randyheidorn@
New member
Jim Rempe in late 60’s. at Johnston City.
Best Pool Player you saw alive, regardless.
- Thread starter Shooter08
- Start date
It was a dark and stormy night with rain pouring down at a pool room in Elizabeth N.J. in the early '60's.
There was a straight pool tournament and I was sitting in a raised seat about 10 or so feet from one of the tables.
Irving Crane and someone else whose name I forgot started to play just 10 feet from me.
Irving ran 141 balls (150 point game) cold from the break,amazing to see in person.
Watching videos of high runs you really don't get to see the little touch shots in close working the cue ball in traffic.
He was an unknown, didn't care for the fame, only the money. That's why there's not that much about him. He was usually careful about that. But I got the honor and the privilege to know him. No one comes close to him. He's like the Ronnie O Sullivan of pool
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Best old school I ever saw live was Mosconi playing an exhibition straight pool match against Machine Gun Lou Butera in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I'd never seen anything like that before. It was my introduction to professional pool.
back then every poolroom had players that ran 100 balls like it was nothing . the game was different as the balls didnt open well and you had to finesse the rack. now with fast cloth and polished balls they blast the rack and open them up.
crane was probably the best at that aspect of them all.
He was well past his prime, but my dad took me to a 14.1 exhibition with Luther Lassiter and Steve Mizerak (in his prime) in the early 1970s - Two of the greatest
Red Breit and Luther Lassiter. LeCue downtown Houston.
I could rattle off names from the Mosconi era to all the crop of ne'er missers, but I'll go with 2 memorable ones from my early Navy yrs. Lots of people have heard of Denny Searcey. few have seen him. I watched him weekly in 9 ball tourneys in the Silicon valley. Tragic he died so early; could've been a contender.
Another player, Tug Whaley was lured to my home room by the owner Hal Houle for an exhibition. He looked 80 or 90, but that night he ran a perfect 70 balls in 14.1. And gave a lot of valuable tips.
The golden yrs. I was a C- player then and D+ now.
L.S. Dennis
Well-known member
Tugboat (his first name was actually Maurice but he hated that name) gave me one of my first lessons when I was around 13 years old. I last saw Tug at Cochran's sometime in the early 60's he was laying on one of the rear tables there one afternoon. He was about the only old timer that didn't mind sharing his knowledge (which was extensive) with young players.
Never saw Sigel play 14.1 but Seeing Mizerak play was a true pleasure.
I remember thinking he might never miss, and often he wouldn't
PoolFoolKBH
New member
For me it would have to be 'Bakersfield Bobby' Hernandez. Who, from the early 1960's to perhaps the early 1980's, had defeated World champions/Hall of Famers such as Jimmy Moore, Ronnie Allen, Mike Massey, Joe Balsis, Dallas West, Nick Oliver just to name a few. Buddy Hall mentions Bobby in his book 'From Rags to Rifleman' as being considered the #1 player in the world at that time. About 15 plus years ago, Efren Reyes, who had heard so much about Bobby through the years, Sent a note to him via Garland 'Judd" Fuller of Judd cues. Stating that he wished that they could have played each other when they were at their best. They finally got a chance to meet each other at a tournament in Phoenix some years later. Anyway, just like other players mentioned by members of this forum. I had seen Bobby do things on the table That I thought couldn't be possible. Like running 7, 8 and possibly 9 racks consecutively while playing two-handed and 4 or 5 racks consecutively shooting one-handed. Bobby Hernandez is now 88 years old and lives in the small town of Eloy, Arizona.
Thank god we have some of those performances by Sigel on video!
Jack asked me to play once at Michael's Billiards near Cincinnati. I asked for the 7 ball and he said no. A week later he bought me in a Calcutta at a tournament in Louisville.
sudocrushms
Active member
Played a couple friendlies with SVB in Fargo while I was at NDSU (2010 or 11). I wasn't 21 so I couldn't be in the back at Fargo Billiards and thus, not allowed in the tournament. He stopped by and kicked the ever loving hell out of me. I've never been beaten so bad at anything in my life. Was cool to talk through the tables with him though, really nice guy. Didn't realize who it was until he introduced himself (I was an idiot).
Efren is my 1st and 2nd choice.