Straight pool is probably the most beautiful game played on a pool table. Jonny Ervolino once offered that "one pocket is probably more difficult but straight pool is more beautiful." Let's go with that.
The straight pool era ended, for practical purposes, in 1983, when pool had its first real shot at TV coverage. Two things killed it: 1) slow play, and b) call shot. To this day, nobody has attempted to speed the game up, so it remains a pretty tough game to watch for anyone but the true purist. In 1983, snooker was starting to gain a big following, and it was not a call shot game, so the argument for keeping call shot was a very weak one. Pool event producers chose 9ball for a few reasons: 1) many of the top guys were already playing it as their primary game, including Sigel, Strickland, Hall, Varner, Parica and Rempe, 2) 9ball was not a call shot game, and 3) the pace of 9ball was much faster than that of straight pool.
I admire those that that have tried hardest to keep straight pool alive in America, especially Charlie Williams, Bob Jewett, Pat Fleming, Peter Burrows and Bobby Chamberlain, but they all fought an uphill battle. The truth is that the current generation of players rarely chooses straight pool, and that threatens its vitality as a key pool discipline in America going forward.
Contrastingly, straight pool is alive and kicking in Europe, a component of both the German Bundesliga system and a fixture at the annual European Pool Championships.
The emphasis on high runs over the outplaying of an opponent has robbed straight pool of some of its majesty, too.
I'd sure like to see the beautiful game of straight pool enjoy a renaissance but I cannot say that I sense one is in progress at this point.
Long live straight pool!
