Is Josh Filler the World's Best Pool Player?
- Thread starter sjm
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Sorry I missed you at turningstone, poker was calling
Jason
Hey, priorities are priorities.
I won't be at the August Turning Stone, but hope to be at both the Ocean States in November and Turning Stone next winter.
We're all hoping to see more and more of the stars of China. Watching them was part of what made the US Open so memorable.
I don't know why so many People tend to dismiss Filler. Everyone in my poolhall do. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person with eyes! I think maybe the things he does go unnoticed, because he Plays quickly. Thats the only explanation I've been able to come up with. What does he have to do to convince people, I wonder? To me personally. how many balls a person runs in practise or how many meaningless tournaments he wins, does not really matter. The best is the player that performs when it matters the most. Filler certainly does that. He's got the best offense, and in 9 ball that is what matters especially in tournaments like the world championship and the US open. Wu is the same kind of player. I do think Wu had a better break, but Filler got out on top (and he was leading, when he made the Lucky shot, which People seem to forget). Between Filler and Wu is a Close Call. I still favour Filler, just because of his attitude, I could certainly see why some would favour Wu so it's not an open and shut case.
In pool and most other competitive disciplines, I think we are all slow to hail the next generation of talent. I recall that there were doubters when Archer started winning big in 1990 and 1991, but in 1992 he shut everyone up by winning the World Championship.
That kind of doubt would certainly explain why some might have dismissed Filler's dominating 5-0 campaign at the 2017 Mosconi Cup. Can it be, many wondered, that a superstar has arrived on the scene? Even Coach Marcus Chamat wasn't sure enough to pick him for 2018 Team Europe.
But then Filler went and won the World 9-ball Championship just weeks after Europe's first loss at the Mosconi this decade. No doubt, there were a few more believers after that.
At the Derby City Classic a month later, JL Chang and his backers were barking at everybody, and there were no takers until Filler stepped up to the plate and bet high on Friday night, beating Chang 17-14 in a 10-ball race. A few more believers, I reckon.
But he'd yet to win a Eurotour event. He took care of that in February, winning the Eurotour event in the Netherlands. A few more believers.
And now he's won the US Open 9-ball against the toughest field I've ever seen in an event staged in the United States. A lot more believers.
By the age of 21, he's a) won the China Open, b) won the World 9-ball Championship, c) won the US Open 9-ball Championship, d) won a Eurotour event, and e) set the Derby City 14.1 record with a run of 285 on a tough Diamond table.
Nobody outperforms Filler when a match is in doubt. He is the best clutch player we've seen in a long, long time.
It seems to me, though, that many need to see more, but what else can he show them?
Even I'm not sure he's the best, despite the truly overwhelming evidence. I think it is because I, like so many, am always slow to crown the new king in anything.
... but it's also because this is an America-based forum consisting of a mass of people who've always been slow to praise the superb European contingent of players in recent years.
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I don't know how he does in other types of games but he is making a case for being one of the best rotation players alive right now.
RailBanger
Registered
Filler reminds me of Earl the Pearl. He shoots fast and straight. He shakes his head and acts like he's way out of line when he misses shape by a tad but still has an easy shot. He acts a bit unsportsmanlike after he wins (shouting, "spiking the ball" so to speak). He's a phenom for sure.
generally, filler appears fast and loose,
by contrast, so many other players look calculating and deliberate.
josh's vibe isn't pro..he's just a natural
still, informed players know how much work it takes to make pool look that easy
but I think killer has a special connection to the game..a feeling
and not everybody gets it
I think
Joshua Filler will be the Ronnie O'Sullivan of pool. You heard it here first.
I am a big fan of Klenti Kaci and thought he was phenomenal at his young age to have accomplished as much as he has. He still has room to grow, and I will be rooting for him.
However, Joshua Filler is a living legend. I won't live long enough to see him rise to his peak, but make no mistake about it, he's the real deal.
I am a big fan of Klenti Kaci and thought he was phenomenal at his young age to have accomplished as much as he has. He still has room to grow, and I will be rooting for him.
However, Joshua Filler is a living legend. I won't live long enough to see him rise to his peak, but make no mistake about it, he's the real deal.
He was the best player in pool until last night when young Ko Ping Chung beat him :wink:. Pool is blessed with many great young players today, any one of whom are capable of winning a major tournament. Filler is certainly one of the best and has to be in everybody's top five players. Let's see what he does the rest of this year and in the ensuing years before inaugurating him for the HOF.
Filler has to be in everybody's top one at this point. Let see how he does going forward? Nonsense. That might have been a reasonable thing to say after his 2017 China Open win or his 5-0 campaign in the 2017 Mosconi Cup. Now, however, he's backed it up in a very big way time and time again.
Being the best doesn't require winning every time. Yes, Ko Ping Chung got Josh last night, and deservedly so, but Josh is the WPA #1 by a mile and his lead will increase as a result of this event.
Filler's performance in the past couple of years is historic. He has faced the toughest fields ever seen in our sport and yet still manages to keep succeeding at the very toughest events.
How long will we have to wait until someone else equals Filler's gold, gold, silver at the three toughest events on the pool calendar in any given one year period? My guess is that it will never happen again.
Filler isn't just the best player in the world, he's the best by a mile. That said, though, like every #1 before him, he'll lose plenty of matches, lose plenty of tournaments, and he'll be caught for #1 by someone at some point.
No case for being the world's best pool player can be made for anyone but Josh Filler. He's not the only superstar in pool, but he's the only one that is the greatest of them all in pool today.
I'm not a Josh Filler fan, just a fan of great pool. Enjoy the Josh Filler show, pool fans, for it's possible you'll never see another like it.
Yes, like you, I'll enjoy watching this rising superstar of pool. I've liked his game for a long time.