Straight Pool High Run

[sjm]

So SJM, who in your opinion was the best 14.1
player that played in that room?

Among those who played there regularly, the best was definitely Jack Colavita. Jack had numerous top ten finishes in the world championships. Lauri was a regular, too, but he was well past his prime even back then.

Of those who played there only from time to time, take your pick between Mizerak, Balsis, and Crane, all of whom, in my opinion, played a little stronger than Ervolino, Hopkins, Murphy, Martin or Margo.

Ervolino always thought Balsis was the best straight pooler back then, but I'd probably go with Crane, even though Irving had no end of trouble in his head-to-head matches with Balsis.

 

[Bobby]

Among those who played there regularly, the best was definitely Jack Colavita. Jack had numerous top ten finishes in the world championships. Lauri was a regular, too, but he was well past his prime even back then.

Of those who played there only from time to time, take your pick between Mizerak, Balsis, and Crane, all of whom, in my opinion, played a little stronger than Ervolino, Hopkins, Murphy, Martin or Margo.

Ervolino always thought Balsis was the best straight pooler back then, but I'd probably go with Crane, even though Irving had no end of trouble in his head-to-head matches with Balsis.

Interesting. I never got the chance to see Colavita
in his prime, the same goes for all the mentioned
players. What a heydey that must've been at the
Golden Cue!

Take care, SJM, I hope all is well with you.


Bobby

 

[Railbird]

Among those who played there regularly, the best was definitely Jack Colavita. Jack had numerous top ten finishes in the world championships. Lauri was a regular, too, but he was well past his prime even back then.

Of those who played there only from time to time, take your pick between Mizerak, Balsis, and Crane, all of whom, in my opinion, played a little stronger than Ervolino, Hopkins, Murphy, Martin or Margo.

Ervolino always thought Balsis was the best straight pooler back then, but I'd probably go with Crane, even though Irving had no end of trouble in his head-to-head matches with Balsis.

SJM,

At 73 years of age, Jack Colavita still hits'em pretty damn good.
IMO, Jack has got to have one of the smoothest strokes you will ever see, he moves the cueball so effortlessly because he has such a great stroke.
It's an honor to have the pleasure of knowing, playing and getting to hear all the great stories of the past from guys like Jack and Jim Burke, who witnessed first hand the talent that was displayed in the New York area pool scene.

Jim

 

[sjm]

SJM,

At 73 years of age, Jack Colavita still hits'em pretty damn good.
IMO, Jack has got to have one of the smoothest strokes you will ever see, he moves the cueball so effortlessly because he has such a great stroke.
It's an honor to have the pleasure of knowing, playing and getting to hear all the great stories of the past from guys like Jack and Jim Burke, who witnessed first hand the talent that was displayed in the New York area pool scene.

Jim

Mostly in the late 1970's and early 1980's, I played straight pool with Colavita many times, and he was an early influence on my game. So was Tommy Walter. I remember chatting with them one time nearly thirty years ago about how the players of their generation were known for being very protective of their knowledge. I noted that they'd always been happy to give me playing tips.

Jack told me "We're always happy to help two kinds of people with their pool game. 1) young players, and 2) guys we know will never be able to hurt us in competition." And then came the clincher, for he then said "and you definitely qualify on both counts." I'll never forget it!

Sad to say, I don't get to see Jack very often anymore.

 

[Railbird]

Mostly in the late 1970's and early 1980's, I played straight pool with Colavita many times, and he was an early influence on my game. So was Tommy Walter. I remember chatting with them one time nearly thirty years ago about how the players of their generation were known for being very protective of their knowledge. I noted that they'd always been happy to give me playing tips.

Jack told me "We're always happy to help two kinds of people with their pool game. 1) young players, and 2) guys we know will never be able to hurt us in competition." And then came the clincher, for he then said "and you definitely qualify on both counts." I'll never forget it!

Sad to say, I don't get to see Jack very often anymore.

Great story SJM, we should count ourselves lucky to have such fond memories of some of past generations best, I used to see and play with Jack every Tuesday and Thursday, now I still see him every Thursday.

 

[bruin70]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Herb Lehmann, George Pharo, Bill Dunsomre and Pete Tascarella.

Man I miss those days! Hope you're well, Bobby.

is that herb lehmann the snooker guy who fixes tables? i'm surprised you left out nagy. bobby said mosconi said he saw nagy run the most perfect 150 he'd seen,,,,or words to that effect.

 

[sjm]

is that herb lehmann the snooker guy who fixes tables? i'm surprised you left out nagy. bobby said mosconi said he saw nagy run the most perfect 150 he'd seen,,,,or words to that effect.

Yes, I omitted anybody Bobby had already mentioned. I saw Nagy play in the mid 70's, which is roughly when he gave up competing. He was an incredible player.

Yes, that's the same Herb Lehmann.

