Fats wanderone

[JamisonNeu]

Fats was the greatest thing to happen to pool, and pool slammed the door in his face...It has not changed today anytime anyone could help...Pool slams the door in their face, hard too.

Fats took pool with him to Hollywood! That is something grand, not the other way around...It's not like Fats needed pool...I would agree with the statement that "pool needed Fats" Now that he is gone pool's one of the biggest joke on planet earth. When Fats was alive they laughed with us now they are laughing at you..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2YAVGSRxlI

In my opinion one of the greatest failures in pools modern history is how the industry treats Fats. How they talk about him today with all that angered jealousy...Its really quite pathetic, and very noticeable.

Fats tried to help this industry...Why, I'll never know... He was smart enough to do anything...He was famous enough to have anything...Instead he spent his life trying to grow pool...What he got for it from pool...Insulted 20 years after he dies..

 

[Cleveland D]

We need another "FATS" type personality to bring life back to pool - maybe to hollywood or something - someoento again market & spark interest in this sadly "dying" sport. Easier said then done, I know.

 

[book collector]

If Lassiter really wanted to gamble he should have said "I'll give you the 6 ball".
That would have been about the right game.

 

[Highmiles]

Interesting fact.
Willie Mosconi, of all people, did more to establish Mr. Wanderone as "Minnesota Fats", than anyone. While being interviewed by a reporter for the Longbeach Independent-Press-Telegram, about the movie, The Hustler, Willie made the off-hand remark that Gleason's character "was patterned after a real live pool hustler named New York Fats." The reporter asked Willie if he knew him, and Willie replied "Know him? He hustled me once". Wille then said " I broke Fats that day". The quote was repeated everywhere, even though Walter Tevis was denying it, and claiming Fats was a fictional character, he made up.

 

[macguy]

My Fats story

The first time I saw Fats he was doing an exhibition in a department store. We get there and find a place to stand he he is talking about this and that. Then he begins the show. The table is horrible, a low end home model. About half of the shots were going, probably more due to the table, but that didn't bother Fats at all. At one point he lines up some balls and begins banking them cross corner. Only like 1 out of 6 went in. This is the hysterical part. He now says in his best WC Fields voice, "Now the fat man is going to bank them one handed". HE HASN'T MADE ANY TWO HANDED but it didn't phase him at all he just keeps going like nothing happened.

As things progress he is taking questions from the audience as he plays. Someone asks him about Crane. That gets him started, he goes on and on about every name player of the time and how he robbed all of them. Now me being a dumb 15 year old and not realizing this is pretty much an act I begin to get into it with him. I tell him to come over the the Congress and my friend Danny with play him for what ever he wants. He stops and turns directly to me. "Danny, who DiLiberto, Who did he ever beat"? Then he starts. "The great Danny DiLiberto Florida state champion. He beat a Seminole Indian and an alligator for the title." " I just saw Danny on my way here, he was getting air in his sneakers". Everyone in the place is laughing like He!!

About that time Chuckles a player there who knows Fats grabs me and says "It's all part of the act don't get into it with him calm down". When it was over he spent what ever time he needed to take pictures with people sign autographed. I don't remember if he had the stamp back then but people left there thoroughly enjoying the show regardless of the lousy table and missed shots. This guy could really handle an audience. He could have made a fortune as a stand up comedian

 

[alstl]

P.S. In the first Johnston City tourney the only game they played was One Pocket. Connecticut Johnny Vevis finished first and Fats was second. There were sixteen of the best in that event!

I remember seeing a picture of the list of players with Rudolf Wanderone's name on it.

What I'd really like to see or hear is Fats matching up with people. Everybody says he had a great talent for it.

 

[Bigjohn]

Minnesota Fats is a Legend. That's the way I choose to remember him. Like him or not.

 

[Tom In Cincy]

Is this the Picture?

"Tournament promoters George and Joe (Pauli) Jansco stand in front of the leader board early during the original 1961 One Pocket event. Looks like only 12 players, yet the event was scheduled to run for nearly three weeks!"

