Balukas or A. Fisher??

Southpaw

Southpaw

Swing away, Meril....
Silver Member
Just out of curiosity....who does everyone think is/was the best between Jean Balukas and Allison Fisher? I know that Balukas has a record 16 straight wins on the WPBA and it hasnt been broken yet. She also played and cashed in some of the mens events as well. Allison...well.....Allison is Allison. Enough said. Whose your choice?

Southpaw
 
Southpaw said:
Just out of curiosity....who does everyone think is/was the best between Jean Balukas and Allison Fisher? I know that Balukas has a record 16 straight wins on the WPBA and it hasnt been broken yet. She also played and cashed in some of the mens events as well. Allison...well.....Allison is Allison. Enough said. Whose your choice?

Southpaw
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I think it's somewhat difficult to judge inasmuch as they played in different eras of women's pool. Although their respective careers are not separated by a great amount of time, there is no question, IMHO, that Allison has faced a significantly higher level of competition that Jean did. Furthermore, based on Karen Corr's results on the Joss NE Tour, it is clear that Allison has the game to be competitive with a lot of the male pros (at least in a tournament format). Wouldn't it be great if we could bring Jean out of retirement to play in a series of challenge matches against Allison?
 
VIProfessor said:
I think it's somewhat difficult to judge inasmuch as they played in different eras of women's pool. Although their respective careers are not separated by a great amount of time, there is no question, IMHO, that Allison has faced a significantly higher level of competition that Jean did. Furthermore, based on Karen Corr's results on the Joss NE Tour, it is clear that Allison has the game to be competitive with a lot of the male pros (at least in a tournament format). Wouldn't it be great if we could bring Jean out of retirement to play in a series of challenge matches against Allison?
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personally i think that Jean is a better all around player. As far as Jean coming out of retirement. She told me at the last BCA U.S. Open 14.1 in NYC that the only way she would come out of retirement is if pool was to become an olympic sport. I also believe that she could go out on the womens tour today and compete competitively....JMHO.........mike
 
i dont think it'll ever be concretely known if a player from another era could beat a player in today's era because of the obvious, they'd never be able to match up. And even if they were able to, the difference in age would make it almost impossible to match up evenly. It'd be like Luther Lassiter at age 85 playing Mike Segal when he was 20.

Having said all that, i think any "modern" pro would have no problem competing with the top players of the past... pool just seems like a game where the game itself improves with each generation.
 
Well if you look at who Balukas faced in tournaments vs Allison, the nod totally goes for Balukas. Why? because she faced men and beat them way before any lady was playing against men on the pro tour.

I am a firm believer that if Jean Balukas was still playing on the WPBA tour, she'd make Allison look just like a average women player.

I think even now if Jean Balukas came back to play on tour all the girls on the WPBA tour wouldnt like it at all, cuz she'd still be able to kick thier butts.
 
There wasn't a woman on the planet that could compete consistantly with Jean in her prime.
To this day, she has one attribute I have never seen in another woman player and that was a controlled power stroke equal to most male pro players.
 
I'll settle this once and for all.........

It's a toss up! Hope you had a Merry Xmas.
 
ioCross said:
i dont think it'll ever be concretely known if a player from another era could beat a player in today's era because of the obvious, they'd never be able to match up. And even if they were able to, the difference in age would make it almost impossible to match up evenly. It'd be like Luther Lassiter at age 85 playing Mike Segal when he was 20.

Having said all that, i think any "modern" pro would have no problem competing with the top players of the past... pool just seems like a game where the game itself improves with each generation.
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I have to admit....I thought about this thread after seeing Rocky Balboa a couple of days ago....LOL. It would be interesting to see how JB could compete with the modern day pros if she came out of retirement.

Southpaw
 
I hardly think Jean is from another "era", I do not think she is even out of her 40's yet! I agree about her strong stroke and I think the female player that most resembles Jean is Jasmin Ouschan.

I think the biggest difference between Allison though and Jean is a love for the game. I think Jean was really pushed into playing pool if she had had her choice she would have rather played tennis or golf.

I think Allison really does love it and just an FYI for who ever it was that felt Jean had the edge cause she competed against men, Allison competed against more than her share in snooker, besting many a champion in that arena.

