Was pool better 50 years ago?

[jasonlaus]

Adding to Jazznpool's excellent reply to your post, this type of thinking just doesn't work. Yes, give a Filler or a Shane bucket pockets, Simonis cloth, rails and balls with today's quality, jump cues, screw-on extensions, and the better pool tables in use today and they would run a whole lot of racks, but that's not a meaningful comparison across generations.

Today's players play with better tables that have better rails and better ball sets. They all have jump cues. They have screw-on cue extensions that ensure that the bridge need nearly ever be used. Fifty years ago, most players did not even have break cues, never mind jump cues. They played on slow, nappy cloth and some of the positional shots that look routine today were almost impossible back in the day. If you had to play a power-stun shot off a five-degree angle, you had to have huge power to make it happen. Need a long draw off a long shot? Only the best could do it back in the pre-Simonis days. One reason that Strickland and Sigel were the two best 9ball players forty-five years ago, shortly before the switch to Simonis, was that both had an extremely powerful stroke. It's so easily forgotten.

There is little doubt in my mind that, even on the equipment and conditions of yesteryear, a Filler of a Shane would have played at a higher level than their counterparts of fifty years ago, but by less than one might guess.

You had to be careful drawing the big rock, that would kill your action immediately

 

[HawaiianEye]

Adding to Jazznpool's excellent reply to your post, this type of thinking just doesn't work. Yes, give a Filler or a Shane bucket pockets, Simonis cloth, rails and balls with today's quality, jump cues, screw-on extensions, and the better pool tables in use today and they would run a whole lot of racks, but that's not a meaningful comparison across generations.

Today's players play with better tables that have better rails and better ball sets. They all have jump cues. They have screw-on cue extensions that ensure that the bridge need nearly ever be used. Fifty years ago, most players did not even have break cues, never mind jump cues. They played on slow, nappy cloth and some of the positional shots that look routine today were almost impossible back in the day. If you had to play a power-stun shot off a five-degree angle, you had to have huge power to make it happen. Need a long draw off a long shot? Only the best could do it back in the pre-Simonis days. One reason that Strickland and Sigel were the two best 9ball players forty-five years ago, shortly before the switch to Simonis, was that both had an extremely powerful stroke. It's so easily forgotten.

There is little doubt in my mind that, even on the equipment and conditions of yesteryear, a Filler of a Shane would have played at a higher level than their counterparts of fifty years ago, but by less than one might guess.

The "power" game has all but disappeared.

Today's faster cloth and rails have turned the game into "bunting".

I prefer playing on tables where you have to have a stroke to play instead of a table so fast that you have to convert your stroke into a bunt.

Today's tables remind me of pinball machines or pachinko.

 

[sjm]

The "power" game has all but disappeared.

Today's faster cloth and rails have turned the game into "bunting".

I prefer playing on tables where you have have a stroke to play instead of a table so fast that you have to convert your stroke into a bunt.

Today's tables remind me of pinball machines or pachinko.

Agreed. I think the change in equipment has been good for women's pro pool but possibly not so for men's pro pool.

The reliance on power is far less today than it was in the pre-Simonis days. Now, it seems that everybody has the firepower to run the table, and it comes down to having the right combination of technical excellence, superior defense and strategic mastery. The game today is different.

Whether this version of pro pool is better or worse than back in the day is certainly a matter for debate, but you have raised an excellent point.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Agreed. I think the change in equipment has been good for women's pro pool but possibly not so for men's pro pool.

The reliance on power is far less today than it was in the pre-Simonis days. Now, it seems that everybody has the firepower to run the table, and it comes down to having the right combination of technical excellence, superior defense and strategic mastery. The game today is different.

Whether this version of pro pool is better or worse than back in the day is certainly a matter for debate, but you have raised an excellent point.

It has changed pool into a completely different games.

It is like taking all the shots that take power in golf out of the game and everybody playing short shots and putts.

 

[lfigueroa]

I get the younger guys implying some of us are dinosaurs but to them I say: trust me -- in 40 years you'll be singing the same song, lol.

