Pool's most influential people

poohatur

poohatur

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've got to ask everyone's opinion on this one. Who do you think are some of the most influential people in pool? I admire the individuals that made our sport the way it is today as well as those who are continuing to make it better and better. For me, shout outs go to Jay Helfert, Efren Reyes, and Jeanette Lee.
 
poohatur said:
I admire the individuals that made our sport the way it is today as well as those who are continuing to make it better and better.
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I can see some people scratching their head about this.:rolleyes: Many others do not like where pool is today.
 
Most of the bad apples have dissapeared......

rossaroni said:
I can see some people scratching their head about this.:rolleyes: Many others do not like where pool is today.
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Alot of the people that were just victims of the way it was are gone from pool or dead.

The good people and players that are still around for the most part are good for the game. They survived because they have done things right and are good people overall.

Technology has eliminated alot of the hussles and scams but you still have to watch your back.

It's hard for a player these days to go on the road today. Someone takes your picture with their cell phone and go on line with their cell phone and in 5 minutes they have a line on you. Makes it pretty hard to steal.

No smoking is going to help pool in the long run. help get rid of that stinky,smelly image.

I was talking to June at Shooters yesterday and she was telling me that she has about 30 kids in her Junior pool league this year. How nice is that for the kids. no smoke. Plus the parents are more likely to let them continue if they don't come home smelling like a sewer.

And there again is one of these good people that we have in pool. I had no idea that June was doing this for the kids and she has been doing this for several years.

There are hundreds of people like Junes all over the country and my hats off to her and them for helping to build this pool world and make it a better place.
This is what will make this pool world a great place to be in 10 to 20 years. It all starts from the beginning.

Right now pool is right in the middle of a huge transition. The numbers have dwindled but this will soon get better. it all starts with the foundation and these young people are the foundation. And the good brings in more good.

Hopefully I'll live long enough to see this full swing.

have a great day geno......
 
rossaroni said:
I can see some people scratching their head about this.:rolleyes: Many others do not like where pool is today.
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True, and in all honesty what is there to like? I just watched a video on Youtube of a 1983 tournament that Earl won, beating Miz in the finals. He won $25,000 and a car. The tournament was professionally done, well commentated for TV, had alot of fans in the seats relative to today.

Pool of the modern era hit a peak in the late 1980's after the Color of Money was released and pool had a sudden surge of interest. It had alot of opportunities at that time and the people in charge managed to let that chance slip away and pool today is a shadow of what it might have been under proper management.

There are people I think are good for the sport, but even the people with the good intentions don't seem to be able to make the sport go anywhere. We have been in status in this sport for decades, and that is being generous because the status does not take inflation of currency or the rise in popularity of other sports into account. Pool is getting left behind and it has been that way for decades.

To call a person influential in pool is almost an insult as anyone with influence would have to be seen as partially responsible for the stagnation of the sport. If they had influence over the last 30 years it has sure not amounted to anything good, they have existed in a time of the sports worst era and don't seem to have been able to stop it, or they were unwilling. Either way...

(edit) On note though, one of the greatest things this sport has seen in recent years is the online streaming efforts of many people at this very forum. People who take the time, effort, and expense to give people a chance to watch live professional level pool are helping show what this sports potential really is. TAR gets a special props for trying to market pool in a way that suits the sport and keeps the true feel of the game intact.
 
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Celtic said:
True, and in all honesty what is there to like? I just watched a video on Youtube of a 1983 tournament that Earl won, beating Miz in the finals. He won $25,000 and a car. The tournament was professionally done, well commentated for TV, had alot of fans in the seats relative to today.

Pool of the modern era hit a peak in the late 1980's after the Color of Money was released and pool had a sudden surge of interest. It had alot of opportunities at that time and the people in charge managed to let that chance slip away and pool today is a shadow of what it might have been under proper management.

There are people I think are good for the sport, but even the people with the good intentions don't seem to be able to make the sport go anywhere. We have been in status in this sport for decades, and that is being generous because the status does not take inflation of currency or the rise in popularity of other sports into account. Pool is getting left behind and it has been that way for decades.

To call a person influential in pool is almost an insult as anyone with influence would have to be seen as partially responsible for the stagnation of the sport. If they had influence over the last 30 years it has sure not amounted to anything good, they have existed in a time of the sports worst era and don't seem to have been able to stop it, or they were unwilling. Either way...

(edit) On note though, one of the greatest things this sport has seen in recent years is the online streaming efforts of many people at this very forum. People who take the time, effort, and expense to give people a chance to watch live professional level pool are helping show what this sports potential really is. TAR gets a special props for trying to market pool in a way that suits the sport and keeps the true feel of the game intact.
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Tar/BigTruck/league owners/AZ website and womens pool on TV.
 
