Will there ever be a John H., Artie B. playoff berfore it's too late?

mr3cushion

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Will there ever be another John H. v Artie B. REMATCH before either one of them gets too, "OLD!" I've been wondering lately with the exceptional play of John as of late, beating the "Ghost" on home court and His "stellar" play also in the West coast tourneys recently. I'm wondering if He feels His game has improved from a few years ago, or is it just a fleeting phase of NOW!

I know Artie hasn't played at all since his match with, Rickey Bird, which He loss. Does John feel He can handle Artie's game more comfortably, now that He's on a roll!

Or, is there ANY chance of the partners game with, Artie and Billy again?

Maybe John will chime in and give us His thoughts on any rematches!
 

petie

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Citrus Springs, FL
Will there ever be another John H. v Artie B. REMATCH before either one of them gets too, "OLD!" I've been wondering lately with the exceptional play of John as of late, beating the "Ghost" on home court and His "stellar" play also in the West coast tourneys recently. I'm wondering if He feels His game has improved from a few years ago, or is it just a fleeting phase of NOW!

I know Artie hasn't played at all since his match with, Rickey Bird, which He loss. Does John feel He can handle Artie's game more comfortably, now that He's on a roll!

Or, is there ANY chance of the partners game with, Artie and Billy again?

Maybe John will chime in and give us His thoughts on any rematches!

No trap, John. Really.
 

jrhendy

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Placerville, CA
Will there ever be another John H. v Artie B. REMATCH before either one of them gets too, "OLD!" I've been wondering lately with the exceptional play of John as of late, beating the "Ghost" on home court and His "stellar" play also in the West coast tourneys recently. I'm wondering if He feels His game has improved from a few years ago, or is it just a fleeting phase of NOW!

I know Artie hasn't played at all since his match with, Rickey Bird, which He loss. Does John feel He can handle Artie's game more comfortably, now that He's on a roll!

Or, is there ANY chance of the partners game with, Artie and Billy again?

Maybe John will chime in and give us His thoughts on any rematches!

If there are any rematches, they would have to be in California. My traveling days are done.

I am with a new lady after losing my wife 6 1/2 years ago and enjoying life with our two dogs, three cats, 9 chickens and 60 roller pigeons that I fly almost every day.

I am lucky that at 75 I can still play the game I love competitively. I play once or twice a week and a couple more times a month in weekend tournaments. My tournament game is much better than my gambling game anymore. Maybe I can focus better in short race tournaments, but I am pretty much a $50/100 a game player anymore and book as many losers as winners, sometimes getting weight.

If I was looking for action, all I would have to do is drive 400 miles to Los Angeles and I could get all I want.

I might get fired up a little when California Billiards reopens before the end of the year. My last big match was just about a year ago with The Ghost in Chicago. While I had a great time and got a little lucky to get the $$, the nut is just too big for those kind of trips anymore.
 

mr3cushion

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If there are any rematches, they would have to be in California. My traveling days are done.

I am with a new lady after losing my wife 6 1/2 years ago and enjoying life with our two dogs, three cats, 9 chickens and 60 roller pigeons that I fly almost every day.

I am lucky that at 75 I can still play the game I love competitively. I play once or twice a week and a couple more times a month in weekend tournaments. My tournament game is much better than my gambling game anymore. Maybe I can focus better in short race tournaments, but I am pretty much a $50/100 a game player anymore and book as many losers as winners, sometimes getting weight.

If I was looking for action, all I would have to do is drive 400 miles to Los Angeles and I could get all I want.

I might get fired up a little when California Billiards reopens before the end of the year. My last big match was just about a year ago with The Ghost in Chicago. While I had a great time and got a little lucky to get the $$, the nut is just too big for those kind of trips anymore.

I totally understand John, about not really wanting to "go on the road." My wife and I have been going through some health issues as of late, I don't get to the pool room maybe 2 or 3 times a month.

Artie's life has a BIG change in it lately too, He has His granddaughter living with Him now, and She's running Him ragged, ALL day long!

