8intheside
Well-known member
minnesota fats got in the hall with his mouth not his cue.
How good was Jimmy Mataya in his prime? Should he be in the HOF?
- Thread starter 1000BallRunner
- Start date
NO shit????? thanks for that update. Fats was bigger than life and people who never hit a ball associated him with pool. Mataya's 'aura' is not even in the same ballpark. This '1000ball' cat has to be related to the guy. He's bound and determined to convince all that JM should be in. Well, he'll never convince me.
I have No idea why this thread is still flowing!
I think the consensus so far is, Jimmy was Great Talent/Huge Personality/Fierce Gambler/Knowledgeable Commentator.
He has definitely beaten the Top players of His era at one time or another!
IMPO, it's Jimmy's 'Longevity' at that High level that is in question!
BTW, if there's a MI 'Sports Hall of Fame with an 'Indoor sports/Billiards' category Jimmy along with Harold Worst are a shoe-in!
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1000BallRunner
Member
The thread is still flowing because people continue to give their perspective. I would agree you have an accurate summary of the previous threads here in your response, Bill. The majority thinking he isnt HOF worthy, however their are others that support the idea. That was the entire point of this post - to get different perspectives on a guy who, although he isnt in the HOF, is certainly a legendary figure in the sport with a unique blend of accomplishments. I appreciate you chiming in and sharing your experiences.
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1000BallRunner
Member
it was a joke, im not fighting or putting anyone down. i was simply asking why hes coming across annoyed about people pushing this / continuing to comment. im a new guy bringing up a topic around a player from the past. Isnt that that a good thing? He seems annoyed people are having a conversation that disagrees with his opinion. Thats all im saying.
HOF Person > HOF Pool Player
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Badpenguin
Well-known member
Much like in a pool hall, there are assholes galore here ;(it was a joke, im not fighting or putting anyone down. i was simply asking why hes coming across annoyed about people pushing this / continuing to comment. im a new guy bringing up a topic around a player from the past. Isnt that that a good thing? He seems annoyed people are having a conversation that disagrees with his opinion. Thats all im saying.
Previous threads...
podcast: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/abr-2nite-the-jimmy-mataya-show.374428/
podcast: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/abr-2nite-the-jimmy-mataya-show.374428/
Jimmy Mataya
I have been looking and it seems I dont find any videos of Jimmy Mataya playing serious pool. I understand his "act" on his videos, but was he ever a top player? I have read he will bet on anything with everything, appears to be an action junkie, however that ISNT my question. Was he...
forums.azbilliards.com
Jimmy Mataya
Morning all! Does anyone out there happen to remember an article that one of the trade magazines did on Jimmy Mataya a few years back? (I seem to remember him posing with crossed pistols, if that helps at all) If so, I'd really like to know which magazine it was and in what issue it ran...
forums.azbilliards.com
Jimmy Mataya
Why did he quit playing in pool tournaments. He was one of my favorite players to watch! I remember the first time I met him, it was at the Reno Sands Tournament 93 or 94. I was watching his match against Todd Marsh. He asks me can you do me a favor? I say sure he hands me a Hundred and says can...
forums.azbilliards.com
jimmy mataya
any videos out there of jimmy mataya? ive checked you tube and other websites but cant find anything
forums.azbilliards.com
How are Danny D, Jose Parica, & Jimmy Mataya not in the HOF?
This is a ****ing crime. All 3 of these players proved they're among the best of the best. The fact they're not in the HOF proves that we need a better system of inducting players.
forums.azbilliards.com
Was anyone there to see Jimmy Mataya crawl out from his rock
What a goof ball, Jimmy "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mataya comes into the action room woofing about how he is the best there ever was. Was is right cause Jimmy ain't got the balls to play my wife; and she don't play pool. I have never heard so much bull crap in my life. He offers anyone in the room the 7...
forums.azbilliards.com
Was anyone there to see Jimmy Mataya crawl out from his rock
What a goof ball, Jimmy "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mataya comes into the action room woofing about how he is the best there ever was. Was is right cause Jimmy ain't got the balls to play my wife; and she don't play pool. I have never heard so much bull crap in my life. He offers anyone in the room the 7...
forums.azbilliards.com
What happened to Jim Mataya?
Does anyone know what Jim Mataya is doing these days? Travis McKinney
forums.azbilliards.com
Whatever happened to "Pretty Boy Floyd"?
Whatever happened to Jimmy Mataya "Pretty Boy Floyd", Ewa Laurance's ex? I don't think I've seen or heard his name mentioned in a very long time. Did he quit pool? I remember reading in "Playing off the Rail" that he had quite a gambling problem.
forums.azbilliards.com
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
Lotta work -- Thanks!
