Author Robert Byrne at work

Ever wonder how Bob Byrne got those little pictures into his instructional books? During my recent interview with the author, Bob explained that he actually had to cut and paste each one by hand. He used tape and rubber cement and an actual pair of scissors. Very old school. I've included a picture of Bob hard at work, above.

Byrne, as you may already know, is the author of his Standard Book of Pool & Billiards,  Complete Book of Pool Shots and most recently, Behold My Shorts. He's our sport's most successful living author -- a testament to his lively writing and ability to clearly explain sometimes difficult concepts.

One thing I enjoy most about his instructional books are the diagrams. They always include a line drawing of a guy's back and arm, shooting pool. Bob tells me he was the model for the shooter, who in the images often appears to have changed his shirt. "The table diagram and the shooter were drawn by a professional artist and what I do is put the balls on using a plastic template, add lettering if needed, and draw the ball paths with triangles and French curves," he explains.

Bob further explains in an interview you can find elsewhere on this site that he had a professional photographer perch atop a step ladder to capture original images for his books. To read that Q&A, keep scrolling down or just click here. And you can see more photos of the templates by navigating through the jump break by clicking on the "read more" link.

-- R.A. Dyer

PoolSynergy 6: One on One with Robert Byrne

PoolSynergy is a collaborative effort between online pool writers, each of whom agree to post essays on a single theme. This month's edition is hosted by Fast Mikie McCafferty and his Diary of a Pool Shooter blog. Check it out to find more essays.

For our PoolSynergy topic this month we've been asked to write an essay about "The Most Important Thing about Pool." I have to confess this was something of a stumper for me. Keep your head down when you shoot? Remember to follow through? No crying in nine-ball? I had no idea. So instead of inventing some weighty bit of nonsense and then pawning it off as wisdom, I took the coward's way out. I called Robert Byrne.

As the author of seven popular books on pool -- including his incredible Standard Book on Pool & Billiards -- Bob Byrne enjoys a much-deserved reputation as our sport's foremost educator. His Standard Book has sold more than 400,000 copies since its original publication in 1978 and his Complete Book of Pool Shots has sold more than 80,000. Either one or the other has consistently outranked all other pool books on Amazon's list of top sellers. Byrne also has authored one my favorite pool biographies, McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler, and has produced some of the sport's most popular instructional videos. His latest book, Behold my Shorts, is a hilarious collection of essays and newspaper columns.

I figured who better to ask about pool's most important thing than pool's number one teacher. Straightaway I called the Hall of Famer at his Iowa home, which he shares with his wife Cynthia Nelms and shi-tzu Betty Boop. I was all ready to pose my question when I remembered that it was just about to be Bob's birthday. He turns 80 on May 22. And so before you know it, we're talking about that, and not about his instructional advice. Bob tells me he feels great at 80, although "growing old is like getting pushed toward the precipice by an irresistible bulldozer." And so that's where we began, with a discussion of pool and aging, and not the most important thing.

I've reproduced here part of that Q & A. But just so you know, Bob is a native of Dubuque and attended both Iowa State and the University of Colorado. He authored a humor column at the first university, and edited a humor publication at the second. He graduated in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering and his first job out of school was as a reporter for a construction industry trade magazine in San Francisco. The magazine eventually folded, which contributed to Bob's decision to become a full-time writer of books.

By why pool? Bob says he was a winner of tournaments in college, and then continued playing after moving to California. There he rubbed elbows with national champions. He came upon the idea of writing an instructional book upon realizing there wasn't many other books available at the time that offered sound advice.

He said he learned much about the technical aspects of the game from his friend Bob Jewett. "The two of us were always talking about the physics of the game so when I had an offer to do the book, I was well prepared to go into the technical aspects," explains Bob. "Also, as a former magazine editor, I knew what I wanted the book to look like. I didn't want the explanations running onto the next page. I hired a graphic artist to do the diagrams of the table and the drawings of me. He did them from the top of a step ladder. Instead of doing arrows, I had a player who would be aiming the shot."

