RIP "Toothpick" Larry Nerison

demonrho

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After hours pool legend "Toothpick" Larry Nerison - May 15, 1929 - December 11, 2011. Larry started playing pool for money as a kid in Minnesota and eventually worked the pool rooms and bars from Northern California down to San Diego. He was also a boxer, country music promoter, and bar tender. He was a good friend of fellow Minnesotan Louie Lemke and Kim Davenport. Larry was much loved in the Santa Rosa area of Northern California. We're going to miss him.
 

NH Steve

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After hours pool legend "Toothpick" Larry Nerison - May 15, 1929 - December 11, 2011. Larry started playing pool for money as a kid in Minnesota and eventually worked the pool rooms and bars from Northern California down to San Diego. He was also a boxer, country music promoter, and bar tender. He was a good friend of fellow Minnesotan Louie Lemke and Kim Davenport. Larry was much loved in the Santa Rosa area of Northern California. We're going to miss him.
Sorry to hear this. I did not know him, but he sounds like the kind of guy that leaves an impression. Boxer, bartender, pool hustler -- sounds like he leveraged his talents with a kind of synergy...
 

demonrho

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... he sounds like the kind of guy that leaves an impression. Boxer, bartender, pool hustler -- sounds like he leveraged his talents with a kind of synergy...

Here's Bud Green's take on him: "I first met Larry 20 years ago. He was a character, that's for sure. Bit of a "Fargo" accent, played some good pool and was an absolute monster with a wild pink ball on a snooker table. He'd give people huge spots and they'd think they had the nuts until he'd drill the pink in 40 times in a row.

I remember playing in a tourney against him and I had technically won by short racking him 2x, but told him "Lets just play even" since he had to give me 2 games in a race to 5. He broke and ran a couple racks to beat me, and went on to win the tourney. He came over later with a milkshake and some money for me and said "Thanks, buddy". That was cooler than winning the tourney since I had just recently met him.

Tough cookie too...someone pissed him off when he was around 70 and he grabbed the guy by the throat. A 20 year old friend of mine tried to remove his arm and couldn't budge it. My buddy said his arm felt like a band of steel or something.

Sad, but not unexpected to hear of his passing. His health had been poor for a little while.

I'll miss him. He always greeted me with a big smile when I saw him."
 
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