Jimmy was a great player, just not quite to Allen's caliber. Hopkins would bet he could run all 15 balls in one pocket with 4 tries......that's pretty strong medicine. Still to this recent time he can run 100-200 balls in straight pool any given day.
Probably the only one that could have beaten "Hoppy" consistently was Efren, and he really didn't want to go through what it would take to win....and have to earn EVERY ball.
I second this^^^
Just to add to your post, I recently played Allen (recently as in, just a few months ago - not long) when I was fortunately enough to get to play him some one pocket at his house. Just to help frame the story a little bit, we had just finish about 27 holes of golf where I took somewhat of a beating. When we were in the club house, I told Allen that my one pocket game was a LOT better than the last time we played (that story was embarrassing, but that's another thread). I continued to tell him that I'm sending multiple balls to my pocket on single shots at times and I'm setting up million-man-marches in front of my hole fairly quick now...unlike before.
He took a slow sip of his beer and said something like, "You wanna play some uno pockeeto brothaaaaah?"
Well, of course, I did and I kept my pool cue in the trunk JUST in case something might happen pool-wise.
I forget exactly what happened, but he shot out of my break somehow, with some bullsh1t god-shot that I probably would consider a flier, but he smoothed it in and ticked into the rack about 5-times to loosen up one or two balls at a time and continued to run 8-and-out.
I told him to "keep going" because he looked like he was playing one-pocket straight pool and I literally couldn't believe my eyes. When it was over, he ran all 15 into his pocket during the first game, after being golfed-up and beered-up all day.
I literally couldn't believe it and told him that was quite impressive for a geriatric pool player who prob qualifies for the $2 Denny's lunches on the senior menu. I think I even told him he's lucky he can walk, let alone golf and play pool.
He said something like, "I'm feeling pretty loosey-goosey" as he threw some balls on the table and rifled them in.
Shit, I was drinking-up his wine (which was also loosey-goosey smooth) so I told him I wanted to see if he could do it again. I racked up the balls and made sure they were tight and all and told him to break it like DCC 1-hole challenge (basically, outside instead of inside english). He did and knocked a few balls out, leaving about 11/12 balls still mucked, while getting on top.
Well, he did and continued to run all 15 balls in his hole....again. It was the sickest display of one pocket I had EVER seen. He ran 30 balls in one hole, basically from two full-rack mucks, in one try, cold, after playing golf all day.
Of course, on the way home, I called up everyone I knew to tell them the story since I was FLUSTERED. I literally thought I had seen a UFO, I was that rattled.
I want to add that his home table is a 9' Diamond and plays really tough, definitely not a Gandy or wide-open 8'er or something.
That said, I really, really, really respect Jimmy's game -- he's a champion at every game. I would still take Hopkins over Fusco at any game, whether they played in 1977 or today.
I think a LOT of people WAY under-rate Allen's game because of the appearance of his stroke. His stroke is devastating in every game and he's THE MOST intelligent pool player I've ever met/played.
