Willie Mosconi

[steveinflorida]

Jimmy Caras once told me that Willie didn't speak to him for year
after he beat Mosconi in an exibition match.

 

[3andstop]

One thing is for sure, when you mix pure talent with devastating killer intensity and desire, you get a very dangerous pool player.

 

[nancewayne]

That statement sounds like "Earl" ! He was and still is, a great player that gets upset if anything is not right ! (a perfectionist!)

One thing is for sure, when you mix pure talent with devastating killer intensity and desire, you get a very dangerous pool player.

 

[elvicash]

I doubt he ever made a decision that was for the good of the game or for other pocket billiard professionals, his being a purist aside. It seems to me as if he was looking out for Mosconi at all times. No doubt he ran the 526, ran 100+ in exhibition constantly dominated the world championship etc. He did that and it was great but pool was bigger then and he could have promoted the sport and other players which might have ultimately made him more money. I have talked to a few of the older guys who knew Mosconi and he seemed to be a bit of a primadonna always looking out for #1.

 

[KRJ]

Hmmmm

I doubt he ever made a decision that was for the good of the game or for other pocket billiard professionals, his being a purist aside. It seems to me as if he was looking out for Mosconi at all times. No doubt he ran the 526, ran 100+ in exhibition constantly dominated the world championship etc. He did that and it was great but pool was bigger then and he could have promoted the sport and other players which might have ultimately made him more money. I have talked to a few of the older guys who knew Mosconi and he seemed to be a bit of a primadonna always looking out for #1.

I wish we ONLY had prima donna's to contend with in today's sports. If being a prima donna was the worst thing,,, god, compared to todays athletes then Mosconi's my hero.

Bonds is on trial for perjury related to sticking himself with illegal drugs to become the all time HR leader. Bonds was asked to sign a jersey by a former White Sox player, Ron Kittle, as he was trying to raise money for childrens cancer event. Bonds told him he don't sign for white folks, and Mr. Kittle informed him that black kids get cancer too, but Bonds just walked out the clubhouse without signing.

Wife beaters, murderers, rapists, burglaries, gun charges, drug charges, killing animals, etc., are rampant in todays' sports. Let's not even talk about Hollywood stars !!

Compared to LeBron James, Willie Mosconi looks like a shy catholic school girl. Let's try and put this in a little perspective for Mr. Mosconi. Ok, maybe he was not Mr. Sunshine, but my God, what did he do that was so horrible that we must keep talking ill of the dead for heavens sake.

 

[14oneman]

I must have seen him play exhibitions more the 50 times and he was always kind of a miserable guy. He would give dirty looks at anyone who moved when he was shooting. Once after a not so great trick shot exhibition, he didn't know they would be 4 x 8's. He left without signing any autographs and as he was maybe 30 feet away shouted back, "What time do I have to be back here tonight, I want to get in a round of golf". It was obvious being in that pool room and having to be nice to the customers was the last place he wanted to be.

Once he was playing an exhibition in Tampa against Eddie Taylor. It was a 1000 point catch up match over 4 nights all guaranteed money. We got there a little late the second night and everyone was just milling around. Turns out Mr. Baker who owned the room and was footing the bill for everything had thrown Mosconi out of the room and paid off Taylor. Mosconi was so miserable the first night yelling at the spectators, complaining about everything in the place. Said something to the effect that Bakers room was a dump, sort of correct by the way, Mr. Baker had had enough and it was over. To the best of my knowledge Baker didn't pay Mosconi he gave all the money to Taylor.

This is not to bad mouth Mosconi but beyond his obvious talent there was not much there to admire about the man. Ask Danny DiLiberto about Mosconi. When Mosconi was working for Ebonite they wanted to give a job to Danny as their touring pro. The company was headquartered in Hialeah where Danny lived. Mosconi put the kibosh on the deal keeping Danny from getting the job. Mosconi I doubt ever did a thing for another player in his life.

That doesn't sound anything like the Willie Mosconi that was a family friend, that I grew up around, and knew pretty well. To me, he was one of the nicest men I ever knew, and I miss him very much.

 

[macguy]

That doesn't sound anything like the Willie Mosconi that was a family friend, that I grew up around, and knew pretty well. To me, he was one of the nicest men I ever knew, and I miss him very much.

I can appreciate what you say and I was a big fan of his. That is why I saw him so many times. He did a zillion exhibitions back then often over several days in the same town. If I knew he was within a few hundred miles I would go and I don't regret it at all. I was a 14.1 nut and studies everything I saw him do. My comments were just an objective view of what I saw from a pretty good sampling. I will say later years I would see him at the BCA shows and he was always cordial to people. It was a different setting though. When he was on the road for Brunswick he always played matches with locals and was always under the gun the be "The Great Mosconi" and he never disappointed.

He would run balls day and night no matter what the conditions. These tables were nothing special just the tables in pool rooms and bowling alleys. It made no difference he would run out regardless. I retrospect, he probably was always under pressure. It was a lot different playing matches with local champs who would love to beat you then just doing trick shots. He liked 150 point games I guess to be sure he won and I never saw him lose, not once. Occasionally someone may put a run on him but most games were no more the three innings and he was out.

I saw him play a creepy guy called Red Campbell a good local player. Mosconi ran maybe 20 balls and got tied up and missed a bank. Red gets up and says, "You can sit down now Mr. Mosconi". Red ran maybe 40 or so and missed. Mosconi ran like 130 and out. But that is a example what he put up with an a daily basis when he was on the rode for Brunswick. I think Brunswick just wore him down at one point he must have been playing 200 exhibitions a year. Maybe it is not so hard to see that it stopped being fun.
I have no doubt when he was home and among friends he was a lot happier.