It’s genuinely refreshing to see some of the positive posts in this thread. I’ve never been a fan of kicking someone when they’re down, whether I like them or not. It can be tough to read some of the mean-spirited, negative comments without responding, especially when it often feels like the same voices return again and again just to add more negativity.
A little more balance and a little more grace would go a long way.
What's the point? Any idiot can tear something down, but building something requires far greater skills. Plus, there is real grace in forgiving and letting go of all the rancid emotion required to hate. Finally, which one of you hasn't fucked-up? I have. Bad. Regretfully, I'll probably do it again. I need forgiveness, and to get it, I best be ready to give it.
I have a first edition copy, Im in Houston. My wife gave me a set of WOP and SMS, so now I have one extra. Ill dm you, feel free to call during the week.
Bob...what are the chances that Carr's Twisting Chalk preceeded the leather tip? History says John Carr, it says Bath, England, it says Bartley's Billiard Room. But I have never seen a date or date range.
Skip at Tweeten says Le Pro are water buffalo. He did not comment on Elk Master, etc. Maybe the chrome tanned types are cow. Old French tip boxes hint at tips made of leather from the head of calves, and they have graphics with cow head images. "Tete de veau."
Bob...what are the chances that Carr's Twisting Chalk preceeded the leather tip? History says Jack Carr, it says Bath, England, it says Bartley's Billiard Room. But I have never seen a date or date range.
Mike Betts, from Tulsa, looked for "new old stock" Le Pro tips to put on - and these extra-thick Le Pro tips hit like a dream. Skip, who owns Tweeten and makes the Le Pro says that water buffalo get skinned for fried snacks before they get old enough to have thick leather as in the past. Think pork rinds but in Nepal. My Nepali pool player buddy says water buffalo is a common meat used in "momo," and if you have ever eaten momo dumplings you would understand why water buffalo no longer grow old.
I've seen reports of players getting a limited amount of spin with no tips prior to Mingaud, and I've done that myself in a rec room where there were no tips on the cues. It seems reasonable that Mingaud figured out how to press or treat the leather so it could last. Tip leather seems a lot harder than most of the other leather I've seen. I don't know of any contemporary sources that discuss tip evolution around 1800.
You are a trusted source, but I hope you can remember the source regarding players spinning the ball before Mingaud. Maybe it was in the Thurston's translation, I bought a reprint recently so this will give me a reason to read it.
Regarding the hardness of leather, I had to restore an 1800's cue long ago - the type with the bone butt cap which had the half leather bottom. The leather was missing, so the only hardened, worn, beveled leather I could find was on an old dress shoe. It looked exactly like leather on my other similar cues so I used it. It seems logical that Mingaud had limited sources for his leather discovery apart from what every person at the time had on hand - or on foot as the case may have been. Maybe that is why Sherlock Holmes said to doctor Watson - "the game is afoot!"
he played to a 714 against 600 players and won. his fargo rating was lower than them but he played much higher, so the higher playing player won just as forgo would predict.
if he played to his rating he would not likely finished in the list.
why or how he played way over his rating needs to be determined.