Lou Figueroa

 

[gregcantrall]

Just as I suspected I am a page and a half behind.
With the Snooker league live on the TV.
Coffee cup warming fingers.
Good morning from my fitness room.
Just autographed the table practicing left vs right one handed. (It's cold fingers) so coffee in hand. Oooops

There's a half time. Time to change sides. When playing fart football in the twin bed.
Grampa signed the table. okay wet the bed. But it'll dry. New game.
It's a fitness program.
Hire the handicap they are fun to watch.

 

[gregcantrall]

Okay, just recalling John Higgins in interview, saying that he feels like he is playing better than ever. Me too but the numbers say that I am uh not. Well there are 3 kinda lies.
Lies
DAMN LIES
and Statistics .

 

[gregcantrall]

Strickland and Sigel were the two best 9ball players forty-five years ago, shortly before the switch to Simonis

I had the pleasure of watching Efren force a different M O for 9 ball players. He showed Billiard skills that combined with cueball precision achieved by none on the tour at that time. I so enjoyed watching him playing Earl in the Reno Sands 9 ball. Efren broke and ran three or four. Then first shot after the break he played a safety that left the one ball and cue ball on opposite end rails AND no path to get a hit. Taking ball in hand Efren does it again! At 7-0 Earl gets his second shot.....and it's just as ugly as his first. Earls exhibition er uh histrionics brought encouragement from the gallery. "Break it " was the suggestion. "Break your cue" , got giggles. Efren got the trophy.

 

[KAP1976]

I've long wanted to do a challenge where we set up a table with the same balls, cloth, rails and pocket sizes from back in the day and have professional players test it out with the type of cues used back then, both break cues and playing, with the same types, ferrules, break cue tips and shaft diameters.

 

[gregcantrall]

I've long wanted to do a challenge where we set up a table with the same balls, cloth, rails and pocket sizes from back in the day and have professional players test it out with the type of cues used back then, both break cues and playing, with the same types, ferrules, break cue tips and shaft diameters.

This gives me a flashback to conversation with Cole. Months after buying his old broken and repaired cue, Cole said, "I wouldn't be able to play with that cue now." well his standard was way up there.
I also recall Brady Golan at breakfast Sunday morning say, "you give me back to back matches on the same table....and see how he likes it." He was ruminating on his winners side loss to a guy that got back to back with 8 or more available. So anyway coming from the 2nd chance side Brady got that to meet him again in the finals. His packages were huge and devastating. Brady won.

 

[gregcantrall]

Being successful on the road, (back in the day) required the marine Corp, uh how does it go? Adapt and improvise. Well recon came first. A little black book with addresses and numbers helped.
Walking in cold and playing gave me a 1 hour zone to figure out the equipment And the Prospective action. You gotta know when to hold em and when walk away or run.

 

[fjk]

Just as I suspected I am a page and a half behind.
With the Snooker league live on the TV.
Coffee cup warming fingers.
Good morning from my fitness room.
Just autographed the table practicing left vs right one handed. (It's cold fingers) so coffee in hand. Oooops View attachment 877895
There's a half time. Time to change sides. When playing fart football in the twin bed.
Grampa signed the table. okay wet the bed. But it'll dry. New game.
It's a fitness program.
Hire the handicap they are fun to watch.

It's OK, that cloth needed cleaning anyway. Please clean thoroughly and send new pic when complete.

 

[Taxi]

agree 100%. One slowwwwwwwww day at the TulsaBilliardPalace this black bookie bet David Matlock how far he could throw a golf ball. the distance bet was set and Dave airmailed it by about 60ft. The bookie freaked and paid off. What the dude didn't know was Dave played hi-level baseball growin up AND he had a gaff: you only hold a golf ball with one finger instead of two like a baseball. Done that way you can sling the shit out of it.

In Spring Training of 1962, Danny DiLiberto won a similar bet against Roger Maris that he could throw a golf ball through the uprights of a goal post 100 yards away.

 

[Taxi]

I've long wanted to do a challenge where we set up a table with the same balls, cloth, rails and pocket sizes from back in the day and have professional players test it out with the type of cues used back then, both break cues and playing, with the same types, ferrules, break cue tips and shaft diameters.

To that I'd only add that many road players back then had to use house cues in order to promote the stall. And some of those house cues weren't exactly straight.