 

[macguy]

Mosconi's 526 is verified as the official high run
and many witnesses attest to it, but it was on an 8ft
table. Eufemia ran 625, I'm not sure what size table,
but it is my understanding that although there were
many people who saw it happen, there wasn't any one
person who saw it from beginning to end. I've asked
a few old pro's and they said that they have no
doubt that he ran 625.

Greenleaf rarely tried to attempt a high run, he
would run 125 and out often in exhibitions and then
put on a few trick shots. I think he did once run 276
on a 5 x 10 with very tight pockets which to me is
more impressive than 500 with bucket pockets on
a small table. Mosconi I believe has the high run
on a 5 x 10 with 353.
Thomas Engert of German has a verified high run of
491 on a 9ft table.

Babe Cranfield is said to have run over 600 on a
9ft in practice and 420 on a 5 x 10 but I don't
think either run is verified.

Marceal Camp told me that Eufemia would run 200 or more like it was nothing almost everyday and I have no doubt he ran the balls credited to him. Camp said Eufemia was the best straight pool player ever for fun, but under pressure couldn't beat anyone who could play. Most of the money players of that time said about the same thing about him.

 

[macguy]

Eufemia is no longer living. I understand he was
mostly a gambler.



Bobby

No, he was the worlds best fun player.

 

[bruin70]

Marceal Camp told me that Eufemia would run 200 or more like it was nothing almost everyday and I have no doubt he ran the balls credited to him. Camp said Eufemia was the best straight pool player ever for fun, but under pressure couldn't beat anyone who could play. Most of the money players of that time said about the same thing about him.

wish i coulda watched eufemia play. whether he played well when the chips were down is inconsequential to me. a beautiful 14.1 is a beautiful 14.1

nagy too. i have to visit and watch this guy some day.

 

[macguy]

wish i coulda watched eufemia play. whether he played well when the chips were down is inconsequential to me. a beautiful 14.1 is a beautiful 14.1

nagy too. i have to visit and watch this guy some day.

I agree, I just made the comment for the record. Most of the top players I knew, who knew him all said the same thing.

 

[sjm]

wish i coulda watched eufemia play. whether he played well when the chips were down is inconsequential to me. a beautiful 14.1 is a beautiful 14.1

nagy too. i have to visit and watch this guy some day.

I saw Eufemia and Nagy play each other a couple of times. It was very sad when Mike died so young, he was a friend of my dad. At first glance, they both seemed to deserve mention with the biggest stars of the late sixties, meaning Mizerak, Balsis, Crane and Lassiter, but neither was successful in tournaments. The term "practice room legends" has often been applied to both, but the truth is they were superstars of the game.

Another semi-forgotten legend is George Mikula, who did some of his best work at Chelsea Billiards in NYC in the late 1980's and early 1990's. They said that on any given day, George ran a 200 more often than not. Chelsea wasn't my room, but I've heard it from people I consider reliable. George was another great one that, like Eufemia, died far too young.

 

[bruin70]

I saw Eufemia and Nagy play each other a couple of times. It was very sad when Mike died so young, he was a friend of my dad. At first glance, they both seemed to deserve mention with the biggest stars of the late sixties, meaning Mizerak, Balsis, Crane and Lassiter, but neither was successful in tournaments. The term "practice room legends" has often been applied to both, but the truth is they were superstars of the game.

Another semi-forgotten legend is George Mikula, who did some of his best work at Chelsea Billiards in NYC in the late 1980's and early 1990's. They said that on any given day, George ran a 200 more often than not. Chelsea wasn't my room, but I've heard it from people I consider reliable. George was another great one that, like Eufemia, died far too young.

the story i heard from paul schneider, who knew mikula very very very well, is that at a very young age, mikula entered some 14.1 tournament championship or other, and did very well. his first time, or something like that,,,,got beat by balsis, ending up in sixth place, which was very good, but his disappointment in himself broke him. too bad. ran 300 something at chesea before he died, though that wasn't his high run

 

[poolshark52]

i lived in rochester most of my pool life and saw all the great players...even got to play most of them! crane was the most consistant player...i saw him run 376....seigle was a great player also with many 300 s...but the best i ever saw was babe crandfield! he played sooooo well.
i used to drive to syracuse just to rack for him....the most amazing feat....490 the first day....and 493....back to back!!!!!! i know...i racked the balls! i heard a story...he ran like 450 one day and they marked the balls ans he came back with a 300 the next day! ...too bad he couldnt handle compition....no one would have ever beat him......and he was a great guy !

 

[sjm]

i lived in rochester most of my pool life and saw all the great players...even got to play most of them! crane was the most consistant player...i saw him run 376....seigle was a great player also with many 300 s...but the best i ever saw was babe crandfield! he played sooooo well.
i used to drive to syracuse just to rack for him....the most amazing feat....490 the first day....and 493....back to back!!!!!! i know...i racked the balls! i heard a story...he ran like 450 one day and they marked the balls ans he came back with a 300 the next day! ...too bad he couldnt handle compition....no one would have ever beat him......and he was a great guy !

