5 for Busty. If Efren didn't exist, everybody would be talking about bustamante. He's easily a Top 5 GOAT IMO.
You just moved Busty from 10 to 8 above Francisco and Dennis.5 for Busty. If Efren didn't exist, everybody would be talking about bustamante. He's easily a Top 5 GOAT IMO.
Nice try, but negative points are not allowed.For my second round vote I would like to give 25 points to Varner, 30 points to Sigel, and -50 points to Earl.
You just bumped Shane from 3 to 2 above Earl. This is fun.2nd round SVB 5
5 for Busty. If Efren didn't exist, everybody would be talking about bustamante. He's easily a Top 5 GOAT IMO.
You just moved Earl from 3 to 2 above SVB. I suspect this isn't the last move for these two.I've heard both Efren and Busty avoided gambling with Parica.
My votes:
Earl 2
Efren 1
Buddy Hall 1
Mike Sigel 1
You just move Nick from 5 to 4 above Alex.For my second vote
Varner - 2
Bustamante - 2
Reyes - 1
Note that I have not included players from the too-distant past. For example, arguments can be made that Mosconi, Greenleaf, Lassiter, Hoppe, Cranfield, Crane, DeOro, Lindrum, Caras (and others) deserve to be on the list, but I purposely excluded them since it is too difficult (or impossible) for most people to compare them to players in the modern era (since 1970). I at least give them honorable mention here. For those who object to this, wherever you see "GOAT" in this thread, read it as GIME (Greatest in the Modern Era) instead.
I think this thread is going fine and producing meaningful results; but if you want to try something else, go for it.An interesting thought.
Dr. Dave, I know you have already worked tirelessly to keep this rating thread going. But it would be way cool , if after the final 10 AZB’s GOAT are determined, you gave us all one chance to vote with equal weighting. Meaning, we have 5 points but we must vote for 5 different players, giving 1 point to each. Before any voting, give 10 to #1 down to 1 for #10. Might build a different rating.
I think this thread is going fine and producing meaningful results; but if you want to try something else, go for it.
This has been a lot of work and I honestly don't care to do it again (not in the near future anyway).
Thanks for the input anyway,
Dave
Yea, well, then call it "Greatest in Modern Era," not "Greatest of All Time!"
It would be interesting, I think, to establish 'eras' in billiards. I wonder what factors would delineate eras. Perhaps it would be similar to golf and baseball, in that ball construction would be the difference: wood, ivory, cellulose, "mud," polyester, phenolic, etc. Cloth could make a difference, too, from "nappy" felt to today's fast cloths.
It's obvious from this poll that few think the straight pool era significant to this poll, as I'd suggest that Mike Sigel is the only player ever that was among the five best ever in both straight pool (in no particular order, Mosconi, Greenleaf, Crane, Sigel, Mizerak) and nine ball (in no particular order, Sigel, Strickland, Hall, SVB, Lassiter), yet Mike isn't getting much support. As he largely retired from competition in 1993, not so many AZB posters saw Mike in his prime. Even though I watched Mike as early as the late 1970's, count me among those who voted with a bias toward the current era of the game. I place Efren, the king of all-around play and simply the most imaginative player of the last thirty years, at the top. In fact, when Billiards Digest, in 2000, published its list of the 100 best players of the century, I believe Mike Sigel came third, but at least in this poll, he seems a bit forgotten, despite the fact that Earl once called Sigel "the best player I've ever seen".
Still, great poll that I sense most of us are enjoying. Thanks, Dr Dave.
Please post a vote to make your opinion official.Efren has also consistently said that Sigel is the best player he ever played.
For the decade of the 80's Sigel was Earl's equal at tournament 9 ball, and I think Sigel is the only player for whom a strong case can be made that he's very near the top of the list for both championship games that dominated professional pool in the 20th century--9 ball and straight pool.
When I think of the GOAT, that means all-around ability, and I would rank the following four players as the greatest all-around players for the era this poll focuses on:
Reyes
Sigel
SVB
Varner
Thank you for posting that. I was going to look it up. Now I don't need to.Here was the Billiards Digest ranking of the 50 greatest players in pool and billiards for the 20th century:
50. Jersey Red
49. Allen Gilbert
48. Jeanette Lee
47. Jimmy Moore
46. Dorothy Wise
45. Otto Reiselt
44. Babe Cranfield
43. Lou Butera
42. John Horgan
41. Cisero Murphy
40. Jerome Keogh
39. Allen Hopkins
38. Dallas West
37. Jim Rempe
36. George Sutton
35. Charlie Peterson
34. Robert Cannefax
33. Bennie Allen
32. Ray Martin
31. Ruth McGinnis
30. Johnny Archer
29. Efren Reyes
28. Loree Jon Jones
27. Buddy Hall
26. Larry Johnson (Boston Shorty)
25. Eddie Taylor
24. Jake Shaefer
23. Thomas Hueston
22. Andrew Ponzi
21. Welker Cochran
20. Erwin Rudolph
19. Harold Worst
18. Allison Fisher
17. Earl Strickland
16. Joe Balsis
15. Jean Balukas
14. Nick Varner
13. Johnny Layton
12. Jake Shaefer Jr.
11. Sang Lee
10. Jimmy Caras
9. Luther Lassiter
8. Irving Crane
7. Frank Taberski
6. Steve Mizerak
5. Mike Sigel
4. Alfredo De Oro
3. Ralph Greenleaf
2. Willie Mosconi
1. Willie Hoppe
Efren has also consistently said that Sigel is the best player he ever played.
For the decade of the 80's Sigel was Earl's equal at tournament 9 ball, and I think Sigel is the only player for whom a strong case can be made that he's very near the top of the list for both championship games that dominated professional pool in the 20th century--9 ball and straight pool.
When I think of the GOAT, that means all-around ability, and I would rank the following four players as the greatest all-around players for the era this poll focuses on:
Reyes
Sigel
SVB
Varner
Here was the Billiards Digest ranking of the 50 greatest players in pool and billiards for the 20th century:
50. Jersey Red
49. Allen Gilbert
48. Jeanette Lee
47. Jimmy Moore
46. Dorothy Wise
45. Otto Reiselt
44. Babe Cranfield
43. Lou Butera
42. John Horgan
41. Cisero Murphy
40. Jerome Keogh
39. Allen Hopkins
38. Dallas West
37. Jim Rempe
36. George Sutton
35. Charlie Peterson
34. Robert Cannefax
33. Bennie Allen
32. Ray Martin
31. Ruth McGinnis
30. Johnny Archer
29. Efren Reyes
28. Loree Jon Jones
27. Buddy Hall
26. Larry Johnson (Boston Shorty)
25. Eddie Taylor
24. Jake Shaefer
23. Thomas Hueston
22. Andrew Ponzi
21. Welker Cochran
20. Erwin Rudolph
19. Harold Worst
18. Allison Fisher
17. Earl Strickland
16. Joe Balsis
15. Jean Balukas
14. Nick Varner
13. Johnny Layton
12. Jake Shaefer Jr.
11. Sang Lee
10. Jimmy Caras
9. Luther Lassiter
8. Irving Crane
7. Frank Taberski
6. Steve Mizerak
5. Mike Sigel
4. Alfredo De Oro
3. Ralph Greenleaf
2. Willie Mosconi
1. Willie Hoppe