Jean Balukas

[Fatboy]

i still think she played better than aany woman ever, i dont remember her rolling the CB like the girls do today, but perhaps my memory isnt 100%

 

[cuechick]

I think I saw the match in question back in the day.

Seems like the controversy was complex, but I don't remember "yelling", I remember Jean grumbling from her chair.

I gathered it was something about trying to hold the women to higher standard, as the men were acting like scrappy, tough guy hustlers, and were NOT getting on TV as much as the women.

I got the feeling they wanted to "make an example" of Jean. There was also some friction because the girls felt she was "double dipping" playing in the open division of tournaments as well as the small pond.

I was starting to play but I remember being impressed, she was CASHING in pro men's events.

She's got my vote for best women's player.

Well this brings up a good question. Why did she stop playing pool completely? Why did she not continue to play in Open events? She states she had a goal to win an Open event. I wonder if there is more to it and this incident was an excuse for Jean?

 

[pdcue]

Joey...The rules were quite clear back then. Jean sharked Robin Bell, was warned, and then did it again. That's why the fine was levied. It would have been the same for any player who exhibited that behavior. Jean didn't want to pay it ($200), and so resigned from the tour. There was no plot to "get" Jean.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

There you go again. Not even close to being accurate.

Any evidence that there was collusion is only circumstantial,
but ask yourself - who benefited?

Dale

 

[poolmouse]

The reason Jean didn't want to pay the fine is she felt that her fellow competitors should not have had the power to levy the fine and that this was just an opportunity for the other women players and management (who were tired of Jean winning virtually every women's pool tournament) to "get Jean".JoeyA

The problem was no other woman on earth stood a chance against her. So they found a way to get her out of the tour. To this day I think she was equal to Allison and Karen. Jean played beautiful 9 ball and straight pool. Her biggest strength was her heart. She always played like she was going to rip you apart, and most of the time she did.

I played her a lot of times at her pool room. The first time I beat her was in 1986 when I won one of her weekly tournaments at Hall Of Fame Billiards (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn), and I had just got out of the Army and I was playing good. After the tournament she shook my hand with a smile and told me I played a good game. Every time after that she elevated her game and quite simply mopped the slate with my face. Each time I shook her hand and told her she was the greatest.

She was a class act. The other women in the tour just didn't have a chance, so they hated her. When she left the level of play went down. It wasn't until Allison and Karen got to the top that the level of play got to Jean's level. It's ridiculous to try to compare generations, but I would say if Jean, Allison and Karen played in the same generation, the money would go back and forth.

I haven't been to Hall Of Fame Billiards in a few years, I wonder if she still plays in the weekly tournament?

Poolmouse

 

[JoeyA]

Well this brings up a good question. Why did she stop playing pool completely? Why did she not continue to play in Open events? She states she had a goal to win an Open event. I wonder if there is more to it and this incident was an excuse for Jean?

I think Jay may have answered both of your questions. At that time, Jean was simply burned out on pool. She apparently never recovered the desire to compete at that level again.
JoeyA

 

[poolmouse]

I have heard from people that talked to Jean the reason for her outburst was her opinion that straight pool was the only "real" pool game.

I agree with Jean. Luck is not a factor in Straight Pool. Luck can be the difference between winning and losing in Nine Ball. Straight pool is Chess. Nine ball is Checkers. Ask a Chess player what they think of Checkers.

Poolmouse

 

[Johnnyt]

I've seen them both (Jean & Allison ) play live and on TV and DVD, and I still can't really say whose better. I usually go with the modern player but in this case I can't. When Jean was in stroke NO ONE had to like it or beat her. Johnnyt

 

[vagabond]

Well this brings up a good question. Why did she stop playing pool completely? Why did she not continue to play in Open events? She states she had a goal to win an Open event. I wonder if there is more to it and this incident was an excuse for Jean?

I understand that even the top champion men players protested against her presence in the open events. I am guessing that may be the reason.

 

[Justlovecues]

Jean didn't "shark" anybody. She was playing Robin in the Finals and Robin made the nine on the break twice. The second time Jean got pissed, and shouted out to her from her chair "Beat me with skill, not luck!"

It was an unusual outburst from Jean but nothing worse than I saw happen dozens of times among the men (and worse). After the match (Jean won), Robin complained to the WPBA board who levied the fine against her. Jean felt singled out, since other women had yelled at their opponent before and not been fined. She refused to pay the fine and was suspended from the WPBA and not allowed to play in any events until the fine was paid.

The fine has not been paid to this day. Jean later confided in me that she was burned out on pool anyway. She was 29 years old and had been playing for twenty years straight! Since she was a nine year old. It gave her a reason to get away from pool for a while, and she never came back. I think Jean was smart enough to realize that competitive pool had become unhealthy for her mentally.

Jean will occasionally show up at a tournament as a spectator to watch some of her friends play. She has no interest in getting back into professional pool. In her day, the WPBA tour was not nearly as full of good players. Only three or four women could even compete with Jean and the fields only had 16-20 players on average.

How good did she play? IMO every bit as good as Allison or Karen. And Jean was just as much of a competitor as them also. Jean was probably the greatest woman athlete to ever play pool. She excelled at all sports she tried, including golf and tennis.

Mr. Helfert is exactly right. I, like Mr. Helfert, knows Jean. I, like many people who have asked her about both the 'fine' and retirement have received the same answer. Mr. Helfert answered exactly what she had said to me and many others. Jean, was simply the best, and would still be at top if she decided to opt to stay in professional pool. Oh! and she is a 'fantastic' person to know.

 

[mdavis228]

If you could find that and post it on youtube somehow, I would marry you.

