Earl's comments about fans and the game.

inside_english

inside_english

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Earl was just in the break room checking the charts for his next match. Someone paid him a compliment about his win over Chris Futrell (11-9) and that's when he started complaining about the breaking.

He was not at all happy that he was breaking them as hard as he could while the other guy was "practically throwing his wallet at the rack."

He then turned and looked at the mini-crowd of fans that were standing there and told us we are ruining the game because we are not complaining enough to tournament directors about enforcing breaking rules, and it is really up to us to do that.

He stated we should be getting on the Internet and saying something about this. He said the hard break is what made nine ball the game it is today and he does not think it is right that people are soft-breaking.

As a side note I have witnessed quite a few soft breaks in other matches so far where three balls do not pass the side pocket.

Earl's passion for an elevated quality of play is undeniable.
 
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I didn't think the Open enforced 3 balls past the side...although that could have changed this year I know for a fact it wasn't in years past.
 
Earl always keeps things interesting for sure.....man, wish I was there! The Open sounds like it's just heating up!
 
javi2 said:
Earl always keeps things interesting for sure.....man, wish I was there! The Open sounds like it's just heating up!
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It is. These are all money-rounds now.
Plus it's Thursday, so more fans are showing up.

Hopefully Q-Master will be better from here on out.
 
inside_english said:
Earl was just in the break room checking the charts for his next match. Someone paid him a compliment about his win over Chris Futrell (11-9) and that's when he started complaining about the breaking.

He was not at all happy that he was breaking them as hard as he could while the other guy was "practically throwing his wallet at the rack."

He then turned and looked at the mini-crowd of fans that were standing there and told us we are ruining the game because we are not complaining enough to tournament directors about enforcing breaking rules, and it is really up to us to do that.

He stated we should be getting on the Internet and saying something about this. He said the hard break is what made nine ball the game it is today and he does not think it is right that people are soft-breaking.

As a side note I have witnessed quite a few soft breaks in other matches so far where three balls do not pass the side pocket.

Earl's passion for an elevated quality of play is undeniable.
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How exactly does hard breaking relate to an elevated quality of play?
 
I've been watching all the day matches so far, and there has been a lot of "soft" or "cut" breaks... but the generally 3 balls pass the side, and if there's only 2, that's because the wing-ball or head-ball dropped in a pocket. I'll see if I can spot some illegal breaks, but none of the commentators have called it out yet... there was once where someone asked if it was legal, but the other one noticed the balls broke the plane and then bounced back.
 
Earl should register here and argue with that guy talking about hard breaks = slop

Would love to see that.
 
Now I have not actually seen any of the US Open except the live scoring so I dont know what is actually happening on the breaks, but here is the rule of the US Open websited for breaking.

No soft Breaks
Velocity is key to determining a proper break. Players must break the balls with proper speed and it will not be a foul if three balls do not pass the headstring. Players must make an honest attempt to break the balls. A foul will not be called if a player breaks with velocity.

The rule above states velocity and speed but without a means of measurement. So, if the rule said you had to hit the cue ball at least XX mph and there was a ref with an app that gauges the speed to verify, that may work in the long run. It may be a good idea if the promoter could get the Phone company or the App company to sponsor it which may cover the cost of Refs and phones? Just a thought.
 
Joe_Jaguar said:
How exactly does hard breaking relate to an elevated quality of play?
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As opposed to soft break/pattern racking? Hard breaking is more random in its results, especially with regards to table layout.

If people are "not" pattern racking and soft breaking to the point that they are running out almost the same table over and over and over again then the shots become more variable and it demands an elevated level of play to excel.

I have seen pros playing rack their own that pattern rack and used controlled soft breaks run 9 racks in a row and in those 9 racks virtually every single ball went into the exact same pocket in every single game.

If you don't see a problem with that then I don't really know what to say.
 
Neil said:
That rule MIGHT be O.K. for tournaments where you have new cloth. Other than that, it's stupid. I've seen many tables where you are lucky to get 3 balls up table. They are just too slow, or the racks aren't good enough.

