How is Mike Sigel NOT in Straight Pool Hall of Fame?

Sigel and straight pool

Having been born in Upstate NY (Rochester to be exact) I watched Mike 'coming up' - there was none better in the 70s (although my good friend, Larry Lisccotti won the World Straight pool title in '76) - Mike was a dominating force back then in the straight pool world and his not being in everyones HOF is a tremendous oversight - someone please "fix it".
 
If asked,Mike would probably say he's not worried about being in Charlie's HOF,because he's in the BCA HOF AND he beat everyone else who is too :rolleyes:. Tommy D.
 
Ratamon said:
That is definitely right. I have a DVD of that match. He also ran 109 against Cisero Murphy in the previous match and 109 and out against Ortmann in an earlier match. It was a great tournament. Archer ran 150 & out against Carter and Miz ran 134(?) and out in his first match of the tournament but I don't remember who against. Anyone?
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I was the referee for the Zuglan 148 run.
In those days we called every shot, the ball, the pocket, and the current run.

Like, " 6-ball side pocket, (pause until after it dropped), 87".

Zuglan's run was amazing. After he ran 148, there were no open shots. The five ball (I think it was the 5) was almost dead in the upper left corner pocket. I stood behind Zuglan and I could see that the shot was not makeable.
It couldn't be cut or thrown in. I almost said "safety", but Mike called "5-Ball".
He shot it and missed.
End of run.
After the match was over I asked him why he called that shot when I could see that it couldn't go.
Mike said, "what would you have wanted me to do? Play safe when I'm running 148 balls?"

By the way, Willie Mosconi and Jimmy Caras were seated in the front row right next to my score board.
I got both of them to sign their photos and Willie died within a year.
Caras remarked that he never had seen back-to-back 150-and-out runs, and he was hoping that Zuglan could have made that combo.
Great memories!
P.S.: Zuglan belongs in the Charlie Williams Straight Pool Hall of Fame, without any doubt.
He was one of the most feared 14.1 players during the 1980's and 1990's.
 
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kkdanamatt said:
I was the referee for the Zuglan 148 run.
In those days we called every shot, the ball, the pocket, and the current run.

Like, " 6-ball side pocket, (pause until after it dropped), 87".

Zuglan's run was amazing. After he ran 148, there were no open shots. The five ball (I think it was the 5) was almost dead in the upper left corner pocket. I stood behind Zuglan and I could see that the shot was not makeable.
It couldn't be cut or thrown in. I almost said "safety", but Mike called "5-Ball".
He shot it and missed.
End of run.
After the match was over I asked him why he called that shot when I could see that it couldn't go.
Mike said, "what would you have wanted me to do? Play safe when I'm running 148 balls?"

By the way, Willie Mosconi and Jimmy Caras were seated in the front row right next to my score board.
I got both of them to sign their photos and Willie died within a year.
Caras remarked that he never had seen back-to-back 150-and-out runs, and he was hoping that Zuglan could have made that combo.
Great memories!
P.S.: Zuglan belongs in the Charlie Williams Straight Pool Hall of Fame, without any doubt.
He was one of the most feared 14.1 players during the 1980's and 1990's.
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I agree. I put Sigel at second best, behind only the great Mizerak, ahead of the rest of the pack, and there were a lot of good ones then!
 
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PoolBum said:
No one who watches this video could ever doubt what an all-time great player Mike Sigel was.
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Agree. And, most of you who are not at least in your mid 60s have no idea how good Mike Sigel was.

I still remember many, including a two day match against Jim Rempe, outside of Baltimore, in the Texas Cue Club. As good a player as Rempe was, he had no chance against Mike. Both 14.1 and nine ball, Mike won by a big margin.

Then, there were 150 and outs, in 1989 and 1992. There were some others. Not to play favorites, but, I don't remember a better all round player, including Lassiter, Varner, Hopkins, and the rest.

The trouble is, most of you have never seen any of these players live. You only text about them.

All the best,
WW
 
When Sigel reached the finals, he rarely lost.
Perhaps someone can post his record in final matches ?
 
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Mike's omission doesn't reflect negatively on him, but instead on the 14.1 Hall of Fame, developed, according to Charlie Williams, to "give lesser known legends of the discipline their due." Of course, not too long afteward guys like Jim Rempe and Earl Strickland were inducted, so nobody really knows what the purpose of the 14.1 Hall of Fame was or is.

Mizerak was definitely the best straight pooler of the 1970's, but in the 1980's, I personally would have said it was Sigel.
 
sjm said:
Mike's omission doesn't reflect negatively on him, but instead on the 14.1 Hall of Fame, developed, according to Charlie Williams, to "give lesser known legends of the discipline their due." Of course, not too long afteward guys like Jim Rempe and Earl Strickland were inducted, so nobody really knows what the purpose of the 14.1 Hall of Fame was or is.

Mizerak was definitely the best straight pooler of the 1970's, but in the 1980's, I personally would have said it was Sigel.
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There is another Hall of Fame which has recognized Michael Sigel:

There is only one member representing the sport of billiards in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame:

Michael Sigel, elected in 2011.

Jack (Jacob) Breitkopf, better known as Jersey Red, should be there too, in my opinion.
 
pfd studios said:
Having been born in Upstate NY (Rochester to be exact) I watched Mike 'coming up' - there was none better in the 70s.....