The Standard Book and The Complete Book of Pool Shots "is what keeps me in pancakes," says Bob. But it was the excellent writing in those books and his sound advice that has earned him the respect of fans and colleagues. In 2001 the industry bestowed upon Bob Byrne pool's highest honor: he was inducted into the Billiard Congress Hall of Fame for meritorious service.

So, Bob and I spoke about that honor, and his books, and his long history observing the sport, and his birthday. Here's some of the rest of it:

Q: Do you have any general thoughts about turning 80?

A: I'm lucky in that I don't look 80 and I don't feel 80. I'm in good health and still thinking about future projects, some of which involve billiard books and DVDs, which are on hold at the moment because of the lousy economy. Appropriate words to describe me given my age are 'peppy' and 'spry.' I ran 78 in straight pool when I was 78 and a year ago matched my lifetime high run of 14 in three-cushion. My instructional books and DVDs do very well, so I'm happy.

Q. But what about pool in general? Why has the sport gone to hell in a handbasket?

A. Most but not all of the negative aspects of the game are related to the severe economic slump. There is no men's tour. The women's tour has been reduced. Only a few pool players in the word make a decent living at the game, and to do it they have to practically live on the road.

The industry in general, which depends a lot on table sales, is in the severe slump because new home construction is way below normal. Business is down at most pool rooms and many rooms have closed in the last couple of years. The print magazines have seen discouraging losses in advertising income and circulation. There is no live TV coverage of pool.

When there is a tournament on TV it is almost always 9-ball. Great games like straight pool are never seen on TV because the long runs become tedious, with too many easy shots. Even 9-ball on 4.5 x 9 tables is too easy--top players almost never miss a shot they try to make, which does not make for compelling television for the average non-playing viewer.

Q. Is there hope for the future?

A. Maybe for televised matches 5x10 tables should be used to provide more of a test. Snooker is still popular in Great Britain, partly because the 6x12 tables are a formidable challenge and look awesome on television. Making a long diagonal straight-in shot on a 6x12 table with tight pockets and you deserve applause; such shots on a pool table are so routine that they aren't interesting.

As a geezer, I can be expected to feel that things were better in the good old days. Pool rooms when I was young were more interesting because you could play or watch pool, snooker, or three-cushion, and the pool games being played weren't always 9-ball and 8-ball. Those two games have driven out great games like straight pool and rotation from the average public room. The billiard world has seen many ups and downs, booms and slumps. I look forward to the next boom, but I don't think it will come soon.

Q. How is that you can write so authoritatively about the sport?

A. A year and a half ago when I was 78 years old I ran 78 in straight pool. I doubt if I will ever run my age again. Six months ago I ran 14 in three-cushion, which ties my lifetime high run that I made 50 years ago. While those feats are nothing for professional players, they help me write about the game because I play well enough to understand what the top players are doing. I have a pool table at home, not a billiard table, and I spent a lot of time on it when dreaming up and testing the shots in Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots.

Three-cushion is my best game by far, and decades ago I won my share of tournaments on the West Coast. National champions I have beaten in tournament play include Frank Torres, Harry Sims, Eddie Robin, and Bud Harris. In 1999 I won the National Amateur in Louisville, KY and the same year I won the National Senior in Chicago, in both cases averaging .800. Those are the last significant competitions that I've won. My skills have slipped quite a bit as I've reached advanced geezerhood, but I'm still competitive.

(As I mentioned before) much of my understanding of the physics of the game I learned from Bob Jewett, like the fact a spinning ball does not curve when it rolls down the table. To make a ball curve you have to strike it a downward blow with an elevated cue, otherwise no curve. To prove it, spin a ball with your fingers or with a sidespin stop shot. When the ball is spinning in place like a top, knock in slowly down the table by throwing another ball against it. You'll see that the spinning ball travels in a straight line.

Bob and I continued talking about pool for a long while more, and during the course of the conversation, he mentioned his website, www.byrne.org, where you can find plenty of useful tips. For instance, pool tip number 2:

"With ball in hand and a cluster that must be broken, consider playing safe in a way that breaks up the cluster. It may be possible to drive a ball into the cluster and at the same time snooker your opponent."

