Harold Worst

RabbiHippie

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Never thought about it before, but Worst was quite the entrepreneur. He owned a chain of pool rooms for a while and had his own line of cues and tables with his own "Worst" label. Of course, he already had an eye for business from his shoe store.
 
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baby huey

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Mr. 3C, Rommie said Harold was the best player during those late 50's into his time of death. You are correct about the lack of tournaments. We're talking "action" matches here. Not tournament play. It's my understanding that in pool or 3C you couldn't out gamble Harold for the cash. The excerpt from Danny McGoorty's book alludes to Harolds greatness. My memory is faulty after all these years but when it came to his name being bantered about, the old timers who knew him spoke reverently of him. The story of him being barred from the ring games in Johnson City and being the "hired gun" in those games is what started me in this thread. I wish Dr. Bill would chime in here to shed some light on Harold as he just might have heard of or could validate that story.

Whitey, your thread about the directional cloth is interesting. When I was young hanging our at 4th and main Los Angeles, Rommie the owner would take pity on me and put me to work helping the Brunswick mechanic, Jack Skyles, recover the tables. What was commonplace back then was to take the used 5X10 billiard cloth have it cleaned and flip it over and install it on the pool tables. You had a cloth that ran fast as the nap was compressed on the reverse side and it actually played quite good.Of course you needed a billiard room like 4th and main to have access to the over sized cloth. Same for the snooker tables.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall with those great champions all in the room together eyeing each other circling each other and all knowing who "the man" in the room really was.
 
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Dennis "Whitey" Young

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You can become a Champion and not really should of been, it just happens. We had a guy move to our town, and he said he was once the California 3c Champion, he won the tournament but there was no way he should of. Steve Wilson is his name. I do not know what year it was but he is probably around 80 yrs old. I'd say maybe around early 60's. He got out of playing and opened up a bar in Hollywood. He said the best bar table player in that area was a black guy, but I forgot what name he gave me.
But I can see how Worst could of won the championship but not really should of. Those years were probably some dark years for 3c as well as for 14.1.
As far as Worst stepping up and playing a shot, I do not like killing a legend or their legend, but much of op.org is devoted to that. Nice to confirm, I agree, and Danny D. would know, I'd think!

I think Worst's 7 rail draw shot was possible, other do not, but no way to confirm.
Whitey
 

jtompilot

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Mr. 3C, Rommie said Harold was the best player during those late 50's into his time of death. You are correct about the lack of tournaments. We're talking "action" matches here. Not tournament play. It's my understanding that in pool or 3C you couldn't out gamble Harold for the cash. The excerpt from Danny McGoorty's book alludes to Harolds greatness. My memory is faulty after all these years but when it came to his name being bantered about, the old timers who knew him spoke reverently of him. The story of him being barred from the ring games in Johnson City and being the "hired gun" in those games is what started me in this thread. I wish Dr. Bill would chime in here to shed some light on Harold as he just might have heard of or could validate that story.

Whitey, your thread about the directional cloth is interesting. When I was young hanging our at 4th and main Los Angeles, Rommie the owner would take pity on me and put me to work helping the Brunswick mechanic, Jack Skyles, recover the tables. What was commonplace back then was to take the used 5X10 billiard cloth have it cleaned and flip it over and install it on the pool tables. You had a cloth that ran fast as the nap was compressed on the reverse side and it actually played quite good.Of course you needed a billiard room like 4th and main to have access to the over sized cloth. Same for the snooker tables.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall with those great champions all in the room together eyeing each other circling each other and all knowing who "the man" in the room really was.
Your comment about flipping the cloth reminded me of a trip to Medford Oregon about 30 years ago. I walked into some nice room there and all the tables looked like they had Simonis but it looked a little weird. I asked the owner about it and he said when the cloth got worn he’d remove it, have it cleaned and flip it over for the re-install.

I’ve never heard of it before or since.
 

mr3cushion

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Your comment about flipping the cloth reminded me of a trip to Medford Oregon about 30 years ago. I walked into some nice room there and all the tables looked like they had Simonis but it looked a little weird. I asked the owner about it and he said when the cloth got worn he’d remove it, have it cleaned and flip it over for the re-install.

I’ve never heard of it before or since.
Norman Bensinger was doing that in the 60's! Taking the Simonis #1 off the 3C tables after 9 months, dry clean them, flip over and put on the, 5'x10' and the couple of 4.5"x 9's. When the table mechanic would install New cloth on the 3 tables, He'd leave about 3" overhang to allow for dry cleaning shrinkage.
 

baby huey

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Last night I spoke with my old friend and road partner Scronie Ronnie from El Monte and he told me a story about going to the 14.1 Championships in Burbank. I think this was 1965? I believe that Cicero was first Mosconi second and Harold played but did not finish well. Anyway , Ronnie told me Harold couldn't have been more gracious and talked with him (a16 year old punk kid) for some time about pool in general. That must have been when Harold was on his last legs. If true, that might have been Harold's last competitive event.

