"Snooks" Perlstein - A Pocket Full of Memories Shooting Pool
By William Kelly
It's 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at Sullivan's bar in Somers Point, and Morris "Snooks" Perlstein lines up a practice shot before the beginning of the first game of he pocket billiards Winter League season.
Snooks stands out from the rest of his eight man team. Maybe its his age. This modest octogenarian is a half century older than the average age of the rest of the players, but he manges to keep a steady hand on the stick, hit the ball straight and sink it in the corner pocket like it was second nature. For Snooks, it is second nature.
This former Atlantic City pocket billiards champion (1951-1954) is generally recognized as being the only living person to have played every world champion since 1926. And he's defeated quite a few of them, including the legendary Ralph Greenleaf, the greatest pool player of all time.
"I'll be 88 years old this Christmas," Snooks says as he slides up to Sullivan's bar and orders a drink. "I was a Christmas present, and I don't believe it myself that I'm still around and still shooting pool."
Born in Philadelphia on December 25, 1904, Morris Perlstein moved to Atlantic City with his family when he was 4, and began to play pool at the YMCA when he was 15.
"Then I began to practice regularly and I really got into the game," he says. And he's been playing it ever since, except for the years he was in the poultry business, when as he puts it, "I had to lay off the game for awhile."
Snooker is a pocket billiards game popular in England, and if you're left without a good shot, you've been "snookered." Snooks however, didn't get his nickname from the poolhalls as one might imagine.
"I got my nickname when I was eight years old, when Earl Yost, a close friend whose family owned Yost Bakery, said that I looked like Snookie Ukom, a comic book character. I didn't know anything about pool at the time."
A few years later he discovered pool, started hanging out at the Y, and then one day went into George Ross' Pool Parlor on South North Carolina Avenue, where he played his best games and legendary opponents - Greenleaf, Tom Heuston, George Kelly, Willie Mosconi - all the great names of the great game.
In 1926 he practiced every day all summer long with Tom Heuston, a houseman at the Grand Atlantic Hotel on South Virginia Ave. They had a six table room at the Hotel and Snooks and Heuston played and practiced. "What a great player and gentleman he was," recalls Perlstein of Heuston. "He's one of the great players nobody knows."
Heuston left Atlantic City for Philadelphia, where he won the World Championship, then won it again. He won the World Championship six time in all, and for two years held teh World Championship in Three Cushion Billiards as well.
In 1948 Ralph Greenleaf came to Atlantic City to play some demonstration games at Ross's Pool Parlor, but found himself in a real match against Perlstein. While Willie Mosconi is well known as the greatest living player, with some 15 World Championships, Greenleaf is credited with 17 World Championships and is recognized by many as the greatest pool player who ever lived. Greenleaf dominated the play for decades from the early '20s on. And when he was no longer in his prime, he seldom, if ever, lost.
When Greenleaf faced off against Perlstein however, Snooks is the one who gave the demonstration, winning the straight pool match 150-147.
"I don't think any match meant more to me, since Greenleaf was the greatest of all time," says Snooks. When Greenleaf died in Mt. Holly, Snooks paid his respects and attended the service.
He has also played, and lost to Willie Mosconi three times. "He ran 135 and was out at 150," laments Perlstein. He hears occassionally from Willie Mosconi's wife, who keeps him posted on the health of the former champion, who hasn't been feeling well lately. (God bless you Willie!)
Snooks became Atlantic City champion in 1951 and held the title four years, making Ross' Pool Parlor a mandatory storp on the old pool shark circuit. Having played every world champion since 1926, Snooks knows them all. Besides Greenleaf and Mosconi he's played Allen Hopkins, Don Wills and Chic Davis, the great black billiards player, who he rallied 40 consecutive points to win 150-79.
At Ross's in 1951 he played George Kelly, the national champion from Philadelphia. "Kelly was a real gentleman," says Snooks, of Grace Kelly's uncle (his father and her father were brothers).
Nor was Ross's Pool Parlor your typical pool hall. "He ran a good room," Perlsteain recalls. "It was a gentleman's room. If he heard someone cussen' he would ask them to leave. It had one 5' by 10' demonstration table, with the rest being 4' 1/2 by 9' regulation.
