Rodney Morris at 2006 UPA: "I'm BY FAR the most talented player in the world"

Da Bank

Da Bank

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Rodney Morris at 2006 UPA: "I'm BY FAR the most talented player in the world"

I always thought that Rodney was fairly humble, but I'm watching here on ESPN classic the UPA 2006 championships and in two instances already in side interviews he's said that he is BY FAR the most talented player in the world alive today. :rolleyes:

He's amazing, but most talented player on the planet!??!?!

I'm gonna go with Earl as having the most pure talent, that's my opinion.
 
Da Bank said:
I always thought that Rodney was fairly humble, but I'm watching here on ESPN classic the UPA 2006 championships and in two instances already in side interviews he's said that he is BY FAR the most talented player in the world alive today. :rolleyes:
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Although he may actually believe it, Rodney says that kinda stuff "toungue 'n cheek."

He loves to play to the crowd/audience. It's his personality.
 
CrownCityCorey said:
Although he may actually believe it, Rodney says that kinda stuff "toungue 'n cheek."

He loves to play to the crowd/audience. It's his personality.
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this would make a little bit more sense and maybe he just wasn't conveying that tone in the interview as well as he should have.
 
Da Bank said:
I always thought that Rodney was fairly humble, but I'm watching here on ESPN classic the UPA 2006 championships and in two instances already in side interviews he's said that he is BY FAR the most talented player in the world alive today. :rolleyes:

He's amazing, but most talented player on the planet!??!?!

I'm gonna go with Earl as having the most pure talent, that's my opinion.
Click to expand...

No big deal, that was the way he felt in 2006. Today's most talented would be Shane Van Boening, and Chia-Ching Wu. It's just a matter of pride and perception of the player and perception of the fans.
 
About 3 or 4 years ago, one of the top players in the world told me he thought the best 3 players in the world (9-ball) were Ralf Souquet, Efren Reyes, and Rodney Morris (with the edge in very long sets to Ralf and Rodney because of their breaks). Perhaps Rodney wasn't far off the mark in his assessment.

Things may well have changed since then with the death of the IPT (and the resultant widespread decrease in motivation among a LOT of players).
 
There's a fine line between confidence and arragance. In fact sometimes they can co-exist.

If I had to put my money on 1 of 2 great players of equal stature I'd put it on the one that says he's the best.

Everyone of you knows that you make balls better when your confident.
 
I agree with the other poster, maybe just a mindset and thats how he feels. He may be joking but he should feel that way.
 
Neil said:
You don't get to that level without thinking you are the best. It's just that some actually say it out loud. Thorsten, the supposedly "humble, quiet" person, basically said the same thing. In his interview, he stated that the players left are all really great players, but they have to play him. In other words, the rest just don't quite measure up to him. Same result, just said a little bit different.
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Small difference with a huge distinction.

It's good, and necessary, to think that you're great while you're competing. But to actually say that you're the best publically, well, that's just a higher level of arrogance? IMO :sorry:

Jim
 
Rodney said it tongue in cheek. He says stuff like this all the time. He did tell me once though that he feels he has the best of it against anyone in a fifteen ahead match.
 
Every pool player thinks they are the best, and in any tournament on any given day they can be.


earl was the most talented player of his time and now i think its SVB.
 
I heard him say that a long time ago, and was pretty turned off by it myself. People seem to be defending him here, but what he said seems pretty straight forward. That is an awfully bold thing to say when he hasn't won many major events. I wonder if he thinks playing faster than everyone else makes him better. I think he would be a lot better if he slowed down.

He generally seems to be a pretty decent guy, but this statement was a bit much. Also, I don't believe every pro thinks they are the best player. People generally overestimate themselves, its human nature, but at the same time, most people know who really plays the best.

I also heard Charlie Bryant say (I believe it was at the same tournament), that while Rodney was a good player, he doesn't know what Charlie knows.
He seems like a good guy also, but again a bit much for someone without the major titles.
 
bfdlad said:
I agree with the other poster, maybe just a mindset and thats how he feels. He may be joking but he should feel that way.
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Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player in existence, and he knew it, but you never heard him say it. Those who KNOW they are the best, also know they don't have to tell everyone else. Someone who says this out loud is probably still trying to prove something, maybe to others, and maybe to himself.

I believe in confident humility. You make your statements on the pool table, or whatever playing field you are on. While it may be advantageous to believe something like this, saying ir out loud, is in my opinion disrespectful to the other great players that are his colleagues. Just my opinions!
 
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el dub, at the age of 19, once told his father; aim gunna bee pfwesident won deay an f*** us ayll up! he repeated this sentence for the next 35 years and...
 
Da Bank said:
I always thought that Rodney was fairly humble, but I'm watching here on ESPN classic the UPA 2006 championships and in two instances already in side interviews he's said that he is BY FAR the most talented player in the world alive today. :rolleyes:

He's amazing, but most talented player on the planet!??!?!

I'm gonna go with Earl as having the most pure talent, that's my opinion.
Click to expand...

oh no! everyone, let's jump on this man for stating his opinion!!!
 
ANY Pro that doesn't BELIEVE they are the best player at the event....

Simply doesn't belong there in the first place..

If you are playing for the right to claim you are the best in the world.. you have to believe it...

If you don't no one else will either.. and you will enter matches scared.. then you get to go home early...

skill without confidence is worthless...IMO
 
For those who believe he is arrogant, next time you see him, just talk to him about anything but pool (golf, sports, his kids) and you will quickly find that he is engaging as well as funny.
 
Here We Go Again!!!

Every time ESPN re airs these matches, this topic is talked about.

Rodney, and all the other people you see were told to be funny for the cameras and tv audiences. Anyone who knows Rodney knows that, although he might be one of the best players in the world, he is one of the most humble people you will ever meet.

In other words, "The most talented living human being player" was a joke.
 
ARM9BALLER said:
Every time ESPN re airs these matches, this topic is talked about.

Rodney, and all the other people you see were told to be funny for the cameras and tv audiences. Anyone who knows Rodney knows that, although he might be one of the best players in the world, he is one of the most humble people you will ever meet.

In other words, "The most talented living human being player" was a joke.
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He didn't say he was the best player. He said he is the most talented, big difference. He may believe that because before he had to stop playing for a few years he had just about as much raw talent as anybody whoever pick-up a pool cue. Do you think Dennis Orcollo is the most talented pool player you ever saw or just the best pool player you very saw.

You need unbelievable talent to be the best but you also need determination, passion, desire an iron heart and nerves of steal.

I don't think Rodney is the most talented pool player ever but he has a ton of it. Would you say Nick Varner was the most talented pool player when he won back to back US Opens (not). I think you gauge how much talent a player has when the are young and green. To me the person with the most raw talent I ever saw maybe outside of Earl was Mark Tadd and I don't think he ever won anything, but what Talent.
 
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