My understanding is that some of Willie's championships were won on 10-footers and some on 9-footers. The cross-over in championship play occurred in about 1950.
Greatest one pocket player? Straight pool? Etc.
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My understanding is that some of Willie's championships were won on 10-footers and some on 9-footers. The cross-over in championship play occurred in about 1950.
bugs didnt own his own cue ....
he always played with a borrowed or off the wall cue
just think how good he could have played with his own cue...
in the early 1970's i saw bugs play earl heisler at the sports palace in new orleans
playing for $500 a game (1970 money)
earl had a few balls near his pocket
bugs hit a 4 rail bank leaving the cue ball in the middle of the table...
if he missed earl could run out
BUT
he made it and ran out...
dont think most would say bugs was too far behind eddie
Look at Willie's consecutive world championships from 1941 thru 1958......Willie did not enter WWII and worked in a defense plant as a single dad (divorced)......the pre 50's were 10' table championships....the 9' table wasn't even being used at that time from everything I've read.
Some were also one on one matches with a challenger taking on the champion. Some of these matches last for as much as a month and took place in multiple cities.
Yes, as I said, the switch to 9-footers for the championships came in about 1950. Willie won championships on both sides of that switch.
But Willie wasn't divorced when he was working in the defense plant in Michigan. In fact, he chose Michigan (spring of 1942) because his wife (Ann) was from there. But after injuring his left index finger at work, he looked for something safer and became an inspector in a plant in Ohio (early 1943). That work bored him, so he left (spring of 1944) and moved his wife and two children back to New Jersey with his father. He was re-classified 1-A, and, while awaiting being drafted, gave exhibitions at armed services camps around the country. He was inducted into the army in March, 1945. Later that year he was informed by the Red Cross that his wife had deposited his children in a foster home in Michigan and disappeared. Willie was given a hardship discharge. He picked up the kids and moved them back to New Jersey with his sister. He never learned why Ann left. He married his second wife (Flora) in 1953.
[source of information -- Willie's autobiography]
Anyone have any input on great golf playerS?
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The US Open Championship that Willie dominated was a bracketed tournament and the last two competitors played a race to 2500 points playing individual games of straight pool and the venue was moved around the country.
You certainly seem to be a Mosconi fan, but I really encourage you to read, or re-read, Willie's autobiography. You've made statements and generalizations about him in the last couple days that just are not true.
Willie's championships were generally called World Championships, not US Opens (which began in 1966). And the format of Willie's championships varied quite a bit. Some were tournaments in one city, some were tournaments in multiple cities, and many were challenge matches (only one opponent) that were played in 1, 2, 3, or more cities. The total number of points needed to win the challenge matches varied also.
So even if you have read the autobiography, I encourage you to read it again. The details are easy to forget or scramble.
How does john's 400+ run stack up against mosconi's 526?
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Ronnie started his professional career with a record setting 38 (too lazy to google) unbeaten matches
in a row. So yes, he was in his prime from the get go. I would say he played his very best in the 2000's
though. When Ronnie is playing his best he is damn near unbeatable, but he does not nearly always
play his best. Hence the close record between him and Hendry over 56 matches.
John Higgins has a similar close record with Ronnie, 29-25 in Ronnie's favor. Again, when Ronnie
feels less then perfect he is beatable, it is only when he is playing his best that he becomes untouchable.
But even with that, as far as I know not one player that has played a decent number of matches against
Ronnie has a winning record against him. Not Hendry, Higgins, Trump, Selby, Ding. They can only be
glad Ronnie does not have his head on right 1/2 the time.
I mean, he wins the World Championship, retires from competition for a whole year, comes back to play
the World Championship and wins it again. In that second title run he did not lose a single session (matches
are so long they are played over several 8 or 9 frame sessions).
gr. Dave
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About 126 short.
I believe the IPT showed just how fun it is playing Straight Pool on the older cloths as well.
I would like to know what type of table John was on as well as the pockets. I would also like to know the same for Willie.
Thanks
I know Willie did it on a 4x8 which is tougher.
Rod.
P.S. Most people won't think so.
Willie was (by most accounts)on a 4x8. The cloth of that time was slow nappier cloth. Though, in actuality Willie played on anything. 10' being the normal competition table in his earlier years, and of course 9' later on.
Don't know about John, but would bet it had Simonis (most likely a Diamond).
I have played on many many Diamond tables with both 760 and 860 cloth (just like most). Along with some very old tables when I was quite young. I could just say, don't have the opinion newer tables are harder for straight pool, as it would not be accurate. Back then you had to have a stroke, pocketing and positional play with a much harder hit at times. And in Straight pool, you had better been good at running racks with all the balls near the stack and bumping balls a lot more frequently. Whereas the Simonis spreads much nicer.
Though 526 is 526 regardless the equipment. One could run 525 on 1" pockets and it is still not 526.
Mosconi ran 526 on a 4x8 Brunswick with 5 inch pockets, old wore out cushions, an old Rambow cue ,old clay balls and no ball polisher and never cleaned the balls after he started the 526 run.
From what has been said J.S. ran 400 at Q-master Billiards on a 9ft. Gold Crown near the entrance not A Diamond table and the Gold Crown has 5inch + pockets fast Simonis cloth good cushions, with the slate filed down at all the pockets so when the balls got close to the pockets all the balls would fall in and not hang up, a good cue with a OB low deflection shaft, a good set of Aramith balls and was able to remove balls from the table to clean or polish during the run.
It has been said that Mosconi ran over 400 more than 50x, 500 balls over a dozen times, and 600 at least 3 times and 1 of the 600 ball runs he just quit without missing and went to dinner with Charlie Ursetti and all these runs were on old style tables, slow felt and so on. To note there seems to be around 10 runs that have broke the 600 mark.
Thanks Bobby and Rod. I saw him do an exhibition in St. Louis in the early 60's. I understand an 8' table for straight pool enhances clusters. He was pretty pretty good.
Here's one dissenter's opinion -- John Schmidt writing on AzB six years ago about 14.1 and table size:
"for the record i think 14.1 on the bartable is easier than 9ft.
you can reach allbreakballs,combos and shots are a joke etc.
yes its more confined space but with the cueball control ive learned from 14.1 thats the last thing im worried about.
for the record the easiest table to play 14.1 is a 4x8 .ive played on them all and its the easiest no doubt. enough room to play but still easier on shotmaking,reaching,combos than 9ft."
And here is John speaking of slower cloth (ie: not being Simonis).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOlxow0l8bE
The Greatest...
I'll chip in...
14.1 = The Miz
Banks = Bugs
One Pocket = Ronnie Allen
9 Ball = Earl
Rotation = Efren
Overall = Efren
Boxing = Ali
Racing = Richard Petty
Pilot = Chuck Yeager
Burger = In-n-Out
Cue = Gus Szamboti
Balls = Centennial
Table = Centennial / Anniversary
I'll chip in...
14.1 = The Miz
Banks = Bugs
One Pocket = Ronnie Allen
9 Ball = Earl
Rotation = Efren
Overall = Efren
Boxing = Ali
Racing = Richard Petty
Pilot = Chuck Yeager
Burger = In-n-Out
Cue = Gus Szamboti
Balls = Centennial
Table = Centennial / Anniversary