mr3cushion
Verified Member
jay helfert said:This isn't Dale (the Beatle) from Baltimore is it? He was a good player who hung around Ye Billiard Den for a year or two. I found out later he was AWOL from the Army. We just called him The Beatle and he played pretty salty 9-Ball, until Jimmy Marino showed up and busted him.
That is Winston in the photo above, a pretty sharp hustler. The guy in the middle looks a lot like Jimmy Marino. That is exactly how he looked back then - long stringy black hair and blue denim all the way. He snuck around L.A. real good back in the 60's. Jimmy would lay low in Venice Beach for months (getting high naturally), and then show up somewhere and bust someone. The only guy who ever got the best of Jimmy was Richie Florence, but he beat everyone back then for the cash.
The girl looks familiar, one of the Den's regulars. A lot of young hippy chicks hung out in there. I was too into pool to have time for them though (with a couple of exceptions of course). The Ghost and I must have met in there, because I was there so much. We might have played back then. I played anyone and everyone who wasn't an established champion. I know it's bragging, but I beat a million guys who came into the place. The Ghost might have been one of them.
P.S. I ate at Irv's at least 3-4 times a week.
Jay; I hate to burst Jimmy Marino fans bubble, but, back in the late 60's I snuck up on him and busted him for about $1,200.00 playing 3C billiards in Frisco at the Palace along with Homero Valdespino, he was the best 3C player in the Bay area back then everyone in the room bet on him. When Jimmy found out I beat Homero he was a little hot he got trapped, but a friend and I laid it down perfect.
Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"