Whitey..........Give me that Stevens directional it's the nuts.
 

mr3cushion

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Last night I spoke with my old friend and road partner Scronie Ronnie from El Monte and he told me a story about going to the 14.1 Championships in Burbank. I think this was 1965? I believe that Cicero was first Mosconi second and Harold played but did not finish well. Anyway , Ronnie told me Harold couldn't have been more gracious and talked with him (a16 year old punk kid) for some time about pool in general. That must have been when Harold was on his last legs. If true, that might have been Harold's last competitive event.

Whitey..........Give me that Stevens directional it's the nuts.
Jerry, from all accounts from anyone I've spoken to concerning Worst, He was a perfect gentleman, on and off the table.

I hate to say it, but, maybe it's attributed to Him coming up on the 3C side of the pool room! Just saying.

Like I've said, IMPO, He's the G.O.A.T. of all around cue games! Maybe except Bank pool.
 

baby huey

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OK Bill, this a ONE POCKET FORUM and we all know One Pocket Players are ALWAYS GENTELMEN............LOL Maybe Harold's One Pocket side of his personality came to the surface???? Did you ever consider that Sir?
 

RabbiHippie

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You can become a Champion and not really should of been, it just happens. We had a guy move to our town, and he said he was once the California 3c Champion, he won the tournament but there was no way he should of. Steve Wilson is his name. I do not know what year it was but he is probably around 80 yrs old. I'd say maybe around early 60's. He got out of playing and opened up a bar in Hollywood. He said the best bar table player in that area was a black guy, but I forgot what name he gave me.
But I can see how Worst could of won the championship but not really should of. Those years were probably some dark years for 3c as well as for 14.1.
As far as Worst stepping up and playing a shot, I do not like killing a legend or their legend, but much of op.org is devoted to that. Nice to confirm, I agree, and Danny D. would know, I'd think!

I think Worst's 7 rail draw shot was possible, other do not, but no way to confirm.
Whitey
I wouldn't go so far as saying Worst shouldn't have won the 1954 world in 3-cushion. The competition was weaker because Hoppe retired in '52 and Cochran in '46.
 
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Dennis "Whitey" Young

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I wouldn't go so far as saying Worst shouldn't have won the 1954 world in 3-cushion. The competition was weaker because Hoppe retired in '52 and Cochran in '46, but the two had both rewho having retired in 1952, but the two
You are right, thanks for pointing that out, for I stated it without checking his match play record, of which probably had to be pretty good.
The other side is that a player is suppose to win, but does not.
We are of course, as Americans, are very proud of Worst for winning.
Whitey
 
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RabbiHippie

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You can become a Champion and not really should of been, it just happens. We had a guy move to our town, and he said he was once the California 3c Champion, he won the tournament but there was no way he should of. Steve Wilson is his name. I do not know what year it was but he is probably around 80 yrs old. I'd say maybe around early 60's. He got out of playing and opened up a bar in Hollywood. He said the best bar table player in that area was a black guy, but I forgot what name he gave me.
But I can see how Worst could of won the championship but not really should of. Those years were probably some dark years for 3c as well as for 14.1.
As far as Worst stepping up and playing a shot, I do not like killing a legend or their legend, but much of op.org is devoted to that. Nice to confirm, I agree, and Danny D. would know, I'd think!

I think Worst's 7 rail draw shot was possible, other do not, but no way to confirm.
Whitey
I wouldn't go so far as saying Worst shouldn't have won a world title in 1954. The competition was weaker because Hoppe and Cochran had retired in '52 and '46, respectively, but the only other serious contenders for best in the world in 1954 were the Navarra's and Worst came out on top over Enrique. I think mr3cushion's point was that the other Navarra, Zeke, was the stronger of the two. That seems fair to say since Zeke beat Hoppe in a long 1500-point challenge by averaging 1.23 when the record was 1.31.
 
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Dennis "Whitey" Young

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I wouldn't go so far as saying Worst shouldn't have won a world title in 1954. The competition was weaker because Hoppe and Cochran had retired in '52 and '46, respectively, but the only other serious contenders for best in the world in 1954 were the Navarra's and Worst came out on top over Enrique. I think mr3cushion's point was that the other Navarra, Zeke, was the stronger of the two. That seems fair to say since Zeke beat Hoppe in a long 1500-point challenge by averaging 1.23 when the record was 1.31.
Welker Cochran did participate in the 1954 World 3C Championships,
also Joe Chamaco - former world champion,
and Ray Kilgore - regaining world champion,
were in it.
Head to head with the above world champions, Worst beat them
Worst match record was 6-1.
After checking the stats, Worst earned the win!

The first time we see Worst in a 3C World Championship is n '53, he placed 3rd. with a 6-4 record. So he is coming!

