Jean Balukas

[Voodoo Daddy]

sjm,

I'm working on the details for the NJ Women's 9-Ball State event as we post. Karen Corr is the Defending Champion. What would it take to have a dream event?

Barbara

You make that happen...Jean comes outta the shadows to play 9-Ball, I'll fly to NJ. Just think, you thought you seen enough me this year...HAHAHAHA. Allison is great player as is Jeanette and Karen but they are not Jean, IMO. I saw Lori Shampo <sp>, Gloria Walker and Palmer Byrd play, they were great to watch but they were'nt Jean. The woman that had the best shot to play that level at 9-Ball was Bonnie Hoffman...boy could she play but she wasnt Jean either.

 

[bruin70]

sjm,

I'm working on the details for the NJ Women's 9-Ball State event as we post. Karen Corr is the Defending Champion. What would it take to have a dream event?

Barbara

well,,,never say never,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but this deal ain't never happening

 

[vagabond]

You make that happen...Jean comes outta the shadows to play 9-Ball, I'll fly to NJ. Just think, you thought you seen enough me this year...HAHAHAHA. Allison is great player as is Jeanette and Karen but they are not Jean, IMO. I saw Lori Shampo <sp>, Gloria Walker and Palmer Byrd play, they were great to watch but they were'nt Jean. The woman that had the best shot to play that level at 9-Ball was Bonnie Hoffman...boy could she play but she wasnt Jean either.

Howdy,
I saw Gloria Walker when she was 16-18 years old,in Pennsylvania state championships.I fell in love with her game.
I stiil remember how that tiny Bonnie Hoffman used to break the rack and I never saw any one ( men or women with exception of Johny Archer,shanon daulton and hillbilly)players breaking with that kind of force.Thanks for bringing back my memories of these great ladies.Cheers
Vagabond

 

[bruin70]

i wonder how many people who've voted have actually SEEN balukas play often enough to make that choice...........

one thing i think no one has brought up is that a champion has a champion's heart, and thrives on competition. they don't shirk from it, they meet it head on......so if balukas had faced stiffer competition, her game would have risen commensurately. besides,,,more talent today only means deeper talent at the mid-level. the top 4 always seperate themselves from everyone else. her only concern today would ONLY be the top two. throw in 14.1 and you have to add jeanette to the mix.

man, it's weird digging up this post. i was going to reply to another post until i realized it was made last year. it's like talking to the dead.

 

[ChuckR]

I watched Jean play both women and men back in the 80's and she was GOOD. I don't know about a current match between Fisher and Balukas because she no longer competes. The reason she dropped out was due to refusal to pay a fine that the women's professional organization imposed on her for some comments she made in a match against Robin Bell. It was something like' beat me with skill, not luck" when Robin has made the 9 on the snap in one of their matches. Robin complained to an official, the league imposed something like a $1000 fine which Jean refused to pay and was eventually removed from women's professional pool. I'm of the opinion that in her prime, she would have defeated Fisher and the likes, but there is no way to prove it. ChuckR

 

[cheemagun]

i dont think jean is at her best right now. but the way i see it. allison and corr has better position and better safties. jean has the better break. in a set of race to 11 nine ball. id take karen and allison over jean. i dont know about jean in her prime tho.

 

[sjm]

Howdy,
I saw Gloria Walker when she was 16-18 years old,in Pennsylvania state championships.I fell in love with her game.
I stiil remember how that tiny Bonnie Hoffman used to break the rack and I never saw any one ( men or women with exception of Johny Archer,shanon daulton and hillbilly)players breaking with that kind of force.Thanks for bringing back my memories of these great ladies.Cheers
Vagabond

Vagabond, I remember Gloria Walker very well. She was from Ithaca NY, and was a hell of a player. Her ranking did rise to number two in the mid to late 1970's. Back in about 1980, at the tail end of the straight pool era, aside from Jean, the "best of the rest" in women's pro pool were probably Meiko Harada, Gloria Walker, Billie Billing, and Geri Titcomb. Other names you might recognize from back then would be Fran Crimi, Vicki Frechen (later called Paski), and the ridiculously young Loree Jon Ogonowski (now well known as BCA Hall of Famer Loree Jon Jones).

Those were good times, and they're often forgotten, but I remember them very fondly.

 

[Barbara]

Hi, Barbara, hope you're well.

Jean has shown no inclination to make a comeback for fifteen years now, so it's hard to imagine how you could possibly pull it off. One thing's for sure, though, if you do pull it off, I'll be there sweating it.

Hey sjm,

Missed seeing you at the Expo! I hope you make it next year.

Okay, so I'm only hoping that Jean would show up at any of my events to just play. She is welcome to do so. I welcome the competition just for the sake of it.

Barbara

 

[hemicudas]

Hey sjm,

Missed seeing you at the Expo! I hope you make it next year.

Okay, so I'm only hoping that Jean would show up at any of my events to just play. She is welcome to do so. I welcome the competition just for the sake of it.

