Who's closest to Lou Buteras 21 minutes?
Wiktor Zelinski from Poland is the current rabbit. This kid doesn't let grass grow under his feet. Fun to watch.I saw Lou Butera play 14.1 many times live in his prime, and he was, at very least, the fastest by far among the elite players. A lesser known player, but a 200+ ball runner, played a little faster than Lou. His name was Steve "Stevie Wonder" Dobrowolski, and he was better known as an action player. If memory serves, he hailed from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.
In the nine ball era, it's almost too close to call between Luc Salvas and Tony Drago for fastest player.
Yeah, Victor gets on with it, though not quite playing at the pace Salvas and Drago did. Victor has a lot of potential and I wish him well.Wiktor Zelinski from Poland is the current rabbit. This kid doesn't let grass grow under his feet. Fun to watch.
Who's closest to Lou Buteras 21 minutes?
I have never heard of a film having been made of it. I believe it was in a round-robin match, which would have been just another match of many, and so nothing special to get out a film crew for. As I vaguely recall, it was in one of Fred Whalen's events in California. .... Found it:
Is this available online? Would love to watch.
There is one more 150 and out on video - Ortmann vs Herring in 2009. It took about an hour. There was a delay at one point when Herring questioned whether Ortmann had fouled.Sigel vs. Zuglan was about 50 minutes, or three balls per minute.
The Crane vs. Balsis run was about 52 minutes but I'm not sure what was done with the racking/commercials and such.
(For comparisons to other lengths of game, Butera was at about 7 balls/minute.)
Appleton's 200-and-out was about 97 minutes.
Speaking of which, I just watched the final of the '92 US Open and when the camera panned to the crowd I almost fell off the couch. I couldn't believe the size of the audience. The crowd size was almost comparable to modern-day professional snooker tournaments. I have to wonder what happened? 1992 isn't THAT long ago.This thread is taking me back to the days when people actually played straight pool against an opponent, a relative rarity these days.
Yup, I was there for that final, a young man of just 34 at the time. Earlier in the day, in a match I didn't see, Dallas West, according to Zuglan, had beaten Mike Zuglan in two innings to reach the final against Sigel. As memorable as the pool was, the trick shot show performed by Mike Massey just before the final may have been even more memorable. This was the first time the fans, and also most of his fellow pros, saw Mike's show, and even the pros were oohing and aahing at what they were watching.Speaking of which, I just watched the final of the '92 US Open and when the camera panned to the crowd I almost fell off the couch. I couldn't believe the size of the audience. The crowd size was almost comparable to modern-day professional snooker tournaments. I have to wonder what happened? 1992 isn't THAT long ago.
Oh yes, they mentioned Mikes exhibition in the commentary. I didn’t realize it started in the early 90s.Yup, I was there for that final, a young man of just 34 at the time. Earlier in the day, in a match I didn't see, Dallas West, according to Zuglan, had beaten Mike Zuglan in two innings to reach the final against Sigel. As memorable as the pool was, the trick shot show performed by Mike Massey just before the final may have been even more memorable. This was the first time the fans, and also most of his fellow pros, saw Mike's show, and even the pros were oohing and aahing at what they were watching.
The crowd that night at the Roosevelt Hotel may have been even bigger than you might realize, for there was a balcony, too.
The Sigel and Zuglan runs came the night before the final at the 1992 US Open. I believe that Sigel ran 150 and out on Zuglan in the winner's bracket semifinal, after which Mike unforgettably offered "I gotta work on my lag." Zuglan then ran 148 against Ray Martin shortly thereafter. If you look closely, you'll see that Mosconi and Caras were in the audience and sitting together during Sigel's run. Sadly, Willie would die within the next year, so for most of us, this was the last time we'd see him. It was the most memorable evening of straight pool that I've ever had the pleasure to witness.Oh yes, they mentioned Mikes exhibition in the commentary. I didn’t realize it started in the early 90s.
I noticed the balcony but couldn’t tell how much of the crowd was up there. I’ve seen the 150 and out and Zuglans 148, but the cameras didn’t give a good sense of how many people were in attendance. I’ve ordered the whole set so I’m looking forward to watching every match.
That must have been pretty special to have Mosconi and Caras watch that. I remember it being a pretty clean run too.The Sigel and Zuglan runs came the night before the final at the 1992 US Open. I believe that Sigel ran 150 and out on Zuglan in the winner's bracket semifinal, after which Mike unforgettably offered "I gotta work on my lag." Zuglan then ran 148 against Ray Martin shortly thereafter. If you look closely, you'll see that Mosconi and Caras were in the audience and sitting together during Sigel's run. Sadly, Willie would die within the next year, so for most of us, this was the last time we'd see him. It was the most memorable evening of straight pool that I've ever had the pleasure to witness.
My guess is that the paid crowd for the final was about 175 people (no more than 50 on the balcony), although I'm only taking a wild stab at it. The final was a bit anticlimactic, not played at the level of the matches that led up to it.
Yes. Ouch. From what I read, it went through many owners in its 96-year history, but losses from Covid-19 were the final straw. I wonder what the future of that space will be.Is that the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th St? ...