I played Willie an exhibition match back in the early '60s and all I can say is I turned in a fine performance racking the balls.
But my question is did anyone ever beat him ?
But my question is did anyone ever beat him ?
Mosconi exihibitions ?
- Thread starter measureman
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exhibition
Richard Reggie beat Willy M. twice in Baltimore,MD. 125 point matches and lost to Willy twice Richard Reggie was MD.straight pool champion for about 25 years Exhibitions were played in the 60'S. R.R.ran many 100'S a great teacher of straight pool and his son was a great 9 ball and straight pool player also.His name was Richard Reggie Jr. Drugs was his downfall.
Richard Reggie beat Willy M. twice in Baltimore,MD. 125 point matches and lost to Willy twice Richard Reggie was MD.straight pool champion for about 25 years Exhibitions were played in the 60'S. R.R.ran many 100'S a great teacher of straight pool and his son was a great 9 ball and straight pool player also.His name was Richard Reggie Jr. Drugs was his downfall.
A man named John Cook beat Willie in Binghamton, New York sometime in the late '40s or early '50s. I was told about it when I started playing seriously. I don't know the score but was told that Willie was not at all pleased about it. I played John bar table pool in the early '70s and didn't know who he was at the time. I won but John was very drunk:embarrassed2:
If I can remember John's last name, I'll edit it in.
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Mosconi Exhibitions
In the early '50s, he lost an exhibition match to a fine Chicago African-American player named Javanley "Youngblood" Washington. I was there. Also, roughly a decade later, a Mississippi player named Ben Katz ran 150 and out on him; that story is quite well-known throughout the south, and I've written about it myself. GF
In the early '50s, he lost an exhibition match to a fine Chicago African-American player named Javanley "Youngblood" Washington. I was there. Also, roughly a decade later, a Mississippi player named Ben Katz ran 150 and out on him; that story is quite well-known throughout the south, and I've written about it myself. GF
How about John Cook?
Mosconi sometimes "embellished" his stories, but he said that in some of his exhibitions he would start by breaking the balls wide open and letting his opponent shoot.
He did this in Binghampton and Cook ran out on him. Willie could only offer to play another game---but Cook refused. Naturally, this made Mosconi furious. He said that another meeting was arranged later and that he never gave Cook a chance to make a ball.
FWIW
Ed
In his autobiography Willie's Game he mentioned an early tour of exhibitions when he was in his early 20's, I'm not sure if it was before or after the tour he did with Greenleaf. He said that he usually won but not always, some of the tables were pretty bad and apparently affected his play, so it's not surprising he lost a few if you think about it; he'd be playing a local player who probably played on that table every day and knew every drift and odd thing about it. My father told me about the room he played in when he was a teenager and the tables were brutal. The table he played on nearly everyday had actual grooves in the slate in some places, you couldn't make a ball in a pocket from certain places on the table. He insists that even Mosconi couldn't have beaten him on that table, he just knew it so well.
Exhibition June 1992
I won a single game of 9-ball against Willie in June, 1992 at Loree Jon Billiards in Hillsborough, NJ. I don't remember the date off the top of my head, but I have a picture of the two of us at my desk at work that has the date. Willie only played one match that day and I was the lucky person. Local cable TV was there and captured much of the match, except for the winning shot. I have the videotape. The 9 ball was one of the toughest I have had for winning a game. The 9 ball was near the very near the spot and the cue ball was on the long rail close to the nearest corner pocket. The straight-in shot was to the opposite side pocket but it was a natural scratch. I liked it better than the bank to the other side. For the straight-in, I needed to shoot straight down on the cue to use backspin for avoiding the scratch (which I never like doing off of a rail). There was a crowd watching and with the TV cameraman around, I was a little distracted. But while I was lining up the shot, Willie walked up behind me and started talking to me trying to distract my attention. He kept saying, "that's a scratch shot" "better call your pocket", etc. It was so cool. I couldn't believe that Willie was trying to distract me. As soon as I realized what he was doing, I became really focused. I couldn't have been more sure I would make that shot if it were sitting in front of a pocket with a simple tap-in. There is a single frame in the videotape that shows the balls in position but the guy didn't capture me making the ball.
I know he was 78 (a few days short of his 79th) at the time, but he could still drill balls and draw a cue ball at least the full length of the table. At one point, I left him totally hooked on the 7 ball. He hammed it up for the crowd playing the doddering old man, "what am I going to do?" But he shot 2 rails full length to hit the 7 legally. Willie hit a few balls with my cue. The pool equivalent of "Washington slept here".
