[Knockwurst]

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Sorry, if this has been asked but don't they say "All World" Hennigan was a top pool player. If so, how would you rate agaisnt him?

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John Hennigan was a very strong player back in the early 90's. He played out of Philadelphia and was known as "Cornflakes" or just "Flakes." His best games were one-pocket and back-pocket 9-ball. He beat top players playing back-pocket and was just below them playing one-pocket. He bet as high as anyone and had a ton of heart.

Probably his most well-known matchup was back in 91 or 92 when a young (between 16-18) Shannon Daulton came through Philly, right before he won the Legends of One Pocket event. Shannon was giving him 9-7 in one-pocket, race to 4 for 10 dimes. I think Flakes should have been a small favorite in this game. Hennigan jumos out to a 3-0 lead, basically outmoving Daulton and making everything he's supposed to. Daulton was a little erratic and he was paying for it. Flakes has him down 6-(-2) in the 4th game, and out of nowhere, Shannon hits top gear. Next thing you know, it's 3-3. Shannon is making every bank he shoots at, hitting them 100 miles an hour, moving when he has to, but mostly firing away. Case game, I think Hennigan had the break (which is about a 1.5-2 ball advantage) and they went back and forth, both players playing very well. Both these guys have hearts as big as their heads.

It gets down to the last ball, which is great for John, because he maneuvers as well as anyone out there with the last ball (one of the advantages of being a top back-pocket 9-ball player). He leaves Shannon super-tough. Imagine this: The cue ball is just about frozen to the side rail, about 1 diamond from the bottom corner on John's side of the table. The last ball is in a similar position, frozen the the side rail as well, but it's less than a diamond from John's pocket. This is a horrible, horrible spot to be in. Shannon gets up there, thinks for about 30 seconds, loads up the cue ball with right hand spin, and banks the ball into his pocket at warp speed. The whole room just stopped completely, as if what just transpired couldn't have possibly happened. Shannon came back from being about as huge an underdog as one could be, with Hennigan only needing one ball to close the set, while Shannon was down 3-0, to taking down 10 grand. Afterward, Flakes was about as stoic as you'll ever see a pool player be after suffering such a tough loss.

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Very nice story. Were you there for this or is this from a written account somewhere? Also, do you think Shannon was sandbagging to get Hennigan to bet more? Wish I could have seen that shot and Hennigan's reaction to it. Seems like a pretty good guy at the poker table. Thanks again.