Hall of Fame - Campaigning

[ChrisinNC]

Two words DENNIS ORCOLLO! The best player on this list and he's a better player (with a better record) than about a dozen guys who are already in the HOF! He's been one of the top five players on the planet for the last ten plus years, a very consistent record of success in every year!

Orcollo and Feijen are both certainly overdue, but can we say it’s any surprise considering how long Parica had to wait as compared to Pagulayan? Alex made it at age 41 whereas Jose finally made it when he was 65.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Here is a description of the criteria for the Greatest Player category from the announcement of Kelly Fisher's induction:

Voting for the 2020 BCA Hall of Fame was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the Hall of Fame. To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Players category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their inclusion on the ballot; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based and international events recognized by the BCA.​

Note that c) requires tournament victories which eliminates a lot of popular action players.

 

[sjm]

Two words DENNIS ORCOLLO! The best player on this list and he's a better player (with a better record) than about a dozen guys who are already in the HOF! He's been one of the top five players on the planet for the last ten plus years, a very consistent record of success in every year!

Very safe bet that Dennis' sustained excellence will land him in the hall soon.

 

[garczar]

Of the men, no player has a resume that even nearly measures up to that of Feijen.

WPA Sanctioned World Champion at 9-ball
WPA Sanctioned World Champion at 14.1
2 time European 9-ball champion
7 time European Straight Pool Champion
10 Euro Tour Titles (3rd all time behind Souquet and Ortmann)
4 Time Mosconi Cup MVP
2 Time World Pool Masters Champion
Winner of the Challenge of Champions

The omission of Europe's second greatest ever player, to me, evidences a bias against players whose careers were not based in the United States. It would be impossible to argue that Darren Appleton, elected in his first year of eligibility, had as good a career as Feijen, but, of course, Darren lived in America during his hall of fame career and was, therefore, more visible to American-based hall of fame voters.

Once upon a time, I felt that the BCA HOF lacked credibility when it didn't induct Earl Strickland until he was 45, and its failure to induct Feijen, who is now 44, similarly compromises its credibility. If Feijen's resume isn't viewed as hall of fame worthy, perhaps the hall of fame should be shut down or, at very least, it should add some voters who are more in tune with world pool,

OK, end of campaign.

Not to mention the '07 DCC 9ball.

 

[sjm]

Not to mention the '07 DCC 9ball.

Thanks, I didn't remember that one. My first trip to the Derby came in 2009.

 

[alphadog]

Not to mention the '07 DCC 9ball.

When playing in that trnmnt he was down to a lesser player and complained to the officials that he couldn't make a ball on the other guys racks. They caved and let him rack his own. Wing ball everytime and a shot on the 1.

 

[skogstokig]

When playing in that trnmnt he was down to a lesser player and complained to the officials that he couldn't make a ball on the other guys racks. They caved and let him rack his own. Wing ball everytime and a shot on the 1.

should have bumrushed the opponent

 

[TATE]

I can’t remember if I’ve posted this before, and with my failing memory I wouldn’t be surprised if I post this every year.

if you think someone deserves to be in, then campaign for them. Keep their name in the thoughts of the voters. It worked for Kim Davenport, who was long overdue. It can help others as well. We’ve had years that really it was just a couple of votes that put one person instead of another. So instead of whining, you can play a part.

The voters include the members of the US Billiard Media Association as well as all the living members of the Hall of Fame.

Here are some names that I’m surprised haven’t received more votes:

Greatest Players
Corey Deuel
Thorsten Hohmann
Dennis Orcullo
Niels Feijen
Vivian Villarreal
Helena Thornfeldt

Other categories

Veteran Category
Grady Matthews
Mary Kenniston
Keith McCready

Meritorious Service
Jerry Brieseth
Mark Griffin


In my opinion, all of these should be in. Please don’t try to unconvinced me of that. I’d rather that you all give me who you want in, and what you’re going to do to help them get in.


Freddie <~~~ listening

Excellent suggestions! Very surprised about Corey Deuel for sure, especially considering his exposure, amount of press, unique skills.

Of this group, my votes would be for Orcullo, Keith and Mark Griffin. In my opinion, Dennis Orcullo is the greatest combination tournament and action player not to be in the HOF , Keith for his mantle as personality, entertainer and hustler, and Mark for his many, many years of loyalty promoting the sport.

 

[JAM]

These would be my choices based on Cornerman's suggestions and some of my own.

Greatest Player: Jeremy "Double J" Jones <-- One of the most underestimated powerhouses in pool
Veteran Player: Keith "Earthquake" McCready <-- Uniquely impacted the pool world in a variety of ways
Meritorious Service: Jay "Toupee Jay" Helfert <-- Tournament promoter, pool room owner, commentator, author, journalist, and a walking pool encyclopedia, an asset to pool