Most people are going to want to play the same way the pros do rule wise, so you then have this rule in the pool rooms too. It doesn't work most of the time in a lot of rooms.

As far as softbreak vs. hard, they are just different styles. Earl is used to one style, and doesn't like another style being maybe better than his. That doesn't make him right in this matter.
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I agree. I think the soft break is a particular technique that is the right tool for certain situations. However, I also know where Earl is coming from. There is a certain excitement about a huge break to start the game. It is great to watch for fans too, especially the more casual fans. Imagine that all golf course holes were shortened by 100 yards and they removed woods from the game (the clubs, not the guy lol). The first thing that attracted me to golf was the ability to blast a ball 250 yards...taking that away would diminish the game in my estimation. I guess maybe Earl is feeling something like this. I think both sides are valid...and in my opinion it takes a LOT more skill to be able to break hard with control than to break soft. Not saying there isn't skill involved in breaking soft, there definitely is...its just easier to learn how to do it from a physical standpoint.

And I shudder to think about the tables that are so slow you can't get 3 balls up table :eek:. I hope for your sake it is just terrible racking and not cloth that is so slow!

In any case, my observations on this matter...

KMRUNOUT
 
Celtic said:
As opposed to soft break/pattern racking? Hard breaking is more random in its results, especially with regards to table layout.

If people are "not" pattern racking and soft breaking to the point that they are running out almost the same table over and over and over again then the shots become more variable and it demands an elevated level of play to excel.

I have seen pros playing rack their own that pattern rack and used controlled soft breaks run 9 racks in a row and in those 9 racks virtually every single ball went into the exact same pocket in every single game.

If you don't see a problem with that then I don't really know what to say.
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This is exactly how i feel.
9ball aint what it used to be!!
 
As I was ten feet away from the table I can tell you all this. Earl broke hard three times and did not make a ball. At the end of the match he broke softer with control and was able to string racks together to win the set.

Guess he adapted to what the table would allow.
 
Ten Ball on a 10 footer

I don't have so much of a problem with the alternate breaks as I do watching the corner ball fly in on a soft break. The answer from my end would be to play 10 ball on a ten' table, this would improve the quality of play. Watching the corner ball float in like deer in a spotlight will probably be what they continue to do, the soft break playing 9 ball is a constant. The corner ball is pocketed on the break at the top level 90% under rack your own conditions playing 9 ball of course (same with the Sardo rack.) I apolagize to Lou Sardo for being so critical about his rack, I am just tired of 9 ball being the game in which we hold such high standards. Are Americans really this stupid? At least Earl is not being so politically correct and voicing his concerns about the soft break problem today in the 9 ball. I am going to ask Berry Behrman what he would think about an alternate option which is to replace the 9 ball with Ten ball maybe even on the 10' table, this would play favor to the snooker players but also they would actually have to work on their opening break instead of the redundant trick shot soft break of today's 9 ball.

I encourage anyone who is interested (pro or not) to write a letter as I will to Berry Behrman in hopes that he would consider the Ten ball as an option for this great event that attracts so many loyal fans and players every year - but the soft break problem is only beginning playing 9 ball I'm afraid. Anyone who thinks they can make a soft break work playing ten ball needs to bring a bunch of $ to MO, that way they can show me how wrong I am, ohh by the way real pool is not rack your own rack in my opinion.
 
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KMRUNOUT said:
I agree. I think the soft break is a particular technique that is the right tool for certain situations. However, I also know where Earl is coming from. There is a certain excitement about a huge break to start the game. It is great to watch for fans too, especially the more casual fans. Imagine that all golf course holes were shortened by 100 yards and they removed woods from the game (the clubs, not the guy lol). The first thing that attracted me to golf was the ability to blast a ball 250 yards...taking that away would diminish the game in my estimation. I guess maybe Earl is feeling something like this. I think both sides are valid...and in my opinion it takes a LOT more skill to be able to break hard with control than to break soft. Not saying there isn't skill involved in breaking soft, there definitely is...its just easier to learn how to do it from a physical standpoint.

