Polishing Balls During a Run

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
I left out a verb!!!! (Lawyers crack me up.)

I seem to remember a couple of guys getting the balls polished between attempts, so I guess we differ on our recollections. And no, it wasn't a matter of it being busy or not -- it seemed to me that sometimes, some guys, just wouldn't go without the balls being cleaned.

Lou Figueroa
the witness is
available for
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Sorry for trying to address your statement honestly and clearly, Lou.

Without the verb, your statement was not clear so it was not clear what it was you were saying "happened". (Verbal gymnasts really crack me up :grin:)

"Sometimes, some guys just wouldn't go without the balls being polished" ???? Between attempts?? Not in my world.

I know no one ever gets the last word on you, Lou, so I will just end it here.
 

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What happens when every player starts picking up on this and the 50 ball runners ask to have the balls polished every other rack like the 200 ball runners?

Exactly, I hate it when those lowly 50 ball runners start asking for things!
:nono:


(just teasing) :D
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
Same thing happened to Chris Sutzer playing Karen Corr during a DCC 1pocket match a couple of years ago. It was hill-hill and he had a wide open run available and on the second shot, played medium speed, the cue ball practically crawled up the side of the object ball. Corr wins. I don't know why, buy this happens a lot at the DCC. I know I've had it happen, one time twice in one game.

Lou Figueroa

I saw a situation where Allen Hopkins was hill-hill against a fellow named I. Cantremember at the US Open 10 Ball and he caught a skidder on the game/match 10 ball on a fairly easy shot to the side pocket and lost the match. Like I said, it always happens at the absolute worst time, LOL.

Lou, there was a thread here not terribly long ago in which it was brought up that skidders seem to happen more on Diamond tables and there were all sorts of theories why that would be. The one that seems logical to me is that the dreaded marks left on the balls by the Diamond pockets might be causing them. Consider that those marks get on all the balls, not just primarily the CB like with chalk marks, and it seems possible that between the pocket marks on the OBs and the chalk marks on the CB that it just might happen more often.
 
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lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sorry for trying to address your statement honestly and clearly, Lou.

Without the verb, your statement was not clear so it was not clear what it was you were saying "happened". (Verbal gymnasts really crack me up :grin:)

"Sometimes, some guys just wouldn't go without the balls being polished" ???? Between attempts?? Not in my world.

I know no one ever gets the last word on you, Lou, so I will just end it here.


Why don't you just say, "The defense rests."

Lou Figueroa
you know you wanna :)
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I saw a situation where Allen Hopkins was hill-hill against a fellow named I. Cantremember at the US Open 10 Ball and he caught a skidder on the game/match 10 ball on a fairly easy shot to the side pocket and lost the match. Like I said, it always happens at the absolute worst time, LOL.

Lou, there was a thread here not terribly long ago in which it was brought up that skidders seem to happen more on Diamond tables and there were all sorts of theories why that would be. The one that seems logical to me is that the dreaded marks left on the balls by the Diamond pockets might be causing them. Consider that those marks get on all the balls, not just primarily the CB like with chalk marks, and it seems possible that between the pocket marks on the OBs and the chalk marks on the CB that it just might happen more often.


My experience is not so much that it happens more on Diamond tables -- I've played with them in several locales -- more like it happens more at the DCC, some years more than others. Maybe it's what they use to clean the balls sometimes at that event?

Lou Figueroa
atmospherics?
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
My experience is not so much that it happens more on Diamond tables -- I've played with them in several locales -- more like it happens more at the DCC, some years more than others. Maybe it's what they use to clean the balls sometimes at that event?

Lou Figueroa
atmospherics?

You mean what solution they use? Because I'd have to assume the machines they use are Diamonds.;)
 

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
Well, right. There's nothing wrong with the machine.

Lou Figueroa
got one

I forget what it was they were using. Greg's brother had it up by our machine in the straight pool room. It was not really meant for polishing. It just got the black marks off real easy.
 

nancewayne

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cleaning off chalk marks from the cue ball

Many of the Pros during tournament competition, when the cue ball is available between racks, scratch on the cue ball, etc., wipe down the cue ball removing chalk marks. Earl Strickland often puts the cue ball in his pocket to wipe it down. If there was no break in continuous pool play, ie., 14.1 game), then the balls have to be played, "as they lie", (similar to golf). F.Y.I.

Lou:

I have to agree, with one exception: the cue ball.

Let me say that I am one that enjoys these long run videos, like the runs filmed in Bill's house. I'll correct myself -- I REALLY enjoy these videos, and greatly appreciate the time and effort it takes to collect and upload them! I like to watch how a player, in a relaxed mindset, handles patterns, and what kind of risks he/she takes to ensure the run keeps going.

But, as you infer, I view them in a completely different light than I do, say, a long run that was executed in an actual match, where the player had to actually work for it. One of the reasons why is exactly what this thread is about -- the constant cleaning of the balls. I wouldn't go as far to call it a gaffe (or a circus run), but rather a non-real-life playing environment, different enough to even differentiate these from normal practice runs.

I do view the cleaning of the cue ball to be a different matter, though. Obviously, the cue ball collects chalk from the impact with the cue (and especially that Kamui sh.. -- I mean -- stuff that some people use). So when the cue ball gets dirty enough to cause excess skidding (and hopping, as David/acousticsguru mentions), I see no harm or foul in properly marking the cue ball position and giving a towel or white glove treatment to the cue ball. This, obviously, can be abused as well -- e.g. doing it more than once every single rack can be seen as excessive.

JMHO, however.
-Sean
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
If the balls are dirty the player has a right to have them cleaned.

My worst experience with this was at one of the Reno Sands 9 ball tournaments. My opponent had a severe sweating problem and rather than go to a glove he went to powder -- about every two minutes. When he racked the balls it was like they were caked with mud. No one should have to play under those conditions.

(A second problem during that match was that the scorekeepers son/nephew, who was about 10, really did not want to be there and he showed this by whining continuously like a puppy that needs to be fed.)

Suppose you are about to shoot a shot that needs inside english and the one ball has a spot of chalk at the contact point. You have a right to have the ball cleaned.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
Thumbs Up

If the balls are dirty the player has a right to have them cleaned.

My worst experience with this was at one of the Reno Sands 9 ball tournaments. My opponent had a severe sweating problem and rather than go to a glove he went to powder -- about every two minutes. When he racked the balls it was like they were caked with mud. No one should have to play under those conditions.

(A second problem during that match was that the scorekeepers son/nephew, who was about 10, really did not want to be there and he showed this by whining continuously like a puppy that needs to be fed.)

Suppose you are about to shoot a shot that needs inside english and the one ball has a spot of chalk at the contact point. You have a right to have the ball cleaned.


I totally agree with you Bob. It is like that in all sports. They throw out baseballs when they get a spot of dirt on the ball. I can go on & on about different situations in other sports.
 

nancewayne

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cleaning balls during a run (in pool !)

What I mean is...during the golf hole being played, after the golf ball is hit from the teeing area until it arrives on the green, it is not touched or cleaned. (and yes, there are even exceptions to that rule...if it has rained and the golf ball could plug in the turf, then cleaning the golf ball IS allowed). Thanks for keeping me honest !!!

So answer me this. Why do they have Ball Polishers at every tee ?

-Steve
 
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