You know, Jay come to think of it, I *did* hear Buddy was a bit gun-shy when it came to Jose but, as you said, who wasn't? That said, and seeing how almost EVERYONE rates Efren at least a *bit* higher than Parica ( if not a LOT ), you would think Buddy would not have had any more issue playing Jose than he did Efren. I'm not so sure Parica ever felt Efren had the upper hand between the two of them, though. Just like probably every stone-cold-world-champion, Jose felt in his heart of hearts that if he was playing as capable, he would rob any living human. After seeing him play numerous times, I can only say, the man can flat out PLAY.
Side note: ( I may have said this here before but not sure ) At a tournament I was in at Bakers circa 86 or so, Parica walked up to me as I was practicing and said "I like the way you play..." And that was it. Then he turned around and walked away. I figured he was tossing me a curve and was going to offer me the 6 next or something along those lines. Nope... Just walked away. I said "Thanks."
Those 6 words gave me more confidence than the thousands I'd heard to that point on my long journey to maximize my talent at this silly game. I'll never forget that as long as I live.
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