14.1 Championships on A Pro's Resume

StraightPoolIU said:

Another question I pose to all of my collegues here on the straight pool forum...how much of a positive addition do you consider it when a pro player has a major 14.1 tournament victory on their resume? This is keeping in mind that nearly all of the players we frequently label as historical greats have had 14.1 championship victories, but also keeping in mind that since the end of the 1980s big straight pool tournaments have been held sparsely at best. In my opinion a player of the recent era need not have a big 14.1 victory to be considered great, but if I was a pro I would want to win the new incarnation of the 14.1 World Championship very badly.

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Wow, I couldn't agree more. I mean, it is slightly unfair due to the fact there are so few straight pool tournaments but evenso, straight-pool achievements are always the best marks of greatness.

The other day, I had an amazing set of 9-ball... Broke and ran several racks and made a few 9's on the break. I just zipped right through. I don't even bother talking about it with people at the poolroom since I know so much of it was attributed to how I was breaking. In straight pool, there is no such thing as an easy 100. If it were easy, that only adds to your greatness.

Jude Rosenstock said:

Wow, I couldn't agree more. I mean, it is slightly unfair due to the fact there are so few straight pool tournaments but evenso, straight-pool achievements are always the best marks of greatness.

The other day, I had an amazing set of 9-ball... Broke and ran several racks and made a few 9's on the break. I just zipped right through. I don't even bother talking about it with people at the poolroom since I know so much of it was attributed to how I was breaking. In straight pool, there is no such thing as an easy 100. If it were easy, that only adds to your greatness.

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Man, Jude. I don't think this can be said any better. I feel any 1P or 14.1 Championships on a pool players resume', says miles for the all-around talent. Most pros can run balls in rotation, but can they play a complete strategic game? There are fewer of them for sure.

To those of us that play straight pool, we understand the game's glitter and majesty and appreciate how difficult it is to play it at the highest level. Naturally, then, we all attach great importance to straight pool titles. Still, this is not the straight pool era, and it is very difficult to find fault with all those professionals that have opted not to compete in straight pool events in favor of practicing and competing in the disciplines that offer the greatest chance to earn a living at pool.

Guess what I'm trying to say is that while I attach a lot of importance to any straight pool titles found on a pro's playing resume, I don't think that the absence of such titles in any way devalues a player's professional credentials, and that's a statement I would not have made 25 years ago.

StraightPoolIU said:

Another question I pose to all of my collegues here on the straight pool forum...how much of a positive addition do you consider it when a pro player has a major 14.1 tournament victory on their resume? .

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it tells me the player can do more than just shoot,,,and he's probably older than 18

clearly, today, all pool games are considered to be international. With the "new" influx of european, phillipine, chinese etc players participating at the elite playing levels, it is much harder today to win a championship title in any pool genre. With that said, ANY major title on a pro's resume in today's playing atmosphere is considered a greater accomplishment.

Adding a 14.1 championship can be considered icing on the cake, as it were, for any accomplished player. Every pool player knows (whether or not they participate in 14.1 events or not) how difficult it is to play this particular game at the highest levels. With that comes additional respect from thier peers, as well as knowledable fans.

Because the game goes largely unplayed here in America at present, I believe in the near future the game will be dominated mostly by the europeans, who still call straight pool their game of choice.

rg