Anybody know it?
Lassiter's high run?
- Thread starter Socopool79
- Start date
The list at http://billiard.wikispaces.com/High+runs doesn't list him, but it has some inaccuracies.
I saw him run 103 in the US Open in 1975. I imagine that he would have had a lot of trouble making really long runs because he was frequently in very bad positions. In a run of 80 you could expect three bank shots. He turned nothing balls into break shots and got combinations to go out of the rack that no one else saw.
He was rumored to intentionally take a breaking violation when he lost the lag in tournaments so that he would have a chance to run 152.
I go to Elizabeth City NC where Wimpy is from and play on his 5x10 gandy at his nephews house a couple times a year so I get to hear a lot about Wimpy.
I know its gonna be a little hard to believe his high run numbers but also remember Wimpy was a gambler and records and trophys surely would make matching up in money games very hard and Wimpy gave away almost all his trophys and what trophys he did keep are all broken up except for 1 Johnson city World trophy from all of them I have seen.
Here is the info I have been told.
Wimpy has run over 900 on a 9ft table
over 600 balls about 4 times on a 9ft.
500 balls twice on his 5x10 and 1 of the 500 ball runs witnessed completely from start to finish as he was the racker and started at about 9am and ended at about 1230pm.
I did think the numbers were a little high but I truly believe them now.
Also to note after Babe Cranfield beat Lassiter in a world tourney and then ran like 800 plus balls the next year Wimpy went to NY and played 3 races to 1000 balls against Cranfield and won all 3 sets and in 1 set ran over 300 balls twice.
I've heard the story before that after Cranfield ran his 768, the highest known practice run, Lassiter chased him down and beat him handily.
Still, no way I can believe these runs. A run of over 500 on a ten footer is almost 50% more than the highest known run on that kind of table. For somebody to do it twice without anybody knowing about it is beyond the imaginable.
Wimpy ran 900+ on a 9-footer but his fellow pros never heard about it? Reminds me of the rabbi who made two-holes-in one at golf on Yom Kippur. He just couldn't tell anyone. Wonder what Lassiter's reason was.
Wimpy was, in the view of many, the greatest ball pocketer that ever lived, but these high run numbers seem a bit improbable for a guy never considered a particularly good pattern player.
I would ask RA Dyer. No one has researched Wimpy more than him to my knowledge and I don't remember the runs that WorldPro claims ever being mentioned by Mr. Dyer. I tend to agree that if these runs were valid and especially since it's claimed by Mr. Chamberlain that one was witnessed from start to finish that they would be be part of 14.1 lore at the very least. But in fact it seems as if the only source is the dubious Mr. Chamberlain, the very same person who claims that we don't make our own cases. I personally woudn't trust Mr. Chamberlain's word on anything much less something as important as long runs in 14.1.
Perhaps Mr. Chamberlain can provide us with some proof other than his statement?
Perhaps Mr. Chamberlain can provide us with some proof other than his statement?
Hey goofball stalker Barton if you like to follow me around everywhere I go then I don't mind.Maybe next time you are in the same city as me you can follow me to the parking lot and try to slice my throat like you promised big guy.
I also stated you not your workers cant make a case and you are a case designer not a casemaker which is the complete truth that you can not make a complete case from start to finish and if you can post a video as your at least capable of doing that than I will retract my comments and admit your are a casemaker.
Why do you even ever post anyways as you are not a pool player.If im wrong post up and play some for 20k-50k or just be a railbird and fly away little nitbird.You did recently say you wanted to matchup so that's why im asking you to make an offer on matching up.
I swear some people have nothing better to do with their life and throw their comments around in 1,000s of threads when nothing concerns them in the thread and its hilarious.
I do agree that numbers can always be wrong and I did not see Wimpy run 900 balls on a 9ft or 500 on his 10ft table and Im going by what his nephew told me.I find his nephew Mike to be a genuine guy who always is very nice to me and others and have never seen anything but honesty with him and his family for the many years I have known all of them.
Next time I talk to Mike or see him I will see if I can either get him to join azbilliards and tell all his storys of his Uncle Wimpy or something to provide more knowledge and proof of some of Wimpys runs.
