Jimmy Matz

This was posted by me last March Wedge...

I remember the time Jimmy Matts came in and I was about to close the pool room (Cue Corner Downingtown PA). I never met him, and he asked me to play some $5 9ball. I'll play anyone $5 9ball so we got at it. I was actually playing well, but this guy was "different". He never said much to me, but talked to himself the whole time from mumbling to back and forth conversation! After maybe an hour My mentor Andy walks in and pulls me aside half pissed asking me what the frig I was doing playing Jimmy Matts! I was like....who? He said this guy is a straight up killer, and how much have I lost? I was down $30 or so, and as I racked Jimmy guessd I was tipped off, so I put my last $50 on the table and said thats all I got man, I'll play til i's gone. about 11 minutes later I was busted. He played flawless smooth catatonic 9ball kinda like Earl. I wasn't pissed, just in awe......because the guy would play for $5 a rack!

Gerry

Matz Fusco match

I just spoke with Jimmy Fusco and he would like a copy of the tape. Send me a pm and I'll send you Jimmy's cell number. He said the match took place around 1990 in Reading PA.

Corvette Scott

I'll take a copy. Let me know what you need ($$$) to make it happen.

hi-i'll tke a copy.tell me how. george

I'd like a copy of the tape as well. Most of the stories from that guy are legendary as far as pool-speed goes.

I heard a story about Jimmy Matz that goes back years. Something about he and two other guys walk into a poolhall in North Carolina looking for action. They're all hanging out for a while and there wasn't anyone to play so the two other guys decide to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant. Before leaving, they tell Jimmy he has the OK to play anyone who walks through the door - except for a young guy named Earl Strickland.

They disappear for an hour or two and come back to a packed poolhall-- with nearly everyone crowded around one table....

"WTF?" the guys think as they try to weave through the crowd to see what's going on. On the other side of a wall of people they see....yup, you guessed it... Jimmy Matz was playing Earl for $5 / game 9-ball--- and Earl is stuck something like $100. There was speculation to whether or not Jimmy KNEW he was playing Earl Strickland. Apparently, Earl asked him to play and stepped into a coma-stroke of a galactic magnitude.

I was told this story many years ago, so if someone knows the exact details - please chime in, and my apologies for any inconsistencies since it's been years since I heard it. I wonder if Earl remembers Jimmy Matz?

From what I've heard from many top players, even after his car accident, he was a champion-killer. Before his accident, he was a champion-killer-killer.

Anyways, please PM me with your address and I'll send you a check. Thanks for the video.

Dave

I was playing some road players stake horse at jack and jills in glen burnie md. I was winning at he was making fun of the way i hold the cue (thumb toward the top of the cue not hanging down like most players ). So i said why dont you get your horse to play the guy at the counter,,,he holds the cue like i do. His man jumped on the guy at the counter and lost $1400 to ...who else...Jimmy Matz......He was a monster...sorry to here hes gone.

Wedge said:

I will make a tape for those who have asked. Please be patient as the tape is over 2 hours long so it will take me a while to make a bunch of copies. The quality and sound aren't great but it is definitely worth watching. I won't spoil the outcome and tell you who won!!!

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I WOULD TAKE TWO COPIES IF POSSIBLE. THANKS.

Mr. Matz

First of all - let me begin by telling everyone how nice it was of Wedge to send me a copy of this Matz vs. Fusco tape. I've never seen Jimmy Matz play before checking out this tape--- and whaddya know... he DOES play like the stories go.... fast, loose, and never misses a shot.

Does anyone else have any stories with this guy? If this guy was still alive and "pre-accident" I'd send him in against nearly anyone on planet earth.


Dave
"A new Matz fan"

I would also like a copy if possible , this guy must be amazing. Please pm me for money details if anyone can make a copy for me.--Leonard

Jimmy Probably had the best break in 9 ball. I 've seen him run 7 racks in a row of 9 ball and not bat a eye. What a force he was in his prime I've seen him play many times and what a learning experience. No one controlled reverse english like Jimmy if you saw him play you no what I mean.
P.S I'll take a tape just let me no how much I owe you.
Thanks, Jody