1000BallRunner
Member
Wow! thank you so much Bob
1000BallRunner
Member
I thought you were done here Gar?!?!?Its good to have a dream...................................................
There is a similar thread from others suggesting the same - that he should be in the HOF. They mentioned Danny D, Jose and Jimmy as being deserving. 2 of the 3 have gotten the nod.
How are Danny D, Jose Parica, & Jimmy Mataya not in the HOF?
This is a ****ing crime. All 3 of these players proved they're among the best of the best. The fact they're not in the HOF proves that we need a better system of inducting players.
forums.azbilliards.com
He was NOT a good enough "player". That is indisputable. His tournament record stands nowhere close to HOF status. The monsters in the HOF (and quite a few of them who never got in) would have spotted him the 7 easily, and beat him all day long. Louie Roberts, the guy the Action Award at DCC is named for, would have beat Jimmy like a drum. And Louie couldn't beat Buddy Hall. And Buddy Hall in his prime probably couldn't have gotten there against the vast majority of the players making it into the HOF today.
As far as who he beat gambling? Who cares? There's always a subtext to that sort of thing. One player is high as a kite, and has been up for three days on amphetamines, and tries to spot someone like Jimmy what they normally do, and gets crushed. Doesn't mean anything. And Jimmy is gonna tell everybody he beat him fresh as a daisy, because that's his schtick. Minnesota Fats beat Richie Florence out of $20,000, too, getting a ball or whatever. But Fats had birddogs watching though, and he always walked in the door just as Richie was getting ready to call it a night after being up for 36+ hours gambling. This was a game Fats could NOT win "straight up", if they were both fresh. You don't get in the HOF for being a smart gambler. At least not the one we are talking about here.
As far as promoting the game... Go to league tonight and ask a few APA 4s to name a few pool players they have heard of, from any era. Numerous will say Minnesota Fats. A few might say "The Black Widow". None will say Jimmy Mataya, or "Pretty Boy Floyd". He promoted HIMSELF, and the only people who ever heard it were other hardcore pool players.
And there's your answer. You don't get in the HOF for having a big personality, and shooting a "good" game. You get there by mowing down champions left and right, tournament after tournament, for a LONG time, or you get there for being a big enough figure that you inspire lots and lots of people to pick up the game. Or entertained millions on T.V.. Jimmy Mataya was none of the above.
And therein lays the answer to this question.
Jose deserved it, as he was quite literally the "leader of the invasion" from the Philippines, and changed the way we play 9 ball today. He came to the U.S.A., center of the pool world, and shot EVERYONE'S nuts in for years before Efren arrived.I thought you were done here Gar?!?!?
There is a similar thread from others suggesting the same - that he should be in the HOF. They mentioned Danny D, Jose and Jimmy as being deserving. 2 of the 3 have gotten the nod.
How are Danny D, Jose Parica, & Jimmy Mataya not in the HOF?
This is a ****ing crime. All 3 of these players proved they're among the best of the best. The fact they're not in the HOF proves that we need a better system of inducting players.forums.azbilliards.com
Danny Diliberto deserved it because he became synonymous with "The Voice of Accu-Stats" for years. There are a few Accu-Stats commentators in the HOF, and all of them did hundreds and hundreds of hours of commentary.
Are you one of Jimmy's kids, or summin?
There are amateur players who "have beat HOFers"... Multiple times. And then got skulf***ed the next 100 times they played a HOFer.
People are getting annoyed because you have been told multiple times he played nowhere near the caliber needed to achieve a HOF spot based on playing ability alone. And he didn't "promote the game" in the way Jeanette Lee and Minnesota Fats did. And he didn't teach entire generations on the finer points of playing via high level commentary like Grady Matthews, Billy Incardona, and Danny Diliberto did.
And yet you keep pushing the point of "Yeah, but shouldn't he be in the HOF for 'this' reason, and 'that' reason???"
Sorry, I am not buying it. You sound like someone associated with him or his family. You've never seen him play... But you are pushing this hard for reasons that he "should" be included... Because of what? Some gambling stories you heard? Let me tell you a little secret.... None of the really top players are "volunteering" the information that Jimmy beat them in a match... They simply aren't wired that way, even if it happened. So you are getting any information secondhand, which you should know if you have been around pool for more than 2 minutes, is an EXTREMELY unreliable way to get your information about how some match went down. Jimmy always struck me as the sort of guy who might work with another player to cut up a backer, so I would always keep that in mind when hearing about "who he beat".