About "California Billiards," when and where are they opening the NEW place? I Always enjoyed the place when Ed Krieger owned it, He and I got along pretty good, if I would come in to town a couple days early, ED and I would try to get some golf in. They held the "Nationals" there for several years, it was a beautiful arena they had in the back that seated about 200 people, very nice! But, for me, the tables were NOT to my liking. This is the MAIN reason I never faired very well in that event. The tables ALWAYS played REAL "short", the table mechanics were, Harry "Hollywood Fats" Sims and Bill Spadafore. They're, "brilliant" :rolleyes: idea was, to put "Pool" cloth on the cushions to make the table play, "longer" because the cloth is a little thicker. NOT good for MY "finesse" game, the CB would travel slower off the cushions and quicker on the bed. One of REAL reasons why I really never tried to qualify every year to play, plus NO money to speak of!


Funny story about, "California Billiards," like I said the "3 Cushion Nationals" were held there many times. A 3 time national champion, "George Ashby" was from a small town in southern Illinois, Jacksonville, throughout those years, George chased a lot of skirts and frequented the local pubs on a nightly basis.

Back then the "arcade" games were popular in bars, especially, "Pac Man." Now, since George was in the bars every night and trying to impress the ladies, He got pretty damn good at the game, "A BIG fish in a little pond" type thing! One year at the nationals, George showed up a couple days early, now, with the room being open 24 hrs. and a full bar, this was NOT a good combination for George.

The night before the tournament is suppose to start, George is drinking and on the prowl for a cutie. He spots one playing "Pac Man" and snuggles up to her. Naturally, His cut in line is, "The loser pays for the beers." the girl agrees. Thinking all this time George will beat her since He plays pretty good, they, both get drunk and He'll get in her pants!

Well, things didn't go as planned for George! The girl says, "I can't drink anymore beer, but, I'll play you for money!" George figures He's a lock, long story short, George goes off for ALL his money! The next day when Ed came in, George asked to borrow some money, and He told Ed the girls name and the story of how. Ed proceeds to tell him, "You dumb son of a bitch, do you know what that girl does for a living?" "She works in "Silicon Valley" and is the "Head Programmer" for those games!"

After that night, George didn't go near the bar or the, "Pac Man" games!
 
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Scrzbill

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Eagles Rest, Wa
Tony, who used to work at California Billiards before it became a Safeway, opened Edgies with a couple of "pardners". They put in the heated 3 cushion tables on one side and the real pool tables on the other side.
A few months ago they had a big 3 cushion event but I couldn't tell you anything about it. Those tables are in just as good a shape as the day they put them in.
As far as the "new" California Billiards, it is going to be huge. I went up there last week to see the progress and all the equipment is there, walls are painted, 90%, electrical is going in. The biggest holdup is permits. After the '89 earthquake, local communities have much stricter earthquake standards and they use those standards to extort money from people opening new joints. (my opinion)
Any way, I ask Chris if I could put up a streaming camera to show progress but he wasn't too fond of the idea.
October is the new date predicted for opening. The exit for the new joint is off HWY 880, the busiest hwy in California, 24 hours a day. I look forward to many hours of standing traffic to keep me at the pool room longer. Ill take photos next time and post the plans. :heh:heh

BTW Ill take all bets if Artie and John rematches, on Artie of course.
 

gulfportdoc

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... the table mechanics were, Harry "Hollywood Fats" Sims ...

Bill, I knew Sims when we used to play the weekly tournaments in N. Hyd in '69-'70. Didn't he have a small room on Lakershim, not too far from Tiff Payne's? Perhaps it was someone else who I've forgotten. I got the impression that Sims and Payne didn't get along that great, but Sims would play in Tiff's little events. There were 3 or 4 rooms which used to have small handicapped tournies every week. Lotsa fun with minimum dollar output. Some weeks you'd have Al Gilbert and Frank Torres in them. Rather a tough field...:D

~Doc
 

mr3cushion

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Bill, I knew Sims when we used to play the weekly tournaments in N. Hyd in '69-'70. Didn't he have a small room on Lakershim, not too far from Tiff Payne's? Perhaps it was someone else who I've forgotten. I got the impression that Sims and Payne didn't get along that great, but Sims would play in Tiff's little events. There were 3 or 4 rooms which used to have small handicapped tournies every week. Lotsa fun with minimum dollar output. Some weeks you'd have Al Gilbert and Frank Torres in them. Rather a tough field...:D

~Doc

Doc; Harry never had his own room till He moved to St.Louis, "Airport Billiards." Harry was a likable guy, with a round jolly face and laugh to match!
 

gulfportdoc

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The owner of the room on Lankershim was someone else then. Do you recall who that was? He was a pretty fair 3C player, but maybe not as good as Tiff. This would have been in the late 1960's.

