World Pool Championships 2025, July 21-26, Jeddah

I’d really like to see a longer shot clock in the finals. This is a tournament to decide who is the best/world champion. I want to see the best players playing their best. There is no more matches after the finals so no super hurry to finish. I hated seeing two greats not be able to be as great as they could be because of that.
 
skor said:
We don’t know if it’s by choice or by restriction.
I’m sure that he could travel to China for instance.
People have a life and family and a job and sometimes they can’t just leave it all and start touring. My guess is that he is picking his events that are more convenient for him.
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Ameer Ali is a part-time, though very talented player. He's not the first to concentrate on other pursuits while continuing to compete at pool where possible. If he has a kitchen appliance company as reported, he may feel that it is where his focus belongs.

In the 1960s, Mizerak did not feel that playing pool would pay all the bills and he pursued a degree in education, becoming a teacher in Perth Amboy, NJ, for many years. Irving Crane was a car salesman, even during his pool playing prime. Two-time US Open 14.1 Champion Tom Jennings was a college math professor.

Whatever Ameer Ali decides is OK by me, and I wish him the best.
 
benjaminwah said:
I’d really like to see a longer shot clock in the finals. This is a tournament to decide who is the best/world champion. I want to see the best players playing their best. There is no more matches after the finals so no super hurry to finish. I hated seeing two greats not be able to be as great as they could be because of that.
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Over the years, I have seen no evidence that having a longer shot clock increases the level of play. All a longer shot clock brings is slow play.

Two of the slowest players of the modern era are Ralf Souquet and Eklent Kaci. When they play off the shot clock, they take forever and play well. When they play on the shot clock, they play just as well. This week, Kledio Kaci, another notoriously slow player, played the best pool he has ever played and the thirty-second shot clock was in use.

The intuitive argument that if decisions at the pool table are made more slowly, those decisions will be better, does not hold up to scrutiny.

The players, as a group, have proven over and over that they can make accurate decisions quickly, but give them forever to shoot and that's exactly how long they will take.
 
Gorst played more defense in this tournament than I've seen him play, Biado also played his share but not so much as Gorst. Gorst is known for his shot making, excellent banker, seemed to me he passed on many opportunities to shoot to play safe, of course he was in the finals so who am I to second guess.
 
JoeyInCali said:
In all fairness, Earl didn't have to deal with the insane playing field now. Taiwan and Europe weren't powerhouses then..The Philippines didn't have a dozen monsters yet.
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If you took a look at the fields that were produced in Cardiff, you would not say this. Earl's win in 2002 was against a field of absolute beasts. The fields were internationally diverse by then.
 
benjaminwah said:
I’d really like to see a longer shot clock in the finals. This is a tournament to decide who is the best/world champion. I want to see the best players playing their best. There is no more matches after the finals so no super hurry to finish. I hated seeing two greats not be able to be as great as they could be because of that.
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Emily, big kaci and Fred had this discussion. Kaci said no clock on the last match, of course Fred disagreed. Emily didn't think it was a good idea either
 
datnodude said:
Emily, big kaci and Fred had this discussion. Kaci said no clock on the last match, of course Fred disagreed. Emily didn't think it was a good idea either
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It comes down to whether you want people to watch pool or not. Emily won't compromise the quality of the professional pool product to cater to the whimsical and ridiculous request of a player.
 
skor said:
To be honest, it feels to me that Fedor is fiddling too much with equipment, extension on cue, extension in pocket, two jump cues, it's all too much. He need to get his focus back on the game. He is a great player but he is all over the place, also with his vlogging and the long races he had this year.
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The man is trying to earn a living. He is human and will have off days , not as many off days as you but still.
 
sjm said:
Over the years, I have seen no evidence that having a longer shot clock increases the level of play. All a longer shot clock brings is slow play.

Two of the slowest players of the modern era are Ralf Souquet and Eklent Kaci. When they play off the shot clock, they take forever and play well. When they play on the shot clock, they play just as well. This week, Kledio Kaci, another notoriously slow player, played the best pool he has ever played and the thirty-second shot clock was in use.

The intuitive argument that if decisions at the pool table are made more slowly, those decisions will be better, does not hold up to scrutiny.

The players, as a group, have proven over and over that they can make accurate decisions quickly, but give them forever to shoot and that's exactly how long they will take.
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I agree
I think that the shot clock brings the best out of them.
At this level, the first option that comes to mind by intuition is usually the right one.
 
skip100 said:
Fedor (not Fred) just finished 2nd in the world championship, finishing ahead of 126 out of 127 opponents, and people are saying he is doing something wrong? Give me a break.
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Well said. Fedor is a champion of the highest order with a resume of titles that is extremely impressive and which will get even more impressive. He will be a BCA Hall of Famer one day, and we will all feel honored to have had the opportunity to watch a legend at his craft.
 
SBC said:
A legend in his own mind.
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This dipshit beat me at Super Billiards Expo for $500 , 3 to 7 in a 9 ball race to 7 on barbox. Acted like he was some kind of champion.

Told him he played over his head or he's laying down in all the matches I seen from the Dungeon. Told him he played good.

Then he high balled me like winning 500 wasnt worth the last 32 minutes of his life. I offered to go again for 1000 and then it was crickets.

Stick to getting 49 backers and robbing Carl Bolm for $100,000!
 
sjm said:
If you took a look at the fields that were produced in Cardiff, you would not say this. Earl's win in 2002 was against a field of absolute beasts. The fields were internationally diverse by then.
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i was always impressed with that win. the crowd was raucous and hostile to earl, he had ups and downs but pulled through. same could be said of darryl peach in manila, that was like enemy territory
 
sjm said:
Ameer Ali is a part-time, though very talented player. He's not the first to concentrate on other pursuits while continuing to compete at pool where possible. If he has a kitchen appliance company as reported, he may feel that it is where his focus belongs.

In the 1960s, Mizerak did not feel that playing pool would pay all the bills and he pursued a degree in education, becoming a teacher in Perth Amboy, NJ, for many years. Irving Crane was a car salesman, even during his pool playing prime. Two-time US Open 14.1 Champion Tom Jennings was a college math professor.

Whatever Ameer Ali decides is OK by me, and I wish him the best.
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Steve’s last room was in Lake Park FL….he had a big trophy case….half of the case were teaching awards….he loved teaching, but at the age of 36, it was costing him money…pool was getting too lucrative.
 
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