Carlo Zingale

Am I the only person on here who actually met this very famous pool player? I'm going to withhold his nickname hoping someone else will recognize his real name and have some good stories about him.

petie said:

Am I the only person on here who actually met this very famous pool player? I'm going to withhold his nickname hoping someone else will recognize his real name and have some good stories about him.

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I'm pretty sure Helfert and a few other on here know him. I never got to meet Mr. K....bump

Jimmy B said:

I'm pretty sure Helfert and a few other on here know him. I never got to meet Mr. K....bump

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Right on, Jimmy. Mr. K it is.

OK, its Cue Ball Kelly.

I knew Cue Ball well.

He was always at JC.

Bill S.

He refereed quite a few key matches at JC.

okay here is the scoop on kelly. he hung around n.y alot and was originally from jersey. despite what his name looks like he was italian. born in the 1800's sometime he was an old man when i knew him. short fattish with a bald head and very nice guy.
he was the main referee for the matches on the east coast. and played very well until he hurt himself and then just spinned the balls by hand. nobody ever achieved what he could do with the balls. although a few came close.
he was one of the first to put on exhibitions that were fun to watch rather than just shooting pool trick shots.
the weasel nubby morgan tried to emulate him to an extent but he was more interested in getting something for nothing instead of being a person.
he was the guy that taught me how to spin the cueball three rails and hit the ball on the spot and bet it would go in 5 shots or less, throwing it again leaving the ball where it stopped.. you could clean out a bar or poolroom with that game by stalling for awhile or with a spread until it became too well known.

Cue Ball Kelly

Cue Ball Kelly

Cue Ball Kelly taught a guy named Black Mike from Philly how to get the money spinning the cue ball with different shots such as putting object ball on the spot 3 spins was a lock 2 was even money. Mike was so good it scared me. He took 10 spins on making 3 balls in numerical order with the 1,2 and three ball on the rail frozen with the 1 ball on top 2 ball next and the three ball under the 2 ball one diamond from bottom pocket. The first spin he would go 4 rails and hit the bottom of the 3 ball and they would open up the next spin or spins he would make the 1 ball and so forth. He lived in Baltimore for about 20 years. He had more talent spinning the cue ball then anybody I ever saw.He died in his early 50's Drugs did him in.

thats why those good propositions get ruined. some sucker always has to show everyone how good they are and ruin it for themselves and everyone. once you do it and win betting in two or three shots you kill the game forever.

its like a magician that shows people how he does his tricks, and then wonders why no one comes to his show anymore.

I used to.....

I used to.....

......love watchin the Tenn Tarzan spin the ball down the length of the table and about 3" from the bottom rail the English would catch and go 90 deg sideways......

usblues said:

......love watchin the Tenn Tarzan spin the ball down the length of the table and about 3" from the bottom rail the English would catch and go 90 deg sideways......

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I've always wanted to learn finger pool - I have really big hands and think I could pick it up quick.

petie said:

Am I the only person on here who actually met this very famous pool player? I'm going to withhold his nickname hoping someone else will recognize his real name and have some good stories about him.

Click to expand...

I heard of him in the early '70s but as Carl not Carlo. Read about him in The National Billiard News, I believe.

straightback said:

I've always wanted to learn finger pool - I have really big hands and think I could pick it up quick.

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Mike does have to rest his hands after doing finger pool exhibitions. The snapping of his fingers takes its toll as you'd expect.

I first met Cue Ball Kelly, AKA Carlo Zingale, around 1983 or so at one of the first Midwest Bar Table 9-Ball Opens, a tournament which is still held semi-annually in Indianapolis to this day. Everybody was there. Jimmy Reid, Louie Roberts, Alan Hopkins, Tall Paul, Steve Oaks, Bobby Legg, Pauly Campbell, Willie Munsen, even Walter Tevis and Jim McDermott. Cue Ball was there as well. He had to be in his late 60’s or early 70’s. We had a good, long talk. He told me he had known all of the legends--Fats, Mosconi, Caras, Greenleaf, Schaeffer--everybody. He said he had survived two car rides with mobsters. This is where they put you in the backseat between two goons and take you for a ride. You don’t know if you’re ever coming back. He was himself a legend having been on national television more than once. I saw him on “You Asked For It” and I think he was on "What’s My Line" and maybe "To Tell the Truth". He was famous for his proficiency at finger billiards. Mike Massey practices this obscure art today. Carlo was a friendly, enthusiastic and interesting pool nut—the kind we all love. He reminds me of a lot of the people we have on this forum.