Money Breeds Money

[JAM]

The pool room had two sides, one where we were watching the tournament and a practice side. We were in the middle of nowhere watching these pool sharks in a tournament betting and gambling when all of a sudden the room exploded with excitement.

In 1993, Robert Turner was the Marketing Director for the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. He was starting to promote pool at the time and had often wondered what happened to Minnesota Fats. He asked Mike Massey about Fats and was told he was living in Nashville.

What happened next is pure pool bliss, and you can read it ---> HERE. [Retrieved 7 May 2014]

Hope you enjoyed this blog by Robert Turner as much as I did.

 

[jgpool]

Thanks for the article JAM. He was about 80 years old when this took place and still the best diplomat we had, kudos to Fats.

 

[Thepip]

This was a great read I hope you don't mind if i share it with my Face Book pool family.

Thank Jam

 

[JAM]

This was a great read I hope you don't mind if i share it with my Face Book pool family.

Thank Jam

Not at all. That's what blogs are for, I think -- for people to read. So that's a good thing.

 

[JAM]

Thanks for the article JAM. He was about 80 years old when this took place and still the best diplomat we had, kudos to Fats.

Yep. Keith saw Fats right before he passed in Tennessee. He said Fats was cutting up and chuckling, just like he was not sick. Sadly, he passed away the next day or two.

Keith ran into Fats a few times. Their interactions were comical, of course. First time Keith ever laid eyes on him was when Fats came into his neighborhood pool room. When nobody stepped up to give him action, he decided to leave. Right as he exiting the pool room, he turned around and bellowed out for all to hear: "Boys, the only difference between me and everybody else is that everybody else drives around in a Volkswagen, and Minnesota Fats drives around in a Duesenberg."

And he did. :grin-square:

 

[phil dade]

Thanks

Thanks so much JAM. Stories of Fats take me back to my introduction to pool. When I was 15-17, (63-65). He lived in a small town in IL. and drove a Caddy across the river to Florissant, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Sometime he would arrive with a huge popcorn bag like the use at a theatre to fill the machine...like a clear garbage bag full of popcorn.

I saw him play frequently at Grandview Plaza Cue and Cushion against the owner, Blackie LeSeuer. Blackie seemed to always win, and eventually was giving Fats 9-6, alternating breaks, if I remember correct. He banter was constant...."I play anybody any time, Money, Marbles, or Chalk!"

 

[JAM]

Thanks so much JAM. Stories of Fats take me back to my introduction to pool. When I was 15-17, (63-65). He lived in a small town in IL. and drove a Caddy across the river to Florissant, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Sometime he would arrive with a huge popcorn bag like the use at a theatre to fill the machine...like a clear garbage bag full of popcorn.

I saw him play frequently at Grandview Plaza Cue and Cushion against the owner, Blackie LeSeuer. Blackie seemed to always win, and eventually was giving Fats 9-6, alternating breaks, if I remember correct. He banter was constant...."I play anybody any time, Money, Marbles, or Chalk!"

How cool it must have been to see him in the flesh!

One thing for sure, Fats will never die as long as he lives in our hearts. What a shooter, what a guy!

His grave marker reads: "Beat every living creature on Earth. St. Peter, rack 'em up."

 

[itsfroze]

Thanks for the story Jam !

 

[jgpool]

Yep. Keith saw Fats right before he passed in Tennessee. He said Fats was cutting up and chuckling, just like he was not sick. Sadly, he passed away the next day or two.

Keith ran into Fats a few times. Their interactions were comical, of course. First time Keith ever laid eyes on him was when Fats came into his neighborhood pool room. When nobody stepped up to give him action, he decided to leave. Right as he exiting the pool room, he turned around and bellowed out for all to hear: "Boys, the only difference between me and everybody else is that everybody else drives around in a Volkswagen, and Minnesota Fats drives around in a Duesenberg."

And he did. :grin-square:

Thanks for this additional story on Fats. I met him once. I was on the board of directors for the Colorado Springs Pool League when we organized the 1979-80 Rocky Mountain 9-Ball Open and the BCA Team Championships in Colorado Springs. We flew Fats in for the tourney and did he put on a show. During a question and answer session I had the opportunity to ask a question and I baited him with "Who is the second best pool player in the world?" His answer was in his animated WC Fields voice "Evvvvverybody else". What a hoot, pool does miss his marketing of the game.

 

[Baby Huey]

I was at the Bike when Fats came into the Tournament Room. He got a standing ovation. He was treated very well by the management staff at the Bike and as Keith described, Robert Turner who was trying to promote pool tournaments there, sent for him and paid for his trip out to the west coast. Had Fats lived longer, I think pool would still be on TV and that our tournaments would be paying a lot more. What a character.