And I shudder to think about the tables that are so slow you can't get 3 balls up table :eek:. I hope for your sake it is just terrible racking and not cloth that is so slow!

In any case, my observations on this matter...

KMRUNOUT
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9 ball is like golf on a short easy track.
10 ball is a lil harder to break soft.
 
Danny Harriman said:
I don't have so much of a problem with the alternate breaks as I do watching the corner ball fly in on a soft break. The answer from my end would be to play 10 ball on a ten' table, this would improve the quality of play. Watching the corner ball float in like deer in a spotlight will probably be what they continue to do, the soft break playing 9 ball is a constant. The corner ball is pocketed on the break at the top level 90% under rack your own conditions playing 9 ball of course (same with the Sardo rack.) I apolagize to Lou Sardo for being so critical about his rack, I am just tired of 9 ball being the game in which we hold such high standards. Are Americans really this stupid? At least Earl is not being so politically correct and voicing his concerns about the soft break problem today in the 9 ball. I am going to ask Berry Behrman what he would think about an alternate option which is to replace the 9 ball with Ten ball maybe even on the 10' table, this would play favor to the snooker players but also they would actually have to work on their opening break instead of the redundant trick shot soft break of today's 9 ball.

I encourage anyone who is interested (pro or not) to write a letter as I will to Berry Behrman in hopes that he would consider the Ten ball as an option for this great event that attracts so many loyal fans and players every year - but the soft break problem is only beginning playing 9 ball I'm afraid. Anyone who thinks they can make a soft break work playing ten ball needs to bring a bunch of $ to MO, that way they can show me how wrong I am, ohh by the way real pool is not rack your own rack in my opinion.
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I thought about why doesn't he change it to 10 ball also at first BUT it is the US open NINE ball tournament. The tradition loses its value if the game were changed considerably. Adding another ball changes the essence of the game, small rule changes are ok, but not that big a change. And I'm not arguing for nineball, I don't play it. When the local players here match up it's always straight pool or one pocket. Even though the game has become flawed because of the evolution of racking and breaking I believe they have to keep the game the same until the game of nineball dies out altogether.
 
Danny Harriman said:
I don't have so much of a problem with the alternate breaks as I do watching the corner ball fly in on a soft break. The answer from my end would be to play 10 ball on a ten' table, this would improve the quality of play. Watching the corner ball float in like deer in a spotlight will probably be what they continue to do, the soft break playing 9 ball is a constant. The corner ball is pocketed on the break at the top level 90% under rack your own conditions playing 9 ball of course (same with the Sardo rack.) I apolagize to Lou Sardo for being so critical about his rack, I am just tired of 9 ball being the game in which we hold such high standards. Are Americans really this stupid? At least Earl is not being so politically correct and voicing his concerns about the soft break problem today in the 9 ball. I am going to ask Berry Behrman what he would think about an alternate option which is to replace the 9 ball with Ten ball maybe even on the 10' table, this would play favor to the snooker players but also they would actually have to work on their opening break instead of the redundant trick shot soft break of today's 9 ball.

I encourage anyone who is interested (pro or not) to write a letter as I will to Berry Behrman in hopes that he would consider the Ten ball as an option for this great event that attracts so many loyal fans and players every year - but the soft break problem is only beginning playing 9 ball I'm afraid. Anyone who thinks they can make a soft break work playing ten ball needs to bring a bunch of $ to MO, that way they can show me how wrong I am, ohh by the way real pool is not rack your own rack in my opinion.
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Thanks for your comments Danny. I always like hearing from you. I have a question for you. What about racking 9-Ball with the nine ball on the spot? In other words move the rack up a few inches. The corner ball now hits above the corner pocket. They have done this successfully in several Matchroom events.
 
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