I think he's the greatest ever at 8-ball, too.
Is Efren Better Than Ever?
- Thread starter Renegade
- Start date
I think he's the greatest ever at 8-ball, too.
Sigel will never get his due in today's pool world, Freddie. Too many people I think are turned off by his association with Trudeau, and the whole "Mike the Mouth" skit.
Taking into account the two championship games historically in pool, 9-ball and 14.1, both Sigel and Varner are above Efren.
Efren told us himself, he was at his best before he came to the US.
So by the 1985, he was no longer at his best.
He struggled to win huge tournaments in the US.
But. in 1994 he finally beat Varner for the US Open.
From 1994-1997, Efren had a great run of tournament wins in the US.
He did lose 3 US Open finals in a row after '94, but he won PBT world 8 ball titles, Sands Open, Pro Tour Championship and so on under PBT. He and Archer pretty much won at least half of the PBT tournaments then.
And in 1999, Efren finally won the World 9.
So by the 1985, he was no longer at his best.
He struggled to win huge tournaments in the US.
But. in 1994 he finally beat Varner for the US Open.
From 1994-1997, Efren had a great run of tournament wins in the US.
He did lose 3 US Open finals in a row after '94, but he won PBT world 8 ball titles, Sands Open, Pro Tour Championship and so on under PBT. He and Archer pretty much won at least half of the PBT tournaments then.
And in 1999, Efren finally won the World 9.
I think he's every bit as "good" as he ever was if "good" means making the shots and getting position the way he always has. The reason he's not "in contention" in most big tourneys anymore ( yes, I know he stills wins some ) is, he's almost 65 ( Aug 26 - he's 2 weeks older than me ). Trust me on this, his energy level is nowhere near what it was in his "prime" ( early 20s to late 30s ). He still plays like God, like he always did, he just can't do it anymore for 10 or 12 hours each day over 3 or 4 or more days. No matter how good "shape" he's in.
But all that said, my advice? DO NOT play him any races to 11.
Ever...
:yeah:
But all that said, my advice? DO NOT play him any races to 11.
Ever...
:yeah:
Yes, I recall what a surprise it was to discover (way back when I first toyed with the idea of competing seriously), that regardless of how well you learned to play, without athletic endurance your prospects were dim.
Amen.
And anyone can trust me on this. When you're 65, 99% of everyone out there couldn't spell "athletic endurance" if you spotted them 14 of the 17 letters AND a Webster's dictionary...
( and, yes, I know there are 65s and above who run and complete marathons, bless their hearts. And they finish 378th ) :yeah:
Hey, i just hit 59 and i'm a pure beast for a good 90minutes. From the 91st minute on, all bets of OFF.
I got you beat then, mon frere... *I'm* good for 90 SECONDS! Play like GOD on ACID. But after that? All bets are off!
:grin:
I got you beat then, mon frere... *I'm* good for 90 SECONDS! Play like GOD on ACID. But after that? All bets are off!
Listen up, Junior.
I'm older than you, too, and I sometimes play long sessions.
A couple weeks ago, I started playing at 6:00 A.M., when Hawaiian Brian's opened the doors. I didn't quit until 2:00 A.M., when they closed down.
I would have played longer, but I had an almost hour drive to get home and then I had to get up at 4:00 A.M. and work a 10 hour day.
I was just getting warmed up at the 20 hour mark. I was banging balls like Mosconi.
I agree with SJM 8 Ball has to be included.
I have heard Efren say he will play anyone for whatever amount if Busty can break for him in 9 Ball. Ask any of those mentioned as being superior to Efren in 9 Ball how they would like that match up. Ask Earl how hard it is to play Efren when Efren is consistently breaking well. After Hong Kong he knows!
It has always surprised me that Efren has been able to master all facets of this sport except the BREAK.
Oh well a 999% avg isn't bad.
I have heard Efren say he will play anyone for whatever amount if Busty can break for him in 9 Ball. Ask any of those mentioned as being superior to Efren in 9 Ball how they would like that match up. Ask Earl how hard it is to play Efren when Efren is consistently breaking well. After Hong Kong he knows!
It has always surprised me that Efren has been able to master all facets of this sport except the BREAK.
Oh well a 999% avg isn't bad.
The Hong Kong thing was a "fluke".
Earl's wheels fell off his wagon...it wasn't all Efren's playing.
Not taking anything away from Efren, just stating the facts.
Listen up, Junior.
I'm older than you, too, and I sometimes play long sessions.
A couple weeks ago, I started playing at 6:00 A.M., when Hawaiian Brian's opened the doors. I didn't quit until 2:00 A.M., when they closed down.
I would have played longer, but I had an almost hour drive to get home and then I had to get up at 4:00 A.M. and work a 10 hour day.
I was just getting warmed up at the 20 hour mark. I was banging balls like Mosconi.
Ahem... you Martins don't count, H.E. :thud:
It wasn't just the break. In those tournaments that Sigel won, for example, in the mid to late 80's, he typically had the higher TPA and the higher percentage running out in run-out opportunities.
Ahem,,, 'I may not be as I once was, but I'm as good once, as I ever was!
hi 'eye, earl wasn't playing himself tho..he was playing efren.
earl had a big lead there towards the end, but couldn't keep it up.
he gave efren an opportunity to come back, and efren did.
to say that hong kong was a "fluke" sounds just wrong to me..it was a race to 120!
I think when Efren said essentially "You should have seen me before-I was better then" It was basically just kinda 'puffery'. Besides 'one's self' is not always the best judge of 'one's self'. Almost never in fact.
I think he was playing his best from the time he got here through 2005 or so imho. He won the DCC 9 ball in 2005 and 2010! 250/300 players probably.
As has been said it was just too bad that he played during the time that 9 Ball was king as his break was average at best.
I think he was playing his best from the time he got here through 2005 or so imho. He won the DCC 9 ball in 2005 and 2010! 250/300 players probably.
As has been said it was just too bad that he played during the time that 9 Ball was king as his break was average at best.
Same can be said of Pagualyan. He owned the best "after the break" skills in his era, but his break wasn't good enough to mass-produce titles the way an SVB could. Best one pocket player of his own generation for sure,just like Efren.
Like you, I've often heard that Efren played his best pool in his youth, but I'm not buying it. While it's quite possible that his shot execution skills were at their peak in his youth, his conceptualization skills (which we so often refer to as "imagination" and even "magic") rose and rose and rose from 1990-2005, and, even if his shot execution skills slipped a hair, his game got better.
Tell me about it! Performing the 20 sissy/knee push-ups I do most days feels way harder than the 100 proper ones I used to knock out during Army PT sessions 55 yrs. ago, and the brisk 3 mile daily walk I also take seems a struggle compared to the 20 mile forced marches (in combat boots & full pack) endured back then.
Mentally though, I’m still the cocky tween that (in a strange room once, when challenged to a 14.1 game) lost the lag, but then called a ball out of the rack on the break & ran out, dropping numerous railbird jaws! Too bad the body no longer matches. Youth is wasted on the young.