Appreciate the offer cuechick!
Seriously, as a matter of respect I think it would be wrong to post it on youtube. It could only serve to denigrate the legacy of a really great champion. Many, possibly most, who might see it now wouldn't have adequate perspective in considering the "history" of that one moment.
Volumes of Jean's accomplishments merit coverage, but she certainly wouldn't deserve this to be among them.

 

[jay helfert]

She was right. Organizations of pool players should have no right to fine players or dictate conduct of any kind. When players organizations try to run tours, and promote and direct tournaments there is a conflict. They wind up limiting tournament opportunities because they want control of the players. The player's organization should only decide sanctioning and rankings. Tournaments should be independent and sanctioned by the player's organization to give points according to added money/entry fees/openness/etc.

In this case, the tournament director had the option of disqualifying Balukas. When he didn't, then that subject should have been closed. If the director does a bad job the tournament sanctioning could be pulled for the next year.

The WPBA is our most successful pool org. But if they had folded after the Balukas fine maybe she'd be back playing. Maybe there'd be more, better tournaments. And maybe the men and women would be playing at the same venues like they used to, which added atmosphere to the older events.

I congratulate the WPBA though on going to the smaller pockets. I haven't been able to catch but a couple of matches on TV since they did but they are more fun to watch now.

I saw Balukas drill Larry Liscotti at the US Open eleven to one. Liscotti won his first game to make it 9-1 I think and took a break. He announced very loudly that he was going to the MENS room where she couldn't follow him, lol...

Joe Kerr was the director on the floor at the time. I was in the TV truck. I don't remember how he handled it, but I know he would step in if things really started to get out of line. Whatever happened between Robin and Jean, it ended just as quickly. All Joe had to do was loom into view and they would get the message. He was a well respected TD.

 

[unknownpro]

I understand that even the top champion men players protested against her presence in the open events. I am guessing that may be the reason.

Also I think the open(mens) and womens tournaments were mostly in the same locations at that time. That would've been a little awkward.

 

[TWOFORPOOL]

When Jean started beating some of the top professional men in the Open tournaments the the men change their organization from Professional Billiards Association (PBA) to the Mens Professional Billiards Association (MPBA) for the sole purpose to keep Jean out of the Open tournaments.

I asked Robin Bell (who has played against both Jean and Allision) who was the better player and she replied Jean. Jean simply was an amazing player who in time could of won an open tournament if allowed to continue to play with the men.

 

[JoeyA]

JA,
I find that sort of competitve nature common among "world-beaters". To succeed at that level requires quite a bit of fortitude (and ego as well).

I was fortunate to fall in with a group of pro's - one of whom has been #1 in the world. We've had regular competitive sessions (always 14.1) for at least 3 or 4 years now. The very first session, I was asked whether I wanted some friendly practice (drills and such) or wanted to play a game - I said that we should just play a friendly game, and I would start with a large (oh, alright...a monstrously large) handicap. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was told, "you know you are my friend, but if we're keeping score I'm going to have to rip your heart out" - I now know this was only half-joking.

I also was intrigued by your report that Jean sought out JOHN McENROE for anger management advice. Priceless. What's next....beauty tips from Madeleine Albright, hair styling tips from Ralf Souquet, etiquette lessons from Sarah Ellerby, spelling lessons from Fatboy, punctuation tips from Travis Trotter.......hey, this is a thread in itself.

You can add "pot stirring" by Williebetmore.
JoeyA

 

[Johnnyt]

You can add "pot stirring" by Williebetmore.
JoeyA

Did someone say "pot?" Johnnyt

 

[grindz]

JA,
..................................................

I also was intrigued by your report that Jean sought out JOHN McENROE for anger management advice. Priceless. What's next....beauty tips from Madeleine Albright, hair styling tips from Ralf Souquet, etiquette lessons from Sarah Ellerby, spelling lessons from Fatboy, punctuation tips from Travis Trotter.......hey, this is a thread in itself.

I'm glad you noted this. I wasn't "intrigued" though....I was LMAO!! :smile: :smile: I thought that was the BEST part of the story!

td

 

[boradriver]

Jean didn't "shark" anybody. She was playing Robin in the Finals and Robin made the nine on the break twice. The second time Jean got pissed, and shouted out to her from her chair "Beat me with skill, not luck!"

It was an unusual outburst from Jean but nothing worse than I saw happen dozens of times among the men (and worse). After the match (Jean won), Robin complained to the WPBA board who levied the fine against her. Jean felt singled out, since other women had yelled at their opponent before and not been fined. She refused to pay the fine and was suspended from the WPBA and not allowed to play in any events until the fine was paid.

The fine has not been paid to this day. Jean later confided in me that she was burned out on pool anyway. She was 29 years old and had been playing for twenty years straight! Since she was a nine year old. It gave her a reason to get away from pool for a while, and she never came back. I think Jean was smart enough to realize that competitive pool had become unhealthy for her mentally.

Jean will occasionally show up at a tournament as a spectator to watch some of her friends play. She has no interest in getting back into professional pool. In her day, the WPBA tour was not nearly as full of good players. Only three or four women could even compete with Jean and the fields only had 16-20 players on average.

How good did she play? IMO every bit as good as Allison or Karen. And Jean was just as much of a competitor as them also. Jean was probably the greatest woman athlete to ever play pool. She excelled at all sports she tried, including golf and tennis.

Although not word for word this sounds alot more like what my friend told me.

 

[jerseybillG]

well said as usual jay...i saw jean play in the virginia slims tour. in monticello ny many yrs. ago ...really great to watch..pos. was right on ...