He was not freezing the rack together properly and leaving gaps that allow for the ball to go straight into the pocket like that. A truly tight rack would "not" allow that to take place and Alex knew that and that is why he said something and showed Jay the problem. Jay said he could make him rack one more time, but SVB simply put up the same rack and went with it.
Alex then started copying that rack and you can see very clearly when he was taking his time racking the balls that he was looking at the exact area of the rack and making sure it was set up the same way to make that same ball in the same pocket.
The whole thing was pretty lame IMO.
Alex did complain about Shane's rack as he has a right to do so - one time! After that, it's up to the referee (me in this case) to decide if the rack is acceptable. I did see a very slight gap in the rack and had Shane re-rack the balls until there was no gap. It didn't make much difference and I'll tell you why. NO ONE breaks like Shane! NO ONE! He hits the balls with more power than anyone else by a wide margin. The rack explodes on his break and the corner ball actually flies into the corner pocket, slightly elevated off the cloth. I could see this with my own eyes. Tight rack, loose rack, makes no difference. This guy is crushing the balls and when his break is working, there is no stopping him.
And it's not only his break that makes him so formidable. He can make any shot from anywhere, maybe better than anyone else, especially under pressure. And he can move the cue ball all over the table when necessary to break up problem balls. Simply put, when his game is on he's the best player on the planet today and everyone knows it. He simply overpowers the balls and the table, kind of like watching David Matlock on the bar table years ago. Shane dictates to the balls like no one else. He reminds me of how we used to feel about Earl when he was the dominant player. One speed above the world! Dennis played great in the finals, when he got a chance, which wasn't too often. If Shane could play like that all the time, he would win everything! Again just like Earl USED to do.
I confess that I'm a little embarrassed watching the match between Shane and Alex and seeing Alex foul in the first game. I was sitting right there and missed it, something that isn't supposed to happen. I realize that Alex had my view partially obscured, but that's no excuse. I could and should have moved quickly to be in position to see the entire shot and I didn't. This was a very busy tournament for me, probably making 40 to 50 calls on shots etc. Many of them were very close and I had to be in the right position to make the right call. I pride myself on being a good referee and for me a good tournament is one where I make zero mistakes! I don't have the luxury of missing a ball (or a call) once in a while. I've got to get them all right! Even one missed call makes it only an average tournament for me. Missing that foul by Alex (although it didn't affect the outcome of the match), makes this tournament a 'B' on my personal scorecard. To get an 'A', which I often do, I can't miss anything.
I will have more to say about this U.S. Open but it will have to wait until I'm ready to discuss it further. I left with a bad taste in my mouth and I'm just not ready to say why or what happened. Players getting paid late and with bad checks is only part of it. I agree this should not be happening again. It's embarrassing for me as the TD to have to explain to players why there is no one there to pay them, which in truth I didn't have the answer to.
