none as gorgeous as that of the Southwest. The beautiful colors and formations of the rock were stunning. I often wish I’d taken some pictures… We finally arrived at the Tropicana Hotel and headed down to the tournament room. Everyone was laughing, talking, woofing at each other and generally just excited to be there. Some were already in action! I got wrapped up in the scene and realized after a while that Blackie had disappeared. No big deal – I knew he was having as much fun as I was. Little did I know… A few hours later, I saw him again - slowly making his way through the crowd. He looked really down – like he’d lost his best friend. I soon found out it was more than that – he’d lost his entire bankroll at the tables. Turns out the guy who was such a good manager on the road wasn’t such a good one in Vegas… I was stunned. Lucky for us, I still had my half of our bankroll left so we weren’t completely busted. We couldn’t afford to put either of us in the tournament though – the entry fee was $600. I saw Buddy across the room and went over and told him what happened. Well, duh!” he laughed. “Blackie didn’t tell you that he was a sucker for the casinos? Wonder why!!!” He also said he didn’t have the extra money to put me in either – he’d paid off some debts. I was devastated…I couldn’t believe we drove all the way there and I was going to have to sit on the sidelines.
Photo courtesy of Mike Haines & Bill Porter
A few hours later, I saw Buddy was headed my way with a very handsome, well-dressed man. He introduced me to Sid Mann – my new stakehorse! I don’t know what Sid thought but I was so happy I gave him a huge hug, thanked him and told him he wouldn’t be sorry. I was going to win this thing!
Cont Page 8 Page 13
Wall Of Fame, New York Blackie cont... And so the tournament started…I’d win a match and Blackie would hit me for twenty so he could get some cigarettes. I’d win a match and Blackie would hit me for fifty so he could get some more cigarettes! He could not stay away from the tables. And so it went…I finally had to lock up the last of our cash in the cage when I caught him trying to get some money out of my pillowcase while I was asleep! The finals finally arrived and I was in them! Kathy Maio was my opponent. She was on the road with Howard Ikeda and had just won the Rocky Mountain Open. She was looking to make it two in a row. We both played hard - it went to three sets and I finally sunk the winning nine ball. I had won the tournament! Good thing too! We were down to our last hundred dollars! Sid came over with a fistful of hundreds and peeled off seven of them and handed them to me. “Seven hundred?!!! Sid, what’s this? I’ve got fourteen hundred coming!!!” Then it hit me…Sid glanced over at Blackie. I did too - Blackie was staring at the floor – afraid to look me in the eye. Blackie had borrowed from Sid against my winnings…
By this time, I was mentally drained and physically exhausted – I just wanted to find a bed. I’d been up since the day before, won a tournament, had driven all night, played Calvin and Jimmy still hadn’t shown up. I told Blackie that I was going to find us a room and I’d call him to tell him when I got squared away. I got in the car, found a decent studio for a week, went to the store to stock up with food and dropped off our laundry – prepaid, of course. I called Blackie and gave him the address of the motel. He said he’d see me later - Jimmy had just walked in the door. By the time, I’d settled into bed, I had about $90 left. The early morning sun was shining brightly through the cracks in the curtains but I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I awoke to the sound of a key rustling in the lock. It was pitch black in the room and I groggily reached over to turn on the bedside light. In walked Blackie – with that same dejected face I’d seen all week in Vegas. “How much do you have left, Blackie?” His silence told me he’d lost it all. He hadn’t told me they had card rooms in Los Angeles… **************************************************
It was one in the morning but I didn’t care…I had to get us out of Vegas. I headed upstairs to pack with Blackie following sheepishly. After we’d packed our things, I grabbed the atlas. I had no idea where to go. I looked at the map and saw that Los Angeles looked pretty close. I asked Blackie, “How far is LA?” “A few hours…”“Good. I’ve never been to LA…let’s go.” On the way, Blackie told me about his friend, Jimmy, who owned a 24 hour bar in Gardena so that’s where we headed. We got there about 6 am and before we got out of the car, I did what we always did – split our bankroll. I handed Blackie $400 and kept the rest. We walked in the door and the place was empty - just the bartender. He told us that Jimmy would be in soon – he always came in to do the books before heading to the bank and then breakfast. As we waited at the bar, the door opened. We turned to see if it was Jimmy and Blackie said, “Calvin Williams! How you doing, man?!!!” Well, it was like old home week with the two of them catching up on the years since Blackie had lived in LA. After a while, the conversation turned to me and the next thing you know, Blackie’s talked Calvin into giving me the 7 on the bar box for a hundred. He didn’t like it much either but in typical Calvin style, he just laughed it off when he realized that Blackie had trapped him - again.