Not to mention the 60s also. I still remember him and Varner on tv playing at Johnston City (‘Wide World of Sports’).
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WildWing said:
Agree. And, most of you who are not at least in your mid 60s have no idea how good Mike Sigel was.

I still remember many, including a two day match against Jim Rempe, outside of Baltimore, in the Texas Cue Club. As good a player as Rempe was, he had no chance against Mike. Both 14.1 and nine ball, Mike won by a big margin.

Then, there were 150 and outs, in 1989 and 1992. There were some others. Not to play favorites, but, I don't remember a better all round player, including Lassiter, Varner, Hopkins, and the rest.

The trouble is, most of you have never seen any of these players live. You only text about them.

All the best,
WW
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Those were the days. I loved going into the Texas Cue Club and seeing Sigel in there every now and then. It was so cool watching him play.

I remember a match at Gentleman's Cue with Sigel and Cigar Tom. Room was packed. Captain Hook was at his peak. I think I may still have my ticket stub.
 
metallicane said:
Those were the days. I loved going into the Texas Cue Club and seeing Sigel in there every now and then. It was so cool watching him play.

I remember a match at Gentleman's Cue with Sigel and Cigar Tom. Room was packed. Captain Hook was at his peak. I think I may still have my ticket stub.
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Good memory. there were actually two matches between Mike Sigel and Cigar Tom Vanover. 1981 and 1982, I believe.

In the first, Mike didn't realize how good Tom was, and he broke open a rack of straight pool, just to get the game going, with Tom's shot. Tom beat Mike in the straight pool match. It came down to one pocket, and Tom almost won with a long corner slow bank shot. Mike barely won that one, and could be heard saying, I'll never do this again.

But, Mike and Tom were back next year, same format, straight pool, nine ball, and one pocket if needed. Mike won both straight and nine ball, no contest, as good as Tom was. That time, Mike was not fooling around, as he mistakenly did a bit of in the prior year's match. Good memories.

All the best,
WW
 
WildWing said:
Good memory. there were actually two matches between Mike Sigel and Cigar Tom Vanover. 1981 and 1982, I believe.

In the first, Mike didn't realize how good Tom was, and he broke open a rack of straight pool, just to get the game going, with Tom's shot. Tom beat Mike in the straight pool match. It came down to one pocket, and Tom almost won with a long corner slow bank shot. Mike barely won that one, and could be heard saying, I'll never do this again.

But, Mike and Tom were back next year, same format, straight pool, nine ball, and one pocket if needed. Mike won both straight and nine ball, no contest, as good as Tom was. That time, Mike was not fooling around, as he mistakenly did a bit of in the prior year's match. Good memories.

All the best,
WW
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That's the match i watched. Missed the year before. Great memories.
 
Please, do you have any videos on YT about Mike Sigel playing with a Meucci cue?

I remember the great Meucci Originals Cues MS -1, MS-3 the Road Agent, MS 5- the Olympian.
 
Diamond Jack said:
Please, do you have any videos on YT about Mike Sigel playing with a Meucci cue?

I remember the great Meucci Originals Cues MS -1, MS-3 the Road Agent, MS 5- the Olympian.
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There are likely no videos of Mike playing with a Meucci cue.

He did play with the famous Captain Hook model Meucci in 1984, when he came up short to Earl Strickland in the US Open nine ball at Norfolk. Other than that, I think it was a very brief venture for Mike. Pretty quickly went back to Joss, then his own brand of cues. Maybe someone has some footage of Mike playing with a Meucci, but I suspect not.

All the best,
WW
 
DynoDan said:
Not to mention the 60s also. I still remember him and Varner on tv playing at Johnston City (‘Wide World of Sports’).
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Sigel and Varner were pretty young teen agers in the Johnston City era. I've seen no video of either playing in Johnston City, or Wide World of Sports. You sure you've got your decades right?

All the best,
WW
 
WildWing said:
Sigel and Varner were pretty young teen agers in the Johnston City era. I've seen no video of either playing in Johnston City, or Wide World of Sports. You sure you've got your decades right?

All the best,
WW
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I think a young Varner (late teens, early twenties) might have been there in the later years with Hubert Cokes, but I've never heard of Sigel being at Johnston City, and I've never seen video of either of them there.
 
PoolBum said:
I think a young Varner (late teens, early twenties) might have been there in the later years with Hubert Cokes, but I've never heard of Sigel being at Johnston City, and I've never seen video of either of them there.
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They both became known in the early 80s, especially Sigel with his 80 straight pool win. Anyone with any video of either at Johnston City, or Wide World of Sports, put it up. BS.

Johnston City and Wide World of Sports, by the way, consisted of Lassiter, Taylor, and some pretty short videos with Weenie Beenie (Bill Staton), Boston Shorty (Larry Johnson), Handsome Danny Jones, Ed Kelly, and Harold Worst, Not too many others, especially Sigel or Varner.

Some of these stories make me wonder what people are trying to make up.

All the best,
WW
 
WildWing said:
They both became known in the early 80s, especially Sigel with his 80 straight pool win. ...
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Varner beat Sigel in the 1980 14.1 final at the Roosevelt Hotel. Sigel did win the US Open 9-ball in 1980.
 
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