having been around all of them to an extent in their primes.
i would rate the two jimmys as about even on their chances
then keith with grady close
then larry and louie.
and mary for sure very close to the top as she belongs and they also should put a woman in very regularly. as most understate their accomplishments just because few played as well as the very top men did.
I spent a great deal of time around all these players, except Bugs, who I knew more by reputation than personal knowledge. The two best all around players on that list are Larry Lisciotti and Jimmy Mataya. Both of them played all games well; championship level players imo. They both won a few big tournaments and many smaller ones. David Howard also had a long and successful career as a tournament player (all 9-Ball), and won his fair share of events. Keith and Louie played tournaments somewhat sporadically, with Keith having more success. Both of them were immensely popular players. Jimmy Reid did win a U.S. Open but not much else of note. Wade Crane did well in tournaments when he had time to play in them and won one of the biggest ones ever held in Atlantic City beating Buddy Hall in the finals. Grady was more well known as a One Pocket player and commentator. He was never one of the top rated 9-Ball players, although he had some good finishes. Bugs was a legendary money player and rarely played a tournament. Mary Kenniston had the bad luck to play in the same era as Jean Balukas when no one could beat her. Mary was a consistent contender and one of the top five women players outside of Jean. All of these players are from my generation and they all played against each other, with the exception of Bugs and Mary.
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