CJ Wiley's Adventures on the Road - featuring Minnesota Fats Influence

CJ Wiley · Apr 26, 2020

I grew up watching Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconi on Wide World of Sports with Howard Cosell, and usually Allen Hopkins commentating.

Considering it was Minnesota Fats that inspired me to play it was especially memorable when I met him at the Bicycle Club in LA and he said what he did to his wife, T Bell.

click this link for the story - https://youtu.be/XC6QjKx4L8s

TATE · Apr 26, 2020

Have you thought about parking and recording? Like the talk but don't like the idea that you're doing it while driving. Also, recommend Old Town Road as the background music.

PoolFan101 · Apr 26, 2020

The Video cuts off to quick , What does fats do to his wife , did you make a part 2 ? I was enjoying that one as I am also a fan of Mosconi / Fats and have seen that world wide sports video a 100 times.

CJ Wiley · Apr 26, 2020

I apologize, try again, not sure why the other one cue off

PoolFan101 said:
The Video cuts off to quick , What does fats do to his wife , did you make a part 2 ? I was enjoying that one as I am also a fan of Mosconi / Fats and have seen that world wide sports video a 100 times.

I apologize, try again, not sure why the other one cue off , this one goes to the end and it's probably better.

PoolFan101 · Apr 26, 2020

Thank you CJ I enjoyed that one , looking forward to more !

CJ Wiley · Apr 27, 2020

Name 3 subjects or people that you would like stories about and I'll make it happen

PoolFan101 said:
Thank you CJ I enjoyed that one , looking forward to more !

I'm glad you liked it.....tell me 3 Subjects or people that you would like stories about and I'll make it happen if possible.

This goes for anyone, I'm getting ready to produce several in the next week and would like to have your input.

PoolFan101 · Apr 27, 2020

CJ Wiley said:
I'm glad you liked it.....tell me 3 Subjects or people that you would like stories about and I'll make it happen if possible.

This goes for anyone, I'm getting ready to produce several in the next week and would like to have your input.

Anything that has to do with Willie Mosconi , playing Earl Strickland in pro tourny's as I have read he can be hard to deal with and what it is like playing Efren. Also have you ever been to Denny Glenn's place and does he have any of your stuff in his collection. Thanks CJ , Greatly Appreciated .

fjk · Apr 27, 2020

CJ,

I enjoy your stories, thanks for creating and posting them.

Many feel that hanging on to the old road stories and hustler days aren't doing today's pool any favors. Me personally, I feel they make the game entertaining. Professional pool, by itself, can be a boring spectator sport (and I really love the game). Think of how boring watching professional pool would be to a non-pool fanatic. It's the characters and personalities that make the game fun, interesting and exciting to watch (i.e. entertaining).

Perhaps today's emotionless, personalityless, "gentleman" strategy to make pool mainstream has got it all wrong.

CJ Wiley · Apr 27, 2020

key to pool's future success

fjk said:
CJ,

I enjoy your stories, thanks for creating and posting them.

Many feel that hanging on to the old road stories and hustler days aren't doing today's pool any favors. Me personally, I feel they make the game entertaining. Professional pool, by itself, can be a boring spectator sport (and I really love the game). Think of how boring watching professional pool would be to a non-pool fanatic. It's the characters and personalities that make the game fun, interesting and exciting to watch (i.e. entertaining).

Perhaps today's emotionless, personalityless, "gentleman" strategy to make pool mainstream has got it all wrong.

Yes, you are very wise, and I have the scientific data to back up what you're saying.

10 years ago I was friends with a marketing specialist from New York. He didn't play pool, we were doing other types of business, but he loved the road stories.

One day we were having a meeting and he ask me if I had ever wanted to know Exactly what people wanted to watch pool on TV and get involved at an emotional level.

I said "sure, that would be awesome" and he gave me 8 questions to run through a THINK TANK he had of 1000 regular people on line that were paid to answer questions honestly for marketing and advertising (these questions normally cost $8000 for 8 questions).

To make a long story short I wrote down the top 8 questions I had always wanted to know and was Surprised by the answers.....2% said they would watch pool on TV at all....and those few may just watch for a minute.