Watch the video below and support America.
http://www.americanmadematters.com/index.php
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Only you are the ONLY ONE who ever heard of these runs. RA Dyer who did a bunch of research on Lassiter's life NEVER mentioned them.
I mean runs like that would be talked about in EVERY conversation concerning high runs and SOMEONE other than you would know about them even if they were only rumored.
But no, in 30 years of Billiards Digest, Pool and Billiard Magazine, several books, and nearly 20 years of internet discussion this is the FIRST time anyone has ever mentioned the runs you did.
Congratulations, you have uncovered a buried secret that was kept hidden from the pool world for 50 years. Or maybe not. Because without corroboration, like your claimed 300+ run, it's just a story.
Bet something case designer
whatever mr.case designer,illegally making a living in china.
There were several people watching my run
like usual dodging the questions or twisting them.You comment all over azb to mostly steer up trouble or put your nose where it doesn't belong and offer nothing in any of your post and don't you hold the title for being barred the most on azbilliards out of 50,000 members.Actually I think you win that title by more than 5-10x more than anyone.
put up some cash and matchup since all you want to do is question my ability to play.start at 20k and if you lose or win either way I will give you 5k for a 1 on 1 fight in a ring for 5 minutes and another 5k if you can actually produce a video of you making a case from start to finish all by yourself.
So you can make up to 30k and maybe only really risk 10k.
round robin
1 pocket race to 30
9 ball race to 50
10 ball race to 40
14.1 race to 500
8 ball race to 20
all games I will give you a 20% spot
1 pocket 6 game spot
9 ball 10 game spot
10 ball 8 game spot
14.1 100 ball spot
8 ball 4 game spot
since 20% spot lets bet $20,000
all tournament rules and I will pay for any and all live stream involved if you want it videoed and also a neutral referee to overlook every shot and rack each rack of balls.
also provide transportation for you in America since you don't have an American drivers license.
whatever mr.case designer,illegally making a living in china.
There were several people watching my run
like usual dodging the questions or twisting them.You comment all over azb to mostly steer up trouble or put your nose where it doesn't belong and offer nothing in any of your post and don't you hold the title for being barred the most on azbilliards out of 50,000 members.Actually I think you win that title by more than 5-10x more than anyone.
put up some cash and matchup since all you want to do is question my ability to play.start at 20k and if you lose or win either way I will give you 5k for a 1 on 1 fight in a ring for 5 minutes and another 5k if you can actually produce a video of you making a case from start to finish all by yourself.
So you can make up to 30k and maybe only really risk 10k.
round robin
1 pocket race to 30
9 ball race to 50
10 ball race to 40
14.1 race to 500
8 ball race to 20
all games I will give you a 20% spot
1 pocket 6 game spot
9 ball 10 game spot
10 ball 8 game spot
14.1 100 ball spot
8 ball 4 game spot
since 20% spot lets bet $20,000
all tournament rules and I will pay for any and all live stream involved if you want it videoed and also a neutral referee to overlook every shot and rack each rack of balls.
also provide transportation for you in America since you don't have an American drivers license.
I don't want to play you. When it comes to pool there is not a spot large enough to make it an even game between us. I admit you are a World Professional and as such far far above my level. I hope someday you are able to replicate your 300+ run on video and sell many of them.
So you can stop calling me out to play. It's not going to happen ever in any game.
Regarding fighting you, no I don't want to do that either. I am sure you were a champion at that as well and would easily beat me up. In fact I don't want to do anything competitive with you at all and would prefer not to spend any time in your company as I find you to be an odious person of very low moral character. And frankly that's saying a lot because I am good friends with a lot of people with low moral character who are way more honest than you are.
And yes I have been banned several times. Do you know why sir? For defending myself against people like you who use lies and defamation to attack me. I have gone against the rules and been chastised for it. Frankly I wear it as a badge of honor to be banned when standing up to a bully such as yourself. However now I have learned that I don't need to break the rules in order to get the point across to the bully about what sort of person I think he is.
You see no matter what in every post you make about me you tell a lie. For example above you open with "illegally making a living in china". What do you mean by this? Do you know the particulars of my life here? Do you know how the business is structured? What my visa says? How much money I make or don't make?
No, you don't. But that doesn't stop you from making a statement as if you do does it?
