Good post
Snooker then pool. Live action with multiple camera angles. Very good commentary. Huge production. Popular ratings thruout the world except the good ol' USA
Pool's most influential people
- Thread starter poohatur
- Start date
Good post
Snooker then pool. Live action with multiple camera angles. Very good commentary. Huge production. Popular ratings thruout the world except the good ol' USA
Comparing the US to the Asian and European markets is apples to hand grenades. Also if Barry Hearn pulled the plug tomorrow I suspect pool would probably survive in some small enclave on the planet. The man has certainly done wonders for the game especially in Europe and Asia.
Matchroom does the best production because they have the ability to sell the product to enough people to pay for the best production. I am quite sure if it was easy and profitable Mr. Hearn would be doing the very same thing here in the US but it isn't so we have no live coverage in the states or any at all in most cases.
Professional pool in the US will get much worse before it gets better. Some of the people mentioned in this thread are the only reason it hasn't completely became a bar game yet.
I haven't re-read the entire thread but I don't remember Barry Berhman being mentioned and he surely has done a lot for the game. His name eluded my memory the first time I posted. I admire his major contribution. And then that brings to mind the Janesco (sp?) brothers who did the Johnston City tournaments.
Also coming to mind are the major authors of pool related books.
I was talking to Brad Simpson last night and certainly he has made a big contribution to the average players understanding of pool cues.. i.e... guys like me. Robert Byrne made a huge difference in my ability to understand what was happening when I struck the cb and it made it's route around the table and what then happens to the ob. His work takes years off the beginners learning curve.. as did Ray Martin, and Dave Sapolis, Bob Henning, Bob Jewittt, Dr. Dave and Jack Koehler.
There are so many that have made a difference for me.. and I think for all players perhaps indirectly, but nevertheless their contributions are to be counted... when one's incredible fallible memory begins to once again spit out discerable images.... speaking of which guys like my hero Sailor of Racine come to mind. Great player, cue builder and teacher but never has come to more than regional prominance. I"m sure there are many, many of those. The list goes on and on and that's just from my very limited experience and expertise.
Also coming to mind are the major authors of pool related books.
I was talking to Brad Simpson last night and certainly he has made a big contribution to the average players understanding of pool cues.. i.e... guys like me. Robert Byrne made a huge difference in my ability to understand what was happening when I struck the cb and it made it's route around the table and what then happens to the ob. His work takes years off the beginners learning curve.. as did Ray Martin, and Dave Sapolis, Bob Henning, Bob Jewittt, Dr. Dave and Jack Koehler.
There are so many that have made a difference for me.. and I think for all players perhaps indirectly, but nevertheless their contributions are to be counted... when one's incredible fallible memory begins to once again spit out discerable images.... speaking of which guys like my hero Sailor of Racine come to mind. Great player, cue builder and teacher but never has come to more than regional prominance. I"m sure there are many, many of those. The list goes on and on and that's just from my very limited experience and expertise.
I struggle with Berhman being recognized given his history of being a "non-paying promoter" which is the ugly side of pool in my book
In all sincerity what were you thinking when you started thread, I mean no disrespect but I really don't get it.:sorry:
JIMO
The players are the most influential. It takes long hours to play pool well. I consider professional pool as a tribe. A tribe of geometers that apply themselves to collisions, big bang theory. Most of them don't even know it.
Some may scoff at this but I will say that Rudolph Wanderone aka Minnesote Fats is still the most influential person in pool. To make a case for that just walk up to 10 people who aren't involved in billiards at all and ask them if they recognize the names (and why) of the top ten players in the world along with various top industry people. At the end of that list say Minnesota Fats and I guarantee he is still the most recognized name.
Outside of that I would have to go with Greg Sullivan. He not only created a table that is the standard, but also created a tournament that set a bar in its' own right.
Outside of that I would have to go with Greg Sullivan. He not only created a table that is the standard, but also created a tournament that set a bar in its' own right.
I agree with you and like your choices. :smile:
Here's a few more I'll add to the group, which are based on my limited experience in the pool world. I don't have the knowledge base formed from decades of living my life in the pool culture as others might, but these are the folks who have made an impact for me personally.
Mike Zuglan, Mike Janis, Marge and Shannon Daulton -- regional tour promoters who keep pool alive and well, giving pool players of all caliber the opportunity to enjoy pool at an affordable price
Conrad Burkman -- for creating National Billiards News, one of the few pool archival resources documenting pool from the '60s
J.R. Calvert and Sally Timko -- (founder and editor of InsidePOOL magazine) for creating a magazine that provided another look at pool from, well, the inside, to include action and the regional tournament trail scene in addition to the global pool envirionment
Diana Hoppe -- always manages to get the right photographs that tell the whole story
Greg Sullivan (Derby City Classic), Tom Gearhart (Glass City Open), Barry Behrman (U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship), Doug Gordon (Tournaments around the World), and Allen Hopkins (Skins, Super Billiards Expo, and more) -- promoters who continue to make events happen because of their passion for pool
Pat Fleming -- in a word, Accu-Stats, the pioneer in documenting pool on film as well as creator of the pool's statistical score-keeping system
Mark Griffin -- league owner, tournament promoter, and financial friend to a variety of entities, to include tournament players and new upstart businesses
Mike Howerton -- creater of AzBilliards, the number-one pool news source in the world, bar none
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