MOSCONI - Gambling stories???
- Thread starter dirtypool40
- Start date
I'm saving it, but it's a really, really good read. It's about Willie gambling, when he was on top of the world, but, in my story, he lost. Willie wasn't a very gracious loser! But, of course, show me a loser who likes losing, and I'll show you a loser! :tongue:
I was thinking about calling it: "Audacity of Pool." It's gotta nice ring to it, but it does sound a little familiar! :smile2:
I hear that!! There was a guy in Binghamton, NY named John Cook who beat Willie in an exhibition in the late '50s, I think it was, and Willie about went ballistic, from what I hear. I beat John on the bar table one night in the early '70s but only because he was drunker than I was! {prior to 1978 when I gave up the sauce for good}
I have to say first, I saw Mosconi play more then a 100 times. I was like a stalker when he was within 200 miles, I could not get enough.
Mosconi played a guy in Miami once and the guy ran like 80 the first inning. Mosconi was going nuts in the chair. I hate to say this, but he usually played local yokels who didn't really play that good. Not because Mosconi was afraid to play, but as I heard him say, "They came here to see me". He doesn't want to play two shows a day, like he was doing in those days and be playing guys who were playing safe and doing everything to win. It was the Mosconi show and he knew it and he liked it that way.
'78 is the year I gave it up! :wink:
I saw Willie at a Rockville pool room named Let's Play Games one time. He was there to put on an exhibition. He set up this trick shot and asked if anybody in the audience wanted to shoot it in. My friends literally pushed me in the pit, saying, "She does." Willie looked at me and said to come on up. I was so scared, with all the eyeballs staring at me in the pit.
Willie said to me, "Just hit the one-ball straight on." I can't remember if he let me shoot with his cue or not, as I know I wasn't standing there holding my cue, but I hit the one-ball, medium speed, shaking like a leaf. All the other balls fell in the hole, just like they were supposed to. Whew, I did it! :grin-square:
Willie was dressed in a three-piece suit, necktie, leathers shoes, just like my father used to do. I guess that's the way they did it in the old days at that time. My dad would never leave the house without a suit on
Willie autographed a black-and-white photo for me. I still have it, hanging by my pool table in the basement. He was very formal, Willie was -- all business.
The gambling story I have of Willie is between him and my other half. Let me just say that after this action match, Willie was a little hot! :angry:
Of course I do
Bensingers reopened on Broadway and Diversey (and Clark) in January 1962.
the Beard
Bensingers reopened on Broadway and Diversey (and Clark) in January 1962.
the Beard
Great TV
Although they got to be friends as the series went on, or at least friendly with each other off the table, Fats really got under Willie's skin early in the series. I remember Willie getting hot enough that he emptied out his wallet, wanted to cancel the show and gamble with Fats right then and there! It took them awhile to calm Willie down and get him back to the scheduled program. That was either very early in the series of exhibitions on TV or maybe an earlier TV meeting that persuaded the network that Willie and Fats could sell air time. I remember it as one of their first specials but it has been a long time.
Hu
Although they got to be friends as the series went on, or at least friendly with each other off the table, Fats really got under Willie's skin early in the series. I remember Willie getting hot enough that he emptied out his wallet, wanted to cancel the show and gamble with Fats right then and there! It took them awhile to calm Willie down and get him back to the scheduled program. That was either very early in the series of exhibitions on TV or maybe an earlier TV meeting that persuaded the network that Willie and Fats could sell air time. I remember it as one of their first specials but it has been a long time.
Hu
IIRC, there is a story in one of Eddie Robins's One Pocket books about Willie busting Fats at One Pocket. Something to the effect that Fats called his backer in New York for more money, telling him that Willie didn't really know the game, he just kept running 8 and out:grin:
Fun thread...
I love the one about Fats!!! :rotflmao1:
I love the one about Fats!!! :rotflmao1:
Cool Story
There is a good measure of truth in the story. I'm not sure of the bet, but they did play a race to so many games. I'm not sure of the length of the race either, but it was anywhere from 7 to 10 games, certainly not 13. It happened at Chicago's Bensingers (29 W Randolph). Mosconi was either doing an exhibition there or attending a tournament. Forgot which. It happened in the 50s. The players name was Joe Sebastian -- a top player hanging around Chicago at that time -- he had been goading Willie to play. Willie did run out the whole set on a 4 1/2 x 9 (a very easy table by the way. I played on it many times), and Sebastian did make the famous remark to the backer, "You cant quit, you aint seen me shoot yet!" Joe Sebastian was certainly not a "kid" either.
the Beard
Thanks for the clarification very cool!:thumbup:
There is a good measure of truth in the story. I'm not sure of the bet, but they did play a race to so many games. I'm not sure of the length of the race either, but it was anywhere from 7 to 10 games, certainly not 13. It happened at Chicago's Bensingers (29 W Randolph). Mosconi was either doing an exhibition there or attending a tournament. Forgot which. It happened in the 50s. The players name was Joe Sebastian -- a top player hanging around Chicago at that time -- he had been goading Willie to play. Willie did run out the whole set on a 4 1/2 x 9 (a very easy table by the way. I played on it many times), and Sebastian did make the famous remark to the backer, "You cant quit, you aint seen me shoot yet!" Joe Sebastian was certainly not a "kid" either.
the Beard
Thanks for the clarification very cool!:thumbup:
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How do you sandbag and get anybody to believe it if you are Willie Mosconi? Maybe when he was a kid before he became known but after that it would be hard for the man to walk into a pool room and not be recognized. Unless he wore a disguise like the old Jimmy Moore story.
Please share!!
The gambling story I have of Willie is between him and my other half. Let me just say that after this action match, Willie was a little hot!
Please share you cant tease us like that.I am sure its exciting!!:thumbup:
The gambling story I have of Willie is between him and my other half. Let me just say that after this action match, Willie was a little hot!
Please share you cant tease us like that.I am sure its exciting!!:thumbup:
he was a sore loser every time he made a bet and lost or it was close. even in his exhibitions when brunswick opened a poolroom he would berate the player ( kid) that was chosen to play him. he was probably the best ever at straight pool but that is his only quality.
Thanks for that info. I remember this location well because when I was a kid, still way too young to actually enter Bensinger's, my family doctor was located in that building. And as you probably are aware, the Keefe & Hamer Co. was also located in this very same building.
Willie came to New Orleans for an exhibition as he did in so many towns around the country.
He was playing one of the local popular players, Frank White straight pool. Frank was winning the match and Willie, the owner of the pool room and Frank went into a back room to discuss the situation, whereupon Willie told Frank that the people didn't come to see him play and that they came to see Willie play. They (the owner and Willie primarily) changed the number of points that they were going to and the young Frank White succumbed to the great player's skill. I think the badgering and the change of the number of points they were going to had lot to do with the momentum swing.
JoeyA
WOW! That is almost word for word what he said about our local player. Now I know it's true.
JoeyA
WOW! That is almost word for word what he said about our local player. Now I know it's true.
JoeyA
I think a lot of top pros have that same attitude in regards to exhibitions. I remember reading an article in one of the pool magazines back in the 90's where Mizerak was doing a 14.1 exhibition against a local player and after mizerak missed the player got on a hot streak and ran 40 or so and for some reason Mizerak was miffed about this, so when the local player missed Mizerak said loudly "well you can sit down now!" as if the guy had no right to run 40 on him!