Recent content by john noe

I have seen, on YouTube the talent of Keith McCready when he was playing in his prime. I do not disagree with any claim you made. He played as far above the ball as I've ever seen and had this side arm stroke that never left him from childhood and not being able to reach the table. His...

"A billiard table is that richest of metaphors, by turns a theatre, an altar, touchstone, gauntlet, ritual ground, a gunfighter's high noon, a refuge, a verdant landscape for balls to scatter and rest in meaningful synchronicity, a classroom, a karma dance, mirror of moods, a guide and trusted...

Taking screw/bolt out of predator cue So instead of paying for a Predator wrench to take their weight out I screwed a couple of 3 inch screws through a piece of wood and used that. It worked. I'm sure there are better ways of dealing with this but it's the first thing that popped into my mind.

The best I have done running racks So, I've never played 14.1 but I think it's a great game anyway. It's just that nobody ever played that game where I played. My high run in 9-Ball is 5 racks without missing a shot. Quit playing for over 20 years so this had to be in the late 90's and it was...

The stiffer the shaft is, the less the (shaft) will deflect and the MORE the cue ball will deflect. Yes, a shaft made of pure diamond will probably cause the least (Shaft) deflection. This is a common misperception among players. What the player cares about is how much the cue ball will deflect...

I remember way back when those "trick cues" came out. Slowly but surely they inundated the pool world. My initial reaction to them and it hasn't changed was and is that they are cheating. People who couldn't shoot a lick were jumping over balls with their jump cues. And all the people out there...

Mark Twain is my favorite all time author but I have many other favorites who are a close second place. I understand the sentiment behind what Mark Twain said when he said, "If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it" but at face value this is just plain wrong.

Surprising to see Efren listed as 29th best player of all time with Nick Varner and Steve Mizerak listed before him. Don't get me wrong Both Nick and Steve were legendary players but Efren should have been listed ahead of both of them. Even Earl Strickland listed 17th I wouldn't put him ahead of...

Yes, I read that Efren uses Elkmaster tips on his cues........ but not really due to the fact that he has them hardened up a bit using milk cream and a vice or something. So if we want to use the same tip Efren uses we are going to have to find out who treats his Elkmaster tips and try to get...

"Long Live the King" well said my friend. He truly is the King. Only one player was barely better than him at only one game, nine ball. That player was Earl Srickland but only because of his superior break shot. Efren was king of one pocket, eight ball, and carom games.

9 ball or 10 ball and 9 ft or 10 ft table ?

3 out of your 4 picks hold true for me as well. Only difference is, (and I respect his game tremendously) I do not watch Archer play unless he happens to be in the finals of some tournament or he is playing Strickland, Reyes, or SVB.

I have at least 25 years of playing experience but just began playing again after a 20 year layoff. The fact that John broke this record on a 9 ft table compared to Willie's 8 ft table is what stands out for me the most. Personally I have almost no straight pool experience and the reason for...

This is true and it's false at the same time for so many reasons I'd have to write a book about to explain it properly.

Yes, a heavier cue takes more force to move it. I remember reading a book about 30 years ago where they tested the optimum weight of a cue to achieve the most powerful break. It was around 19 ounces if memory serves. 30 years is a long time to remember something like that but when it comes to...