Hustler & The Champ: Willie Mosconi, Minnesota Fats, And The Rivalry That Defined Pool

by R. A. Dyer

Overview

In the tradition of Pulitzer Prize nominated, Positively Fifth Street, here is a riveting account of a high stakes shoot-out between pool’s two most famous personalities. It was Valentine’s Day, 1978, and Howard Cosell was hosting the long-awaited show-down between the best-ever tournament player, Willie Mosconi, and the game’s most famous hustler, Minnesota Fats. This was The Great Pool Shoot-Out, one of the most highly rated televised sporting events of the year, exceeding even World Series games and basketball championships. R.A. Dyer, author of the best-selling Hustler Days, which recounts the rise of pool during the 1960s, writes of the acrid, but mutually beneficial rivalry between Fats and Mosconi, and how the televised shoot-outs came to embody that rivalry, which was nothing less than a bitter rift within the soul of American pocket billiards. Fats and Mosconi were born the same year, but were vastly different characters: one stood for artistry, the other for show business; one brought dignity to pool, the other made it fun. They are without a doubt the two most important players ever to hold a cue. This is the ultimate tale of American sportsmanship.R.A. Dyer is a columnist for Billiards Digest, and lives in Austin, Texas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592288830
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

R. A. Dyer is a columnist for the nation's premier pool magazine, Billiards Digest. He is currently statehouse reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and before that, was a reporter for The Houston Chronicle, where he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Table of Contents

TOC OVERVIEWSome seminal events, over which chapters will be organized:*In 1948, Fats and Mosconi apparently met for the first time. This confrontation perfectly frames the conflicted relationship to follow. Fats came into Willie’s room to hustle up a game. In his autobiography, Fats said he “whacked out Willie good.” Mosconi said he sent Fats home with nothing left in his pocket but train fare. This was described in a footnote in Hustler Days. It will probably become a chapter in the new book.*At some point, there was litigation between Fats and Mosconi relating to claims and counter-claims over who really was the best pool player. * In 1971, at Johnston City, Minnesota Fats hustled a far superior player out of more than $20,000. The story is an amazing one — and involved deceit, stool pigeons, and an ingenious trap. So while Mosconi was the doubtlessly the better player, it still remains true that Fats was clearly the better hustler.*I foresee the book beginning in 1976. The occasion was a botched pool event, never televised, pitting Fats against a more obscure player. Mosconi was hired to moderate. As the story goes, Mosconi became enraged by one of Fats’ ridiculous boasts, actually ran at him from the broadcast booth, and the two had to be physically separated.*The first pool shoot-out was in 1977, and televised by ABC. They would continue on for another four years. The shoot-outs opened the eyes of professional marketers, and led to the later fame of Steve Mizerak, a three-time winner of the U.S. Open – but who gained his greatest renown as a pitchman for Budweiser beer.Although not as significant as the 1961 release of The Hustler, the pool shoot-outs nonetheless kept the sport in the public’s eye during the later 70s. The shoot-outs also offer a perfect vehicle to compare the characters of these vastly different players. Fats was undignified, loud — but very funny. Mosconi was the consummate athlete and disciplined – but painfully humorless. And of course, Fats saw gambling as the life blood of pool; Mosconi thought gamblers were destroying the sport. One thought pool was about showbiz; the other thought it was about excellence. Theirs was the classic conflict between form and content.The rivalry and the shoot-outs will illustrate broader themes: what is the proper role of entertainment in spectator sports? Is gambling always bad? Where has pool gone, and what does it owe to Willie Mosconi and Minnesota Fats?