Fats was playin' this guy, his opponent said, "did you see that ball roll" Fats replied "thats why their round son"
If I'm a has been then your an "is been"
If I'm a has been then your an "is been"
Fat's One Liners
- Thread starter Island Drive
- Start date
Island Drive said:
I have a story of Fats the first time I saw him. It was in the early 60's and he was doing an exhibition at a department store. I was only like 14 or 15 at the time, but one of my friends had a drivers license and we went to see the exhibition. It was pretty good but in the middle of it Fats was doing bank shots. It was really funny, he took a bunch of balls and began banking them cross corner hardly aiming at them as he talked continuously. Well he only made one or two out of the 6 or 8 he shot, but he then says without missing a beat in his W.C. Fields voice, "Now the fat man is going to bank them one handed" (He hardly made any two handed) He missed all of them one handed but it didn't faze him a bit and he just kept going. It was strange and funny. Then he was knocking almost every player you could think of, no one can play, Crane, Lassiter, Mosconi, none of them can play they won't bet two big dogs can beat a little dog or fatty meats greasy you know, all the stuff he used to say.
I don't really know why but I said to him my "friend Danny DiLiberto will play you for what ever you want and we can go there right now". Remember I'm just a kid but he comes over to me and gets like a foot away and he was a big man, and starts yelling in my face. He says "Danny DiLiberto, Danny DiLiberto, who has he ever beat. Florida state champion, who did he beat, a seminole Indian and an alligator." He then say, " I just saw him on my way down here, I passed him in my Cadillac as he was at a gas station putting air in his sneakers". I don't know what that meant but everybody was laughing like crazy and that was the end of our conversation. But when the show was over I was still standing there and he says "Hay kid come here". I think he is going to apologize or say something like it's all a show don't worry about it, you know something nice. Instead he gets in my face again and says, "All those champions, they make me sick" and he walks away with his entourage. I'm standing there is shock. Years later though I had a good experience with him. He made a donation to a charity event I was putting on, he just sent me a big check not looking for any recognition at all, he really was I guess a nice guy.
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Good story! They did exhibitions in department stores back then? How cool is that?
rackmsuckr said:
Back in the early 70's, in Denver, at Disney's Celeberty Lanes, Fats did an exhibition right beside their Olympic Sized swimming pool.
He was firing these crow corner banks and missin almost all of em and talking the whole time. Finally, he cranked up and let one whistle. He hit it so hard that it flew off the table and the balll rolled into the pool. Surfer Rod was in the audience and yelled out, "well, at least you made one!" Fat's turned beet red and yelled back in front of the whole crowd, "hey hippie, you wanna play some $200 one pocket"? Rod had this long pony-tail and this muscle shirt on and came running out of the bleachers and yelled, "hell Yea" and was met at the table by three Denver cops who escorted Rod out for disturbing the exhibition.
Fat's turned to the crowd and said, "I been settin that chump uup for 2 years, and how ya like it, the cops queered it!"
I guess you would have to have been there, but it was hilarious.
rackmsuckr said:
You know it was pretty common. I saw a guy names Sax Delporto (sp?) at Jordan Marsh once. They also had Art Cranfield there one week. I don't know why, they didn't sell anything pool related but they would buy nice ad's promoting the pool players and the place would be packed. I think Lassiter may have also been there once. I tried once to put together an exhibition at a mall but it just didn't work out. I think it would be good though, they have things like car shows, kids dancing or doing Karate, malls have all kinds of things every week I thought a pool show would be good.
Fats vs Mosconi, after Mosconi misses, Fats in a complete deadpan:
"You. The great Wille Mooooooosconi, missed a ball?!"
Fats ,when two player complain the pockets on the table they're gambling on are too loose:
"Raise the bet -- they'll tighten up."
Lou Figueroa
"You. The great Wille Mooooooosconi, missed a ball?!"
Fats ,when two player complain the pockets on the table they're gambling on are too loose:
"Raise the bet -- they'll tighten up."
Lou Figueroa
Island Drive said:
OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
I remember Fats well.
What got me playing pool was going into a strange poolroom and seeing Fats playing Long Beach $500 One Pocket.
There is a fellow here (Vernon, 72) who was on the road with Fats before the movie. He has 100's of Fats stories AND his original Rambo Cue.
I played Fats $100 9-ball sets in DuQuoin, IL in about 1971. Fats wasn't in his prime at all but a gentleman all the same.
Anyone can say anything, anytime about Fats but I'll tell you all one thing for sure - He could play One Pocket jam up and was one of the best hustlers of his day. And in his prime - he could EAT any 3 good size men under the table.
Walk through Time Square tomorrow and ask 50 people to name a pool player.
TY & GL
Island Drive said:
What got me playing pool was going into a strange poolroom and seeing Fats playing Long Beach $500 One Pocket.
There is a fellow here (Vernon, 72) who was on the road with Fats before the movie. He has 100's of Fats stories AND his original Rambo Cue.
I played Fats $100 9-ball sets in DuQuoin, IL in about 1971. Fats wasn't in his prime at all but a gentleman all the same.
