sjm said:

For a two-minute video, this was pretty good.

Mike Shamos has observed that the use of the mace in pool's earliest days enabled both men and women to play it. As it fell outside the boundaries of propriety for a woman to bend down over a table, fewer women could play it once cue-sticks replaced maces.

The video touches on this, but the reason pool became an indoor sport was that the aristocracy wanted an indoor alternative to playing croquet for seasons (or days) during which the weather was inappropriate for croquet. Croquet could not be played indoors, but pool could.

Finally, one of many reasons that pool became more associated with alcohol is covered briefly in the (?2021?) biography of Greenleaf. The repeal of prohibition in the mid-1930s, it was related, led to a huge amount of partying and drinking in the years that followed and some of it found its way into the pool halls. Greenleaf himself fell victim to the somewhat depraved lifestyle that befell many and it did not help pool's image that its world pool champion and most visible player was a heavy drinker.

Click to expand...

FrankieD said:

I'm hoping they come to Chicagoland, but it does not seem like any major pool events want to come here. I'm pretty sure I know why.

Click to expand...

fastone371 said:

I personally dont require a video to be short for me to watch it. It was a good video. I would like a more in depth look, like what did they play in the beginning on grass, how did the game change before the shift to 8 ball and 9 ball, and info on the shift in pool table sizes. Maybe breaking up future related videos into time periods would be a good idea, at any rate I like videos like this and yours is a good one.

Click to expand...

Bob Jewett said:

That was a good introduction for the length of the video. Usually the leather tip is attributed to François Mingaud who does seem to have perfected it in the early 1800s. He got a lot of notice by being the Venom of that time and he published the first book of fancy shots.

For those interested in more of the history of cue sports, one of the best books to read is William Hendricks' "History of Billiards". It's been mentioned here several times. I think it includes a whole chapter on the transition to a sport for all. The book was basically Hendricks' graduate thesis in history. He was the 1964 national collegiate pool champion.

Interesting briefer histories are in "Pool" by Mike Shamos and "Billiards" by John Grissim.

There is also a subforum on the history of billiards:

Billiard and Pool History in the U.S.

From the players and matches, to the tables and cues they used, to the cities and halls they played in, this is the place to talk about it. The official discussion forum of The Chicago Billiard Museum.

forums.azbilliards.com

Click to expand...

JoeyA said:

Jim, I was at one of their events in Shreveport, LA and there were 128 players. I'm playing like a mad man, and the tournament director comes up to me and says, "Joey, you've made it to the final 32 players, and so you are in the money already!" I was kind of shocked, but I had some really close matches and was happy with my play. A little later, I learned that the final 32 was SINGLE ELIMINATION. My first match, yeah, you guessed it, was with Chris Melling. At least I made him come with it, and yes, he won the event, but I still went home with a smile.

Click to expand...

billiards_watch said:

LOL

I bet you like to use gay and trans slurs at home. You just pretend to be an advocate here.

Click to expand...

Flakeandrun said:

I think he might well do given his attitude

Click to expand...

Cornerman said:

Well… I have 10 pool halls full of 9’ tables within 20 miles from me, with Family Billiards in Clearwater about a mile from my house. An 11th is moving in.

I applaud your energy into this, but count me in the camp that questions the need. The first pool hall finder that I remember was Playpool.com from Ed Mercier. That was around 25 years ago. Google wasn’t as well known as the time.

I suppose I’ll input all of these pool halls into your site to help you out in your endeavor, but I’ll have to Google the addresses first.

Click to expand...

5.5K views · 22 reactions | 📢😃We are so excited to be open! 🎱Stix Billiards on Clearwater Beach located at 483 Mandalay Ave., in the Pelican Walk Plaza. You will find us on the second floor, next to the new Clearwater Beach Arcade. Come enjoy a few

📢😃We are so excited to be open! 🎱Stix Billiards on Clearwater Beach located at 483 Mandalay Ave., in the Pelican Walk Plaza. You will find us on the second floor, next to the new Clearwater Beach...

www.facebook.com

Flakeandrun said:

I think he might well do given his attitude

Click to expand...

maha said:

all he had to do if if cared was say "hey tony you cant let go of that cue or its a foul".

he knew that or didnt know the rule and let it go. or it simply was not a foul. who cares really.

Click to expand...