There's only one player I wanted to play like growing up and that's Earl.
Strongly disagree. All top players give exhibitions, but Willie and Jeanette probably gave five to ten times as many as most and drew people to the game with their great elegance and charisma. They drew people to the game that didn't even play it or barely played it. Quite a few of their exhibitions were done for charities and for corporations, and few of those exhibitions were done in a poolroom.Stu;
In addition to the 4 world 9b championships and the 5 US Open 9b titles I would say, yes, there is even more to his influence on the game. His negative influence is undeniable yet it causes stands to be filled for his matches unlike pretty much any other player we know. Negative, I know, but it still influences people to watch even if some are just waiting to see a train wreck.
Added to that are some positive influences, as well, like how when all of a sudden Earl started playing with a javelin length cue and now look at all of the players who are using longer than standard cues and extensions like our very own Captain America, SVB. Earl's influence is responsible for this and some of his other choices like, for instance, using various weights, glasses, finger slides, tennis racket and friction tape wraps, these things have also been duplicated by many players.
Though certainly not on par with Willie or Jeanette, Earl has done some great exhibition shows trying to give a little back to pool. I feel that Earl has had real influence on pool and is perhaps the most controversial person ever to play our sport.
He certainly keeps us talking. That's influence, too!
I'd sooner jump from a window (a low one) and land on my head rather than have Charlie Williams replace Earl on my most influential list.
best,
brian kc
Stu;
Whats the hustler?
Many consider Luther Lassiter to have been the best shotmaker ever in pool, but Earl's definitely in the conversation.
Ok i have a question for clarity. Are we talking current or all time. It’s true that at one time Earl may have had a big influence but I don’t think he does today IMO of course. I guess I can also agree that DCC goes under the Sullivan umbrella. I am curious what some of the people on the list like Greg would say about the list? I will ask him next time I play him some 1 pocket at the club.
I was real close to including Filler on the best shotmaking list but figured he, like Jayson, need to keep it up for a while longer and Fedor, brilliant as he is, he's just getting started, relatively speaking.
for this thread I was considering all time most influential.
OK, fill me in. Who, other than Fedor Gorst, has he groomed to become a world champion? Johan is also the mentor of Ruslan Chinakhov, a super straight shooter but probably never a world's top 25 professional in anything but straight pool. I also know that Johan did some great work with Skyler Woodward, helping Skyler get to the next level as a competitor, and that he did the same for Tyler Styer. Obviously, Johan is an amazing instructor, a legend in his field, but he hasn't, to my knowledge, groomed that many players that went on to become top professionals.
Well said.
That's a very interesting question and I can only speculate here. It may have been Spain, as the Philippines had been ruled by Spain for centuries leading up to the Spanish American war in 1898. That said, it's more likely that pool was brought to the Philippines by the Americans, who ruled over the Philippines from 1898 until the end of World War II. Sounds like a question for America's greatest pool historian, Mike Shamos, but I don't think he posts here.
