Incorrect (though I see how it can seem that way). Balls with lots of side spin and little forward roll can (and often do) remain on a dot even smaller than a measle. Think about the "tilted barrel" analogy I described above.
pj
chgo
We have the shot in slow motion. Show where you think the ball transitions from a skid or roll in a normal manner to moving as you think it did.
I'll give you a hint, the transition can't happen at the speeds shown. For this to happen it would com to an almost complete stop then start again as the theoretical area with enough friction to grip the cloth stayed on the cloth.
The devil is in the details and the ball's travel doesn't indicate anything to make the theory that an area of the cue ball had enough grip to produce that motion possible.
Partially because after the impossible has been eliminated we have to consider the improbable, I suspect the cloth as the culprit. Sun, a vent blowing on it, very possibly inconsistencies in stretching it adding to the effect. The cloth and hardness of the cushions are the things that can vary with time. When Bob couldn't duplicate the effect he didn't have the same variables. The cushions weren't involved, the cloth is the most probable cause and could very easily have been different when Bob did his testing.
Hu
