Pecan's -
20 Greatest American Pool Checkers Players
Of All Times
(Written by Charles 'Pecan' Thompson)
-1st Selection-
Mr. Black, of New York City, New York was the premier Pool Checker Player in America in the 50s, 60s, and even the 70s from what I have read of his history. He was the player I consider the forerunner and the bedrock of the American Game as we play it today.
His two Books, Secrets of Spanish Pool Checkers (#1 & 2) are the ones that turned American Pool Checkers playing into an art form. They were certainly the vehicles in which I used to raise my game to the next level.
Some of his ideas, (Joe Louis leading wit his left and using his right for the knockout punch; strong-side/weak-side theories) are just as relevant today as they were over 50 years ago when he wrote them.
By the time Mr. Black arrived on the scene to compete in the APCA Tournaments, it was obvious, he was way past his prime. Nevertheless, he finished 9th on the two occasions he did play (1978-79).
I had the occasion to compete against Mr. Black in both of those tournaments and found his game to be as tough and tenacious as any of the next nine players I will select.
Consequently, he could have easily been selected much higher were it not for his limited number of appearance in APCA Tournaments. And, perhaps, he was born 25 years too soon. The game and its players simply had moved to a higher level.
Consequently, on my selection tree, Mr. Black's name will be placed at #20.