Go to One Pocket.org for the History of Johnston City pool tournament Jamborees.

http://www.onepocket.org/ChalkUp.htm

I remember seeing a picture of the list of players with Rudolf Wanderone's name on it.

What I'd really like to see or hear is Fats matching up with people. Everybody says he had a great talent for it.

 

[Pushout]

I remember seeing a picture of the list of players with Rudolf Wanderone's name on it.

What I'd really like to see or hear is Fats matching up with people. Everybody says he had a great talent for it.

John Grissim's book: Billiards: Hustlers and Heroes, Legend and Lies and the Search for Higher Truth on the Green Felt has a chapter devoted to Fats robbing Richie Florence at One Pocket and busting everyone else at Johnston City. Ray Martin told me he was there and saw it all.

 

[alstl]

Is this the Picture?

"Tournament promoters George and Joe (Pauli) Jansco stand in front of the leader board early during the original 1961 One Pocket event. Looks like only 12 players, yet the event was scheduled to run for nearly three weeks!"

Go to One Pocket.org for the History of Johnston City pool tournament Jamborees.

http://www.onepocket.org/ChalkUp.htm

Thanks, classic picture. For the guy who started the thread, if you look at that list and realize Fats took second in the tournament, the man could play one pocket.

 

[maha]

most players didnt like him out of jealousy. he made lots of money had the audience in a trance and they were broke.

when fats was in his younger days and not obese, he played almost as good as anyone and would out maneuver them all. he got the money.

fats helped maybe even created himself the greatest boom in pool ever along with the hustler movie.

he was kind and generous and those that talked bad about him would come to him for some eating money and fats always came off it.

 

[Island Drive]

We need another "FATS" type personality to bring life back to pool - maybe to hollywood or something - someoento again market & spark interest in this sadly "dying" sport. Easier said then done, I know.

Here's my Two thoughts on your above statement. If I were to pick ANY player to represent Fats in a movie it would be Rocket Roger Griffis. His nature and personality/size is near identical to Fats, second I would supply the biography that I did with Evelyn just 6 weeks after Fats died. I drove to Dowell, she put me up for the night, made me cook her dinner and I did a two hour documentary from the time they met, to when his dad passed, getting married on a landing and that Fatty used to put his cue tips in his pockets for months to age/cure/sweat/oil up the leather to make it better. Was fun spending time with her that week learned allot, what a gal, what a life.

 

[Tramp Steamer]

Is this the Picture?

"Tournament promoters George and Joe (Pauli) Jansco stand in front of the leader board early during the original 1961 One Pocket event. Looks like only 12 players, yet the event was scheduled to run for nearly three weeks!"

Go to One Pocket.org for the History of Johnston City pool tournament Jamborees.

http://www.onepocket.org/ChalkUp.htm

Jay, what were the nicknames for all the guys on this card. I can think of about half of them

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

I did a two hour documentary

Is this available to read/view?

 

[jay helfert]

Jay, what were the nicknames for all the guys on this card. I can think of about half of them

Why do you do these things to me?

Minnesota Fats
Boston Shorty
Connecticut Johnny
Handsome Danny
Cowboy Jimmy
Weenie Beenie
Johnny Irish (Lineen)
Daddy Warbucks
Alligator Earl
The Knoxville Bear
Iron Joe
Chris McGehan (not aware of any nickname for him)

 

[Island Drive]

Is this available to read/view?

I'm going to do something with the video in the next 12 mths.

 

[obe1]

boy i dont know about not drinking,my old man was a buddy of his and he got fats to give me a lesson for my birthday in october 1963 at a Fats show . Minnehaha lanes/pool hall ST PAUL MN. i am pretty sure they were feeling no pain as i made a fool of my self in front of 100 or so people..

i told my old as they stood together i wanted to be like fats when i play and fats said to me and everyone there ...kid it's great you would want to be like but you want to play pool like Luther..I had no idea why every one was laughing and agreeing or what the hell he was talking about...I got to tell Luther that story in 72 San Diego when he played Balis .. he just smiled...

