{"product_id":"hustler-the-champ-r-a-dyer-9781592288830","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. 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e R. A. Dyer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1592288839\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781592288830\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Lyons Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.34lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.07h x 6.35w x 1.08d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2007 pg. 45","brand":"R. A. Dyer","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44079403237631,"sku":"9781592288830","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b74d6f5f-c277-4fb5-834a-9a2f7d0d06ef.jpg?v=1685480944","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/hustler-the-champ-r-a-dyer-9781592288830","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}