Who would you pick to watch?

Jimmy M. said:
I'd trade in my other two picks if I could follow Ben Hogan, in his prime, around for 18 holes.
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Staying down on your shot is just as important in golf as in pool, and one of my favorite quotes of Ben Hogan is "every time I look up, I see a bad shot." Good food for thought for golfers and pool players alike.
 
Jimmy M. said:
I'd want to see Greenleaf. I'd trade in my other two picks if I could follow Ben Hogan, in his prime, around for 18 holes.
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Amen to that. I'd like to see Titanic Thompson vs. Cory Dueul in a golf + pool match.
 
sjm said:
Staying down on your shot is just as important in golf as in pool, and one of my favorite quotes of Ben Hogan is "every time I look up, I see a bad shot." Good food for thought for golfers and pool players alike.
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Ben Hogan has many inspirational quotes if you are looking for motivation to put effort into your game. I read a book by Jody Vasquez (I believe that's his name) who shagged balls for Hogan when he was a kid. One particular story told in the book sticks in my head for some reason. I say "for some reason" because there are many other things in the book that show Hogans dedication. Anyway, he said that Hogan would start with his sand wedge and hit as many as he needed to before he was hitting that club as well as he could. Once he got to that point, he'd move to his PW and do it all over again. He'd continue on with this and he may or may not ever make it to his driver (I'm assuming he did more often than not). So the kid shagging the balls said to Hogan one time, "if I did that I'd never get past hitting my sand wedge". Hogan's response was, "why would you want to?"
 
frankncali said:
If you could pick any three people to watch either alive or passed on who would you pick. I was asked this a couple days ago and my answers
surprised a few people.
These would be people that you NEVER got to see play. Past or present
but you get to see them in their prime.

For me I choose

Luther Lassiter -- One of the best ever and was so silky smooth that I
would love to watch him play.

Eddie Taylor -- I have seen him and met him but never really seen him shoot. He did a few exhibition style shots that amazed me. I would love to see more.

Greg Stevens -- I have heard so many stories about the guy that I would just ahve to see for myself. Two people I know have told me that he was
one of if not the best pure offensive players ever. Of course I have been told to watch him early in his week long sleepless journeys.

I thought about Mosconi but balked. Jean Balukus came to mind.

Most all the good players today I have been fortunate enough to watch.

Recently it was a real pleasure for me to be able to see Dennis Orcullo in
action as somewhat of an unknown. The guy is awesome and goes about it so quietly. He could be the next Efren but I am not sure if he likes all the games. Seemed like a nice guy as well.

Who would you pick??
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Players I have never seen and wish I could watch:

Ralph Greenleaf
Willie Mosconi
Alfredo de Oro

Players I have seen and would highly recommend to watch:

Efren Reyes
Buddy Hall
Nick Varner
Mike Sigel

and a must mention for Jean Balukas.

I just realized, my list is all Hall of Famers!
 
Mike Carella ... often overlooked by many, but IMO, was one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He was taken from us way too soon, but I will never forget the way he would stare down the balls.

Buddy Hall... Watching Buddy control that rock is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. There are not many peple that I can say I enjoyed losing to, but I learned more about pool by watching Buddy Hall control the table and the cue ball than anything else.

Louie Roberts - I loved Louie. What was great about him is that you never knew what going to happen next. He sure did keep you guessing. You only get to meet somebody like Louie once in your lifetime. Louie was a character and I could watch him whether or not he was playing well, because you never knew what to expect from him.
 
Vernon Elliot vs. Eddie Taylor playing banks.Both in their prime of course
Young Ronnie Allen vs. Today's Efren playing one-pocket.
Keith McCready vs. Bobby Pickle in bar box 9 ball (race to 100)
Damn, if the dialogue wouldn't be entertaining as hell!!!!
 
Tournament players:
Harold Worst
Mosconi
Crane

Money players:
Wimpy
Johnny Irish
Louie Roberts


All from hearsay. I can't believe I didn't mention Buddy in the 1970s... but I didn't.

I also didn't mention Ralph Greenleaf, Greg Stevens, Artie Bodendorfer, Bugs Rucker, or Cole Dickson. I was only given three choices.
 
I would pay to see a 6 person ring game with these players doing it.

Kieth M., Alex P., Earl S., Francisco B., Mike S. and Efren R.

All the woofing, puffing and shooting.
 
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Captain Mingaud. Some of the shots attributed to him are outstanding even today, and at the time, he was head and shoulders above anyone who had ever played the game. I'd love to see what he could do in person.

Mosconi in his prime, to see what all the fuss is about.

I can't think of a third. Maybe someone with brilliant imagination, like Efren. Maybe someone with impeccable mechanics or pattern play. Any number of people will do.
 
sixpack said:
Amen to that. I'd like to see Titanic Thompson vs. Cory Dueul in a golf + pool match.
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Corey would rob him playing pool. For some reason, Titanic could never get the hang of pool; he was never more than a B player. However, at golf he was good enough to be a pro. When someone asked him why he didn't turn pro, Titanic said "I couldn't stand the cut in pay"; he made more as a golf hustler than any of the top golf pros made in that era. Unless Corey is a really good golfer, your dream match would be a split. The best book on Titanic Thompson is "The Unsinkable Titanic Thompson" by Carlton Stowers. If you like to read about golf, gambling, grifting and hustling, this book is for you (it's pricey, though, $35 and up at Amazon).
 
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