~Doc
 

mr3cushion

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The owner of the room on Lankershim was someone else then. Do you recall who that was? He was a pretty fair 3C player, but maybe not as good as Tiff. This would have been in the late 1960's.

~Doc

As far as I know the guy that bought the joint from Tiff, was, Larry Weir, a half ass connected guy from Jersey in the "Trucking" ;) business. A real piece of work, He hated Allen Gilbert and had VERY few friends!

Funny story about Larry, He wound up marrying his maid, she was Hispanic. They had 7 boys together, on her 40th birthday, he bought her a NEW, "Rolls Royce." Every weekend she and 4 or 5 of her Hispanic girlfriends would go out on the town to the, "Mexican" bars. From the very first weekend she and her friends went out, they got stopped by the Cops, on a regular basis! Finally, it got to such a nuisance, Larry took the "Rolls" away and gave her his "BMW 700" series! the stopping by the Cops didn't end, but, they lessoned, with the "BMW!" TRUE STORY!
 
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jrhendy

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As far as I know the guy that bought the joint from Tiff, was, Larry Weir, a half ass connected guy from Jersey in the "Trucking" ;) business. A real piece of work, He hated Allen Gilbert and had VERY few friends!

Funny story about Larry, He wound up marrying his maid, she was Hispanic. They had 7 boys together, on her 40th birthday, he bought her a NEW, "Rolls Royce." Every weekend she and 4 or 5 of her Hispanic girlfriends would go out on the town to the, "Mexican" bars. From the very first weekend she and her friends went out, they got stopped by the Cops, on a regular basis! Finally, it got to such a nuisance, Larry took the "Rolls" away and gave her his "BMW 700" series! the stopping by the Cops didn't end, but, they lessoned, with the "BMW!" TRUE STORY!

Frank Torres worked for Larry and they had a daily golf game that he did very well in. He was a master at two ball golf on this 5 x 10 and beat anyone who tried him, with Larry staking him.

I played in some of the ring games but would not play him with two balls each heads up. He would not play with one ball each heads up, although that's how they played the ring games.
 

usblues

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North.....

North.....

....Hollywood Billiards off the 101 on Lankershim[sp] then take a right turn on??,I forget. Was a happening 10-12 billiard room in 2001 or so.The last time I was there.Don't know if its the same Doc......cheers,James
 
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jrhendy

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....Hollywood Billiards off the 101 on Lankershim[sp] then take a right turn on??,I forget. Was a happening 10-12 billiard room in 2001 or so.The last time I was there.Don't know if its the same Doc......cheers,James

I think it was Magnolia, but could be wrong.
 

gulfportdoc

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There were two rooms fairly close to each other in the late 60's. The main room was North Hollywood Billiards, owned by Tiff Payne. The front of the room had pool and I think snooker. The back was all billiards-- around 10 tables.

The second room (who I erroneously thought Harry Sims owned) was east of there-- possibly on Vineland or Cahuenga, south of Magnolia. It had some pool tables and approx. 3 billiard tables. Tile floor. The room wasn't as nice as was Tiff's. How long it lasted, I don't know, but probably not as long as N. Hyd Billiards.

~Doc
 

backplaying

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John H, have you ever played Ricky Byrd? I would think that would be a good action match for you, if you had to make a long trip.
 

jrhendy

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John H, have you ever played Ricky Byrd? I would think that would be a good action match for you, if you had to make a long trip.

Never did play him, but watched him play at DCC a few years back. The only chance of playing him would be if I ever make it back to the Derby again and he was there.
 
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