The pool world minus Jay, Efren and Ms Lee, would indeed be a loss.
In the last 30 years;

Greg Sullivan introduced the pool world with a mixture of the Diamond table and Simonis cloth. The about 10 years later Mr. Sullivan introduced the pool world to the Derby City Classic.
Allison Fischer, letting women know there is glory and money playing pool.
Greg’s partner and friend, Mark Griffin then started to offer the pool world an alternative to the run of the mill league BCA was offering and purchased it and turned into a very successful organization. Then Mark formed the BCAPL, CSI, the National Championship Series, a MUCH better experience in Vegas with the BCAPL Championships and introducing the US Open 10 Ball Championship, the US Open One Pocket, Cue Olympics, the ever lasting success of the Jay Swanson Memorial, Reno’s Bar Box Championship. Sorry if I left anything out Mark.
Earl Strickland in the last 30 years. 15+ world championships? 5 time US Open 9 ball championships in 3 different decades. Matchups with Efren in a mall in Manila . Countless tirades in matches over the years. To say the least Earl had kept us entertained.
Buddy Hall, with a stroke that most professionals would die for. The rumor that Mr. Hall went 3 years in the 80s without missing a ball, is just a rumor.
Nick Varner has been playing pool and influencing players for 30+ years.
I’ll mentioned Mike Sigel.. there Mike… you happy?
KT (I won’t mention his name) But I will give him credit for creating pool’s biggest pay days for the players at any time in the last 100 years. $500,000 for first place to Efren Reyes, in the Reno 8 Ball IPT championship.
Texas Express influenced a lot of pool players. Ball in Hand after a foul equalized a game that was dominated by only the best and most skilled players.
Mike Zuglan and Mike Janis for providing rooms and pool players a monthly Jamboree for the last 15+ years. Great Job.
Terry Bell and Larry Hubbard took an idea into a bar with just a few bar boxes and created and influenced a generation of pool players to average 250,000 players a year. The APA influenced bar box, cue and case and accessories sales since 1979. Terry and Larry are the most recent inductees to the BCA Hall of Fame.
Lots of people have continued to influence this game, just to keep it status quo is a huge job. Thanks for all the hard work.
Thank you all.
 
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Tom In Cincy said:
Earl Strickland in the last 30 years. 15+ world championships? 5 time US Open 9 ball championships. Matchups with Efren in a mall in Manila . Countless triads in matches over the years.
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Wow! I never heard of his matches with triads, more details please. Maybe he joined the triads their initiation sounds like something Earl would do.

Initiation
Triad members are subject to initiation ceremonies just like the Italian Mafia or the Japanese Yakuza. A typical ceremony takes place at an altar dedicated to Guan Yu, with incense and an animal sacrifice, usually a chicken, pig or goat. After drinking a mixture of wine and blood of the animal or the candidate, the member will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting the triad's oaths. The paper on which the oaths are written will be burnt on the altar to confirm the member's obligation to perform his duties to the gods. Three fingers on the left hand will be raised as a binding gesture.

Wayne
 
thanks Wayne.. your humor/sarcasm is as bad as my spelling. :rolleyes:

wayne said:
Wow! I never heard of his matches with triads, more details please. Maybe he joined the triads their initiation sounds like something Earl would do.

Initiation
Triad members are subject to initiation ceremonies just like the Italian Mafia or the Japanese Yakuza. A typical ceremony takes place at an altar dedicated to Guan Yu, with incense and an animal sacrifice, usually a chicken, pig or goat. After drinking a mixture of wine and blood of the animal or the candidate, the member will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting the triad's oaths. The paper on which the oaths are written will be burnt on the altar to confirm the member's obligation to perform his duties to the gods. Three fingers on the left hand will be raised as a binding gesture.

Wayne
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Most influential or looked up to person for pool players is definitely Efren. For the general public, there are many people who have done a lot to promote this game.
 
Let's not leave out Barry Behrman either. He has been teriffic for supporting the game for this many years. Barry has had his setbacks in these events, but a lesser man without the best interest in the sport would have given up a long time ago.
 
JB Cases said:
The Billiard Congress of America is the reason pool is where it is today.
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:groucho: :groucho: :groucho: :groucho: :groucho: and despite those efforts.....


I think there are those who are trying to make pool thrive. I don't know enough to compile a reasonably thorough list but I do believe that Mark Griffin, Greg Sullivan, Mike Howerton & Jerry Forsythe, BD, Jay Helfert, Glen Hancock, Mike Janis, Mike Zuglan, Shannon, Dave Sapolis, Joe Tucker, TAR, Dr. Dave, John Barton, Scott Lee & RandyG, Bob Jewett, Dennis Walsh, and several others unknown to me or left out because of my poor memory.... are all trying to improve on conditions and help all players to have more fun and to improve their skills.