So please forgive me sir but when you so casually lie about me I have a difficult time believing you when you make claims about your high runs and now when you make a claim about Mr. Lassiter and these outrageous high runs that no one but you has ever of in the past 50 years.
Mr. Lassiter was the subject of 10 articles by Sports Illustrated. He has been the subject of many articles by pool writers. Certainly with all that coverage and his long time in the game SOMEONE other than you would have heard of these incredible feats. But no, you are the only one here who has heard of them.......
Well, as it turns out Mr. Lassiter's great nephew was 8 years old when Wimpy ran 1485 balls. The young man developed a lifelong fascination with numbers after his great uncle enlisted him to count the balls. He ordered a case from me recently and recounted that story. So put that one in as the high run for Wimpy........
Not really, but anyone can concoct a fish story when there is no one around to verify it. You're a great fisherman Mr. Chamberlain, unfortunately you should cast your line in other waters because the fish here are too hard for you to catch.
To the original poster of this thread I want to apologize that it got sidetracked.I only replied to your question and jb cases decided to stick his nose into it for no reason and it got twisted.If you have any other questions about lassiter please send me a pm and I will do my very best to answer them or call his nephew to see if I can get the answers for you and others.
Thanks for starting the thread as Wimpy was a truly a great player and one of my heros and favorite players of all time.
Straight pool is a great game and when played correctly great players make it look really easy for sure and I hope the negative that said in your thread doesn't stop you from posting as there are actually good and great players that post in the 14.1 section here on azbilliards.
Bobby
Thanks for starting the thread as Wimpy was a truly a great player and one of my heros and favorite players of all time.
Straight pool is a great game and when played correctly great players make it look really easy for sure and I hope the negative that said in your thread doesn't stop you from posting as there are actually good and great players that post in the 14.1 section here on azbilliards.
Bobby
No doubt, anything's possible. Still, I knew quite a few of the old masters, Irving Crane and Mike Eufemia among them, and high runs were a frequent topic of conversation. Nobody knew of these runs.
I think the runs are just about conceivable given Lassiter's prodigious talent. On the other hand, it's arguable whether Lassiter was one of the ten greatest straight poolers of all time, and the idea that his best runs are much higher than those who played the game better than he did just doesn't seem likely. Irving Crane, Joe Balsis, Ray Martin, DanDiLiberto, and Dallas West were all contemporaries of Wimpy and all five played the table than he did, yet not one of them got even halfway to 900 on a nine footer. Nor for that matter have more recent straight pool legends like Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, John Schmidt and Thorsten Hohmann.
The integrity of Wimpy's nephew is not in question here. I don't doubt for a moment that he believes these runs occurred and that he believes that he personally observed one or more of them. Still, he'll have to do more than attest to a run of 900 --- he'll have to give a plausible explanation of why he chose to keep the run a well guarded secret for decade after decade.
Let's face it, if Wimpy ran this many balls, he made history, and to keep such an achievement under wraps for decades is the equivalent of Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic and choosing not to mention it to anybody.
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He did? And why wasn't that on CNN?
Seriously-Wimpy did not play straight pool as "pretty" as lot of players. And maybe would not be considered top 10. But he sure knew how to win.
And I would say that under pressure and for the cash he was tops.
He is my favorite player of all time.Wimpy had stones.
Agreed. His Johnston City results of the early 1960's bear this out. I met him at least half a dozen times, chiefly in the years 1968-80.
Somebody asked Efren why he didn't play much 14.1 and he said because nobody wants to gamble with him at 14.1 - no money in it.
Despite that he still has taken down a tournament or two against world class players simply because of his brilliant ability.
Considering Wimpy made his money in a similar manner to Efren I'd say the same concept applies.
Despite that he still has taken down a tournament or two against world class players simply because of his brilliant ability.
Considering Wimpy made his money in a similar manner to Efren I'd say the same concept applies.
In the 1940s there was action at 14.1. George Rood related a story of playing against Lassiter in which Lassiter made one of the greatest shots Rood had ever seen to get a break ball. Rood also played long sessions of 14.1. He told about one session where he was giving up 50-no-count in games to 100. In that session he had 11 runs of 100. I think Rood was mostly a nine ball player, and played roughly equal with Lassiter at one point.
Holy smokes, I didn't realize George was that good a player.