It's what got the numbers up to 70%, 80% and even 90% that was the secret to marketing and advertising pool to the general population and you are exactly on the right track what you just said.

People love the Gambling and Adventures on the road and once they get to know someone through the stories they want to watch them actually play....and will gamble too, this all is key to pool's future success.

I have a way to make all this happen but right now it's on hold, so I'll continue to make videos and wait for the ideal time, doesn't look like their will be any more outside sports viewers in large stadiums......inside games/sports may be huge in this new lock down society being prepared for us.

Klink · Apr 27, 2020

CJ Wiley said:
I'm glad you liked it.....tell me 3 Subjects or people that you would like stories about and I'll make it happen if possible.

This goes for anyone, I'm getting ready to produce several in the next week and would like to have your input.

Do you have any Jonny Archer stories?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AtLarge · Apr 27, 2020

CJ Wiley said:
Yes, you are very wise, and I have the scientific data to back up what you're saying.

10 years ago I was friends with a marketing specialist from New York. He didn't play pool, we were doing other types of business, but he loved the road stories.

One day we were having a meeting and he ask me if I had ever wanted to know Exactly what people wanted to watch pool on TV and get involved at an emotional level.

I said "sure, that would be awesome" and he gave me 8 questions to run through a THINK TANK he had of 1000 regular people on line that were paid to answer questions honestly for marketing and advertising (these questions normally cost $8000 for 8 questions).

To make a long story short I wrote down the top 8 questions I had always wanted to know and was Surprised by the answers.....2% said they would watch pool on TV at all....and those few may just watch for a minute.

It's what got the numbers up to 70%, 80% and even 90% that was the secret to marketing and advertising pool to the general population and you are exactly on the right track what you just said.

People love the Gambling and Adventures on the road and once they get to know someone through the stories they want to watch them actually play....and will gamble too, this all is key to pool's future success.

I have a way to make all this happen but right now it's on hold, so I'll continue to make videos and wait for the ideal time, doesn't look like their will be any more outside sports viewers in large stadiums......inside games/sports may be huge in this new lock down society being prepared for us.

Hi, CJ. I remember years ago you spoke a bit about that research and the project you were working on. You seemed to feel it was coming to fruition. Can you tell us any more about it now, 5 years later?

1/19/15:

CJ Wiley said:
... The Game can't be shown the way it currently is, the entertainment value is too low. The good news is it's going to change, and the pool world will never be the same again.

4/11/15:

CJ Wiley said:
Yes, there's some exciting things happening that will change pool in a substantial way. More info will be released as we get closer to launching this project, thanks for asking.

Play Well, it's just a matter of time, the game will not be held back much longer.

4/15/15:

CJ Wiley said:
Yes, I believe we have the right formula now, and the right "target audience" in mind. The first event will be on ESPN, and it will be like nothing ever seen or done before.

lfigueroa · Apr 27, 2020

CJ Wiley said:
Yes, you are very wise, and I have the scientific data to back up what you're saying.

10 years ago I was friends with a marketing specialist from New York. He didn't play pool, we were doing other types of business, but he loved the road stories.

One day we were having a meeting and he ask me if I had ever wanted to know Exactly what people wanted to watch pool on TV and get involved at an emotional level.

I said "sure, that would be awesome" and he gave me 8 questions to run through a THINK TANK he had of 1000 regular people on line that were paid to answer questions honestly for marketing and advertising (these questions normally cost $8000 for 8 questions).

To make a long story short I wrote down the top 8 questions I had always wanted to know and was Surprised by the answers.....2% said they would watch pool on TV at all....and those few may just watch for a minute.

It's what got the numbers up to 70%, 80% and even 90% that was the secret to marketing and advertising pool to the general population and you are exactly on the right track what you just said.

People love the Gambling and Adventures on the road and once they get to know someone through the stories they want to watch them actually play....and will gamble too, this all is key to pool's future success.

I have a way to make all this happen but right now it's on hold, so I'll continue to make videos and wait for the ideal time, doesn't look like their will be any more outside sports viewers in large stadiums......inside games/sports may be huge in this new lock down society being prepared for us.

Marketing data has a notoriously short shelf life.

10 year old marketing data is next to worthless.

