Best Banker Alive

Cannonball55

Cannonball55

This is cool
Silver Member
Hi,

Quick question for you : If you had to choose a player today to make a straight back bank to save your life . One shot that's it . Who'd it be ? I know this sounds crazy and it is competely hypothetical, but to make it tough, you had to choose an active player ( and his being alive would'nt hurt ) you could'nt go back in time and select an Eddie Taylor from '69 or a Bugs Rucker of '78 . That would be too easy . So, certainly you'd try to select the best pressure banker around but who would it be ?

A few names come to mind ...

Shannon Daulton - He's a champion without a doubt and he's made more pressure banks than most people may realize.

Tony Fargo - A banking machine, once he gets in gear he's super tough to beat .

Glen "piggy banks" Rogers - This guy may very well be my pick simply because the straight back bank ( shot @ vector 7 ) is a Chi-Town special and he just makes ridiculous banks look soooooooo easy.

Jason Miller - unbelievable banker . This guy never saw a bank that he could'nt make.

Jon Brumback - One word : Machine

Larry Price - This guy has ice water in his veins and he always seems to bank well under pressure

Danny Harriman - Sound, solid, smart banker . Always chooses the right shot and approach . exceptional banking ability but i do question his temperment somewhat so i am a little on the fence with him.

Nick Varner - I know he's 85 :grin-devilish: but he can still play and his level of play gets better as the pressure increases .

James Walden - Has maybe the strongest all around game in the country very strong for the dough and let me tell you, he banks like King Kong, wait a minute on second thought he banks better than King Kong
 
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Cannonball55 said:
Hi,

Quick question for you : If you had to choose a player today to make a straight back bank to save your life . One shot that's it . Who'd it be ? I know this sounds crazy and it is competely hypothetical, but to make it tough, you had to choose an active player ( and his being alive would'nt hurt ) you could'nt go back in time and select an Eddie Taylor from '69 or a Bugs Rucker of '78 . That would be too easy . So, certainly you'd try to select the best pressure banker around but who would it be ?

A few names come to mind ...

Shannon Daulton - He's a champion without a doubt and he's made more pressure banks than most people may realize.

Tony Fargo - A banking machine, once he gets in gear he's super tough to beat .

Glen "piggy banks" Rogers - This guy may very well be my pick simply because the straight back bank ( shot @ vector 7 ) is a Chi-Town special and he just makes ridiculous banks look soooooooo easy.

Jason Miller - unbelievable banker . This guy never saw a bank that he could'nt make.

Jon Brumback - One word : Machine

Larry Price - This guy has ice water in his veins and he always seems to bank well under pressure

Danny Harriman - Sound, solid, smart banker . Always chooses the right shot and approach . exceptional banking ability but i do question his temperment somewhat so i am a little on the fence with him.

Nick Varner - I know he's 85 :grin-devilish: but he can still play and his level of play gets better as the pressure increases .

James Walden - Has maybe the strongest all around game in the country very strong for the dough and let me tell you, he banks like King Kong, wait a minute on second thought he banks better than King Kong
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How about brain gregg
 
Brian Gregg, the man wears red shirts and wins bank ring games (the hardest format IMHO) like no one else
 
Under pressure to make one bank for your life, I like Tony Fargo first and then Jason Miller and Brian Gregg.
 
Fargo is no joke. Shannon of course is one hell of a bank player. Brian Gregg ran 8 out the gate at the Derby, thats just too strong. I have never seen Jason Miller bank but hear he's an animal. Brian to me is banking at a high speed. Full rack it has to be Fargo.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I never saw him play, but I always heard Gary Speith was up there.

pj
chgo
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Patrick, Gary SPAETH was right there with all those mentioned above. He might have had a higher gear than anyone, except maybe Truman.

One last caveat. NONE of the above banked as good as Eddie Taylor, Bugs or Cannonball. I saw 'em all play. They had a higher speed and IMO Taylor was the best ever! I watched him bank all 15 balls in practice in Dayton, Ohio at the Cue and Bridge in 1963. He almost did it a second time too, missing on the 12th or 13th ball.

P.S. Taylor's high run record was 37 banks! That's two and a half full racks. I know, I know, no one believes me. He had it listed on all his posters, and Eddie Taylor was no liar!
 
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Good call Jay. For banks fans, I recommend the Gary Spaeth - Buddy Hall full rack exhibition from Accu-stats at the 2002 DCC. Buddy starts off strong but Gary hits some awesome banks to come back and win. He had a really powerful stroke.

There's some funny dialogue with Grady and Cardone commentating.

Grady (when Spaeth has 5 remaining): "Gary's probably out here."

Billy (laughing): "Probably out? We're playing bank pool here not straight pool!"
 
jay helfert said:
Patrick, Gary SPAETH was right there with all those mentioned above. He might have had a higher gear than anyone, except maybe Truman.

One last caveat. NONE of the above banked as good as Eddie Taylor, Bugs or Cannonball. I saw 'em all play. They had a higher speed and IMO Taylor was the best ever! I watched him bank all 15 balls in practice in Dayton, Ohio at the Cue and Bridge in 1963. He almost did it a second time too, missing on the 12th or 13th ball.
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I lived in Memphis for three years and I used to watch Tony play a lot of banks with various players. I never saw him loose to anyone at his home table at the Rack.

Once I watched Tony Fargo spread out 15 balls on a Gold Crown, take ball in hand just for the 1st shot and and bank all 15 balls. He then proceeded to do it two more times!!! Fourty five straight banks, he then turned in the balls! I asked him why he didn't see how many he could make and he just laughed and carried the balls to the counter.
 
Anyone know about Mosconi and banks? One player told me that Mosconi didnt even consider a bank a legitimate shot-that he would only bank as an absolute last resort. True?
 
Seriously, there is only one answer for me. Myself. That way, if I screw up, I wouldn't have any one else to blame.
 
Nostroke said:
Anyone know about Mosconi and banks? One player told me that Mosconi didnt even consider a bank a legitimate shot-that he would only bank as an absolute last resort. True?
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Mosconi didn't like to shoot bank shots. To him it meant he got out of line. If he had to, he could make a bank. But it had to be a last resort as you said. He would prefer to play safe first.
 
jay helfert said:
P.S. Taylor's high run record was 37 banks! That's two and a half full racks. I know, I know, no one believes me. He had it listed on all his posters, and Eddie Taylor was no liar!
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Reportedly it was done in Ashville, NC more than 45 years ago during an action game for small change. when his turn came he made 10 in one game and immediatley in the following game he broke and ran 15 and in the following game he made 12 .

I was lucky to see 'The Bear' months before he passed away.Grady arranged some sort of ceremony - HOF or something like that in Shreveport , LA in 2004 and I was there for that.On that day 'The Knoxville Bear ' gave exhibition of a bank shot and postion play after that shot.It was amazing.Even if I practice for 12 hours a day for 365 days I will never be able to duplicate that shot.:cool:
 
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jay helfert said:
Mosconi didn't like to shoot bank shots. To him it meant he got out of line. If he had to, he could make a bank. But it had to be a last resort as you said. He would prefer to play safe first.
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Thanks Jay- I knew you would have the answer. Very interesting (to me anyway).
 
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