Rodney Morris Challenges the Top 25 European Players

Very true about the Hall of Fame. In fact, even Minnesota Fats was not inducted as a player, but for meritorious service to the game. Minnesota Fats aside, though, hustlers usually do their work primarily behind closed doors with minimal fanfare and, when they do, they are not part of pro pool.

If Rodney's ready to beat all the champions to a pulp, let him return to the WPA tournament scene. Let him entertain the fans of the world while doing so and he'll pick up large chunks of money along the way in prize money, sponsorships and exhibitions, if he's as good as he believes. Given the money it would appear he has access to, the expenses of worldwide participation amount to next to nothing. A month from now, he'll face off against five of Europe's best at the Mosconi Cup. If he wants to make the kind of statement Johnny Archer made a year ago, the opportunity is right in front of him.

I am no more interested in watching Rodney Morris, a player I hold in the highest regard, beat the twenty third best European to a pulp any more than I want to watch a sixth grader beat up a third grader.

It is pro pool that offers one an opportunity to convene with most or all of the very best in one place at one time, and this is what I love about it. That's when you find out what you are made of.

Must one gamble to become a champion? I'll ask World 9-ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann next time I see him.

Once again, wise words from a pretty decent shortstop! :smile:
Stu can only run a few racks at 14.1, but that doesn't stop him from making astute observations about pool. I like this guy! :thumbup:
 
Fats was the exception and certainly not the rule. I can name a couple of dozen great pool hustlers from Cincinnati Clem to White Rags who will never get into the HOF. By the way CJ, Fats was a very good friend of mine. And that's a fact too! I was with him the day he got inducted into the HOF. He didn't get in because he was a good hustler either.

He got in thanks to his celebrity status, which he acquired through sheer dint of personality and charisma. Fats was by far the most famous pool player of the modern era. And he didn't have to make a ball either! All he had to do was talk and everyone loved him. Of course what he had to say made sense, it wasn't a bunch of airy fairy nonsense. Can you relate?

I never tire of listening to Fats in this well-known video ditty: Johnston City Pool Hustlers.

Then there's the king of the hustlers, Minnesota Fats, who helped put the Johnston City tournament together. Fats lives about 12 miles from the show bar, but he never plays in the tournament. He waits for someone to win the $20,000 prize money, then shoots them for the cash. That's his hustle, but according to Fats, everybody has one.

Fats: "Ain't Nixon hustling? Ain't he out shaking hands 24 hours a day, trying to get to be the president? Huh? Ain't everybody hustling? Yeah. Everybody's scuffling. See, there's two different -- there's a scuffler and a hustler. A hustler is one that's always in action and gets it once in a while, see, and a good hustler gets it more often. Then there's a scuffler. He never gets it. You understand? All he ever does is waste his time. Gets in everybody's way. You understand? That's how he goes through life, and he's a failure."

It is nice to see a young Ronnie Allen in that video snippet. Like Fats, his gift of gab was legendary, and people would surround his table to watch him perform, hanging onto his every word.

Unlike Fats, Ronnie did have a strong game in one-pocket, but he was more known as a hustler than a tournament soldier. Fats gained a celebrity status from his well-known feud with Willie Mosconi, and the two of them were often filmed on ESPN. People enjoyed seeing the two of them bicker. :D

Ronnie is an American pool legend, one who put the pocket billiards game of one-pocket on the map of the American pool landscape. He was a hustler, not a scuffler, and in the '70s, he was the One-Pocket King. He will never be inducted into the BCA's Hall of Fame. :(
 
I'm just curious, but what do you think about this latest trend of "challenge matches" between two players? Is that gambling or an exhibition in your eyes? It is different than a tournament consisting of a group of players in a 64-, 128-, or 256-man field.

If one player receives more money than the other, for winning a challenge match, that is gambling. Thorsten will not participate. Just last week there was a challenge match between Shuff and Hohmann that was billed as winner take all, initially. Thorsten refused. The match happened only after it was changed to an exhibition and the money was divided equally. Thorsten also made sure this was announced at the start of the stream.
 
If one player receives more money than the other, for winning a challenge match, that is gambling. Thorsten will not participate. Just last week there was a challenge match between Shuff and Hohmann that was billed as winner take all, initially. Thorsten refused. The match happened only after it was changed to an exhibition and the money was divided equally. Thorsten also made sure this was announced at the start of the stream.

Ethics, principles and morality need not be limited to European players.
 
rodney is just taunting for the upcoming M.C.

i really like rodney, great player and funny commentator too. but i remember that look on his face when team europe with tony drago in the front was bulldozering the US, and i can't get that sad puppy face out of my mind...:grin-square:

but seriously: no, there's not a chance in hell that he could beat the top euro players.