Anyone can say anything, anytime about Fats but I'll tell you all one thing for sure - He could play One Pocket jam up and was one of the best hustlers of his day. And in his prime - he could EAT any 3 good size men under the table.
Walk through Time Square tomorrow and ask 50 people to name a pool player.
TY & GL
ironman said:
I didnt have to be there- that was beautiful- here is story from Jimmy Reids site (freepoollessons.com)
The Last Johnston City Tournament:
1972, Round-Robin, 9 Ball and 1 Pocket only.
Three weeks, you play everybody.
Tournament eve; Minnesota Fats ( Rudolph Wanderone ) is speaking live on a midwest tv and radio broadcast, trying to help Paulie Jansco promote the tournament. Here is one of the things he said, and I quote " Jimmy Reid is here from LA, and wants to play-any man from any land, for any amount he can count, anything he can bring, any game he can name."
Three weeks later-finals night, there are 4 players left in the 9 ball and 4 players left in the 1 pocket, yours truly is top of the board in both divisions, I'm ahead of Norman Hitchcock 1 game to love in the 1 pocket semi-finals and we had just begun the 2nd. game----when all of a sudden a voice comes over the microphone;
This is the FBI, everybody stay where you are, we've got all the exits closed, and this tournament is over. They had 33 Subpoenas and 12 indightments for interstate gambling act and income tax evasion. We all had to appear at a special Grand Jury hearing that was scheduled for 9am next morning in St Louis, Mo.. Come to find out, that the tournament eve quote of Fats was grounds enough for the interstate gambling charges, they (FBI) only made one mistake, they served Fats with a subpoena also.
About 1/2 of us had gone in and testified one at a time before the Grand Jury, then Fats showed up and demanded to testify next. When he got through testifying and came out into the corridor--- the whole Grand Jury followed him out and wanted his autograph. They decided not to follow the U.S. District Attorneys advice and immediately dropped the charges against all the poolplayers ( yours truly included ) that had been indicted.
Happy but curious I asked Fatty ( which is what his friends called him ) what had happened. He replied, "I told them that these poolplayers were harmless and to stop wasting the taxpayers' money, that they had 2 people subpoenaed out there, Dirty Low Down Red and Omaha Fats, and that if you gave them a blood test it would come back 90% hotdog & 10% coffee." Fatty was the best talker I've ever known, the DA didn't have a chance. Fatty got us in and Fatty got us out... New York Fats - alias - Minnesota Fats - ( Fatty ) like Ali was "The Greatest"...
The line is practically a non sequitur but it still strikes me as hilarious and so Fattyistic.
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OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
Fatty Was The Best!
Nostroke - I was there that night also. I was betting on a big gin game in the back room and escaped.
TY & GL
Nostroke said:
Nostroke - I was there that night also. I was betting on a big gin game in the back room and escaped.
TY & GL
Nostroke said:
Oh my God! Just seeing the name Omaha Fats nearly knocked me out of my chair. This was one the greatest pieces of work to ever enter a pool room. Alias Martin Kamen. There was a picture on the wall in JC of him eating a hot dog.
We were in a pool room in S Denver on Santa Fe and Marty is playing some kid, $3.00 9-ball. Now Marty had this fancy Viking cue, remember with that super Joint. I mean back in that day a $300 cue was a nice stick. Anyway Marty is beating on this kid like Grant through Richmond and breaks the balls and the cue like nothing I have ever seen since, just exploded and fell into little pieces. His eyes were as big as coffee cups and he went absolutely nuts. After a few seconds, all us kids, were laughing our asses of . Here is this guy about5 ft 8 and weighing about a smooth 325 in pleated slacks, wing tip shoes and a white t-shirt who looked like he had just been hit with a jumper cable. I mean, the cue just exploded. Marty goes over to the pay phone and calls the prsident of Viking Cue at 3 in the morning, collect, and is going off like Titan Missle. I mean he screaming through the phone. Finally he screams, " what da ya mean you lousy p++++, the dam thing just exploded into about 200 little pieces. Now what the ++++ ate gonna do about it you lousy +++++?
We were all laughing so hard it hurt.
The next day, we are all at the old Fun Center and Viking had bused him another cue. Marty talked Greyhound into putting it in a cab to the Fun Center.
I still have tears in my eyes laughing about this. Gee, that must have been around 71 or 72. Omaha Fats is gone now, but he was one incredible chracter. I still can't believe you brought that name up.
OldHasBeen said:
Isn't that about the same time that Fatty was taking off Eddie and Ronnie every night?
Going back a long way, but seems like Fatty would only play from midnight till 4AM and they were giving up like 9-7 or 10-7 or somewhere around there.
By the time he got there everynight, they were smashed and Fatty was picking em like plums.
