Minnesota Fats

[MattPoland]

Be pretty interesting if I wrote a book with the Las Vegas Kid as a character just for everyone to later find out it was originally the South Dakota Kid. Even if that character wasn’t deaf.


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[Island Drive]

Wow! I bet that was great conversation/interview!

She put me together before I got there....(lol big surprise.

After we talked on the ph, she invited me out. I was very saddened when Rudolph passed on, since he was part of my youth/college yrs. But 6 weeks later I called Ev.

After the interview, I cleaned up her kitchen, she had gotten us groceries, I cooked dinner for both of us. I did the dishes and was ready to leave....But..............................................................

Welllllllllll, Ev said, I've got an extra bedroom if you'd like too rest up before your trip back tomorrow (1,000 mi one way, Colorado Springs).

When I got there, Ev was taking allot of meds, mid day, so my interview ended, after about an hour of dead pan interview and maybe 15 - 20 min more till the meds kicked in. She sat in her chair for the interview.

About 7 yrs before (2-28-1996) she had fallen on her way to the hairdresser and broke her hip. That slowed her down allot, but she could still get around.

 

[jay helfert]

She put me together before I got there....(lol big surprise.

After we talked on the ph, she invited me out. I was very saddened when Rudolph passed on, since he was part of my youth/college yrs. But 6 weeks later I called Ev.

After the interview, I cleaned up her kitchen, she had gotten us groceries, I cooked dinner for both of us. I did the dishes and was ready to leave....But..............................................................

Welllllllllll, Ev said, I've got an extra bedroom if you'd like too rest up before your trip back tomorrow (1,000 mi one way, Colorado Springs).

When I got there, Ev was taking allot of meds, mid day, so my interview ended, after about an hour of dead pan interview and maybe 15 - 20 min more till the meds kicked in. She sat in her chair for the interview.

About 7 yrs before (2-28-1996) she had fallen on her way to the hairdresser and broke her hip. That slowed her down allot, but she could still get around.

Very interesting. On the occasions I visited Fats in Dowell all she had to say to me was hi and good bye. I spent the whole day with Fats in his game room. He sat on the edge of the table and told me story after story. I loved every minute of it. We only stopped late in the day to feed the dogs. After that we had dinner and I was on my way. I liked driving at night and drove all the way back to Dayton non stop, about 500 miles.

 

[book collector]

Anyone who believes Tevis did not know who Rudolph Wanderone was, should consider that there was a route all the hustlers took back in the 40s through the early 60s and even earlier that went past Ohio along the River . It included Wheeling Marietta Parkersburg Portsmouth and Cinncinnati, sometimes they cut across and went through Athens which is one of the places where Tevis was, .because there was better gambling there than Portsmouth and not as rough to get out with the money.
If you were ever in the same town Fats went through and had any interest in pool , you could not have known who he was.

 

[West Point 1987]

Back in the early 60s, my mom dated a guy who was a short-stop in the Des Moines area...she was a big fan of the Hustler (especially Jackie Gleason). One night she gets a call from her boyfriend who says, "Guess who I ran into?"., and he puts Fats on the phone..."How ya doin', Kathie? This is Minnesota Fats." She goes, "Yeah, right" and hangs up on him. She said it didn't sound anything like him (Gleason), so she hung up.

 

[Ratamon]

When Tevis heard that there was a fat pool player claiming to be "Minnesota Fats", he told his wife he was going to sue him for using the name as means to make money. But he never did sue Wanderone, probably because there wasn't much of a case.

I think Jay Helfert mentions in his book that the matter did progress to court and Tevis won the case but that did not stop Fats using the monicker.

Edit: just seen that Jay has already covered this, sorry.


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