Philly Player from the 1970's

100andout

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Sep 5, 2005
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162
From
FL/PA
Wedge said:
Hey 100andout...I used to play once in a while in Pheonixville...can't remember the name of the room but I remember there were some pretty good players there. Ever played there or do you remember the name of the room? Really going down memory lane now...thanks for bringing it back!


Sure! It's Classic Billiards in Phoenixville now (Classique) on it's third owner and just remodeled. I used to play in that room daily, and actually met my wife there about 16 years ago!:)

I don't get down there much but I hear the room is becoming a good action room.

Gerry
 

Mike

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May 25, 2004
Messages
222
Wedge, it was probably Talley Jenkins room. It had a lunch counter and fresh roasted peanuts in the front with the room in the back with 6-8 tables. Talley was a real nice man, very short, with a head as bare as a cue ball and a good player in his time. In his prime he used to play Willie Masconi one-ball in the side when he was in the area. Always was nice to us kids.
 

iusedtoberich

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Dec 31, 2004
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146
I played Henry about 2 years ago just to try to learn something. We were betting cheap, I think 10 or 20 a game. I wanted to play him even, since we were betting so low. He insisted on giving me some weight since we were on bucket tables at the time, and they were not one pocket tables according to him. One of the games lasted a good hour, without either one of us giving up a shot. Of course he beat me (I'm a C+), but just hanging with him for that one game was one of my finest one-pocket moments.

He has the best cue ball and moving knowledge of any player I have seen in person. I was watching him play a guy once, and he made a shot almost exactly like the one Steve Cook made on one of the accustats tapes against Hopkins (I think) where he removed 5 balls in one shot on the end rail and completely ruined Allen's position. Henry made a very similar shot in the stack area against a local player. He must have studied it for a good 5 minutes, seeing exactly where every ball was going to go. When he finally shot it, the cue ball froze against a ball, and 5 balls were removed from his opponents side. Probably the best shot I have ever seen. There were a few local top flight open level players watching, and they remarked he moves like a ghost after that shot.
 
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Frank Wojo

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Apr 9, 2007
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34
Good Move

Good Move

I'd pay $10 a game any day to get schooled by Henry. That must have been like getting a private lesson for $10 - $20 bucks an hour. Wish I'd have thought of that!!!

On a similar note I understand that Jimmy Marino still has a room up around Pittsburg. Has anyone been to his place. Maybe I'll take a drive up there some day. He was quite a Road Agent back in the 70's. I think he was still playing in Sr. tournaments a few years ago.

Wedge
 

gulfportdoc

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Jun 25, 2004
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12,690
From
Gulfport, Mississippi
Wedge said:
On a similar note I understand that Jimmy Marino still has a room up around Pittsburg. Has anyone been to his place. Maybe I'll take a drive up there some day. He was quite a Road Agent back in the 70's. I think he was still playing in Sr. tournaments a few years ago.

Wedge
Reportedly Marino's room is in Bridgeville, PA, which is several miles south of Pittsburgh. I posted a question to our man Cal from Pgh on another thread. So if he sees this post, he can straighten us out on Marino's room.

Doc
 

Cal

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Dec 27, 2004
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From
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Philly Players from the 1970,s

Philly Players from the 1970,s

Jimmy and his pool room are live and well, You will find Jimmy there doing the day time(Occasionally) . He still shoots a good game of pool , his pool room is well equiped ,well maintaned & a pleasure to play and practice there. South Hills Golden Cue 621 McLauglin Rd. Bridgeville Pa, 412-221-0280
 

Voodoo Daddy

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May 25, 2004
Messages
166
From
Davie, FLA
BackPocket9Ball said:
Jimmy Matz was one of the best 9-ball players in the country back then. Unfortunately his mental instability didn't allow him to live a longer life.

Henry looks like he might keel over at any moment, but he's still a terror on the table. He was 4th in the 2000 Derby City One Pocket. He converted to Islam I think and changed his name to Jafar from Henry Basheer.

If you played in Reading back then, then you probably know Horace Aughtry, a strong black 9-ball player from that area at that time.


In 1979/1980 I started playing pool BECAUSE of Jimmy Matz. He was living in Florida playing in a local room & flopping on the owner's couch. He was flawless and hooked me to pool for life. Sadly, he had a terrible car accident leaving his wife dead <a pretty red head from what I was told> and he was never the same. Worked at a pretty infamous spot called the Congress as the clean-up man for a few yrs. I can remember him sleeping in his car, someone waking him up, dragging him into the pool room and watching him run a few racks of 9-ball w/o washin his face or shakin the sleep outta his head...truely a talent wasted.
 

Frank Wojo

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Apr 9, 2007
Messages
34
Ace and Larry Swacz

Ace and Larry Swacz

I just rejoined the forum. I used to post under the name Wedge. I hear that Ace and Larry are still playing good pool in the PA area. Anyone run into either of them recently?

Wedge
 
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