Another consideration "playing pool" is easy, actually learning how to play pool well at the upper levels is a long and difficult undertaking (my experience). I would argue that mastering pool is impossible. Most guys that have ever ran 7-8 straight, strung 50 balls playing 14.1 etc. remember each time that has happened. (I know many very good players that may have never strung 8 or ran 50. Ralph Greenleaf, Willie Hoppe and a few others may have played 100 or better to score but that is an amazing and very difficult thing to pull off. Playing pool is easy, understanding the whole game and the intricacies is much more challenging and none of us know what we don't know. Golf I think is the same on a bigger less predictable playing surface.
Running a 100 balls happened more than people imagine when the legends played pool. There is a story, which I can’t confirm as true but it sounds like it might have happened. Irving Crane was about to start a match against Willie & he
wins the lag. He chose to break but he astonished everyone, including Willie, by calling a ball on the break rather than
play a safe opening that everyone shooting 14.1 always did. Nope, Mr. Crane mesmerized every onlooker by calling a
pocket on the opening break shot in their 14.1 match.
Spectators became breathless and the room became dead silent after he pocketed the object ball and proceeded to run out to win the match leaving Willie seated the entire time. Afterward, Willie congratulated Irving about his splendid play and when Crane was asked why did he call a ball on the break when the odds were seemingly very low he’d pocket a ball. Irving smiled, as Willie was standing nearby and the story ends like this.
Irving looks at Willie, who has a well earned reputation for being a cutthroat in competition having traveled with Ralph Greenleaf while they toured for Brunswick. Willie learned from Ralph over dinner conversation one night. It is not enough to stab someine in the heart with a knife. Nope, after sticking a knife in your opponent’s chest, you always twist the blade so it does the most damage. Having known Willie a long time as a competitor and lost more times than he cared to recall, Irving answered the question why did he call a ball on the opening break shot in a 14.1 match?
His answer actually did not startle many people, especially if they were aware of Willie’s track record in winning consecutive titles in 14.1. Irving turns and looks at Willie before answering, smiled and said he called a ball on the opening break shot because he knew if he played safe against Willie, he was worried that he might not get to shoot anther shot because it dawned on him Willie would likely still run the table so he might never get to shoot another shot after playing safe on the opening break shot.
Whether that’s a true story or not I do not know. Down through the years in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, you’d hear about this anecdotal tale which was just a way of acknowledging how great Willie was as a player and in a class of his own. Willie was a master of using center ball & cue ball speed to conquer 10’ pool tables which as many of us know is harder than on 9’ tables.
www.youtube.com
