Suppose there were a time machine that was available to pool players and had been around for 35 years. Buddy Hall, back in 1975 might have been the best 9-ball player on the planet, but he wasn’t getting rich because he had to give up weight every time he played. So he popped into the time machine and set it for 2010 to see if he could scare up some action. I’m sure he would have stayed under the radar for a few months so that he could adapt to the equipment of today with fast cloth, etc. But suppose he practiced hours a day and after 3 months decided that he was in dead punch and ready for a match. Would those of you who think today’s players are better than those of yesteryear be ready to bet your case $10,000 against him? I’m thinking that if you really studied your pool history and knew how good Buddy played when in his highest gear, you’d be hesitant to stake one of today’s players against him. There were stretches in the 1970s that Buddy came so close to perfect pool that he was literally boring to watch, running out precise patterns and grinding down the toughest opponents.
But on the other hand, if we send SVB back to 1975 and give him 3 months to get used to the equipment of that period, who in that era would you bet your case $10,000 on? I’m thinking that he would have been a match, or more than a match, for any of the top players of that era.
Let’s face it, human beings haven’t evolved over the past 35 years. We have the same brains, muscles, and nerve cells we had then. The best of us have the same capacity for heart and courage, the same potential for a killer instinct, the same drive to win. If we could magically transport players forward or backward in time, and give them ample opportunity to adjust to the equipment of the era, the best of yesteryear and the best of today are probably going to be a dead heat. None of today’s players would be a favorite, in my opinion, over a 45 year-old Willie Mosconi who had spent a few months acclimating to today’s equipment. And none of the old timers would be likely to enjoy a long match with Dennis Ochollo or SVB if they had gotten in dead stroke on the old equipment.
I do think a good case could be made that there are MORE great players around the globe today than in 1975. Maybe not as charismatic, but more numerous.
But on the other hand, if we send SVB back to 1975 and give him 3 months to get used to the equipment of that period, who in that era would you bet your case $10,000 on? I’m thinking that he would have been a match, or more than a match, for any of the top players of that era.
Let’s face it, human beings haven’t evolved over the past 35 years. We have the same brains, muscles, and nerve cells we had then. The best of us have the same capacity for heart and courage, the same potential for a killer instinct, the same drive to win. If we could magically transport players forward or backward in time, and give them ample opportunity to adjust to the equipment of the era, the best of yesteryear and the best of today are probably going to be a dead heat. None of today’s players would be a favorite, in my opinion, over a 45 year-old Willie Mosconi who had spent a few months acclimating to today’s equipment. And none of the old timers would be likely to enjoy a long match with Dennis Ochollo or SVB if they had gotten in dead stroke on the old equipment.
I do think a good case could be made that there are MORE great players around the globe today than in 1975. Maybe not as charismatic, but more numerous.