Barbara

I too would love to see, Jean, play again. Problem is if she isn't up to her HOF speed and happened to lose you will have all the youngsters that have never seen her play at that HOF speed saying, "See, I told you so.". I want her to come back but only if she wants and feels the need to get back into it. Bless you, Jean. Thanks for the memories what ever your decisioin.

 

[sjm]

Hey sjm,

Missed seeing you at the Expo! I hope you make it next year.

Okay, so I'm only hoping that Jean would show up at any of my events to just play. She is welcome to do so. I welcome the competition just for the sake of it.

Barbara

Truth is, Barbara, that as a confirmed women's pro pool junkie, the first two weekends I always circled on my pool calendar were WPBA Valley Forge and the WPBA Brunswick New York Classic. But me and many other pool fans lament the loss of the only two WPBA events in the northeast. Since the loss of the WPBA event, I've had little inclination or desire to attend Valley Forge. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the expo.

Are you having a WPBA qualifier at Corner Billiards again this year? Seem to remember it was usually in April.

 

[Barbara]

Truth is, Barbara, that as a confirmed women's pro pool junkie, the first two weekends I always circled on my pool calendar were WPBA Valley Forge and the WPBA Brunswick New York Classic. But me and many other pool fans lament the loss of the only two WPBA events in the northeast. Since the loss of the WPBA event, I've had little inclination or desire to attend Valley Forge. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the expo.

Are you having a WPBA qualifier at Corner Billiards again this year? Seem to remember it was usually in April.

sjm,

I used to have a Q at Corner, but when they remodeled they didn't reschedule with me. Unfortunately, my schedule it getting busier so if they want to get a date, it will have to be for early next year.

My website will be undergoing some changes in the near future and not only for upcoming dates.

Barbara

 

[Celtic]

i dont think jean is at her best right now. but the way i see it. allison and corr has better position and better safties. jean has the better break. in a set of race to 11 nine ball. id take karen and allison over jean. i dont know about jean in her prime tho.

I think the better break is worth more then the better safety play. Allison HAS to play alot of safeties because of her crap break, she gets into alot of technical battles. Jean was a break and run player who relied on putting racks together. Another thing is that the safety game is one of the easiest to get good at and improve, far more then going from a crappy weak break to a sledgehammer break with control. Jean could get alot closer to Allison's safety game then Allison could ever get to Jean's break. In matches where a huge breaker who can run out really well plays a safety and strategy expert the latter always has to hope the breaker does not simply go off and start breaking and running multiple racks. If your break sucks you are going to have a tough time keeping up with a person who puts a 4 pack on you every time they get the break.

Plus I can tell you right now, beating Kieth, Mizerak, and Hall all in the same tourney in the early/mid 80's is akin to Allison entering a tourney and taking out Archer, Deull and Parica all in succession in a large event and at least race to 9 winner breaks. Allison will NEVER do that, she does not have the game to beat 3 TOP mens players like that in succession, her break would not allow it even if her running out after the fact could. Jean did it. Allison's break is alot more of a factor then people are giving it, the break is HUGE once you get to a certain point in the game, and Allison is there and is let down by it. Allison could WIN the US open possibly if she had Bustamente breaking for her. I am not saying she would be a favorite or anything, but if she has 2 balls in on every break and a clear shot on the 1 ball she is going to run alot of racks.

 

[sjm]

I think the better break is worth more then the better safety play. Allison HAS to play alot of safeties because of her crap break, she gets into alot of technical battles. Jean was a break and run player who relied on putting racks together. Another thing is that the safety game is one of the easiest to get good at and improve, far more then going from a crappy weak break to a sledgehammer break with control. Jean could get alot closer to Allison's safety game then Allison could ever get to Jean's break. In matches where a huge breaker who can run out really well plays a safety and strategy expert the latter always has to hope the breaker does not simply go off and start breaking and running multiple racks. If your break sucks you are going to have a tough time keeping up with a person who puts a 4 pack on you every time they get the break.

Excellent post, Celtic.

Let's start by saying that who'd win between Jean in her prime and Allison of today is one question and who'd fare better against the top men is another. Though, unlike you, I think Allison could beat three male superstars in succession, I'd concur that Jean would be the more capable in that regard.

I think you framed the debate prefectly, although you did not mention Allison's huge advantage in kicking. Still, you more or less covered the question at the crux of the debate, which is whether Allison's substantial edge in defense and kicking is enough to overcome her disadvantage in the break. I'm of the opinion that it's more than enough.

Having said that, though, I'd agree with you on the point that Jean would have an easier time adding the features her game lacks than Allison. It's a debate for the ages, and I think you did a really nice job of sizing it up in your post.

 

[Kerry Impson]

...before she gave up pro pool, Jean was able to dominate both Loree Jon Jones and Robin Bell (later known as Robin Dodson) in their respective primes. In the mid 90's, Jeanette won her share over those two, who were still playing their best pool then, but certainly wasn't able to dominate them.

You are right here as usual, sjm, but I believe Jeanette's game has improved greatly since Allison crossed the Atlantic, so it is possible Jeanette's game now is better than LJ's or Robin's was then - and therefore possible that Jean would have her hands full with Jeanette, too. JMO, of course!