Mosconi/Gleason

[sammylane12]

I came across this tidbit from Sports Illustrated`s vault.

“Mosconi says he has never been a hustler himself. Except once, he reflected last week, when the New York restaurateur Toots Shor persuaded him to pull a little con on Jackie Gleason (who was later to be a star of The Hustler). Posing as a Philadelphia dress manufacturer named Shuman, Mosconi gulled Gleason out of $100 in their first game and in the second ran 75 balls right-handed and then 75 left-handed to flatten Jackie's ego as well as his wallet.”

I had never heard that Mosconi could play like that left handed. It is humbling to think about.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I came across this tidbit from Sports Illustrated`s vault.

“Mosconi says he has never been a hustler himself. Except once, he reflected last week, when the New York restaurateur Toots Shor persuaded him to pull a little con on Jackie Gleason (who was later to be a star of The Hustler). Posing as a Philadelphia dress manufacturer named Shuman, Mosconi gulled Gleason out of $100 in their first game and in the second ran 75 balls right-handed and then 75 left-handed to flatten Jackie's ego as well as his wallet.”

I had never heard that Mosconi could play like that left handed. It is humbling to think about.

Here is a previous thread about this but from another magazine:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=247669&highlight=gleason+mosconi
If you think that left-handed play is impressive, you should see Ronnie O'Sullivan play snooker left handed. He has played entire matches against a top-16 player left handed.