Willie Mosconi

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I remember being around thebest playing pool hustlers that ever played
When Mosconi's name came up there was none of that

he was a funsy player talk.Not a word. Respect

He was considered in a league of his own.
After him straight pool wasn't the same

Willie could come to town and play an exhibition and fill a
large room.
He would entertain us and then run 125 balls

Clear the table off with a bunch of easy shots

Never will 9 ball have that attraction to the average guy

I saw him fill a room with people that might not have ever seen a pool room
classy people,doctors,lawyers,flashy dames and demure damsels

they were all smiling and happy

It takes a while to run 125 balls,but I saw people standing around the room watching.No one left early.we clapped,we shook our heads in wonder
all of us

you don't see that any more
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I remember being around thebest playing pool hustlers that ever played
When Mosconi's name came up there was none of that

he was a funsy player talk.Not a word. Respect

He was considered in a league of his own.
After him straight pool wasn't the same

Willie could come to town and play an exhibition and fill a
large room.
He would entertain us and then run 125 balls

Clear the table off with a bunch of easy shots

Never will 9 ball have that attraction to the average guy

I saw him fill a room with people that might not have ever seen a pool room
classy people,doctors,lawyers,flashy dames and demure damsels

they were all smiling and happy

It takes a while to run 125 balls,but I saw people standing around the room watching.No one left early.we clapped,we shook our heads in wonder
all of us

you don't see that any more

I played Willie an exhibition in 1964 and of course got crushed.
Living in N.J. in the '60s I saw just about all the great 14.1 players.
But seeing Willie for the first time in person made me realize that he truly was a level above all the others in 14.1.
 

Positively Ralf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
He was considered in a league of his own.
After him straight pool wasn't the same

Willie could come to town and play an exhibition and fill a
large room.
He would entertain us and then run 125 balls

Know whats interesting? That willie mosconi world of pocket billiards interview(if you even want to call it that) on youtube, which is more of a how to play video and with an interviewer who obviously has no idea who mosconi was, is somewhat symbolic of what you said. IF you hear mosconi talk in there, he talks like he knows the golden era of straight pool and pocket billiards was over. it's really sad if you watch it.
 

CESSNA10

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
At the 1992 US OPEN straight pool tournament in New York City at the Roosevelt Hotel Willie was there in am honorary capacity. On the last night I saw him leaving
in the lobby. I asked for his autograph and the guy he was with waved me off and said
no autographs. Willie over ruled him, signed my program, shook hands and spoke with me for a couple of minutes. It was the highlight of the whole tournament for me.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The balls available today have a lot more elasticity than balls from 80, 50, years ago and the cloth used today in high level tournaments also promotes the full stack opening up easier than when guys like Mosconi were in their prime. That is why Mosconi looked for sharper angles on his break shots- to get more balls open. Today's 14.1 game on Diamond pro cut pockets would be very difficult for even pros to run 100 balls without modern pool balls and modern billiard cloth. Everything changes with the times, Oliver Ortmann introduced "modern" 14.1 hi run techniques to America at the 1989 US Open 14.1 in Chicago - I was there- I saw it; and Danny Deliberto commented on one of Oliver's matches on ACCU STATS- "I have no idea what Oliver will do next- I am not familiar with this brand of straight pool". Oliver was banging the balls open from every angle where he saw a break out opportunity - no more pick and peck straight pool strategy employed.
 

L.S. Dennis

Well-known member
At the 1992 US OPEN straight pool tournament in New York City at the Roosevelt Hotel Willie was there in am honorary capacity. On the last night I saw him leaving
in the lobby. I asked for his autograph and the guy he was with waved me off and said
no autographs. Willie over ruled him, signed my program, shook hands and spoke with me for a couple of minutes. It was the highlight of the whole tournament for me.
It’s a shame that his matches where he run so many 125 and out during his heyday in the 40’s were captured on film.
They had movie cameras back then didn’t they?
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It’s a shame that his matches where he run so many 125 and out during his heyday in the 40’s were captured on film.
They had movie cameras back then didn’t they?
Apparently there was a lot of film of Mosconi in his prime but it all was lost in a house fire.
I still think that somewhere in a dark room Brunswick may still have some lost film.
 

LC3

Playing the table
Silver Member
The game had a certain panache back then, probably because that's how that era in general was. I read that Willie could be irritable at times (maybe just in his later days, not sure about his younger days). Be that as it may, the panache was in the beauty of how he moved the balls around the table.

I once saw some 9-ball that had a similar magic to Willie's straight pool. It was at a women's tournament in Tokyo. All of the players commanded respect at the table, but something a little extra special happened when Allison Fisher started playing. I wasn't the only person who was stunned by it, because I heard some other spectators' gasp at how smoothly she moved the cue ball from shot to shot with perfect position.
 
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measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The game had a certain panache back then, probably because that's how that era in general was. I read that Willie could be irritable at times (maybe just in his later days, not sure about his younger days). Be that as it may, the panache was in the beauty of how he moved the balls around the table.

I once saw some 9-ball that had a similar magic to Willie's straight pool. It was at a women's tournament in Tokyo. All of the players commanded respect at the table, but something a little extra special happened when Allison Fisher started playing. I wasn't the only person who was stunned by it, because I some other spectators' gasp at how smoothly she moved the cue ball from shot to shot with perfect position.
Allison Fisher playing 9 ball was poetry in motion.
Her mastery of the cue ball was incredible.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Mosconi autobiography Willie’s World, is a great read.

His cousin Lou was ticket agent, theatrical talent book in Southern, CA.

His son also Lou was owner of a Slot Car Racing business in Burbank, CA when I met Lou.

His cousin came into business once, I was introduced to Willie, Lou said he is a pool player.

Never at time put names together.
 

DynoDan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
One surprising thing pointed out in the book: ‘What it takes to be a champion’.….Willie’s level of dedication/preparation.
His concentration/focus in the days preceding a major tournament was unparalleled.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A great companion book is, "The Hustler & The Champ" by R.A Dyer about the relationship between Fats and Willie.

In it Dyer makes the case that Willie, in his earlier days, did gamble all the time. But once he was put under contract with Brunswick he distanced himself from the seedier side of the sport.

Lou Figueroa
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
A great companion book is, "The Hustler & The Champ" by R.A Dyer about the relationship between Fats and Willie.

In it Dyer makes the case that Willie, in his earlier days, did gamble all the time. But once he was put under contract with Brunswick he distanced himself from the seedier side of the sport.

Lou Figueroa


Will Willie was imho Pools greatest Ambassador, then & maybe ever,
 
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