Pool Hall Shorts-”My friend is the reigning Champion of Columbia”

I remember growing up in Brooklyn as a kid.I used to jump on the train and head up to the city, Midtown Manhattan. Forty duce was my hangout. 42^nd street to those of you who are not familiar with the Big Apple. The bright lights and movie marquees were quite an attraction to a young man. Back in the mid 70’s I frequented a pool room called McGirrs. It was located on 45^th St. and 8^th Ave, but at one time resided in the old Roseland Building on Broadway. That was my main hangout and at times I would find myself there till the wee hours of the morning-not as a player but as a spectator. McGirrs was where all of the best money players in the country went to when they hit the Big Apple. Some of the greatest players of that time were often seen winning or losing a bank roll of hundred dollar bills that could choke a horse. And the tables….what beautiful tables they were! Old Brunswick tables from the forties and fifties. They had so many cigarette burns on them that it looked like part of the design. Hustlers and gentlemen players of the game, people from all walks of life (or so they appeared to be) could be found there playing anything from 8-ball to 3 cushion billiards for money. A lot of these people wore some kind of masquerade to hide their true identities. You could never tell who was a true hustler and who was not-at least not by the way they dressed. Some wore flashy clothes and others were less conspicuous and just wore torn tee shirts and jeans. One thing for sure, there was a lot of money floating around that pool room, especially during a match. Side bets were a very common practice during a money game. It’s funny how people say ‘ Private money games’ when there was nothing private about it! They even had a 6 x 12 foot Snooker table that was used to play Golf Pool for a hundred bucks a head. That place was right out of the movie ‘The Hustler’.It was great. By the late 70’s or early 80’s the place was finally closed down after being infested with pimps, hookers, drug dealers and junkies. There was never exactly a family atmosphere at McGirrs, but after a while it became too unsavory a place for even the common hustler. No one wanted to take a chance of walking out of there with a big win and a thick wad of cash in their pockets only to have it removed from them by some crazy junkie waiting for them outside. I remember watching a 3 cushion billiard match with this gentleman from Mexico. He was incredible and was wiping up the floor with the local competition. Finally, this other Hispanic gentleman played him and gave him quite a thrashing. The Mexican gentleman was beside himself. His fellow countrymen who had accompanied him  said to the other players friends who were rooting for their man…”Do you know who your friend just beat? This is the reigning Champion of Mexico!” he said. The other gentleman looked at him with a smile and replied…”My friend is the reigning Champion of Columbia”.

 I had seen lots of matches played in that pool room but that is another story for my blog. Until then, keep shooting straight and true! God Bless!

Bob (The Shark)