The Hustler and the Champ: Minnesota Fats, Willie Mosconi, and the Rivalry that Defined Pool
Willie Mosconi was pool’s greatest champion—the winner of fifteen world titles, the holder of records that have remained undisturbed for generations. Minnesota Fats was pool’s most important trickster, a man who built his fame and fortune upon deceit and guile. In 1978, both men came together for what would become the most viewed pocket billiards match in American history. Before a breathless nation, pool’s two most important personalities set out to prove who really was best.\ \...
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Willie Mosconi was pool’s greatest champion—the winner of fifteen world titles, the holder of records that have remained undisturbed for generations. Minnesota Fats was pool’s most important trickster, a man who built his fame and fortune upon deceit and guile. In 1978, both men came together for what would become the most viewed pocket billiards match in American history. Before a breathless nation, pool’s two most important personalities set out to prove who really was best. Mosconi may have been remembered as one of the most dominant sports figures of all time, a man who had laid low some of the greatest players in history—but no one would pose a greater threat to his legacy than the man-child Minnesota Fats. So when the consummate perfectionist and the unapologetic gambler finally went head to head for what Howard Cosell described as one of the most fascinating televised segments he ever hosted, all of America would ask the same question: Who would win? The Hustler & The Champ tells of both men’s hardscrabble march to greatness, of their bitter decades-long rivalry, and finally of the televised shoot-out that revealed pocket billiards to millions even as it exposed the deep contradictions within all of organized competition. Through the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the resurgent 1960s, R.A. Dyer follows the lives of both men and tells the story of America’s conflicted love affair with the sport of rogues.
Author's Note VThe Champ 1The Usurpers 3The TV Disaster 11The Kingdom 19Odysseus and Eurymachus 31Roadmen 35A Nation of Rottweilers 39Creation Myth 51Fats Versus Willie, Round 1 57Jawing the Yellow Ball 67Wide World of Sports 77Ralph and Willie 83The Trickster 93The Prophet 101Wagers Made with Suckers 111Hermes and Krishna 117The Best Trick Yet 123Duty and Responsibility 129The Fats & Willie Show 139Fats's No. 1 Helper 147Penelope and Ithaca 151Records 159Polsky's Lament 167The Bite Artist 173The Stroke 177The Hustler 189Hustlers and Scufflers 199Willie's Trap 209Three Weeks in Johnston City 213The Death of Willie's Game 2211978 229The GreatShoot-Out 235Behind the Eight-Ball 243Willie and the Trickster 249Epilogue 257Appendix I 261Appendix II 279Endnotes 281Glossary 297Index 301
