Who do you think was better and who would've won if they faced.
Gotta go with Willie. The only match I ever saw Mosconi play was in Chicago back in 1964. He was down 46 to 14 going to 150. When he got to the table he ran 136 and out for the win. It was incredible. I never saw Crane in person and saw only one film of him. He ran 150 and out on Cowboy Jimmy Moore. A good friend of mine was telling me a story about the time he was in Johnston City, Illinois. Richie Lawrence was at the table. My friend was seated in front of Crane. As Richie was shooting, Irving Crane was telling his friend what Richie should be shooting every shot. Richie did just the opposite every time. The neat part about it was... Richie ran 150 and out... and never shot the right ball. Gotta give Willie the edge. Good question.
Irving Crane would have won, I think. Mosconi was a showman although not a bad player. Crane seemed to be more serious about competition and playing the game seriously. Mosconi and Minnesota Fats made the game more popular here in the U.S. by playing on t.v in the 1970's.
Having seen both in various video clips, I would have to lean towards Irving Crane. Crane was winning world championships from his twenties well into his sixties. Yes, Mosconi has more records and world titles to his name, but most historians agree that his 526 ball run was performed on a 4' x 8' table, which would not have been considered professional conditions. I'm not taking anything away from Mosconi. Crane was a far better defensive player. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Ralph Greenleaf in his prime. So little video footage is available from those years unfortunately. Very good question.
