A thought about the "old skool" matches.

[Gerry]

I was posting in another thread by samiel about which Accustats are our favorites. I listed the 1966 US Open 14.1 with Crane running 150 over Balsis. This got me thinking about the match and I just watched it again. For some reason I could not stop thinking about what was going on in the world during the time of this match. If you didn't know the year of the match being 1966 while watching it you might guess it was in the 50's with everyone wearing suits and dresses, black n white TV, single card scoring, cheezy musical intros, and the "seethru" name cards......BUT...

1966 was not the "olden days" IMO. I was born in June of 66', and "hippies" had to be around already right?....Vietnam was in full swing....muscle cars were prowling the streets...I know my older brothers and sisters were smoking the good stuff by then....and civil rights marches were happening all over.

In the pool world, the killers of "the new era" were coming up like Earl, Sigel, Buddy, Hopkins, Varner, etc (insert favorite player)...in pool rooms all over the country, all the while Balsis, Crane, Procita, Mosconi, Caras etc were playing what might be the last of the "ball room" great 14.1 Championships.

I dunno....for some reason watching this classic vid this time...it felt like a transition from Happy Days, to The Brady Bunch!

anyone else think about this stuff while watching old matches?....

Gerry

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Gerry,
I'm with you on this.
Sometimes, when I can't fall asleep, I'll try to imagine what it was like in the old days, say for example, when Ralph Greenleaf was playing a World 14.1 Championship match with Edwin Rudolph. I try to imagine the scene of the crowd, mostly in suits and bunched all together. Or, sometimes I wonder what Lassiter was thinking when he was putzying around the house on a day when he wasn't playing. Or how would it be to be next door neighbors with Irving Crane. One thing for sure, I know I would be cutting his grass or shoveling snow off his sidewalks!
Anyway, next thing I know the alarm clock blares me out of bed.
I really love the history and the characters of our great sport.

 

[Cameron Smith]

Everytime I watch that match, I wonder where the other matches taped by CBS and ABC are. Someone should try to get the rights to those videos.

 

[gesan]

old school

I remember Fats playing Mosconi in the 60's on ABC wide world of sports - a series of games 9 ball straight pool etc..

Mosconi was insulted that anyone would think Fats even belonged on the same table with him.

I think that was in black and white or maybe my tv was not capable of color.

 

[kildegirl]

pool

I was posting in another thread by samiel about which Accustats are our favorites. I listed the 1966 US Open 14.1 with Crane running 150 over Balsis. This got me thinking about the match and I just watched it again. For some reason I could not stop thinking about what was going on in the world during the time of this match. If you didn't know the year of the match being 1966 while watching it you might guess it was in the 50's with everyone wearing suits and dresses, black n white TV, single card scoring, cheezy musical intros, and the "seethru" name cards......BUT...

1966 was not the "olden days" IMO. I was born in June of 66', and "hippies" had to be around already right?....Vietnam was in full swing....muscle cars were prowling the streets...I know my older brothers and sisters were smoking the good stuff by then....and civil rights marches were happening all over.

In the pool world, the killers of "the new era" were coming up like Earl, Sigel, Buddy, Hopkins, Varner, etc (insert favorite player)...in pool rooms all over the country, all the while Balsis, Crane, Procita, Mosconi, Caras etc were playing what might be the last of the "ball room" great 14.1 Championships.

I dunno....for some reason watching this classic vid this time...it felt like a transition from Happy Days, to The Brady Bunch!

anyone else think about this stuff while watching old matches?
BORN 1920, GOT SOME AGE ON YOU FELLOWS.

HAL HOULE IN PA 484 623 4144

 

[av84fun]

I remember Fats playing Mosconi in the 60's on ABC wide world of sports - a series of games 9 ball straight pool etc..

Mosconi was insulted that anyone would think Fats even belonged on the same table with him.

I think that was in black and white or maybe my tv was not capable of color.

Right. That match is posted on youtube, I think, in its entirety..almost 2 1/2 hours.

There are different accounts of Mosconi's life and some are more flattering that others. I never met him, so I have no personal knowledge, but some reprort that he was short tempered, almost compulsive about using his influence as a "national hero" to lobby for rules that suited him...including the demand he made about wearing jackets in the match you refer to.

They argued on camera and Cosell blurted out that Mosconi had set the rules and that Fat's had never even asked about them.

Finally, Willie relented and pulled his jacket off. It was a fun match to watch.
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