No problem not recalling Welker was in, I do that all the time when relying on memory!
Whitey
 
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RabbiHippie

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You are right, for there has not been any evidence stating how well he played.
The other side is that a player is suppose to win, but does not.
We are of course, as Americans, very proud of Worst for winning.
Whitey
There was an incredible depth of talent in the 20's and 30's when Hoppe and Cochran were swapping titles. A few who never won a title in that era (like Bozeman) were possibly as good as Worst. They got older too and were retired by 1954.

It's kind of like the 1992 Dream Team compared to the Olympic teams put together since then. The best NBA players currently available but without the depth of talent that existed for one special moment.
 
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RabbiHippie

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Welker Cochran did participate in the 1954 World 3C Championships!
Whitey
My mistake then. Should've fact checked the Ursitti books instead of relying on memory. Actually, I did a quick check on Wikipedia and it said Cochran retired in '46, so I just assumed he wasn't there in 1954.
 

RabbiHippie

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1940.PNG
Check out this monster field in 1940. Against whom Willie Hoppe went through without a loss, 20-0.
 
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mr3cushion

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Welker Cochran did participate in the 1954 World 3C Championships,
also Joe Chamaco - former world champion,
and Ray Kilgore - regaining world champion,
were in it.
Head to head with the above world champions, Worst beat them
Worst match record was 6-1.
After checking the stats, Worst earned the win!

The first time we see Worst in a 3C World Championship is n '53, he placed 3rd. with a 6-4 record. So he is coming!

No problem not recalling Welker was in, I do that all the time when relying on memory!
Whitey
You forgot about the second 4 player Round Robin of this event.

Second Round Robin 4 Players
W L Tie HR BG TP OP TI Ave Points

Harold Worst 2 1 8 48 171 147 186 0.919 4
Juan Navarra 1 1 1 6 58 173 180 179 0.893 2
Masako Katsura 1 1 1 7 66 164 168 22 0.742 3

Ezquiel Navarra 1 2 8 65 160 173 198 0.873


Here's the breakdown of 2nd round.


Second Round Robin
1954 World 3 Cushion Tournament – Game by Game – Chronological Order continued …
Date Player Score HR IN vs Player Score HR IN

October 20: Masako Katsura 60 7 66 vs Ezequiel Navarra 57 6 66
Tuesday Juan Navarra 60 6 58 vs Harold Worst 51 6 58
October 22 Ezequiel Navarra 60 8 65 vs Juan Navarra 53 5 65
Thursday Harold Worst 60 5 80 vs Masako Katsura 44 3 80
October 25 Juan Navarra 60 5 75 vs Masako Katsura 60 5 75
Monday Harold Worst 60 8 48 vs Ezequiel Navarra 43 5 48

Playoffs: First – Second & Third - Fourth
 

mr3cushion

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View attachment 439139
Check out this monster field in 1940. Against whom Willie Hoppe went through without a loss, 20-0.
Another aspect of the 'Golden Era' of 3 cushion was, a player was allowed to play a,
'Deliberate Safety!' The rule was, the incoming player could ONLY play1 in a row.
So, when we look at these averages we have to take into consideration these players may have taken 4 - 5 Deliberate Safeties in a game! A inning simply wasted for the average. They knew getting the WIN was the MOST important factor!

A pretty good all around player in Chicago from the, 50's - 60's was, Isadore "Pony' Rosen.
An example of how tough and determined the players in the 'Old days' were.
Pony used play a pretty sporty guy from the Southside of Chicago named, Polack Vince 'The Killer.'
They used to play 25 points of 3C for $10. Pony was not a high roller. In a game with Vince, Pony ran a 13 and then played a 'Deliberate Safety!' Now that's Hardcore.

BTW, When Artie was first getting better at 1 pocket He used to play Pony for, $5 a game. While playing one day, Pony dropped dead at the table, He was up 2 games on Artie!
 

lll

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vero beach fl
Another aspect of the 'Golden Era' of 3 cushion was, a player was allowed to play a,
'Deliberate Safety!' The rule was, the incoming player could ONLY play1 in a row.
So, when we look at these averages we have to take into consideration these players may have taken 4 - 5 Deliberate Safeties in a game! A inning simply wasted for the average. They knew getting the WIN was the MOST important factor!

A pretty good all around player in Chicago from the, 50's - 60's was, Isadore "Pony' Rosen.
An example of how tough and determined the players in the 'Old days' were.
Pony used play a pretty sporty guy from the Southside of Chicago named, Polack Vince 'The Killer.'
They used to play 25 points of 3C for $10. Pony was not a high roller. In a game with Vince, Pony ran a 13 and then played a 'Deliberate Safety!' Now that's Hardcore.

BTW, When Artie was first getting better at 1 pocket He used to play Pony for, $5 a game. While playing one day, Pony dropped dead at the table, He was up 2 games on Artie!
Did artie pay off to pony”s heirs?😂
 
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