Is this the most important thing about pool? Probably not. But I had so much fun talking, I forgot to ask him about the most important thing. And as this tip comes to us from America's foremost pool writer, it's certainly worth remembering.

-- R.A. Dyer

Childhood home of Minnesota Fats

At the upper left is a photograph of the apartment building where Minnesota Fats grew up. It's in upper Manhatten, the neighborhood of Washington Heights. I managed to track down its location and take this photo during a trip to New York City in the summer of 2005. I knocked on the door but nobody was home. I used the research from that trip in The Hustler & The Champ, which also describes Fats' rivalry with Willie Mosconi. Some years later I made contact with one of Fats' nephews, Doug Corwin (shown at upper right), whose mother Bertha Wanderone lived with Fats at this home. Doug also provided me some really cool childhood photos of Fats, which you can find by clicking through this Untold Stories column.

-- R.A. Dyer

Ursitti remembers Flora Mosconi

Pool historian Charlie Ursitti pens a lovely rememberence of "Auntie Flo" on the Pool & Billiard Magazine blog. Auntie Flo was none other than Flora Mosconi, wife of the late Willie Mosconi. Flora passed away March 25 in hospice care in New Jersey.

Writes Charlie: "I first met Auntie Flo back in 1977 while preparing for the ABC's Wide World of Sports telecast of the 'Great Pool Shootout' between Willie and Minnesota Fats. I was going back and forth between New York City and Haddon Heights, New Jersey where the Mosconis lived, bringing contracts and formats for Willie to approve.

"We had talked on the phone many times, but this would be the first time I would meet her in person. She prepared a big meal, for myself, my girlfriend, Willie, her daughter Gloria, her two her nieces, Nancy and Loretta, and herself. Auntie Flo had asked me what I wanted for dinner, and we settled on roast beef, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and New Jersey beefsteak tomatoes that were in season. She reminded me of my own mother the way she had prepared the meal and the warm greeting she gave me."

As promoter for the Great Shoot-Out, Ursitti had a long association with the Mosconis. He has also conducted a meticilous examination of Willie's records, which I reference in a column this month about Mosconi and Ralph Greenleaf. You can check it out in this month's Billiards Digest.

-- R.A. Dyer

Billiards Digest: Shamos on Mark Twain

Just reading Mike Shamos' fascinating piece about American literary giant Mark Twain, who also happened to be a great fan of billiards. Twain died 100 years ago this month, on April 21, 1910. Shamos' story, which is included in this month's issue of Billiards Digest, includes a cool image of the Huckleberry Fin author at the billiard table and another of him at the billiard room he had installed in his Hartford home. There's also various Twain-related billiards anecdotes. I've included above a public domain picture of Twain playing pool with Louise Paine.

Shamos' Billiard Digest piece also makes note of Twain's first written reference to billiards. Appearing in "Innocents Abroad," published in 1869, it describes an experience in Paris:

"At eleven o'clock we alighted upon a sign which manifestly referred to billiards. Joy! We had played billiards in the Azores with balls that were not round, and on an ancient table that was very little smoother than brick pavement -- one of those wretched old things with dead cushions, and with patches in the faded cloth and invisible obstructions that made the balls describe the most astonishing and unsuspecting angles and perform feats in the way unlooked-for and almost impossible 'scratches.' They were perfectly bewildering."

-- R.A. Dyer

Flora Mosconi, widow of pool legend, dies

Flora Mosconi, the widow of Willie Mosconi and a woman credited with bringing love, warmth and stability to the pool legend's family during his years on the road, has passed away after a long illness. She was 87.

Mrs. Mosconi, formerly Flora Marchini, met Willie in 1952 and they were married a year later. They lived out most of their years at a home in Haddonfield, New Jersey, not far from where Mrs. Mosconi passed away March 25 in hospice care.

Her husband, who was among the finest pool players in U.S. history, spent long months away from home as he participated in tournaments and promotional activities. Flora accompanied him on many of these trips, but also ran the household in his absence.

She became a mother for Mosconi's two children from a previous marriage, William, Jr. and Candace. The Mosconis also had a child of their own, Gloria, who died of breast cancer about a decade ago.

