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Hey, tell me WTF causes it, and I will gladly avoid in future 🤔 ! I just click ‘REPLY’ and start typing.

Ha. Good thing I don’t depend on pool for a living, and can just avoid any conflict. If you need to take frequent smoke breaks, your opponent had better also be a smoker. Ordinarily, I run to the BR only while my opponent is racking, but, reasonable/cooperative players seldom have issues...

Seems to apply re: most ‘performance’ oriented endeavors (sports, music, etc.). It requires so much effort/dedication to be the best, few can keep it up forever. As youthful enthusiasm fades and rewards diminish, even the ‘born naturals’ tend to move on to other pursuits.

Obviously, the release action process would have to begin much before actual tip contact. And, a very loose grip earlier would admittedly likely reduce cue speed on contact. But, again assuming identical cue speed, the ‘action/reaction’ rule of physics would indicate that energy would be lost in...

This issue seems ‘cut & dried’ to me. Men’s tournaments should always be open to female (or trans) entries. In games requiring less physical strength (14.1, one-pocket, etc.), they might be especially competitive. Male-to-female trans (or vice-versa) entrants should be banned from women’s...

So, if you totally released your grip force in the last inch of travel (before impact), that would not lessen the CB speed at all, compared to maintaining maximum grip force throughout the break stroke (assuming same delivered cue speed)?

“It happens” to me whenever I fail to assess all the factors involved (ball/cloth condition, OB distance from the rack, tangent line/contact point, speed of hit, etc., etc.). Guys like Mosconi, it seems, would just step up and pop in the breakshot as soon as the rack was lifted, with a good...

I seem to recall the rack-boy/counterman (in the late 50s room I haunted) wore a similar apron, He had a coin dispensing device on his belt, and likely dumped the change & bills collected from customers in an apron pocket.

I used to play a little guy who was in a wheelchair, and his chair had mounting hardware for a custom-made/extra-long telescoping bridge, and an extra-long cue extension. When the CB was left far away from the rail, he could whip out & extend that bridge, pop on the extension, and compete with...

Especially tough on those who don’t play/practice much regularly. I may get into the zone and win all my warm-up games, but usually lose my stroke & get cold while waiting to play in the tournament. Instead of single 8-ball games & double elimination, I’m thinking sets & single elimination...

Reminds me of the mini wooden bowling pins old men (in the 50s room where I grew up) used to play cribbage (?) on the carom table.

Makes me wonder about typical ball/cloth conditions in Mosconi’s day (?). Beat-up/dirty mud balls & carded cloth WOULD mandate outside english. When was the first ball polishing machine introduced? Would room owners ever hand-clean the balls (never saw it done), or replace? Hardened hand oil...

Essential when breaking from behind (CB to table center), or (to beat the cross-side scratch) off the front.

Too bad. Don’t do Facebook (no free access like youtube).

Depends on how well you judge deflection, and where the CB will contact the pack. If pockets are tight, and you are hitting an OB square-on, draw/stun only is likely safer than risking a miss/sell-out.

No youtube replays this year. Any videos of the finals online?

I especially appreciated his reminder of how to decide which english to use when breaking from behind the rack (as I am often guilty of ignoring the obvious, and thus end up stuck to the pack).

It‘s interesting this subject came up: Local club posts game rules dictating ‘NO MASSE ALOWED’. Along with the ‘NO GAMBLING’ signs posted in every poolroom, I had assumed it was just designed to protect the cloth (damaging extreme masse shots). But, a contestant called me on it when I elevated...

Thanks. Sounds right (guy didn’t mention it was half way to Elkhart though). If I’m going all the way to Elkhart, I might as well look up a 100 ball runner from there I used to play (no gamble, but always game regardless). I heard he’s still active (?). Wish I could remember his name (Steve…...

As all the small poolrooms went out of business, the younger generation of players mostly only learned how to play on a coin-op barbox (no 14.1 possible), a situation BTW that likely also explains the confusing myriad of screwy local rules (kicking at balls in the kitchen, no spot shots, etc.)...