In 1978 N.J. State Senator Steve Perskie introduced a resolution recognizing Snooks, with Rep. William Hughes doing the same thing in Congress. The resolution reads in part: "Whereas Morris 'Snooks' Perlstein, a lifelong resident and most distinguished citizen of Atlantic City has earned an enviable and truly outstanding reputation for his prowess on the green clooth as a player of the elegant game of pocket billiards....A gentle and modest man who has dazzled us all with his skill...made Atlantic City a mandatory stop for those seeking worldwide recognition in this skilled and artful game...and has played virtually every world and national champion..."
Snooks' team, Sullivan's A Team in the Winter Bar league is the defending champion in the league, but they don't consider Snooks a ringer. "Not at my age. I'm too old to be a ringer," he says. "Besides, we play on small bar size tables, which are a lot different from a regulation table - you can't play the angles as much, and luck comes into play more. You have to be lucky on a bar table. And you can be lucky, but the next guy can be luckier. The skill comes out on a regulation table."
Snooks also plays often at the Margate Log Cabin, a private club with a pool table that Snooks personally pays the upkeep on. "I've never had a table at home," Snooks says, which allows him to get out of his Ventnor home and socialize.
What advice does he give young players who ask?
"Practice."
"That's the greatest advice of all. If you're interested in the game, practice. Steve Miserak says that too, but I was telling people that before Steve was born."
Then Snooks puts his glass on the bar, picks up his stick and goes back to take a few shots before the Pocket Billiards League begins its winter season at Sullivan's Bar & Grill, Somers Point, New Jersey.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Sommelier John Mahoney
A Touch of Class, By the Glass
- Teaching the Fine Art of Putting Food and Wine Together
[Published The SandPaper, Friday, May 31, 1996 ]
By William Kelly
The first question usually asked before a serious dinner is, "Red, white or sparkling?"
At dinner with John Mahoney however, it's usually all three, especially when he hosts a dinner party that puts the taste of the food and wine back on the pallet together.
While a sit-down dinner where the wine is as much the featured attraction as the food is nothing new for the cultured classes, the most of us, a five-course meal with four glasses of wine and some champagne is a big night.
For Mahoney, it's becoming a matter of professional routine. Mahoney is what the French call a sommelier - a professional wine connoisseur. Learning to enjoy the world's wine is an experience that he enjoys sharing with others. In one week he tasted 386 different varieties of wine.
"My wife doesn't believe me," he said, "but it's work." Mahoney, a former Atlantic County freeholder from Milmay, is a professoinal wine consultant, a national instructor affiliated with the Society of Wine Educators who teaches courses in the art, science and history of wine making and tasting. He also serves as a wine consultant to some of the Jersey Shore's oldest and finest restaurants, including the Washington Inn in Cape May and Gregory's in Somers Point.
While the Washington Inn has Cape May's largest and most varied wine cellar, Gregory's has a limited, yet quite satisfactory selection, available from a wine list that Mahoney helped assemble. He also conducts periodic dinner parties at which different types of wines are tasted.
For Mahoney, the food and wine go together. He works with the chef in preparing different courses of the meal to go with the different varieties of wine.
"Each course is designed to go with each wine," Mahoney explained at a recent function he hosted at Gregory's dining room, where he greeted each person at the door with a freshly poured glass of sparkling white wine.
As a technical point, if it's not from the Champagne region of France, it's sparkling or bubbling wine, and served in a fluted, rather than a wide-brimmed, glass.
"I always start out with sparkling wine, or Champagne, because it cleanses the pallet," he explained. The pallet experiences a variety of tastes as the evening wears on.
Each place at every table is set with four wine glasses and a Champagne flute. The wine is opened early - to breathe - and it's laid out in the order in which the meal is served. Usually, each wine-tasting diner party has a theme, with the food recipes prepared around the wine that will be presented. While on this night the sparkling wine was of a domestic variety, the still wines were from Australia.
For Wine 101 students, the first lesson is "Sip, don't gulp. The more you sip it, the more you can taste and get out of it," advises Mahoney.
And don't just drink it.
"Splash it around the glass. Let it breathe. Smell its aroma. Sip it, then swash it around your mouth so you can enjoy it to its fullest."
Then you can even spit it out if you don't want to get too tipsy, although that's one of the more pleasant side-effects. According to Mahoney, wine is fermented in large casks, which are either made of oak or aluminum, and you should be able to taste the difference between the wood and the metal.
