Jayson Shaw 14.1 Run Story to Air on "60 Minutes"

[jason]

Jon had EVERYTHING to do with this story! He and I began talking about doing a piece on the sport of pool in 2019. He told me he was working on it and then the pandemic hit, so it got put on hold for two years. In early December 2021 Jon called me and said I would be getting contacted by one of the producers of the show. She called me a couple of days later and we talked for some time. She inquired when there would be an event where they could meet the players. It was right before Turning Stone and too late for that, so I suggested DCC since I suspected all the top players would be there. She asked me who should they meet and I suggested Shane, Dennis and Filler first off as three of the best current players. I also told her about Jayson's feat in beating the historic record of Mosconi.

We talked several times during the next month or so and they asked me to meet them at DCC to guide them around. They paid all my expenses, God bless them. I intro'd them to many of the top players there and they did quite a bit of filming the proceedings, even going upstairs to the Action room. They also focused on the important matches going on in the Accu-Stats arena. As you know Dennis was not able to make it to DCC, so he got scrubbed from the show. Jon was not able to make it to DCC due to other committments, but he was the one that later conducted interviews with Shane, myself and some of the other players. The Producers (Kaylee and Natalie) also did some of their own interviews in Jon's absence.

I made it clear from the beginning that I did not want to take part in a "hit" piece on pool and they assured me that the gist of the story was about the professional aspect of the game. I shared with them how our sport was growing exponentially with all the new events and increased prize money. That first month (January of this year) Fedor Gorst won over 90K and for me that was proof of what I was telling them. I flew to New York in late February and was interviewed by my old friend Jon W. for over three hours, where we talked about everything it seemed. He did try to draw me out on my gambling episodes but I was reluctant to talk too much about that stuff. I felt that the focus should remain on the the sport itself and how it was growing as a pro sport. I did share with him that gambling matches did still take place but for the top players the major tournaments were much more important. There was good money to be made (with little risk) and a lot of prestige which can lead to sponsorship opportunities. The top players were actually beginning to make a real living as pro pool players!

I have absolutely no control over what they decide to air from over a hundred hours of taping, but my hunch is it will be good for pool. 60 Minutes always does quality reports and what I observed was high quality and integrity in everything they were doing. They requested that I ask permission from the high rollers before filming them playing upstairs. If either one said no then they took a pass.

There's probably more I could add to this, but just like you I'm looking forward to seeing the final version that goes on the air. For someone like me who has tried to grow the sport for decades I'm enthused by what I see tournament wise and by the increased interest from major media sources like 60 Minutes. Maybe we will see the day when there is real money to be made in pool and it is accepted as a major sport. Now that would be cool and I could rest easy.

P.S. I shared with them about the long ago 60 Minutes piece on UJ Puckett and how he and Harry Reasoner from 60 Minutes became fast friends during the shoot and for a long time afterwards. They went into the archives and found the story and told me how much they enjoyed it.

Thank you Jay for being conscientious about the public perception of our sport. I consider it a very wise move to steer them away from gambling. It is a little less taboo in our society now considering we have so many casinos around the country and online access, but why play with fire, right? The piece on Johnson City in the 60's set our sport back a lot. We aren't even close to breaking the stigma of a "hustler" anytime soon. So, it's in the sports best interest to keep these prize money increasing and public exposure positive. YouTube and streaming have opened the eyes of many who are interested. Pool players don't do anything that golfers, poker players, or basketball players don't do, except make the big money. We all know the greedy bastards in the world will sell their brother out to make a dollar. Let's hope 60 minutes stays true to their word. I'm slightly optimistic, but I would wager they will brush across the subject in the interview no matter how briefly it may be.

 

[jason]

Enjoy a little John Candy...

 

[Dan_B]

After 2 years CBS just found out that Hunter biden lap top is real that could be another delay

...umm, doubt it, would be too much of a scratch one's head lead during the football game, 'may I cope' by Leslie Stahl.
Has my curiosity though, what's their angle?
Has billiards escaped wokenization?
Is it forward looking, sales are up?
A good anxiety breaker?

thanks for the heads up, but then, isn't Yellowstone on?

 

[Dead Money]

Awesome!! I will watch.

 

[Dead Money]

The only delay hopefully will be a football game that runs long. They still always run the full 60 minutes shows when that happens btw.

 

[lfigueroa]

...umm, doubt it, would be too much of a scratch one's head lead during the football game, 'may I cope' by Leslie Stahl.
Has my curiosity though, what's their angle?
Has billiards escaped wokenization?
Is it forward looking, sales are up?
A good anxiety breaker?

thanks for the heads up, but then, isn't Yellowstone on?

