Playing the percentages

Cowboy Dennis

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fred bentivegna said:
Poochie pics.

Beard
Thanks for the pics Freddy. I liked Harry and haven't seen a pic of him in a while.

I felt sorry for him one year when he was working at the Rack. I played a guy who said he was the "Baltimore Bullet" and we played for 10 or 12 hours. It was the saturday night before Easter and I was there with my brother and a friend. The 5 of us were the only people in the joint for many hours and finally at about noon on Easter Harry said he just had to leave and close up as we weren't betting that high. I always appreciated that he let us stay there as long as he did.

Dennis
 

petie

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My favorite story about Harry Sexton aka Poochie aka Little Harry

My favorite story about Harry Sexton aka Poochie aka Little Harry

Harry was a lifelong alcoholic. He was tough. I mean he was really tough. You got a glimpse of it once in a while when he missed and would let go on himself with verbal abuse. Late in life, just before he got cancer, he quit drinking. It was after this one day that I came into the old Hit and Run on Fenton Road in Flint before noon. Harry was the house man and the only one there. "The Dirty Little Coward That Shot Mr. Howard," Harry greats me with. This alludes to me having beat David Howard a couple of years earlier in a race to 11 9-ball tournament in Lansing. The words came from an actual song (I looked it up on the web later) about Jesse James (he went by the name Mr. Howard when he was on the lamb).

As Dennis said Harry was normally quiet. It was as if he already knew the bullshit and didn't need to repeat it or chime in. He had nothing to prove. He let his game do the talking. But on this particular day he was as close to ebullient as I ever saw him. He said to me, “I had quite an experience last night. I was driving on Torry Road past the airport at sundown and I pulled over and just watched it.” Silence ensued. “And?” I finally said. “No, no, you don’t understand. I never would have done this if I was still drinking.” If you knew Harry, you couldn’t help but get a tear in your eye for him. I still do.
 

usblues

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Great....

Great....

....story alright.The sunrise......He must of been really good.Howard and Wade had about the best 9ball breaks I ever saw.Or heard.Cheers,B
 

petie

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usblues said:
....story alright.The sunrise......He must of been really good.Howard and Wade had about the best 9ball breaks I ever saw.Or heard.Cheers,B

It was the Sunset not the Sunrise. And I was the one who beat The Giant Killer in one set in Lansing--momentary flurry or fluke. I think most who know would agree that David Howard was probably no match for Harry Sexton in 9-ball. This is not to take anything away from David's game. Harry was that good.
 

fred bentivegna

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...that good

...that good

petie said:
It was the Sunset not the Sunrise. And I was the one who beat The Giant Killer in one set in Lansing--momentary flurry or fluke. I think most who know would agree that David Howard was probably no match for Harry Sexton in 9-ball. This is not to take anything away from David's game. Harry was that good.

...I would like to hear about anybody went up to Flint and beat Poochie playing 9 ball, bar table or big table. CornBread talked about him at that time as if Harry was unbeatable. CornBread wanted to take Harry on the road but he said Harry was married to his job.

David Howard came into Bensingers when he was at the top of his game. ... had just won a few tourns. He wouldnt play 1pkt or bank so I tried him some $10 9 ball. Around 1970 that was a nice little bet. Figured I would fire the usual, 2 or 3 barrels. I put him on the tournament table #24. Gold Crown, deep wells, small pockets, slow cloth, dead rails. Forget about running out from the break. You had to get to the Nine Ball in groups of three. He only missed one ball, trying to jam a ball in and force follow the cue ball, but I still came ahead five games before he broke it down, howling, cursing, barking and screaming. Not a gentlemanly loser. He swore he'd be back, "$100 a game bank and one pocket!" "$500 Nine Ball, etc." "Nit this, and nit that..." While he did stay in town and hustle out in the bars, he never set foot in Bensingers again for the rest of his life.

Beard
 

Cowboy Dennis

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fred bentivegna said:
...I would like to hear about anybody went up to Flint and beat Poochie playing 9 ball, bar table or big table. CornBread talked about him at that time as if Harry was unbeatable. CornBread wanted to take Harry on the road but he said Harry was married to his job.