But you can really taste the difference with the food. Each course of the meal is designed to bring out the best of each wine. "Sipping the wine lets you learn how the food and wine combination works," says the sommelier.
At Gregory's, chefs Joseph and Paul Gregory take pride in their culinary skills, learned in the family's restaurant kitchen, and at the Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) at Atlantic Community College, where both matriculated.
Another tidbit for beginners is, to answer the first question; try both red and white wines over dinner, starting with white.
The Australian-flavored recipes developed by Joe and Paul included a "Crocodile Tear Soup" of consomme with quenelles (dumplings), served with Queen Adelaide Chardonnay Classic, Australia's number one selling wine.
Now, you may think that wine wit dinner may be an expensive proposition, but it doesn't have to be. This Queen Adelaide Chardonnay retails for a reasonable $4.67.
Between courses, Mahoney gets everyone's attention by tapping a spoon on a glass and commencing with a brief description of the wine about to be consumed, and how it fits in with the item on the menu. Another classic Aussie Chardonnay, Seppelt Semillon, is sipped along with a noodle (fusulli) with cinnamon and apple appetizer. A Seppelt Cabernet/Shiraz Classic goes well with the flower salad with raspberry vigaigrette dressing and grilled prawns (shrimp), a nice Australian touch.
After a "Freemantle Frozen ZBanana Sorbet," the main course, fresch spring lamb chop, served with a Evan and Tate Gnangara spiced shiraz, a more expensive red wine. With desert, Seppelt's Gold Medal Old Tafford Tawney Port goes well with the vanilla custard and caramel sauce, bringing out the best of the port. The reservation-only affair, normally limited to less than 40 people, is usually advertised in advance. Cost is about $45 per person, and includes food, wine, tax and tip.
WHICH REMINDS ME. I HAVE TO TELL THE STORY OF MY VISIT BY HELICOPTER TO THE MARGRET RIVER WINERY NEAR FREEMANTLE.
- Teaching the Fine Art of Putting Food and Wine Together
[Published The SandPaper, Friday, May 31, 1996 ]
By William Kelly
The first question usually asked before a serious dinner is, "Red, white or sparkling?"
At dinner with John Mahoney however, it's usually all three, especially when he hosts a dinner party that puts the taste of the food and wine back on the pallet together.
While a sit-down dinner where the wine is as much the featured attraction as the food is nothing new for the cultured classes, the most of us, a five-course meal with four glasses of wine and some champagne is a big night.
For Mahoney, it's becoming a matter of professional routine. Mahoney is what the French call a sommelier - a professional wine connoisseur. Learning to enjoy the world's wine is an experience that he enjoys sharing with others. In one week he tasted 386 different varieties of wine.
"My wife doesn't believe me," he said, "but it's work." Mahoney, a former Atlantic County freeholder from Milmay, is a professoinal wine consultant, a national instructor affiliated with the Society of Wine Educators who teaches courses in the art, science and history of wine making and tasting. He also serves as a wine consultant to some of the Jersey Shore's oldest and finest restaurants, including the Washington Inn in Cape May and Gregory's in Somers Point.
While the Washington Inn has Cape May's largest and most varied wine cellar, Gregory's has a limited, yet quite satisfactory selection, available from a wine list that Mahoney helped assemble. He also conducts periodic dinner parties at which different types of wines are tasted.
For Mahoney, the food and wine go together. He works with the chef in preparing different courses of the meal to go with the different varieties of wine.
"Each course is designed to go with each wine," Mahoney explained at a recent function he hosted at Gregory's dining room, where he greeted each person at the door with a freshly poured glass of sparkling white wine.
As a technical point, if it's not from the Champagne region of France, it's sparkling or bubbling wine, and served in a fluted, rather than a wide-brimmed, glass.
"I always start out with sparkling wine, or Champagne, because it cleanses the pallet," he explained. The pallet experiences a variety of tastes as the evening wears on.
Each place at every table is set with four wine glasses and a Champagne flute. The wine is opened early - to breathe - and it's laid out in the order in which the meal is served. Usually, each wine-tasting diner party has a theme, with the food recipes prepared around the wine that will be presented. While on this night the sparkling wine was of a domestic variety, the still wines were from Australia.
For Wine 101 students, the first lesson is "Sip, don't gulp. The more you sip it, the more you can taste and get out of it," advises Mahoney.
And don't just drink it.
