Ross Keith Thompson
Verified Member
With me it depended on my bank roll, if I had good money I felt good enough about my game to play just about anyone some big sessions of nine ball or one pocket with quite a few exceptions in the nine ball pecking order.
Greg Stevens was a no no along with Incardona, Billy Johnson, Cole Dickson, One Eyed Tony, Tall Jeff, Jimmy Marino, Kelly, Florence, Lassiter and others such as Jersey Red and Ronnie Allen were top tier niners back in the day. Forgot to mention Buddy Hall, should have started with him, LOL.
I watched all these guys put 5 packs on everybody they played multiple times and not miss a shot for hours at a time.
Some of these players and thru the decades did not play well for big money so to speak or even betting their own money. But most players did not bring their best game when they were on short money.
The only reason that some of these guys played played even nine ball against each other was Ego. I personally wanted to bust every one of them just to see where I stood. Might not get past any of them. But to get past somebody like that you had to step up to the plate with the best in the world and test the water quite often to play that high of a level. You couldn't be a weenie and survive. Unless you were Weenie Beenie' lol.
One pocket however is another story. Some of the great niners could not compete with the top tier one pocket players. One pocket was my best game and I had a good chance playing anyone except for Ronnie Allen, he definitely had killer instinct at his best game. Weenie Beenie was a top one holer.
Personally I enjoyed playing good players on the road even though if you lost you may be hitch hiking home, it was a challenge and I liked it. That's ego for you. Who knows who had the best killer instinct?
I really and truly can't say! But whenever a top player is in the zone you are in serious trouble whomever it may be. Whether it is a player from this generation or back in the day of the hustler.
Irving Crane didn't even gamble but man was he nasty. Watched him put an eight pack on Lassiter then I had to play him! He played nine ball and 14-1 as good as anybody. I probably would have played him for 25 a game back in the day just to see if he could do the same thing when your dinner is hanging in front of you on every tough shot, lol.
I believe it was Buddy Hall, whom I seen recently at the senior tourney at Bogies that told me he played a best of twenty one session and never got to shoot. Man is that scary!
After I acquired the ability to run more than one rack of nine ball I never counted them. I was more concerned about making a ball on the break than running out, I knew I was going to run out. But eleven straight racks is horrendous and scary whether back in the day or present. But there was and is players that can do that when their break works for them!
The sad thing is a lot of the players from the fifties sixties seventies will be forgotten in pool room lore, what a shame! There was so many world beaters it retired me, I understood NOBODY COULD BEAT THEM ALL. But it sure was fun trying. My best times were hanging in a pool room with all the Fast Eddie wanna be's .
The debate on best and killer instinct will withstand father time but I declare Grady Mathews as the King of Bullsh-t with Jersey Red a close runner up or vice versa. Go figure.
Now that would be a thread worth some ink, who was the best entertainer. Does anyone know who could contend with Grady or Jersey Red?
Greg Stevens was a no no along with Incardona, Billy Johnson, Cole Dickson, One Eyed Tony, Tall Jeff, Jimmy Marino, Kelly, Florence, Lassiter and others such as Jersey Red and Ronnie Allen were top tier niners back in the day. Forgot to mention Buddy Hall, should have started with him, LOL.
I watched all these guys put 5 packs on everybody they played multiple times and not miss a shot for hours at a time.
Some of these players and thru the decades did not play well for big money so to speak or even betting their own money. But most players did not bring their best game when they were on short money.
The only reason that some of these guys played played even nine ball against each other was Ego. I personally wanted to bust every one of them just to see where I stood. Might not get past any of them. But to get past somebody like that you had to step up to the plate with the best in the world and test the water quite often to play that high of a level. You couldn't be a weenie and survive. Unless you were Weenie Beenie' lol.
One pocket however is another story. Some of the great niners could not compete with the top tier one pocket players. One pocket was my best game and I had a good chance playing anyone except for Ronnie Allen, he definitely had killer instinct at his best game. Weenie Beenie was a top one holer.
Personally I enjoyed playing good players on the road even though if you lost you may be hitch hiking home, it was a challenge and I liked it. That's ego for you. Who knows who had the best killer instinct?
I really and truly can't say! But whenever a top player is in the zone you are in serious trouble whomever it may be. Whether it is a player from this generation or back in the day of the hustler.
Irving Crane didn't even gamble but man was he nasty. Watched him put an eight pack on Lassiter then I had to play him! He played nine ball and 14-1 as good as anybody. I probably would have played him for 25 a game back in the day just to see if he could do the same thing when your dinner is hanging in front of you on every tough shot, lol.
I believe it was Buddy Hall, whom I seen recently at the senior tourney at Bogies that told me he played a best of twenty one session and never got to shoot. Man is that scary!
After I acquired the ability to run more than one rack of nine ball I never counted them. I was more concerned about making a ball on the break than running out, I knew I was going to run out. But eleven straight racks is horrendous and scary whether back in the day or present. But there was and is players that can do that when their break works for them!
The sad thing is a lot of the players from the fifties sixties seventies will be forgotten in pool room lore, what a shame! There was so many world beaters it retired me, I understood NOBODY COULD BEAT THEM ALL. But it sure was fun trying. My best times were hanging in a pool room with all the Fast Eddie wanna be's .
The debate on best and killer instinct will withstand father time but I declare Grady Mathews as the King of Bullsh-t with Jersey Red a close runner up or vice versa. Go figure.
Now that would be a thread worth some ink, who was the best entertainer. Does anyone know who could contend with Grady or Jersey Red?