Beard
I was out at the Rack one night and watched Poochie playing Edgar White. Freddy Salem was staking one of them (I forget which) for $300 per set of 9-Ball. Rosie may have been staking the other, I am not sure now. They played several sets and both played very good. I don't remember either coming out ahead but it was fun to watch two good players run out when they got a shot. This match was the impetus for these lines in "You'll Be Up Here Yet".

Cowboy Dennis said:
Watch Edgar play Poochie till deep in the night
Shakin' & Bakin' till he gets it right
Salami will stake him for something to do
While Waterdog's nodding, he'll wake up at two
 

petie

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fred bentivegna said:
...I would like to hear about anybody went up to Flint and beat Poochie playing 9 ball, bar table or big table. CornBread talked about him at that time as if Harry was unbeatable. CornBread wanted to take Harry on the road but he said Harry was married to his job.

David Howard came into Bensingers when he was at the top of his game. ... had just won a few tourns. He wouldnt play 1pkt or bank so I tried him some $10 9 ball. Around 1970 that was a nice little bet. Figured I would fire the usual, 2 or 3 barrels. I put him on the tournament table #24. Gold Crown, deep wells, small pockets, slow cloth, dead rails. Forget about running out from the break. You had to get to the Nine Ball in groups of three. He only missed one ball, trying to jam a ball in and force follow the cue ball, but I still came ahead five games before he broke it down, howling, cursing, barking and screaming. Not a gentlemanly loser. He swore he'd be back, "$100 a game bank and one pocket!" "$500 Nine Ball, etc." "Nit this, and nit that..." While he did stay in town and hustle out in the bars, he never set foot in Bensingers again for the rest of his life.

Beard

A lot of them tried. Few succeeded. The one Harry was proudest of was Eddie Taylor--in 9-ball, of course, not banks. Still, that's sayin' somethin'. Ted Hosea, RIP, the late owner of the old Hit and Run hosted dinner in Vegas at one of the big tournaments and at his table was Luther Lassiter among other champions. Ted asked Luther how good Harry really was. Luther said that not a few players, himself included, avoided Detroit because of him. They would have preferred easier action.
 

bozman445

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Cute enough to deserve...

Cute enough to deserve...

fred bentivegna said:
You have perfectly described how Mister Mxyzptlk, Superman's arch-enemy, plays Onepocket in the fifth dimension. Shoot when youre ahead. Duck when you are behind. Leaving someone long is no good. Unfortunately, Mister Mxyzptlk cant beat today's SJD in this dimension -- and that is bad.

Beard

...a bump

Bozman
 

Fast Lenny

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fred bentivegna said:
You have perfectly described how Mister Mxyzptlk, Superman's arch-enemy, plays Onepocket in the fifth dimension. Shoot when youre ahead. Duck when you are behind. Leaving someone long is no good. Unfortunately, Mister Mxyzptlk cant beat today's SJD in this dimension -- and that is bad.

Beard

That is what I want from Dick, the hit and the pick! :)
 

SJDinPHX

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Fast Lenny said:
That is what I want from Dick, the hit and the pick! :)

How would you like a "hit" with a baton, and get to "pick" your favorite brand of pepper spray ???.:eek:
 

vapros

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Poor Lenny! He survived the baton and the pepper spray, but the desert duck is going to flog him to death with the recollection. Luckily, the duck is aged, and his memory will fail him at some point. And not only his memory . . .

There once was a duck in AZ
Whose ladies were something to C.
He remembers the time
When his Johnson was prime.
Today it's used only to P. :D :D
 

SJDinPHX

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Add One More To The List, Uncle Dick

Add One More To The List, Uncle Dick

:D :cool: How close to Detroit is Vapros, Uncle Dick? A two for one?
 

SJDinPHX

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Bufflohead said:
:D :cool: How close to Detroit is Vapros, Uncle Dick? A two for one?

Nope, Vapros is m'bud...He may be the only one on the forum, older than me...:eek: (plus he cooks up some neat limericks..:D )
 
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Jimmy B

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This limerick flew into my mind as soon as I saw Vapros' writings.

