How good was Jimmy Mataya in his prime? Should he be in the HOF?

not a HOF candidate. you don't get in on 'personality'. his record talks for itself. his only big win was the '72 stardust. jim could flat play but so could a bunch of others his speed. he's WAY more known for runnin his piehole than using a cue.
minnesota fats got in the hall with his mouth not his cue.
 
minnesota fats got in the hall with his mouth not his cue.
NO shit????? thanks for that update. Fats was bigger than life and people who never hit a ball associated him with pool. Mataya's 'aura' is not even in the same ballpark. This '1000ball' cat has to be related to the guy. He's bound and determined to convince all that JM should be in. Well, he'll never convince me.
 
NO shit????? thanks for that update. Fats was bigger than life and people who never hit a ball associated him with pool. Mataya's 'aura' is not even in the same ballpark. This '1000ball' cat has to be related to the guy. He's bound and determined to convince all that JM should be in. Well, he'll never convince me.
I have No idea why this thread is still flowing!

I think the consensus so far is, Jimmy was Great Talent/Huge Personality/Fierce Gambler/Knowledgeable Commentator.

He has definitely beaten the Top players of His era at one time or another!

IMPO, it's Jimmy's 'Longevity' at that High level that is in question!

BTW, if there's a MI 'Sports Hall of Fame with an 'Indoor sports/Billiards' category Jimmy along with Harold Worst are a shoe-in!
 
Last edited:
I have No idea why this thread is still flowing!

I think the consensus so far is, Jimmy was Great Talent/Huge Personality/Fierce Gambler/Knowledgeable Commentator.

He has definitely beaten the Top players of His era at one time or another!

IMPO, it's Jimmy's 'Longevity' at that High level that is in question!

BTW, if there's a MI 'Sports Hall of Fame with an 'Indoor sports/Billiards' category Jimmy along with Harold Worst are a shoe-in!
The thread is still flowing because people continue to give their perspective. I would agree you have an accurate summary of the previous threads here in your response, Bill. The majority thinking he isnt HOF worthy, however their are others that support the idea. That was the entire point of this post - to get different perspectives on a guy who, although he isnt in the HOF, is certainly a legendary figure in the sport with a unique blend of accomplishments. I appreciate you chiming in and sharing your experiences.
 
Last edited:
for a new guy here you should be adding things about pool not fighting with individuals or putting anyone down. you are new here get it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbb
for a new guy here you should be adding things about pool not fighting with individuals or putting anyone down. you are new here get it.
it was a joke, im not fighting or putting anyone down. i was simply asking why hes coming across annoyed about people pushing this / continuing to comment. im a new guy bringing up a topic around a player from the past. Isnt that that a good thing? He seems annoyed people are having a conversation that disagrees with his opinion. Thats all im saying. :)
 
it was a joke, im not fighting or putting anyone down. i was simply asking why hes coming across annoyed about people pushing this / continuing to comment. im a new guy bringing up a topic around a player from the past. Isnt that that a good thing? He seems annoyed people are having a conversation that disagrees with his opinion. Thats all im saying. :)
Much like in a pool hall, there are assholes galore here ;(
 
  • Haha
Reactions: bbb
Previous threads...


podcast: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/abr-2nite-the-jimmy-mataya-show.374428/










 
Previous threads...


podcast: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/abr-2nite-the-jimmy-mataya-show.374428/










Wow! thank you so much Bob
 
Its good to have a dream. ;) ..................................................
I thought you were done here Gar?!?!? :)

There is a similar thread from others suggesting the same - that he should be in the HOF. They mentioned Danny D, Jose and Jimmy as being deserving. 2 of the 3 have gotten the nod.

 
HOF Womanizer. Second tier pro. HOF is for the Best of the Best and I would argue some need to be omitted.
 
I thought they had a section for those that contributed to the sport without being great players, or even players at all. For example, if Jeanette Lee was not a good player, her promotion of pool should still land her in the HOF. I think Mataya was good enough of a player combined with a promoter of himself and pool to be at least considered.
He was NOT a good enough "player". That is indisputable. His tournament record stands nowhere close to HOF status. The monsters in the HOF (and quite a few of them who never got in) would have spotted him the 7 easily, and beat him all day long. Louie Roberts, the guy the Action Award at DCC is named for, would have beat Jimmy like a drum. And Louie couldn't beat Buddy Hall. And Buddy Hall in his prime probably couldn't have gotten there against the vast majority of the players making it into the HOF today.