I had to laugh when I read this. Mostly because there are probably 50 players in Germany alone who gamble at the drop of a hat, and are capable of beating every one of the 25 top European Tournament Players. I have seen the German and European underbelly of the pool scene in the past, and it would be unlikely Morris could win against most of them. Granted, Morris is a great player, and has cut his teeth accordingly, but to show such hubris is a bit much. Perhaps the quality of play is down over there, and he would win against all of them at 20k or even more. But, what I always appreciated about the German "Zockers", was that when the money was up, it came out of their own pocket. No stakehorses to fall back on after day 1. I'd like for him to take $250,000 of his own money, and go to Europe and play 10 players, at $25k, and see if he will clean house as he says he can do. No disrespect to Rodney, but I think his statement is a bit of a stretch.

Carl

i second that, having been to germany, the netherlands, italy, greece, uk...there are lots of players in what you call the "european underbelly" that can beat rodney any day of the week. i know players who have beaten reyes, souquet, strickland, hohmann, etc but that probably very few people in the US know of. some of them are not even eurotour players.

one thing that contributes to the high-level of european pool is that many play snooker and pool, or have snooker background. another thing is the european welfare state-systems, without getting into politics i'd say that the systems contributes to european pool because european pool players who go "all-in" for the sport seldom ends up on barren land if they don't succeed (which makes for more people taking that step).
 
This is bullshit and really big one.If you think and if any of them think that could beat him why don't they take this chance and win some money?Why don't you invest on any of them and get some too?No one who thinks that could earn some money doesn't refused to.So,collect some money,sale few things that your family own or whatever and make this thing happens.But,I'll tell you this,neither do you or any of these players have enough money for this game as no one here have balls for high stacks games as well.
Yes,I saw Efen lost to one kido in Europe on tournamnet where prize money was 1000K for the first place and it was played race to 3.So,you are right about that but telling someone is better player,that is totally different story.
 
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David Alcaide
Darren Appleton
Karl Boyes
Niels Feijen
Mark Gray
Thorsten Hohmann
Mika Immonen
Chris Melling
Bruno Muratore
Oliver Ortmann
Nicholas Otterman
Darryl Peach
Huidji See
Jayson Shaw
Ralf Souquet
Nick Van Den Berg
Nick Ekonomopoulos
Fabio Petroni
Of this list of 18, the bold ones are those I like over Rodney.
 
If one player receives more money than the other, for winning a challenge match, that is gambling. Thorsten will not participate. Just last week there was a challenge match between Shuff and Hohmann that was billed as winner take all, initially. Thorsten refused. The match happened only after it was changed to an exhibition and the money was divided equally. Thorsten also made sure this was announced at the start of the stream.

I really don't understand his line of reasoning on this. In a tournament, you get down to where everyone left is in the money. At that point, you are down to the same thing as a challenge match. One player gets more than the other for winning.
 
I would like anyone to tell me,who has ever seen any of those European players you mantioned that have ever played for 20 or 25K.I am from Europe and I am in pool for more than 20years and traveled all Europe all way thru and have been on most tournaments and events and have never seen any high stack match.Never seen any gambling match for more than 10k per set,and I mean never and have never heard of one neither.
 
Oh, I see. You're referring to the Dancing Monkeys who perform for the pleasure of others and hope to get a few peanuts when the dust settles.

Personally, I don't see a difference between an exhibition match, two players duking it out on a field of tournament blue, and two players gambling that are being backed by a stakehorse. Both players are being backed.

You cant be serious.

JJ came into town to gamble with the locals.

He had the nuts if they would play any rotation game.

He was betting his own and the locals gave him all the action he wanted, but he had to play banks. They were smart enough to know not to let him play one pocket or 9 or 10 ball.

HE GAMBLED, and played banks, EVEN and didnt like it. When he left town he was several thousand lighter than when he came.

If it was playing in a tournament, he would have lost entry fee and expenses.

If he was playing an exhibition, hell he would have came away winner!

He was gambling, and THAT was the difference.

I wish I could be a dancing monkey...;)

Ken
 
His wife, T Bell stayed at my house in Dallas last time she passed through

Fats was the exception and certainly not the rule. I can name a couple of dozen great pool hustlers from Cincinnati Clem to White Rags who will never get into the HOF. By the way CJ, Fats was a very good friend of mine. And that's a fact too! I was with him the day he got inducted into the HOF. He didn't get in because he was a good hustler either.