More like jealousy. Fats made allot of money gambling. Evelyn said Fatty was in his prime in the 40's and here it is almost 1970 and he's still matchin' up correctly and taking home the cash. During this time he sneaked up and picked Richie Florences pocket (Richie was in his prime then) for I heard $20,000, if I remember correctly, it was on the first table to the right as you enter the back room. There was allot more jealousy of this man and his dough from other players much like Jeanette Lee and her cohorts in the early days. Fatty always used to come down to Crazy Horse and show his stuff to us college kids. If you ran into him at at tourney he would always offer you a ride back to the room. He never drank or smoked or did drugs a day in his life said Evelyn. Too me he's no different than Rodney Dangerfield or Johnathan Winters, a product of their enviornment, can't be anything else but what they are.

 

[freddy the beard]

Actually....

Why do you do these things to me?

Minnesota Fats
Boston Shorty
Connecticut Johnny
Handsome Danny
Cowboy Jimmy
Weenie Beenie
Johnny Irish (Lineen)
Daddy Warbucks
Alligator Earl
The Knoxville Bear
Iron Joe
Chris McGehan (not aware of any nickname for him)

Actually Jay, "Chris" was McGehan's nickname. His real name was Eddie "Chris" McGehan. (However, I didnt know Schriever's nickname)

Beard

 

[freddy the beard]

John "S" ton City

That Wimpy story is ridiculous. Only possible if Wimpy was drunk. If a drunken Wimpy woofed at Fatty, you can take it to the bank that Fatty didnt hear him. I was at John"S"ton City almost every minute from 1962 til 1972 and I heard no such story of Wimpy barking at Fatty.

Of course Wimpy could beat Fatty playing everything but 1pkt, but those two matching up at J.C. and playing, was an impossibility. In truth, Wimpy was terrified of Fatty landing on him with the woof in front of people.

(This is the encounter I witnessed between Fatty and Wimpy in the back room sometime in the mid 60s.)

"Fats was such a fabulous personality that whenever he showed up he could lug the whole joint along with him, wherever he wanted to go. Everybody, myself included would follow him blindly, listening wide-eyed to whatever would pop out of his mouth. George Jansco would beg Fats to lug the crowd somewheres near the bar where he could then sell a few drinks. Fats would bark and demean all the hustlers, from Wimpy on down, and nobody dared to challenge him. (Except the buffooon Omaha Fats, Martin Kaiman) Fats went so far as to tell a story about playing Wimpy in Norfolk VA, and beating him so badly that Wimpy crapped in his pants, and he had to go next door to the Army/Navy store and his backer had to buy him a whole new outfit of bib overalls and brogan shoes in order to keep playing.
He then forced Wimpy to admit that the story was gospel in front of the crowd. Unbelieveably, Wimpy vouched for the story, desperately hoping Fats would get off of him and on to somebody else."

This is the last line in the article dated Dec.4th 1961, by Tom Fox. It appeared in Sports Illustrated:
....The first annual World's One-Pocket Billiards Tournament, played in Johnston City, Ill., was won by Johnny Vevis of San Francisco, with Jimmy Moore of Albuquerque, N.M. second. Hubert Cokes finished third, and Rudolph Wanderone was fourth.
Fats finished fourth, not second, in the One pocket tournament and never played in any other tourn down there after 1961. Here is the link to the article,"A Hustler's Holiday in the Lion's Den."
http://bankingwiththebeard.com/?p=826#The22BestSportsIllustrated

One more trivia update: Fats beat Richie Florence for about $39,000 over a period of about a month playing One pocket. Richie was spotting Fatty 8 to 7.

Beard

Ronnie played Fats 9 to 7 and $330 to $300 on the money. Ronnie did not have a good game.

Everything I have related I also seen first hand.

 

[bstroud]

Ronnie played Fats 9 to 7 and $330 to $300 on the money. Ronnie did not have a good game.

Everything I have related I also seen first hand.[/QUOTE]

Freddy,

Didn't Kelly give Fatty 10 to 7 right after that and beat him?

Bill Stroud