9 ball

[driven]

I was just thinking the other day they invented 9 ball as a way to beat Willie Mosconi.
Maybe not "invented" but maybe made more mainstream. It was surely this time that Nine ball became the choice game for most tournaments.
Willie has been quoted saying that "9 ball is for bangers".
For the best straight pool player of the day, maybe all of days, to be forced to pick up 9 ball must have been rough.
steven

 

[Bob Jewett]

I was just thinking the other day they invented 9 ball as a way to beat Willie Mosconi. ...

No, I think Mosconi had really stopped competing before nine ball became a major tournament game. The main change-over happened in the 1970's, IIRC.

 

[driven]

No, I think Mosconi had really stopped competing before nine ball became a major tournament game. The main change-over happened in the 1970's, IIRC.

I am sure your facts are correct, Mr J. I just remember him saying how the game was for bangers. And I remember seeing him competing in some 9 ball events on the tv, maybe ww of sports.
Just something I was thinking about.
steven

 

[14-1StraightMan]

I have total respect for Mr. Mosconi

I can understand why Mosconi stated that 9 ball was for bangers...... He is so right. I really do not like 9 ball but I do play it b/c of league & it seems like everyone wants to play it. Many players that do play it are good shooters when it comes to dealing with 7 or 6 balls on the table. There are so many good 9 ball players.
I would love to see the leagues or tournaments go to (call your pocket) in 9 ball, just like in 8 ball) Make slop not count, the ball can stay down but that ends your inning like in 8 ball. 8 ball is so much of a better game then 9 ball. I have lost many games of 9 ball to players that play good and can jump balls, make a hit on the object ball, not make it but knock something else in. Then they run out. I can not tell you how many times a player will miss a shot but will slop something in and go on to run out.
It just kills me. I think the better player that you are, the less slop comes up but it does still happens. I bet if you asked the Pros. they would want to change 9 ball to call your pocket.

 

[sausage]

mosconi played fats in a challenge / exhibition 9ball match after fats mouthed off in front of mosconi in a live interview, saying: " i beat em all". willie got hot: "YOU BEAT ME?!"..... fats: "i beat em all..."

sensing high viewer ratings because of the public rivalry, the network hyped a pool match between mosconi and fats. fats would have never gotten out of his chair against mosconi playing 14.1 so the game was 9ball. fats missed some easy shots stating that he "bet his mother-in-law on that shot." it was a lopsided match with willie easily winning.

 

[pdcue]

I was just thinking the other day they invented 9 ball as a way to beat Willie Mosconi.
Maybe not "invented" but maybe made more mainstream. It was surely this time that Nine ball became the choice game for most tournaments.
Willie has been quoted saying that "9 ball is for bangers".
For the best straight pool player of the day, maybe all of days, to be forced to pick up 9 ball must have been rough.
steven

Willie never 'picked up' 9 ball, as others have stated, it was not played
in tournaments untill long after he retired.

The Jansco brothers of Johnston City fame were thre first to include
9 ball in a 'serious' tournament setting - IIUC that was due
to the fact that they hated Straight Pool.

Prior to the 60s - 9 ball was mostly a gambling game played
with several players(ring game), designed to let top players
separate suckers from their money.

One on one matches did happen between good players, but tournaments
were virtually unheard of.

By the 80s - !4.1 was a fading shadow of what once was,
and we were left with 9 ball.

Who ever said life was fair?

Dale

 

[Dave Nelson]

I'm in the process of getting a pretty good 9 ball player hooked on 14:1. Tom is a pretty good player. He used to sneer, good naturedly, at us playing straight. Watching paint dry, he would say. One day when he didn't have an opponent, I talked him into a game of 14:1 to 50 points. Since he was at the table and I was in the chair most of the time, he is a much stronger player than me, he didn't have time to watch much paint dry. Yesterday we did it again and he allowed that the game might be useful to help him slow down. He is a pretty fast player. We agreed that the next time we play, which may be today, that we would play to 100. I think that the first time he gets into the third rack, which wont be long, he will be at least semi hooked. His position play is very good and I think ho would be running 50s in a short time if he worked at it. It's fun. If anyone is interested I will post further developments.

Dave Nelson

 

[8Ball48043]

9-ball was brought to the forfront because of our (increasing) need for "Instant Gratificaiton". Short game. Quick game. Ball in hand anywhere on the table instead of behind the head string.

All move to make the game go more quickly, so that if you were on the losing side, it would be over quickly and you would have a fresh start.

Also facilitate (to some extent) making pool a 'spectator sport'. Quick, fast, always moving, both players shooting, etc.

 

[Rich93]

9-ball was brought to the forfront because of our (increasing) need for "Instant Gratificaiton". Short game. Quick game. Ball in hand anywhere on the table instead of behind the head string.

All move to make the game go more quickly, so that if you were on the losing side, it would be over quickly and you would have a fresh start.

Also facilitate (to some extent) making pool a 'spectator sport'. Quick, fast, always moving, both players shooting, etc.

I think the "spectator sport" was the main reason tournaments turned to 9-ball and the ball-in-hand rule. Didn't work too well - not in the USA anyway.

Judging by the recent Predator 14.1 World Tournament, 14.1 can be more interesting than 9-ball if you have a knowledgeable commentator explaining the players' thinking and the pockets aren't so tough that they encourage safety play. 9-ball gets boring pretty quickly since there is no thinking about shot selection.

There have been threads in the main forum about the soft break and pattern racking in 9-ball. Donny Mills supposedly made the "wing ball" on 82 out of 83 breaks in his recent TAR match with Shane van Boening. Apparently the pattern racking leaves a fairly simple layout (for these guys anyway) after you make the wing ball. 9-ball has just become too easy for top players, making the game even more boring.