All this is great but what is posting it here going to accomplish? You REALLY need to contact MR directly. I agree with some of your takes but neither me or anyone else on here has the pull to get any of them adopted. Email all your points to Emily and see what she says,if anything.
I also love the second ball break, because if you don't make a ball in, there's a great chance your opponent will be coming to take a shot on a pretty crappy leave / table.
Second ball break consistently leaves problem balls, groups, and the cueball down in that mess. So if you're gonna hand it over after the break, might as well make sure it's a piss-poor situation for him.
I think of it as a technical rack that requires close and or delicate work to run after the break. I prefer a puzzle to solve after the break. A wide open table after a dry break is often fatal.
You need Play Great Pool by Mark Wilson. It's a book that will teach you how to teach yourself to play pool, and if you fully commit he has an in depth training program for you to try and complete. You will learn exactly how to stand, how to grip the cue, where your eyes should be looking during your practice strokes, etc. Video feedback is very important when teaching yourself, and it sounds like you've got that down already. Good luck.
There's no question that the introduction of the purple five was a mistake. Still, I have a hard time understanding why the forum continues to beat this dead horse. Whether you are a fan or a player, you've had four WNT seasons to get used to the purple five. That really ought to be enough.