USBA To Send Four To Pan American Championship CPB sponsor of the Pan American ChampionshipThe USBA will send four American players to vie for the Three-Cushion Pan American Championship (PAC) in Cali, Colombia in June. Led by six-time US champion and former Pan American champion Pedro Piedrabuena, the United States contingent also includes Hugo Patiño, Mazin Shooni and Michael Kang. Piedrabuena owns College Billiards in San Diego. He won the Pan American Championship in 2009.
Page 14
Page 15
COLE DICKSON
Bucktooth about Cole
By Mary Kenniston
I met Cole back when he was about 16 years old. Cole had heard about me and came to the apartment where I was living with my cousin at the time in Hayward, CA. Cole and I talked about pool, discussing a lot of different shots and how they were made. Cole had a nice stroke and made hard shots look easy.
It seems like just when the sadness starts to ease, we lose another one – another legend. Cole Dickson had already “semi-retired” from pool by the time I hit Southern California in 1980 so, unfortunately, I missed Cole’s era. I heard plenty of stories though - every time I heard the name Cole Dickson, it was automatic to hear people describe him the same way. “Hippie Cole,” flashy, brash, high rollin’, hilarious, straight shootin’, no fear... Although I occasionally saw him around at the various events of the day, I never really knew him. It wasn’t until I had CueTopia that I got to know Cole. I was up on a step ladder, wrestling a heavy drill and trying to secure some framed photos to the wall when I heard someone bark, “Geez! What the hell are you doing? Gimme that!” I turned around and Cole snatched the drill like it was a marshmallow out of my hands and ZZZ… ZZZ screwed the frame into the wall. Cole turned around and hollered at my partner, “C’mon, give me a C-note! We’re going to get her a drill she can handle without a forklift!” Five minutes later, we’re in my car laughing all the way to the Makita store. It was the days of the cheap plane tickets and although Cole lived in Montana, he came down to Vegas frequently. He’d fly through the door and the place would light up immediately. Cole was one of the few people who could do that. Always laughing - always teasing. After a while, he’d wink and say, “Mare - you hungry?!!!” I’d dutifully get the balls, go to the table and we’d play a set for dinner. Race to 9 - I got the 7 & the breaks. Never won. Lost every time we played. 9-8. I played my ass off, he was stalling, I was being hustled, I knew it, he knew it and I loved every minute of it. I know I got way the best of it. I got to play with, learn from and see the occasional glimmer of greatness followed by dinner and world-class conversation. It was during those conversations that Cole talked often about his girls...Christine & Susan - know that he loved you and was so proud of you. I last talked with Cole around the beginning of March. I had been told he was very sick and I figured it was probably the last time we’d talk - I think he knew it too. Even so, he was the same old Cole – facing the toughest opponent of his life – with humor, bravely and without fear. RIP, my friend. We’re sure going to miss you…
About a year and a half later his game skyrocketed. In the early seventies he was playing Pay Ball on a snooker table at The Billiard Palace, a pool room upstairs in Bellflower. They were playing for $20.00 a ball, $40.00 on the 6 ball and double on the run out. My wife and I watched Cole play for over 24 hours. Cole made shots that were from another planet. He crushed everybody who got in the game, hour after hour. We are talking about great players of the time. They all played good, but not good enough for Cole. After the game broke up, Cole and I matched up. He gave me the 6 ball playing 9 ball. I said to myself, nobody can give me the 6 ball. Cole beat me the first set, then another and another and another, untill I lost all the cash I had. I looked and in my wallet I had a cashier check. I said I’ll play you for the check. Cole said I don’t play for checks. Then Calvin from L.A., who was betting on Cole, said “that’s a cashier check Cole, play for it. I’ll take it if you don’t want it”. Now we were playing for the check. Cole had 6 games playing 7 ahead and was running out on the case game and missed the 7 ball. I won that game and ended up winning the set. I won several sets after that and broke everybody. Cole played the greatest pool I had ever seen, giving me the 6 ball. At that time this was unheard of, nobody could do that. A few years later at Carousel Billiards in Castro Valley, CA, Cole beat everybody in the biggest pay ball game ever. They were playing $100.00 and $200.00 and double on a run out. It later went to $200.00 and $400.00. This game consisted of some of the best players on the west coast. Just think, if you ran the 6 balls you got $2,800.00 per player, and there were 9 players in the game, you got $22,400.00 for running 6 balls. This was 40 years ago, how much would that be today. These were some of the players in that game: Cole, Ronnie Allen, Denny Searcy, Filipino Gene, Tall Paul, Ritchie Florence, Tony Annigoni, Grady Matthews, Bob Osborn, and Keith McCready. Cole beat the game on this tight table day after day with some of the greatest shots you have ever seen. What great days, long nights and good times we all had. Cole you were one of the best may the lord be with you. Charles R. Cook aka Bucktooth Page 16