Flora was introduced to Mr. Mosconi by a co-worker, who happened to be Mr. Mosconi's cousin. Quoted in The Hustler & The Champ, a Mosconi biography, Flora Mosconi recalled that she was just 19 years old when she first set eyes on the world champion. "Well, you know, I worked at the telephone company with his cousin, and she asked me one day to go out on a double date,” she said. “You know, I never heard of Willie Mosconi, never heard of billiards -- and she wants me to go out with Willie Mosconi. She says, ‘He’s divorced and has two kids,’ and I said, ‘No, thanks! I don’t want a man with kids.’”

But after the first date, the future Ms. Mosconi was smitten. “I knew right away, I mean—I knew. And when I got home, my brother was asleep, and I woke him up, and I said, ‘Guess what? I’m going to marry Willie Mosconi!’”

Quoted in the same biography, William Mosconi, Jr. recalled the warmth that his new stepmother brought to their home. Prior to her arrival on the scene, William and Candace had been shuttled between various homes during their father's long absences. But Flora Mosconi brought the family together, said William, Jr..

“He (my father) was gone a lot for more than ten years -- even when I went through high school -- and [Flora] raised us up through high school,” said William, Jr. “(My father) wasn’t here. For six years he wasn’t home at all, except during the summer because they didn’t have air conditioning, and so he didn’t play pool then. ... [But Flora] made a home for him. ... At the end of his life he said she made all our lives as good as they could be. She created a home, which we never would have had."

William Mosconi, Jr. said that his stepmother, a life-long smoker, had become increasingly frail in recent months, especially after a fall around Thanksgiving. She is survived by the two stepchildren, five grand children and two great grand children. Willie Mosconi, winner of 15 world championships and holder of the official high run record in straight pool, died in 1993.

-- R.A. Dyer

Pool in Costa Rica: The Spirit of Pichitas

It's been nearly 25 years ago now, but way back when I used to live in San Jose, Costa Rica. I spent a ton of time in various pool halls there, including a place called Center Pool. I wrote a piece earlier about a hustler I met in San Jose, a man by the name of Luis Calderon -- better known as "Pichitas." He was something of a legend in the pool halls then. I eventually went back to Costa Rica and produced a short documentary about Pichitas. A couple of months ago I dusted off that old documentary and posted it up on the Internet.

Lo and behold, one of my old buddies from Costa Rica, Hernan Aguilar, saw the video and has sent me video of his own trick-shooting prowess. It seems that the legend of Pichitas lives on in Costa Rica. I've posted up one of Hernan's videos, above, but there are tons more at his YouTube channel. I can't tell where Hernan is shooting in these videos, but it looks about like what I remembered of the now-closed Center Pool. The only difference is that with Center Pool, you had to go up a flight of stairs. With this pool hall, you have to go down. (I will note, however, that either up or down, all the best pool halls involve a flight of stairs.)

Thanks to Hernan for sending along this video. He looks like someone you'd want to steer clear from if you're ever in San Jose, looking to make a game.

-- R.A. Dyer

Johnston City -- 1962?

Spring cleaning continues. This is a picture sent to me by Charles Howard, the son of Norman "Jockey" Howard. It shows the players at the famous Johnston City tournaments. Charles sent me this photo in 2006. I had it posted up elsewhere, and now I'm posting it up here. That's Jockey Howard on the far right. Although the photo is labeled "1961, first tournament held in Johnston City", I don't believe that can be right. Although Paulie and George Jansco are clearly there seated in the middle, there's also Luther Lassiter and Cisero Murphy in attendance. They were not at the first Johnston City meet. Charles said his dad went to Johnston City in '62 and '63.


Here's another photo from Charles Howard. This one shows his dad, "Jockey" Howard, with the great Willie Mosconi. This picture was definitely not taken at Johnston City. I know this because I know that Mosconi never set foot into the hustler's den that were the Johnston City tournaments. By contrast, Charles said his dad was a full-time pool hustler. "He never entered tournaments that generated national attention," said Charles, "(But) he was best man at Cornbread Red's wedding and has played with some of the greats such as Mosconi and Fats."