I was rather impossible at work the next day. I told the golfers at work that the next time they played Nicklaus, they could give me a call.
Greg
I won a single game of 9-ball against Willie in June, 1992 at Loree Jon Billiards in Hillsborough, NJ. I don't remember the date off the top of my head, but I have a picture of the two of us at my desk at work that has the date. Willie only played one match that day and I was the lucky person. Local cable TV was there and captured much of the match, except for the winning shot. I have the videotape. The 9 ball was one of the toughest I have had for winning a game. The 9 ball was near the very near the spot and the cue ball was on the long rail close to the nearest corner pocket. The straight-in shot was to the opposite side pocket but it was a natural scratch. I liked it better than the bank to the other side. For the straight-in, I needed to shoot straight down on the cue to use backspin for avoiding the scratch (which I never like doing off of a rail). There was a crowd watching and with the TV cameraman around, I was a little distracted. But while I was lining up the shot, Willie walked up behind me and started talking to me trying to distract my attention. He kept saying, "that's a scratch shot" "better call your pocket", etc. It was so cool. I couldn't believe that Willie was trying to distract me. As soon as I realized what he was doing, I became really focused. I couldn't have been more sure I would make that shot if it were sitting in front of a pocket with a simple tap-in. There is a single frame in the videotape that shows the balls in position but the guy didn't capture me making the ball.
I know he was 78 (a few days short of his 79th) at the time, but he could still drill balls and draw a cue ball at least the full length of the table. At one point, I left him totally hooked on the 7 ball. He hammed it up for the crowd playing the doddering old man, "what am I going to do?" But he shot 2 rails full length to hit the 7 legally. Willie hit a few balls with my cue. The pool equivalent of "Washington slept here".
I was rather impossible at work the next day. I told the golfers at work that the next time they played Nicklaus, they could give me a call.
Greg
It was indeed John Cook! I saw John once in the local pool room but he had to have been in his '70s at that time. I think he died not long after that.
I took a 14.1 lesson from Dallas West this past week and we were talking about Mosconi, Greenleaf, Crane, Caras, and others and we briefly touched on this subject. If I recall correctly, Dallas said that the guy that gave Mosconi fits, and actually beat him several times, was a player named Joe Diehl (sp?). I'd never heard the name before, but maybe someone has additional info...
Lou Figueroa
Joe Diehl...
...was from Rockford, IL, and was a mentor to both Dallas West and HIS mentor, Charlie Cacciapaglia. My understanding was that he took 2nd in world tournaments in both 3-C and 14.1 in the very early '50s, but I'm no historian. GF
...was from Rockford, IL, and was a mentor to both Dallas West and HIS mentor, Charlie Cacciapaglia. My understanding was that he took 2nd in world tournaments in both 3-C and 14.1 in the very early '50s, but I'm no historian. GF
Yeah and so what...How would you feel if you went to see Efren Reyes shoot pool and some dork in glasses and no life is trying to beat him in a show...
Exhibitions are shows! No one ever beat him but Irving Crane and he did it one time...When Willie was at the top of his game he won until the world quit playing...That is what really happened!
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Let me edit my response (again).
I'm confused by your response to my post and your primer on both the nature of exhibitions (which I think I understood already) and on Mosconi's ability (do you really mean nobody ever beat the man?).
I think you may have possibly read my post to have judgment that I don't have and I didn't intend to convey. Sorry I was unclear.
Thanks
Kevin
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I must have misread it Kevin...It reads like you are implying that Willie Mosconi talked his opponents into throwing their game...Is that what you were saying???
Maybe someone can concur with me on this, I was told George Rood won several exhibitions with Mosconi.
No, actually I was saying what I typed. I wouldn't guess or assume what Willie's intent was, nor was I looking to imply anything.
I had heard the Willie had said that, you said "yeah" so you must have heard it too? What do YOU think Willie's intent was in saying that to people?
Thanks again
Kevin
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Right on!
He also used to say, "I will play anyone alive for any amount there is!"
And no one ever came to play...
He also used to say, "I will play anyone alive for any amount there is!"
And no one ever came to play...
Willie: "Hey, you know they came to see, ME."
Dork in glasses: " I'm shooting pool, Willie, when I miss, you can shoot."
LOL.........
I've heard that story often. Willie *****ed about the equipment constantly, also. After he retired he was a lot easier to get along with.
When he worked for Brunswick in the 60's and 70's it was pretty much understood it was the Willie Mosconi show. He played local decent players but never a local champion who may happen to live there. The people came to see Mosconi.