Lou Figueroa

CJ Wiley · Apr 27, 2020

Pool doesn't have the necessary components that other games\sports have...yet!

lfigueroa said:
Marketing data has a notoriously short shelf life.

10 year old marketing data is next to worthless.

Lou Figueroa

It's the type of information that is timeless, although I have been testing it and with incredible results. Patterns of behavior don't change much when it comes to the order of events that lead to someone liking a game\sport or not being interested.

Pool doesn't have the necessary components that other games\sports have to create an emotional attachment AND be able to put all situations on a statistical number for reference.

CJ Wiley · Apr 27, 2020

We live in a world that will never be the same, so it's important to be creative

AtLarge said:
Hi, CJ. I remember years ago you spoke a bit about that research and the project you were working on. You seemed to feel it was coming to fruition. Can you tell us any more about it now, 5 years later?

1/19/15:

4/11/15:

4/15/15:

I have made a 45 minute video outlining some of the most essential parts of the project, mostly how to create the entertainment, excitement and strategic value on the pool table.

I have some key people interested in Atlanta, Vegas, New Orleans and Dallas, but haven't been able to put the pieces together especially in the last month. I see where this latest scenario is going now so there may be an opportunity that I had never considered before.

We live in a world that will never be the same, so it's important to be flexible and creative.... understanding where the trend is leading and act accordingly - Indoor games and sports may suddenly be the way of the world since social interaction will never be allowed openly like it was in the past.

I appreciate your input, coming back to this forum indicates I'm working towards something, you probably already figured that out.

Play Well

Dave714 · Apr 27, 2020

Klink said:
Do you have any Jonny Archer stories?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CJ is a fairly humble guy. Speaking on Johnny Archer , CJ always torched JA.. After JA won the world championships CJ beat him 4 sets in a row at 2k a man. Back in their younger years CJ always spotted JA a least the 7 ball. CJ always had his number. After the world championship JA won they were playing even.

pab · Apr 27, 2020

I very much enjoyed your video sir. I'm looking forward to checking out your website as well.

Stories I would be interested in involve the following 3 players - Steve Mizerak, Buddy Hall and Mark Wilson.

FYI - I already know about Mark and the bank robbery.

spktur · Apr 27, 2020

C J back when you prowling around Missouri playing did you ever get down into the Bootheel area? I grew up there and would like to hear any stories you might have from there.

CJ Wiley · Apr 27, 2020

Hayti Mo.had a good player, Danny Cook

spktur said:
C J back when you prowling around Missouri playing did you ever get down into the Bootheel area? I grew up there and would like to hear any stories you might have from there.

Yes, Hayti had a good player, Danny Cook.

Poplar Bluff is close to the bootheal, I have some friends there, Jimmy Vernon is one that I visited last year.

Sikeston had some big pool action and some brutal underworld characters, I know they had a shooting at one of the places and most people in the place were killed, it seems like I met a surviver that was in the bathroom, memory is foggy....it's been a lot of years, most of my gambling there was in my teenage years.

alstl · Apr 27, 2020

Cool story.

I have a question. I didn't move to Columbia until 2007 and the pool tables now are there primarily to provide ambiance for the food area. I've heard from people who lived here there entire life Booches at one time was an hard core pool hall.

I'm curious when you first played in Columbia and what your memory of Booches is.

jayburger · Apr 28, 2020

Cj i really enjoyed the story...i,m 52,not a real good player(but i move ok lol.) and i agree 100 percent,the day of the roadplayer is over. I lived on and off the road through my teens and twenties,mainly with my best buddy at the time who played around the 7 under you(which,as you ,know,is above a shortstop and definitely strong enough to get the cash most places we ever went.) we did run into a player ,around 1992-93 in orlando fl. That didn,t miss a ball for 2-3 hours(i know,hard to believe,but he simply ran out packages on us,shooting a safety here and there.but i,ve never heard stories about the guy.they say he never left Florida,and i think he did some prison time too,but his name was Luis Viera,and man he played good on us.) curious if you had ever heard of him? Love ,love the gambling stories,and PLEASE don,t let these modern day prudes on here deter you from telling your gambling stories,they are what pool was really all about for me.

CJ Wiley's Adventures on the Road - featuring Minnesota Fats Influence

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