Who is the best player of the last 40 years not to win a major event?

jay helfert said:
One of the slowest players ever. But also one of the best in 14.1.
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Dick Lane....
First time I ran across him.
Nebraska in a final in the 80's 8 ball 7', the week before he went to Twin Cities and won the Big One.
I knocked him over, and he came back.
Match is real close, he's at the table running out we're goin to 5.
The score was 3-3.
If you touched a ball it wasn't a foul, put it back or leave it, the rules were good for all.
He was dead out, THEN He slowed down his play dramatically, he FED off the crowds Watching Him.
He's shooting/cb in the middle of table, next ball straight in stop shot into the side.
There were two balls on each side of his bridge hand, each about 5'' away from the cb.
He STOPPED play, he called a referee :) Huh, he Got More attention to groom his person. EVERYONE WAS watching.
That situation told me this richSOB/wierdo was is in his own world, masturbated the moment in Nebraska for his EGO.
Never liked em after that.

bm
 
Island Drive said:
Dick Lane....
First time I ran across him.
Nebraska in a final in the 80's 8 ball 7', the week before he went to Twin Cities and won the Big One.
I knocked him over, and he came back.
Match is real close, he's at the table running out we're goin to 5.
The score was 3-3.
If you touched a ball it wasn't a foul, put it back or leave it, the rules were good for all.
He was dead out, THEN He slowed down his play dramatically, he FED off the crowds Watching Him.
He's shooting/cb in the middle of table, next ball straight in stop shot into the side.
There were two balls on each side of his bridge hand, each about 5'' away from the cb.
He STOPPED play, he called a referee :) Huh, he Got More attention to groom his person. EVERYONE WAS watching.
That situation told me this richSOB/wierdo was is in his own world, masturbated the moment in Nebraska for his EGO.
Never liked em after that.

bm
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He's an odd duck to say the least. Been around him a lot here in Tulsa and he is clearly the NERDIEST pool player on the planet. He's worth gillions but he's a total cheapskate. Inherited most of it is what is sad. Hell he had over 200mill given to him. Do have one good DL tale: Gerry Watson was at the Palace and no one knew him then. Dick went in with Randy Jones to play GW some 9b giving him the 8b. Gerry went thru Dick like shit thru a goose. Gerry said he'd play even but Dick bailed. Hell, truth be told Dick needed the weight not Gerry. Good times. I miss the Ghost, such a cool cat and monster player.
 
Someone mentioned Dechaine and i'd agree there. When in-gear he is as good as anyone that's ever played the game. Various circumstances, like life and his attitude, got in the way. Had his planets lined-up a lil better he could have won anything.
 
skip100 said:
John Morra seems like the guy in the latest generation who has come closest the most number of times without taking one down.
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Yeah....but clearly not an elite player. Got a ton of heart, just isn't beating top tier. Not 3 or 4 sets straight to win titles.
 
garczar said:
Someone mentioned Dechaine and i'd agree there. When in-gear he is as good as anyone that's ever played the game. Various circumstances, like life and his attitude, got in the way. Had his planets lined-up a lil better he could have won anything.
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Yeah....he didn't travel as much as he could. Plus living in Shane's shadow.

If pool paid better, he would have stayed it, improved more and been a real force.
 
SBC said:
Yeah....he didn't travel as much as he could. Plus living in Shane's shadow.

If pool paid better, he would have stayed it, improved more and been a real force.
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he is still in his 30s- I feel like Dechaine and Bergman could still compete with anyone if they chose to be fully dedicated to pool, but I guess they don't want to compete full time for different reasons- travel, money
 
garczar said:
Someone mentioned Dechaine and i'd agree there. When in-gear he is as good as anyone that's ever played the game. Various circumstances, like life and his attitude, got in the way. Had his planets lined-up a lil better he could have won anything.
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Same way I felt about Louie Roberts in his youth, since college was in S. IL just across the river from St. Louis.
 
People need to remember that in those days more players gambled than played tournament pool. They'd go to tournaments but the 'real' money was made by matching up. How times have changed, so little action now its a joke.
 
Between 85 and the early 90s - if you want to go back just 40 years - Mike Zuglan, on a given day, was capable of beating just about anyone in either 8, 9, or 14.1. Not saying he was as good as the top pros during that era- but he could win any of those matches with his ability. When he did enter a major 14.1 in the early 90s only Dallas West and Sigel beat him in NYC.

Mike beat Dick Lane in NYC gambling in the late 80s and he beat Grady M several times during that period as well. He also beat most of the pros who came to his early 90s Joss Tour events WHILE he ran the tournament by himself! Grady M stated in 1989 that he thought Zuglan was the best 35 and under overall player in the U.S.
 
mikemosconi said:
Between 85 and the early 90s - if you want to go back just 40 years - Mike Zuglan, on a given day, was capable of beating just about anyone in either 8, 9, or 14.1. Not saying he was as good as the top pros during that era- but he could win any of those matches with his ability. When he did enter a major 14.1 in the early 90s only Dallas West and Sigel beat him in NYC.

Mike beat Dick Lane in NYC gambling in the late 80s and he beat Grady M several times during that period as well. He also beat most of the pros who came to his early 90s Joss Tour events WHILE he ran the tournament by himself! Grady M stated in 1989 that he thought Zuglan was the best 35 and under overall player in the U.S.
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Good player but basically a 14.1 specialist. Played 9b well but he wasn't a threat to ever win a major. I loved his attitude, feisty cat. When Sigel ran that 150 on him he had a great attitude then too. Good guy.
 
People with a lot of talent who quit the game or were flashes in the pan or gambling specialists don’t really count for this. It should be people who won a number of tournaments, were in the hunt at majors multiple times, just didn’t happen to snap one off.
 
westcoast said:
he is still in his 30s- I feel like Dechaine and Bergman could still compete with anyone if they chose to be fully dedicated to pool, but I guess they don't want to compete full time for different reasons- travel, money
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think both are pushing 40. but seeing bergman match up with tony in one pocket earlier this year, i have no doubt he's still the best player in the US after the break, along with fedor of course. but forget rotation for a while, and say bergman enters buffalo 1p. also forget tournament rustyness. would he not be a top 5 buy? i think he should be.
 
sjm said:
Not listed on his Wikipedia list of titles.
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I have no idea why. He lost to Archer in the finals lthe year before. Then he beat Varner for the title the year after.https://youtu.be/11AuXGlRIqo?si=FhFRLh3OoZ1ruoAQ
 
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