Who was/is the greatest cueist of all time
- Thread starter Cameron Smith
- Start date
ShaneS said:
Thats not what the poll says. It seems the best cueists ever are Efren Reyes then Willie Mosconi, Ralph Greenleaf, Walter Lindrum and then me. Sorry.
In case your wondering I intend to milk this as long as I can.
Renegade said:
Yes, but the poll limits me to how many people you can put up. I tried to get a mix of players from all different disciplines.
The poll says Efren beats the combined score of the two greatest straight pool players ever: Mosconi and Greenleaf. It takes the combined score of three (including Lindrum's) of the greatest players in pool history to beat Efren, but only slightly.
This poll is weighted heavily against Davis and Hendry as this is a Pool forum. A vast majority of (American) pool players have probably not heard of these players, let alone be able to make a judgement. Henry is the greatest snooker player of all time, but to try and compare him against Efren fairly you would need a more balanced sample of voters. It's like holding a Republican/Democratic poll in the Southern heartland and calling it the best party ever!
I created this poll as something of a curiosity of mine. I was pretty sure how it would turn out (I even predicted the rankings) but I was curious to see if I was right, and I was. I was simply amusing myself.
It is impossible to make any real decision who the greatest cueist was or is. Of the people who voted I am sure the vast majority of them have never seen Willie Mosconi play in his prime. The same goes for almost every one of the other players on the list. As a result stating efren reyes as the greatest ever is only a matter of opinion and one made for the most part without qualification.
As far as I am concerned I do believe that Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry should be considered for a spot in the top 5 greatest players of all time. During their respective periods of dominance there was not a single person who could touch them. No one was in their league. One of the things that have always impressed me about Steve Davis is that he is playing snooker and 9 balls for fun. Meaning he puts very little serious practice into either games. Nevertheless he is a top 10-ranked snooker player currently and is always a force to be reckoned with in 9 balls. He always makes out of his group in the world championships and has played on the last day a few times. If Davis started playing seriously again I think he would be a contender once a gain.
It is impossible to make any real decision who the greatest cueist was or is. Of the people who voted I am sure the vast majority of them have never seen Willie Mosconi play in his prime. The same goes for almost every one of the other players on the list. As a result stating efren reyes as the greatest ever is only a matter of opinion and one made for the most part without qualification.
As far as I am concerned I do believe that Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry should be considered for a spot in the top 5 greatest players of all time. During their respective periods of dominance there was not a single person who could touch them. No one was in their league. One of the things that have always impressed me about Steve Davis is that he is playing snooker and 9 balls for fun. Meaning he puts very little serious practice into either games. Nevertheless he is a top 10-ranked snooker player currently and is always a force to be reckoned with in 9 balls. He always makes out of his group in the world championships and has played on the last day a few times. If Davis started playing seriously again I think he would be a contender once a gain.
The thing about polls...
The thing about polls like this is the results are always going to be a product of whatever era it happens to be when the poll is taken. Already Mosconi and Hoppe are being forgotten. Take a poll 40 years from now and you'll see Reyes with maybe 15% of the vote, Mosconi, Lassiter will hardly register at all, Greenleaf? Who's Greenleaf? they'll say. Some new hotshot, lets call him Dan Thompson will get 50% of the vote. Anyone who votes against Thompson will be hounded by the others for an explanation. they'll say "Dan Thompson was the greatest player to ever hold a cue!!! I've never even heard of this Mosconi guy, he must have played back when they didn't even have tips on the cues!" "Yeah Sigel, Reyes, Hohmann were great for their time but they didn't play all the games we have now like 3-ball and 2-pocket! How can they be considered?!" It will go on like that until the thread gets really heated and nasty flame wars occur.
I'm beginning to think we should't even compare different eras, if someone can dominate their era that should be enough to establish them among the all-time greatest.
Bobby
The thing about polls like this is the results are always going to be a product of whatever era it happens to be when the poll is taken. Already Mosconi and Hoppe are being forgotten. Take a poll 40 years from now and you'll see Reyes with maybe 15% of the vote, Mosconi, Lassiter will hardly register at all, Greenleaf? Who's Greenleaf? they'll say. Some new hotshot, lets call him Dan Thompson will get 50% of the vote. Anyone who votes against Thompson will be hounded by the others for an explanation. they'll say "Dan Thompson was the greatest player to ever hold a cue!!! I've never even heard of this Mosconi guy, he must have played back when they didn't even have tips on the cues!" "Yeah Sigel, Reyes, Hohmann were great for their time but they didn't play all the games we have now like 3-ball and 2-pocket! How can they be considered?!" It will go on like that until the thread gets really heated and nasty flame wars occur.
I'm beginning to think we should't even compare different eras, if someone can dominate their era that should be enough to establish them among the all-time greatest.
Bobby
Bobby said:
A highly logical post, Bobby. Nobody' s quite sure how to compare Efren to a Lassiter, Mosconi, or a Greenleaf, and comparing him to a Hoppe, Lindrum, Blomdahl or O'Sullivan is absolutely impossible.
Still, trying to make such comparisons is fun, and that's what the forum is all about.