Don't know about Yellowstone scheduling but I do have two comments about the show:

Kelly Rielly is the only two good reasons to watch that show and, it's good for a drinking game where you have to shoot a shot every time Kevin Costner runs his tongue around the inside of his mouth to show consternation. You'll be good and drunk before the end credits : -)

Lou Figueroa

 

[Guy Manges]

I worked closely with the 60 Minute producers on putting this piece together. Spoke with one of them yesterday and Lou is correct on the air date this Sunday, unless it gets pre-empted by some late breaking news story. Rare but it happens. The piece will be twelve minutes long and Shane will be the focus of it. They found his story to be the most compelling and went with it. I spent a long time with them at DCC and also at their studio in New York, but got cut out of the live show. Shit happens! But I'm glad to be part of something that may give our sport a boost. They will also be focusing on the professional side of the game. I did my best to steer them away from the gambling aspect, but they did find that interesting I'm afraid. Couldn't help but be aware of it at DCC. I'm excited to see what they put together. I found the two producers (both women) to be very insightful and thoughtful.

Thank you Jay for what you do and try to do... God knows it must help... Guy

 

[Guy Manges]

Jon had EVERYTHING to do with this story! He and I began talking about doing a piece on the sport of pool in 2019. He told me he was working on it and then the pandemic hit, so it got put on hold for two years. In early December 2021 Jon called me and said I would be getting contacted by one of the producers of the show. She called me a couple of days later and we talked for some time. She inquired when there would be an event where they could meet the players. It was right before Turning Stone and too late for that, so I suggested DCC since I suspected all the top players would be there. She asked me who should they meet and I suggested Shane, Dennis and Filler first off as three of the best current players. I also told her about Jayson's feat in beating the historic record of Mosconi.

We talked several times during the next month or so and they asked me to meet them at DCC to guide them around. They paid all my expenses, God bless them. I intro'd them to many of the top players there and they did quite a bit of filming the proceedings, even going upstairs to the Action room. They also focused on the important matches going on in the Accu-Stats arena. As you know Dennis was not able to make it to DCC, so he got scrubbed from the show. Jon was not able to make it to DCC due to other committments, but he was the one that later conducted interviews with Shane, myself and some of the other players. The Producers (Kaylee and Natalie) also did some of their own interviews in Jon's absence.

I made it clear from the beginning that I did not want to take part in a "hit" piece on pool and they assured me that the gist of the story was about the professional aspect of the game. I shared with them how our sport was growing exponentially with all the new events and increased prize money. That first month (January of this year) Fedor Gorst won over 90K and for me that was proof of what I was telling them. I flew to New York in late February and was interviewed by my old friend Jon W. for over three hours, where we talked about everything it seemed. He did try to draw me out on my gambling episodes but I was reluctant to talk too much about that stuff. I felt that the focus should remain on the the sport itself and how it was growing as a pro sport. I did share with him that gambling matches did still take place but for the top players the major tournaments were much more important. There was good money to be made (with little risk) and a lot of prestige which can lead to sponsorship opportunities. The top players were actually beginning to make a real living as pro pool players!

I have absolutely no control over what they decide to air from over a hundred hours of taping, but my hunch is it will be good for pool. 60 Minutes always does quality reports and what I observed was high quality and integrity in everything they were doing. They requested that I ask permission from the high rollers before filming them playing upstairs. If either one said no then they took a pass.

There's probably more I could add to this, but just like you I'm looking forward to seeing the final version that goes on the air. For someone like me who has tried to grow the sport for decades I'm enthused by what I see tournament wise and by the increased interest from major media sources like 60 Minutes. Maybe we will see the day when there is real money to be made in pool and it is accepted as a major sport. Now that would be cool and I could rest easy.

P.S. I shared with them about the long ago 60 Minutes piece on UJ Puckett and how he and Harry Reasoner from 60 Minutes became fast friends during the shoot and for a long time afterwards. They went into the archives and found the story and told me how much they enjoyed it.

COOL...

 

[Guy Manges]

Enjoy a little John Candy...

Suck them cigs... We will always need the John Candys... Guy

 

[Dead Money]

A couple of thought's first is that this is better to have on than to not have it is not rocket science here. Second Moscoini’s name will most likely appear in it where John Schmidt’s may not, wouldn’t surprise me. And lastly as far as it being some kind of
‘bump’ for pool if anyone believes that I’ve some good beach front property in Arizona to sell you! I remember some years back 60 minutes did a thing featuring UJ Puckett that was of casual interest at best.

Yes they did!

Part 1

Part 2

Full

 

[Fatboy]

I'm not interested in sand in Arizona but I do still believe this will be a bump for pool.

