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Alex Pagulayan going to UK to try pro snooker
- Thread starter gordml
- Start date
I believe this argument is really 'Apples n Oranges'. I will say this, Shane is NOT the favorite to win EVERY tournament he plays in. When you put Shane amongst a field of 20 or more pros in any event, there is a different outlook.
Still, to say that Shane in Pool is equal to Ronnie in Snooker could be argued about til the cows come home.
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Most people have no idea.... A winner knows how to win, at the top when its down to two it comes down to nerves. This guy has it more than any snooker champion. He should do well. If he fails n he decides he wants it he knows what adjustments needs to be made and he'll prevail. Efren says in pool it doesn't matter the game same principles apply if you have the knowledge. In snooker it's precision Alex has it.
If Alex n Ronnie played snooker for $500K for 3 days - Alex has the edge. And Alex has the backers that can put up that kind of cash faster than Obama can in his 1st election.
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This alone.
The change in table covers from the 1970's to recent times makes all the difference.
I am not saying players today don't have a stroke. I am saying, it took more stroke to get around any size table with consistency back then.
You can't compare Higgins (or anyone before) to anyone modern. The equipment used is not the same.
The modern Simonis allows lesser players to basically "tap" balls in given the proper layout. If you never have to let your stroke out, or re-arrange a table, then the game is pretty easy.
The change in table covers from the 1970's to recent times makes all the difference.
I am not saying players today don't have a stroke. I am saying, it took more stroke to get around any size table with consistency back then.
You can't compare Higgins (or anyone before) to anyone modern. The equipment used is not the same.
The modern Simonis allows lesser players to basically "tap" balls in given the proper layout. If you never have to let your stroke out, or re-arrange a table, then the game is pretty easy.
Many congratulations. I have been on many forums over the years and that is the most outrageous post I have ever read.
AWESOME ! :clapping:
Good work Bro'
TheThaiger
Banned
Not at all, and that's not what I am saying. Anyone switching from running the marathon to running the 100m would be proud of 10.2, and can never reasonably be expected to break 9.58.
In terms of natural talent, Higgins is likely to be in the top 3/4 of all time. In terms of execution, application, dedication and all the other attributes the current crop of players display on a daily basis, he is a long way short, as was everyone else of his generation.
All of this is entirely natural, and clearly demonstrable by facts and statistics. So I stand by my remark that the best an American pool player can hope to achieve if he switches to snooker is to be at the level of the best players 30/40 years ago.
TheThaiger
Banned
I'd say some people have no idea, and some people have no clue whatsoever.
I feel dumber for reading it
The ironic part is, that was what was offered *after* the post had been edited.
TheThaiger
Banned
I disagree. The conditions are what they are today precisely because they are more challenging. Control is harder to master than power. And I'd bet the pockets are significantly tighter today than they were back then.
The change came about because snooker professionalised - something long overdue in American pool, by the way. The rewards were there for players who wanted to work for them. Higgins popularised snooker, thereby bringing rewards and incentive, and Davis professionalised the game. Polar opposites, who hated each other's guts, made a great team and have left a great legacy.
Snooker is not played on simonis cloth
Mwawwwwww ha ah ha ah ah ah ha ah ha ha...
TheThaiger
Banned
I took his point to mean quicker cloth, and I wouldn't say quicker cloth makes the game easier at all. It arguably makes the game less interesting to watch, but not easier.
Is this post serious? If not, it is plain daft.
If Alex is determined and dedicated and never gives up then he could become a very good snooker player over the course of the next few years. There might be some pros he could beat in a game for money because he would have a mental edge in that kind of environment - but 3 days? No way. Having said that, those players wouldn't take the game because they are career professionals who have played match snooker since a young age and earn a living playing tournaments and exhibition matches with a nice chunk of sponsorship and commercial spin offs thrown in. They are not going to play a cash game for half a mil. Ronnie would take the challenge in a heart beat though and would crush him on day one. So would all the other top pros. That's got little to do with pool vs snooker though as Ronnie would crush anyone in that situation.
Back in the day before the internet and rampant mass media became all pervasive, I followed snooker and knew all the players. I had heard of Minnesota Fats, seen The Hustler, and had even heard the names Earl Strickland and Efren Reyes. But I wouldn't have recognised a single one of them. I played whichever house rules version of UK 8 ball was going in the pubs, and went on the single underused 9ft American pool table at my local snooker club after playing snooker to smash some balls into big pockets while rampantly guzzling long overdue beers. Likewise, even the most dedicated old timers on this forum who followed cue sports back in the day would have had little info on the world of snooker. Steve Davis said a while back that he was tempted at one point to tour the US hustling pool as he wouldn't be recognised. But he didn't as he felt he would be betraying his trade.
I was missing out on a great game.
We've seen the UK (and other European) players who have succeeded in pool. Starting with Daryl Peach winning a world championship (some would say he was lucky but he found a way to win), Karl Boyes following and of course Darren Appleton who has mixed it with everyone and is a major force. These guys come from a snooker/UK 8 ball background/environment . It appears to be a much easier transition than from pool to snooker. It will happen the other way though. Cuesmiths in the US know about snooker and the big money available. Some youngsters will see it as a viable option. And some of them will make it. The Canadians did it. The Asians did it. The Americans will too. But it will take time. I hope Alex breaks on to the tour and has some success. He would be a shot in the arm for snooker. It would be good for pool too (we might even get that Ronnie O vs Alex challenge match, but it would be at pool if Barry Hearn has anything to do with it). A big pool name, albeit Filipino/Canadian, breaking through could pave the way for some of the SVB's of the future to give snooker a shot.
I give Alex a decent chance of making the tour over the course of the next three years (which appears to be his time frame). I admire Corey too and respect what he is doing. They will have to give it their all. Best of luck to both of them.
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Having read only the last page of threads, Canon Fodder seems to need attention or is not getting any attention in his/her life, it's a common denominator in an American pool room. There are certain people in all sports that are different than others. There are not many Pele's in soccer, same goes with 3 Cushion billiards, and Golf, and most all greats never chose their course in life, life chose them, and their artistic minds were captivated and led by the nose hairs down the path, like Picasso and the great writers of music. I hope AP backer? has deep pockets and allot of patience. I also hope and wish him success, as I think he'd do better than Efren since his cue ball has waaaay less going on which is very important on those twelve footers. In the long run....we'll see, if that smile increases or diminishes, I hope it burns bright.
Ronnie wouldn't need backers.
Most pool players think that all snooker players know how to do is pot balls. It is not quite true.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yp-TeVaTEs
Not that he would not have them in spades. I think the AZB action room itself could come up with $500,000 for that match... most people there know a lock when they see one. I would put $10,000 into the pot myself for that one.
The fact that you stand by a remark does not make it correct. Your belittling of top players 30/40 years ago is nothing short of ridiculous and your reliance on stats shows a poor working knowledge of the game and it's history.
However, thankfully, you feel your argument is "clearly demonstrable" so carry on, demonstrate it. Particularly the one about finding 1000 players today who are better than Alex Higgins at his peak.