Paul Newman dead at 83
Fast Eddie Felson. Cool Hand Luke. Henry Gondorff. Frank Galvin. Butch Cassidy. All smokers. All Dead.
Late last Friday September 26, legendary actor and salad dressing entrepreneur Paul Newman died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. Newman was a heavy smoker on and off screen until the 70’s when he quit the habit.
Fast Eddie lights up and chalks up.
Newman’s most famous role is well known to pool players. Even in 2008 it is common to hear quotes from both “The Hustler” and “The Color of Money” tossed around amidst playful woofing.
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- “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”
It is hard to believe the tremendous impact on the industry that “The Hustler” and “C.O.M.” had on the billiard industry. Just in the Twin Cities, pool room count with 20 or more tables increased in number more than tenfold between 1986 and 1988. This can be attributed to the 1986 release of “The Color of Money”.
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- Jacked-Up Trick Shot = Newman earns an Oscar.
Newman wasn’t a pool player before filming “The Hustler”. Released in 1961, it caused a pool boom 25 years before “Color”. Based on Walter Tevis’ fictional novel of the same name, Fast Eddie Felson stalks big money straight pool action with Minnesota Fats played by the late Jackie Gleason.
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- Fats and Fast Eddie
Notice the late Willie Mosconi at the far left of the frame. A dominant force in 14.1 for years, Mosconi played the part of “Willie” in “The Hustler”. Relegated to holding the money, he is never seen in frame with a cue in his hand. Mosconi was hired as a technical consultant and was a stand-in shooter for a few of the more difficult pool shots.
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- Willie has no lines, but looks cool holding the dough
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- Three Legends. All dead.
In the sequel, Mike Sigel filled the role as technical adviser. Strange that a left handed player himself wouldn’t coach the actors Newman and Tom Cruise to swap positions for the lag shot. Every single time that I’ve lagged for break against a southpaw, I stand on the left. No bumpin’ butts during the lag.
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- Fast Eddie and Vincent do the bump and lag
I enjoyed both movies plus a handful of others starring Newman. “Cool Hand Luke”, “The Sting”, and “The Verdict” are three of his best. He will best remembered for the gambling, drinking, womanizing, and hustling role of Fast Eddie Felson. Thanks for the everlasting contribution to billiard history.
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- Got Balls?
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- Newman can shoot…
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- But can he chalk correctly?
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- Nope. And he’s still doing it wrong 25 years later.
“You owe me money!”
I wish his charitable spirit would have endowed a “Hole in the Pockets Gang” pool tour. Wouldn’t it have been grand if loved the game enough to step in and be kinder, gentler, and more honest Keven Trudeau?
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- Cool Hand Luke gobbles ova for big money
- This bet took place in prison, but I think crazier bets have taken place in pool rooms.
“How about you and me play some straight pool for money, Fats.”
Qlympics! Part Deux?
Holly from CueSports International (Mark Griffin’s company) has released this:
U.S. New National Championship Series
CueSports International, LLC (CSI), the parent company of the BCA Pool League (www.playbca.com), the United States Bar Table Championships (USBTC) and the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament, would like to announce the National Championship Series (NCS). The NCS will be a series of five national events in the following cue sport disciplines: 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, 14.1Continuous and One Pocket.
The first NCS event will be the 8-Ball Division. For players to participate in the 8-Ball Division they must be either a U.S. resident or possess a U.S. passport. The winner will receive all paid expenses to the prestigious World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) 2009 World 8-Ball Championship. Last year?s world event was held in Fujairah, UAE. The 2009 event is anticipated to be held in mid-April.
The following information applies to all five NCS events. Qualifier tournaments will be held at billiard rooms throughout the United States. All NCS events will be open to men and women - both amateurs and professionals. Players are not required to be a member of any national league or association. In the initial years of the NCS, everyone must qualify - there will not be any invited players.
Mark Griffin, CEO of CSI expressed the need for a more formalized national championship system, ?The U.S. is one of the few countries that does not conduct national championships. CSI saw the possibility of creating opportunities for pool players while offering national exposure for the billiards industry. This structure will determine for the first time a true national champion in all five disciplines.?
More information will be released in the next few weeks.
Room owners with any questions, interest in hosting a qualifier in your state or region, or in hosting the national event, please contact Holly Ryan at ">
CueSports International, LLC, goal is to create and improve opportunities for pool players of all abilities through fair governance and equitable policies.
Man bites shark! Can Twin Cities pool survive?
The last year has been tough on pool in the Twin Cities. This week another casualty: Q-Sharks in Burnsville. Word is they closed their doors July 1. Andy and Don opened it in May of 2000, I believe. Don sold out to Andy several years ago and Ken purchased the whole deal about 18 months ago. I was always impressed with the look and feel of the place. The one and only pool room to feature all Diamond pool tables in Minnesota. That is until they had to try to cater to the league players and swapped out numerous 8 footers for a mix of Diamond and Valley bar boxes.
They tried the old standard of adding beer and wine. Not enough to keep them afloat. Sad.
This is the latest in a string of closures in the Twin Cities. I smell another auction coming our way. The bidding began six months ago with longtime pool table sales outfit Ace Billiards in Plymouth closing up shop. Even though Jeff’s modestly sized showroom in a less than flashy building just one block off Highway 55 didn’t make business sense. I spoke to him as he was clearing the last few items out of his space and he was surprisingly upbeat. He continues to be an active table mechanic and thinks he’ll be just fine without the overhead of rent and huge inventory.
Just this April, Eddie’s Billiards in Maple Grove had a well publicized internet auction. Eddie’s had a long run in what should have been a nice niche in the Twin Cities. The Northwest corner of the metro area had no pool room since the demise of Brianne’s in the early ’90’s. As an aside, many of the tables from Brianne’s went to City Billiards/New City which went under last year.
All of this change is part of the billiard business, I know. What troubles me is that there are not any new rooms popping up to take their place. We need to replenish the dwindling pool player population. Joints come and go, but they are going at an alarming rate and not coming frequently enough. We’ve got to support existing pool rooms and give entrepreneurs a reason to open new pool rooms. I shudder to think what might happen if any more establishments close down. I wonder, what are the odds are on a new pool room opening up before one closes down? Brrrrr!
Could The Corner Pocket (formerly Doc’s), Jimmy’s Pro Billiards, or Fat Boy’s be the next on the auction block? Let’s hope not. Play some pool this summer, please.
Mike
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