I truly believe if they played each other at their primes it could go either way, as they both bring different strengths to table. Jean her powerful stroke and gutsy play, Allison, her masterful technique and great pattern play.

I really do not know who would win in a face to face but I am sure I am not the only one that would love to see them match up! I will say they are both classy, smart women and both are very funny! It would be a blast to watch them play each other.
 
From what I hear about JB's stroke I would like her on slow, napped cloth.

I like AF on today's faster cloth.
 
cueball1950 said:
She told me at the last BCA U.S. Open 14.1 in NYC that the only way she would come out of retirement is if pool was to become an olympic sport.
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That's good enough for me--I'm going to be writing some letters and lobbying the IOC to make pool an olympic sport.
 
Southpaw said:
I have to admit....I thought about this thread after seeing Rocky Balboa a couple of days ago

Southpaw
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For the record, I think Jean would kick Rocky's a**.:D
 
conditions

I'd say in one race to 7 nine ball, alternate the break, on newly recovered 5 inch pockets it could go either way. That's how the best woman player is determined, right?
 
i think a lot of people who think it's fisher, says so from their hearts. i have never REALLY seen balukas enough.

if there's someone knowledgeable who thinks it would be jean,,,why. what was it about her game.
 
bruin70 said:
i think a lot of people who think it's fisher, says so from their hearts. i have never REALLY seen balukas enough.

if there's someone knowledgeable who thinks it would be jean,,,why. what was it about her game.
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Years ago at the Clyde Childress tournament, JB had just beaten Buddy by a score 9-3 or 4, as I best remember. I think she had beaten Rempe that day too. I working on memory and it was a long time ago.

Her next match was against David Howard at around 1:oo pm the next afternoon.The players were passing around some sort of petition to bar women from sanctioned mens events claiming it put too much pressure on them. It was hilarious.

The next morning Al Hogue and I got there early as Al had an early match. There was David Howard firing balls and sweating like a boxer. He said that he was not about to let that B____ beat him. Again it was hilarious.

David won by two games, but I can't remember if it was 9-7 or 11-9, but it was close.

Todays male players respect AF but they don't fear her as they did JB. IMO!
 
Jeanie, by a mile

Southpaw said:
Just out of curiosity....who does everyone think is/was the best between Jean Balukas and Allison Fisher? I know that Balukas has a record 16 straight wins on the WPBA and it hasnt been broken yet. She also played and cashed in some of the mens events as well. Allison...well.....Allison is Allison. Enough said. Whose your choice?

Southpaw
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Although Allison is amoung the best of today's women,
compared to Jean in her prime, Fisher isn't even close to being close.

Dale
 
Im surprised nobody has mentioned that we HAVE seen alison against men. On the IPT on tighter pockets in POOL. She wasn't even in the top 50. I don't know this for sure, but when Jean was playing I don't think they had a lot of womens pool on TV. Atleast not like it is today, people in the crowd clap after every shot, balls hit in the middle of the rail and go in. It is really quite ridiculous. I watched the women play in the US open this year, all they did was tighten the pockets up a little, and what I saw shocked me. They didn't play too hot, yes they are professionals, yes they are good, but against the men?? Forget about it. So if Jean could play and beat the men in her time, on the conditions during that time, it wouldn't even be close.
 
watchez said:
Jean could give Allison the 7 ball on a legitimate table.
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That could be a true statement, Watchez…….. But Allison could probably spot Jean playing snooker on a 6X12. This argument is going to come down to the age of the responder. People of Jean’s era who have seen both in their prime are probably going with Jean and rightfully so, IMHO. In a 9 ball “Winner Break” situation, Jean, has to be the favorite due to her powerful break. I think everyone would agree that Allison’s break is her worse enemy. Jean’s break is her bailiwick. In tournament play, Jean beat, in succession, Keith McCready, Buddy Hall and Steve Mizarak. All this in a winner break format, which allows stringing racks together. Jean’s, power stroke allowed her the advantage of going two rails out of the corner for position, as most men players do, rather than going one rail to the same position point. In an alternate break format I believe it would be a toss-up. Allison does not play straight pool, as far as I know and Jean was the master of the game.
 
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