Mosconi and Fats video

Pryme

Pryme

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i came across this on youtube, maybe this has already been posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6B1XncJoD0
I have heard both of these names so much since i started playing pool, and they are way before my time. mosconi seems so sound technically and on the other hand fats just gets down and shoots and makes it look so easy. this match was so entertaining!

what was the huge grudge between these two? besides who the movie was actually about, would love to know more into there story.
 
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Mosconi was a hard ass to begin with, and of course a real deal multi time world champion. Fats was a loud mouth braggart who claimed he had beaten everybody he ever played including Mosconi. Fats wasnt as bad as some make him out to be, but he was NO where near Willies speed, and at no time beat him. For his loud mouth BS, Mosconi hated him, and wanted him to shut up.
Chuck
 
Fats used to call Mr Mosconi "Willie the Wop"... he even had a little story he would tell about him. About how he beat Willie out of a sum of money that grew every time Fats told the story.

Fatty was a blow-hard bank pool man and liked to hustle every now and again. he made more money off of just being known as Minnesota Fats than he ever did actually playing pool, which I think is he first, best and really his only true hustle he ever pulled off with great success. He was an okay player that didn't have any business at the table in serious competition with people like Mosconi, Puckett, Crane, Lassiter or anyone else from that era that most people are familiar with. He was utterly out of his depth, especially where Wimpy Lassiter was concerned. Wimpy in his prime DID beat all those guy straight up and even giving weight in some cases. Mosconi would never in a million years have played Lassiter for money. I know Irving Crane hustled a bit, but he was not super successful at it. Matter of fact I do not recall any validated claim that Mosconi ever played in any money matches.

Anyone know for sure that Mosconi matched up with anyone for real cash?

Regards,

Lesh
 
Pryme said:
i came across this on youtube, maybe this has already been posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6B1XncJoD0
I have heard both of these names so much since i started playing pool, and they are way before my time. mosconi seems so sound technically and on the other hand fats just gets down and shoots and makes it look so easy. this match was so entertaining!

what was the huge grudge between these two? besides who the movie was actually about, would love to know more into there story.
Click to expand...


There's a whole book on it called "The Hustler & The Champ" by R.A Dyer that is a great read.

What set up the match in question happened in 1977. Fats was playing Bruce Christopher a match for TV and they brought in Mosconi and Howard Cosell to do the commentary. There's a technical problem so Fats is talking to the crowd and he's going on and on about how he beat every living human and Mosconi is in the booth about to bust a vessel and then someone in the audience asks, "Did you ever play Mosconi?" And Fats, pauses and eventually says, "I played 'em all and I beat then all." And Mosconi goes ballistic. He comes running out of the booth and starts yelling at Fats, "You beat me? You never beat anyone in your life. I played you in Philadelphia and I beat you five games in a row." Willie is going nuts at this point, screaming, ranting at Fats and the rest, as they say, is history and that's kinda what set up the Willie v Fats TV matches.

Lou Figueroa
 
Thanks for the link! I never saw them play 9-ball, only straight pool. This is very interesting and fun to watch.
 
Pryme said:
i came across this on youtube, maybe this has already been posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6B1XncJoD0
I have heard both of these names so much since i started playing pool, and they are way before my time. mosconi seems so sound technically and on the other hand fats just gets down and shoots and makes it look so easy. this match was so entertaining!

what was the huge grudge between these two? besides who the movie was actually about, would love to know more into there story.
Click to expand...

We did an interview with Charles Ursitti, the promoter who put together the grudge match between fats and mosconi and he did a great job of telling the story behind the events that led up to it.

Go to the archive page and scroll back to the Feb 15th episode to hear it..
http://www.americanbilliardradio.com/listen
 
Pryme said:
what was the huge grudge between these two? besides who the movie was actually about, would love to know more into there story.
Click to expand...

The movie was not about either one of them. Fats was never known as Minnesota Fats until after the movie came out. Walter Tevis, who wrote the book The Hustler always said that the characters were composites of many players that he encountered over his years around pool. The way I understand it, the movie was supposed to be more about the relationship between Fast Eddie and Sarah and not so much about pool and pool players.
Other posters above have pretty much covered their personalities. In the end, though, Mosconi made a bunch of money off their so-called rivalry, so did Fats.
 
Fats was no where near the Billiards player Mosconi was. But Fats did bring a lot of character to the game. I think the game needs both. Two players who brought both to the sport (imo) is Mike Sigel and Earl Strickland. Both of these players always attracted the large crowds, anytime they played a match.
 
Lesh said:
Fats used to call Mr Mosconi "Willie the Wop"... he even had a little story he would tell about him. About how he beat Willie out of a sum of money that grew every time Fats told the story.

Fatty was a blow-hard bank pool man and liked to hustle every now and again. he made more money off of just being known as Minnesota Fats than he ever did actually playing pool, which I think is he first, best and really his only true hustle he ever pulled off with great success. He was an okay player that didn't have any business at the table in serious competition with people like Mosconi, Puckett, Crane, Lassiter or anyone else from that era that most people are familiar with. He was utterly out of his depth, especially where Wimpy Lassiter was concerned. Wimpy in his prime DID beat all those guy straight up and even giving weight in some cases. Mosconi would never in a million years have played Lassiter for money. I know Irving Crane hustled a bit, but he was not super successful at it. Matter of fact I do not recall any validated claim that Mosconi ever played in any money matches.

Anyone know for sure that Mosconi matched up with anyone for real cash?

Regards,

Lesh
Click to expand...

Completely agree with this. Fats was more of a hustler than a professional. He could hustle because of his loud mouth and how he acted. He just liked to put on a show to try to get into the other guys head. He is no where good as all the old school professionals and had no chance against Willie. I will say he is a excellent bank player. He is pretty entertaining to watch tho. He stroke is very different. He stands over his cue and as soon as he goes down he shoots. No practice swings or anything.
 
Pryme said:
i came across this on youtube, maybe this has already been posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6B1XncJoD0
I have heard both of these names so much since i started playing pool, and they are way before my time. mosconi seems so sound technically and on the other hand fats just gets down and shoots and makes it look so easy. this match was so entertaining!

what was the huge grudge between these two? besides who the movie was actually about, would love to know more into there story.
Click to expand...

One of the best sports promotions ever done. Much like the Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs match.

Time for another.
 
I wish someone could get ahold of the master reels of that video, commercials and all, and reissue it as better quality. I can't think of any true pool/billiard fan alive that wouldn't want to own a copy of it.
 
The only thing I ever saw Fats do is beg for a spot.
Don Watson offered him the moon in 9-Ball and Fatty's knuckles got white from the iron grip he had on the rails of the chair.
Fatty wanted 8-5 from Ronnie Allen.
He wanted 9-7 from The Squirrel.
He was all show and no dough. Had the heart of a stud field mouse.
These young modern players would rob him.
 
Lots of people say that the movie The Color of Money was the beginning of the pool boom in the 1990s, but these Fats-Mosconi events were all before then. Maybe pool was popular long before then and the movie was just a reflection of its popularity.
 
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