Minnesota Fat's Story

[trob]

Whats wrong that he was a bad player or he stole the minnasota fats character. Walter Tevis insists there was no such person when he wrote the book and the time line of when he changed his name to this also would side with the author. I think it would be wrong to say he was a b player but he certainly wouldn't come up in my conversation talking about the best of all time. I think his biggest hustle would have to be convincing the public he was the greatest. I don't think my Grandma ever picked up a pool cue in her life but if you asked her who the best pool player who ever lived I would bet she would say fats.

This game needs another fatty bad to bring it back to the national spot light. Hell I was happy this week to find the new billiards digest with the sports magazines instead of jamed into mens interests at boarders.

 

[jay helfert]

WRONG!

Jay, Beard, others.....didn't he beat Allen Hopkins for 20K in the early 70's getting 8/7?

Could be because Allen was gambling with everyone back then. I just don't remember this game. Sorry.
If I remember I'll ask Allen next time I talk to him.

 

[freddy the beard]

One more time

....he stole the minnasota fats character. Walter Tevis insists there was no such person when he wrote the book and the time line of when he changed his name to this, also would side with the author....... This game needs another Fatty bad to bring it back to the national spot light. Hell, I was happy this week to find the new Billiards Digest with the sports magazines instead of jammed into men's interest's at Borders.

One more time, Walter Tevis was full of sh*t when he claimed that he "invented" the Minnesota Fats character. He based MF on New York Fats, and just adjusted the name to "Minnesota" to avoid a suit (which he got and lost anyway). Just as he did when he changed the name of the pool room in Chicago that they did the playing in, from Bensingers to "Benningtons." Is that close enough? Another insider tid-bit, the small pool room where Eddie plays the old man, when his hands first heal, and uses an open hand bridge, was also a real location in Chicago. Remember the scene? The room with the grill in front, and the pool tables in the back? That pool room was on South State St in Chicago, and I played in there. The old man that he played there was a perfect description of Tom Smith from Ohio. Tom as the real old timers would know, was an immigrant from Yugoslavia that started playing pool when he was about 60, became a hustler and hustled into his late 90s. I confronted him personally in Dayton OH at Burn's tourney, and asked him about that pool room, and Tom Smith, and he told me it was just a coincidence. I believed him about as much as I believe the promises of this roster of Presidential candidates.

the Beard

Go to my blog for pics of the DCC HOF dinner and other interesting things.

 

[Pushout]

One more time, Walter Tevis was full of sh*t when he claimed that he "invented" the Minnesota Fats character.
the Beard
Go to my blog for pics of the DCC HOF dinner and other interesting things.

The way I always heard it, Tevis said that both Fats and Eddie were composites of players that he had met over the years. I never heard it said that he "invented" either one of them. He may have used traits from Rudolph Wanderone but the character was never based just on him, as the character of Eddie was never based just on Ronnie Allen or Eddie Parker or anyone else in particular.

 

[biblewriter]

One more time, Walter Tevis was full of sh*t when he claimed that he "invented" the Minnesota Fats character. He based MF on New York Fats, and just adjusted the name to "Minnesota" to avoid a suit (which he got and lost anyway).

Tevis wrote a good book. However, there is not an iota of doubt that "Minnesota Fats" was modeled on "New York Fats" (aka Rudolph Wonderone). There was no other top money player with "Fats" in their nickname. Rudolph Wonderone had been on the pool scene since the 1920s and whether Fats ever beat Greenleaf at anything may be questionable, but his ownership of the title "Minnesota Fats" was never in doubt.

I first heard of New York Fats from legendary cue maker Herman Rambow, who showed me some cue work he was doing for Fatty when I ordered a cue. Rambow told me that Fats was a top money player. This was a couple of years before the movie.

The only substantial change Tevis made was to replace one pocket with straight pool.

Tevis didn't have a defense when he got into court and Fatty made the biggest score of his life with the endorsements he got as a result of the Hustler movie.

Fats good fortune in taking down millions in endorsements may be the reason so many shortstops knock Fatty's shooting ability. One thing for sure they never tried to prove their theories on the table.

 

[trob]

This is how pool is so different then other games or sports. It's hard to figure out just how good fats was. In pool you have tourney players and money players. Guys like fats weren't playing for titles. It's easy to figure out how great greenleaf or mosconi was...you can look at the world championships they've won and that info. just isn't there for hustlers. I mean how good was he? Sounded to me like every big name he played he was getting major wieght. Is that really gambleing? Sounds like a sure thing to me...and sure things aren't a gamble. Don't get me wrong I don't think the guy was a b player..but I don't think he was of the calibur of greenleaf or mosconi either.