Mosconi Demonstrates 14.1---1980

Ed Wiggins said:
In 1980, Willie Mosconi did an interview with sportscaster Bill Fleming.
The video is quite poor, but it shows that Mosconi, at age 67, still had his old style.
The parts showing trick shots and discussion of basics are not included.

At the end, Willie makes a statement about the end of his 526-ball run that is definitely not true.

http://www.vimeo.com/4957545
Click to expand...


Great vid -- thanks for sharing it, Ed.

A couple of observations:

First, I was a little surprised that he says he goes into the break shot with high right, rather than just high. It also seems that his objective is to end up at the bottom of the table, as opposed to going to the rail and back to the middle, or popping the cue ball of the side of the rack and staying in the middle.

I was also a little surprised at how much he went into other balls to open them up. But then, I suppose if you're Mosconi, you're not just going into the balls, you pretty much know how they're going to turn out :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
So did he quit or did he miss on his 526 ball run? It is amazing how well he plays with a jacket on.
 
I always thought the same thing about the jacket. The stuff they're expected to wear is great for spectators but must be hell to play in.

He said in his autobiography that he missed, and in this interview that he quit. It's a popular thing to debate here. I'm gonna say he really missed. Even if you're aware you already had enough for the world wecord, you don't have the best run of your life and then just stop cuz you're bored. They say all he cared about was the money but I think he also had a tremendous ego. He'd keep going if only to create the kind of ballrunning record that would stand a thousand years.

You could make a case that he missed the ball due to getting bored and quitting mentally. I wouldn't be surprised if the miss was a ball he routinely sinks under other circumstances.
 
Book

In his book Willie's Game he says "when I finally missed and ended the run, I was glad because I was so exhausted by that time." You have to remember that most days he played 2-3 exhibitions a day, that may have been his 2nd, or he might have had another to do that evening.
 
Ed Wiggins said:
In 1980, Willie Mosconi did an interview with sportscaster Bill Fleming.
The video is quite poor, but it shows that Mosconi, at age 67, still had his old style.
The parts showing trick shots and discussion of basics are not included.

At the end, Willie makes a statement about the end of his 526-ball run that is definitely not true.

http://www.vimeo.com/4957545
Click to expand...

Not to nit pick - but that video is not an interview - it was
an instructional tape, sorta.

Somewhere I have a copy squirled away of the entire tape.
Anybody who wants one - provided we don't break any rules of
copyright<wink wink> can contact me at:

pdcue@att.net or indicate in a post here.

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE do NOT PM

A few points

1. He missed - but only once.

Who knows why he claimed for years he just quit - maybe in response
to all the flack he got from the gambling groupies??

By the time of the printing of his 'autobiography' the story was out -
even to the point of a story in the local Springfield paper that
describes the one that didn't go.

2. High right - I've always assumed the right was so he could hit the
OB a bit fuller - to get a somewhat better 'angle of attack' into
the rack

3. Impressive as the video is - he is only a shadow of his former style,
not nearly as smooth as he had been say, 20 years before. And, by
comparison - he was kind of 'scrambling' on parts of the 2 racks.

Dale
 
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Vhs

Ed Wiggins said:
In 1980, Willie Mosconi did an interview with sportscaster Bill Fleming.
The video is quite poor, but it shows that Mosconi, at age 67, still had his old style.
The parts showing trick shots and discussion of basics are not included.

At the end, Willie makes a statement about the end of his 526-ball run that is definitely not true.

http://www.vimeo.com/4957545
Click to expand...

I have this whole tape on VHS. He still played mostly effortlessly at 67.
 
pdcue said:
Not to nit pick - but that video is not an interview - it was
an instructional tape, sorta.

Somewhere I have a copy squirled away of the entire tape.
Anybody who wants one - provided we don't break any rules of
copyright<wink wink> can contact me at:

pdcue@att.net or indicate in a post here.

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE do NOT PM

A few points

1. He missed - but only once.

Who knows why he claimed for years he just quit - maybe in response
to all the flack he got from the gambling groupies??

By the time of the printing of his 'autobiography' the story was out -
even to the point of a story in the local Springfield paper that
describes the one that didn't go.

2. High right - I've always assumed the right was so he could hit the
OB a bit fuller - to get a somewhat better 'angle of attack' into
the rack

3. Impressive as the video is - he is only a shadow of his former style,
not nearly as smooth as he had been say, 20 years before. And, by
comparison - he was kind of 'scrambling' on parts of the 2 racks.

