{"product_id":"hustler-the-champ-willie-mosconi-minnesota-fats-and-the-rivalry-that-defined-pool","title":"Hustler \u0026 The Champ: Willie Mosconi, Minnesota Fats, And The Rivalry That Defined Pool","description":"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.\n\nIt 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.\n\nR.A. Dyer is a columnist for Billiards Digest, and lives in Austin, Texas.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1592288839\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.1592288839.VG\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Dyer, R. A.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Book has little sign of wear or use  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43335262699581,"sku":"BVV.1592288839.VG","price":12.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/1592288839-0.jpg?v=1783720713","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/hustler-the-champ-willie-mosconi-minnesota-fats-and-the-rivalry-that-defined-pool","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}