Jimmy and CJ

Jimmy was often in my room in Davie, Fl. in the mid-eighties. This was post accident. It was obvious that the accident had affected Jimmy's mind a lot but it had very little affect on his ability to play pool. Someone (usually his backer) would bring Jimmy in to play tournaments or to match up. If the backer didn't feel like watching Jimmy constantly, he would hire what we called a "handler". The handler's sole job was to follow Jimmy around and make sure he didn't get a beer. It was the strangest thing, Jimmy had the ability to beat the best player in the world, but one drink of beer and he might not beat the worst player in the room. Problem was, Jimmy loved beer. I remember one tournament where in a race to seven he had Richie Ambrose 6-0. Jimmy took a break to go to the restroom. We later found out that Jimmy had talked someone into hiding a beer in the restroom for him. After the break, Jimmy never made another ball and lost 7-6.
C J Wyly was on the road at this time and stopped by the room. He was playing great and easily beating the best players in the area. Jimmy and his backer came in and it wasn't long before Jimmy and C J were matched up. After about an hour and a half of getting torched, C J quit. C J said, "What's up with this guy? He shoots at everything, never ducts, and plays like he has absolutely no fear." I told C J that Jimmy shoots with no fear because he doesn't know he's supposed to be afraid and the only duck he knows anything about has wings and swims in water a lot.

Jimmy vs Dan Louie

Circa, 1977. Jimmy pulls into the parking lot of the Watering Hole, Jackson, MS in his Winnebego, just up from FL. We were having a fairly large money added, for the time, bar table tournament. This was a day before the tourney was to begin and there was action on virtually all of the 8 Valley bar boxes. Jimmy sits down at a table close to where Dan Louie is giving one of our local champions, Mac Watson, the 7 and 8 ball. Dan, beats Watson a couple of sets and Jimmy jumps up and tells Dan he will take the same game. Dan tells Jimmy he knows him and that he can only get the 7 ball. Jimmy agrees. Dan wins the flip and the race to 7 for $200 7-0. Second set for the same price Dan wins the flip again and Jimmy doesn't get to the table, 7-0 again.

Jimmy is so hot he doesn't even stick around for the tournament. He jumps back into the Winnebego and he's on the road again. It was just Jimmy's luck to have caught Dan Louie at the time when he had just beaten Buddy Hall playing even on the 8' table with the big cue ball and Keith McCready didn't have to like it.

Coby Atkins of Lancaster, PA told me a story on the phone the other day about Jimmy was playing some road player at Buzzy's in Allentown, playing 14.1. Coby was watching the action from the side, acting almost as Jimmy's corner-man.

Jimmy and this player start the first game to 150 (not sure for how much $$$). They trade safes back and forth before the road player leaves an open ball. Jimmy walked around the table, walks back to Coby and says,

"I'm going to run 38 and let this guy shoot for a while."

Jimmy gets back to the table, makes the ball, pops open a couple of balls, proceeds to run 38 and then sits down near Coby again.

The road player puts up a good run and brings the game close to even.

Once again, a safety battle ensues and the road player leaves a very difficult 3/4 table, THIN cut shot on an open ball. Jimmy leans into Coby saying, "I'm gonna run 62 and then let this guy shoot for a while."
.... and he does.

The road player closes the gap, but not quite. Jimmy says to Coby, "Now I know how he plays. I'm going to run out the game and see if he still wants to play." .... and he did.

There was also a bowling alley in Reading (forget the name). They had either 8 or 10 Brunswick GCs there. Jimmy walked in and rolled some balls around on the first table. He tells the on-lookers, "I'm gonna run 100 on each table, ok?" ... and he did, although he spread it out over more than one day.

Thanks Wedge. I just got a chance to watch the tape and I was VERY impressed by Matz's style. You're very kind for sharing the video with your fellow AZB'ers. Rep for you!

Wedge said:

Sorry for those who just started asking for a copy of the Matz vs Fusco tape. I am not making any more copies as that was 2 weeks ago that I posted. I had to borrow a second VCR to make copies for the 7 people who originally asked and I returned the VCR. I did ship the tapes last Saturday to those 7 people. I received a phone call from Jimmy Fusco...he was very pleased to finally get a copy.

Sorry

Wedge

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I HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO WATCH MY COPY YET, BUT I GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU MAKING THE COPIES.

Wedge,
Am I one of the seven? I hav'nt received it yet. It would go great with his pool cue that I have. Please PM if I'm one of the lucky ones or not . Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Wayne Agnew 5350 Layton Drive Venice Fl. 34293