I heard a rumor that the truck that had the 7' tables for the action room broke down so they put 9' tables in its place. No idea if true.

The room started with all 9'. Yesterday during the day a game was made for 200k in the main floor on a 7'. It had a huge crowd around it. Hopkins came by and told them to shut it down/move it because it was blocking the entire main venue. One of the mechanics picked up the table and moved it to the action room, and they continued there. That's how the one loan 7' table got into the action room.

Oh, and Glen, realkingcobra, had a seminar on how to replace the cloth on a table yesterday. It started at noon, and went thru about 9pm. I was participating in it. He had a beat 7' table from a local vending company wheeled in and it was placed in the corner of the action room for the demo. After it was put back together and the demo was over, it was put into play and available for the action players. So that brought the total in the action room from I believe 5 9' tables originally, to 5 9' tables plus 2 bar boxes.

middleofnowhere said:

Are you trying to confirm if it is a Balabushka?
It is a design he did with dots in the butt sleeve.
Are you a collector?

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I am ordering the dots for a customer who wants a tribute cue, he wanted the dots like that buttsleeve used. I have access to Balabushkas but none with that domino dot pattern.

IDK what your friend is smoking? There have been games for 1k up thru 200k at the expo. Non stop action. In both the action room and spread throughout the venue at the booth tables once the exhibits close down for the night.

I'm actually happy the action room is all 9'.

miramachine said:

He won’t respond to logical questions about is ability. Why he focuses so much on table runs outs is boggling. He should be doing drills

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He's enjoying the action .... posting, equipment, whatever... the man is having fun. That's why we are here...I think. I guess. I hope.

David in FL said:

I have a buddy who believes that there's absolutely nothing wrong with his golf game that can't be cured by his checkbook...

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The only sport where players keep upgrading their upgrades.

Bob Jewett said:

Some of the worst advice I've ever seen for a pool shot was by a team captain during a time-out. Absolutely clueless. The notion that the typical league player is going to learn anything useful during actual matches from their fellow players is questionable at best.

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I was on one FargoRate league team 2 years ago. First and last one in 20 years... Anyway, our captain when the 280 rated player had a difficult shot would call a time out. He'd walk up to her, whisper in her ear, asking "what color panties are you wearing". She'd have a giggle and he'd go sit down laughing. True story!

JAM said:

I'm not sure what that means.

But reading the rest of your post, I’m not convinced that some of the names you listed are truly Mosconi Cup hopefuls. Yes, they’re there competing in a World Nineball Tour–ranked event, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cup is their target.

Billy, Tyler, and Thorsten, absolutely. Those are legitimate contenders with their eyes on the prize. The others? I’m not so sure. Some of the players you mentioned have been pretty open on social media about their lack of interest in chasing the WNT ranking trail. For them, it’s viewed as an impossible dream, bogged down by logistics, commitments, and, in their eyes, a fair amount of politics.

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They are all contenders for a spot and, in my mind, they are probably the top contenders. The extent to which they intend to chase a Team USA spot is, of course, to be determined and perhaps, as you suggest, many won't bother to do so. Nonetheless, you have suggested that numerous Mosconi contenders for a Team USA spot failed to show at SBE and you haven't identified who, among the top American players, it is that you think skipped this event for any of the reasons you suggested were at work.

As for the logistics and commitments, it has never been easier for the American pro to chase down Mosconi ranking points. There are now about ten US-based WNT ranking events, so Mosconi aspirants need no longer leave US borders to chase down a Mosconi spot. Prize money is also way up at US-based WNT ranking events. We are certainly of one mind on the politics. Matchroom's a) failure to make the selection process objective in recent years and b) unwillingness to include younger American players, has definitely demotivated a few from chasing a Team USA spot and will continue to do so if the 2026 Team USA selection process is as biased as most of us have come to expect.

In the end, I think we're on the same page. We are equally concerned that the passion needed to chase down a Team USA Mosconi Cup spot is found in fewer and fewer American players. It will be interesting to see what 2026 brings in this regard.

sciarco said:

Earl should have managed his funds better back than, but hey nobody's perfect.

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Why do you assume he didn't?

jimmyg said:

Yet, you just posted it again...

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And to me ,........ Now that's funny ha ha