Excessive Billiard Notes

In researching my article on billiard history for the Spring issue of Blithering Antiquity, I was absorbed in reading of people who’ve been affected by the game during the past five centuries or so. Mary, Queen of Scots, was a billiard player, as was French King Louis XI. Even more interesting to me were little-known players like Jack Carr, who made a lot of money shystering others into buying his “magic” cue stick chalk. And Louis Fox, whose death in 1865 apparently was brought about by a fly distracting him during a high-stakes tournament.

Here are a few points I didn’t have space to work into the Blithering Antiquity piece:

* One of pioneers of modern billiards was a Capt. Mingaud. A political prisoner in Paris during the late 1700s, he was allowed to play pool while incarcerated. Ultimately, he refused to be released from confinement because he wanted to continue to have access to the prison’s billiard table.

* Billiard historians claim it not only is a game of science but one which requires excellent physical fitness, particularly in the legs and abdomen. It’s said that during the course of a tournament, a player might walk around the table a total of one to three miles.

* Numerous American presidents have enjoyed the game, beginning with Thomas Jefferson.

* Perhaps the “greatest all-around billiard player of all time” was American Willie Hoppe. At 18, he raised the funds to sail to France and challenge unofficial world champion Maurice Vignaux in 1906. His triumph is regarded as one of the greatest in sports history.