Johnny vives

lll

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Mar 19, 2007
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vero beach fl
johnny vives won the first jansco tournament.
calired was wondering that maybe some of the other players didnt want the publicity for winning the 1p


can any of you share some stories about him???
where he stands among the best players over his playing carreer??
 
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CaliRed

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Dec 16, 2008
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Heart of the Midwest
johnny vives won the first jansco tournament.
calired suggested that maybe some of the other players didnt want the publicity for winning the 1p


can any of you share some stories about him???
where he stands among the best players over his playing carreer??

suggested seems like such a strong word:) Was more "wondering" if that was even a remote possibility:) semantics, I know

I would hate for anyone to come away thinking I was insinuating that something funny was going on.. I just found it kind of odd and was wondering how that might have happened. He must have been a helluva good player. Hopefully someone here knows something on him and can share.
 

BackPocket9Ball

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Philadelphia
About 14 years ago there was an indepth article about him in Pool & Billiard Magazine by ?Tom Shaw, with an interview as he was still alive at that time.

I remember reading that he and Shorty were considered the two top players in New England in the 50s and 60s. I also remember reading an article on Ed Kelly around the same time where Kelly claimed that he learned a lot about the game by watching Vives while growing up in Connecticut.
 

androd

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New Braunfels tx.
I first saw him in the early 60's. I practiced with the cuestick touching my chin for about a week after that :D I was very impressed with his game.
I believe he played as well as anyone at that point in time. I came to know him very well later. His lifes ambition was to kill a sweater.
Rod.
P.S. My ambition is to kill a maid. :D
 

CaliRed

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Dec 16, 2008
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Heart of the Midwest
I first saw him in the early 60's. I practiced with the cuestick touching my chin for about a week after that :D I was very impressed with his game.
I believe he played as well as anyone at that point in time. I came to know him very well later. His lifes ambition was to kill a sweater.
Rod.
P.S. My ambition is to kill a maid. :D

Well thanks Rod and Backpocket9Ball... you've put my "wondering" to rest.

I did some searching here and it appears that he was a strong player... his name just didn't ring a bell from reading too much on him here.

Cincinnati Johnny Vives

While searching for Johnny... I ran across this comment from Steve, as told to him by Danny D. I thought it was pretty funny and hadn't read it before. Fats was elected in 2009.

This place is so interesting... when you go to search for something, you can get lost for a few hours, clicking on other things you find:)

PS: Rod, good luck on the killing of the maid. Word on the street is.. if you kill a maid, you will automatically be a "made" man. Fa-git-aboutit

My ambition is to have a maid. If I ever get one and she gets on my nerves.. I'll send her over to you and wish her luck.:eek:

Originally Posted by NH Steve
I spoke to both Danny Di Liberto and Nick Varner today.

Danny was involved with a lesson so we are going to talk again, but he did say that Hayden Lingo should be in. Lingo was still coming to Johnston City when Danny started, and was still a strong player, even though he was getting up in years.

Danny also said, "Whatevery you do, don't put Fats in! He knocked every other player, he did nothing for the game, only for himself. If you put Fats in, you can take me out." Not that he had an opinion or anything :)
 

androd

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Dec 10, 2008
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From
New Braunfels tx.
Well thanks Rod and Backpocket9Ball... you've put my "wondering" to rest.

I did some searching here and it appears that he was a strong player... his name just didn't ring a bell from reading too much on him here.

Cincinnati Johnny Vives

Greg;
He was from Connecticut.
Rod.
 

fred bentivegna

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chicago illinois
Connecticut Johnny

Connecticut Johnny

johnny vives won the first jansco tournament.
calired was wondering that maybe some of the other players didnt want the publicity for winning the 1p


can any of you share some stories about him???
where he stands among the best players over his playing carreer??

Firstly, the idea that the contestants in the 1st Johnston City event were stalling is absurd. That tourn generated next to zero publicity around the country. It was an event only known to hard core hustlers. The publicity it received from Sports Illustrated and the Tom Fox article is the reason the tourn took off after that.

Johnny Vives as SJD remarked was a heroin junkie. And his career was a short one.

Vives story from one of my books:

Eugene "Cincinnati Clem" Metz might have been the toughest safety player of them all. Jersey Red told the story of when Clem was playing "Connecticut Johnny" Vives (winner of the first Johnston City One-Pocket tournament). Clem and Vives had been playing for many hours. Vives had been on a starvation shot-diet, getting nothing good to shoot at during the whole session. Clem was squeezing him like a python.
Finally, Vives spots Clem looking up-table at a long bank shot. It looked like Clem was finally going to leave Vives far away, but at least leave a shot toward Johnny's pocket.
Vives nudged Jersey Red as if to say, "Lookie here, Clem is going to finally loosen up and give me a shot at my hole." Vives's hopes were soon dashed when Clem shot up-table at the long bank and drew the cue ball back into the stack!


I went to Vives home pool room in Connecticut around 1970 with Sugar Shack. We were actually looking for Sailor Barge, but wound up in Johnny's room. I looked to play anybody something back then, and tried to make a game with Vives. I started practicing on the 5 x 10 they had in there. Hoping that he would think I didnt even know the difference. I asked him to play even bank pool, or for him to give me 9 to 8 playing 1 pkt. on the big table. As was the case with most of my ventures into the North East, no one would play a stranger -- that looked like he might be able to play, he didnt even consider my offer.

Beard
.
 
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