Cole The first time I saw Cole was in the mid to late 1960’s. Maybe in 1968. I remember him coming thru the door like a gunslinger walking into a saloon looking for the top dog. He came directly to me and asked if I wanted to play some. I was pretty surprised because I saw him as just a kid. He was about 15 or 16 years old, long hair, and skinny. I was very impressed with his skills at such a young age. He showed no fear and shot at the hole with confidence. In the next ten years or so we played a few more times and each time he showed more and more of his flashiness and shot making skills that became his trademark. The last time we played, many years after the first time, I can still remember him walking into the room that I was in, just like the first time we met. Him with that little drawl he had in his voice saying “Frank the Barber, wada you wanna do?” It’s so sad to hear he passed at such a young age but I can assure you, that in his lifetime, he lived more than most that live a lot longer. When we leave this earth, may we leave fond memories of ourselves like Cole did. Rest in peace Cole, we miss you. Frank “The Barber” Almanza
Cole Dickson Memorial T-Shirt ( LIMITED EDITION) $25 We have released our COLE DICKSON MEMORIAL TSHIRT in honor of a man who was loved by many. Not only for his ability to play the game, but also as a person. And for those who did not know him, you missed out on a legend that played the game with heart. He will forever be remembered in the billiard community as a real player, who wasn’t afraid to get up and go to battle. That’s the sign of a TRUE CHAMPION. This Memorial T-Shirt has 3 colors in it (White-text, Gold ball & silhouette, and red ribbon) Sizes medium up to 3X , call for additional sizes. THIS IS A LIMITED EDITION. Get your order in now. They will start at $25.00. A PERCENTAGE OF ALL SALES WILL BE GIVEN TO THE DICKSON FAMILY. www.playthegameclothing.com
Ronnie Allen, Cole Dickson & Larry Schwartz – ’88 Cue-Topia – Las Vegas, NV
Bucktooth
Frank The Barber Page 17
The Best Endorsement While it is wonderful to hear all the positive words of praise and support from professional players, officials and room owners, there is no greater pleasure than witnessing the effects that The California Cue Sports handicapping system has on the little guys! Players that don’t know much about the game. People that have played very little one pocket or none at all! When I more than happily accepted the offer to become a league representative of California Cue Sports, I was totally elated because it afforded me the opportunity to take a much more active role in promoting this outstanding sport, and as a bonus, I was starting with the game (one pocket) that I love most! What more could I ask for? Well 16 weeks into the first season of the league I’ve found it. Billy Palmer is easily the most noted and popular player in northern California and I am very excited about having him play in my Emeryville Division I league and commend him for his support and compliment him on never complaining and welcoming the challenge. He could easily bee my best endorsement but he isn’t.
Billy Palmer
While Paulie learned quite a bit from competing against good players and clearly learned to think the game better. I contend that the good players can learn a lot more from him. They can learn that pool is what we do and not who we are. Winning doesn’t make you a winner and losing doesn’t make you a loser. You should not demean or belittle your opponent if you win and you shouldn’t hate your opponent, yourself and your mother for having you if you lose. Paul Higaki epitomizes what CCS is all about and is hands down it’s best endorsement! I presented him with an oversized, mounted score sheet of the winning match. He and other beginners that have come up to me and personally thanked me for getting them involved have made every dime I’ve spent and all the labor I’ve put in, truly worth it. I am jealous because they were man enough to thank me before I thanked them. Bee Davison
Paul Higaki
Paul Higaki is an Oakland resident that most people reading this article have never heard of and may never meet, but most of you can learn a lot from Paul. Prior to the existence of CCS Paul was new to pool and had never played one pocket. When I first met Paulie he purchased a lifetime membership to CCS. Because of his inexperience I brought him in with a rating of 20, which proved to bee high. The system eventually trickled down to a rating of 5. One week Paul won a game and I told him if he wasn’t careful he’d bee raised to a 10. His retort was “oh no don’t do that!” Despite his many defeats he always kept a sense of humor about his game. After 15 weeks of play Paulie had a perfect record of 0-15 and never once complained. I’ve had more complaints from good players that are winning! In week 16 Paulie won his very first match! He gave me his winning score sheet and said “now I might bee raised to a 6”. I played him in week 15 with a 12-2 handicap and noticed that his game had shown improvement.
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20