sausage
Banned
thanks for the info....
14.1 Hi-Run Challenge at BCAPL
- Thread starter Mark Griffin
- Start date
thanks for the info....
Table must be tough...
The high run is only 122? I still say they should have the same pocket width and cut Mosconi had. It's like saying Mosconi shot 526 bulls-eyes in a row shooting at a 1" bulls-eye, while making these guys try to beat that, but they're shooting at a 1/2" bulls-eye.
The high run is only 122? I still say they should have the same pocket width and cut Mosconi had. It's like saying Mosconi shot 526 bulls-eyes in a row shooting at a 1" bulls-eye, while making these guys try to beat that, but they're shooting at a 1/2" bulls-eye.
Yeah, these Diamond tables are tough, but, like the man said, "it's their money" Isn't Mark the co-owner of Diamond Billiards. Not likely they are interested in recreating the Mosconi experience with a different table. That's probably for someone else to do.
I say the high run challenge itself is enough and the Mosconi Challenge part of it is like a barker's rap to attract the marks.
Nothing wrong with using Diamond tables, but they could have set them up with the identical pocket width and cut Mosconi had instead of the Diamond Pro Cut. FWIW, I don't think Mosconi would have run 526 on a Diamond Pro. The known high is Bobby Chamberlain's 311 - and that's still over 200 short. And the high run at this event is over 400 short. I think the event would draw much more attention if people were seeing serious runs at the record.
The Event
The focus of the event is to draw attention to straight pool and not about who can break Mosconi's record. I don't think it would be fair to Diamond to rig up one of their tables making it much easier to play on for the event. If by chance the record did fall it would forever be known as being done on a Diamond with big sewers for pockets - not the type of reputation Diamond Billiards is striving for.
Although setting up a different 4' x 8' with 4-7/8" pockets and letting the best in the world have at it would be a huge crowd draw in my opinion. If anything, I thing it would shut a lot of people up on how "easy" it was for Willie to do what he did. It wasn't easy. Not on any table would a 526 being easy.
Ron F
The focus of the event is to draw attention to straight pool and not about who can break Mosconi's record. I don't think it would be fair to Diamond to rig up one of their tables making it much easier to play on for the event. If by chance the record did fall it would forever be known as being done on a Diamond with big sewers for pockets - not the type of reputation Diamond Billiards is striving for.
Although setting up a different 4' x 8' with 4-7/8" pockets and letting the best in the world have at it would be a huge crowd draw in my opinion. If anything, I thing it would shut a lot of people up on how "easy" it was for Willie to do what he did. It wasn't easy. Not on any table would a 526 being easy.
Ron F
Where is the stream Ron?
Top Eight So Far
I got the order right but the numbers might be off a little- 4 attempts for total number
Schmidt 281
Mika 260
Appleton 193
Corey 182
Miguel Silva of Portugal 160
Tony Robles 159
Danny Harriman 148
Jesse Engles 120
Notables who have not attempted yet:
Souquet, Hohmann, Archer, Williams.
I got the order right but the numbers might be off a little- 4 attempts for total number
Schmidt 281
Mika 260
Appleton 193
Corey 182
Miguel Silva of Portugal 160
Tony Robles 159
Danny Harriman 148
Jesse Engles 120
Notables who have not attempted yet:
Souquet, Hohmann, Archer, Williams.
199-----313
Harriman did a run of 199-for a total of 313 in 4.
Wow!!!
Mark griffin
Harriman did a run of 199-for a total of 313 in 4.
Wow!!!
Mark griffin
Win-man,
So you are saying if BC couldn't do it, then Willie couldn't??? First time I've ever heard that ranking (just kidding, I know you are not "ranking").
If BC can run 311 on a Diamond, then Willie could run 622 at least (no offense to BC, but Willie was THE ELITE PLAYER OF ALL TIME!!!!). JMO. Willie had zero interest in high runs. If someone put up a lot of cash for them, there is no doubt he would have eclipsed every other player's high run.
Willie,
I do have to agree with one thing. I've read accounts that said when Mosconi pocketed balls, they were all dead center - no rattling the sides. If you're pocketing dead center, the width and cut shouldn't matter. So maybe he could have done it. Who knows?
Edit: Irving Crane was the same way. I wonder what his high run would have been had he cared about putting up a big number.
Last edited:
I heard he scratched on 200. He beat Darren's 183 on a Diamond at Derby earlier this year.
Got to be the highest video'd run on a Diamond in competition. (JS has a 294 video'd but it is not in competition)
Are you going to release the videos? I hear these are being recorded. How about the final 8 Round Robin. Is anyone going to record any of that? Could be some good stuff.
526
Mosconi could've run 526 on a 4.5' x 9' Diamond Pro Am if there was something in it for him. The man was a full blown maniac when he put his mind to doing something on the table. That's how competitive he was. If anyone offered 5 figures for a new world run record (greater than his 526) he would've killed himself until he beat it. And not just simply to get the cash - but also because he wouldn't want anyone else to have it. When it came to pool Willie was like Tyson in the ring (but only slightly more civilized). He could not stand less than perfection and he had no way of dealing with failure. The only way, in Willie's life, was working hard at it until you succeeded.