Irving Crane was a good friend of mine from 1978-86. He had an incredibly high opinion of Babe Cranfield.

 

[nail]

i lived in rochester most of my pool life and saw all the great players...even got to play most of them! crane was the most consistant player...i saw him run 376....seigle was a great player also with many 300 s...but the best i ever saw was babe crandfield! he played sooooo well.
i used to drive to syracuse just to rack for him....the most amazing feat....490 the first day....and 493....back to back!!!!!! i know...i racked the balls! i heard a story...he ran like 450 one day and they marked the balls ans he came back with a 300 the next day! ...too bad he couldnt handle compition....no one would have ever beat him......and he was a great guy !

Hi poolshark52:
I used to watch Babe all the time. I've never seen anyone play 14.1 as well as he did. He ran a 768 at the Holliday Billiards in Syracuse. Do you know anyone that may have witnessed this? I don't doubt it because as I've said, I've watched him play. Many people have told me they saw some of the 400s. He had around 40 of them and three 200+s on a 5x10. I'm jealous that you got to watch a couple of the 400s personaly. I saw him run 100 when he was 80 like it was nothing. I heard people got tired watching the 768 (it took hours) and some left. I'm just curious because you seem to have known him quite well.
nail

 

[vapoolplayer]

.too bad he couldnt handle compition....no one would have ever beat him......and he was a great guy !

i'm just a youngin, so you have more knowledge than me on this......but..........he is the only person to win the junior, amatuer, and world championships...........sounds like he handled competition quite well.

VAP

 

[bruin70]

Hi poolshark52:
I used to watch Babe all the time. I've never seen anyone play 14.1 as well as he did. He ran a 768 at the Holliday Billiards in Syracuse. Do you know anyone that may have witnessed this? I don't doubt it because as I've said, I've watched him play. Many people have told me they saw some of the 400s. He had around 40 of them and three 200+s on a 5x10. I'm jealous that you got to watch a couple of the 400s personaly. I saw him run 100 when he was 80 like it was nothing. I heard people got tired watching the 768 (it took hours) and some left. I'm just curious because you seem to have known him quite well.
nail

i've heard of cranfield, but it hasn't been until this thread that i've ever read about what he could do. pretty amazing.

was he part of the nyc scene? cuz here in nyc, i only hear about mikula, nagy, and eufemia.

 

[Celtic]

This is why it always boggles my mind that people say straight pool should be the pro game again to replace 9-ball. The arguement against 9-ball is simply the fact it is too easy now for the top pro's and it almost a flip of a coin who is going to win in a match between 2 top 20. Straight pool is clearly NOT the answer to fix this. The game was normally played as a race to 150 points and it seems there were TONNES of players that could run a 150 and out often and as such the first person who gets the open shot or makes a tough pot is suddenly going to sit their opponent in their seat for the rest of the match.

9-ball is clearly too easy, it needs to be replaced, but not by a game that was dominated by so many guys almost to the point it became trivial for many of them to run a 150 that is 3-4 times less balls then these guys could run. It is akin to making 9-ball matches race to 5 on the pro level when those guys can on rare occasion knock off 15-20 racks (which is not even really done with anywhere near the regulatiry of these high straight pool runs and is WAY harder and less predictable).

 

[sjm]

This is why it always boggles my mind that people say straight pool should be the pro game again to replace 9-ball. The arguement against 9-ball is simply the fact it is too easy now for the top pro's and it almost a flip of a coin who is going to win in a match between 2 top 20. Straight pool is clearly NOT the answer to fix this. The game was normally played as a race to 150 points and it seems there were TONNES of players that could run a 150 and out often and as such the first person who gets the open shot or makes a tough pot is suddenly going to sit their opponent in their seat for the rest of the match.

Disagree, Celtic. There were tons of players that could run a hundred on ordinary equipment, but few could do it on tight equipment under tournament conditions.

Entrie US Opens would occasionally include only two or three centruies.
Nick Varner won the 1981 World 14.1 Championship without a century.

As somebody who attended ninie wqorld championship straight pool events, I can tell you that all 50 ball runs on that tight equipment were understood to be outstanding.

Balls per inning is a strange puppy in straight pool becasue safeties count as zero, but back then only the top three or four would have a BPI > 10. At his best, Sigel managed about 13 for a whole event, and before him, Mosconi had averaged a 15. Most players were in the 4 to 7 range, meaning that typical races to 150 consisted of about 30 innings. Even for the truly elite, games still tended to last an average of about 12 to 15 innings.

The truth is that a race to 150 on tight equipment was really quite a long race, and the cream nearly always rose to the top becase of it.

This thread had focus on what the elite can and could do on ordinary equipment in practice conditions, and not what the elite could do on tight equipment under world championship competition conditions.

Important not to confuse one for the other. There were many that could run 200 in practice that went a pool lifetime without a century in world championship play.

All these points aside, however, I agree that straight IS NOT the game that should decide the world champion. I have always believed that the world championship should be decided by the only game played by almost all recreational players, and that would be eight ball.