Dale
Click to expand...


I saw him do several exhibitions in SF, like maybe 10 years earlier. I thought he was much crisper then -- IOW, instead of going into balls so much, he'd just pick them off until, almost like magic, the rack was gone.

I tried the high right today and it does seem to keep the CB at the bottom of the table, dependent of course on the speed. More speed and the ball comes straight down parallel to the left rail.

Lou Figueroa
 
maldito said:
I just wish that I could scramble like that every time - lol
Click to expand...

Don't we all

Like Lou, I saw a few of his exhibitions well before this tape
but still many years after he quit competition.

He was much more precise and controlled - one can only
wonder what he was like in the 40s and 50s

Dale
 
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lfigueroa said:
I saw him do several exhibitions in SF, like maybe 10 years earlier. I thought he was much crisper then -- IOW, instead of going into balls so much, he'd just pick them off until, almost like magic, the rack was gone.

I tried the high right today and it does seem to keep the CB at the bottom of the table, dependent of course on the speed. More speed and the ball comes straight down parallel to the left rail.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

Lou

A few weeks ago I posted a link to an instructional video by Pat Fleming that covers break shots in 14.1 - if you haven't seen it, it's worth checking it out - Pat covers which english to use in each situation - The rules he shares on that video are a very good guide.

Pat Fleming - The Creative Edge - Final Chapter


Thanks for posting that video, Ed. I chuckled when Mosconi started talking to the balls... and the balls listened to him.
 
Fleming's break shots

Blackjack said:
Lou

A few weeks ago I posted a link to an instructional video by Pat Fleming that covers break shots in 14.1 - if you haven't seen it, it's worth checking it out - Pat covers which english to use in each situation - The rules he shares on that video are a very good guide.

Pat Fleming - The Creative Edge - Final Chapter


Thanks for posting that video, Ed. I chuckled when Mosconi started talking to the balls... and the balls listened to him.
Click to expand...

I practiced those Fleming break shots over and over after you posted them blackjack, they work perfectly every time. Not once did I scratch, and I got good distribution on most shots. Thank you very much, it was a big help (and thanks Pat Fleming!)

Even older, and out of practice, Mosconi's stroke was great. You can see that he had/has a beautiful touch and fluid stroke that one can envy. The thing I liked most? He doesn't miss even the tough shots, and still gets great shape!
 
lfigueroa said:
I saw him do several exhibitions in SF, like maybe 10 years earlier. I thought he was much crisper then -- IOW, instead of going into balls so much, he'd just pick them off until, almost like magic, the rack was gone.

I tried the high right today and it does seem to keep the CB at the bottom of the table, dependent of course on the speed. More speed and the ball comes straight down parallel to the left rail.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

I saw Willie in two exhibitions when I was a teenager - around 1963-64 (post-Hustler boom opening new rooms). What I remember of his break shots is that often the cue ball would just plow through the rack like Dick Butkus going through high school linemen and come out the other side - a lot of action on the cue ball. But it's been so long ago ... wish I could seen it again now that I might appreciate it more. I assume the balls were phenolic and not clay back then, but I don't know.
 
Thanks for posting the video. I saw him play a few exhibitions about 10 years before that and he was indeed better then. He played so flawlessly and with such control of all the balls on the table, it was like he completely owned the table. I've never seen anyone else ever play like he did.
 
Nobody else

Mr441 said:
Thanks for posting the video. I saw him play a few exhibitions about 10 years before that and he was indeed better then. He played so flawlessly and with such control of all the balls on the table, it was like he completely owned the table. I've never seen anyone else ever play like he did.
Click to expand...

Nor did I.


Ed
 
What makes you think that his statement that he got tired and quit is not true? From what I heard it was a pretty easy ball that was missed. I have also heard from a few knowledgeable people that he had practice runs of around 1000 in his basement. Could you imagine running that many balls in one inning? I think I would be driving myself straight to the hospital after that.
 
pdcue said:
Impressive as the video is - he is only a shadow of his former style, not nearly as smooth as he had been say, 20 years before.
Click to expand...

To me, this is the most amazing thing of all. Wish I could have seen him playing in his prime. It has to be no shorter than amazing.

driz86 said:
Could you imagine running that many balls (1000) in one inning? I think I would be driving myself straight to the hospital after that.
Click to expand...

I'd be driving myself to the local pool room to show off!
 
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