He got in thanks to his celebrity status, which he acquired through sheer dint of personality and charisma. Fats was by far the most famous pool player of the modern era. And he didn't have to make a ball either! All he had to do was talk and everyone loved him. Of course what he had to say made sense, it wasn't a bunch of airy fairy nonsense. Can you relate?

Fats hustled everyone, he was not who he claimed to be, he didn't play as well as he claimed to play and he made people believe it.....even the "Hall of Fame" people.

He was entertaining and I knew him personally as well. His wife, T Bell stayed at my house in Dallas last time she passed through with me and my wife, Angela. She is an awesome lady and told a special story about Fats (the night we all went to the Magic Castle) and something he shared with her that she shared with me......maybe I'll share it with you one day too.

Play Well, The Inner Game is Our Teacher
 
the game it's self must take a back seat for the first part of the trip.

Didn't Shane beat the best Money player in Asia gambling already. A race to 100 on TAR. I hope CJ gets back into playing seriously for big cash. He used to have a standing rule that all road players he didn't know got the six ball and always won that way. CJ gave John Hager the last four when John was playing his best and robbed John. Anyway if Americans start gambling again and pool gets a shot in the arm again, we are superior.

I am getting back into the game again, and will probably concentrate 100% on the TV aspect. Playing for big money isn't the trend now and won't do much for the "big picture" of the game and that's what appeals to me.

Once we get a entertaining pool related show on TV the floodgates of enthusiasm will open again. The fact is the game is not popular enough right now, so we must focus on the character building aspects.....much like MMA, Poker and WWW did to get a "cult following".....it's done in all other sports too, it's just been going on for so long the games are institutionalized in our core consciousness.

This process must be developed from the "ground up" in Professional Pool......and there's a system to accomplish this, however the game it's self must take a back seat for the first part of the trip. 'The Game is the Inner Teacher'
 
Is it? Which European players are sponsored by their governments?

Not sponsored - FUNDED!
I wouldn't know 100% but the Polish, Netherlands, German (possibly), Austria, Czech Rep (possibly).
As stated not 100% sure (so please do not quote me), but know some of them are - am not from around those parts of town. :thumbup:
 
If one player receives more money than the other, for winning a challenge match, that is gambling. Thorsten will not participate. Just last week there was a challenge match between Shuff and Hohmann that was billed as winner take all, initially. Thorsten refused. The match happened only after it was changed to an exhibition and the money was divided equally. Thorsten also made sure this was announced at the start of the stream.

I just do not understand this logic. When Thorsten wins a tournament does he give the guy he beat enough money to make up the difference between 1st and 2nd place?

As to the topic of this thread Rodney is just doing his job of pumping the Mosconi Cup. Anyone who believes his offer could really happen should contact me as I have a low milage freshly painted bridge for sale
 
I just do not understand this logic. When Thorsten wins a tournament does he give the guy he beat enough money to make up the difference between 1st and 2nd place?

As to the topic of this thread Rodney is just doing his job of pumping the Mosconi Cup. Anyone who believes his offer could really happen should contact me as I have a low milage freshly painted bridge for sale

Really !?!?

Can you post pictures of the bridge?

I think I am interested.

Ken
 
Really !?!?

Can you post pictures of the bridge?

I think I am interested.

Ken[/QUOTE]

Low down payment. Easy monthly payments. Actually I will make you a special deal and just trade you even for one of those Boti's.


evgeni-leonov-loop-bridge-concept-0.jpg
 
Is it? Which European players are sponsored by their governments?

This is bullshit and really big one.If you think and if any of them think that could beat him why don't they take this chance and win some money?Why don't you invest on any of them and get some too?No one who thinks that could earn some money doesn't refused to.So,collect some money,sale few things that your family own or whatever and make this thing happens.But,I'll tell you this,neither do you or any of these players have enough money for this game as no one here have balls for high stacks games as well.
Yes,I saw Efen lost to one kido in Europe on tournamnet where prize money was 1000K for the first place and it was played race to 3.So,you are right about that but telling someone is better player,that is totally different story.

That's funny :smile:
Why not pay for 1,000,000.00?
By this logic Mark Zuckerberg would be one of the strongest money game pool players in the world :thumbup:
 
If one player receives more money than the other, for winning a challenge match, that is gambling.

It almost certainly isn't by almost anyone's definition, but I could understand that many people think all challenge matches are gambling even if they aren't. So many people still think this about TAR when actually they've been using the prize fund challenge match format for a long time now. So in that respect I could understand why Thorsten wouldn't want anyone to have the perception that he was gambling. Based on what I've read I know that is important to his own moral/ethical/professional code.
 
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