Is Fats a fit?

[fred bentivegna]

This is an email I received the other day from someone named Tom Kerwin, that is pertinent to this thread.


Just viewed your website today, very interesting. I did note you did
not list NY Fats AKA Minn Fats, AKA Double smart fats on your list of
players you beat.

I wached him shoot one pocket from 1959 to 1964 at Scovills Bar / Pool
Room / Poker joint in Nationa; City Ill, in basement of Stockyards Inn
Hotel. Saw many games with $2000 bets on the rail. Fat's was a world
class banker and one pocket champ.

I played poker with him a few times, he was not the best poker player.

Guess the reason you do not show as beating him is he probably beat you ??

Let me know the story..Thanks

Tom Kerwin age 71, St Louis Mo

My reply:
Fats was just a little before my time, skill wise. When I got to where I could beat him playing anything, he wasnt looking to play anymore. Plus, I was a Fats groupie anyway. I would have been too embarrassed to ask him to play. I just loved being around him. He often used me to "second" a lot of his lies and outrageous claims.

Freddy B

Thanks for reply. Fats would also visit our local Pool Room at Water
Tower in N St Louis, Poor Pete's Pocket Billiards, he would hand his
roll of 100's to a local young player Vernon Pumphry, it was well over
$10,000. He said the roll was too big to keep in a pocket when he
played pool. This would upset the shooter trying to play Fats. Fats
would yak, yak, yak, to old Pete and others, would talk about eating a
whole turkey, and going to India and playing a Maharajah. He lived in
Dowell Ill, close to DuQuoin. Not far from St Louis and Johnston City
Ill. Most of these games were for $100 $200, he took all the cash
every time.He liked the far end table, A E Schmidt table 4 X 8 no
ball returns.

We had a shooter that had one eye, name was HawkEye. He would play one
handed 9 ball with a Broom handle !! no joke...would not play for over
$10 a game. Hardly ever lost.

After the Movie came out he changed name to Minn Fats. He would tell
us when he planned to be in Scovills room in National City. We were
always there, he would not show up until after Midnight, then argue
about the spot and amount etc of game for 2 hours,then would play one
pocket for $500 $1,000 a game. He could bank and kick like a wizard,
he would shoot without even bending down. He never lost.

I got married in 63, had to get a job and quit pool room, bars. It was
fun while it lasted.

Thanks again for the reply.

Tom Kerwin

Beard

Memo to Doc, I drop names because I have had the good fortune to have been around, and acquainted with many important ones. I could always, instead, talk about my alcoholic next door neighbor. Is that what anybody wants to hear about? Be glad to relay his antics to the folks. Sorry, but he doesnt play pool.

[Island Drive]

Dowell IL

Memo to Doc, I drop names because I have had the good fortune to have been around, and acquainted with many important ones. I could always, instead, talk about my alcoholic next door neighbor. Is that what anybody wants to hear about? Be glad to relay his antics to the folks. Sorry, but he doesnt play pool.

South end of town, is where Fats/Evelyns home was, corner lot next to the corn fields. The outskirts of town were always animal dumping grounds, and of course once Fats lived there, it became even more so. Evelyn said Fats had anywhere from 6-800 a month vet bills for the ones he helped/saved and kept, that's the way he was. They had a small pen in the backyard for extra/pet guests. One time Fats noticed a fly in the bathroom in the home, he told evelyn it had been there two days, fats also told Ev not to kill it and let him know when it went in another room.

[lfigueroa]

Fats would also visit our local Pool Room at Water
Tower in N St Louis, Poor Pete's Pocket Billiards, he would hand his
roll of 100's to a local young player Vernon Pumphry, it was well over
$10,000. He said the roll was too big to keep in a pocket when he
played pool. This would upset the shooter trying to play Fats.

Tom Kerwin


Vernon is still around. I see him every once in a while.

Lou Figueroa