"Squirrely" and "NY Fats"

NH Steve

NH Steve

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I have a copy of an old Sports Illust. that has an artist's pictorial of one of the early Johnson City tournaments -- I believe the 1963 event. It includes sketches (literally) of quite a few players, with their nicknames along with their actual names -- along with very little text. Here are some of the players sketched or named that were there:

"Cornbread Red" Billy Burge
"Boston Shorty" Larry Johnson
Joey Spaeth
"Tuscaloosa Squirrely" --> yes, they had a 'y' on the end, in two places in the article in fact! (Now was that just their mistake, or did his nickname evolve over the years from Squirrely to Squirrel??)
"Handsome Danny" Danny Jones
"Weenie Beanie" Bill Staton
"Tugboat Whaley"
"Iron Joe" Procita
"Cowboy" Jimmy Moore
Hayden Lingo
"New York Blackie" A.F. Bonife
"Wimpy" Luther Lassiter (who won that year apparently)
"Detroit Whitey" Eddie Beauchene
"New York Fats" Rudolf Wanderone (in that crowd not recognized yet as 'Minnesota', even though he had probably started using that -- The Hustler movie having come out a couple of years before, right?)
"Knoxville Bear" Eddie Taylor
"Feazle Luttrell"
"Daddy Warbucks" Hubert Cokes
"Youngblood" Javanly Washington

Plus they mention "Pots and Pans"




The color washed look is actually part of the art, not a water stain :)
 
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NH Steve

NH Steve

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'63 Jansco Brother's article

'63 Jansco Brother's article

Here are a couple more previews:

Fats -- quite a presence, according to the article...


The great Hayden Lingo -- said to have been one of greatest ever, before One Pocket began to get recognition (primarily because of the Johnson City Tournaments beginning in '61)

The issue is February 25 1963, btw -- but don't all rush on over to eBay at once, you'll just end up bidding against each other :) !!!
 
NH Steve

NH Steve

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Well I figured out where the "Squirrely" bit came from. I've been reading The Bank Shot and Other Great Robberies by Tom Fox as told by 'Minnesota Fats', and Squirrely is apparently Fat's pet tweak on Marshall Carpenter's nickname. The way I read it, Fats clearly knows the nickname is supposed to be 'Squirrel' (because it slips out here and there in the book), but he likes to put a little razz on the man, such as he was known to do :)

One thing I will say for Fats, and the book, is he sure talked up One Pocket, and I thank him for that... He even has a set of rules in there (published 1966), which seem pretty close to the Jansco Brother's rules from Johnston City -- all of which were published before the BCA discovered One Pocket and began publishing their own rather inadadequate rules :)

Funny thing, when I bought the book the seller said it had an owner's inscription, and when I got it and looked inside I found the inscription alright -- signed by the Fat Man himself :)

He throws out a ton of names of players from the 20's, 30's and 40's -- along with the typical Fats stories to go with the names -- as well as a lot of chiding of some of the young up and comers like Weenie Beanie and Squirrel and Danny Jones -- young at that time, in 1966...
 
hemicudas

hemicudas

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The only problem I see, Steve, is that Al Bonife (New York Blacky) was never that thin, lol. Great artwork, Steve. You have, again, impressed me. BTW, Bank Shots and Other Great Roberies is a fun read for sure. You have to take all of Fatty's stories with a grain of salt but there are some awesome laughs in the book.
 
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jrhendy

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Blacky

Blacky

hemicudas said:
The only problem I see, Steve, is that Al Bonife (New York Blacky) was never that thin, lol. Great artwork, Steve. You have, again, impressed me. BTW, Bank Shots and Other Great Roberies is a fun read for sure. You have to take all of Fatty's stories with a grain of salt but there are some awesome laughs in the book.
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Al (Blackie) was living with a family friend of mine in the mid 60's in Monterey Park, just outside of Los Angeles. She was a barmaid at a local place that had one table & a little bit of action. He had an operation for kidney stones or gall stones & was just out of the hospital. He begged me to play him some for $3 a game for practice so he could get back in stroke & go out and make some money. I didn't want to play, but he wouldn't let up & insisted we play. I beat him seven or eight games & now I was a no good thief cause I wouldn't give the $$ back & was taking advantage of a guy just out of the hospital. When he finally got back in stroke a little, I steered him around a little, but he just couldn't stall. He would give that sneer of his and show off that big stroke & move the big bar ball all over the table, running out for a couple dollars a game. He was a great all around player, but with a huge ego. He stayed busted playing with guys like Ronnie, Ritchie Florence, Ed Kelly & other top players around LA at that time.
 
hemicudas

hemicudas

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"show Dog"

