When he was doing the Mercer events from Vegas his stuff was freakin priceless. He went off on jump-cues and i laughed til i about pissed.
How good was Jimmy Mataya in his prime? Should he be in the HOF?
- Thread starter 1000BallRunner
- Start date
Jimmy was a good 'Hustler' that played 'Sometimes' Very well in some tournaments!
Good way to put it.
1000BallRunner
Member
appreciate the responses gar
Jeanette was not a good player? What group are you comparing her to?
I think she is solid in the top 10 all time womens.
Top 2 or 3 for women born in the US.
I am interested in your list of women who played better than her?
I have to admit there could be 20 chinese girls since 2010 and I wouldn't know them . I only know of a couple.
Jimmy was a good 'Hustler' that played 'Sometimes' Very well in some tournaments!
IMPO, All Lee did was 'Market' herself better than other women players at that time!
I would have Bet on Lori Shampoo playing Lee for Big $!
She was not only a good player but gave pool exposure that ad men dream about. She was classy, nice, HOT and could play. AFAIK she's the only female to win the action award at DCC in 2010. She could play, not Allison-speed but good. She gave the women's tour some publicity that they couldn't have paid for.
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
Made the score of a lifetime and pissed it away. Once a hustler . . .
He never seemed to really be interested in the tournaments, whenever I was around him, he did the hock too a few times, and then said "tournaments" It didn't mean the same thing that hillbilly girl uses it for back then, It was a sign of disgust or disdain, or saying your full of shit , go somewhere else with it. I think he would have rather played ring games , he usually got the money at those, no matter who was in the game.
Then they almost all just stopped gambling among themselves.
RIP Jimmy
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You had to gamble back then since tourneys paid shit in most cases.
Well said. Alright. Application denied!!!
Who else do we need to shoot down today?
If nobody else is on the docket....then....
The AZ Billiards Hall of Fame Committee meeting is hereby adjourned!!!
I watched Jimmy play and gamble. In my opinion / approximation, he stood a ~30% chance of beating the top guys of that time in a race to 9 (Buddy, Siegel, Rempe, Mizerak, Varner...etc.). That means he was good enough to beat anyone but would be lucky to beat those odds to win big tournaments. I watched him beat Efren in a race to 11 getting 2:1 on the money. Went hill-hill.
I have heard about her, always that if the bet was high she could get the money. I never got to see her play.
I said top 3 born in the US , I saw Balukas play the top men many times, her break was too good for Jeanette, you say Lori Shampo, That makes Jeanette 3.
I'm curious what other US born females you think could beat her? I admit I quit paying attention about 2000 , so I never watched Chen Siming Ga Young Kim or Pan Xiaoting, or a couple of other great female players. I never thought she could beat Allison Fisher either.
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I saw Jimmy play live on several occasions. He was a fine player but, to me, unworthy of HOF consideration. Despite a couple of major titles, he was rarely, if ever, viewed as one of the ones to beat when the biggest titles were up for grabs.
Not every accomplished player gets into the hall of fame. Consider Vivian Villareal. She reached the #1 world ranking, she had double digit WPBA titles and she won two silver medals at the WPA World 9-ball. Probably a top twenty ever woman player, but she's not a hall of famer.
Not every accomplished player gets into the hall of fame. Consider Vivian Villareal. She reached the #1 world ranking, she had double digit WPBA titles and she won two silver medals at the WPA World 9-ball. Probably a top twenty ever woman player, but she's not a hall of famer.
1000BallRunner
Member
Thank you for the responses - shouldnt this be considered? In his era of pool - wasnt being a great money player more prestigious - this thread is more focused on the HOF portion of my question than his overall speed. Jimmy, in his prime, was he one of the best players / could beat the top guys for the cash? There are many pros who have said theyve lost their cash to jimmy....
Then you should put his name up at the Derby for in the Action Award.
No, action credentials have never been the measure of BCA hall of fame worthiness. and I hope they never will be.
In Jimmy Mataya's day, too many action matches were played in smoky dark rooms with little fanfare, and such matches did little to nothing to promote the game. Rest assured, tournament greats from Jimmy Mayaya's era, such as Sigel, Varner, Hall, Rempe, Reyes and Strickland were far better known back then than Jimmy.