I asked my father about this version of 9B and he mentioned it was really for the gambling crowd. Because straight pool was still the game, someone came up with those rules because the people playing it felt it eliminated some luck that is associated with 9B while keeping the 14.1 guys involved.
If you ask me, I'm enjoying the version of 9 ball being played in the 1989 tournament that AccuStats is uploading to their YouTube channel. And that's because that's how I played it growing up in Washington heights, NYC:
One ball on the spot. If there's a scratch on the break, any balls that went down get spotted with the incoming player having ball in hand behind the line. Maybe it's only me, but I really enjoy watching that version of 9 ball compared to what we see in tournament play today.