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jrhendy said:
Al (Blackie) was living with a family friend of mine in the mid 60's in Monterey Park, just outside of Los Angeles. She was a barmaid at a local place that had one table & a little bit of action. He had an operation for kidney stones or gall stones & was just out of the hospital. He begged me to play him some for $3 a game for practice so he could get back in stroke & go out and make some money. I didn't want to play, but he wouldn't let up & insisted we play. I beat him seven or eight games & now I was a no good thief cause I wouldn't give the $$ back & was taking advantage of a guy just out of the hospital. When he finally got back in stroke a little, I steered him around a little, but he just couldn't stall. He would give that sneer of his and show off that big stroke & move the big bar ball all over the table, running out for a couple dollars a game. He was a great all around player, but with a huge ego. He stayed busted playing with guys like Ronnie, Ritchie Florence, Ed Kelly & other top players around LA at that time.
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Yup, you know, Blackie, John. Blackie lived here in Jackson for a year or two before moving to New Orleans, where he ran the Sport Palace for Earl Heisler.

I can't tell you how many players, my speed and below, I put Blackie on just to watch him string racks or 8 and outs on. When Blackie wasn't being shot back at, hell, he played like Efren. For the first 5-6 months he gave his pay check back to Earl playing one pocket. By the time Blackie figured out what he needed to win, Earl wouldn't give it to him any more, lol. Again, Hell, I don't know what I'm laughing at, I never figured out what I needed from Earl.
 
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NH Steve

NH Steve

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hemicudas said:
The only problem I see, Steve, is that Al Bonife (New York Blacky) was never that thin, lol. Great artwork, Steve. You have, again, impressed me. BTW, Bank Shots and Other Great Roberies is a fun read for sure. You have to take all of Fatty's stories with a grain of salt but there are some awesome laughs in the book.
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Not my artwork, Hemi -- hell no I'm not that talented! those images are from a 1963 SI 'article' -- I just posted you guys a glimpse that I photographed from an original issue of the mag, that's all.

BTW, Fat's book talks about the 'Masked Marvels' that toured the country doing exhibitions during the 20's or 30's. According to The Fat Man, these tours were sponsored by Coca-Cola, and featured several great players who did indeed wear a mask to hide their identity when they performed. Fats says quite afew different players took stints in the tours, including Erwin Rudolph, 'Iron Joe' Procita, and Andrew St. Jean (who he also calls 'The Lowell Kid').

St. Jean is a genuine legend around here -- at least to the old-timers whose memories go back that far. Knowledgeable older players often cite him as the most talented player to ever come out of the Boston area -- perhaps with more natural talent than Shorty -- but unfortunately with a serious drug and alcohol problem that cramped his career, and made him a premature casualty.

If anyone has any St. Jean stories, I'd like to hear them :)

Fats may not have ever been a champion at One Pocket (or any other game, for that matter), but he sure did champion the game of One Pocket as a spokesperson, and for that I salute him!!!
 
jrhendy

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Blackie in CA

Blackie in CA

hemicudas said:
Yup, you know, Blackie, John. Blackie lived here in Jackson for a year or two before moving to New Orleans, where he ran the Sport Palace for Earl Heisler.

I can't tell you how many players, my speed and below, I put Blackie on just to watch him string racks or 8 and outs on. When Blackie wasn't being shot back at, hell, he played like Efren. For the first 5-6 months he gave his pay check back to Earl playing one pocket. By the time Blackie figured out what he needed to win, Earl wouldn't give it to him any more, lol. Again, Hell, I don't know what I'm laughing at, I never figured out what I needed from Earl.
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I played a lot of liability snooker on the 6x12 and a little payball on the 5 x 10 at Verne Peterson's place in Bellflower with him. He ran the best action guy in the place out of the payball game by claiming the guy shortchanged him on a $20 bill. Wouldn't let up on a guy who blew lots of $$ in the game & finally drove the guy out of the room. He really was a good player in all games, but not much of a moneymaker. He came to town with a Cadillac & a bankroll, but wouldn't stay out of a ring game with Ronnie, Ritchie & other top players in LA. I don't have to tell you what happened.
 
F

Frank B

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NH Steve said:
I have a copy of an old Sports Illust. that has an artist's pictorial of one of the early Johnson City tournaments -- I believe the 1963 event.


Steve... the 1962 Johnston City tournament was held Oct 26 to Nov 18. The 1963 Johnston City tournament was held Oct 23 thru Nov 17. The Sports Illustrated with the "artist's pictoral" is dated February 25, 1963. The February 25, 1963 Sports Illustrated should be of the 1962 tournament.

Frank B
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