 

[pwd72s]

Love this thread...thanks Jam.

 

[Banks]

Thanks so much JAM. Stories of Fats take me back to my introduction to pool. When I was 15-17, (63-65). He lived in a small town in IL. and drove a Caddy across the river to Florissant, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Sometime he would arrive with a huge popcorn bag like the use at a theatre to fill the machine...like a clear garbage bag full of popcorn.

I saw him play frequently at Grandview Plaza Cue and Cushion against the owner, Blackie LeSeuer. Blackie seemed to always win, and eventually was giving Fats 9-6, alternating breaks, if I remember correct. He banter was constant...."I play anybody any time, Money, Marbles, or Chalk!"

Did you live around DuQuoin? That must've been a sight to see.

 

[phil dade]

Florissant

Banks, I lived 5 minutes from the pool hall in Florissant, MO. (north St. Louis). Fats lived somewhere in a small town in IL. I saw him play Blackie allot. Many times I ran the clock so Blackie could play, and also exchanged the money after each game. They did not do races. It was very exciting to me as a teenager.

 

[lfigueroa]

How cool it must have been to see him in the flesh!

One thing for sure, Fats will never die as long as he lives in our hearts. What a shooter, what a guy!

His grave marker reads: "Beat every living creature on Earth. St. Peter, rack 'em up."

I have never seen his last name spelled like that. His biography uses Wanderone. Anyone know which is correct?

Lou Figueroa

 

[DRW]

How cool it must have been to see him in the flesh!

One thing for sure, Fats will never die as long as he lives in our hearts. What a shooter, what a guy!

His grave marker reads: "Beat every living creature on Earth. St. Peter, rack 'em up."

Last name on his grave marker does not appear to be correct.

 

[JAM]

I have never seen his last name spelled like that. His biography uses Wanderone. Anyone know which is correct?

Lou Figueroa

Lou, there's a story about this somewhere that I've read, and I'm leaning on without the "e" is correct: ("Rudolph Wanderon" entry in New York City (the only one there) ed.). Washington, D.C.: US Census Bureau. 1920. Retrieved 2008-08-19. Provides surname spelling without the terminal "e", name with "Jr.", age of 7 as of 1920, mother's name as "Rosa" or "Rose", New York City residence. Copy is poor; data columns verified by comparison to legible blank 1920 . Source ---> HERE

I'd venture to guess Bob Jewett knows the answer.

 

[JAM]

Bumping in hopes Bob Jewett will reply.

 

[JAM]

For the young'ns who've never heard Fats' gift of gab, check this out: HERE

MINNESOTA FATS: Ain't Nixon hustling? Ain't he out shaking hands, 24 hours a day, trying to be the President? Hey, ain't everybody hustling? Yeah, everybody's scuffling. You see, there's two different -- there's a scuffler and a hustler. A hustler is one that's always in action and gets it once in a while, see, and a good hustler gets it more often. Then there's a scuffler. He never gets it. Understand? All he ever does is waste his time, gets in everybody's way. You understand? He goes through life, and he's a failure.

The ending to this 3-minute video says it all: Hustling may have been the name of the game, but it was a way of life.

 

[liakos]

For the young'ns who've never heard Fats' gift of gab, check this out: HERE

MINNESOTA FATS: Ain't Nixon hustling? Ain't he out shaking hands, 24 hours a day, trying to be the President? Hey, ain't everybody hustling? Yeah, everybody's scuffling. You see, there's two different -- there's a scuffler and a hustler. A hustler is one that's always in action and gets it once in a while, see, and a good hustler gets it more often. Then there's a scuffler. He never gets it. Understand? All he ever does is waste his time, gets in everybody's way. You understand? He goes through life, and he's a failure.

The ending to this 3-minute video says it all: Hustling may have been the name of the game, but it was a way of life.

Awesome and so very true! It's too bad those days are all but gone! I would of loved to see those guys in action! My 2 favorite players I would of loved to see in there prime, Keith and Fats! I have some accustats of Keith! My favorite one, and Keith isn't even the main player, is efren and bustamante, I believe it's 2003. The match is going on and the Jim and Billy are commentating, the camera moves over to another match, Keith and Alex, and Keith misses the 9! The whole place erupts and then Alex comes back but he misses a ball. Keith comes back to the table and proceeds to run out! Before he runs out, he taps Alex on the shoulder, and says something(I would love to know) and Keith pockets the 8! Alex never lets him shoot the 9! From all the players that I have seen, Keith is at the top of the list as far as awesome goes!!! I would do almost anything to shoot a few games with him!