As far as who he beat gambling? Who cares? There's always a subtext to that sort of thing. One player is high as a kite, and has been up for three days on amphetamines, and tries to spot someone like Jimmy what they normally do, and gets crushed. Doesn't mean anything. And Jimmy is gonna tell everybody he beat him fresh as a daisy, because that's his schtick. Minnesota Fats beat Richie Florence out of $20,000, too, getting a ball or whatever. But Fats had birddogs watching though, and he always walked in the door just as Richie was getting ready to call it a night after being up for 36+ hours gambling. This was a game Fats could NOT win "straight up", if they were both fresh. You don't get in the HOF for being a smart gambler. At least not the one we are talking about here.

As far as promoting the game... Go to league tonight and ask a few APA 4s to name a few pool players they have heard of, from any era. Numerous will say Minnesota Fats. A few might say "The Black Widow". None will say Jimmy Mataya, or "Pretty Boy Floyd". He promoted HIMSELF, and the only people who ever heard it were other hardcore pool players.

And there's your answer. You don't get in the HOF for having a big personality, and shooting a "good" game. You get there by mowing down champions left and right, tournament after tournament, for a LONG time, or you get there for being a big enough figure that you inspire lots and lots of people to pick up the game. Or entertained millions on T.V.. Jimmy Mataya was none of the above.

And therein lays the answer to this question.
 
I thought you were done here Gar?!?!? :)

There is a similar thread from others suggesting the same - that he should be in the HOF. They mentioned Danny D, Jose and Jimmy as being deserving. 2 of the 3 have gotten the nod.

Jose deserved it, as he was quite literally the "leader of the invasion" from the Philippines, and changed the way we play 9 ball today. He came to the U.S.A., center of the pool world, and shot EVERYONE'S nuts in for years before Efren arrived.

Danny Diliberto deserved it because he became synonymous with "The Voice of Accu-Stats" for years. There are a few Accu-Stats commentators in the HOF, and all of them did hundreds and hundreds of hours of commentary.

Are you one of Jimmy's kids, or summin?
 
No, action credentials have never been the measure of BCA hall of fame worthiness. and I hope they never will be.

In Jimmy Mataya's day, too many action matches were played in smoky dark rooms with little fanfare, and such matches did little to nothing to promote the game. Rest assured, tournament greats from Jimmy Mayaya's era, such as Sigel, Varner, Hall, Rempe, Reyes and Strickland were far better known back then than Jimmy.
Not to mention that many other players of Jimmy's era were both better gamblers, AND better tournament players than Jimmy. Jim Rempe comes to mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sjm
he beat HOFers in this tournament - which is why im asking if he had that speed. this seems like a ridiculous idea though to most of the responders here though.
There are amateur players who "have beat HOFers"... Multiple times. And then got skulf***ed the next 100 times they played a HOFer.

People are getting annoyed because you have been told multiple times he played nowhere near the caliber needed to achieve a HOF spot based on playing ability alone. And he didn't "promote the game" in the way Jeanette Lee and Minnesota Fats did. And he didn't teach entire generations on the finer points of playing via high level commentary like Grady Matthews, Billy Incardona, and Danny Diliberto did.

And yet you keep pushing the point of "Yeah, but shouldn't he be in the HOF for 'this' reason, and 'that' reason???"

Sorry, I am not buying it. You sound like someone associated with him or his family. You've never seen him play... But you are pushing this hard for reasons that he "should" be included... Because of what? Some gambling stories you heard? Let me tell you a little secret.... None of the really top players are "volunteering" the information that Jimmy beat them in a match... They simply aren't wired that way, even if it happened. So you are getting any information secondhand, which you should know if you have been around pool for more than 2 minutes, is an EXTREMELY unreliable way to get your information about how some match went down. Jimmy always struck me as the sort of guy who might work with another player to cut up a backer, so I would always keep that in mind when hearing about "who he beat".
 
Back
Top