I felt this way the first time I saw the pros playing on the 10 footer. It just looks like the way the game is supposed to be played. Many here will say that size don't matter, that the top pros will just run out no matter how big the table. Well, look at the stats from last nights 10-ball challenge match and count how many B&Rs there were.
Sure, maybe the elite players can learn to make the shots almost as well, but there is the matter of having a big enough and controlled enough stroke to get proper shape that won't have you stretched out over 5' of cloth half the time. Anybody notice how few times they actually had to resort to using the bridge? That's because they're good enough to position their rock close enough to reach the next shot with relative ease. The average player is totally incapable of that, and the 10' table would leave them feeling like they were playing on a football field.
I think this week's interview with Greg Sullivan reflects a similar sentiment. We need to showcase our pros on the hardest equipment we can in order for them to distinguish themselves from lesser players who may well be able to run big packages on occasion but would fall short once the equipment gets tough. Tightening up the pockets doesn't do that, it just turns the game into a sharpshooting contest. Plenty of great young players who can shoot real straight, but fall short of the mark on their safety, kicking, and pattern play. This is where the 10' table will punish them until they bring other aspects of their game up to the level of their ball pocketing skills.
Beside, it just looks better. Even big men look dwarfed by the big table, and this make the game appear harder to the casual player used to a 6-7' bar box at the local bar. Some of the best Brit players on the scene now are coming from English blackball. Those guys are fantastic players and I know the game is a lot harder than it looks, but that's just it. It looks easy - almost comically easy - to the uninitiated. Man pitted against giant table looks a lot more challenging and is lot more enjoyable to watch, at least for me.
