Pretty Boy FLoyd??
- Thread starter tigerseye
- Start date
My only Jimmy story...
At DCC a few years ago Floyd walks out the bar near the action room..nearly in disguise, wearing a baseball hat and glasses.
He was quiet and minding his own business when a young punk recognized him and started to dog him. The young player was mouthing off saying something like, "Hey Pretty Boy Floyd...how 'bout we play some...maybe $1000 a set...get up and play somebody."
Pretty Boy took a sip of his beer, looked at the punk and said...
"1000 a set? Whaddya on...a BUDGET???"
He then removed his glasses and said, "First of all, I don't play anymore. If I WAS still playing, we wouldn't play for $1000, we'd be playing for $100,000, nit."
...
I laughed so hard, beer shot out my nose...and boy did that burn!
At DCC a few years ago Floyd walks out the bar near the action room..nearly in disguise, wearing a baseball hat and glasses.
He was quiet and minding his own business when a young punk recognized him and started to dog him. The young player was mouthing off saying something like, "Hey Pretty Boy Floyd...how 'bout we play some...maybe $1000 a set...get up and play somebody."
Pretty Boy took a sip of his beer, looked at the punk and said...
"1000 a set? Whaddya on...a BUDGET???"
He then removed his glasses and said, "First of all, I don't play anymore. If I WAS still playing, we wouldn't play for $1000, we'd be playing for $100,000, nit."
...
I laughed so hard, beer shot out my nose...and boy did that burn!
the real gambler
the most memorable story I can recall about him was told in the book "Playing Off The Rail..." It was about him getting either kicked out or banned from a casino tournament (Reno or Vegas) ; I guess he then decided to gather all the money he could and bet it all (some crazy huge amount) on his hometown football team......which he won and threw a big party......It was a case of all or nothing on that bet, which I thought pretty much represented his attitude as a gambler.........
the most memorable story I can recall about him was told in the book "Playing Off The Rail..." It was about him getting either kicked out or banned from a casino tournament (Reno or Vegas) ; I guess he then decided to gather all the money he could and bet it all (some crazy huge amount) on his hometown football team......which he won and threw a big party......It was a case of all or nothing on that bet, which I thought pretty much represented his attitude as a gambler.........
wahcheck...It was in Reno. The part of that story you left out, was that Mataya had been on a losing streak for awhile. He was just about completely busted, and this was his "last gasp". If he lost, he said he was gonna go up on the roof and jump off...and he meant it (that may have been an alcolhol-induced comment, but it was for real, at the time). Fortunately he won.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
wahcheck said:
Neil said:I believe he had also mazed out his credit cards on that bet. He bet EVERYTHING he could get his hands on for that one last bet. (Didn't turn out to be his last by a long shot!)
I haven't seen him in years...
The last time i saw him he was playing a 10-ball ring game 50 on the 5 and 50 on the 10 @ Brass Tap & Billiards in Raliegh N.C. The other palyers inclluded Cliff Joyner, Mark Tadd, Rafael Martinez, and Mccready i believe.... It was very fun to watch...Rafael ran like 3-4 racks in a row to start it off...lol!! But mataya didn't blink at the impressive start and kept the same calm/cool attitude throughout the match...
That's one of the best lines I've ever heard!
that's one of the best lines I've ever heard... Pretty darn funny:clapping:
SpiderWebComm said:
that's one of the best lines I've ever heard... Pretty darn funny:clapping:
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When he was married to Ewa, was she a strong player then? Did he teach her how to shoot or was she already a shooter when they hitched up?
I wonder if he misses her?
I wonder if he misses her?
The other best line from Jimmy Mataya is "cash ain't heavy, carry some".
Yeah, there aren't any youngsters that can hang with Floyd in the barking department. I saw him in Vegas years ago and he was whizzing balls in from everywhere and barking at the rail - which had some good players sitting there - and NO ONE stepped up to play.
The stuff coming out of his mouth was like an HBO Comedy Special.
Yeah, there aren't any youngsters that can hang with Floyd in the barking department. I saw him in Vegas years ago and he was whizzing balls in from everywhere and barking at the rail - which had some good players sitting there - and NO ONE stepped up to play.
The stuff coming out of his mouth was like an HBO Comedy Special.
grandpapkusky said:When he was married to Ewa, was she a strong player then? Did he teach her how to shoot or was she already a shooter when they hitched up?
I wonder if he misses her?
He may have been at the peak or near the peak of his game when they met. She could already play a little, Swedish champion, maybe?? I remember reading about him in the late '70s, I think he had a standing offer of $10,000 to play anybody Straight pool and nobody took him up on it.
I never had the privilege to meet Jimmy Mataya when he was playing, but I have met him since then. He is, most definitely, a hoot!