Ron F
Mosconi could've run 526 on a 4.5' x 9' Diamond Pro Am if there was something in it for him. The man was a full blown maniac when he put his mind to doing something on the table. That's how competitive he was. If anyone offered 5 figures for a new world run record (greater than his 526) he would've killed himself until he beat it. And not just simply to get the cash - but also because he wouldn't want anyone else to have it. When it came to pool Willie was like Tyson in the ring (but only slightly more civilized). He could not stand less than perfection and he had no way of dealing with failure. The only way, in Willie's life, was working hard at it until you succeeded.
Ron F
Last edited:
Ron,
Mark Wilson tells this story of Mosconi: Willie was asked how badly he wanted to win. He stated factually that, "If I was playing my mother, I would want to beat her 150 to negative 2."
Not 150 to zero, 150 to minus 2.
Though most of the champions I have met are extremely competitive and always want to win, only one pro player I've met had such similar fierce desire - Jeanette Lee. When I first matched up at straight pool with her, she asked if I wanted to practice or play. I recommended a friendly game with me receiving a large handicap. She said, "Okay, you know I am your friend, but if we're keeping score I'm going to have to rip your heart out." Really no smile along with this comment, no joke, just fact. Very intimidating.
Last edited:
Yes
Thanks for the post, Willie. From reading Willie's Game, The Hustler & The Champ, news clippings, online articles, etc., over time you get a feel for how passionate Willie was for a.) playing pool better than any human being, ever, and b.) being competitive and winning at whatever he tried.
I read the quote you mentioned. He also took young Willie out to play golf and dressed him down because the kid's swing wasn't perfect. When Willie, jr, said they were only out on the course to have fun and enjoy themselves Willie lit into him about not ever doing something for fun. If you're going to do it you do it the right way or don't bother. The kid quit in the middle of the round because he wasn't having any fun bc of the old man.
Or about the time during the match at the Waldorf Astoria between Fatty and Superstroke with Wille and Cosell commentating. Camera breaks>Fatty's asked to entertain the crowd>spectator asks Fats if he ever beat Mosconi> Fats partially ducks by saying I played them all and I beat them all. Willie, 62 years old, in a tux, auditorium full of spectators, hired as just a commentator - ABSOLUTELY FREAKS OUT. Sprints over to get in Fatty's face, cords standing up in his neck, spittle flying everywhere as he calls Fats a BUM who never beat ANYONE. He wanted to play Fats IMMEDIATELY to shut him up. The man could not play at 50%, 75% or 90%. It was balls to the wall, all out warfare whenever he picked up a cue for a match. They don't make them like that anymore. I think they only made one and that was it actually.
Ron F
Thanks for the post, Willie. From reading Willie's Game, The Hustler & The Champ, news clippings, online articles, etc., over time you get a feel for how passionate Willie was for a.) playing pool better than any human being, ever, and b.) being competitive and winning at whatever he tried.
I read the quote you mentioned. He also took young Willie out to play golf and dressed him down because the kid's swing wasn't perfect. When Willie, jr, said they were only out on the course to have fun and enjoy themselves Willie lit into him about not ever doing something for fun. If you're going to do it you do it the right way or don't bother. The kid quit in the middle of the round because he wasn't having any fun bc of the old man.
Or about the time during the match at the Waldorf Astoria between Fatty and Superstroke with Wille and Cosell commentating. Camera breaks>Fatty's asked to entertain the crowd>spectator asks Fats if he ever beat Mosconi> Fats partially ducks by saying I played them all and I beat them all. Willie, 62 years old, in a tux, auditorium full of spectators, hired as just a commentator - ABSOLUTELY FREAKS OUT. Sprints over to get in Fatty's face, cords standing up in his neck, spittle flying everywhere as he calls Fats a BUM who never beat ANYONE. He wanted to play Fats IMMEDIATELY to shut him up. The man could not play at 50%, 75% or 90%. It was balls to the wall, all out warfare whenever he picked up a cue for a match. They don't make them like that anymore. I think they only made one and that was it actually.
Ron F
In Fatty's defense, he was not a 14.1 player. Fatty's games were banks and 1-pocket, and he played those very respectably.
And not knocking Willie, but why did he avoid Johnston City like the plague?
I'm pretty sure that had a lot to do with Willie's deal with Brunswick. IMO, they sort of kept him in a corner looking nice while the other players fought it out on the money tables. I think it was a shame that he didn't play in those events, but it's a good bet that nobody missed Willie at Johnson City.
Fats?
We've been talking about Willie and his passion for the game and whether he'd be able to run 526 on a Diamond Pro Am for the last 8 posts. What are you talking about?
Ron F
We've been talking about Willie and his passion for the game and whether he'd be able to run 526 on a Diamond Pro Am for the last 8 posts. What are you talking about?
Ron F