I consider these people, and probably others that I've inadvertantly left out, to be out there in the front of the pack trying to forge a thriving future for the game. I also know that there are thousands of others who love the game and who are following and putting forth strong and positive energy in similar attempts to improve on all aspects of pool.

There are many people out there who care and who put forth strong efforts to improve the game. All who care need to be putting forth all the positive energy we can muster in order to overcome any darkness in the reputation of the game and to make known to the uniniated the artistic beauty and synergy we see in the rolling of the balls.
 
poohatur said:
I've got to ask everyone's opinion on this one. Who do you think are some of the most influential people in pool? I admire the individuals that made our sport the way it is today as well as those who are continuing to make it better and better. For me, shout outs go to Jay Helfert, Efren Reyes, and Jeanette Lee.
Click to expand...

It would be inconceivable to have a thread like this without the presence of Barry Hearn. He has been without question the single most influential person on the game, bar none.
For almost three decades the Matchroom supremo has been instrumental in keeping pool in the frontline as a televised sport.

Matchroom TV's innovative production has encompassed
THE EUROPEAN MASTERS
THE MOSCONI CUP
THE WORLD POOL MASTERS
THE ST ANDREwS CUP
THE WORLD POOL LEAGUE
THE WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

This has taken pool into over 70 countries.
Nobody else has even come close to matching the quality of their programming. Without these showcases I very much doubt that the sport would exist.

I am not denigrating any of the names quoted in this thread. They are good people but they have all fallen short of their ambitions for the sport and I would even class myself in that category.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I love hearing about other people who are making a difference. Everyday I wake up thinking how bad I want to get back on the table as well as how much I'd like to take the game further. I want everyone to understand how great pool is. Getting input about particular people, will help me come up with ideas to apply to make pool more recognized.
 
pro9dg said:
It would be inconceivable to have a thread like this without the presence of Barry Hearn. He has been without question the single most influential person on the game, bar none.
For almost three decades the Matchroom supremo has been instrumental in keeping pool in the frontline as a televised sport.

Matchroom TV's innovative production has encompassed
THE EUROPEAN MASTERS
THE MOSCONI CUP
THE WORLD POOL MASTERS
THE ST ANDREwS CUP
THE WORLD POOL LEAGUE
THE WORLD 9 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

This has taken pool into over 70 countries.
Nobody else has even come close to matching the quality of their programming. Without these showcases I very much doubt that the sport would exist.

I am not denigrating any of the names quoted in this thread. They are good people but they have all fallen short of their ambitions for the sport and I would even class myself in that category.
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Good Post:

What's sad, no live televised programming in the US, around the world they love it, but something is wrong when it doesn't reach us here like Soccer etc.

One would think it would be important for the mfg and distributors to WANT it televised here so they could improve their business, NOT.

What's also sad is the BCA never rode the Color Of Money horse with Paul Neuman when he passed, it alone increased play here in the states 25%, from 30-40 million. Most all on the BCA board don't look at pool as a sport like Greg Sullivan or Mark Griffin, all they think about is the initial planting of the seed (pool table in your home), but never tending to the farm as it growS, STUPID.

The BCA is holding the sport back, when it could do SO much for us all, and more for themselves.

When Rob Johnson invited me to speak before the board last Feb. in Boulder, Rob never showed, no one ever thanked me for coming on my nickle/time, I had materials and they didn't ever offer me a podium, I had use one hand for the chalk board, the other hand to hold my reading material....you of thought....anywho I was upset they didn't even care also, I overheard them talking about Paul Neuman (he had just passed) but nothing else was heard about it that I know of, WHY? I also named dropped Paul Hueblers Name during my speech (BCA past president 1982-83-84) and a great cuemaker/person, and many didn't even know who he was, I think it should be mandatory that all BCA board members know the history of our game and who was behind it and their intentions before be voted in, NOT.

Better get off this horse, starting to get that SAME OLD FEELING....
 
who is making a difference in pool today

Charlie Williams & Dragon Promotions do 40+ events a year many of them televised. Unfortunately, the majority are in Asia where it is a real business.

More player - promoters that really understand the game would help.

Read the by-laws & mission statements or follow the actions of the big players like BCA, AZ & WPA and it is all about room owners, league operators & industry suppliers, not the players.

Unless there is some reward for being a world class player, we will have less and less world class players. It is impossible to get any broad support for a sport fragmented into local leagues, I believe there needs to be some nationally recognized players that represent the sport well in order to generate any significant media or fan interest.
 
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