The Duck Played Pool For Big Bills
The Groupies Were Head Over Heels
He Got Out Of Stroke
He Quickly Went Broke
He Turned To The Booze And The Pills..



ps. This is not based on any facts that I'm aware of. Just a limerick that applies to some players we all know about......
 
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androd

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New Braunfels tx.
Jimmy B said:
This limerick flew into my mind as soon as I saw Vapros' writings.

The Duck Played Pool For Big Bills
The Groupies Were Head Over Heels
He Got Out Of Stroke
He Quickly Went Broke
He Turned To The Booze And The Pills..
And the groupies left the bar with the shills



ps. This is not based on any facts that I'm aware of. Just a limerick that applies to some players we all know about......

Couldn't resist. :D
Rod.
 

SJDinPHX

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androd said:
Couldn't resist. :D
Rod.

The Duck was a pretty smart bird
At least that was always the word
Did some time as a stiff
And it gave him a lift
Now he's got enough money to burn !................... (which he does on a regular basis) ;)



Or, as my old buddy, "Fat Bill" Sanford (RIP) used to say..."Money, I got no money...I'm so light, I could ride a banty rooster
all the way to San Bernadino"...(Bill loved to bet the ponie's)..:cool:...Bill was a pretty fair snooker player. I would bet John Henderson knew him, from the old joint downstairs at Hollywood and Western...

In his later years, Bill moved to Phoenix to care for his aging mother, who was quite well to do,..Poor Bill,..she outlived him !...:eek:
 
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jrhendy

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SJDinPHX said:
The Duck was a pretty smart bird
At least that was always the word
Did some time as a stiff
And it gave him a lift
Now he's got enough money to burn !................... (which he does on a regular basis) ;)



Or, as my old buddy, "Fat Bill" Sanford (RIP) used to say..."Money, I got no money...I'm so light, I could ride a banty rooster
all the way to San Bernadino"...(Bill loved to bet the ponie's)..:cool:...Bill was a pretty fair snooker player. I would bet John Henderson knew him, from the old joint downstairs at Hollywood and Western...

In his later years, Bill moved to Phoenix to care for his aging mother, who was quite well to do,..Poor Bill,..she outlived him !...:eek:

I knew Bill well and used to play him and Sleepy Bob on the snooker tables at Hollywood Billiards in the late 50's with a little spot from both of them.

I was a dumb straight shooting kid who loved to play and usually left without any $$, either by getting beat or getting dumped by going in with Bob playing Jack Perkins.

I did get quite a bit of my pool education there. The only winners I booked were playing George The Drummer and Fitz. You had to catch them when the horses were running like they were supposed to.
 

Cowboy Dennis

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Cowboy Dennis said:
I was out at the Rack one night and watched Poochie playing Edgar White. Freddy Salem was staking one of them (I forget which) for $300 per set of 9-Ball. Rosie may have been staking the other, I am not sure now. They played several sets and both played very good. I don't remember either coming out ahead but it was fun to watch two good players run out when they got a shot.
I just had a flashback and remembered that it was Rosie staking one of the other players. Freddy Salem placed 4 torn pieces of cardboard on the surface of the first table by the front doors and then put a chair on top of them. He then helped Rosie up onto the table and Rosie sat in the chair and watched Edgar & Poochie play, like a king surveying his kingdom.

Dennis
 

petie

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Cowboy Dennis said:
I just had a flashback and remembered that it was Rosie staking one of the other players. Freddy Salem placed 4 torn pieces of cardboard on the surface of the first table by the front doors and then put a chair on top of them. He then helped Rosie up onto the table and Rosie sat in the chair and watched Edgar & Poochie play, like a king surveying his kingdom.

Dennis

I'd bet you a dollar to a donut Rosie lost some money. Most of the games his money was involved in were "business"--especially if Fredie Salem was involved.
 

wincardona

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petie said:
I'd bet you a dollar to a donut Rosie lost some money. Most of the games his money was involved in were "business"--especially if Fredie Salem was involved.
ridiculous,are you kiddiing me? Not A CHANCE.

Billy I.
 
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