"Splash it around the glass. Let it breathe. Smell its aroma. Sip it, then swash it around your mouth so you can enjoy it to its fullest."
Then you can even spit it out if you don't want to get too tipsy, although that's one of the more pleasant side-effects. According to Mahoney, wine is fermented in large casks, which are either made of oak or aluminum, and you should be able to taste the difference between the wood and the metal.
But you can really taste the difference with the food. Each course of the meal is designed to bring out the best of each wine. "Sipping the wine lets you learn how the food and wine combination works," says the sommelier.
At Gregory's, chefs Joseph and Paul Gregory take pride in their culinary skills, learned in the family's restaurant kitchen, and at the Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) at Atlantic Community College, where both matriculated.
Another tidbit for beginners is, to answer the first question; try both red and white wines over dinner, starting with white.
The Australian-flavored recipes developed by Joe and Paul included a "Crocodile Tear Soup" of consomme with quenelles (dumplings), served with Queen Adelaide Chardonnay Classic, Australia's number one selling wine.
Now, you may think that wine wit dinner may be an expensive proposition, but it doesn't have to be. This Queen Adelaide Chardonnay retails for a reasonable $4.67.
Between courses, Mahoney gets everyone's attention by tapping a spoon on a glass and commencing with a brief description of the wine about to be consumed, and how it fits in with the item on the menu. Another classic Aussie Chardonnay, Seppelt Semillon, is sipped along with a noodle (fusulli) with cinnamon and apple appetizer. A Seppelt Cabernet/Shiraz Classic goes well with the flower salad with raspberry vigaigrette dressing and grilled prawns (shrimp), a nice Australian touch.
After a "Freemantle Frozen ZBanana Sorbet," the main course, fresch spring lamb chop, served with a Evan and Tate Gnangara spiced shiraz, a more expensive red wine. With desert, Seppelt's Gold Medal Old Tafford Tawney Port goes well with the vanilla custard and caramel sauce, bringing out the best of the port. The reservation-only affair, normally limited to less than 40 people, is usually advertised in advance. Cost is about $45 per person, and includes food, wine, tax and tip.
WHICH REMINDS ME. I HAVE TO TELL THE STORY OF MY VISIT BY HELICOPTER TO THE MARGRET RIVER WINERY NEAR FREEMANTLE.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Atlantic City Jazz Festival Trivia Question
ATLANTIC CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL TRIVIA QUESTION
What year was this jazz festival?
I have the poster, but it doesn't say what year.
What decade was this jazz festival?
I'm thinking late 70s early 80s?
An Elsie Street Production?
If you know the answer, if you were there, if you have pictures,
let me know.
Billkelly3@gmail.com
Third Annual
Atlantic City Jazz Festival
The Biggest Jazz Festival in the History of New Jersey
Historic Gardner's Basin
Atlantic City
Friday
August 7
8:00 PM
Melba Moore
Art Blakey
Maynard Ferguson's Big Band
Ramsey Lewis Trio
Herbie Mann
Saturday
August 8
8:00 PM
Ray Charles
Nancy Wilson
Pieces of a Dream
Special Guest Artist
Grover Washington, Jr.
Buddy Rich's Big Band
Sunday
August 9
3:00 PM
Super Jazz Fusion All-Stars
Roy Ayers
Stanley Turrentine
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jean Carn
Bobbi Humphreys
Bobby "Blue" Bland
"Saces" - Damita Jo
What year was this jazz festival?
I have the poster, but it doesn't say what year.
What decade was this jazz festival?
I'm thinking late 70s early 80s?
An Elsie Street Production?
If you know the answer, if you were there, if you have pictures,
let me know.
Billkelly3@gmail.com
Third Annual
Atlantic City Jazz Festival
The Biggest Jazz Festival in the History of New Jersey
Historic Gardner's Basin
Atlantic City
Friday
August 7
8:00 PM
Melba Moore
Art Blakey
Maynard Ferguson's Big Band
Ramsey Lewis Trio
Herbie Mann
Saturday
August 8
8:00 PM
Ray Charles
Nancy Wilson
Pieces of a Dream
Special Guest Artist
Grover Washington, Jr.
Buddy Rich's Big Band
Sunday
August 9
3:00 PM
Super Jazz Fusion All-Stars
Roy Ayers
Stanley Turrentine
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jean Carn
Bobbi Humphreys
Bobby "Blue" Bland
"Saces" - Damita Jo
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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