He also said his run of 526 ended without a miss.
Why has no one beat Mosconi's high run?
- Thread starter nineballsafety8
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He also said his run of 526 ended without a miss.
Though Willie is generally known to have died of a heart attack, what is not widely known is that later in life he also suffered from Alzheimers. So it is possible, if not likely, that what he recalled in his later years was that he was tired and perhaps not that he missed.
Also, beside Willie's autobiography, there are other accounts from that night that mention he missed. One of them is in, "The Hustler & The Champ" R.A. Dyer's wonderful book on the rivalry between Mosconi and Fats. In that book there is a great passage filled with tons of details from that night in Springfield (who knew Mosconi was an adept pinball player?!). Here is an excerpt:
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“During the early morning hours of March 20, 1954, Mosconi completed a run of 526 balls. Again, that’s 5-2-6. It represented at least thirty-four racks of straight pool and maybe more depending on how one does the counting. It is a record that has remained standing for more than five decades, and, in fact, may never be surpassed. It is pool’s most cherished record and in all ways as startling as DiMaggio’s fifty-six game hitting streak, or the hundred-point game by Wilt Chamberlain.
‘At 12:50 a.m., he missed the 527th shot — a six-ball in the corner. It tottered at the pocket but would not fall, said Hatfield.’ (Dick Hatfield was a long-term regular of Springfield’s East High Billiards.) At 1:10 a.m., the Springfield News and Sun was called to report the story... Lefty made a sketch of the missed shot, the fifth of the final rack. It jawed out of the corner. That's when Mosconi looked up, smiled apologetically, and said he was getting tired anyway."
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In that same book, Charlie Ursitti (just inducted into the BCA HOF), said he racked for Mosconi one night in the run up to Willie's match with Fats and Mosconi ran a 589. According to Ursitti, Mosconi broke the last rack wide open and then walked away, saying, "See, running 600 balls is no big deal."
Lou Figueroa
Details? I think we should promote this far and wide.
DCC.
14.1 Challenge.
Every year.
In the words of Dennis Spears, "Get that money."
Lou Figueroa
;-)
Right, his motivation was to entertain the crowd on behalf of the room owner who was a good friend. Normally Mosconi had zero desire to stay in a room any longer than absolutely necessary to fulfill his obligation.
Which is why I call it an accidental record. Several others say that others ran more balls on tougher equipment but their runs didn't have the luxury of witnesses willing to sign an affidavit to that effect.
If 10k is really up for grabs as David Bond said a few posts ago then I have to conclude that today's players are too lazy, not that they are incapable of breaking this record.
Not the same equipment. Bring in a table that replicates what Mosconi had when he did it and see what happens.
Not so. Everytime I saw him, Mosconi would hang around and talk with the old-timers. Unless it was an afternoon exhibition and he had to make another gig, he'd stay around.
Lou Figueroa
There are *plenty* of eight foot tables around. Anyone could set one up and a video cam.
Lou Figueroa
I think that's the romantic notion but in fact outside of a few straight pool purists no one really cares these days.
Appleton now owns the highest run in competition according to several sources, 200 and out I think. It has not really translated into much extra money for him.
I mean I could see your point from our perspective. But I don't think it plays out that way in today's billiard world. I do agree that it would be worth breaking just to do it and see what happens. But I honestly think players don't see the value in it just for the sake of doing it.
I think that they can. Thomas Engert ran a 498 on tougher equipment. Schmidt ran 400 on tougher equipment. Mike Carrella ran 700 on tougher equipment.
Set up an easy 4x8 and let them go to it and I think that the record on the same equipment would fall.
The book you just quoted from says differently.
Yes they can and as I said there is therefore no motivation.
If you don't think Engert, Schmidt, Carella, or any other 14.1 player you'd care to name wouldn't give their left nut to break the record *purely for pride and bragging rights* you're delusional (oh, wait...)
Lou Figueroa
soooooo tough
to find an 8' table
and video cam
Apparently you're quite wrong because they aren't trying.
Maybe you would give up your nuts to do something you can't do but they have already proven that they can run super high numbers and I doubt highly that any of them thinks it's impossible.
Delusional is thinking that a guy who ran 498 would ever think he couldn't run two more racks.
Ha, ha, ha.
You, sir, are obviously not a straight pool player.
Lou Figueroa
they're trying their
ever lovin' hearts out
but can't get there
No they are not trying. If they were we would see more high runs.
From Shane in a recent interview.
"Q: If there is a big prize for the one who beats Willie Mosconi record (526 balls), how long would it take? Do you think you could do that?
A: Yes, I think I could beat it. If one is going to play straight pool for the whole year, somebody would eventually beat it. But there are no tournaments of straight pool, so not so many people are competing straight pool now.
Q: What's your best run at straight pool?
A: 305."
This is from a guy who barely plays straight pool. Not even the top players in Europe are trying to beat it because outside of a little notoriety among guys like you no one cares.
Exactly right. Very few people are trying to beat this record and few care whether the records fall.
I'm a straight pool enthusiast who really could care less whether Mosconi's exhibition record of 526 falls or Cranfield's practice run of 768 falls. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I do, however, care whether Appleton's competitive record of 200 and out falls. If the world's two best 14.1 players, Hohmann and Appleton, wanted it bad enough, I think either is capable of a 1,000 ball run. ... but 14.1 isn't the game that earns you a living anymore, so why would they focus on the game? Incidentally, there are a few more capable of beating the current records.
PS For those who say today's pockets are too tight, you overlook that with slow cloth, dead rails, and composition balls, the balls didn't spread that much on the break shots and they skidded more often than the balls of today. It was a different game back then and the comparison is possibly time wasted.
They had the best cushions then.
The MONARCH CUSHIONS made in Chicago.
And AMF also had the Manhattan cushions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nWLQWYnhHKY#t=951
Look at the size of that corner pocket .
JoeyInCali; said:They had the best cushions then.
The MONARCH CUSHIONS made in Chicago.
And AMF also had the Manhattan cushions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nWLQWYnhHKY#t=951
Look at the size of that corner pocket .
Not what I'm saying.
Unlike today, tournaments were not typically played on newly covered tables with new rails. On the contrary, with rare exception, they tended to be contested on worn tables with worn rails and balls, in stark contrast to what you see today at the Derby City 14.1 challenge, the truest tribute of the year to the setting of high runs.
