Sigel looked like he was fighting 20 pirates with a sword - worst body movement ever until that guy from Vietnam a month or so ago
What player, of all-time do you think made pool look the easiest?
- Thread starter CeaseLess
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If there is anybody that made it or makes it look easier than O Sullivan , he is in another Universe. Also the more .important the match or shot, the more likely he is to make it.
He had a period there where his head was not in a good space, but that's way in the past, he is undoubtedly the best there has ever been with balls on a table. Any game , based on how much better he is long term than everyone else, he competes against. It's a shame Earl wasn't able to overcome whatever has bothered him, he has still been amazing but I feel he could have been right there with the correct help.
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I totally agree, especially given the size of the pockets and table. And Efren, of course, given his lighthearted attitude while he "kicked" your ass...
Search on other posts where I used the word Greenfield.
Rodney and Rafael Martinez
Stop yer lying. You've been training for this moment for more than half your life.
Carpe diem!!!!
Gilbert Martinez.....
I played him many times and will recount something I've shared before that I found really displayed his appreciation for the game:
1p tourney, he is ruling me and we're at a place where it is pretty clear I am no threat for the set.
Ball sitting just off side rail up table with CB near foot spot and not many other balls on the table. I say I know the shot is to kick behind the ball and bank it 1 rail to my pocket.
He says 'good shot' and I respond that I NEVER hit that one well. He says you have to kick it with no sidespin and shorter than one would think.
I shoot it and sell out...before the ob stopped its horrid path, I saw him reach out his hand to replace the ball, presumably for try #2.
He stopped short of touching it, agreed it was struck quite poorly and commenced with my victimization.
Cool dude in my book.
Who among us could go into a new poolroom every day and run 100 balls or more in the first game they played? In my lost interview with him he shared with me that maybe two or three times a year he would need to run 80 or 90 to win the match against a tough opponent who put up some real opposition. He would just continue after reaching 150 and extend his run over 100.
He was reticent to talk about any losses in exhibition matches but finally confided to me that he did lose a few over the years, always because of bad equipment or some other reason. On each of them he challenged his opponent to a second match and they always declined. Except once to some guy in Idaho, whose name I forgot. Willie told the guy he would give him his pay for the day if he beat him again. Willie than ran 150 and out on his first turn at the table.
Of course this is Willie’s explanation of things but he was very candid with me that day. Our interview lasted well over an hour and the video was lost due to uncharged batteries in the camera. True story!
P.S. I spent quite a bit of time around Willie over the years and never saw him take a drink. Also never heard any such stories from men who knew and competed against Willie. I have no idea who Portland Slim is but I did know Irving Crane, Jimmy Caras, Joe Balsis, George Rood and Cisero Murphy. I do think he may have indulged himself with a glass of wine over a good meal. That much is possible because he liked good food, especially Italian. I know his wife Florence would never put up with him drinking and Willie prided himself on his self control, so no I don’t believe that story offered here. Now Greenleaf is another story entirely! All the old timers had stories about his drinking escapades.
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Steve was mentored by his father first (who was a very good player, New Jersey state champion) and then by his dad’s friend Willie.
I possess Appleton's work ethic in this regard, what the payoff is I have no inkling, but damn is it enjoyable.
Played him in the 2011 US Open One Pocket.
It went like this:
The next morning I play Rafael Martinez. We speak Spanish during the match and it does not go well for me. Rafael brings the Mexican National Circus to town and does everything but have elephants walk through the tournament room, shooting off-angle banks, masse in the middle of the table, kick carom combos, impossible cuts, and on and on. Lou loses 0-4.
I have always hated the circus.
Lou Figueroa
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tomatoshooter
Well-known member
It was like a nightmare, it just kept getting worse. Keith was definitely a gunslinger.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
There's a Mizerak/Toby Sweet match that is the definition of smoothly played pool.
I read somewhere that that Steve's dad built a platform around a table in the basement so Steve could play when he was little.
I shall toast this post in 15 min at most.
The Mexican National Circus! Best line of the month! Elephants walking through the tournament room is the second best line!
Probably one of the all time greatest shotmakers. And he is barely over five feet tall and uses a cue with an almost non existent tip! I mean really, just a slight round bulge on top of the ferrule. I had the honor of being his backer several times and he never booked a loser or turned down a game.
Even played some hustler 9-Ball taking the top two pockets and giving the guy the break and the bottom two pockets. It was a trap and I warned Rafael. He shot the guys nuts off! Out moved him every rack and banked the nine up table time after time like it was a hanger. Afterwards all he says is “Easy money Jay.” Rafael is a man of few words. I called him “El pequito hombre con el grande corazon.” I think that’s right, been so long ago.
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I so enjoyed watching the clip that I watched it again and this time picked up on the fact that the 147 was worth 147,000 pounds in that event. Yet Ronnie breezed through it as a walk in the park.
More snooker porn.
This is Ronnie's 13th Maximum and with Stephen Hendry comments, it's a real treat. Wikipedia says Ronnie made a 14th and 15th in 2018. Ronnie has spoken of making a 147 left handed. While he has produced centuries with the other hand the Maximum hasn't happened.........Yet?
The way Ronnie switches hands is unbelievable. The first time i saw him on video years ago I was watching awhile and noticed he was playing left handed. I was like WTF, I know he started this game right handed. As I watched him play he switched hands so effortlessly that I had not even noticed. On a snooker table. I doubt that anyone else in the world has ever been able to do that. It is no exaggeration to call him a truly unique player with an unparalleled gift.