I bought one of these types, not sure if it's the same or not but looks the same. I have two JB Rugged 3/6 cases. I regret buying the cheap one. Don't really like supporting companies that do nothing of their own. They just try to make theirs look like a JB to piggyback off the reputation JB built. Scumbags should be their brand name.

Jimmorrison said:

Poof, gone. It wasn’t a thing, all potential benefits were lost

Click to expand...

You lost me, what is "poof" and what "wasn't a thing"?

Stealing?

Reads more like they're playing in an event.

Who scored on Frisco Francisco? Wish I'd seen it.

Taxi said:

So what separates Buddy's fundamentals from, say, Gorst's? His stroke was fluid with an easy followthrough, he kept his head down and his body still, and he was a long acknowledged master of pattern play. What am I missing?

Click to expand...

I don’t think that you are missing anything either. Buddy was one of the “prior generation” of players who had the stroke fundamentals that would have translated very effortlessly into this modern pool playing equipment world.
I think all the past greats could play great today.
The real issue is for the the amateur old timer who never had the internet etc. in their earlier years of play and developed strokes that just do not translate well to pro quality table specs of today - it is a struggle for us to remake ourselves at this point in our lives - so fast fast tables and pro type pocket configurations are much more challenging than some care to deal with - that’s all.

Frosty said:

You know, there are a LOT of elite players both past and present that have things in their form that aren’t textbook, the list is quite long. It’s like Jeremy Jones told me once, if you’re playing 6,8,10 hours a day, you can make almost anything work.

Click to expand...

No top player today strays as far from textbook as Billy. Lots of stromg players who can't come close to being pro do stray quite far. Even more bangers do. Draw your own conclusions.

Lowell said:

I disagree about players bunting today.

Last night for instance, most of the shots were on the firmer side.

Click to expand...

Yea I don’t quite understand the bunting reference either. Most of the great players today exhibit a pool stroke that looks extremely smooth and well timed with a longer draw back and very very complete and even speed all the way through the cue ball with tip going to the cloth.

Tight pockets and fast tables really require this stroke technique both for accuracy and to create enough backspin on the cue ball to slow it down when needed off the very fast cushions in place today.

I think that , in the “old” days of 5 inch short shelf pockets, slower cloth and cushions- AKA the Brunswick GC series— one could “get away” with stroke mechanics far less demanding in consistent execution than what is needed today to be a top 100 player.

I am not saying that old time greats would not be great today - I think they would adopt to this modern style - but a lot of strokes that were sloppy in years past just could not cut mustard against today’s pro players on this equipment.

What's up y'all? It's been a minute since I played pool seriously. Played at "old school" Raleigh-area places regularly back in the day - Brass Taps and Rack'm Up West primarily. Found the page and thought I'd relive some of the past and maybe take up shooting again...

JasonATX said:

Great write up as usual. Will you be at the Texas Open as well?

Click to expand...

This weekend, I'll be at the Joss Tour Turning Stone Classic, near Syracuse, New York.

My $0.01:

The gaffe by the Emcee (“Robbie Capote”) was absolutely inexcusable. Also, trying to make it sound like a wrestling match was IMO ill-advised.

The pre-match babbling by the on-air personalities was, um, awkward and pained. Their rhythm and cadence were forced and uncomfortable compared to other more confident and experienced TV personnel. That said, I can forgive this because, well, I consider it growing pains and hopefully it will be smoother next time, assuming there is one.

National Anthem: Yikes!

Joe Rogan was about as expected. Didn’t do a great job but didn’t embarrass himself or Matchroom, either. His comments were merely OK. JJ and KB were good and MW was good, too.

I am extremely disappointed that a hill-hill match wasn’t anticipated and too much fluff at the beginning of the show precluded finishing the match in the allotted time. I had recorded the broadcast so I had to watch the highlights video on YT (thank heaven it was available!) to see who had won. Truth is that highlights videos aren’t all that bad to watch. Can get through a 2.5 hour match in 30 minutes. Only drawback is that we miss the pace of play from each player, and often it is damned interesting to watch a player’s body language as he/she agonizes over how to execute a shot, especially when also watching the shot clock wind down.

Overall, with a few tweaks, next time, if there is one, can be even better (production-wise; hard to beat hill-hill which can’t be controlled by the producers.)

lfigueroa said:

Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates

Click to expand...

The plastic racks that you are likely to find under a Valley in a bar are beyond unholy. Some manufacturers apparently think that the smaller the rack is the tighter the rack will be, I have seen some that have a 1/4" or less behind the back row, you cant even get the tips off your fingers between the balls and the rack, they fit so tight it's almost impossible to get the rack off without disturbing the balls. Then there are others that appear to be made from rubber, try pushing the balls forward and the rack flexes incredibly easy.