The greatest shot I ever saw

Jeff sparks

Verified Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
3,317
From
Houston, Texas
Playing Joiner in his prime about 20 years ago a shot came up following my break in one pocket. The break was perfect, the CB was froze an inch or two above the second diamond and 5 balls were evenly distributed around my pocket with one of them very near the right side of my pocket, maybe an inch outside of the jaws. None of the balls were visible to hit or get at reasonably with any kind of a kick, he was screwed, because I was only going to 4 and there was no way out for him..... Or so I thought!

We had been playing for awhile and a good size audience had gathered to sweat the action. Cliff studied the shot from every conceivable angle and looked stumped. Everyone watching was also positive he was trapped and would lose the game if he didn't take an intentional and roll me into the wrong side of the stack.

I'm sure he thought of the intentional, because he would take them readily to avoid giving up a possible game winning shot, however this time he didn't do that.

What he did was the greatest shot I've ever seen! With his regular playing cue, he jacked up on that frozen CB and jumped the entire stack, landing perfectly into the left point of my corner pocket and pinch kicked out the ball right by my pocket, sticking the CB right there!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes, and neither could the crowd because there was a moment of complete silence, almost like a reverent prayer, then what he had just done sunk in on all of us at the same time.

The crowd burst to it's feet and he got the first standing ovation I've ever seen in a pool room.

I lead the applause, it was the best shot I've ever seen!

What about you? Seen any great ones you'd like to share?
 

kollegedave

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
169
From
St. Louis, MO
I saw Little Ricky Van Ume shoot a very similar shot against a local player here where he jumped the stack in a similar position, but to pocket a ball jawed up. He stuck whitey. However, his opponent wasn't going to 4.

I think the greatest shot I witnessed was in a cheap 9 ball game. A player here who is famous for his powerful but inconsistent stroke and AMAZING skill at slug racking people, got nearly straight in on an 8 ball that was frozen about 8 inches from a corner pocket near the long rail. The Nine ball was frozen on the short rail side of the same corner pocket. The cue ball was one diamond away from the short rail at the other end of the table--the perfect distance to wind up a big stroke. There was no angle to get on the nine. A kick after pocketing the 8 would be difficult because the cue ball and the 9 ball would be frozen to each rail.

He quickly gets down, takes two long and flowing practice strokes, and then proceeds to pound the 8 in and draw his cue ball two table lengths to get straight in on the 9. It was the biggest stroke shot I have seen in person.:eek:

kollegedave
 

One pocket Smitty

Verified Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Messages
749
From
Chandler, Tx.
My vote also involves Cliff. Kind of hard to explain other than it was a 9 ball game in a tournament in Houston. The other guy played a real good safe, Cliff was between two balls there was a combo dead with the 9, but no way to get to it. Now here is the good part, the other guys backer said " I like my man". Cliff shot into a point of the side pocket the ball jump back over the balls and he hit the combo and made the 9. He turned to the backer and said " Who you like now" it was priceless.
But I tell you the first shot that Danny Smith made against T-Rex in the last game of their match, that 1 ball across, with the balls spread out, if he missed it the game was going to be over. He made that shot and ran out, that might well be one of the best too.---Smitty
 

lfigueroa

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2004
Messages
2,493
Playing Joiner in his prime about 20 years ago a shot came up following my break in one pocket. The break was perfect, the CB was froze an inch or two above the second diamond and 5 balls were evenly distributed around my pocket with one of them very near the right side of my pocket, maybe an inch outside of the jaws. None of the balls were visible to hit or get at reasonably with any kind of a kick, he was screwed, because I was only going to 4 and there was no way out for him..... Or so I thought!

We had been playing for awhile and a good size audience had gathered to sweat the action. Cliff studied the shot from every conceivable angle and looked stumped. Everyone watching was also positive he was trapped and would lose the game if he didn't take an intentional and roll me into the wrong side of the stack.

I'm sure he thought of the intentional, because he would take them readily to avoid giving up a possible game winning shot, however this time he didn't do that.

What he did was the greatest shot I've ever seen! With his regular playing cue, he jacked up on that frozen CB and jumped the entire stack, landing perfectly into the left point of my corner pocket and pinch kicked out the ball right by my pocket, sticking the CB right there!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes, and neither could the crowd because there was a moment of complete silence, almost like a reverent prayer, then what he had just done sunk in on all of us at the same time.

The crowd burst to it's feet and he got the first standing ovation I've ever seen in a pool room.

I lead the applause, it was the best shot I've ever seen!

What about you? Seen any great ones you'd like to share?


Saw Tony Chohan jack up and bank a ball off... oh, wait a minute.

Lou Figueroa
nevermind
 

lfigueroa

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2004
Messages
2,493
Ok, just a little more seriously, when I was just learning to play back in the late 60's, one day I'm watching a 14.1 match between two local short stops in San Francisco.

One guy I remember was called Big Bob, always dressed like a lumberjack and who looked a lot like Robert Goulet. Anywhos, they were playing for a good chunk and Big Bob leaves himself straight in on a break shot along one side of the rack. When I say "straight in" I mean he was dead straight in with no angle to go into the balls.

Big Bob doesn't even blink. His opponent racks the ball and Big Bob goes to the table, jacks up, and drills the ball straight in, sending the CB up like two feet up off the table and aerial bombs the stack. The CB drops right into the center of the balls, they open up everywhere, with the CB stopping dead right in the middle of the table. Big Bob continues his run.

Lou Figueroa
 

kollegedave

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
169
From
St. Louis, MO
Ok, just a little more seriously, when I was just learning to play back in the late 60's, one day I'm watching a 14.1 match between two local short stops in San Francisco.

One guy I remember was called Big Bob, always dressed like a lumberjack and who looked a lot like Robert Goulet. Anywhos, they were playing for a good chunk and Big Bob leaves himself straight in on a break shot along one side of the rack. When I say "straight in" I mean he was dead straight in with no angle to go into the balls.

Big Bob doesn't even blink. His opponent racks the ball and Big Bob goes to the table, jacks up, and drills the ball straight in, sending the CB up like two feet up off the table and aerial bombs the stack. The CB drops right into the center of the balls, they open up everywhere, with the CB stopping dead right in the middle of the table. Big Bob continues his run.

Lou Figueroa

Anytime some mentions Robert Goulet, I can't help but think of this skit from SNL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRtN8NxGVms

It was a great one.

kollegedave
 
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