I agree. When he was down that far to Shane there is almost no chance of him catching up. The game is essentially over. I miss watching players put packs together. Just like straight pool there is nothing more disheartening then watching someone run balls and your just hoping to get another chance at the table.
9-ball has historically been played as winner breaks. They also had a push-out option. Why do some people keep insisting that the game turn into some other game?
9-ball isn't another game...it is 9-ball.
If we are going to compare it to another sport, then let's try tennis. If everybody should get the same number of turns, should we not allow "aces" on the serve? Sure, both players have the opportunity to serve "aces", but if one person is hitting 95% of their "ace" attempts, should we outlaw them from doing that?
Quit trying to equate it to baseball, basketball, or even curdling.
One of the advantages of winner breaks is that it allows a player who is a couple games behind to catch up if they hit a gear. In alternate break format, if a player makes a mistake and loses a game and then they both break and run all of their respective racks, the player who made a single mistake or gets an unlucky roll is usually the loser.