Rumor mill has it -- (remember, this is hearsay) -- that one year he bet a few dimes on a football team at the beginning of the season, and the odds were something like 100 to 1. Well, at the end of the season, they won, leaving Jimmy enough cheese to enjoy life.
We have run into Jimmy a few times on the pool tournament trail, and Keith McCready, who is a good friend of his, enjoys Jimmy's company each and every time for hours and hours. I love hearing the both of them tell stories, and Jimmy has quite a few of them.
In 2006, which is when the picture below was taken, Keith and I were eating at a restaurant in the Venetian located in Vegas. Jimmy walks by, and Keith calls out his name. So he sits down with us. Keith asked Jimmy to be his corner man if Keith was fortunate enough to do well in the pool tournament, and Jimmy was very happy that Keith thought enough of him to ask.
I sensed a little melancholy in Jimmy that year, and I'm not sure why. Maybe he was missing competition and wishes he was in the tournament playing, instead of as a railbird. I'm not sure.
Next to us, two younger pool players walked in the restaurant, who I knew from other tournaments. One of them caught my attention when Jimmy went to the bathroom and said, "Could you please introduce me to Jimmy Mataya? I've never met him, and I'd sure like to." Of course, I said yes. Jimmy Mataya, no matter where he goes, does have a presence about him. LOL!
Keith, Jimmy, and me, we closed the restaurant down that night, sitting there jaw-breaking until the wee hours of the morning. Jimmy Mataya is good people, and he is also an American pool legend. :smile:
There's a video out there of Keith and Harry Platis gambling with Ronnie Allen, while Ronnie plays one-handed against the two of them. Between games, you can see Jimmy Mataya running up to Harry, and he's side-betting, barking, and putting his cheese on Ronnie. The quality isn't that great on this video, but it is kind of funny when you what's happening. :grin-square:
Rumor mill has it -- (remember, this is hearsay) -- that one year he bet a few dimes on a football team at the beginning of the season, and the odds were something like 100 to 1. Well, at the end of the season, they won, leaving Jimmy enough cheese to enjoy life.
We have run into Jimmy a few times on the pool tournament trail, and Keith McCready, who is a good friend of his, enjoys Jimmy's company each and every time for hours and hours. I love hearing the both of them tell stories, and Jimmy has quite a few of them.
In 2006, which is when the picture below was taken, Keith and I were eating at a restaurant in the Venetian located in Vegas. Jimmy walks by, and Keith calls out his name. So he sits down with us. Keith asked Jimmy to be his corner man if Keith was fortunate enough to do well in the pool tournament, and Jimmy was very happy that Keith thought enough of him to ask.
I sensed a little melancholy in Jimmy that year, and I'm not sure why. Maybe he was missing competition and wishes he was in the tournament playing, instead of as a railbird. I'm not sure.
Next to us, two younger pool players walked in the restaurant, who I knew from other tournaments. One of them caught my attention when Jimmy went to the bathroom and said, "Could you please introduce me to Jimmy Mataya? I've never met him, and I'd sure like to." Of course, I said yes. Jimmy Mataya, no matter where he goes, does have a presence about him. LOL!
Keith, Jimmy, and me, we closed the restaurant down that night, sitting there jaw-breaking until the wee hours of the morning. Jimmy Mataya is good people, and he is also an American pool legend. :smile:
There's a video out there of Keith and Harry Platis gambling with Ronnie Allen, while Ronnie plays one-handed against the two of them. Between games, you can see Jimmy Mataya running up to Harry, and he's side-betting, barking, and putting his cheese on Ronnie. The quality isn't that great on this video, but it is kind of funny when you what's happening. :grin-square:
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I'm, hoping he'll be in Valley Forge, I'd love to ask him about his old Balabushka (which I own). He always was one of my favorite players. 
Here is a cool little skit with Jimmy Mataya and Danny Medina. Its kinda cheezy, but still pretty good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zugw7OEZSe0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zugw7OEZSe0
I first met Jimmy on the day that I set eyes of a 9x4 pool table. I had been doing some snooker coaching in Germany. When I walked into the Dusseldorf Hilton and heard the click of balls. But they did not sound like snooker balls.
So I looked in the ballroom and I saw the pool table.
I also saw - Bob Meucci, Don Mackey, Team America, Team Germany and Team Sweden playing World Team Billiards.
Within an hour of first seeing 9 Ball being played they persuaded me to referee a televised match.
The commentators were - Jimmy Mataya and Lou Machine Gun Butera.
What a baptism of fire!
So I looked in the ballroom and I saw the pool table.
I also saw - Bob Meucci, Don Mackey, Team America, Team Germany and Team Sweden playing World Team Billiards.
Within an hour of first seeing 9 Ball being played they persuaded me to referee a televised match.
The commentators were - Jimmy Mataya and Lou Machine Gun Butera.
What a baptism of fire!