-- R.A. Dyer

Rainmakers: Weenie Beenie in Arkansas

Bill "Weenie Beenie" Staton, who passed away a few years back, once talked to me about his adventures in Arkansas, where he managed to raise enough cash to start his hot dog business. I've reproduced part of that interview, below. I particularly like Beenie's observation about all the guys walking around with $10,000 cash in their pockets. Weenie Beenie was inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame back in 2004. To read about the event, or hear an audio clip of the "Weenie Beenie Song," go to Onepocket.org.

And now, here's that interview excerpt:

"I walked into this little poolroom in downtown Blytheville. There were four tables there – four by eight tables.

"I said something like, ‘is there somebody in here that has any money.’ And Cleo Vaughn said, ‘I bet you there are at least four guys in here with $10,000 in their pocket.’ Remember: this was a small, ratty poolroom in this little town. I came in the next day with $10,000 and I said ‘I want to make it five people with $10,000!'

"(Cleo) heard ... about guys beating me. “I beat Beanie” or “I gave him 8 to 5.” He was getting a picture of how I played, and it was a bad picture. And anyway, I started playing. One time I played him (Cleo) for 56 consecutive hours.

"We played 56 consecutive hours, and I beat him pretty good. I was on a high. Pool made me high. I didn’t’ take drugs or anything. I said: ‘Who’s next?' after 56 consecutive hours.

"We were in a tough place. The action was so high, the chief of police said ‘you got to take this somewhere else.’ The kids were coming in after school, and the money was exchanging hands.

"There was a little place at the edge of town, out behind the gas station. The building was out behind gas station: it was a car port. They had a pool table and a card table. ... So we started playing there. It was around-the-clock action. That was where I played for 56 consecutive hours. I won good money.

"I stayed for 30 days. I was married and had three kids, so I had to get home.

"It happened every year, during the race season. There was a race track, and the players came, and it was west Memphis. And they came during that time. Hot Springs was where the racing was. It was in February, or early March. They had the racing season, and it attracted a lot of people.

"I heard about it a number of years before I ever went there. There was a lot of action at that time. It was wide open.

"That was the first time out there. … I won a little off Cokes, and a little of Fats, and most of from Cleo Vaughn. ... He died in Mobile, Alabama."


-- R.A. Dyer

Minnesota Fats: "A whole buck?"

Minnesota Fats with John Ogolini

I've reproduced here a charming letter I received a few years back from one Gary Carlson. Gary recalls unexpectedly bumping into the Fat One down in Johnston City. The picture above shows Fats with whom I believe is his friend John Ogolini. The picture was probably taken in Fats' home. I was given this photo during one of my trips to Southern Illinois to research Fats' life for Hustler Days.

OK, here's Gary's note:

"I was about 22 or 23 at the time (1964? 1965?) living in Decatur, IL. My friend, Bob Arthur mentioned there was a pool tournament in a town outside of Carbondale. So we got into his '58 Chevy Impala and away we went. I think we paid maybe $5 (???) to get in and then there was another charge to watch the action in the back room. I recall "Daddy Warbucks" playing someone else a handicap game. Warbucks used his hat as a bridge while the other fellow used a toilet brush from the restroom. They played $100 a game.

In 1966 I attended graduate school at Southern Illinois University and went to Johnston City once or twice for the tournament. I also played in a rock band which was hired for one weekend at the Jansco's place.

My major was chemistry and I would work sometimes until 1-2 am in the lab. Afterwards, I would frequently go to a small pool hall with 3 or 4 tables and good hamburgers. I was usually the only one there. I didn't really know much about the game or it's characters. One night a fat guy at the counter asked if I wanted to play a game since we were the only customers. He'd been laughing with the counter man and already knew I was very much an amateur. I said OK and he asked if I played for money. I said I guessed a buck would be OK. He said 'a whole buck?' I said 'If that's too much, how about 50 cents?' He laughed and said he'd try to fit it into his budget. He beat me pretty badly for 2 games and I quit a buck down. He bought me a hamburger and left. Later, the counter man told me it was Minnesota Fats and he lived nearby in Dowell, Illinois. It wasn't until some years later that I appreciated who he was."

-- R.A. Dyer