Relive a billiards rivalry through book

“Pool has long been the sport of rogues,” says pool historian and columnist for Billards Digest R.A. “Jake” Dyer of Austin. A lifelong pool enthusiast, Dyer has spent the past few years researching two of the sport’s most famous players — Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconi — and their epic showdown in 1978 on national television that became one of the most watched sporting events of the year. His book The Hustler and the Champ (Lyons Press, $24.95) is a fascinating look at the sport, at its highest and lowest level, and of an age in pool history that seems long gone.

Willie Mosconi was pool’s greatest champion - the winner of fifteen world titles and holder of records that have remained undisturbed for generations. Minnesota Fats was pool’s most important trickster, portrayed by Jackie Gleason in the movie The Hustler with Paul Newman. Dyer, meanwhile, was a teenager when the rivalry played out on ABC with Howard Cosell as announcer.

“I remember the buildup before the matches, and how I would speculate with my school friends about who would win. ABC hyped the matches like crazy, which generated broad interest at the time,” he recalls.

Although a late-comer to the sport, Dyer, 44, has made up for his lost time with an enthusiasm that is palpable. “My uncle was also something of a shark and as a child I always marveled at his ability to make a cut shot or a long one down the rail. I started writing about pool for a little newspaper I was working for in Costa Rica during the late 1980s, and then continued writing about the sport on occasion for Billiards Digest,” he says.

In writing the book, Dyer had to scour the country looking for the archival footage - ABC had long since discarded their copies - and finding relatives and friends of the famous pool players was equally challenging. Dyer remained unfazed though.

“I am absolutely fascinated with the history of pool. As I conduct interviews and go through newspaper archives I find that each new discovery raises new questions. I love this. It’s like detective work,” he says.

As for the popularity of pool, Dyer is optimistic “The pool industry has often run away from its association with gambling, but I believe the game may gain even more in popularity if its televised tournaments embraced the gambling lifestyle. Think Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments - but with pool hustlers rather than card sharks,” he says.

What about those who don’t consider pool to be a sport?

“I believe this is incorrect. I would argue that there is no other competitive activity that involves such minute human control over a ball. The game involves very subtle control over one’s muscles, a keen eye, and a soft touch. These are athletic traits, and pool is as much a sport as is golf,” says Dyer.

Dyer is like many of us, though, a recreational player of pool, albeit a frequent one.

“I play pool for at least a few minutes almost every day. I have a pool table in my garage and often go out and knock a few balls around in the evenings. It’s a way for me to relax and to clear my mind,” he says.

“It’s just satisfying. But that’s not to say I’m a very good shooter. Like I said, pool is an athletic endeavor and so it takes a true athlete to play it really well. And I’m not an athlete.”

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Martin Winchester is a book critic for The Monitor. He is an English teacher at IDEA College Preparatory in Donna. Send comments to mwinchester@ideapublicschools.org