Hopkins vs. Sigel.. SandsRegent

jay helfert said:
Two tournaments a year almost until the end of their run around 2010 or 11. They continued to support the U.S. Bar Table held there once a year. I discovered that Reno was a better venue for pool tournaments, as many casinos up there were very happy if you brought them 500 or more guests, who stayed for several days. Not like Vegas, that's for sure, who wanted all big ticket events. I held tournaments at the Sands, the MGM Grand by the airport, and the Flamingo Hilton downtown. All went well with them.
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You are so right @jay helfert. I went to the Sands twice in the early 90's and it was fantastic. Great tournements, venue, etc
 
garczar said:
There was a recent thread about players whose stroke you would\wouldn't emulate. Some said Sigel's mechanics were dodgy and not recommended. You watch him here and tell me his mechanics aren't worth copying. Pretty damn solid looks to me.
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Agreed. There was a shot in the first or second rack and camera had a perfect side view of Sigel's cue, and it went through the ball so purely.
 
Cornerman said:
Anyone who thinks prime Sigel and prime Mizerak wouldnt be a world class champion in today’s field are nutz. It’s not like they would have forgotten how to play. Mizerak played snooker with his pool stick and (claimed) century runs. Sigel won that Peter Vitalie open, and the Peter Vitalies I shot on were difficult tables.

The other thing is that the slowness of the tables in those years…. that made the game harder. You had to always stroke the ball. I think anyone given the choice between fast 4.5” pockets and slow 4.75-5” pockets would choose fast every day.
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Mike says he’d never miss a ball on todays equipment if he played like he did in his prime.

Of course that’s how Mike talks and he might be right!

Says it’s too easy, small pockets and everything. Can move the CB anywhere easy. I happen to agree with him.

Fatboy<——-don’t shoot the messenger
 
The Game has NEVER been played at the level it's being played at now. To think otherwise, is wishful thinking. Of course, it's the nature of all sports for the game to progress, but many have blinders on when thinking about pool's yesteryear. Some of our past greats would have been able to keep up with the demands of today's game, but others would not have (think fitness level). We could debate which players but the physical demands alone, have grown tremendously. The problem when it comes to comparing the older players to today's is -- we can actually compare them and the video doesn't lie.

I've watched a lot of pool and I've never seen anyone cue the ball like our current crop. Just Filler and Gorst alone are doing things I've never seen. It's actually quite unbelievable to me how much the standard has been raised in just 20 years. In all the talk about the Filipino invasion, and rightfully so, I think we sometimes miss one of the huge demarcation points in the advancement of the game, and that's the arrival of Darren Appleton. I think he really ushered in an era of precision pool that really changed the game for every one that has followed him.
 
garczar said:
There was a recent thread about players whose stroke you would\wouldn't emulate. Some said Sigel's mechanics were dodgy and not recommended. You watch him here and tell me his mechanics aren't worth copying. Pretty damn solid looks to me.
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Sigel has nearly perfect alignment, from bridge hand, head, shoulder, and grip. I always thought he was picture perfect. Watching him now in comparison to modern more robotic players you do see his imperfections. He moved around a lot over the cue and didn't stay as still as I thought. He also was a swiper at times, which is a technique few modern players employ.

There's a lot a player can learn from Sigel, but there's also things even a HoF'er could have done better.
 
jay helfert said:
I hired a local production crew that specialized in making commercials for the casinos. We spent one day training the cameramen and our director was a friend of mine (Nick ?) who had done TV shoots (mostly Westerns) in L.A. He loved pool and wanted to help. We got things sorted out pretty good and I was satisfied with the results. When the next big tournament came up in S. Carolina (The Rak'm'Up Classic), Pat called me and asked if I was going to do the same thing there, and I told him I could not take the time off again so soon after Reno. He asked if I would mind if he did it instead and I told him to go for it. The new Accu-Stats was born! Thank God, I had no inclination to travel all over the country and find, hire and train a TV crew in each location. Pat solved that problem early on. He brought his own equipment and crew.
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I think the production was phenomenal for the day. You really got the ball rolling, that's for sure.
 
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