Jean turns 50 in 4 more days
Glen
Glen
Please play again jean balukas !
- Thread starter oldzilla
- Start date
I could name one... is chess a sport though?
I don't know Jean, however, I do know other women that turned 50. So far I haven't found one that liked turning 50 or got excited about the 50th birthday card....
Thanks for the link!
Long
I live about 5 blocks from Jeans room and as recently as a year or so ago Jean was hosting very small Thursday tournaments, which she may still be doing. She would play and she still has it. Yes she is a little out of stroke but nothing crazy. She beats guys who play A speed no problem.
Jean is super talented and if she wanted to play again she would win an event in short order IMO. Would she dominate. No because the woman are much better now and the format is set up for a crap shoot at the end.
We have to remember Jean has an unbelieveable business in Brooklyn a 50 tables poolroom with ping pong tables and not a player in the house only people who want to spend money. She runs no leagues and is always crowded. She owns the building she operates the room out of and has a Karate facility upstairs that pays her some serious rent. Jean already had her time in the sun and she is probably extremely satisfied with her place in history. Why risk tarnishing you status unless the desire to prove something comsumes you. If you look at the video enclosed in this tread and see the how the great men of her time respected Jean. They treated her as a peer not just a great woman player. I think that says it all.
Watching the WPBA event stream this week it was crystal clear to me that Jean can perform at least as well as Jasmin did even at 50.
I am so glad I had the pleasure of watching Jean play when I was younger. She is the person who got me hooked on pool. I would go to the poolroom to watch my brother play who sucked ass and just end up watching this girl practice and not miss a ball. The sound of her pocketing balls is what got me addicted. To this day when I pocket a ball I can't get it to sound that way. It is like the sound of a great home run hitter. The crack of the bat is just a little bit sweeter than everyone elses.
I live about 5 blocks from Jeans room and as recently as a year or so ago Jean was hosting very small Thursday tournaments, which she may still be doing. She would play and she still has it. Yes she is a little out of stroke but nothing crazy. She beats guys who play A speed no problem.
Jean is super talented and if she wanted to play again she would win an event in short order IMO. Would she dominate. No because the woman are much better now and the format is set up for a crap shoot at the end.
We have to remember Jean has an unbelieveable business in Brooklyn a 50 tables poolroom with ping pong tables and not a player in the house only people who want to spend money. She runs no leagues and is always crowded. She owns the building she operates the room out of and has a Karate facility upstairs that pays her some serious rent. Jean already had her time in the sun and she is probably extremely satisfied with her place in history. Why risk tarnishing you status unless the desire to prove something comsumes you. If you look at the video enclosed in this tread and see the how the great men of her time respected Jean. They treated her as a peer not just a great woman player. I think that says it all.
Watching the WPBA event stream this week it was crystal clear to me that Jean can perform at least as well as Jasmin did even at 50.
I am so glad I had the pleasure of watching Jean play when I was younger. She is the person who got me hooked on pool. I would go to the poolroom to watch my brother play who sucked ass and just end up watching this girl practice and not miss a ball. The sound of her pocketing balls is what got me addicted. To this day when I pocket a ball I can't get it to sound that way. It is like the sound of a great home run hitter. The crack of the bat is just a little bit sweeter than everyone elses.
coming back?
For my 2 cents worth, I doubt that she can still compete after a 20-year layoff. I say this because I believe there is a prime period in any player's career, and hers has past. Add to that the fact that mentally, she may not have the desire, and this may subconsciously take away from her ability. I live in the S.F. Bay Area, and I wish Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice could come back and win more championships too.
For my 2 cents worth, I doubt that she can still compete after a 20-year layoff. I say this because I believe there is a prime period in any player's career, and hers has past. Add to that the fact that mentally, she may not have the desire, and this may subconsciously take away from her ability. I live in the S.F. Bay Area, and I wish Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice could come back and win more championships too.
sjm,
Respectfully, having seen Jean play before, I have to agree that I would love to see her compete again. I don't think age is as big of a factor as the sports you mention and she could compete if she chose to.
Alas, like you said, Jean made her decision a long time ago and based on a few accounts from people who know her, she is very happy with that decision. Much respect and more power to her.
Scott <<== needs to get to NYC to see Jean play these days
after reading jean's wiki stats she didn't have a whole lot of high runs in those straight pool tournaments.
I'd love to see Jean play again, but unless she's driven to it from inside herself, nothing could make it happen. Part of why she was such a great player to begin with.
Fact is, she has more to lose than to gain from a status standpoint. The woman has nothing left to prove to anyone that saw her play, and for anyone that didn't & is just curious as to how she'd do head up against the greatest today - there's no reason to believe she, or anyone, could ever owe us that. She bled out her heart & soul for us once...
All the respect to Jean... but I'd love it if she did find herself driven to it...
Fact is, she has more to lose than to gain from a status standpoint. The woman has nothing left to prove to anyone that saw her play, and for anyone that didn't & is just curious as to how she'd do head up against the greatest today - there's no reason to believe she, or anyone, could ever owe us that. She bled out her heart & soul for us once...
All the respect to Jean... but I'd love it if she did find herself driven to it...
George Forman won the heavy weight title at what....age 47...to become the oldest heavy weight in history?
Glen
PS. He won the title by knocking out 26 year old Michael Moore, who beat world heavy weight champion Evander Holleyfield...TWICE!
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Voodoo Daddy
One Pocket 101
I asked her a few yrs back not if or when she would play again but why she wouldnt...lets say there is next to no chance of seeing her compete again. I for one would love to see her return, as much as Id like to see earlier mentioned Bonnie Hoffman return but its just not gonna happen.
hi steve
yeh i guess i am asking too much here. besides everyone gets off the subject and starts the bs and all. i might not be so inclined to do any threads in the future. it will always be tuff to have a conversation with pool players. lol.
hey when did bonnie quit playin and why ?
oh and if you wanna come to the turning stone event in august i got room for ya. will be a great event for sure.:thumbup:
yeh i guess i am asking too much here. besides everyone gets off the subject and starts the bs and all. i might not be so inclined to do any threads in the future. it will always be tuff to have a conversation with pool players. lol.
hey when did bonnie quit playin and why ?
oh and if you wanna come to the turning stone event in august i got room for ya. will be a great event for sure.:thumbup:
George Forman won the heavy weight title at what....age 47...to become the oldest heavy weight in history?
Glen
PS. He won the title by knocking out 26 year old Michael Moore, who beat world heavy weight champion Evander Holleyfield...TWICE!
I believe Big George knocked out Michael Moorer, but I would pay big money to see George Foreman fight Michael Moore.
Voodoo Daddy
One Pocket 101
Bonnie went to school for some kinna interior design...man could she play!!
August? hmmmmmmmm, might have to work on that a lil...
ummm....George wasn't selling popcorn for 11 straight rounds...he WAS fighting, and behind on points at that. The point was that Jean is not to old to play with the Pro Women of today, just because she hasn't played in public...don't mean she hasn't been playing.
