best all around player ever

1pocket said:
Yet again, Jose Parica doesn't get the respect he deserves. Not that he is my pick for best, but I sure would include him on any short list -- like this:

Efren Reyes
Harold Worst (probably belongs up top, but I missed out on him)
'Rags' Fitzpatrick (missed out on him, too, but he gets the nod from Taylor)
Jose Parica
Nick Varner
Eddie Taylor

Mosconi clearly does not belong on this list at all. He had no interest in any game but 14.1. Greenleaf I don't know enough about. Alfredo d'Oro (sp?) probably belongs on the list but he was way to far before my time.
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Steve you are absoluetly correct....I had forgotten Parica and Rags

both are well deserving to be on that list......so does Taylor

If i remember correctly they invited him to play the 14.1 championships and he got 4th? They said if he wanted to play 14.1 that everyone would have been running for the hills on the east coast.

-Grey GHost-
 
I agree cuesmith Efren. In an all around i would bet on Efren, against all the other players mentioned and sleep like a baby. Most of us have never seen Efren in his prime!!
 
BelleBelle said:
I agree cuesmith Efren. In an all around i would bet on Efren, against all the other players mentioned and sleep like a baby. Most of us have never seen Efren in his prime!!
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If you didn't seen Efren in his prime, then you diffently didn't see Mr. Worst or Willis either.
 
Blackball75 said:
Some ppl are making a case for Ronnie O'Sullivan here:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=202496

Arguably the best snooker player ever and I bet he'd beat 99.5% of all challengers at any pool variant.
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If you asked me this question a few days ago, I would say Efren without batting an eyelash. I have been watching a ton of Ronnie O'Sullivans performances though, and now I'm not so sure. I mean, WOW. Can we agree that snooker is the hardest of the cue games?
 
BelleBelle said:
I agree cuesmith Efren. In an all around i would bet on Efren, against all the other players mentioned and sleep like a baby. Most of us have never seen Efren in his prime!!
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Efren is,Well hes efren what else can you say.Worst wouldve owned him for the money.Jose always played better for the cash than Efren did to. Now I know ill get some arguments outa that statement but whos ever seen Efren in a tough money game and grindg it out for hours or days.Nobody cause he wont,if he loses he quits. Grady says for big money in one hole Efren vs Cliff gradys bet Cliff.
Worst had more gamble than anyone! Parica and Kieth are right there.
 
RichGambler said:
If you asked me this question a few days ago, I would say Efren without batting an eyelash. I have been watching a ton of Ronnie O'Sullivans performances though, and now I'm not so sure. I mean, WOW. Can we agree that snooker is the hardest of the cue games?
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NO! It has its own strengths and weaknesses But IMOP its right up there with 14.1 One Pocket and 3 Cushion Billiards....

Russian Pyramid is hard b/c of the super tiny pockets and big balls but just not a great game at all IMOP......if it were that great then Eugeny Stalev would be stomping all the great players in pool.

IMOP....ONE POCKET on the 10ft or 12ft snooker table would be the hardest of the cue sports.

But when speaking of regularly played games I think that 3 cushion beats them all for level of skill needed and difficulty of play.

But when it all boils down to it 14.1, one hole, 3cush, snooker are all tied for the lead in that race by leaps and bounds over any of the other games...respectfully.

-Grey Ghost-
 
greyghost said:
NO! It has its own strengths and weaknesses But IMOP its right up there with 14.1 One Pocket and 3 Cushion Billiards....

Russian Pyramid is hard b/c of the super tiny pockets and big balls but just not a great game at all IMOP......if it were that great then Eugeny Stalev would be stomping all the great players in pool.

IMOP....ONE POCKET on the 10ft or 12ft snooker table would be the hardest of the cue sports.

But when speaking of regularly played games I think that 3 cushion beats them all for level of skill needed and difficulty of play.

But when it all boils down to it 14.1, one hole, 3cush, snooker are all tied for the lead in that race by leaps and bounds over any of the other games...respectfully.

-Grey Ghost-
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Snooker is snooker.The greats in that game dont dominate pool.Its a diff game and they master it. Parica used to play pretty good snooker.Wy do all the snooker fans always have to compare apples to oranges.Its an incredable game that takes a huge amount of skill,but so is pool.
 
It's hard to pick just one, but I guess I'd go with Harold Worst - a champion at both 3C and pool, and great at all pool games, universally feared, and he died at 36, who knows how good he would have gotten.

Some other considerations:

Mike Sigel - the man to beat from around 1976-1992. He was just so damned hard to beat.

Mosconi - Completely dominated 14.1, I'd have to think he could play the other games if he had to.

Greenleaf - Same as Mosconi.

Efren Reyes - plays all games great...BUT he didn't start winning majors until Sigel retired. Sigel's record against him was something like 10-3.

Nick Varner - probably the most underated all-around player. Only player to win a world championship in every pool discipline.

Luther Lassiter - won major titles in 9 ball, 14.1 and even one pocket, as feared as Harold Worst among his contemporaries. unflappable under pressure.
 
h2o4170 said:
probably in the top 5 but maybe not. his record with segal sucked to say the least
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If Efren is not in the top 5 all around players, then I have to reevaluate my life.:sorry:

Sigel did have a good record against Efren in 9-ball, but that might be Efren's worst game.
 
Earl Strickland with no doubt, this guy has won so many major events that I think no one will beat in our lifetime, or probably even in the next generations to come, 5 US Opens, 6 times world champion? Thats huge.

beside he is excellent in other games, straight pool, 1 pocket.

but mainly because he's so good in 9ball, and I happen to love that game very much, thus I am leaning to Earl more.

close second is Efren reyes. very close, due to his ability in playing 3c , 1p, and 9b too.
 
Either Lassiter or Mike Sigel, I can't decide between them. They impressed me more than any others as all around players. I've seen dominant plaers at ONE game (Buddy Hall- 9 ball....Mosconi - straight pool) but none that played all games great like Sigel and Lassiter.

For awhile there I really thought Alex Pagulayan was going to be the next truly great all around player but he doesn't seem interested anymore.
 
Quote de BelleBelle
I agree cuesmith Efren. In an all around i would bet on Efren, against all the other players mentioned and sleep like a baby. Most of us have never seen Efren in his prime!!
If you didn't seen Efren in his prime, then you diffently didn't see Mr. Worst or Willis either.
No i didn't see Mr. Worst or Willis, i would have loved to i hear they were great players! But did you see Efren in his prime?
 
BelleBelle said:
Quote de BelleBelle
I agree cuesmith Efren. In an all around i would bet on Efren, against all the other players mentioned and sleep like a baby. Most of us have never seen Efren in his prime!!
If you didn't seen Efren in his prime, then you diffently didn't see Mr. Worst or Willis either.
No i didn't see Mr. Worst or Willis, i would have loved to i hear they were great players! But did you see Efren in his prime?
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to save sherm the time.....yes he did see him in his prime
 
EDDIE KELLY. Played all games at a high level & was a consensus among players of that generation.
 
Efren Reyes, of course. If three cushion is thrown into the mix, a case can be made for Harold Worst. Best all around player ever among the Americans is Nick Varner, a world champion in virtually every pool discipline in existence. Sigel and Lassiter are also worthy of mention in this regard.
 
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I love to see Harold Worst getting some votes, but his very short period on top of the pool world - really just 1965, the year before he died - makes a vote for him more of a wish than a fact.

Efren gets my vote. No hesitation.
 
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