No dispute that Efren is the GOAT, but who is the 9 ball GOAT?

I differentiate between tournament best and head to head gambling best. Earl would be my choice for the former, Buddy for the latter. Did any of the other players mentioned above beat Buddy more than once or twice for the cash?
 
Taxi said:
Did any of the other players mentioned above beat Buddy more than once or twice for the cash?
Click to expand...
Still a 28 year difference between Buddy and Wimpy, so even if they matched up early in Buddy’s career, it wouldn’t be a fair measure of comparison.
 
Earl is hands down my pick for greatest 9 ball player ever. Efren isn't even in my top 10 for 9 ball. I noticed however nobody has mention Johnny Archer. He was a monster as well. I also believe that if Earl had played other games, (even though he won some stray tournaments here and there in other disciplines, even a one pocket 2nd place) and if he didn't have the mental demons, you could throw the record book out the window and he would stand alone on Mt. Everest with nobody else even close. I know the what if what if what if. Just saying he is a savant. Greatest natural talent I have ever witnessed. Other than myself of course. 🤓
 
I still say it's SVB. It's my opinion that when he is on and hungry, Earl wouldn't have a snowballs chance in hell. I grew up wa5ching people like Earl, Efren and Buddy but i still think overall SVB is better.
 
FunChamp said:
Buddy Hall and Steve Mizerak. The two most beautiful strokes you will ever see. Buddy was so effortless and smooth. Like Pepto Bismol.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t the Miz considered a better 14.1 player, arguably the second best ever behind Mosconi? He did win his share of 9-ball titles in the late 1970s through the 1980’s, but I don’t believe as many as Sigel.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Wasn’t the Miz considered a better 14.1 player, arguably the second best ever behind Mosconi? He did win his share of 9-ball titles in the late 1970s through the 1980’s, but I don’t believe as many as Sigel.
Click to expand...
I was just randomly mentioning their strokes
 
Ken_4fun said:
I tend to agree with this. Opinions are like a$$holes, but I think the real deal is the real rating is the US OPEN championships. I think that would be Earl and Shane. I dont know the numbers of championships of each but I would guess they would be on top of the heap.

If someone who knows the US OPEN 9 Ball Champion list I would appreciate knowing.

Ken
Click to expand...
Do you play pool?
 
mattb said:
I still say it's SVB. It's my opinion that when he is on and hungry, Earl wouldn't have a snowballs chance in hell. I grew up wa5ching people like Earl, Efren and Buddy but i still think overall SVB is better.
Click to expand...
Filler eats Shane alive
 
Only way to figure this out is to get information from the top players of the eras about who they considered top in the field. Efren has always said Sigel was the best he faced. Pretty much everyone has said Lassiter was the best of that time. I don't really know of any other player outside of maybe Earl that was a fairly unanimous pick of the other pro players as to who the top of the era was. SVB maybe for modern times (up till Filler and Gorst now). I tend to trust Danny Diliberto who played in several decades and he said SVB is the best he has seen.

Efren will have the best player title forever in our hearts, much like Jordan and Elvis. There may be better out there, but for overall history and respect in the field, Efren is not likely to be beaten by anyone in the inner circles of pool.
 
Last edited:
I remember watching a match that Danny was doing commentary and he said that SVB was the best player he has ever seen. Not just 9 ball, he meant all around. Danny has been around a while and knows as much if not more than just about anyone alive in pool.
 
This isn't even a debate, Earl Strickland is the greatest 9 ball player of all time. His contemporaries agree.

Efren is great because he played all games at an elite level, but he didn't dominate the main game everyone played (9 ball) the way Earl did.

Yeah, I know, everyone loves the fancy kicks and highlight reels of Efren, but the tournament record says otherwise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top