According to the interweb "60 Minutes" is in the top five in all three demographics with 10.20 million viewers. Consider that the average cost of a 30 second ad on "60 Minutes" is about $130,000. Jay says the piece will be 12 minutes long. That's $3,120,000 worth of free advertising for pool on a highly rated and viewed television program.

I call that a win.

Lou Figueroa
and a bump

Biggest win pools had in decades

When was the last time we got any mainstream coverage? I can’t recall. Harry & UJ in the 70’s or 80’s?

Best
Fatboy

 

[cvoseeg]

Thanks for the heads up on this. If you are going to DVR the show you might set the record to 30-60 minutes later than air time ends as football often runs late.

 

[YukonCornelius]

I'm a big fan of Jayson and will be happy to watch it. Glad to see our beloved sport starting to pop up again in the mainstream media.

 

[jay helfert]

Thank you Jay for being conscientious about the public perception of our sport. I consider it a very wise move to steer them away from gambling. It is a little less taboo in our society now considering we have so many casinos around the country and online access, but why play with fire, right? The piece on Johnson City in the 60's set our sport back a lot. We aren't even close to breaking the stigma of a "hustler" anytime soon. So, it's in the sports best interest to keep these prize money increasing and public exposure positive. YouTube and streaming have opened the eyes of many who are interested. Pool players don't do anything that golfers, poker players, or basketball players don't do, except make the big money. We all know the greedy bastards in the world will sell their brother out to make a dollar. Let's hope 60 minutes stays true to their word. I'm slightly optimistic, but I would wager they will brush across the subject in the interview no matter how briefly it may be.

I made that exact point with them, that gambling exists in all sports and in fact they embrace it now with their partnerships with sports betting services.

 

[Dan_B]

Don't know about Yellowstone scheduling but I do have two comments about the show:

Kelly Rielly is the only two good reasons to watch that show and, it's good for a drinking game where you have to shoot a shot every time Kevin Costner runs his tongue around the inside of his mouth to show consternation. You'll be good and drunk before the end credits : -)

Lou Figueroa

mannn! you got that right on the consternation, and these gals, oooou..,
this past sunday was a very very unusual late night for us, caught the last 20 minutes or so of late late rewind after returning home,
me thinking costn..., ah, Mr. Dutton will have a little more giddy-up in the next episode.

looking at the header frame of the above u-tube frame, the old timers, their gigs then, that hat,
did I mention we had a late night this past Sunday,
Vince Gill wore one just like that, the old timers.

A short aside - I have the best daughters, we had a suite seat spot for vince, Joe Walsh, Don Hinley, the movers and shakers (keyboards - conductors) of hotel California, The Eagles, staged with the Arkansas Symphony, what a show.

It's going to be conundrum I'll have to admit, some consternation practice on my end this Sunday, 60 minutes or the episode that I mostly missed airing at the same time.

Gotta thinks there's some connection, 60 minutes and the up-and-coming USA vs. the World gig.

 

[mattb]

You know if it were anybody other than Jayson Shaw I might care but the dude, to me, is truly unlikable. He can hold any title he wants or says and the only thing I will do is wait for someone to beat anything he does and make it legitimate. And it’s funny, I know I am not the only one that feels that way. He doesn’t have to go away mad, but I hope he just goes away.

 

[arnaldo]

You know if it were anybody other than Jayson Shaw I might care but the dude, to me, is truly unlikable. He can hold any title he wants or says and the only thing I will do is wait for someone to beat anything he does and make it legitimate. And it’s funny, I know I am not the only one that feels that way. He doesn’t have to go away mad, but I hope he just goes away.

Respectfully Matt you're overlooking the fact that it has been mentioned earlier in the thread that the program largely centers on Shane van Boening.

Arnaldo
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[VarmintKong]

This is awesome, but the timing sucks a little bit.

Any persuasive story should include a call to action. How great would it be for 10 million people to be told, “show your Stars and Stripes by cheering on the USA, next week, at the Mosconi cup.”

It’s a bit of a bummer that this will air a day after pool’s biggest event.

 

[VarmintKong]

Just realized, I’m being a whiny biznatch. This is awesome that pool is getting exposure to 10 million viewers, no matter the timing.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

This is awesome, but the timing sucks a little bit.

Any persuasive story should include a call to action. How great would it be for 10 million people to be told, “show your Stars and Stripes by cheering on the USA, next week, at the Mosconi cup.”

It’s a bit of a bummer that this will air a day after pool’s biggest event.

Take what 60 Minutes is offering for free, the alternative is very expendive, and gamble there will be any return.