Somebody asked Fats the secret to his longevity and replied, "milk and chicken, milk and chicken". The whole place exploded.
yes it was just after the movie Hustler ...i seen him at a Montgomery Ward store in Joliet illinois about 1963 or 64 doing an exhibitian......i believe he was hired my the pool table manufacturer that Wards carried to promote the brand.......rackmsuckr said:
The best story I heard involved Fatty and Omaha Fats. They were woofing at each other endlessly in Johnston Ciry one evening, with Fatty in his fancy suit and tie and Omaha in his coveralls. Fatty calls Omaha a country bumpkin, and says he has never been to the big city in his life. Fatty says, "Why, just the other day I was playing pool with Zsa Zsa Gabor."ironman said:
Omaha thought about it a minute then replied, "Well, I don't know who the man is; but if you played him, you had the nuts!"
The room exploded.
Mike
There are only two people I regret not meeting in my life before they passed away...Harry Carey and Fatty. I truly thank all of you for sharing these memories and stories. He was my idol in so many ways when it came to pool.
I can be a bit of a mouth myself sometimes I suppose...imagine that...HA HA
Merry Christmas to you Fatty, and you always were "The Greatest"
Shorty
I can be a bit of a mouth myself sometimes I suppose...imagine that...HA HA
Merry Christmas to you Fatty, and you always were "The Greatest"
Shorty
Mike Templeton said:
Old Marty (omaha fats) spent his last years in Denver as I guess you have figured out by now.
One night it was just bone shilling cold and it was late and everybody wanted to get home before it got too late.
The late Craig Stevens was staying at my place and we were just about to leave and Marty said his car wouldn't start and asked for a ride home, and Craig and I decided that we couldn't just leave him, so we agreed.
The ground is snow-packed and ice and old marty is having a hard time staying on his feet. Craig and I each had an arm trying to help him because we knew if he fell, we probably couldn't get him back up.
We got to the car and I had this 67 GTO which sat pretty low to the ground. Craig and Marty on on the passenger side and Craig, ( a pretty good sized guy himself) is going to get in the back seat. About that time Marty lost his balance and shifted all around and just shuckedk poor Craig to the side. Craig fell on all that ice and slid half way under the car and Marty sat in the front seat. Now, craig is pinned under the car and really going off on Marty to get his big fat ass up so he can get out from under the car. Well Marty is really enjoying this because Craig had given him the 7-8 the day before and busted Marty.
I have wished many times over the years that I could have taken pictures of that mess.
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OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
I can still hear Omaha Fats voice.
I remember how he would sound when he got into a woofing match with someone. Or when he was trying to match up. He would run out of breath but keep talking in that low gruff voice.
Other than being around him at Johnston City, I really never had that much to do with him - Until I went to Denver.
I had just left Buddy (and a backer) in Phoenix and went straight to Denver with the info the backer had mentioned. I was only there a couple of days and had made a few short scores when here comes O.F.
He put on a 5 min speech about who I was and whom he had seen me beat in Johnston City. It was one of the worst knocks I ever saw. Years later, I told him of the $ he could have made by just keeping his mouth shut and squaring up with me and he says - Yeah, I thought of that, right after I said what I said.
Life has taught me that Death is a very forgiving factor - SO - I will agree - Omaha Fats was a True Pool Character.
TY & GL
I remember how he would sound when he got into a woofing match with someone. Or when he was trying to match up. He would run out of breath but keep talking in that low gruff voice.
Other than being around him at Johnston City, I really never had that much to do with him - Until I went to Denver.
I had just left Buddy (and a backer) in Phoenix and went straight to Denver with the info the backer had mentioned. I was only there a couple of days and had made a few short scores when here comes O.F.
He put on a 5 min speech about who I was and whom he had seen me beat in Johnston City. It was one of the worst knocks I ever saw. Years later, I told him of the $ he could have made by just keeping his mouth shut and squaring up with me and he says - Yeah, I thought of that, right after I said what I said.
Life has taught me that Death is a very forgiving factor - SO - I will agree - Omaha Fats was a True Pool Character.
TY & GL
Fatty's body mannerisms Mr. Terry
I always loved his body language. When I talk to others about his moments in my life I compare him to the actions/ways of Rodney Dangerfield or Johnathan Winters. These type of characters are such a product of who they are and their enviornment they become something very special. Fatty would jerk his neck, and his belly would go up and down when he was jokin' and interactin with the crowd, and that smirk on his face/special. I'll also let you all in on a secret when Fats lived in NY and he used to hang around his father (merchant marine) and there would be gatherings of people on the street corner bettin or what ever, this was when fats was under 10 years old (per Evelyn) she told me fatty remembers this woman mixin it up with the guys and fats new this was not a place for women so his pissed on her leg to make her leave, now that was the pre Fat Man.
I always loved his body language. When I talk to others about his moments in my life I compare him to the actions/ways of Rodney Dangerfield or Johnathan Winters. These type of characters are such a product of who they are and their enviornment they become something very special. Fatty would jerk his neck, and his belly would go up and down when he was jokin' and interactin with the crowd, and that smirk on his face/special. I'll also let you all in on a secret when Fats lived in NY and he used to hang around his father (merchant marine) and there would be gatherings of people on the street corner bettin or what ever, this was when fats was under 10 years old (per Evelyn) she told me fatty remembers this woman mixin it up with the guys and fats new this was not a place for women so his pissed on her leg to make her leave, now that was the pre Fat Man.
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