Famous Players Birthdays

                               PLAYING AT THE MOUSE TRAP                                                                

The Mouse Trap was a bar located in Waukegan, Illinois a desolate place located between Chicago and Milwaukee and known as a navy recruit hangout during training. Here the trainees would come when allowed, to drink, gamble, and live it up on their modest free time. Many good pool players would hang out there to exploit the free spending nature of the navy recruits and the group of hookers, drinkers, and petty hustlers that were housed in this all night drinking club. I had heard of this place for some time but not really being inclined to drink or deal with this collection of misfits had never ventured there. Finally one night curiosity led me there and it was as it had been described to me. I purchased a beer in an effort to fit in and sat off to the side in the pool room area. Sure enough several of the better players from the region were playing small stakes pool games with all those willing. This was such a common occurrence that many of the games were of the challenge the table variety by placing a quarter on the rail to assure your playing opportunity against whoever won the previous game and whatever the previous games stakes were was the price of the next bet. The future sailors would occasionally win a game or two and the matches went on continuously. Sometimes two players would play a series of games by themselves on one of the many other tables on the side. 

 Willie Munson, a long time professional player was there and known by all the regulars. One of the petty hustlers came up to him as I observed and in a cocky manner offered to play him some ten dollar games of 9-ball. Willie happily obliged him and removed forty dollars from this customer who kind of mocked him when paying. Flashing a huge roll of twenties and hundreds he looked through the money saying, “gee I’m all out of tens and really I could not beat you anyway or I would have played you for some big money.” This fellow grinned and sauntered off knowing he had teased Willie who was only there to win some money. I immediately realized that this guy was my man based on his attitude. He was so confident that undoubtedly he would play me but if I approached him about a pool game he would be a little cautious and only risk a few games for ten or twenty dollars each. 

My goal was a little larger as he had ample funds and was willing to risk them provided he felt real comfortable. I was trying to form a plan in order to get him to ask me to play pool for money. I was sitting near a pinball machine when he approached and said to the guy nearest that he was a good pinball player and they should play a game for ten dollars at which the sailor agreed to participate. They played and the cocky hustler won and along with the money exchange he had some kind of remark about his own skills. I realized this could be my opportunity and chirped up that I would be glad to play him a pinball game for ten dollars and bang he hit the bait like hungry shark smelling the blood of a typical sucker in this place. Well he beat me and as I was paying him he was already trying for another rematch as I flashed a number of hundred dollar bills while trying to find a ten dollar bill to pay him. I said well you are pretty good at pinball do you play anything else?