Originally Posted by
bahbay
Anyone remember Phil's on Fenkell just east of Wyoming? It was owned and run by a great old Italian man named Phil Cardella. His son, Barney, went to Cooley and was in a class or 2 with me in 1960, 61, and 62. Phil's started out as a long skinney store front conversion that had 3 snooker tables, then 2 pool tables laid out from the front of the place to the back.
We used to play a game on the snooker table called "GOLF". all kinds of characters would play in the golf games. it was limited to 7 players, so the best seven on hand would get to play. I you couldn't compete with the "1st table" crowd, then you had to play at the "2nd" or "3rd" tables and wait for an opening on the 1st table.
The way you got better was to pay your dues to the guys on the 1st table - they knew the trick and "touch" shots that made for winning.
After a few years, Phil built an addition onto the west side, changed the name of the place to the "Ivory Cue Club", and added 5 more pool tables and a beautiful old billiard table. The new pool tables were the more modern ones with adjustable legs and rolling counters built in to the ends. All the tables, both snooker and pool, on the "old side" were the old brunswick "Elephant Leg" models with the thick, wooden, inlaid legs and rails.
I was in Reno a few years ago and actually ran into one of the old Phil's regulars in casino. He just about crapped when I went up and introduced myself.
It would be amazing if anyone here remembered Phil's.
I also just remembered another place further up Fenkell, close to Livernois, but I can't remember the name, I do recall that they had a "British" snooker table in there that was 16 feet long.
And then, the newest of all, was a place on the Jas. Cousins service drive not far off of Puritan. It was run by a German woman and I used to play a few of the Detroit Lions in there and releive them of a few bucks now and then. I remember I played Dick LeBeau and Daryl Sanders for sure and a couple others whose names I don't recall.
Anyway, thanks for starting this thread and I'll try to jog my memory for any other pertinent things that could be of interest for this thread.
Good luck and best wishes to all of you.
Bob A [[bahbay)