Advice from Willie Mosconi

[SARDiver]

Hi all. I thought I would pass this along.

My father worked at a pool hall in Baltimore in the 1950s. A gentleman used to go into the pool hall to work on his game and play a few people. As my dad was working there one day, his manager told him to offer to pay for the games just to get the experience of playing with that gentleman. That gentleman's name was Willie Mosconi.

He of course beat my dad like a rented mule. But he offered some advice that I thought I would pass along. When my dad asked him if there were any rules he should observe, he was told:

"Never take a bank shot over a straight shot, and never take a combination shot over a bank shot."

 

[Cuebuddy]

Cool story and good advice.. Nice of you to post memories of your father and Willie.

 

[Prey]

Great advice and nice story! Thanks for sharing this.:grin:

 

[SARDiver]

Thanks. My old man was a very good pool player, but not great. The biggest thing that ever happened to him in pool was playing Willie Mosconi when he was about 12. Still, to be that close to greatness would have been a memory to treasure.

 

[michael4]

Thanks. My old man was a very good pool player, but not great. The biggest thing that ever happened to him in pool was playing Willie Mosconi when he was about 12. Still, to be that close to greatness would have been a memory to treasure.

cool story, but was your dad 12 when he played Mosconi, or working in a pool hall? I didn't follow that.

 

[SARDiver]

Both. He was about 12 and working in a pool hall, just for an hour or two after school or on Saturdays. Cleaning the tables, picking up glasses, emptying ashtrays, etc. (I wish I could ask him the details of it now.)

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Petros Andrikop]

Good story, thanks for sharing.